Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's note: What would happen if Noish wasn't as loyal to Albert as he was in the game? Here's my twisted version of what might happen…

Chapter One: New King of Serdia

The entire city of Bale had massed together in front of Indel's Castle, as requested by Minister Noish. The gathering stretched from just feet away from the bottom of the outside staircase and doors of the lower level to well into the city. It had been nearly a year since the beloved King of Serida had left, leaving his trusted advisor to rule in his stead until his return. Most of the people were anxious to hear any detail of his whereabouts and wellbeing. The large group was abuzz with murmuring and discussion. Had His Majesty Albert already returned, cloaked by the darkness of night when he could walk through the city undetected? Or was the news more dark and ominous than the thoughts that dared to pass into the people's minds?

The minister appeared on the third floor balcony, flanked by two palace guards armed with spears and short swords. They stood at attention, facing the crowd. Noish wore his red and yellow patterned robe that nearly reached his ankles. He strode purposefully to the edge of the balcony, his face set and grave as he looked down at the sea of faces below him. The mass of people immediately hushed upon his appearance, men, women, and children alike looking up at the authoritative figure above them.

After several moments, he spoke.

"People of Bale! As you may know, it has been nearly a year since His Majesty King Albert had left on a journey after the death of the Head of the First Knighthood, Lavitz Slambert. I realize that all of you are eagerly awaiting his return." He paused for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice shook slightly. "I received a message the midday before; it's words I wish not to speak of, yet it is my responsibility to share it's telling. There is no subtle way to speak of what it says, nor is there any way I can cushion the blow it is sure to inflict on the good people of Serdia."

The citizens below all held their breaths; numerous couples that were holding hands squeezed tighter as the tension rapidly increased.

"I will be as honest as my heart, mind, and voice will allow me to be: His Royal Highness, King Albert of Serdia-"

He hesitated again, swallowing hard to clear the thickness of his voice.

"- has been killed."

A collective gasp escaped the crowd. Most of the women covered their open mouths with a shaky hand. No one noticed one tear slide down on each of the guards' faces, the clear drops glittering in the sunlight. Their hands griping their spears tightly began to tremble.

"According to the message, he was attempting to return home when he came across a woman being attacked by a group of wandering thieves. He valiantly defended the lady until she escaped; but the numbers against him were too great. His noble sacrifice was a true example of his love of the people. May Soa ever smile upon his memory."

A woman, who had blended in with the crowd and had remained silent as she listened to the speech, now spoke. She wore a faded dark red dress that was nearly down to her ankles. Her hair was dark and wavy, and flowed down past her shoulders and nearly reached her middle back. Her eyes, as dark as her hair, had a lost gleam as they wandered around the many faces that appeared shocked and grieved. Her own face was pale and thin; she looked as though she hadn't slept for days. Her voice was thin, shaky, and quiet.

"He-he speaks the truth…"

The man directly in front of her, as well as those around him, heard her voice and turned towards her. The man, who was nearly a head taller than her, took a step closer to her, his eyes wide and imploring. "Are you the woman?"

Her eyes focused on him, and she nodded slowly. "Aye... That I am. His Majesty fought so bravely… just to save me; a lowly commoner…" Her lower lip began to tremble and moisture welled up in her eyes. "I… I was able to escape, but I stayed and hid… His javelin moved like lightning…" Her voice became thick and she did nothing to hide or clear it. "He- he fell, and… and…" Her head suddenly bowed and her hands came to her face, sobs shaking her thin frame.

"However," continued Noish after taking several moments to compose himself, "Serdia cannot continue without a king. His Majesty Albert entrusted me to care for his country and people in his absence and I will continue to do so. I accept the responsibilities that were once his and vow to care for what he held dearest. No man will ever be able to replace what we have all lost…"

Meanwhile…

The King of Serdia, His Majesty Albert, traveled alone along the dirt paths. The sunlight filtered between the leaves of the trees, causing odd bits of sunlight to fall onto the otherwise shaded forest floor. His clothes, worn and dirty from his recently completed journey, rustled slightly with each movement. Potions and spells clinked and jangled in the pack slung over his shoulders, while a javelin was in his right hand and being used as a walking stick. Birds sang and chirped all around him. An occasional breeze of cool air moved around him, causing the free strands of light brown hair (that were already swaying with his step) to move even more. There was a bounce in his step, a smile on his face, a twinkle in his eye, and a glow in his heart. He felt so light-headed he was sure his head would float away in the breeze, the image nearly making him giggle. Thoughts of a certain princess in Tiberoa nearly made him begin skipping. He knew he looked ridiculous and terribly undignified, but he really didn't care.

Albert was, for lack of a better term, completely and utterly gone.

Immediately after the second and final defeat of Melbu Frahma, the Dragoons returned to Ulara to recover and heal; not just physically, but emotionally as well. Dart grieved over the loss of his father and Rose; Shana was at his side constantly, leaving him to get food and drink when he wanted to be alone.

A gigantic feast was held in the Wingly city; there was so much food even the Serdian king couldn't help but to eat until he nearly fell asleep in his chair. There were games and contests, some of them the Dragoons even participated in. The festivities carried on long into the night, many falling asleep in the paths as they were too tired to go to their dwellings.

