The quarter finals of the tournament were already underway at the Royal Palace, and the crowd was enthralled by the amount of combat skills that were being presented in front of them as the two knights in the arena gave their all to try and defeat their opponent. Freya Crescent was one of them, and this was by far her most difficult match she had been in so far. Her opponent was a very experienced and skilled Dragon Knight. Their lances clashed multiple times and they were both moving swiftly through the arena, not loosing concentration for a second. It was proving to be a very close match.
In the armoury, Fratley stood near the entrance looking out into the arena, watching his girlfriend give her all. He silently cheered her on and hoped that she would come out victorious.
Meanwhile, Lion-heart was busy having a conversation with Leo, who was one of his close friends and colleagues in the Dragon Knights.
"So, it seems that we are to battle each other in that arena next." Lion-heart said calmly.
"It is an honour to be given the opportunity to challenge you, Sir Lion-heart." Leo complimented with a smile. "I hope you will come at me with everything you have, I want a real challenge from Burmecia's finest warrior."
Lion-heart smiled back at his friend. "Thank-you for the compliment. I will fight you with all my strength, but I must ask that you do the same."
"I would never dream of not doing my best against a warrior like you, Lion-heart." Leo reassured.
The conversation between the two companions continued, and Frato was standing only a short distance from the pair, eavesdropping on their conversation.
"This is a going to be an interesting match coming up between these two." Frato thought. "They are both exceptionally strong, and they will know what the other may try to throw at them. I suppose I'm routing for the both of them, but I suspect that father will be the victor. Although it is going to be worth watching..."
"Freya Crescent is the victor!" The King's voice boomed throughout the arena and was heard even in the armoury.
Frato stomped the ground and cursed at this announcement, meanwhile Fratley was beaming proudly at his beloved whilst applauding rapturously with the crowd.
After a few moments Freya entered the armoury, and Fratley began congratulating her and embracing her before the two went to a corner of the armoury and began talking to each other.
It was time for the second match of the quarter finals.
"Will Sir Leo please come forward!" The King called, and Leo stood up and walked out of the armoury and into the arena, where the crowd were cheering loudly for him. Leo was smiling to himself, he was filled with anticipation of the epic battle that was about to commence. He took his place in the arena and waited patiently.
"Will Sir Lion-heart please come forward!" The King beckoned, and a great roar from the audience filled the arena as Sir Lion-heart Fratley walked down from the armoury and entered the arena.
Lion-heart took his place in the arena and the two knights entered their battle stances and looked into each others eyes, focusing all of their attention on each other.
"Begin!"
As soon as that one word was heard both of the fighter's lances clashed together with immense speed and power. They both moved their lances back, and the two lances clashed together once more. The two lances came apart a second time and the two warriors took a small jump backwards.
Leo and Lion-heart stared each other down for a moment, trying to intimidate each other while at the same time trying to think what they should try next. The decision was made first by Leo, who charged across the arena with his lance pointing forwards. Lion-heart saw this and decided to take to the skies with a powerful leap. Leo came to a halt and lifted his head skyward, keeping a firm gaze on his opponent. He saw Lion-heart begin preparing a Dragon Knight technique, as white energy began to gather at the tip of his lance.
Leo began preparing a Dragon Knight technique of his own, and began charging his lance with red, fiery energy. However, he still kept an eye on Lion-heart as he prepared his attack.
Lion-heart began to descend from his jump as he pointed his lance at his opponent and unleashed his attack.
"Dragon's Breath!" Lion-heart shouted. As he said this, a Dragon's head formed out of the white energy on the tip of his lance. The Dragon's head opened its mouth and let loose a gigantic beam of white energy. This attack looked more powerful than any other energy attack unleashed in the tournament so far. The beam roared down towards Leo, who jumped back to avoid the deadly blast. The beam caused an intense explosion in the arena.
Lion-heart landed soon after the explosion, and his eyes were firmly focused on his opponent. Leo had finished charging up his attack and pointed the tip of his spear towards Lion-heart.
