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-Flashback: 48 hours before the battle of Feoh-

The silk palace was one of, if not the finest brothels in the city of Feoh, Filled with the finest whores from all over the known world. A literal banquet of beautiful women who, for a man who could pay the right price, would do anything a man could desire.

And despite the soft feel of velvet on his skin and sent of perfume filling the air, the only thing on Gregson's mind was the feeling of the headache building behind his eyes. He knew that if he gave it half a chance he would soon feel as if he had a raging thunderstorm between his ears.

Sometimes, when he was too deep into his cups, his headaches would become so painful it hurt too much to even weep. Then all he could do was rest in his bed in a darkened room with a damp cloth over his eyes and curse whatever gods were there for cursing him in such a cruel way. But he had far more important duties to uphold this evening to put much care into whatever pain he found himself in.

Speaking of which...

He eyed the tables of food and wine in front of him. The heavy coin purse in his pocket not only gave him the woman of his choice for the evening but also covered a lavish buffet of salted meats and cheeses, dried fruits and pastries and enough wine to drown a small child. Even when the city found itself in the middle of a food shortage from the war, a man with enough gold in his pocket could enjoy the best life had to offer.

He paused as he made sure he was alone, knowing full well of his less savory eating habits.

Fuck it. He thought as he sat down and reached across the table and picked up a half-filled goblet.

He downed the cup in a single swig. Ah, that hits the spot. Vintage from the southern vineyards if he was any judge. Gregson refilled the goblet, happy that the burning behind his head slowly but surely evaporating away. He felt the effects almost instantly. He felt light-headed and numb. A spreading feeling of contentment took hold. The building pain in his head was soon replaced by a feeling of excitement for what was to come. He felt heroic, having done his duty to his king and to the cause of vaults empire, why shouldn't he allow himself a little treat?

He shook his head at his momentary stupidity. The perils of drinking on an empty stomach he supposed. He spied the table in front of him, eyeing the fruits and dried meats and cheeses the brothel supplied to its patrons, pulling an empty plate towards him and filling it with food.

It would be Pointless to let all this go to waste, wouldn't it?

He stuffed a wedge of cheese into his mouth before he had even sat down, not even bothering to chew before taking a bite of smoked sausage. With each bite of food he took into his mouth he could almost feel his once-powerful build turn to soft flab. He had been a great warrior once, a veteran of a dozen engagements who was as deadly with a sword as he was with an ax. But now he seemed to be a shadow of his former self. He had served proudly with the Kuroinu before as well as after Vault had declared himself king. But all that changed one day when a member of the Feoh militia crushed the back of his helmet with a single swing of his mace.

After all the men he had killed and dire situations he had survived, it had been a boy, barely old enough to have his first hairs on his chin, wearing armor that didn't fit him properly, to be the one to end his fighting career.

"Everyone gave him up for dead," he had heard later. Unconscious and un-moving as he was, the only thing that showed he still had life was the uneven breath that escaped his mouth for two days and two nights. But while he lived, his fighting days were done, even the slightest blow to his head was enough to reduce him to tears from the searing pain. He was sent to Feoh partially to escape Vaults poisonous disdain as well as the searing anger he held for any man too week for battle.

After that, Gregson thought, his luck had finally begun to grow in his favor. A cushy position in the high leadership of the city watch granted by Lord Beasly insured that he was far away from anything close to resembling actual combat, all the while having enough men under his command to supply him with enough wine to keep his skull from splitting in two and enough money to keep him satiated with as much food and whores as he could manage. All he had to do was to be Beasley's middle man in certain financial matters in regards to Beasley's other agents, keeping the elder statesman's hand clean in the process.

Being the go-between for the rich and powerful nobleman and his agents, Gregson thought to himself as he fingered a gold coin in his hand, was far more lucrative and satisfying than all those years he spends marching and fighting on the front lines.

But work seemed to be the furthest thing from his mind as the moment as he waited for his guest to arrive in his rented chambers, a guest whose time and experience he was paying top coin for despite her taking her sweet time in arriving.

The sound of the large oak door sliding open took him out of his thoughts. Gregson turned his head and stood, spilling his wine onto the floor in the action as he waited for his purchase for the evening to enter the room.

Instead of the deep brown skin and short-cropped hair of the southern island girl he had chosen to spend his night with, the form belonged to a much taller and much older woman. A woman with the blonde hair and violet eyes of the Feoh royal family staring at him with barely contained contempt.

A woman whose very presence caused his body to chill to the bone.

