Agrias Oaks-
Accounts of a Holy Knight,
Heartfelt Yearnings of an Incomplete Woman
Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy Tactics characters, worlds and events are copyright of Square-Enix.
Account 2-Meeting Destiny
As Agrias continued to slumber, she journeyed off into her own secret world. A world in which there was no Lion War. There were no nobles, no peasants, just people living equally and peacefully amongst each other. It was her own personal haven. Agrias felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.
"By your side..." The voice behind her said.
"Forever." Agrias answered, coming face to face with one Ramza Beoulve.
He was still the youthful soldier she had remembered, still clad in his blue armor he had worn on that fateful day. His hair remained frizzy and rough, just the way she liked it. Agrias raised her hand and ran it through the young lad's hair, and he just smiled. That very smile always touched the Holy Knight's heart, it was a smile of innocence, one that bore no hatred, no angst, just unbound purity. Ramza moved his hand to Agrias' back and slowly unlaced the ribbon that kept her hair tied together. Without the confines of her armor and her hair flowing in the wind, Agrias exhibited a stunning beauty that men would travel miles to just catch a glimpse of. But the woman would only show this hidden beauty to one person, and that was Ramza. Agrias fell into Ramza's arms and rested her head on his chest. His boyish heart began to thump rapidly, as did hers. And soon, the two heartbeats melded into one. They beat in the same rhythm, a rhythm of true love.
Ramza lifted Agrias' face to his own with his hand. This was it, she would finally feel true Heaven in the lips of the young noble boy before her. Their faces were just millimeters away from each other...
"Lady Agrias!!!" A voice cut in. Instantly Ramza vanished into thin air, and Agrias was ripped out of her dream world. She cursed silently to herself as she threw her gauntlets at the door where the voice came from. They hit with a loud thud.
"Enter..." Agrias mumbled.
A young squire under Agrias' command entered the room. Agrias got up, her bedsheets falling to the ground near her feet.
"Your Ladyship, there is...oh my..."
The young boy trailed off when he saw his superior officer in nothing more than a simple sleeping gown. Agrias rolled her eyes and scoffed. The young squire meeked out a tiny yelp and quickly turned around, his face as red as a tomato from seeing his superior officer in a gown that was quite revealing to the imagination. It was by no means a degrading type of revealing, it showed just enough of her shapely body for the knight to keep a sense of decency amongst those who had chanced to somehow see her in it.
Such immaturity...just like you... Agrias laughed silently to herself.
"As you were soldier." Agrias said as she had finally fit into the last pieces of her armor. The squire turned around, his face finally beginning to return to its normal colors. The boy cleared his throat gruffly, trying to force the thoughts of his scantily clad commander out of his mind.
"I...um...as I was saying Ladyship, there is a messenger outside wanting to see you."
"Tell them I'll meet them later. It's early, I am in no mood to talk to a messenger." Agrias said, her voice showing spots of agitation.
"It shall be done Ladyship." The squire said with a bow. "I'll tell this Ruglia person you are..."
"Ruglia?!" Agrias shrieked. In a flash she ran right through her squire, knocking him to the ground and trampeling him quite badly in the process.
"Ouch..." The squire moaned as his the bootmarks of his mentor shown brightly on his face.
Agrias tore through the hallways at blazing speed. Ruglia, only he had used that name, could it be...?
The Holy Knight ran to the main doorway and flung it open. In the courtyard she found a person on a chocobo. Their face was hidden by a cloak. Agrias walked over to the mysterious figure and called out.
"I am Agrias Oaks, what business do you have with me?" Agrias said, trying to stifle the anticipation in her voice. The person on the chocobo turned to her.
"Greetings Agrias." The masked person replied. Agrias' heart instantly sank to her stomach when she heard the person's voice was rather feminine. It wasn't him. The person, apparently a female, had a rather prim and proper ettiquette in her speech. But the fact remained it was not Ramza, just a person who had coincidentally used the same alias he had used. Agrias' day, though it had just started, was already ruined. Her face twisted up in disdain.
"State your business." Agrias said coldly.
"I'm merely a curious traveler. I come to you bearing a question."
"Speak it and begone."
