KNIGHTS: Those left Behind

By: Matt Taylor

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, so please don't sue.

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There where certain advantages to anonymity.

Or at least that was what Adelbert Steiner thought as he gazed upon the huge chambers, storing the Burmecian refugees. If it was Beatrix leaning against the doorframe, there would have been a riot, and judging from the Burmecian's current feelings about her, not one with positive intention. Not that any of this was a problem for the markedly less well known captain of the Knights of Pluto.

Steiner's less familiar face, and armor, a gift from his father, different from the normal Alexandrian uniforms, was helpful in this circumstance. They had no doubt mistaken him for another Lindblum soldier. One of the several that guarded this area, Something which Steiner found himself helping them do. Passions where running high in these homeless refugees, and a few fights had broken out, which had been stopped quickly, some with his help.

This, at least was something to do beside, sit around or practice, that was practically all he had done since waking up in his bed here in these chambers, practice or sit around. Sitting around and doing nothing was not something Steiner liked to do. He was not averse to sitting down, mind you, but he preferred to do so while planning, either a training session or a battle, or to read a book, anything!

Right now, sitting around would start him worrying about his men again. After Zorn and Thorn had reported his "betrayal" during the Princess original attempt at running away, The Knights of Pluto had been arrested for having a possible "bad influence" over the other soldiers.

Steiner scoffed at the mere idea of "his" men having any kind of influence over other soldiers, bad or other wise. Steiner had accepted the fact that he did not garner much respect from the soldiers of Alexandria, nor did his men, but they where his men! The thought of them being locked up because of him made him furious.

Steiner calmed himself down, and reminded himself that there was nothing he could do for them now. He would help them though, that much he promised.

He took a deep breath and regained control of himself. It was only recently that he started to figure out how ridiculous he looked when he lost control of his temper. The clanking of his armor only added to that effect. Steiner humphed at that thought. He was aware of the sound his armor made, but ignored it. His grandfather had worn this armor, his father had worn it, and given it to him when he was accepted into the Knights of Pluto, and he wore it with pride.

His father and grandfather had been knights as well, serving as Knights of Pluto in two different wars. They hadn't been the most skilled, or the strongest men on the field, but they had never backed down, and always gave everything they had to give. Perhaps that was all he really had to do as well?

Of course, these weren't the only problems he had faced recently. There was this sudden lurch in his relationship with his "rival" Beatrix. For years the two of them had competed, for better assignments, for respect, for anything two knights could compete for. But now everything was different. Ever since the stairwell, where they had fought together against the queen's forces, and he had saved her life, that relationship had changed.

Now he found himself sparring with her, and they had eaten dinner together for the last two knights, these where not things rivals usually did. Both of them had gone through an emotional windfall recently, as the person they had devoted their lives to, had changed, and pushed their loyalties to the limit. Now they where both outlaws, wanted for defying Queen Brahne, and trying to save Princess Garnet. Perhaps it was because they where all that the other had left of that old life?

That was another good question. What would they do if Queen Brahne won this war, and captured the Princess and Zidane? Beatrix had half jokingly suggested that they both hit the road as mercenaries, but he couldn't do that. He had to fight for a reason other than money. Could he actually hang up his sword, and live in the anonymity of the public?

No, Steiner had spent his entire life training to be a knight. He could not just walk away from it. Blast it all. He hated it when there where this many questions to ask, especially about himself.

Steiner sighed slightly, and tried to turn his thoughts back to watching the refugees.

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"I haven't shown this to anyone in years."

Beatrix looked down at the large leather bound tome which lay before her. Across the table from her, Regent Cid looked down at the book, and gazed at it with fond reverence. Written on the front cover, in gold ink was "ANOTHER LEGENDARY STORY."

"I wrote down everything, everything we went through together in there."

"How long where you all…"

"Five years. Me, Stephan, Puck, Baku, Millicent, and that dwarf….Uh?"

"Scotland." Beatrix said, helpfully.

"Why yes! How'd you know that?"

"We met once." Beatrix opened up the large book, and saw a table of contents. There where what looked like over a hundred different chapters, each with some fanciful name. "Memory Mountain" "The Elven Woods" "The Fire Phoenix Temple" and many others.

"Is this all real?" She found herself asking.

"Every bit. I didn't change a thing." Beatrix smiled slightly.

"King Til once told me you wrote all this down, he said you probably changed it to make yourself the hero." The Regent looked slightly miffed, but he was smiling.

