I hope you're enjoying it so far! More characters are included in this chapter and a few surprises too! Oh…and lots of blood and killing etc. R&R 'cause you love me!

Chapter 3

'Man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.'

Ernest Hemingway

Freya stood inside one of the stone towers. She stared out of the small arched window, at the gray skies, emptying its watery contents onto the earth below in a silvery screen. It blurred and distorted her view of Burmecia, though this time she was grateful; she did not want to be a witness of the torture, rape and killing of her own kind.

It had been hopeless. The attack was taken completely by surprise and they were overrun almost immediately, with no time to even give orders. Her warriors had acted by instinct alone, and even that had proven to be not enough to defeat Alexandria's army.

Alexandria… How could she do this? Was it her doing? What wrong have we done to deserve such a massacre? These few thoughts rattled in her mind as she briskly trotted down the stairwell, intending to see Frately and report that the archers were set and ready to defend the castle, for they were both sure that was the place they would achieve their goal – whatever that may be.

Frately stood above the rest, his spear standing straight, a head taller than he, the pointed tip catching the light in a mesmerizing fashion akin to the moonlight playing on the tossed waves of the sea. Freya felt an acute surge of emotion ripple within her core, but she knew this was no time for sweet emotions. This was war. She must defend my home at all costs.

'Frately, the archers are ready and positioned across the top-left wing of the castle, as you instructed.'

'Excellent, now please Lady Freya, onward with your duty as a Dragon Knight.'

'Only with you at my side.'

'Freya, must you be so insistent?' he argued. She stared at him stonily. If she were to die this day then it would be fighting – fighting by his side.

'Yes I must.'

He smiled grimly and adjusted his helm and grip on his lance. 'Come then, let's not delay; if we die then we die fighting for Burmecia!'

There was a roar of approval from the crowd of Dragon Knights and not a moment was lost as they charged through the iron clad doors of the palace and out into streets.

The rain hit Freya like chocobo eggs, clanging on her armor and ringing in her ears. The cobbles were slick with a mixture of blood and rain, shining like fish's scales in the gray light. The knights collided with the onslaught on Alexandrian's who had been finishing off the last set off Burmecian's sent out to face them. The front line surged with impact from the circular shields the opposing army carried. Freya was near the center alongside Frately, but both fought their way to the front and confronted Garnet's army with teeth bared and eyes flaring red fire.

Freya was faced with a Knight of Pluto who waved his sword in the air and screamed to the sky. His weapon arched downward toward her shoulder. She parried it away and doubled her lance back with a fatal counter that left the Knight disemboweled. She stepped over his carcass and confronted the next, a woman this time, forcing Freya back with her sturdy shield into the battling warriors behind. The Burmecian spread her legs and gritted her teeth, using the wooden staff of her lance to push back. The Alexandrian was over powered and stopped pushing, holding it to her left side and gripping her Long sword with her right. Freya took lead and swiped upward. The woman parried it, and parried the next attack, blocking Freya's third attempt with her shield. Freya snarled at her and jumped up to weeping heavens. The soldier looked up but too late. The Burmecian landed on her with a sickening crack and positioned herself on the dead Alexandrian's back.

Amid the heated battle Frately kept no eye on Freya. She was an excellent fighter and though he cared dearly for her he knew better than even Sir Zidane that she was capable of taking care of herself during battle. And in this battle he knew she would fight to the end, for he thought that this would, indeed be the end. There were just over fifty Burmecians fighting on ground level and his scout had estimated there to be little more than one hundred and fifty Alexandrians. Of course the left tower top wore a necklace of archers that could take down at least half of the enemy but the two oppositions were fighting at too close quarters – he would not risk having half of his warriors brought down by arrows accidentally. The rain wasn't helping either, veiling the sides with a light curtain that made things hazy from a distance.

It would be fair to say that the Burmecian's weren't exactly plowing through the attackers. A puddle is no competition for the ocean. Freya believed that the Dragon Knights were more skilled and experienced than those of Alexandrian blood but they seemed to make no indent in the warrior's army. The harder the Burmecian's pushed the harder the Alexandrian's would push back. The bodies piled up beneath their feet, some crying out in pain as metal studded boots trampled them to death, others staring glassy eyed into the mourning sky. Freya's men didn't seem to be pushing the army back – as was their plan – but they themselves were being forced to retreat and soon found themselves trapped against the walls of the castle, forming a snake-like line. She heard Frately scream above the commotion and ducked her head. Arrows came whistling through the air accompanied soon after by cries of pain and confusion from the Alexandrians. They fell before her feet, the feathered tails of arrows still quivering in their necks and faces.