"I was told you were under the command of the Glabados Church during the Lion War. You were assigned to guard the Princess Ovelia. My question to you is; are you still under the clergy's jurisdiction?"
"What kind of assassine question is that? Of course I don't serve those fanatics anymore. My loyalty to them died when Ovelia did."
"I see..."
The person reached under their cloak and withdrew a sword. The other knights in the area immediately reacted by drawing their own weapons. Agrias raised her hand and they halted their approach. Apparently being challenged by this person, Agrias prepared for battle.
"Another one of those Church scumbags I see." Agrias said as she drew her own sword.
"No." The masked figure said as they dropped the sword at the Holy Knight's feet. Agrias looked down at the blade. It was scorched pitch black and had all sorts of dings and scratches on it.
"This...this is...!" Agrias stuttered as she picked the sword up. Immediately sheathing her own she began to yell quite loudly at the person.
"How did you get this?! Answer me, now!!"
"He gave it to me."
The figure moved their hand to the hood covering their face and swiped it away.
"Lady Alma!" Agrias said in complete awe. It was indeed the one and only Alma Beoulve, still clad in an elegant red dress with the same innocent pulled back ponytail. Alma smiled at the Holy Knight.
"Long time no see Miss Oaks. How have you been?"
"I...I have been well..." Agrias replied shakily, still in shock that Alma was right in front of her face.
"I am glad to hear it, and I'm sure he will be happy to know as well."
Agrias gasped, her breath almost stolen from her body.
"Is he...!!!" Agrias started, but instantly clapped her hand over her mouth, not wanting to alert the other knights of his name.
"Are you ok milady?" One knight asked.
"Y...yes! I need to speak with Miss Alma Ruglia in private! You are all dismissed!" The knights looked at each other in confusion, shrugged, and then went about their daily business.
"Please follow me." Agrias requested. Alma dismounted her chocobo and was led into Agrias' room. The Holy Knight shut the door behind her, but not before taking one last look around to make sure no one was nearby. Alma was seated elegantly at the table.
"How...why...where..." Agrias bumbled. She couldn't even form comprehendible questions as she was still stupefied.
"I know this is probably alot for you Agrias, but I'm alive. Altima's attack failed, at least to some extent."
"What do you mean?"
"It was my brother. Brother Ramza protected me with his very own body, guarding me from the explosion. He was hurt extremely badly, but he survived. Still remembering he and I were wanted for Heresy, I took him far away from any sort of civiliation. I tended his wounds day after day, never leaving his side. You see Agrias? That's why we could not contact any of you, all of my time was spent nursing my brother back to health. A few days ago he fully recovered, and now he's coming to see you, tonight as a matter of fact."
"M...me?! What does he want with me...?"
Alma remained calm and collected as she began to talk more.
"Altima's final attack." She said.
"...What?"
"I remember you screaming my brother's name before everything went dark. He may not have heard you, but I did. When he had recovered from his injuries, I told him, and he just smiled and said, 'I'll see her again.' He knows Agrias, and I know it as well."
Agrias placed her hand on her chest. "Ramza...he's alive...and...wants to see me?"
"Yes. But please remember, we are still fugitives from the Church, and he cannot stay long, nor can I."
Alma got to her feet and recovered her face with her hood. She made her way to the door, but turned back one last time to look at Agrias, who was still clutching her chest.
"Farewell Agrias, I do not think we will meet again."
But Agrias couldn't even hear Alma's farewell, as she was lost in thought over what she had just been told. Alma just giggled slightly and shut the door behind her. Within minutes she was back on her chocobo and was gone.
Agrias' heart was beating wildly, her mind racing a mile a minute. She sat down on her bed and tried to calm down, but it was all happening much too fast. Ramza was truly still alive! And he was coming, tonight! There were so many things she wanted to tell him, so many things she had kept hidden inside herself ever since Murond. But she did not want to tell him these things as Agrias the Holy Knight, she wanted to tell him as just Agrias. Quickly tossing her sword off her waist, Agrias began to fan through her closet, trying to find something she deemed suitable for her meeting.
Tonight was the night Agrias Oaks would meet her destiny...