Beatrix turned the page and it opened on a painting of six people. One of them was a nattily dressed man with a goatee, a lute slung over his back, and a long black and silver rapier. Standing next to him was a huge, and muscular pig-human, dressed in a shirt, vest, and pants, and armed with a huge curved scimitar, Next to him was a young, black haired Burmecian, kneeling on the ground, and dressed in leather, and metal plate armor, and wielding a long, golden spear. On the other side was a figure she recognized as Scotland Sheepherder, armed with a dwarven axe. Next to him was a tall, beautiful woman, wearing a Minerva plate, covered in a tabard with the symbol of the phoenix faith on it. She had light green leggings, and leather boots, she had blonde hair that fell down her shoulders in a wave, and carried a spiked priests mace.

"Ah, you saw the painting. I had it made when we returned to Lindblum, the last time we were all together." He said, wistfully. Beatrix nodded, as her gaze fell on the man in the middle of the painting. She recognized him immediately. He was a tall, handsome young man with jet black hair, he was dressed in boiled leather armor, that was decorated with white fur on the shoulders. He wore trousers, and very worn leather traveling boots, in front of him was a two handed long sword with runes running up and down the long, crimson blade.

"Is that..?" She pointed to the man.

"That is King Til." He said, answering her (mostly) unspoken question. "It all began at the tourney in Burmecia to celebrate Pucks eighteenth birthday. He announced that now that he was a grown man, that he was going to search for a legendary weapon that his people had lost in ancient times called "the Divider of Heaven." Cid chuckled slightly, "Of course, I had the brilliant idea that we should all help him. You should have heard the stink Baku raised about that one!"

Beatrix had only slightly heard the last few words, as her gaze remained on the picture. She recognized everyone there now, she had see Baku when she first woke up, and encountered Puck briefly in the past for diplomatic meetings, Cid and King Til where no problem, but the woman.

"Who is this?" She asked. The Regent looked forward, and saw where she was pointing.

"Ah! That was Millicent Sorress…"

"That was General Sorress?" Beatrix interrupted him.

"Why yes, she enlisted shortly after we returned." Beatrix looked genuinely surprised at this. The General Sorress she had met was bristling and serious, nothing like the bright smiling woman in this picture. "She was quite the woman, beautiful, strong, and a wondrous healer. Her and Stephan where in love for awhile."

At this revelation Beatrix jaw literally dropped.

"What?"

"Yes." Cid said, his tone suddenly growing somber.

"But, he married the Queen?" She said, now confused. Cid's gaze now matched his voice.

"It wasn't going to last, they knew it wasn't going to last. Stephan marriage to Queen Brahne was arranged before either of them where born, and he knew he had a responsibility to Alexandria. But they enjoyed each other for the few years they could. She used to be his bodyguard, since Phoenix clerics are often trained to guard important royalty and nobles." Cid sighed.

"He married Brahne, and they grew to love each other deeply, and eventually he and Millicent settled into "just friends."

"I'm not sure I can take so many revelations at once." She said, jokingly. Cid chuckled.

"Well, you did ask me if you could see the book." Beatrix chuckled herself. "Don't think any less of him just because he had a relationship prior to the queen." Cid said.

"Oh, of course not." Beatrix said quickly. She turned the page again, and saw the beginning of chapter one "Written on the Wind." The words were written in an elegant flowing style, on Turleia paper, a special paper that was very thin but incredibly strong. She flipped through the opening pages, and saw several illustrations of the group, weapons, maps of places they had visited.

"Take a look at the last hundred pages." Cid suggested. Beatrix turned to them, and saw they where filled with songs.

"I wrote quite a few of those little ditties, some of them where elven songs that I translated. I knew that few would probably know of our journey, so I took it upon myself to write of our story." Cid said proudly.

"I didn't know you could write music, my lord."

"Cid the XIII saw to it that I was well versed in many different talents. By the time I was ten I could shoot a bow and arrow as well as any man, I played a special ten string lute which I had designed myself, I wrote these on that, I fought with a rapier, and spoke in three different languages." Cid said, with no lack of pride.

"Yeah, but those weren't your favorite things, where they?" Cid turned to the door in shock, and saw a large pig human standing in the doorway. Cid let out a sigh of relief.

"Baku. To what do we owe the pleasure?" The regent asked.

"I came to see how you kids was doin' and found you guys here. General." Baku said offhandedly, in Beatrix direction, she nodded a response. Baku sat down at the table.

"Damn! I ain't seen that thing in years."

"You still have your copy?" Cid asked.

"Yeah, I got it locked in a chest in the back of our hideout. I haven't looked at the thing in years though. My boys don't even know I did all this stuff."

"Typical, you didn't even want to go." Cid said, his Oglop face somehow showing polite sarcasm.

"I had other stuff to do." He said defensively.

"Like try to rip of some noble, and get thrown in prison?"

"Bah! They never would have caught me."