The archers created the gap they needed between the two armies and the Burmecians made sure they quickly filled it up before the Alexandrian's could advance.

Freya leapt upon her next attacker and sliced through flesh at a man's unshielded throat. Moving swiftly onto the next one she fought to get passed her shield; sparks glittering brightly as metal met metal. The Alexandrian stabbed with her sword to the right and as Freya blocked it the woman hit her with the rim of her shield in the upper stomach. Freya felt herself falling to the ground, blood gushing from the wound. She heard the hiss of a sword above her and instead of regaining her balance she let herself drop to the floor and suffered only a shallow cut on her lower back. She rolled and stood behind her enemy, quickly twisting her lance so she cut the other down before the she had time to attack Freya from behind again. She turned to confront the next Alexandrian but he fell before her with an arrow protruding from his socket.

Frately had gained much ground and his warriors snaked behind him, also covering his sides from attack as he chopped down all that lay before him. His archers had done well; they had the sense to focus their rain a little ahead of their line to avoid accidental deaths. True, they were advancing faster now but he was concerned. Glancing around he estimated that the number of his warriors and dropped below thirty and they hadn't even taken out half of Queen Garnet's army. What was worse, he knew that at the end of this onslaught waited the hardest challenge of all: Captain Adelbert Steiner. He could not see him and didn't dare take his eyes off the attackers before him for too long, but he knew he was there, he knew he awaited the survivors. He wondered now if he would even be one of them.

Freya knew too. She didn't care to fight with the knight, she was sure he was much more powerful than her. She had watched him fight Necron from her dizzied state on the Hill Of Despair. He seemed invincible and she had no wish to test his power. Of course, it wasn't just that. Steiner and herself were comrades. They had fought side by side in a battle to save Gaia and she wondered whether she would even have the inner strength to battle with him – for it was not he who gave the order, it was Garnet. If Steiner had agreed, why wasn't he on the front lines hunting Freya and Frately out? She wanted questions answered if anything! She wondered whether she would survive to ask them.

The cloud of thoughts passed over Frately when he spotted Freya out of the corner of his eye. Surely she could not take much more? She was bleeding badly from her stomach and back, her left arm had been made immobile somehow and she was struggling to fight with just her right hand. Gods, he admired her determination. If he could not see it with his own eyes he would not of thought her injured. She continued to fight as strongly as before but judging by the number before them and the physical state she was in already, he was concerned for her well being. He bit back his frustration and turned his concentration back to raging onward.

Freya's last attacker had caught her off guard by leaping past her and searing through her left arm. It had become awkward to use her lance but it was all she had. Momentarily, Freya found herself surrounded so spun around with her lance pointed outward. The knights around her fell to the ground stunned, she then leapt upon three of them in turn before they could gather themselves up and slit their throats in a spray of crimson blood. The other two were disorientated from being knocked down, so she had no trouble in annihilating them.

She struggled on, blood slick lance in hand, her armor dirtied and dented like an old tin can kicked about in the street. They were making ground but with substantial loss. They were outnumbered eight to one, she estimated, and their odds weren't increasing for the better. It was made worse by the fact that the rain had become heavier and the archers were guessing where to aim. Soon they would have to stop by Frately's order. But for Freya, it was only going to get worse.

Something strange was beginning to happen amidst the crowds of surging soldiers. A ripple occurred some distance before her, like a leaf falling onto the surface of a puddle. She strained to understand what was happening while battling against the relentless attacks of the Alexandrians. It came to her quite suddenly then, as she witnessed one of her men being flung like an unwanted toy above the fighting. The opposite army were parting for something – someone, and Freya wasn't making a wild stab in the dark at who they would be making a pathway for.

A dark patch began to spread through her mind like a drop of ink on wet paper. Doubt and fear reared their ugly heads and snapped their jaws about her body while her confidence and rational thought retreated to a sheltered, unreachable place in the back of her mind. He was coming for her. He was hunting her down. Garnet had ordered him to kill her. She felt so helpless and childlike then, she knew eventually she would have to face him but she was so… afraid. She did not want to fight with this man who had killed by the hundred. She did not want to fight this man who did not tire even after fighting the strongest of enemies. Gods be with me I cannot face him!

