Well, looks like it's time to introduce Fiora into the mix. She's a rather interesting character, if I do say so myself. Oh, and Wil and Rebecca are finally getting a cameo together. I figured they deserved one...

Looking for review responses? Well, I figured that it would be best if I placed them at the bottom of each chapter from now on, instead of at the top. This way, people who just want to read the story don't have to scroll through lots of stuff they don't want to read.

In any case, chapter 2.

chapter two
disagreement

"I can't believe you actually think this is a good idea!" the brown-haired knight complained again, sitting up on his bedroll. "Honestly, Kent, why would you wish to split this army? There are men and women in this company that are in love with each other—"

"They are in love with one another in the most inconvenient place possible," Kent cut his partner off, sighing exasperatedly again. The news that he and Fiora wished to separate the two genders in Lord Eliwood's battalion had not gone over well with Sain. It had been five minutes since Kent had told his partner that he would be meeting with the pegasus knight, and still Sain had not stopped protesting. It had begun to get on the red-haired cavalier's nerves, to say the least. "This is an army, Sain. Surely even you can understand the reasons Fiora and I wish to create this policy."

"No, I can't understand," Sain continued, throwing his hands up in the air. "Think of how these people will feel if you do this, Kent! Especially the women; they'll be utterly heartbroken—"

"I wasn't aware you cared about the feelings of those women already being courted," Kent once again interrupted his partner. He was no longer looking at Sain now; instead he was straightening his bedroll, making sure everything was perfect before Fiora arrived. "I doubt you are protesting this policy for anyone else's sake, Sain. You simply wish to continue dallying with the women of this army, am I correct?"

"You wound me, Kent!" Sain protested, but he sounded as though he had anticipated the question. He put his hand to his heart in mock hurt. "I simply care for the well-being of the soldiers in this army! Do you honestly believe I would be that selfish?"

"Actually, I do," Kent responded, looking back at his friend with a look of utter seriousness in his eyes. Ordinarily he would not have insulted Sain in such a manner, but the emerald-armored knight's complaints had lasted long enough. "It's quite clear to me why you dislike this policy, Sain," he went on calmly, feeling annoyance boil inside him but keeping it in check. "You can hide it if you wish, but I've known you for long enough to realize why you are protesting this policy so vehemently."

Sain floundered for a moment at his friend's retort; it was obvious he had not been expecting Kent to throw his claim right back in his face. Finally, he sighed, defeated, and he lay back on his bedroll. "This is all about what happened with Lady Lyndis, isn't it?" he muttered. "She rejected you, so you—"

"This has nothing to do with Lady Lyndis," Kent interrupted. A sudden surge of anger filled him at his partner's accusation, and while he was able to keep it from seeping into his voice, the glare he gave Sain clearly let him know he had crossed the line. "Fiora and I actually do want what is best for this army, and we believe separating the two genders will help the soldiers of this army focus on their duties and not their relationships." Calming himself, he looked away from Sain and instead at the box he had borrowed from Merlinus for use as a makeshift table. "You may believe what you wish to believe, Sain, but I have no personal agenda in creating this policy. Nor does Fiora."

"If you say so, Kent..." Sain replied. He sounded as though he did not believe his friend's explanation, but he did not protest the matter any further, and the two of them finally lapsed into silence. In truth, while Kent's rejection by his Lady Lyndis had left a painful scar on his heart, it was not why he had agreed to Fiora's idea to separate the two genders in Lord Eliwood's battalion—he, like her, simply believed it would greatly help the army. Still, however, he thought it would be better to let Sain think what he wanted than to endure another long, pointless argument, especially if it concerned his feelings for the plainswoman.

That fateful day had been almost three months ago, long before Fiora had joined up with the company, long before he had even begun to think about the policy he was about to help design. It had been one of the worst days of his life, and he certainly did not want to remember the sadness and pain he had felt on that day by discussing it with Sain.

He had long since accepted the fact that Lady Lyndis did not feel the same for him, but that didn't make it hurt any less, nor did it diminish his own feelings for her. He knew he still loved her, and he knew Lyndis knew that as well. It had led to a great deal of awkwardness between them at first, since he still had to fulfill his duties to her despite his feelings, but in the three months following that fateful day they had repaired their relationship at least somewhat. They spoke to each other much less often now, to be sure, but that was much better than the discomfort he had once felt from the mere sight of her.

