Author's Note: I started out this story because I didn't think there was enough interaction between Chris and Borus in the game, I didn't pay too much attention to the ages... and I think I got the childhood rival thing mixed up with FF8 since I usually write those ^_^. I've only just played Suikoden III, so please forgive me if I'm not too clear about character backgrounds, previous relationships, etc.

Thanks for your reviews, Reemossa, Revia, Andaliri, StickyRice, Keshoo Neko and Rika!

            It was a radiant Lady Chris who came down charmingly upon the blushing Louis' arm. Louis had not figured out what went on for the few short moments inside Chris' dressing room, and he had not asked; but the lady who emerged from there was... well different. Instead of the demure, bored look he had come to expect before state dinners, there was a simple charm that radiated from her. Her step was more buoyant, her smile more ready... and her eyes had softened; but the wistful slants were still there, made even more prominent somehow.

            "Thank you, Louis," Chris whispered to him as she removed her arm and moving towards the crowd. Louis kept his post as her attendant, hovering close by in case she needed anything.

            Chris made her way distinctively to Salome, who was in rare good humour, openly laughing at a quirk made by Roland. Roland himself, on the other hand; had no such notion of Salome's humour and was puzzled at Salome's laughter at something he had offhandedly said. Percival was absently stirring his drink with his finger, half lending his attention to three young women who flocked around him. She could not see Leo anywhere, but she had an inkling he had unknowingly made the way down to the common's where, according to him, they had ale strong enough to knock you out.

            She graced them with a brief smile, "Good eve, gentlemen."

            Salome slanted his glass toward her, "Lady Chris..." Percival let his eyes stray toward her for a few moments, resting his gaze there longer than the ladies around him would have liked. She looked beautiful, whether in armour or lace... and those eyes, they held a strange attraction, he could see hope grind against hope inside them and he made it a point to question her later if anything was amiss. Upon deciding on his resolution, he half heartedly turned his attention back to the waiting ladies in front of him.

            "Who's missing?" Chris said, searching for Borus.

            "Borus, Leo..." Salome answered, "Borus said he had an important errand to run tonight, he asked that his absence should not be too keenly noted for caution against the councils disapproval."

            "An errand?" Chris said, "That's very strange..." Before she could think further into it, Roland said, "Why is it strange?"

            Chris sighed inwardly, it was just like Roland to question a thoughtless comment. "Well..." Chris searched for an acceptable answer, "It's important for a knight to attend a dinner with council..." Her voice trailed off, she could not really think of anything, her thoughts and excuses died with the invasion of newer and more pleasant ones; and anyway, she herself did not attend many though her status almost made it seem compulsory. Luckily, Salome nodded promptly and said, "I agree, with times like this... who knows what could happen should even protocol be broken. We should not provoke the council to matters concerning loyalty and pomp, they seem rather quick to anger and swift with judgement these days."

            Chris looked up, bored. "It's just protocol, not law."

            Roland looked up with contempt, there was anger in his voice. "The council needs to be examined again, more closely this time."

            Chris exhaled loudly this time, "We cannot talk of such matters in such open spaces, we might be overheard... we'll discuss this again soon within secure walls." Just then the sombre mood was interrupted by a loud gurgle of laughter, and nearby people hastily made way for another one of the Six Knights. "Leo!" Percival shouted before going off in a peel of laughter, "What have you been up to?"

            Chris wrinkled her nose, "You smell like you've been sleeping in a pig's sty..." she said wryly. Leo merely grinned and wiped his face with a grimy hand. "A duel gone awry actually..."

            "What are you talking about, Lady Chris. Leo always smells thus." Percival offhandedly with a grin, waving his hand in front of his face and ignoring the sour look Leo threw his way.

           Roland smiled knowingly, "And what was this duel fought over?" Leo's grin grew wider, "A girl... of incredible charm, beauty and...uh..." Chris smiled at his obvious lack of vocabulary, "Talent?" she supplied. Louis, who had been keeping quiet the whole time, gave a small giggle.

            "Talent!" Leo closed triumphantly. Percival gave another of his explosions, spilling his drink carelessly on a nearby servant, his movements swayed by the spirits running through his head. Chris placed an arm out to steady him, he glanced up in drunken surprise and their eyes locked. Chris' eyes widened and she quickly looked away, seeing in his eyes both something she longed for and something she feared. "Forgive me, my Lady," Percival murmured, standing straighter without her aid. At that moment, a slender young man walked up to them, the sounds of metal clicks were heard and Chris immediately forgot about Percival's stare.

            "Lord Thomas! Well met." Salome greeted, "How stand's Orange Castle?"

            "Aye, it stands well. You look positively radiant tonight, Lady Chris; you are well, I assume?" Thomas smiled fondly at her, his gratitude towards her ran deep. He grasped her hand, bowing over it in a perfect gentlemanly gesture. 

            Chris smiled at the shorter, slender young man, thinking of the anxious, agitated one she met months ago; thinking she was a messenger of bad news. "Tomas..." Chris immediately recognised the small armoured soldier standing en guard beside him, "Cecile! You came in armour? A guest?" Chris said incredulously.

            Cecile was quick to shake her head, her eyes were smiling as she said, "No, Lady Chris. I am acting honour guard for the castle master, Thomas." Chris' eyes quickly narrowed, "Why would Thomas need an honour guard on Zexen land? Has something happened? I expected you to say 'escort' but, hmm..."