The warrior in front of her was pushed aside and there stood Captain Adelbert Steiner, his eyes burning beneath his silver helm, his jaw locked in a grim expression. He glowered at Freya and drew his sword from its sheath soundlessly.

A sudden memory surfaced then, catching her like a bright light shining through the fog. She was at the age of about six, and was with her mother running some sort of errand about the town. The crowds around her were unlike anything she'd ever seen because it was one of those rare days in Burmecia where it wasn't raining. They had swarmed around like bees trapped in a jar and she got separated from her mother due to their pushing and shoving. A cry had come up from the crowd and she had run towards it, thinking it to be her mother calling out for her. Freya had run into an opening and had come face to face with the most hideous monster she had ever seen. She remembered every detail of monsters face right from the dull shine it's fangs to the amber sheen of its oval eyes. She remembered it so well because she had been standing in front of it, staring it right in the eye. Someone had swept her off her feet then, and ran with her from the beast that had trespassed onto the streets of Burmecia. But the feeling that she had felt while staring into monster's savage eyes reminded her of the feeling she felt now; the black fear that screamed at her to run yet the strange fascination that strung her to the spot, weaved into a bundled mess of confusion. She had felt both sick and sharply alert. Both filled with terror and curiosity. Staring up into Steiner's eyes – she was lost in a sea of these dark emotions.

Steiner held his sword with one hand and bought it level to her face. She realized suddenly that she was kneeling on the floor. Did she kneel when she had uttered the prayer in her head or when she felt the overwhelming terror surface inside her? She could not even remember! Everyone looked like they were wading through water, their movements clumsy and slow, their shouts muffled and distant. Was this death she was staring at?

'Freya.'

Her eyes snapped open so wide you could see the whites around her pupils. She stared up at him with a little gasp and the world speeded up again.

'Freya.' His voice rumbled like an earthquake, their deep notes penetrating her very soul. 'I do not wish to fight you. I see you as a friend, not an enemy. I wish nothing more than to see you safe and well and happy but… today is a sad day. I must ask something from you.'

He held his sword evenly before her face. Freya became almost unaware of the screams and cries and deaths around her. All she could do is utter a tiny, pathetic sound to acknowledge his request. Somehow he had heard her.

'Queen Garnet has ordered me to destroy you and gain control of Burmecia. Possessing Burmecia is no difficult task for the likes of the Alexandrian army but to kill the likes of you however…' His frown deepened until she could only just see his dark, fiery eyes beneath his furrowed brow. 'Will be more difficult.'

She continued to kneel, numb all over. She hadn't even realized she had let go of her lance. Freya had to use every last bit of her concentration to listen to Steiner. She had never been so afraid of death in her life; it was amazing that just by being threatened by him she could become this weak, cowering creature so quickly.

'It's not that I could not destroy you.' He continued in his deep, menacing growl. 'You would be a worthy adversary, I know without a doubt but… it's just that… I could not live with myself after. Freya, I dare not disobey her Majesty but… I just can't.' His demeanor had not changed. She now suspected that it was to mislead his troops into thinking that he was mocking her before killing her, for his eyes were now so full of sorrow and remorse. 'My friend, I will make you an offer. Surrender Burmecia to us now and we shall cease this killing spree, claim Burmecia under Alexandria's name and you and I shall not fight. You must leave Burmecia forever and start a life elsewhere. The Queen… I shall tell her myself that I killed you with my own hands. If you decline I will have no choice but to fight you until death and take over Burmecia using this merciless method we use now.'

After a moment Freya recovered her voice and replied slowly: 'S-Steiner… You would do all that to save my life? You would actually deny the very duty you are sworn by and betray the Queen by not keeping your word to destroy me?'

Steiner said nothing but stared intently into her eyes beneath his helm. He is a true friend.

Freya picked herself up, filled with a newfound confidence that this killing would end, and reclaimed her lance. She stood before the captain and raised her chin in silent gratitude.

'Steiner, I would rather die one thousand deaths than hand over Burmecia without a fight.'

Steiner nearly dropped his sword. 'Freya! Don't be a fool! My offer was reasonable, think how many will die at the hand of your stupidity!'

'Think how many will suffer enslaved to your mad queen's rule.' Freya smiled sweetly. 'Dragon Knights are honorable warriors and we would fight until every last soldier is dead if it meant maintaining the freedom of our country. I would never abandon my people.' Then she spread her legs, bent her knees, turned her upper torso slightly to the right and proclaimed: 'If Death takes me today; so be it. Adelbert Steiner, let us fight.'