As strong as they might have been, however, Kent knew his feelings for Lady Lyndis were a part of the past. What mattered now was the present—his duties to Lord Eliwood's battalion and the policy he wished to create with Fiora.

-----

There were times when Kent felt an extremely strong bond of friendship with Sain, and there were times when he detested his partner's very presence. When Fiora opened the flap of the pair's tent a few minutes later, the red-haired cavalier couldn't help but feel the latter as Sain instantly went about showering the pegasus knight with compliments. Kent knew the teal-haired woman was virtuous to a fault, but around Sain her calm demeanor tended to become cold and fiercely independent. That, consequently, made Kent ashamed for both her and himself when Sain persisted in his attempts to impress her.

"I am quite capable of taking care of myself, Sain," Fiora declared, her normally serene voice now laced with annoyance as the emerald-armored knight made another overly dramatic vow to protect her with his life. "In any case, if you would excuse me and Kent, as we have a few matters to discuss privately..."

"Of course, my dear Fiora!" Sain replied melodramatically, moving toward the front of the tent. "But I will dream of your beautiful face every moment we are apart..." he added as he left. Fiora wisely did not respond.

As she sat down opposite him, Kent marveled, as he always did, at how much of an ideal soldier the pegasus knight was compared to the other women of the battalion. He often felt as though he were looking at a female version of himself; her morality and devotion to duty, he felt, were much like his own.

They had first met on the Dread Isle, after she had joined Lord Eliwood's army at her sister Florina's invitation. The company's tactician, Mark, had immediately noticed the same similarity between her and Kent that the cavalier himself felt, and in the next battle he had directed the two of them to fight alongside one another, apparently expecting that they would fight well together. And for the most part, Kent had felt that he had never had a more trustworthy and responsible partner in battle. It was amazing how much better he fought when he did not have to spend half his time yelling at his partner to watch what he was doing, as he often had had to do with Sain.

They spoke with each other outside of battle, as well, and it was nice to find a like-minded person with whom Kent could discuss the ins and outs of the army's policies. He had spoken with Mark before, but he always seemed to be busy preparing for their next battle and could not speak often. Likewise, Kent spoke with Lord Eliwood himself when he could, but that was rarely since the fiery-haired lordling had many other duties as the company's leader. Fiora, however, always seemed eager to talk with the cavalier, and Kent spoke with her whenever he could.

It was unfortunate, then, that Sain had to put Fiora in a foul mood with his compliments almost every time she and Kent had a chance to speak with each other. "I must apologize for Sain's behavior," he said, sighing, as Fiora sat down. "It seems that no matter how many times I tell him to stop acting in such a deplorable manner, he simply does not understand."

"It is not your fault," Fiora replied kindly, smiling a little, her annoyance seemingly forgotten. "If he will not listen to what you say, then the blame for his behavior lies entirely with him." She looked out the entrance of the tent, which was still hanging open slightly, at Sain's retreating figure. "Though I am quite surprised he is letting us devise this policy without any protests. Does he know what we are discussing?"

"He knows all too well," Kent explained, now looking in the same direction as Fiora. "And he certainly did his fair share of complaining before you arrived."

Fiora chuckled, looking back at the cavalier opposite her and grinning. "I would imagine. If Lord Eliwood and Mark agree to implement this policy, I don't think he will be able to survive." Her grin widened jokingly. "I daresay the women of this army would welcome that, though."

"Well," Kent replied, turning to her, "Sain can be quite an honorable knight when he is not in the presence of a woman." He smiled. "He may not like it, but I think this policy will help him a great deal in rectifying his behavior."

Fiora nodded in agreement, then gestured toward the blank parchment that sat on the box between them. "Well then," she said, smiling politely, "would you like to write, or should I?"

-----

Working out the specifics of their policy took shorter than Kent had expected, and within half an hour the once-blank parchment had been filled with rules and clauses explaining just how the policy was to be implemented...if it was implemented. He and Fiora still had to present their idea to one of the company's leaders.

"Well," Fiora declared, looking up at Kent and smiling, "I do believe we are finished." She picked up the parchment and skimmed over it quickly, making sure everything was in order, then opened the tent and looked outside, discerning the time. The sky was getting dark, but night had not completely fallen yet, and many of the army's members were likely to still be up and about. "Do you think now would be a good time to present this policy to Mark?"

"I don't see why not," Kent replied, getting up and moving towards the front of the tent. Smiling at the pegasus knight, he gestured outside and added, "Shall we?"