            Thomas quickly looked at Cecile in alarm; Cecile shot him a look of dismayed apology. "Err, Cecile meant nothing, my Lady. Things are well at Orange Castle, trade is prosperous..." Chris' unnerving eyes continued to look at Thomas, "I think you're hiding something..." She flipped her hand, initiating there were more important matters than Orange Castle, "So I hear that there is a garrison being organised?"

            Thomas sighed inwardly, relieved at the change of topic, "Yes, we have recruits from different parts of Grassland and Zexen, those willing. Why, just the other day a squadron of your knights came to supervise the garrison on the council's orders."

            At this, Cecile spoke up, "We must thank you heartily for the organisation of the unruly garrison and strategic information that the knights had taught, your Zexen Council has been so very kind to look in on us."

            Salome, Roland, Percival, Leo and Chris were all staring at Thomas now, since when had the council taken interest in Orange Castle after their refusal to hand Thomas over to the handling of Zexen law?

            Chris looked heavenward, "These days... I know nothing." Now her mind was weighed with possibilities and suspicions, the bitter thought of the greedy council was gnawing at her, and she... Zexen hero, felt like a council puppet. "I... excuse me, I need to get some air," Chris said carelessly, "Louis, you needn't accompany me, I'm quite able by myself."

            They all looked at her retreating figure in surprise. Salome spoke, "Well, that was rather sudden...." Roland looked down thoughtfully, his sharp eyes noting the change in Chris' demeanour.

            Leo looked abashed, his clumsy hands trying to pick his dirty nails, he absently sniffed the air,  "Was it me?"

*          *          *

You've got to understand my side

I've had a crazy, crazy life

Nobody came along to open up my eyes

You better take what you can get

Don't even bother with my heart

I get a feeling I won't let dissolve

'Stop Falling' – Pink     

            Chris had walked out of Brass Castle's grand dining hall, she needed to clear her head of thoughts. She walked out, past the startled guards who roamed the walkways and knights who guarded the entrances of Brass Castle. She stood near the edge of the walkway, overlooking the ravine... which there was a secret entrance to her chamber. She closed her eyes, in remembrance.

            It was just three months ago when she had sneaked off into the night with, at that moment a complete stranger named Nash. He, himself had shown her a totally different perspective of life. The way he would swear that he was bounded by holy matrimony to restrain himself from flirting with her, although he did constantly. It had bothered her at first, since she detested being admired for her physical beauty only... she had become fond of him later on, after she had accepted herself both as a woman and a knight. She would fight, as a man would, and spill blood and take lives... but she was a woman, and a beautiful one at that who needed to realise her own wants and needs instead of putting them last behind everyone else's.

            Her travelling incognito with Nash had opened her eyes to many things, the selflessness and spirituality of the Alma Kinan Clan, the courage and perseverance of the Karayan Clan... of the love that flowed borne whether from blood ties or respect for the land they occupied or simply each other; unsuppressed by formalities and... well, ranks. That emotion, feeling that ran free like the wind through Grasslands, lending the people their unique character: passionate, fierce and instinctive; braver, stronger and truer to themselves than any knight would ever be, because they fought their own battles; they did not waging war according to orders. They fought for what they believed in, not unwilling and half – heartedly and definitely not on the behalf of their leaders.

            Her eyes opened, she tilted her head, feeling the soft night breeze played with her hair and caressed her cheeks. She was cold, but at least out here she felt like her thoughts and actions were her own; not just unintentionally playing the bait or distraction for the enemy. What had happened in Orange Castle? She was sure the Council was up to something, plus it wasn't a characteristic trait for the council to let go of a small, but increasingly profitable piece of land – provided credit went to Thomas for making it flourish – that they might have had influence over.

            The Captain of the Knights is someone we can trust our lives to. Nothing more, nothing less...

            She remembered Borus saying, the day she had been appointed by the Council to take the title. Was she worthy of the title? Could she preserve the life of her men even when the Council gave ridiculous and dangerous orders, those with no consideration for the words 'outnumbered' or 'difficult battle'. But she was a knight, and it was the honour and duty of the knight to obey the orders of the Council. She knew the knights would fully support her, and among them held her in the highest respect, but –

            Chris sighed and squinted her eyes, straining them to look into the darkness. Someone was approaching on foot a distance off, surely not a knight then. A knight would have rode gallantly upon his horse, or that's what little children in Zexen were told. She thought of Percival and what she had seen in his eyes. She had never thought of her knights that way, or not intentionally – she didn't want to sully professional friendships, but at times, it seemed they were the only ones that truly understood what it meant to be among the Six Knights of Zexen, to be revered and held in awe, all the while knowing your opinion and wishes weren't taken into consideration. She thought of Borus as well, always quick to anger to her defence; the blurred line where passion and rage inside him. And then Percival, his quirks... wit, and how swift his sword would come to her defence, even if she was just slightly offended. The careless lock of dark hair that was stubbornly fall across his forehead, the dark eyes that mocked and teased. He was attractive, no doubt; but there was something definitely missing. 

             The footsteps were getting slower, softer. She gently placed her hand on the small dagger strapped to her arm hidden underneath the smooth cloth and turned back to mindlessly observing the forest that lay beyond the castle, to Vinay del Zexay and not thinking this time of anything in particular.

            A breath caught in Borus' throat. He approached the front gate slowly, not wanting to disturb the vision in lilac staring into the night sky. As he had done millions of times before approaching her, he began to search in his head for things to say, flattery or words of comfort and support, only to know that when she turned those eyes upon him; he would remember nothing and could only breathe, hardly.

A/N: I'm sorry to end it there, I'm suffering from major BLOCK at this time of night. Hope you like it!