The buzz from the Dragon Knight tournament took a long time to wear down. Fratley had even become fed up of hearing how it had been such a great fight between himself and his father. It was as if he didn't already know; yet he had actually taken part in that battle, he had to make the decisions of what tactic to employ next. Yet despite the fact he had lived through the battle, his friends and various other Burmecians were giving him constant reminders of it.
Although, Fratley had only really achieved one thing from the fight with his father; he had memorised what his father had said at the end of the battle.
"I'm proud of you son; but don't let this victory go to your head. Continue to grow stronger, as there are far more powerful warriors in the world than me."
It was true that Fratley had won the battle with Lion-heart, but Fratley couldn't help but wonder just what his father had been referring to by "far more powerful warriors". What kind of challenges awaited beyond the gates of Burmecia? What kind of fighters would he have to square off against? How would he train to be strong enough to compete against these warriors?
One thing was clear; he wouldn't get any stronger by sitting comfortably in the eternal rain of his home. He would have to leave Burmecia. He would have to travel to face these strong opponents.
Fratley decided not to leave Burmecia immediately, for many reasons. He needed to save up some money so be could buy some food and supplies so he could survive outside Burmecia for a long period of time. Besides, he had no idea of where he was going, or just who or what he was going to face. The idea of facing dragons in the mountains around Burmecia came up in Fratley's mind, but he wanted to travel further. He wanted to learn something from his journey.
In any case, Fratley needed money, and he had plenty of time to think about his next challenge whilst he was patrolling the city with a fellow Dragon Knight. It wasn't long before a conversation sparked up to break the dull silence.
"Congratulations on winning the tournament Iron-tail." Leo began. "It was quite a feat to win the tournament at such a young age. I'm pretty sure you're one of the youngest champions Burmecia has ever had."
"Thanks Leo." Fratley said in a dull voice. This must have been the hundredth time today...
"Some of the Dragon Knights think you'd even be a match for Alexandria's General Beatrix." Leo continued.
"Who?" Fratley asked with much more interest.
"Beatrix, I can't believe you haven't heard of her." Leo asked surprised. "There are a lot of rumours flying around about her. She's been causing a great stir in Alexandria recently, rising through the ranks and causing a female uproar. They say she's one of the most formidable opponents on the Mist continent, and that she slaughtered one hundred knights by herself, without rest."
Fratley's eyes widened at this information. That was some record, and no doubt she could one day become a major threat for Burmecia. She would be a challenge, a challenge worth leaving the gates of Burmecia for. If he could defeat her, he would vanquish this imposing threat and could return to Burmecia knowing it would be safe. If he was defeated, he would at least know what he was up against and be ready for her should Burmecia ever be attacked.
"Sir Leo..." Fratley began, feeling a little unsure. "I haven't told anyone yet, but I am planning to leave Burmecia sometime soon."
"You what?" Leo replied, not quite believing what he just heard.
"You heard me." Fratley stated calmly.
"You're not planning on challenging Beatrix are you!" Leo asked, still not believing what his comrade was saying.
"That idea had come into my mind." Fratley answered, still managing somehow to keep his composure.
"Fratley, even if you do survive the attacks from foreign monsters and long exposure to the mist; I hear that Alexandria's security has become very tight recently. It would be a wasted journey." Leo argued.
"I'll find some way." Fratley replied, determined.
"I still think it's a bad idea." Leo answered, calming down slightly. "I wouldn't think anyone would want to come with you."
"I'm going alone." Fratley answered. "I need to test my own strength, without any interference or concern for anyone else's safety.
"That's insane." Leo answered, his eyes widening with fear at the very idea. "You'll need some allies if you want to survive."
"I can look after myself." Fratley stated, keeping his seriously determined tone.
Leo shook his head. It was quite clear that Iron-tail had kept the bravery and courage of his father, and that no matter what he would say he would not back down. Normally Leo would have seen this as a great strength, but now...
"Well, I see you've made up your mind." Leo stated. "But you are still young. Please reconsider about staying home, not just for me but for all the others who care about you. Think of your father Lion-heart, think of your mother April and your brother Frato, and let's not forget about Freya...