"and why am I not surprised." The princess knight said, her tone filled with disgust whether as the sight of a traitor in front of her or at the mess Gregsons enthusiastic eating and drinking had caused." to find a man like yourself in a place as vile as this."

Gregson stared blankly at the woman, as still like a newborn doe in the sights of an experienced hunter. He had been warned of this, told on a near-daily basis that he needed to stay out of sights of the king's daughter or anyone that was a member of her entourage or else his life would be forfeited.

His eyes drifted to the dagger on the table.

"I wouldn't do something so foolish if I were you." The princess said as she fingered the pommel of her sword, staring at the man in front of her with a contemptuous stare. "We both know how this would end if you did."

He was bigger than her, taller by almost a foot and heavier by over a hundred pounds, and despite the extra weight around his middle, he knew he was far stronger than the petit woman. If he was quick enough and caught her off guard before she could connect a blow, he still had a chance to escape. He moved as fast as his extra bulk could allow, grabbing the knife on the table and taking aim at the princess knight intending to end the woman's life. Before he could take a single step however, he was thrown aloft by a tornado that had suddenly appeared within the room.

He landed with a thud, his skull feeling like a shattered mirror from the impact. His teeth clenched, so hard he thought he would grind at least one of his teeth into dust as he bites back a sob. His vision was blurry, but he could still make a vague shape hovering above him as tried desperately to regain himself, as the Princess knight walked closer and closer to whatever force had manhandled him.

...and the Sion of the royal family was not look happy about it.

"I thought I told you to stay outside the room until I gave you the signal!" The princess knight shouted, walking quickly towards the Tornado, which turned out to be a huge man in blue, with the confidence of a blind man about to walk off a cliff." I had this well at hand and didn't need you to interrupt me!"

Her contemptuous attitude, which but a moment ago was venomously directed at Gregson, evaporated as she stared at the man in front of her. The huge man turned to her, his face lacking the annoyance of his companion.

"He had a knife," He said in a tone of voice that sounded like he tried to convince someone the sky was blue, directing to the blade now out of arms reach of the weeping man below him.

"That little thing?" She said gesturing to the dagger on the floor," This is hardly enough to peel the skin off an orange let alone enough to threaten the life of a trained knight especially when wielded by the fool of a man."

The tall man shrugged, looking between her and the weeping man in the fetal position before him.

"You know most people would thank someone from stopping a man going at them with a dagger," he said with a shake of his head. He turned to face the princess knight and for a moment Gregson thought to make a mad rush to the dagger, before the man's massive boot impacted his hand, crushing the digits before they could so much as twitch in the knifes direction.

" I'll have you know that I've shed my fair share of blood on the battlefield long before I met you, and if my life was to meet its end by this," the blonde said as she looked at the downed man with disdain, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the sight of fresh wine stains on his tunic and the small chunks of cheese hidden in his beard. "Man", then I wouldn't deserve the title of a knight in the first place."

The man looked at her and then back down at him, his face breaking into a smile that put his companion at ease, before raising his arms in mock surrender. "All right, you got me. You're right."

The easiness in which the two spoke to one another was off-putting. Alicia Arcturus was a haughty and arrogant bitch made even more insufferable by being so politically powerful, watching any person let alone a fellow man defer to her of all people was disgusting, and if Gregson was honest with himself, made him far more uncomfortable then the pain of having his hand so easily and violently broken.

"Of course, I'm right," the woman said walking closer into the room and stopping until she was standing next to her companion, "The quicker you learn to accept the fact that I'm usually right things of these matters, the more use you'll be to this investigation."

That insufferable smirk she wore on her face as she looked up at the man was infuriating, but it was the lingering closeness of the admittedly lovely woman to the man next to her that caused Gregson to see red. Women like her had always looked down on men like him, Hard and true men who knew the harshness of life and who had little time for feminine games. No, they much more preferred men like this, pretty and soft men who needed to resort to trickery and stealth to best true men like him!

Why if he had his trusty mace and helm with him...

The large man shrugged his shoulders and lifted him off the ground, as easily as one would pick up a stone to skip off a body of water, and laid him back onto the previously overturned chair. The searing pain in his head subsided for a moment, enough to marvel at the man's inhuman strength, and how easily and effortlessly he applied it.

...Perhaps he would need more than his trusty mace and helm...

So taken aback was he that at first, he didn't notice the purple gemstone in the princess knights' hand. The very same gemstone that Gregson was sure he had used as payment for the night's entertainment. The very same gemstone Lord Beasly had awarded him for his services only a day prior...

...oh

...oh no

"Tell me," Alicia said leering down at the man, towering over the man despite being a foot shorter than him." How does a city guard with a few months in his station afford the most expensive brothel in the city?"

