Fratley had been spending his days working on the farms in Dali. Very little of his memory had returned to him, only his battle instinct and the fact that he was once a Dragon Knight had returned to his mind. He had met Puck about two and a half years ago and had discovered his true name. He hadn't seen much of Puck since he left the village to go to Alexandria. The mischievous Burmecian Prince only returned about a year later to hide him from Freya, who was searching for him.
Things had become very peculiar in the village of Dali. The male villagers kept disappearing during the day and nobody would tell Fratley where they had gone. He didn't pursue the matter and continued to earn his wages doing labour in the fields. A couple of weeks later, Puck returned to the village, desperate to talk to Fratley.
"Fratley! Fratley!" Puck shouted, whilst running up to the Burmecian. "Thank heavens you're still here! Listen Fratley, I've been hearing lots of weird rumours in Alexandria, and I've caught word that they are launching an attack on Burmecia! We've got to get there right away! My old man could be in danger!"
Fratley's eyes widened at this news, and Puck even roused the attention of some of the villagers. Locked deep inside Fratley's mind, something began to stir.
"As a Dragon Knight, your main duty will be to ensure the protection of Burmecia and its citizens. You must be prepared to give your life for your country." The words of an old tutor spoke through Fratley's mind, a long lost memory returning to him.
"You're right." Fratley answered the child. His voice sounded slightly more formal. "Let's go."
Fratley quickly gathered his belongings and bought some supplies with the money he had saved from his wages. The two then wasted no time in leaving the village and travelling through the Ice Cavern. Fratley used the skills he had reacquired whilst training in Dali to slay the monsters they encountered in the cavern with ease. They managed to pass through the Ice Cavern just as the sun was setting. They camped outside the cavern and took turns keeping watch for monsters overnight.
In only a couple of short days they managed to reach North Gate. However, when they reached the gate they were presented with a very grim sight. The smell of fire, blood and dead corpses filled the air, the gate was strewn with dead Burmecian soldiers and the gate had been forced open.
"This looks bad..." Puck commented, a glum look filling his face.
"Come on, we're not that far away from Burmecia. We must press on." Fratley stated, shaking the solemn look off his face.
"You're right." Puck answered. "Let's go!"
With that, the two passed through the gate and continued their journey to Burmecia.
Frato spent the next few days hunting monsters and training in the mountains with Redwind. Occasionally he would travel back down into Burmecia to look for supplies and things he could use, whilst at the same time clearing the streets up a little bit and fighting off the monsters that had infested the city with his dragon companion.
It was on one of those visits where something interesting happened to Frato. He had come into the city alone to take the dead body of his father and bury it in the Burmecian cemetery. However, whilst he was on the way to pick up the body, his ears picked up the faint sounds of footsteps and some voices. He decided to jump across to the source of the sound and investigate. As he drew closer, he could make out some words.
"Geez, this is terrible...It looks like we were too late."
"Indeed...So, this is my home."
"It sure is, and it has certainly seen better days..."
Frato could identify one of the voices straight away, and began bounding over the rooftops at a much faster pace with an excited smile forming on his face. As he leapt onto the next rooftop, he could see the sources of the voices. One of them was a small child, with an orange cap over his head and clad in a green shirt and orange overalls. The second was a man with a brown leather hat and long, blonde hair, with a yellow-brown jacket and matching coloured pants and a black vest. This man was the unmistakeable figure of Sir Iron-Tail Fratley, Frato's adoptive brother.
"Fratley!" Frato shouted from the rooftops. Both Puck and Fratley turned to look at him, and Puck then began to shake his head. Frato leapt down from the rooftops and ran up to Fratley and threw his arms around him in a tight hug. "Oh Fratley, I missed you so much." Frato then broke up the embrace. "So where have you been to all during all this time?"
Fratley had a confused look on his face, and he tried desperately to recognise this new stranger who obviously knew him very well. "Have we met?" Fratley asked.
This question seemed to make Frato dumbstruck for a second, but then he replied by giving a light-hearted laugh and giving Fratley a light punch on the shoulder. "Ha, ha! Good one Fratley!"
"He's not joking." Puck butted into the conversation with a serious tone. "He had an accident on his travels away from Burmecia. He's lost his memory. He can't remember anything about himself or his past."
There was a brief, but tense silence as the information sunk into Frato. His smile faded and a look of disbelief filled his face. "You really don't remember me?" Frato said sadly to break the harsh silence. "You don't remember your little brother? Do you know my name?"
The look of confusion did not leave Fratley's face, and he racked his brains to try and recall the face of the man who claimed to be his brother. He could find nothing, and he tried feebly to try and guess Frato's name. "...Are you Frederick?"
Frato disheartened look turned to one of shock and he responded by walking up to Fratley and grabbing him by the collar. "My name is Frato!" Frato screamed, shaking Fratley with considerable force. "I'm your younger brother Frato!" Frato then let go of Fratley and hung his head. His ears fell and Frato fought back the tears that were beginning to well up. He did not want to cry in the presence of Fratley and Puck. Real men didn't cry, although with everything that had happened Frato was starting to pass-care about those stupid little sayings.