Despite the cheery forefront, a thin aura of sadness lingered with the seven heroes; their task complete, the friends would soon be going their separate ways. It was with great reluctance they left, waving farewell to their Wingly friends and setting off.

They first traveled to Millie Seasu, their last trek together, as Miranda had separated from the group to go home to Queen Teresa. Hashel and Kongol stayed behind as well to wait for a ship heading towards Rouge. The parting moment was sad as embraces were shared and, even though they attempted to hold them back, tears were shed. The remainder of the group continued through the Evergreen Forest, where Meru said her good-byes and headed for the Wingly Forest. She attempted to keep herself collected, but failed and gave enormous hugs through her tears to those she was leaving. Albert, Dart, and Shana- the remaining three- then continued on to Tiberoa and to Fletz, where Albert was reunited with Emille. It was a joyous moment when the two saw each other again, both scarcely being able to contain themselves. King Zior was all smiles as he saw the reaction between the two. The travelers stayed at the castle for the night before resuming their trek, Albert promising the princess he would write to her the moment he returned to his castle. Afterwards they traveled to Seles, where Dart and Shana would settle down. It was late when they arrived, and the couple was happy to let Albert rest before continuing. After tearful embraces, they bid farewell to each other and Albert set off north alone, which brought him to his current position.

Being smitten with the princess of Tiberoa, Albert's mind wandered to the future they would have. How big would the wedding be? Would they have any children? If so, how many? Boy or girl? If they had twins, how would they be able to tell who to pass the crown to? The never-ending possibilities buzzed in his head until he heard a shriek not too far away in front of him.

The dreams immediately disappeared as he leveled his javelin, eyes focusing and ears straining to discover where the sound had come from. He moved faster yet quieter, his muscles becoming hard as the instincts honed by the journey before kicked back into play. It wasn't long before a scene developed before him.

A young woman kneeled in the middle of a circle of men. The woman wore a faded dark red dress. Her hair was wavy and dark, as were her wide, frightened eyes. She cowered as she was poked by an assortment of weapons.

Nine men surrounded her, each with a different weapon. They were obviously thieves; they wore dark clothing and covered the lower halves of the faces with dark bandannas. They laughed as the poor woman shrieked again, one of them prodding her with an axe.

"Nobody's gonna come save you; there ain't anyone around for miles-"

"Is that so?"

The voice made all ten of them turn, weapons leaving the woman and leveling towards the man that had spoken. Albert stood just three yards away, javelin in hand, eyes dark and warning.

Time Passes…

It had been several days since Noish had announced Albert' s death to the public. The city had since then returned to their schedules, but at a more sedate pace than before. The people were moving slower, taking the time to remember their beloved king in nearly everything they did.

Noish was currently on his way towards his chambers. Previously being Albert's, the room entered and exited by the door in the throne room. The minister wasted no time in rearranging and redesigning it to his liking.

Noish never did like walking across the walkway that was left open to the breeze. The wind whipped around him, ruffling his brightly colored robe as he hurried across. He quickly opened the door and closed it behind him, his eyes closed in relief. The wind seemed to be getting stronger each passing day since the announcement. He made a mental note to look into getting the walkway covered.

He opened his eyes, and jumped. Two people, a man and a woman, were already inside. The woman had dark hair and eyes, and wore a dark red dress. She sat upon the desk that was previously Albert's, her arms supporting her upper body by leaning forward with the heels of her hands on the edge of the desktop. Her legs were crossed at the ankles, swinging just enough for the heel of her shoes to tap the side. The male had black hair that was cut short, save a small ponytail in the back. His eyes were a shade of blue. Stubble on his face suggested that he hadn't shaved in a while. He wore mostly black clothes, with a black bandanna that was meant to cover the lower half of his face. He was sitting in the chair with his feet propped up on the desk. Upon Noish's entrance they both looked up to see the surprise on his face. They both grinned at the expression.

Noish took a step from the door, still looking surprised. "H- how did you get here?"

The man smirked and his eyes glittered in amusement. "Well, well; lookie here: the new King of Serdia all dressed for success. How's it going, your majesty?"

"What do you want?" asked Noish, stepping closer. The surprise had worn off and he looked at them as though he was looking at something of an inferior species.

The woman suddenly turned serious, her features a scowl as she hopped off of the desk and approached him, stopping when they were face to face. Her voice was low and demanding. "Look old man; we want our money. Now."

Noish didn't seem to be intimidated by the force in her voice. "Did you complete your task?"

The man stepped up behind her, serious as well. "We did what you told us to. Now give us what you promised."

"So your target no longer lives?"

They both glowered at him, yet said nothing.

Noish's brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed.

"Is Albert dead, or did you fail!"

To Be Continued…

Author's note: hides behind furniture and waives little white flag Before I get flamed to a crisp for this; please let me explain! I don't hate Noish; if it wasn't for him, who knows what could have happened to Serdia while Albert was gone! This just kinda popped into my mind while I was doing my homework after school one day, and wouldn't go away until I got it down. Don't blame me; blame World History class!

However, this isn't the end, in case you couldn't tell. If I get two or more reviews I'll continue.