PART I

Chapter Two -- Curious Characters

Solis 467, Vinay del Zexay

"So it's settled, Captain Galahad."

The official looked at him expectantly, raising a single eyebrow. Sir Galahad, however, showed no outward hints of approval. Underneath his inscrutable expression was a swelling knot of frustration he fought to supress.

"Well, Captain?" another council member pressed.

"The Council is aware that there haven't been a lot of military recruits lately, is it not?" Galahad addressed the official calmly. "The last batch have been well over ten months ago, and there hasn't been a significant rise in numbers since."

"Which is why we appeal to you, Captain. The new constitution regarding trade has not been fully implemented yet. The signing of the treaty requires a lot of conferences between the bordering nations and the Grassland clans. It will definitely take up a lot of time. Until then, it is for Zexen's best interest that the military cooperate with the defenses of our supplies as well, not merely our ambassadors and merchants."

"Hmm. Very well. I shall see what I can do."

"It has been decided, Captain. We shall expect successful reports--"

"So it has. I will send my vassals for important news." Galahad stood up, placing a clenched fist close to his heart. "Let me give thanks to our Goddess for allowing us this occassion to gather here today."

Hearing this, the council members bowed their heads and thanked the Goddess Loa in unison. One official contemplated silently for a moment after this, his lips pursed, but decided to himself that this was probably all the cooperation they would get from the Captain of the Zexen knights.

'No matter', he thought to himself, as Galahad exited the room. 'Knights have sworn duties. Complying to the Council's wishes are an integral part of their obligations to the country.'

"Your sword, Sir Galahad."

Galahad turned to his squire to retrieve the weapon he left before entering the meeting room. "My thanks, Leo."

The young man nodded briefly. "Sir Pelize came by looking for you earlier, but he's in the chapel right now."

"Alright." He proceeded to head downstairs, but halfway through it, he paused momentarily. He turned to his squire again. "Oh, and Leo, you can take a break for a while. It looks like my business here isn't finished just yet, but it'll probably take only a week at most to see it through. You can go off on your own until I summon for you. You probably need the vacation, anyway."

"Are you sure Captain?"

"I'm certain," Galahad replied. "We won't be leaving Vinay del Zexay until my business is done, unless you want to go back with Pelize to Brass Castle on the morrow."

Leo looked unsure, but nodded slowly. "I'll stay, Captain. Thanks."

"Good. Well," he said, as they reached the first floor, "I'll go talk to Pelize now. I will call for you when the need arises, Leo."

At this, Leo bowed his head slightly and excused himself out of the Guild Hall. Galahad headed towards the chapel, but as soon as he reached the entrance, Pelize came out. "The council meeting has finished, then?" he asked.

At Galahad's nod, he said, "I was just waiting for you."

"So Leo has told me earlier," Galahad said. "He said you were looking for me."

Pelize chuckled. "Your new squire is rather burly, isn't he? My own knights are a little afraid of him."

"I can see why they think him intimidating. The lad is a walking pile of heavy artillery."

"That, and the fact that he's of exceptionally heavy build makes his seniors nervous. That spikey suit of his doesn't help any, either."

"Ah well," Galahad conceded. "He's not bad. You get used to it. Actually it gets quite amusing at times, the way people tend to be wary of him at first. I find it rather convenient on occassion.."

Pelize smirked. "I bet you do. Anyway," he began, "I wanted to know what the Council is up to this time. I leave for Brass Castle tomorrow, and I want my own business here finished before they come hollering for me again." He grinned.

"How wise of you," Galahad remarked dryly. "And how timely. They want us to send a regular number of soldiers every trading voyage, so your return to Brass Castle will at least get this new order moving."

The vice-captain cocked a single brow at this piece of information. "Don't we always send them soldiers?"

"Yes, but this time they're thinking of installing them on a regular basis. The guards are not merely there to protect the ship. The Council wants them to keep an eye on the supplies and the trading business per dock. New shifts arrive to replace these soldiers when the next trading ship from Zexen comes."