"I'm sorry..." Fratley stuttered, a little shocked by Frato's fiery reaction.
"How could you have forgotten me, Fratley?" Frato asked with a tone of melancholy in his voice. He looked up, his eyes watery, but not giving any tears. "Do you remember our father Fratley?"
Fratley shook his head rather grimly. "I'm afraid not."
"Sir Lion-heart Fratley, our father, a fierce and honourable warrior..." Frato stated, before looking back down to the stone floor beneath him. "He's dead Fratley. Our father was killed by those mages."
"Sir Lion-heart Fratley?" Puck spat out in disbelief. "No way!"
"It's true." Frato went on. He looked back up at Fratley. "I was on my way to take his body and bury him in the cemetery when I heard you two. Do you wish to accompany me Fratley?"
Fratley gave a brief nod. Although Sir Lion-heart Fratley was a stranger to him right now, he thought he would regret it later if he didn't say one last farewell to his father. Besides, seeing the body might help him remember something about him.
"Come on then. His body is this way." Frato said whilst motioning to the eastern part of the city. He led the two through the streets past the many dead bodies of Burmecian soldiers and civilians and even a few black mages towards the body of his father.
Fratley looked solemnly at the corpse, feeling awkward in that he could remember anything about his dead father. He tried his best to call back some fond memory of the man lying in front of him, but there were no memories that came into his mind.
Frato lifted up the body and began walking towards the palace. The cemetery was next to the cathedral which was very close to the royal palace of Burmecia. When the three Burmecians reached the cathedral they found that it had been ransacked and burned like everywhere else, although the structure of it still remained. The cemetery was around the back, where there was a small, building which lead into an underground chamber that contained coffins and urns of the remains of loved ones. There was also a fairly vast graveyard, where there was a freshly dug grave.
The fresh grave was one that Frato had spent the time to dig out, and he took Lion-heart's lifeless body towards the grave and gently placed him into it. Fratley then aided Frato in shovelling the dirt in order to fill the grave.
"Rest in peace, father." Frato said solemnly as he ears fell flat against his head. There was brief moment of silence between the three Burmecians as a little mark of respect for the man resting in the grave.
As the three left the cemetery, Puck immediately sparked up a conversation.
"Frato, where did everyone else go?"
"Most of the Burmecians fled with His Majesty to Cleyra." Frato answered. "Another small group went through Gizamaluke's Grotto to go to Lindblum though."
"Why did you stay behind?" Fratley asked.
"I stayed with father to help ensure the rest of the civilians escaped." Frato replied. "I was knocked unconscious during a battle and when I woke up, I found that father had died and I was all alone. The plains outside Burmecia are deadly when faced alone, I would be easy prey for monsters when I stopped to rest."
"Well, Fratley and I are going to go to Cleyra." Puck stated. "Why don't you come with us? I'm sure you'll be safer with us than you will be here on your own."
"I'm staying put." Frato said firmly.
"Frato, you can't stay here on your own!" Puck shouted. "There are monsters crawling all over the place! This place is just as dangerous as the plains now!"
"I'll be fine, trust me. I've found a safe resting spot." Frato answered, trying to reassure his brother and the young Burmecian Prince. "Lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice. Besides, I want to clear up our home and make it worth living in again."
"You're a thick-headed moron, you know that?" Puck spat. "Well, we're heading to Cleyra, with or without you. Come on Fratley!"
Puck marched off towards the gate of the city, whilst Frato just made a grunt before turning towards his brother.
"I suppose this is goodbye again." Frato said with a little sigh. "I don't know how you can put up with that annoying little brat..."
"Are you sure you won't come with us Frato?" Fratley asked, hoping for his brother to change his mind.
"I'm certain." Frato replied.
Fratley gave a firm nod, before turning to follow Puck. He looked back at Frato and said "Farewell." He started walking to follow Puck but a hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Will you promise me that you will come back to me?" Frato asked, his eyes looking hopefully at his brother.
"...I promise." Fratley answered.
Frato gave a little smile. "Goodbye Fratley."
"Farewell Frato." Fratley said before walking to follow Puck.
Frato watched as his brother walked away from him. He had hoped that their reunion would have been a more joyful occasion, but at least he knew that his brother was still alive.
Disclaimer: The only thing I own in this story is the character of Frato and Redwind. If I had the rights to Final Fantasy 9, Frato would have been a playable character at some point, as would Fratley.
Author's Notes: I am really wondering why no-one bothers to review my stories recently. Is everyone at lazy or does everyone have an aversion to Burmecian fanfiction?
Dazz Cambo: Well, Frato has given some reasoning behind his decision. Yes, it would collide with Zidane and if Frato had gone to Cleyra he would have likely appeared in the game. Plus he might have been killed at a certain event... I may decide to read your stories seeing as there isn't much good fanfiction around lately.