Rise of the Champions - Chapter Forty-Two
Author: Milady Dragon
Steve stalked the practice field, watching his knights working with their various weapons, keeping an eye on their form and correcting things when needed.
Court had been interminable that morning, leaving Baron Nick is a pretty foul mood. It hadn't helped that he'd been called away on Baronial business immediately afterward, which had scuppered Steve's plan on approaching him to ask after Phil and seeing if there was a way to contact him, in order to check on him after yesterday's events. He'd also wanted to ask the Wizard about Bucky, to see if he'd heard anything; Ianto hadn't contacted him, either, which Steve took as good news and tried not to worry too much about the silence from that quarter.
So, to work off some of the nerves he was experiencing despite determinedly not worrying, Steve changed into his everyday armor and headed out to the practice fields, sending the call out to the Knights of the Barony to report for drills.
Back when he'd been young and had had dreams of being an artist, Steve had never believed he'd ever be a leader of anything, let alone a troupe of Knights. Sure, he'd wanted to join the military with Bucky, to defend their country, but that had been out of the question despite all the hard work he'd done in order to conquer the childhood illnesses he'd been born with. In fact, if Howard hadn't approached him, he'd been considering moving to another Barony, lying about his identity, and joining that way. There'd been no way he'd been going to leave Bucky alone; they were best friends, and Steve had loved him, so not fighting by Buck's side hadn't even been an option.
However, when he did eventually find himself on the battlefield, Steve had learned that he had a natural gift for leadership. See the Howling Commandos as proof.
Barony Triskelia had a cadre of fifty-two Knights, of all ages and genders, each of them battle-hardened and trained, and Steve was proud to be their Commander even though it had only been weeks since he'd taken the job Baron Nick had offered him.
He'd had to learn quite a bit himself, and his Second, Alan Quartermain, had been a font of knowledge. Sir Alan had been Second under Sir Felix as well; when Steve had inquired why he wasn't the Knights' Commander instead, Sir Alan had shrugged and said he hadn't wanted the job. He was perfectly fine being Second in Command, and hadn't wanted to have to deal with all the duties that had come with the promotion.
Steve thought he might have had that part right. Court was interminably boring, except when Baron Nick got fed up with shit and gave idiots hells for even wasting his time. Now, that was entertaining, and Steve knew that Mistress Maria thought so as well, just from the barely hidden smiles she'd get when it occurred.
Triskelia didn't have the largest cadre of Knights – Andrade boasted that, with nearly one hundred – or the smallest – that would have been Barony Torando, with not quite thirty – but the ones under Steve's command were highly skilled, and he was proud to lead them. Sir Felix had been tough but fair, and Steve could see the hard work he'd put in on training them up to the former Knight's high expectations.
There was a line of squires standing ready to help whatever Knight they'd been chosen by, and Steve understood that he'd be expected to take a squire at some point. In fact, Sir Alan had pointed him toward a couple of likely candidates, a Gwen Stacy and a Miles Morales. Steve was a little nervous about bringing on a squire, but it was more because he wasn't sure about his own abilities to train a youngster than anything else.
He watched as one of the Knights made a sloppy move with his sword, and Steve called out, stepping in to correct his stance. The Knight accepted the rebuke with equanimity, making the corrections and performing the block he'd been attempting to Steve's satisfaction.
Perhaps, one day, Bucky would be there to help him with the training. He wouldn't be able to join the Knights himself, with missing an arm, but Steve could vividly recall how Bucky would act around the newest recruits, joking with them even as he was teaching them, and hoped this was just one more dream that would become a reality at some point. Bucky would be excellent with the squires, and could show these Knights a thing or two from back in their time with the army.
As he made his way down the ranks of sparring Knights, Steve noticed that they had an audience. Baron Nick was standing on the sidelines, his single eye appreciative as he watched, nodding when he saw a movement he particularly liked. Steve made his way over, coming to stand on the Baron's left, almost a protective measure in the man's blind spot.
"They're looking good," Baron Nick said approvingly.
"There's still some room for improvement," Steve commented, but then he doubted he would ever fully be satisfied, despite these Knights being quite competent, thanks to their former Commander. "But I think you have the beginnings of one of the best fighting forces in the Western Lands. Have you given any thought to expanding the ranks?"
"I have. I take it you have some ideas?"
"I do." Steve had given it a lot of thought, really. "Have you considered training some Wizards up in battle tactics?"
Baron Nick smiled. "I have. I've seen how Wizards can fight. It's just getting that shit past the Guild. They can have…notions, I suppose you could say, about that sort of thing."
"Well, a fairly powerful Wizard could change the course of a battle."
"You're right. I should put you in touch with Mistress Carol Danvers. She's about the only battle Wizard we have at the moment. Also, Phil's been in fights before, as has Grand Master Ianto." He laughed. "Ask Ianto about the time he fought off an invasion force with an untrained Void Wizard and a Void Point. Oh, wait…maybe you should ask Harkness. Jones has a tendency to shrug that shit off."
