Final Fantasy Tactics:

Bitter Blood

By King Salad

Chapter One

Rating: PG-13

Reason: Mild Bad Language, Violent Content.
Summary: Five Years after FFT. Ramza and Alma are living on a farm, in the farthest corner of Ivalice, they're happy and have many new friends, but when a Odd Cult kidnaps the newborn princess and injures Delita, he sends for his old friend once more… *SPOILERS*

Author's Notes: Just for the record, Ramza won't be showing up until much later on. The summary kind of sucks but I think it works well enough. I'm gonna start making the chapters much longer, but I am only 15 so give me a break, ok? … Sorry I just had trouble in the past for making them so short and wanted to give you a heads up.

Chapter I Growing Shadows

Episode 03: Sorrow Before Sunrise

Cardinal Romia was sixty-one years old, his hair was long and silver gray and he was a dangerous man. Head of Glabados Church, his job was to hunt Heretics. Heresy was a problem. It was a horrible one. Heretics were overrunning the city, and Lucavi's Hand was the worst of them. Romia wasn't evil, he wasn't Funeral, he wasn't the High Priest whom had been behind the Lion Wars, he wasn't a dark man. He was a devoted one. He would kill the Church's enemies, and right now heretics were the enemy.

"Cardinal, Mr. Durai is here to see you."

Romia looked up; he had been in his library. A vast room of brick in the capital Murond Church, full of many rows of oak bookshelves and many leather bound books on them. He sat at a desk, a long red quill in his hand as it wrote across the papers.

"The son of the Archduke, Orlandu?"


Romia was taken by surprise. Many of his spies in Orlandu's courts had given word that Olan Durai was always snooping around about the High Priest Funeral and the Lion Wars. Romia kept an eye on him, making sure nothing could happen.

"Yes sir, he says it's important."

Romia nodded to the Knight and he disappeared through the open door, Romia returned to his notes and in a few moments the High Priest heard the door open again. The Knight bowed low and vanished again.

"Cardinal."

"Lord Durai, what a surprise."

The old man looked up; the youth looked into his eyes. Romia had been on in the Plot before; he was a powerful priest in those days. But he had never taken part in it other than hearing of it from Funeral.

"Is it?"

Durai said coldly. He looked up and shook his head at the old man, with a bitter chill in his eyes.

"Do you know what this is, Romia?"

"Father Romia."

" Do you know what this is, Romia."

Durai had dropped a large brown book bound in leather. On the cover read The History of the War of the Lions as told by the Priest of Glabados Church. Inside the front cover was a list of all the priest who had been part of writing it, and the name on top of the list was Preston Romia.

"I hope I know what it is, I wrote most of it." The High Priest said, he wasn't amused by Durai and he was afraid he knew where this was going.

"Cardinal . . . I think my copy may be missing some pages."

"Oh?

Romia was right, he knew where this was going. His cold black eyes met Durai's own and they met an understanding. There were no missing pages, and they both knew it.

"You see Cardinal, I have been looking through this book, for a name. And it's not here. Perhaps one of the younger writers messed up--"

"I, Olan, wrote the words in that book, based on my fellow Priests notes. You mean I messed up. Which I did not."

Olan picked the book back up and flipped to a page near the back. He then closed it and slammed it down on the desk with such a loud noise one of the Knights outside opened the door to check.

"Ramza Beoulve isn't mentioned once in all one thousand seven hundred and forty two pages of this book, Cardinal. You have the names of everyone else, even bartenders, but Ramza Beoulve isn't mentioned."

Romia stood up, drawing himself tall. His long silver hair fell down his shoulders.

"Ramza Beoulve, if I am not mistaken, is a heretic and a war criminal. Why should he--"

"Ramza Beoulve ended the Lion War and killed the person behind it, St. Ajora Glabados."

The Priest was already on his feet, but now he raised a lone silver bell up near his head. It was a warning bell to the Knights. Olan stopped speaking at once, if that bell was wrong it'd be the end of his life.

"Speaking ill of St. Ajora Glabados is a crime greater than speaking ill of the King or Crown. You are a heretic sir. If not for my great respect for your adopted father you would be dead. If ever you utter any ill words of St. Ajora I will personally light the fire that ends your life."