She smiled back, and the two of them went outside into the cool evening air, Fiora holding the parchment on which their policy had been written. Kent was surprised to see that the camp was not as active as he had expected—it was not empty, but he could only see a few soldiers holding conversations outside their tents and a small group of shadows around the camp's central fire. Idly, he wondered if the army's tactician was busy; he was rather eager to see how his and Fiora's policy would be received.

"Do you think Mark will agree to this policy?" Fiora asked as they walked across the camp, breaking the cavalier out of his thoughts. He turned to her, noticing that she seemed very slightly worried. "He does not strike me as the kind of person who would allow such a large change in his rules."

"He and Lord Eliwood are rather steadfast in their ways, I admit," Kent responded, looking across the camp at the tactician's tent. He had known Mark for much longer than she had, and had gotten to know him rather well. "But Mark is always open to ideas." He smiled reassuringly. "He will certainly consider our plan, whether or not he agrees with it."

"I see," Fiora replied, now looking at the silhouettes around the campfire as the two of them neared the camp's center. Kent followed her gaze, and saw that there were three people there: Sain on one side of the fire, conversing with the archers Wil and Rebecca opposite him. Kent noticed, as he walked nearer, that the two snipers were sitting very close together. Sain's voice abruptly popped into his head—there are men and women in this company that are in love with each other...

"My lovely Fiora!" Sain's real voice reached his ears now; the brown-haired cavalier was looking up at the pegasus knight with an uncharacteristically fearful expression on his face. "Don't tell me you and Kent have already finished!"

Fiora's expression was almost triumphant. "We have. And we are going to present our policy to Mark now." She looked at Kent, smiling, but clearly wanting to get away from Sain before he could start protesting. "Let us go, Kent."

"But I must urge you to reconsider!" Sain called out hastily before Fiora had even turned. Kent put a hand to his exasperated face, knowing how long this was likely to drag on. "If you separate me from all the beautiful women of this army—I don't know how I will bear it!"

"Separate?" The feminine voice was not Fiora's; it took Kent a moment to realize that Rebecca was speaking. He looked at the female sniper and noticed her expression was oddly hopeful as she gazed up at them. "You're keeping Sain away from the girls?"

"You cut my heart deeply with your words, Rebecca," Sain muttered, sending a rather dark look in her direction. Rebecca huddled closer to Wil at his gaze, silently reminding the cavalier that she was already engaged. "But I'm afraid it's much worse than that. They plan to separate all men and women of this army."

Whatever reaction Kent had expected from the two archers, it wasn't what occurred next. The two snipers looked directly at each other, their expressions slowly turning to ones of horror, as though they could not believe Kent and Fiora had the gall to suggest such a policy. It was Wil who responded first. "What! You mean—you plan to pull me and Rebecca apart?" He frantically looked at his fiancée, then back at Kent. "Why?"

"We do not plan to separate the two sexes entirely," Kent explained, trying to make his voice as calming as possible. He noticed Sain was giving him an I-told-you-so look, but he ignored it. "Rest assured, you will be able to speak with each other occasionally, but..."

"But we believe that relationships like the one you two have are rather distracting, considering that you are soldiers," Fiora finished for him matter-of-factly.

Rebecca jumped up indignantly, hands on her hips. "What, so love's a sin now, is it?" she demanded, glaring at the two of them.

"It is certainly not a sin," the pegasus knight responded levelly. "But this is not the right place to be pursuing it."

"Hmph. Well I certainly hope Mark rejects your plan, then," she declared coolly. "Otherwise you're going to have a lot of angry soldiers tomorrow morning." And with that, she turned and walked away, towards her tent. Wil soon followed her.

Sain continued to gaze up at Kent with his I-told-you-so expression. "I warned you that many of this company's members would not like this plan, Kent, did I not?" he asked, his voice calm. "Again, I must urge you two to reconsider—"

"I realize that there are many who would disagree with this plan," the red-haired cavalier interrupted. "But—" he gestured at the pegasus knight beside him, "—we believe it will aid this army greatly."

"Indeed," Fiora agreed. "What is most important is that this army is able to succeed in battle."

"I suppose there's not much point in me arguing with you two, then," Sain remarked, getting up, his face bearing a resigned expression. "You're going to talk with Mark no matter what I say, am I correct?" Without even waiting for a reply, he started towards the tent he shared with Kent, not speaking another word.