"Isn't it the ambassadors' job to oversee how the trade is going?"

"That's another thing. Security will be provided for the negotiators as well. The Council isn't even talking about regular soldiers this time. They're suggesting we send them the knights as well."

Pelize was chagrined to hear this. "Now that is surprising."

Galahad nodded grimly. "The Zexen knights aren't lap dogs. I asked them their reasons for demanding our cooperation in this, but they merely expressed the amount of precaution they intend to take regarding the new trading laws."

"Strange," Pelize murmured. "I'm as certain as you are that they're not saying everything about this. I just know they're up to something."

"Well apparently, they don't care what we think. We already have enough problems with our own negotiations with the warrior clans of the Grasslanders. We don't even have enough recruits this year."

"So what do you intend to do?"

"What choice do we have but do as the Council wishes? When you return tomorrow, check up on the trainees and the soldiers. See if we can afford to provide the Council what they want."

Pelize eyed the captain doubtfully. "Are you sure about this? We still have to take care of Brass Castle's defenses as well."

"Yes." Galahad turned to him, a serious expression on his face. "I will leave this to you. I have to stay here to iron out a few more wrinkles before I join you at Brass Castle in about a week."

"I understand. I'll have to prepare myself for tomorrow then."

"Yes..."

He yawned.

The old lady beside him shot him a scathing look, as if she couldn't believe how rude he was being. Percival smiled back apologetically, but was pointedly ignored. He mentally shrugged as the woman returned to her prayer.

Percival hadn't gotten a wink of sleep the night before. He and a couple of other trainees had celebrated their first break since the first time they had started out. He had only been to Vinay del Zexay once before, and he hadn't had time to really do some sightseeing. On this second visit, the first night they were in town, most of the other trainees who didn't have shifts the next morning had gotten themselves happily drunk. He didn't, of course. He thought it a waste to spend the rest of their first night getting intoxicated. Now they were here again, except this time they were officially on duty. His shift weren't until an hour and a half later, though, so he was out hearing mass. Thankfully, he hadn't fallen asleep yet.

His eyes wandered drowsily a bit. He prayed to himself that the mass be over so he could amble his way out and splash his face with cold water or burn himself in the heat of the sun in his armor. That would wake him up. The monotone of buzzing inside the church made him want to doze off.

Just then, the choir broke into a song. Percival silently thanked Saint Loa for this, as the melody broke through the monotony of the sounds before. Also, he recognized it to be the final hymn, so he smiled contentedly to himself. Just as he was about to close his eyes and prepare himself for the final blessings, the choir shot through a particularly high note, and he found himself wide awake with both eyes open, as they did. He was startled to hear a single voice, clearly and astonishingly off-key, that he found himself staring incredulously at the choir members, along with the rest of the people inside the church.

It was easy to tell who made the mistake. A girl at the back row of singers stood there with her beautiful face beet red, and her expression scowling. Her violet eyes so burned with embrassment and wilfull pride, that it was hard not to notice. Before he could stop himself, though, Percival found himself bursting into laughter, so amused by the girl. This brought the attention of the people and the choir (particularly the beautiful, scowling girl) off her and on him, so he caught himself and instantly quieted down. He bowed down his head until the song was over, secreting a grin with the back of his hand, looking as if he were in deep prayer. A quick glance at the girl, however, told him she was not amused by his outburst. He bowed his head down again.

As soon as the final blessings were over, he stood up and proceeded to get out of his pew. However, as he did so, he noticed that the off-key girl was still staring at him, with an irritated look on her face. Percival winked at her, and this made her blush and frown so concentratedly, that he had to restrain a chuckle. He quickly went outside before a possibly furious choir girl could get ideas about hurling sharp objects at his direction.

"Percival!" someone called out.