As soon as Fratley heard that name, his look of determination softened. He knew he would have to tell Freya at some point. The thought of upsetting her posed by far the toughest thing he would ever have to do in his life. In battle, feelings such as guilt and sadness would not hold you back; they could not overwhelm you into submission. However, he would have to fight these feelings; he was doing this for Freya in some way after all. He didn't have to worry about her right now, for he had his duty to focus on, and besides she wouldn't be the first person he would see after his duty either. He still had to tell his family...
"You're what?" Lion-heart exclaimed, after hearing Fratley's plan.
"I didn't think it would surprise you..." Fratley answered. "You're the one who said I needed to get stronger."
"I said you needed to get stronger, I didn't say you had to get yourself killed." Lion-heart answered, his eyes starting to fill with concern. "No-one has trekked across the Mist Continent by themselves and lived to tell the tale, and what makes you think they'll let a Burmecian in Alexandria?"
"I'm going to send a Mognet letter before I get there, so I'll now whether I'm welcome or not." Fratley answered truthfully.
Lion-heart shook his head as April entered the room to see what the commotion was about.
"What is all the fuss about?" April asked politely.
"I'm planning to leave Burmecia." Fratley answered. "So I can travel to Alexandria and test my strength against their General."
"And he expects to get there on foot, by himself." Lion-heart added.
"Are you insane?" April exclaimed, raising her voice. "And I suppose you think I'm going to let my son wander out and kill himself?"
"No..." Fratley answered, starting to feel uneasy in his mother's gaze. "But I can look after myself. I'm one of the strongest knights in Burmecia, I can handle any monster that crosses my path on the plains."
"It doesn't matter how strong or how tough you are, you will never be immune to the effects of the mist." April warned.
"I am aware of the mist and I am looking for a way that will keep me out of it for most of the way. Trust me mother, I'll be fine." Fratley replied warmly.
"You're still going to need to learn some basic survival techniques before you leave." Lion-heart pointed out. "I suppose I'm going to have to teach you some."
"Lion-heart! You're not supposed to encourage him!" April scolded.
"It's not as if we can stop him, he's old enough to leave home." Lion-heart retorted. "Besides, if he really is leaving, I want his last thoughts of us to be pleasant ones."
April just sighed and shook her head in response.
His parents had given a slightly better response than what he expected, but he was surprised that he had shocked his father with his decision. However, he still had to tell more people about his plans. There was one person in particular he would have to tell, and he was not looking forward to it.
"You're leaving Burmecia!" Freya gasped, not believing what she had just heard.
"Yes." Fratley replied calmly. "There are opponents that I can only face by journeying across the world."
"But Fratley..." Freya began, still in disbelief and shock at what Fratley was saying but at the same time trying to compose herself so she could reply. "There are monsters outside of those gates. It's dangerous out there; I don't want to lose you..."
"I know of the dangers that lie outside the gates of Burmecia." Fratley replied, he too beginning to feel uncomfortable at what he was saying to his love. "However, I need to grow stronger; I need to be able to protect our home from any threat."
"Fratley..." Freya started, but could not think of anything she could reply with. Fratley had made his decision, and she respected this decision. However, the feeling that she would not see Fratley again was something that was inevitably consuming her from within.
"Please don't make this harder than it already is Freya." Fratley said softly. "I'm not leaving just yet, and I plan on seeing you as much as I can before I go."
Freya attempted to pull herself together after hearing this, and she looked into her boyfriend's eyes.
"Fratley...you'd better come back. I can't live without you." Freya said in a serious tone.
"I'm definitely coming back Freya, for I can say the same about you." Fratley responded.
"Do you promise me?" Freya asked, her eyes widening slightly.
"I promise you that I will return." Fratley gave his word.
Disclaimer: I don't Final Fantasy IX or anything in it, okay? I'm not making any money from this, so you won't achieve anything by trying to sue me.
Author's Rant: I'm so sorry for the lack of an update. I found this chapter difficult to write, and even so I don't think I quite got it right. Anyway, it's up now right?
Kazen: Yay! New reader! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I'm afraid I have created a few good plot ideas that weren't relevant to the story. For example many people ask me about what happened to the Demon Dragons. They were just something that I came up with for that chapter that I did not want to develop. As for the cave incident, I think it's safe to say it wasn't found out about and it was blamed on a monster or something. As for my review-pressing, to be honest it doesn't seem to matter what I do...you're probably right though. Keep reading.
Wonwingangel: You really are getting bad at keeping up. Don't forget!