"Cherry Blossom!" Leo shouted. Hundreds of rose petals shot out of the tip of his lance towards Lion-heart. Lion-heart quickly sidestepped out of the petals as they burst into a huge, powerful flame, which didn't look much less powerful than Lion-heart's attack.
Lion-heart used this opening to charge towards Leo, who was still firing his attack at open air. Lion-heart reached Leo just in time, and swung his lance for Leo's shoulder. Leo desperately tried to sway out of the way but Lion-heart struck the vital blow. The lance pierced through Leo's shoulder as the Cherry Blossom attack ended. Leo yelped in pain and dropped his lance in order to check the fresh cut, which blood was slowly seeping though.
Lion-heart took a few steps back and let himself ease up. The match was over.
"Sir Lion-heart has drawn blood from his opponent. He is the victor!" The King announced.
The crowd cheered and applauded as Lion-heart smiled and shook hands with his friend. Leo went to the infirmary as Lion-heart walked casually back into the armoury.
As soon as Lion-heart entered the armoury both Frato and Fratley ran up to congratulate him. Lion-heart tried to drive them away, telling them to save their congratulations until after the tournament. The pair eventually followed his wishes and left him alone.
Fratley waited by the entrance of the armoury, as his match was next. The same uncomfortable of anxiety and nervousness filled his mind once again.
"Good luck Fratley." Freya said.
Fratley turned around to look at Freya, who was looking back at him with a reassuring smile. As before, this made him feel better.
"Thanks, I'll probably need it." Fratley replied, starting to smile.
The conversation was then cut short as the King called out Fratley's name, and Fratley turned and left the armoury. Freya moved back slightly so his opponent could walk into the arena, but she kept her eye on the arena, as she was intent on watching her boyfriend's match.
Frato sat patiently in the corner, thinking to himself. He would have gone and watched his brother's match through the armoury entrance but could not bear to be so close to Freya, whom he despised. He continued to and wait for his name to be called out, and his match to begin.
A thought suddenly came across Frato's mind.
"If Fratley wins his match, and I am the victor of my next match, we will fight each other in the semi-finals." Frato thought. A smile then came across his face. "Ah, what an honour it will be to face my brother once again in combat. He will be a great challenge."
Frato loved a challenge in combat. It seemed that the greater the challenge, the more pleasure Frato got from the fight. However, in life threatening situations fear and survival instinct would take over. Although Frato loved facing his brother and he was always challenging him to fights, but Fratley had only accepted once.
Frato savoured this thought as the match continued. Eventually, he heard the King proclaim that Fratley was the winner. Frato stood up and made his way to the entrance of the armoury, despite the fact that Freya was still there. Fratley entered the armoury, out of breath and full of fatigue. Freya congratulated him and hugged him before walking back and sitting down.
"Congratulations Fratley." Frato said, smiling at his brother.
"Thanks Frato." Fratley wheezed. "That was one tough match."
"Well, I figured out that I win my next match, you and I will face off in the semi-finals." Frato replied, still smiling at the prospect.
"Heh. That will be an interesting match." Fratley replied.
"Indeed."
Frato then heard what he had been waiting for. The King was calling him out into the arena. Frato walked out of the armoury, spear in hand.
"Good luck Frato." Fratley said as Frato left the armoury.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 9 or anything that is in it. Frato is an original character and is therefore mine.
Author's Rant: I'm sorry for the late update, but I haven't had that much time to write this. It's not as though many people are missing me though, where are my reviewers? I want reviews!
Wonwingangel: The actual story for this hasn't started yet! The real plot begins some time after Fratley leaves Burmecia. However, when I wrote Half and Half several people asked for a back-story of Frato and I so decided to do that for the beginning of this story. I did appreciate that you're trying to help resolve this issue with "You don't need to know it" and everyone else who is involved.
You don't need to know it: I don't know what you were fighting in the first place. I did not deserve that review you sent before.
Harvest boy and Harvest girl: I've already e-mailed you, and I am still waiting for a response.
Silvern Falcon: I'm also waiting for a response from you.
Everyone else: And I'm waiting for reviews from you, too!