Olan turned around and bashed his way through the door. The Knights on either side stared in amazement as he huffed off. Romia then took his way out of the library himself, up the stairs and into the room of Priest Giolla. The Priest looked up at the Cardinal and put down the book he had been reading. Giolla was sitting at a table, an old red leather book in his arms.

"Yes my old friend? Can my aid be required?"

Romia closed the door and gave a heavy sigh.

"Giolla, when I took this job I swore to myself and to God that I wouldn't abuse my power like the former High Priest did."

"A wise choice."

Giolla said, staring at his old friend with hurt eyes. If Romia was going back on his promise before God this had to be big.

"Olan Durai is going to expose us, Giolla. The Church isn't run by greed and power any longer, but if the people of Ivalice find out the truth, that the Lion War was nothing but a toy for the Priest to gain power . . . we'll be ruined."

"You are going to kill him, Romia?"

The other elder Priest asked. The High Priest nodded slowly.


"I need to be forgiven Giolla. I cannot forgive my own sins. Will you my friend?"

Giolla stood and embraced his friend with a strong hug.

"Before I can forgive you, old friend, you must commit the sin. But yes, when you do, I will."

*****

Word had not yet reached King Delita of what happened in Goug, but word that Agrias Oaks and Thunder god Cid were on their way to Rat Cellar without an order from the crown. Agrias was a Hokuten, not a Black Sheep. She had no business at Rat Cellar, and as for Orlandu, well he had duties as an archduke.

Delita had sent at once for Leo Cyneburga, but found he was no longer in Igros or even nearby. Where had he vanished to? Delita didn't have time to ponder this; he had to find out what Oaks was up to.

Oaks had always been a problem. She hated Delita; she hated the idea of what he did to become King. It wasn't her place but he knew she hated him and she knew he knew. Delita's boots fell on the marble floor making an echoing noise that was heard all throughout the halls. He stopped at his daughter's room. He looked inside, there was Ovelia slumped over on the crib. He walked over to her and put his arm on her back.

"Ovelia, wake up. Come on back to bed."

He shook her silky smooth skin lightly and at first thought she must be deep in sleep. He shook her again and a third time but she still didn't wake up. He reached his hand down and lifted her up off the crib, her eyes were closed. He shook her again and heard a clang of metal fall onto the floor. He looked down to see a knife fall onto the floor, writhed in deep crimson juice.

It took him a moment to understand before he realized that she was gone away from him forever. Yes, he used her, but part of him loved her. He had meant it those many days ago when he said he'd die for her. Die…

He kissed her creamy lips one last time and then dropped the body in shock. The crib! He hadn't noticed before, finding Ovelia dead, a knife falling from a wound under her breast, but now he saw it. Sarah was gone. Gone. His wife dead and his daughter gone.

"Teta…"

*****

Agrias was lying on her back now, the bleeding had stopped, thankfully, and she could see in her left eye. The right one had blurry shapes, but it would get better.

"I salvaged, I couldn't find any Hi-Potions among the bodies. Only the Potion I gave you before."

Orlandu spoke as he sat back down. An hour had passed since the ambush, Agrias had slept most of it away, dreaming memories, memories of sitting around a fire while Ramza talked about Delita and they discussed ways to save Ovelia while Gafgarion and Rad talked to themselves. That had been the beginning of an adventure that was still going on.

Orlandu had woken her up, giving her a potion to keep the pain away and keep her healthy. He had been wounded, his arm still broken, as only one potion was found. She could walk again, or so she thought, Cid gave her the only potion because both her legs were broken by the Chocobo.

"Where to Cid?" Agrias had always spoken formally to the old man. He was so much like Sir Oaks, her father, for one thing. She felt like her was some favorite uncle of hers. And secondly, well after what had happened with Altima, no one there cared of rank or class when around one another.

"Gariland is closest. We'll never reach the desert in this condition, unless we find a Priest or even a Chemist out here in the forest."

Agrias sighed and cursed, forgetting all dignity. She had recovered her sword, which was good because she was unused to fighting with the gun she found.

The forest was dark, filled with old trees of names which are long forgotten, great trunks of brown and red with leaves of yellow and green. The trees were so tall and so thick of branch and dense of leaves that no sunlight could get through, and being the night it was almost impossible to see Cid thought he was only a few feet away.