Kent and Fiora looked at each other slowly. The pegasus knight, Kent noticed, still seemed rather confident, but after seeing Wil and Rebecca's reaction, he wasn't so sure about their policy anymore. Would Mark really wish to break up relationships like the one the two snipers shared? Would he be willing to implement a policy that much of the army disagreed with? He certainly hoped Mark would agree to the policy, but—

"Well, shall we go, then?" Fiora asked suddenly. Kent had to blink a few times before he realized what she was asking.

"Yes, let's go..."

-----

Though the floor of the tactician's tent was, as usual, littered with books and maps, Mark was fortunately not busy. Instead, he was lying on his bedroll, reading a novel, a habit that Kent knew was the tactician's way of passing the time. As Kent and Fiora entered, though, he marked his page and stood up, smiling warmly at the pair.

"Good evening," Kent greeted. Fiora said the same beside him.

"Good evening to you as well," the tactician replied, his brown eyes twinkling, though they were barely visible under his mess of similarly-colored hair. "What brings you two here tonight?"

The two soldiers in question looked at one another, both silently wondering who should speak first. After a moment, though, Kent looked back at Mark and declared, "We have devised a policy that we believe will greatly aid this army, and we are seeking your approval to implement it."

"Oh?" The tactician's eyes now sparkled with curiosity. "What does your policy suggest?"

Fiora stepped forward, handing Mark the parchment she carried. "Kent and I have noticed quite a bit of, well..." she searched for the right word for a moment, "...intimacy occurring between the males and females of this company." Gesturing at Kent, she added, "We have seen that the soldiers in these relationships are quite distracted from their duties."

"Indeed," Kent agreed as the tactician took the parchment and began to read. "We are proposing that you limit the interactions between the sexes in this army, so as to limit the distraction from these relationships."

Silence followed as Mark's eyes darted back and forth, quickly taking in the minutiae of the policy that Kent and Fiora had created. It took him a few moments to read the entire parchment, but when he looked up, his expression was neutral. "Well," he remarked, "you do raise a good point about these relationships being rather distracting..." He handed the parchment back to Fiora, who smiled.

"You agree to our policy, then?" she asked, as though she had expected the policy to be received well.

Mark, however, held up a hand, indicating he was not finished. "Unfortunately...this is a plan I simply cannot endorse."

"What?" Kent asked. He glanced at Fiora; she seemed stunned. "Why do you say that?" He had expected the tactician to agree; the benefits of implementing their policy were quite clear...

"There are several reasons," Mark explained solemnly, suddenly catching the pair with an intense gaze. "May I ask you two something? Have either of you ever been part of a relationship like the ones you intend to limit? Have either of you ever been in love, and had it returned?" His tone was not harsh; the question was merely part of his explanation.

Both Kent and Fiora looked at one another, confused by the sudden question. The name Lyndis suddenly surged into his head; for a moment he felt slightly ill before he pushed the thought away. Finally, he answered slowly, "Well...no."

"Nor have I," Fiora added softly.

The tactician nodded, though he looked as though he had already known what their answers would be. "I see," he said, his voice crystalline. "Consequently, I believe it would be quite difficult for you to understand how those soldiers who are in love would feel if I were to implement this policy. Suffice to say it would be more distracting than the way things are now."

"Is that truly what you believe?" Kent asked. He knew that some soldiers would disagree with the policy, but he had thought that eventually they would understand why the policy had been created. Would it really be that bad for them?

"I know it is the truth," Mark replied matter-of-factly. "But that is not the only reason I disagree with this policy, and the second has a much greater impact on the success of this company. You see, while it can be distracting, love has quite a positive influence on the members of this army." The glint in the tactician's eyes was almost mischievous. "In fact, I try to encourage it when I can."

"But why would you wish to encourage it?" Fiora asked, clearly confused. "The soldiers who are in love would never be able to concentrate; they'd be too worried about each other...they'd spend all their time looking to see if the other was all right."

"Quite the contrary, actually," Mark responded. "Those two archers, Wil and Rebecca...I placed them together in battle, and they showed me teamwork beyond anything I've ever seen. And that mage Erk, and Serra...they became rather close after I paired them in battle, and since then Serra hasn't suffered a scratch. And your sister, too—"

"Florina?" Fiora was dumbfounded by now. "But—but she's afraid of men! How could she—"

The tactician chuckled. "It was rather surprising to me, as well," he explained, "but a few weeks ago, she came to me and thanked me for placing her near Lord Hector." He smiled amusedly at Fiora's shocked expression. Kent had to wonder as well, though—Lord Hector and Florina? He tried to picture the two together in his mind, but the image made utterly no sense.