Beatrix ignored the arguing, her mind already moving backwards through time. Seeing the picture of King Til had brought it all back.

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THE PAST.

Why wouldn't she stop shaking?

Wasn't this the moment she had longed for ever since enlisting?

At the moment, Beatrix stood before a porcelain tub, dressed in a terry cloth robe. The tub was filled with hot water, the steam rising from the water. Standing around her in the darkness were robed figures, male or female she couldn't tell. Beatrix took several deep breaths, and removed the robe. She stepped into the tub, flinched from the heat, but eventually settled down. One by one, the robed figures walked forward, each of them had a bowl.

One of them filled it with water from the tub, and dumped it over her head, and spoke.

"From the water comes all life." With this the figure stepped back, and another stepped forward. Inside the bowl was water colored red. He dumped this over her head.

"Red, the color of blood and passion, let the red water wash away all doubt." With this, the figure stepped back. Another stepped forward, this ones bowl was filled with water the color of deep blue.

"Blue the color of the sea and sky. Let the Blue water wash away cowardice" With this, the blue water was dumped over her, and he stepped back, as another came forward.

"Yellow, the color of the Earth and Sun. Let the yellow water wash away all weakness." With this, the yellow water was poured over her. Another figure approached.

"Green, the color of the grass and leaves of the trees. May the green water wash away greed and avarice."

Finally the last robed figure came forward, bearing a bowl of white, clear, water.

"White, the color of purity. May the white water wash away all sin." With this, the figure poured and stepped back to join the others. One other priest stepped in front of her.

"Arise."

She did so, and the priests stepped forward, and dressed her in the same terrycloth robe she had taken off. The priest in front of her motioned towards the door, and she nodded. Beatrix left the room, and found her way to her quarters, where she quickly dried, and dressed in a green tunic, decorated with Alexandria's rose, green hose, and slippers, and a rose red cape. It was time. Beatrix composed her self, and walked towards the main audience hall. A pair of guards let her through, and she saw General Sorress standing by the door, her hand on the hilt of Save the Queen.

"Come forward." Beatrix barely had time to look around, and see the entire court standing off to either side, forming a pathway up to the throne. The General led her up to the throne, and she had time to see many of her fellow soldiers and friends stood among the nobles of the court and council. At the end of the walk, King Til sat on his throne, dressed in all his kingly finery, and a golden crown, decorated with diamonds and rubies, Blood-bane lain across his knees. As expected the queen was nowhere in sight. She had not left her daughter's side since the rescue from Sloane. Beatrix stopped and bowed.

"Who is this who comes before me?" He asked.

"One who would be a knight, your highness, Beatrix Dubois." The General said.

"Who speaks for her, that this is true?" The King asked, his voice ringing through the hall.

"I do, you highness. General Millicent Sorress." The General spoke, her voice matching the kings in volume.

"She had been prepared and shriven?"

"She has my lord." King Til got up and walked towards his former squire, Blood-bane in hand.

"Beatrix Dubois, you have rendered great service to me, and I have decided to reward you by granting you the title of knight. By accepting this title, you have given your life to the defending of Alexandria and its people. Do you understand this?" He asked, solemnly.

"Yes, My King." Beatrix said softly, her own voice not coming close to reaching the King's own.

"Then…" With this he placed Blood-bane's blade on her right shoulder, her left, and then her right again. "I name you Lady Beatrix Dubois, knight of Alexandria."

He re-sheathed the sword.

"Now arise, Lady Beatrix." She did so, and he smiled at her.

And the hall was lost in a cacophony of cheering.

********************

Beatrix snapped back to awareness.

"Are you alright, General?" Cid asked.

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry. I was just thinking of something." Beatrix had been so happy that day. She had been a soldier and squire for years, and she was finally a knight. She had wanted to be a knight ever since she had first saw the statue of General Madelene in Alexandria's southern square. When she was a child she had seen herself going on great quests, and fighting powerful monsters. Beatrix humphed.

Well, she was definitely not living out those fantasies, was she? She had dreamed of becoming a legendary hero, but instead she was just a…

Murderer.

Beatrix felt her hands clench into fists, and her one eye flung open.

Murderer.

Beatrix clenched her teeth, and forced the voice out of her mind.

"General? Beatrix, are you alright?" She heard Cid's voice say. She looked over at him and Baku.

"Yes, sir, I'm sorry…but I think I'm still a little tired from all that's happened lately." She said lamely.

"Understandable." The Regent said, but his eyes inspected her. "perhaps, you should go rest. Take the book, you can read it later."

"Thank you sir." Beatrix closed the large tome, and walked away with it, but she could feel the Regent's eyes on her as she left.

TO BE CONTINUED.

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