Gregson could almost hear Vaults voice, his booming voice cutting through the fog of burning pain he felt. Every man is a king and should never take the orders of a woman no matter who she is. And despite his stupor, Gregson felt his resolve strengthen.

This stupid girl thought she was better than him? He was a warrior who had put his life on the line to ensure peace while she and her goddess played politics and she thought she could speak to him like that?

He would resist, he would to throw the unsaid and implied threats against him back at the whore in front of him with a biting remark, and if given one last chance he especially would grab his discarded dagger and bury it into Alicia's heart before...

The thought died in his head when the huge man, the same huge man who had utterly manhandled him came into view, directly behind the woman interrogating him. He stood straight with his arms folded across his chest, almost daring him to attempt whatever he was thinking about attempting. Gregson met his vision for a moment, seeing the unyielding steel in his gaze, before every single thought he had about resisting and fighting back evaporated into thin air.

His shoulders slumped and his eyes fell to the ground in utter defeat, and under the watchful eyes and sharp tones of his interrogators, Gregson told them everything he knew.

-Kin POV Present day-

Kin stood silently as he watched several men carry the beaten and bloodied body of the messenger out of the thick oak doors of Vaults private chambers.

Well...It certainly seems that Vault has heard the news.

Kin knew his lord would react harshly whenever the reports of the failure of Beasly reached him, but he didn't expect him to react quite like this. He had planned on arriving at the meeting of Vaults most trusted lieutenants early to try and calm the brewing storm that was Vaults anger.

But, either he did not move with enough haste or the scout had arrived earlier than expected, but he was too late, and in his anger Vault beaten the poor unfortunate man nearly to death for being the bearer of bad news, leaving him in a pool of his blood as he continued to rage. The other men in the room stood still, not daring to move from their spots and potentially angering their leader further. The principal commanders of the Kuroinu host along with Kin himself stood at attention, like an audience watching a stage play go horribly wrong.

Kin walked towards the larger man as he raged, and cursed the men around him who remained still, feeling like a lamb being led to its slaughter.

"My King" Kin spoke, his usual even tone and monotone voice even more so now as to not cause his king to lash out further. Vaults body shook as he turned towards Kin, his breathing ragged and his eyes bloodshot, giving him the appearance of a man lost in his senses and not the experienced military commander that he was.

"How?" Vault demanded, his voice enough of a growl to make Kin believe even for a moment that his Lord was not fully a man but something far more savage.

"How could this have happened?" he repeated with his hands clenched and back rigid, like a caged lion preparing to tear apart who ever dared to enter its domain.

How indeed. For a moment Kin found himself lost within his thoughts, trying to think of ways in how their plans could not only fail but fail as badly as they had done. Kin stood still, not knowing what to do next, what could he even do? It was rare for the battle-hardened military man to lose his cool like this but it was not unjustified in the slightest.

The invasion of Feoh had failed.

Hundreds, if not thousands of their men met their deaths in the battle or have been captured in its aftermath. The members of Lord Beasley's inner circle, members of noble class who had conspired in the Kuroinus favor were found out and publicly tried for treason and sent for execution.

And Vault was made a fool of in front of the entire continent.

Whenever Vault got like this it was best not to get in between him and the cause of his anger. But here he was, so close to the man that he could see the pupils of his dark eyes dilated. And while most men would falter at the sight of this beast of a man directing his anger towards him, Kin prided himself on not being like "most men".

"It seems we had underestimated the leadership prowess of Alicia Arcturus, she was not the foolish child we were made to believe by our friend the prime minister."

Vaults eyes regained some of their usual clarity at the mention of the former Prime minister of Feoh. The man who had fed them the information that should have made their plans against the city-state a foregone conclusion. If any man was to face the brunt of the fault it should have been him, Kin thought to himself bitterly.

"Of course," Vault said his voice calmer then it was a moment before, but Kin would be foolish to believe the storm had fully passed. "We followed Beasley's advice and his schemes far too much and it led to our downfall."

He mumbled something under his breath, so soft and quiet, kin didn't hear it despite being so close to the man. But like a hurricane that appeared without warning, he erupted in rage a moment later.

"Prepare the men, we march on Feoh in force." He shouted to his officers behind him.

The look of shock must have been evident on Kins face because Vault took it upon himself to answer the unspoken question.

"Don't you see? The invasion failed because we relied far too much on bribery and trickery. We took the word of a man who had never once fought in a single battle let alone won a war or sacked a city." he started gesturing to the continental map that dominated the large ornate table in front of him, "Our original plan of marching on the city on mass would have succeeded, that I have no doubt. It's my fault for allowing Beasley's honeyed words to convince me otherwise."