"Apparently," Mark continued, "Florina has been rather fond of Lord Hector for quite awhile. No, I don't understand it either," he added before Fiora could speak. "But she said she wanted to show him that she was a strong person, even though she's afraid of speaking to him. And to prove it, she's been fighting as hard as she possibly can. I have directed her in past battles, and I can honestly say the change is amazing."

Kent had not noticed how Florina was fighting recently, but he did recall how the little pegasus knight had been when she had first joined up with "Lyndis's Legion"—she was barely able to mount her pegasus, she was so scared. Had she really changed so much since then? He looked over at Fiora, whose expression was now a mix of amazement and another emotion Kent couldn't quite place. He had to wonder what she was thinking now—Mark's words had to be a huge shock to her; she was Florina's sister, after all...

"You see," Mark went on, "love makes these soldiers fight harder. They will fight with more strength, more bravery, to protect the ones they love." He gestured at the parchment Fiora was still holding. "If I separated them, they would not even come close to matching their strength when they are together. And to be honest...we need all the strength we can get."

Kent could not think of anything to say to Mark's explanation, but he honestly no longer felt as though he wanted to. The tactician certainly had his ways of making a convincing argument; he wondered how he had missed the performances of the soldiers Mark had mentioned.

"I hope you understand," the tactician added. "There is nothing wrong with your reasons for creating this policy. But the harm of implementing it far outweighs the benefits."

Kent nodded in assent. "I see," he replied. "Well...thank you for considering it."

"Yes, thank you..." Fiora said, her voice distant, running a hand through her hair. It seemed as though she still could not believe what Mark had told her about her sister.

Mark smiled. "You're very welcome."

And Kent and Fiora silently left the tent.

Hmm...I have rather mixed feelings about how this chapter turned out. There are parts I really like, and there are parts that seem rather...iffy to me. Well, let me know what you think of it. Remember, please don't hesitate to point out any problems you see; I'm especially looking for problems in this chapter.

Please review!
-TheOneAndOnlyT

review responses

Servant of GOD: Well, it's certainly nice to be back. :) Thanks for your review!

Lemurian-Girl: Haha...well, while you might love the couple, you're still going to have to wait a bit for the fluff. Kent and Fiora still need to realize their feelings. :P

Lemurian 04: Thanks for your review!

Spectral Flame: I've never supported Kent/Lyn either, actually. They do make an interesting couple though...

raitei: Thanks for your review!

lokon: Thanks for your review!

FireEdge: May I ask why you thought Kent's feelings were repetitive last chapter? Remember, I can't fix something if you don't tell me what's wrong with it. Oh, and by the way, what happened to your stories? You don't seem to have updated in awhile. :(

Snoopy6548: Hmm...I suppose you're right about the "flashback" thing, though I sort of intended the scene to be Kent's memory of that day. I suppose it would still be a prologue, though. Anyway, I have a bad feeling I'm going to be getting a lot of comments from you this chapter...

Hamano Ayumi: If Kent didn't belong with Fiora, I wouldn't be writing a story about them. :P Thanks for your review!

Lao Who Mai: Thanks for your review!

Firelien: Well, don't you think that if Kent didn't expect his feelings to be returned, he wouldn't actually reveal his feelings to Lyn? You do have a point about how "knights really shouldn't date their lords," but this strikes me as the type of thing Kent (or anyone, actually) would not say if he knew he was going to get a negative response.

Lord Ma-koto Chaoying: Kent/Sain, to me, is...ehhhhh. (You do have to keep in mind that I'm male.) I can see them in such a relationship, certainly, but I don't think it'll be the sort of thing I'll ever write. Thank you for your review though :)

Dreamer of Riddles: Haha, thank you. :) I do hope you'll look for problems in this chapter though, as I'm still rather unsure of it.

DotDotDotMan: Unfortunately, Kent won't be going ballistic in my fic. As for Lyn having feelings for Kent later...hmm...

Inferno-Hero: Thanks for your review!

Jeanie: Fiora/Geitz? I didn't even know that pairing existed, LOL. I probably should read their supports...thanks for your review!

gentleness28: Well, if Sain did try anything to get Kent and Lyn together, it's already been awhile since then...this chapter takes place three months after the first one. And it certainly has been a long time on that Nino/Jaffar pic. Will it be done soon :)