Knowing Ianto even a little, Steve could tell that Baron Nick was right, and made a mental note to speak to both Jack and Phil about their experiences. "Speaking of Phil, do you know how he's doing today?" He was aware that the Baron knew exactly what had happened yesterday.
"I haven't heard anything," he admitted, "but if there was anything wrong Barton would have called. Because he knows I would kick his ass if he didn't keep me in the loop."
Steve let his eyes wander over the practicing Knights. "I'm aware you and he are old friends." He let a little sarcasm float through his words.
Baron Nick snorted. "I'm sure you are." His own words were tinged with laughter. "He's like a brother to me, which is why I let his kids get away with calling me Uncle Nick."
Steve knew it was much more than that, having seen how he reacted around both Daisy and Crystal. The Baron doted on those girls, and would eviscerate anyone who would hurt them.
Steve pretty much felt the same way. After all, Daisy had helped Buck and had stood up for him when he'd needed an advocate, and he would be forever grateful to her for that. And Crystal…little Crystal, who'd been through far too much in her short life, and who hadn't deserved any of it. He was proud to be their Uncle Steve, and could only hope to live up to that honor.
"When you're done here, come up to my sitting room. I need to talk to you about something." With those parting words, Baron Nick turned and, with a dramatic snapping of his black cloak, he strode back toward the castle, leaving a nervous little flutterings Steve's his stomach, although he couldn't have said why that was.
He closed down the training session as quickly as he could get away with, dismissing both Knights and squires to their daily duties.
Steve got cleaned up and into his more civilian clothes, then hurried toward Baron Nick's private sitting room. He hoped he wasn't about to be given bad news; it could have been about Bucky, but Steve thought that Ianto would have been the one to bring any sort of word to him, and not have the Baron do it.
No, this was something else, and the Knight had the impression that it was important, and that it would change his life in some way. He couldn't have said how he knew that; he just did, deep in his very bones, an instinct that had served him well in both times or war and peace.
He'd felt it just before he'd gone to face the Skull, and look how that had turned out?
Baron Nick was the only one waiting for him, a glass of that dark red wine he was partial to, sprawled across the couch and looking as relaxed as Steve had ever seen him. Usually after a long day of Baronial business, the Baron would get like this, and it was a privilege that Steve got to see it, since not many people did.
"Come and sit," the Baron waved him toward the chair closest to his own seat. Steve accepted, as well as the glass of wine that had already been poured for him and sitting on the side table next to his elbow, knowing what a connoisseur of fine wines the Baron was and that it would have been up to his usual, excellent, standards.
"I wanted to discuss something with you," the Baron began, his eye on his glass as he swirled the dregs of the wine around within it with a smooth twist of his wrist.
Steve nodded attentively, sipping his own wine. He wasn't all that much of a drinker, but he could appreciate a good vintage when he tasted one thanks to Jacques Dernier, who'd been from wine country and who knew what was good and what was bad, and wasn't shy about sharing that knowledge.
"It's about the Avengers Initiative."
Ah. Steve had been present at the Baronial Council, and had heard the explanation that Baron Nick had given about the Initiative. To be honest, Steve thought it was a good idea, to have some sort of team that could muster out quickly to anywhere in the Western Lands, to do whatever it took to protect innocents against threats when the army couldn't get there fast enough.
Baron Nick's eye met his. "I want you to lead it."
Steve frowned even as he was seeing the sense of it. He'd been in war; he'd been a leader, and knew just how that sort of team would function, thanks to his experience with the Howling Commandos. But he also knew that it could very possibly mean that it would get out that Sir Steve Rogers, Knights' Commander of Triskelia, was actually the Paladin of the Western Lands, long thought lost in battle.
His Baron waggled a finger at him. "I see on your face what you're thinking, and even you have to admit it would only be a good propaganda tactic to be able to say that the Paladin had been reborn or whatever shit we want to spin about it."
He had to admit that yes, it would be a coup to have someone take up the mantel of Paladin for this venture. He just didn't have to like it very much. Nor did he want it to be him.
"I thought we weren't going to bring up the past," Steve flatly accused. It had been one of the points that had made him what to take this job in the first place. He'd wanted to leave the Paladin behind, in the past, where that person belonged.
"You're right. My intention was to hire on a man who needed a purpose after he'd been ripped away from his own world and found himself in a place that had to at least be confusing. Oh, and because my best friend suggested it. But, just listen to my idea. If you absolutely hate it, then that's it, and I'll never mention it again."
Well, Steve could at least give him a hearing. After all, Baron Nick was right: he had given the former Paladin a purpose, one that he'd needed after losing nearly everything and everyone he'd ever known. "Alright, I'm listening."
"What I'm saying is," the Baron leaned forward, "we have the Paladin as the leader…we just don't say who the Paladin is. Who has to know who the Paladin is, under his armor? All we need is the shield and the sword and the armor as a symbol. No one need know it's actually my new Knights' Commander. Your privacy would be assured, and we would get a leader for the Initiative who knows what the fuck they're doing, running a small team who could kick ass."
That…hm.