Percival turned around to see who it was. Jonas, a fellow trainee, ran up towards him. "Thank the Goddess I've found you. I was looking all over for you."

"Why? What is it?" Percival asked his friend, puzzled.

"Chain of command--soldiers and trainees are to meet at the training hall by one o'clock this afternoon."

"What? That's in two hours! I'm up for duty in an hour and a half."

Jonas shrugged. "Beats me. Anyway, they wouldn't be issuing a chain of command unless it was really important."

"I wonder what this could be about..."

"Wow. This place is packed," remarked a young squire, his hand absently brushing back locks of his blonde hair. His brown eyes scanned the training field, which, usually at this hour, were a place for knights-in-training such as themselves, and elite soldiers. Now, however, there were trainees scattered about, most training in their own little corner, others a little conscious of the more experienced veterans who practiced their swordplay with deadly precision in the larger part of the field. Squires such as himself were assigned their own area of the training field, their status of near-to-being-knighted gave them access to the largest space, and a vast array of weapons. New trainees were allowed to use their own swords from time to time, but usually they practiced with poles, and blunt spears and lances. And they were usually given access to the training grounds at Vinay del Zexay at dawn or early morning, rarely in the afternoon.

The squire walked over to where the rest of his rank stood. Most of them were practicing, but others were taking a rest. Not wanting to tire himself needlessly just after arriving at the Zexen Capital, the boy sat beside a comrade of his. "Hey, Gaviel, what's up with all the trainees in here?"

The man Gaviel turned up his gaze to the boy, who, at sixteen, a full five years younger than him, was already taller than he was. "Haven't you heard? Oh yeah, you just arrived from a border expedition."

The boy nodded. "What's this I haven't heard?"

The squire Gaviel gestured in front of him, where several trainees were loitering about, taking their rest. "Trainees and soldiers have been asked to join us here this afternoon."

"What for?" the boy continued to ask, puzzled.

"I don't know. But the command was issued by Sir Pelize himself."

"Now that's a surprise," the boy commented, surveying his surroundings. There were a great deal of soldiers about. Some squires, such as himself, were also looking around with a bemused expression, observing the trainees.

Gaviel smirked. "Maybe they really are here to train with us..."

"You think so?" a voice behind them said.

Both males looked behind them and saw two other fellow squires coming their way. The other one, who looked around the boy's age, punched him lightly on the arm. "Hey," he said, in greeting. "You're back."

The boy nodded, and smiled. "Hey, Myriam."

The other newcomer, the one who asked the previous question, sat next to Gaviel and the boy. "Maybe these trainees are here today so we can teach them a lesson or two," he said, laughing at his own joke.

The boy snorted. He had known most of these men since he was studying at the Academy. Gaviel and Dunstan were both older than Myriam and the boy, who belonged to the same class, and were a few batches lower. But he had come to know all of them well since their earlier days of training. Most of the squires who became knights were from the Academy, so it wasn't really difficult to get used to them. And their antics. For one, Dunstan was a reknowned drinker, even when he was in school, although his superiors could never catch him redhanded on campus. Since he started his training as a squire two years earlier, though, he had curbed his regular taste for alcohol. Still, he remained the serious drinker during off days, even winning the regular drinking contests at the local bar. "And what are you going to teach them, Dunstan?", the boy asked. "Drink on duty?"

Gaviel and Myriam snickered, but Dunstan merely smirked at them. "You're all talk, kid. You wouldn't know, you're under age!" He pointed to Myriam. "And you, too. You're both underage," he said.

The boy merely cocked a single eyebrow at him. "I know my wine, Dunstan. In fact, I probably know a lot more than you do when I was twelve."

"Yeah, yeah..." he muttered, sitting beside them. "I can take on any of these soldiers drunk and with one hand tied behind my back!"

"Now who's all talk!" Gaviel said, laughing. "You're full of it!"

"Hmph," was all Dunstan replied.