This was life, or so Agrias Oaks believed. After the war all had become different for her. Upon their return, she and Cid were arrested at once for 'heresy' and taken before Cardinal Romia. As were Mustadio and the rest who appeared that late day when all of them (Save Ramza and Alma) returned. The Cardinal, who was of course in on the High Priest Plot, had also learned off from Zalmo of the Heretic Beoulve and his group.

It all went uphill then. Romia ordered to know what had happened to the heretic Beoulve, but before any of them told him King Delita himself appeared at the Glabados Church and after a heavy talk that Agrias had not heard, they were freed. Cleared of all charges of heresy and murder, and given jobs. Oddly enough all of the jobs they were given benefited Delita.

Agrias hated him, but Ovelia had told her one night that she had married him for love, not because he made her. Agrias didn't know if he believed the Queen, but if Ovelia said so, then she'd believe her. For now anyway.

"Agrias."

She was brought out of her memories as Orlandu spoke again, the old man now was prodding at his arm that had been broken with a long knife.


"We'll have to move, you up for a travel tonight or another few hours of rest?"

Agrias didn't speak, not right away anyway. She was tired and near death, if that potion had not been found she would have slipped off into blissful eternal slumber, but she was alive and in such pain. Moving out was smarter, who knows when the Goblins would be back. Of course rest would be a great help to her injured body.

"We should move to Gariland now, Cid, we have to."

*****

Idris Brennus was only twenty-four years old, and he had been even younger when he became the Lieutenant to Leo Cyneburga. Shortly after the war Ovelia gave birth to a son while she was at Beltha Garrison, while on her way back to Igros the carriage was attacked. Her guards were slaughtered by the assassins, save only Idris who was able to get the queen away from the carriage. Her son was saved too, but a week later he died anyway, the cause has yet to be found. Despite this, Idris was made Chief Lieutenant of the Black Sheep.

When the Goblins began invading the cities around Sweegy Wood, Cyneburga put Idris in charge of finding their base. After weeks of battle in the Wood he learned of Rat Cellar and the old Death Corps base the Goblins were now using.

Idris had been at the siege with Leo and his friend Roland Bedivere when it began, and when Cyneburga had road back to Igros, Idris was in charge. He was now of the siege. Three days after Leo left, around the same time that Agrias Oaks the Hokuten and his boss Leo Cyneburga had their argument, he decided to lead an attack squad around back.

And so the Dragoon Lancer had done so, he and his squad, which was made of two knights, an archer and a chemist. They moved quickly around back and closed in on the upper floors of the building. Several Goblins and the mysterious mages were waiting, and they appeared to be arguing. Idris had moved close to hear. The Goblins spoke in their own language, but the Mages seamed to understand. They however spoke in the common tongue.


"We're not going out there again, too many archers. It takes to long to charge our spells before they get their arrows at us."

The Goblin chief, Idris thought it looked like a chief being larger and darker than the others, grunted in it's own horrible language but the mage stood by his decision. Idris could see them arguing, perhaps the mages and the goblins would kill each other. If the Goblins fought the mages at these close ranges, they'd win. And then the Black Sheep could swarm them without fear of magic.

It all looked like it was going perfect, until a second goblin, also tall and dark of skin like the leader, entered and spoke of two warriors in the forest who they had tried to kill, but had slaughtered seven of their warriors. Were these two in the forest Black Sheep? Or Hokuten? Or Shrine Knights maybe? Before Idris could do anything else, several Goblins turned his way. It was then that Idris learned that he and his squad was sneaking towards them using their own escape route into the forest. The Goblins stopped in their tracks for a second and stared at the group of Black Sheep. And then with a snarl the goblins charged . . .

********

Author's Notes: Well, I have it up later than I thought, only because I didn't originally plan on the Idris part which took some time to write, and because I had other things to do. I just felt I should add some more. As for Ovelia's death, if you have to complain then I'm just ignoring you, killing off people is fun and this isn't the last time it'll happen so get over it.

NOTE:

As of right now I am not working on this story on a regular basis. I'm working on "Two Robots, Red as Blood (2RRB)" my Megaman Fanfic and "The Unwritten Chapters (UC)" my very long, masterpiece of a Digimon Fanfic. Since UC will take me a very long time to work, I'm only waiting on 2RRB until I start work on this story again. I will be finishing it. I promise.