For a moment, Steiner stared at the Dragon Knight in disbelief. What fool was this to stand before him and turn down such a reasonable offer? She could be one of few to leave his presence in battle alive, yet she chose to die instead? Was she so willing to throw her life away? He was about to argue with her more but she had leapt into the air above him. Steiner dispelled his clouded thoughts and readied himself; he had seen this attack numerous times; it was her specialty. Freya threw herself from the gray sky like a kestrel plummeting onto its prey. She seemed to actually split the very air in two with her lance. Steiner raised his sword above him so that the flat side faced the sky.

The impact could be felt by all the troops and if they weren't so busy fighting for their lives perhaps they would of dropped their weapons and turned to witness the spectacular fight. Freya's lance met Steiner's blade with a clang. The vibration it sent up their arms nearly made them drop their weapons. Freya leapt away and hopped off of an approaching Alexandrian's chest back onto the Captain who deflected the lance deftly. He swung to his right and chipped Freya's bleeding stomach, which caused another bolt of pain coursing through her middle. She pushed it to the back of her mind and went on the defense to recover. Steiner lunged at her and she used the pole of her lance to block it again and again until she was afraid he might hack through it.

A childish emotion came upon her suddenly as she realized how unfair the situation was; he had emerged into battle fresh and woundless and had challenged her, while she suffered from numerous wounds and fatigue; was this battle already won? Her endurance was failing, she was standing on feet made of lead and she held her weapon in a watery grip.

Perhaps I should give up and leave. Would that fate be worse than death? After all, if I were to die beneath Steiner's sword, it would be an honorable death at least.

Her thoughts of surrender were quickly drowned out when she opened her senses to the world around her, the screams and torment of her people as they died courageously under the Alexandrian's swords hit her full blast. If Garnet reigned, this would be the life they lead – one of unhappiness and imprisonment. Freya was filled with a toxic rage and she sharply threw Steiner's attacks away, also encouraged by the surprise Steiner betrayed in his expression from her outburst.

Freya saw Steiner's hand outstretched toward her and in a heartbeat she was knocked off her feet, engulfed in magic Firaga. She wheezed through gritted teeth, her body sizzling slightly, but she had no time to recover for the knight was upon again. Freya dodged them only just and caught him on the meat of his unprotected thigh while jumping by. He grunted and stumbled a little before regaining a clumsy stance.

Steiner was shocked that she had put up such a fight even with the devastating wounds she had received previously. He admired her courage and determination, but he knew that she would not live to see nightfall. The Captain could see she was tiring quickly, not just from the effort of the physical exertion but also from the sheer concentration that was required to defend herself. He felt awful but urged himself to continue and to minimize her suffering by pressing his attack to quicken her death, bringing his sword down harder than before and in more complex moves that sliced through the air like arrows. It took all of Freya's effort to merely keep up with Steiner. At one time when the Captain made a second pause she released a Blizaga attack. Blue tongues of ice built up around Steiner but he seemed to emerge unscathed. She was so disheartened and surprised – though she knew she shouldn't be – that she miscalculated his next attack and was disarmed.

There was an odd moment then that reminded her of an action movie. The two of them stood there looking expectantly and suspiciously at one another, then Freya threw herself at her lance, which lay on the bloodied ground a few meters in front of her. She saw out of the corner of her eye Steiner lunging at it too, and everything seemed to slow as if the battleground had suddenly been submerged in water. She saw her hand outstretched before her face and the lance just a few inches from her grip, but, as in a nightmare, she saw an armored hand curl around it's wooden arm and she cried out in disappointment.

She didn't even bother getting up.

Adelbert Steiner stood above the defeated Dragon Knight, her lance in one hand, and his sword in the other. His eyes were beacons of conflicting emotions but she knew already which way the scale would tip. She had known which way the duel would go too, but it hadn't stopped her from fighting, from defending her kingdom and defending her king and maintaining her honor. Her hope for victory that she had struggled to keep alight throughout the battle flickered and died leaving just a mound of ashes in its place. Shifting her gray eyes from the floor she looked up into Steiner's eyes. They were like lumps of flint, cold and sharp. She knew then that he had made up his mind to carry through with his word. The Dragon Knight watched him raise his sword and hoped that Frately would not witness her death. She felt such a wail of despair and acceptance clash within her that when a flash of black and white blocked her view she believed that she had died and was being swept away to another world. Finally she realized what was happening.