Steve considered. He really didn't want to take up the mantel of the Paladin of the Western Lands again. Too much pain and heartbreak had come of it. However, he could see the reasoning behind it, if only as a symbol.
Damnit, Steve hated being a symbol. He'd done enough of that before seeing real combat.
Still, symbols were important. That, he'd certainly learned. People needed them, even as much as he disliked it being him.
And this Avengers Initiative thing was a good idea. With the rise of Wizards, getting people to and from places was much easier, but not even the most powerful Wizard could move an entire army to where it was needed, nor could they make enough of those Teleport Artifacts for the thousands of troops that would be needed. Hells, it would probably be hard as well to provide them for the Knights that most Baronies had on hand. Steve had no idea what sort of effort it would take to create so many, and he was sure if he asked, any Wizard would inform him, but if it was easy to do someone would have certainly done it by now.
"Alright," he sighed. "But I do want to keep my name out of it. I know it can't last forever, but I'm still adjusting to this time and all I need are people making a big deal out of the Paladin still being alive and poking their nose into my business."
"That's what I'd want to do anyway. Besides, if I'm guessing correctly, you'll most likely want to give up the title again as soon as you can."
He was correct. Honestly Steve didn't care if he ever was the Paladin ever again. He just wanted to be Sir Steve Rogers, the Knights' Commander of Triskelia, training his people and taking on a squire and living as normal a life as possible.
"And," the Baron went on, "we can see about finding a replacement Paladin at some point."
Steve barked a laugh at that. "Another dog and pony show like Howard put on?"
"Well, we have you as a source of information so we don't make a mess of it." Baron Nick was grinning.
"I don't know. Doing it the way Howard did it, with auditions and everything, might be vaguely entertaining. It would certainly show any candidates who could deal with the absolute ridiculous. If they can deal with that, they can deal with anything."
"It might be worth it just for that!"
They shared a laugh. That whole damned process had been stupid, but it had worked. It had netted Howard Steve himself, although that hadn't been until Peggy had put her foot down about the whole sordid mess. They would need to get someone with that sort of common sense, and wondered if Steward Sharon would want that job. In the short time he'd known her, the Steward certainly had shown that sort of sense, and wouldn't stand for any sort of bullshit.
"We need a Wizard on the team," he pointed out.
Baron Nick nodded. "Look, if I had my way, it would be Phil, with Barton as well. I don't know if either of them would go for it, but I trust them and they're good people. And Phil is, quite literally, the strongest Void Wizard in the world, and we'll need the strongest and best on this team."
Steve agreed. "And, if neither of them wants to, I'm sure they can make suggestions."
"Exactly. And, if either of them baulks at it, we can point out that having a Void on the team will help in combatting the prejudice Phil is intimately familiar with."
It was yet another drop in the bucket of Grand Master Phil Coulson's past. From the few bits Steve had managed to gather, Phil's life before adopting Daisy hadn't been very good, and this confirmed the inferences that he'd made about Phil suffering some form of prejudice as a young man. Steve hated the idea that a good man like that would have had his magic held against him, but he'd also heard enough to know that it wasn't unusual, that there were certain Wizards who didn't care for either the Voids or the Cardinals. Steve didn't understand it; a Wizard couldn't control what sort of magic they had, that was up to the Gods and the Balance for that.
Baron Nick was staring at him shrewdly. "I know you've been gathering all the clues we've dropped about Phil over the month you've been around."
Steve shrugged. "Do you blame me?"
"No, not at all. He saved your life, and you think of him as a friend. He thinks the same of you. But, Rogers…Steve…he'll tell you someday. Just know that he didn't have an easy life of it, and it damaged him in a lot of ways. I was a witness to all of it, but then we've been friends since we were in school together."
"I know, I won't go prying." He didn't mean to sound so defensive, but he couldn't help it.
"I didn't say you would." The Baron smirked. "You don't want people to know you're the Paladin, so it would be hypocritical of you to want poke around someone else's private life."
"I just…I get the feeling he's worried if he tells me, I'll hold it against him."
"Yeah, there's that. But it's also because he's ashamed."
"We all have things in our past we're not proud of."
"You're right. So you understand why it might take him a little time to work up to explaining."
Yes, Steve could understand, and he said so. "I just can't help but wonder if he doesn't trust me."
"Oh, he does. He just doesn't trust himself."
And, after that cryptic comment, Baron Nick stood. "As soon as we have the rest of the team set, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I suspect you want to check on Barnes."
"Yes, I do. And Phil. He looked like death yesterday."
"He's a self-sacrificing idiot who doesn't know when to stop." The Baron shook his head. "Even at his lowest point, that was Phil Coulson. Come on, I'll show you my speaking mirror and we can poke Shield Keep for information."
"I'd appreciate that." Perhaps Phil would know what was going on with Bucky…if Phil was up and about.
"Besides," Baron Nick clapped him on the shoulder. "I think we should be suggesting to Phil and Barton that they'd be perfect for the Initiative."
Steve nodded. He could easily see himself working with both men, and hoped they would go along with the idea.
