The Age of Chivalry
Gensou Suikoden III
Chapter One
By Gabi-hime (pinkfluffynet@yahoo.com)
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They were a grand picture of chivalry and gallantry and it somehow made an empty spot in his heart ache. Lady Chris was pacing up and down before her line of six knights, giving them last minute instructions and Louis was trotting dutifully behind her, attempting make sure that she was girded properly for this which appeared as if it would be the last battle. Lord Percival was comically following behind the both of them and offering to help Louis "gird up the Lady" if he needed assistance slowing her down. Lord Borus was waving his arms in a scandalized fashion at the trailing Percival. Lord Roland was staring at the scene in the same stoic fashion that he viewed all life, but the hint of what perhaps might have been a smile was playing around the corners of his mouth. Lord Salome was quietly chuckling, and Lord Leo was standing with his arms crossed, scruitinizing Percival as if to make sure he wouldn't sneak a hand into Lady Chris's armor when she wasn't looking.
Fred Maxamillion was sitting about ten feet away from this spectacle, arms crossed across his chest, an unfamiliar expression on his usually very easy to read face. Rico was leaning heavily on the butt of her hammer some feet behind him, but he could still hear her ragged breathing. The sprint into the ruins had done her no good and now she was breathless and panting. Hmm, he probably needed to have Master Tuta check her over. Perhaps she was asthmatic.
He ran his fingers through his hair, unable to put his finger on what was bothering him, on what made him feel so strangely empty. He checked the girding on his gauntlets no less than three times but his eyes were inoxerably drawn back to Chris Lightfellow and the other members that comprised the group that were commonly known as the flower of Zexen Chivalry. He drummed his fingers rhythmlessly on his shield and then glanced over at Rico again. She seemed to have recovered from her earlier fit and was now checking through her heavy pack, apparently in search of something. Oh, there it was: half of a minced chicken that Louis had given the two of them the day previous. Rico was probably coming over to give the well-packed meal to him with an admonishment for him to keep his strength up. He grinned despite himself. Well, a full roster of knights Fred Maxamillion did not have, but at least he had the care of a devoted chamberlain.
Unfortunately, before Fred Maxamillion could finish congratulating himself on the nature of the only other member of the Maxamillion Knights he was forced to rethink his classification of her as she settled down and began quite studiously to dispose of the minced chicken herself. Apparently she felt the need to keep her own strength up. Maybe the run had taken more out of her than he'd realized.