A/N: Alright… this be the songfiction I was talking about before. If you haven't read my story "How to Woo a Viera in Ten Easy Steps", I recommend you do so if you want to get a feel for the characters in this one. It's not vital, but it's nice to know who's who. By the way… since I don't know how to upload italics, I'm just gonna put the song lyrics in parentheses. Anyway… here it goes.
But first, a disclaimer… OFFICIAL DISCLAIMER-ISH THING: The only things involved in the production of this story that I own are: My laptop, my internet connection, my creativity, and my fanfiction account. I do not own the song "Queen and Country"… that honor goes to Jethro Tull. Nor do I own "Final Fantasy Tactics Advance", and you'd have to have a really low IQ to think that I do and SquareEnix does not. Aherm… now that's done, I present thee with…
Queen and Country
It was a dull, dreary, and (of course) rainy day for the residents of Cyril. Clan Armageddon sat at a table at the pub, staring boredly at their mugs filled with various spirits. Unfortunately, the drinks weren't living up to their nickname, for they had no effect on the energy of the clan. Finally, Jullianne, a Viera Sniper, threw her hands up in exasperation while everyone else at the table looked at her.
"C'mon! There's gotta be SOMETHING we can do other than sit and mope?"
"Sssuch asss?"
"I don't know! Just something… ANYTHING. How 'bout swapping stories to pass the time?"
"We've pretty much told all our stories before, kupo…"
"There's gotta be ONE that someone's missed."
Yuwain broke in. "Hold on… I think that I may ssstory to tell. It'sss one of my favoritesss." Phoenix and Mack immediately rolled their eyes.
"Oh no… not this one Yuwain… I thought we left it out for a reason…"
"Give it a rest, kupo…"
"What? It'sss not like we have anything BETTER to do…"
"But it's not a story with a point! It's just… a story."
"Ssso? Do Ssstories NEED a point?"
Phoenix sighed and leaned back in his chair resignedly. "Alright… fine…" He shot a look at everyone else. "But I'm warning you guys… you don't know what you're getting yourselves into."
Jullianne gave a small laugh. "Oh come on! Like Yuwain said… it's not like we have anything better to do."
Yuwain rubbed his hands together and leaned forward. "Alright… I sssuppose it all ssstarted about fifteen yearsss ago… when I wasss a member of Queen Remedi's Bangaa Honor Guard…"
(sprinkles magical sparkly dust and scene changes)
"ALRIGHT BOYSSS! We have been given another dissspatch by Her Royal Highnessss, Queen Remedi!"
(The wind is on the river, and the tide has turned too late. So we're sailing for another shore, where some other ladies wait…)
The team of Templars and Defenders, all armed with the same sword, SaveTheQueen, marched over to their Squad Leader, a Defender by the name of Dwight, who had a rolled up piece of paper in his hand. Once the group was assembled, he waved parchment at them.
"You sssee thisss? It'sss our new assssignment! Apparently there hasss been an uprisssing of Assssassins in Mussscadet, and we have been ordered to put an end to it. We have direct ordersss from the Queen herssself to kill anyone that attemptsss to ssstop us. Any quessstions?"
"How sssoon are we leaving, Commander?"
"ASSSAP, Lieutenant Yuwain. Once you all have everything you need… we leave. I'll explain the battle plan en route."
By the end of the hour, the Bangaa Honor Guard was ready to set out and put a stop to the Assassins wreaking havoc in Muscadet. Survival packs on every man's back to last them for the next few days, the Guard marched. It took them the better part of the day to reach Muscadet, and by the time they arrived, it was near dusk… and raining.
"Ssstupid rain… messsses everything up and makesss it harder."
(To throw us silken whispers: catch us by the anchor chains…)
Suddenly there was a startled gasp by one of the Templars in the back. The Guard turned around to see an Assassin hitting the unfortunate Bangaa with Last Breath.
"I hope you've enjoyed your last breath while you had it Fly Boy…" And with that, the Templar was down. There was a surge at the front, and a Defender was taken out by another Assassin. While everyone was distracted by that one, the first Assassin hit another Templar. Mayhem was upon the group as they desperately tried to take out the Assassins. The Templars finally got the bright idea to Cheer and managed to take out the Assassin in the back. The Defenders in the front were all casting Aura on themselves so they could come back and keep fighting the Assassins. The Templars came to their aid by casting Soulsphere on the Assassins. With their 1-hit KO move gone, the Defenders made quick work of the remaining Assassin attackers. After the small battle was over, the Guard checked damage control. KO'ed units were given Phoenix Down, and all the Defenders casted Aura and Defense on themselves while all the Templars Cheered. The final preparations involved the Templars casting a network of Astras and the Defenders finishing off with Expert Guard.