"Don't mind him. He's just pissed off at some trainees earlier," Myriam told them.

"Why? What's he done this time?" the boy asked.

"You talk like it's my fault!" Dunstan complained. "Well, some bumbling teenagers were crowding the squires' training area a while ago. Just gave them a piece of it. Trainees shouldn't be here, anyhow."

"Cool it, Dunstan," Gaviel told his friend. "They're here on orders from Sir Pelize."

"So I've heard. Maybe we ought to teach them a lesson..."

"Perhaps they really are here to train with us," Myriam said, looking now at the other soldiers practicing in front of them.

The boy laughed. "You're kidding!"

Myriam shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe they wanted new people for us to spar with?"

The boy shook his head. "But what can they do? They're just trainees."

Gaviel laughed. "Say we take them on?"

"Don't be absurd, Gaviel," the boy scoffed. "You shouldn't even waste your time. They've probably got a lot of catching up to do."

"That sounds like a challenge."

All four men looked at each other, startled. None of them had spoken up. Slowly, they turned around to see who had issued the remark.

A boy stood to the left of them, staring at them pointedly. He wore a calm expression, but there was a certain air of arrogance in him that was underneath the slightly smiling face. He was dressed in a burnt red and black tunic--a trainee's garb. At the sight of him, all four stood up. Dunstan and the boy glared, Gaviel frowned. Myriam said nothing.

"What did you say?" the boy demanded. He looked at this interloper with undisguised irritation. Who was this? He didn't look familiar, but he looked about his own age.

"I said, that sounded like a challenge," replied the other boy. He tilted his head to one side, locks of his raven hair falling over his face and covering his eyes. "So now squires have ear troubles, too?"

"Are you challenging me?" the young squire bit back. The others moved to restrain their young companion, but he gestured for them to stay put. "Don't," he warned his friends flatly. Dunstan bristled. "The boy's asking for a fight," he said.

The trainee calmly unsheathed a broadsword from his side, but lowered it. The squire glared at him, eyeing his sword, and unsheathing his own in response. "Sounds to me like you were the one asking for it," the trainee said. "I'm just here to oblige. After all, I'm just a trainee."

"Yes you are," the squire replied. "So why don't you back out now before you get hurt?"

The trainee shook his head and laughed. "A wise person once told me never to count my chickens 'til they were hatched. It would be wise for you to follow this advice, squire. So why don't you put your sword where your mouth is?"

The squire narrowed his eyes, and lifted his sword slightly. He slowly walked towards the trainee, and faced him until he was simply a few feet away. "What is your name?" he asked.

"It would be improper for me to introduce myself, when someone of higher ranking such as yourself is not known to me," the trainee replied. "I'll give mine if you give me yours. What's your name?"

The squire eyed him intently. Seconds ticked by before he finally spoke up to answer the inquiry.

"It's Lord Borus, to you," was all he said.

Author's notes:

I hope you people hadn't forgotten who Captain Galahad and Vice Captain Pelize are. ^_^ They were mentioned in the early Chris chapters. So were the knights Myriam and Lanchet (they were the ones who were killed during the treaty negotiations with the Grasslanders). I'm using them in this story.

Again, made a little mistake on the initial uploading of the first chapter. Percival in Chapter 1 was sixteen...but for the most part of this story, he's seventeen. By Solis 467 (Chapter 2), he's seventeen...which makes him 25 in Suikoden III (Solis 475). ^_^ Sorry, I worry about details like these all the time, don't mind me.

Exhile87 - Yep, Percival meets Chris, Borus, Leo, Roland and Salome definitely! *^.^* And Eve was sort of an ex-girlfriend. ^^;

Meeting old suikoden characters starts on Chapter 2...keep your eyes peeled! ^.^ Hehehe. I was really tempted to include Barts on the first chapter (originally, he was that farmer on the first scene), but I scrapped the idea out. Barts didn't look like he belonged in Iksay 9 years ago. Lol...