(But we all laugh so politely, and we sail on just the same…)
The Honor Guard continued into the heart of Muscadet, and that's where the real battle began.
(For Queen and the Country in the long dying day.
And it's been this way for five long years
Since we signed our souls away.)
Assassins launched arrow attacks from all sides. However, the Defenders, who had formed a circle around the Templars, were nullifying all hits with their Expert Guard. To improve their efficiency at guarding against hits, the Templars were casting Haste on all the Defenders, as well as on each other. Eventually, the volley of arrows more or less stopped and the Assassins rushed forwards to take out the Defenders in hand-to-hand combat. With Assassins charging, the Templars threw a rather extensive web of Soul Spheres at them, draining many of their deadly abilities. If a Defender fell victim to his Last Breath, a Cheered Templar would de-commission the offending Assassin and the Defenders would close up the gap and tighten the circle.
Some of the Defenders were able to hold off the Assassins by tapping into abilities from their secondary jobset: the Gladiator. With superb accuracy, many of the Defenders were able to Rush the attacking Assassins, giving the Templars another chance to sap them of their MP. Eventually, the Assassins were forced to rely solely on their fighting prowess. This is what the Honor Guard was aiming for, as they knew they were far better trained at hand-to-hand. Within a few short minutes, and after many cries that could only mean a knockout, the Honor Guard stood in the middle of Muscadet with a large group of Assassins at their feet. A cheer went up from the observing Viera once they discovered that their oppressors had been vanquished.
"And now comesss the fun part… the loot."
(We bring back gold and ivory; rings of diamonds; strings of pearls.
Make presents to the government so they can have their social whirl.)
The victorious… well… victors marched back into the Palace with many-a-handcuffed Assassin in their wake. Chests of treasures mounted on the shoulders of the Bangaa, they entered through the gates and into the main hall. Cheers came from all the present nobility who had been awaiting their arrival from battle. They say they were there to welcome home the prestigious Honor Guard, but we all know that's a lie… they were there for the gold that was to be tossed about during the celebration honoring yet another victory for the Palace.
(With Queen and the Country in the long dying day.
And it's been this way for five long years
Since we signed our souls away.)
While there was a formal party at the Palace, there was a more informal party at the barracks for the Honor Guard.
"HURRAH! HURRAH! HURRAH FOR VICTORY!"
Dwight, the team commander, stood up. "Gentlemen all. Your actionsss in the battle were heroic, your show of combat prowesssss was impeccable, and your honor for the Queen wasss upheld at all timesss. I couldn't asssk for a better group of fine men than you."
"FOR VICTORY! FOR HONOR! FOR QUEEN AND COUNTRY!"
(They build schools, and they build factories with the spoils of battles won.)
News had reached every part of Ivalice that the Palace was looking for young men and women of all races who were willing to train themselves so they could join the Royal Legions of the Queen. The training would be taking place at a new facility just opened nearby the palace. It was a sad day for the Underground Resistance, for now the Palace had a quick and efficient way for churning out soldier after soldier after soldier to oppress them and impose ridiculous laws upon them.
(And we remain their pretty sailor boys. Hold our heads up to the gun.)
The words "Bangaa Honor Guard" were on the lips of every man, woman, and child in Ivalice. They were said with reverence by young Bangaa who someday hoped to be apart of the Guard. They were said with hatred by the Resistance who wished them death and destruction for their deed. They were said with mild interest by friends chatting over a drink at the pub. They were said with respect by the supporters of the palace who were proud to have such upholders of justice. Whoever it was, and whatever the feelings were about them, the Bangaa Honor Guard isn't soon to be forgotten.
(Of Queen and the Country in the long dying day.
And it's been this way for five long years
Since we signed our souls away.)
A/N: What did you think of it? I hope the lyrics didn't break up the flow of the story too much. A friend of mine told me that was the main failing of most songfics, so please let me know if it's the case with this one. Particularly moreso now than ever, I would like constructive criticism, so that I could hopefully perfect the art of writing songfictions, as I have a few more ideas stirring around in my head. So instead of just saying "That was a cool story" or "You're a horrible writer. Do us a favor and stop now", please give me advice on how to improve, or tips on things I should fix. Thanks in advance.