Vault turned to him and smiled, his eyes wolf-like as he stared at the smaller spell caster. "But we will take the city of Feoh, mark my words and we will do by our hands, and by our boot heels, and by the edge of our swords"

The men around him seemed to agree as they seemed to grow in resolve and confidence as Vault spoke, Kin himself felt his pulse quicken despite his better judgment.

"A foolish decision my lord." a voice broke through the chorus, as dry and cutting as sandpaper against Kins ears.

He hadn't made a sound as he entered into the room, even now Kin felt himself strain trying to hear the mans footsteps on the stone floor as he made his way towards the center of the room. The man was tall, equal to that of Vault but lacked the kings' legendary build, being far leaner than many of the more senior members of the Kuroinu, but had a malicious intelligence that was proved to be as powerful as any tool of war, and a streak of cruelty that cut deeper then any sword.

Kin found him as intimidating as much as he found him fascinating.

The tall man walked past kin, his lean form towering over the wizard as he walked closer and closer to Vault, stopping until the two men were eye to eye with one another, looking like two bulls posturing to one another to see which one of them would rule the pasture.

"You want me to ignore this?" Vault spat, his voice increasing in volume." Ignore those whores in Ken that are laughing at us as we speak. Ignore the men in my army that are questioning my leadership? You want me to move on and pretend this didn't happen? Is that what you want me to do?!"

"What I want isn't important." Shamuhaza said, his tone emotionless despite the danger he found himself in." We're at war. And Wars are not won by foolishly lashing out like a mad dog."

"A mad dog? A mindless killer?" Vault said with a mocking laugh, "Is that what you think of me? Of our movement?"

"We're killers my lord. We kill people. Should I look up the term in my thesaurus? I assure you we fit the definition."

They continued for what seemed like hours, mentally jousting for dominance. Kin knew that Vault was an astounding orator, able to control an army of trained killers and warriors by his sheer will and strength of character, but even he found it a daunting task to convince Shamuhaza of what he felt needed to be done.

"Dammit, Shamuhaza," Vault said, louder then he intended to say," Why can you not see that we cannot be viewed as weak. We need our strength to be known to all the land to hope to win the hearts and minds of the men of this country."

"and we will, but we must be smart about our next move," Shamuhaza said, his voice not changing the slightest since he entered. "We cannot be allowed to weaken our forces more than they already have."

"The Weak must know who the strong of this country is." Vault said, his voice a barely contained growl as his anger slowly came to its boiling point, and that was dangerous for anyone who had the unfortunate position of being in close proximity of him at the moment. Whether Shamuhaza didn't know or simply didn't care, Kin couldn't be sure. The bandaged man said nothing, only turning his head slightly to gauge the reaction of the men around him, before turning his attention back to Vault.

"If I hadn't come to you and simply allowed you to go about your plan what would you have done?"

"I would have burned the city to the ground. I would slaughter every single person who gets between me and those who dared to stand against my vision." Vault turned towards him, the light from the torches, blurring his features, but from the tone of voice he spoke with, it was clear to all just how serious he was as he spoke." I would burn the surrounding forest to ash and slay any animals who called it home. I would salt the soil of their farms so no living thing can grow in their fields for a hundred years. I would slit the thought of every man in front of their families, I would have every woman raped by my armies until they become so disfigured no man would look at them. Their children would spend the rest of their natural lives in chains until their minds are broken and they know nothing of life but servitude and misery." Vault seethed, his breath hot with rage, and his eyes filled with malice. "Then and only then would their debts be paid to me."

The bandaged man didn't say a word, content with his thoughts for a moment more as he stared at the stunned faces of the men around him like they were just another insect in his morbid collection.

"And on that day, we will use the stones from their walls and from their keeps to build a monument to you and your triumphs." Shamuhaza said, his voice as deep and foreboding as Vaults, "but until then we cannot chase after petty revenge when we have a war to wage and a continent to conquer."

Vault stared at the man for a moment, and for several tense seconds, Kin believed the two would come to blows.

"Leave, All of you," Vault spoke again, teeth grinding and eyes never leaving Shamuhaza gaze.

Kin willed himself to turn around and made for the door. But found his movements cut off when vaults spoke again, his voice barely above a whisper. "Not you Kin, you remain. You too Shamuhaza. the rest of you, out."

The other men rushed out the door, the sound of their heavy steps drifting away leaving the three men alone. Vault smiled sweetly, an image that made Kins skin crawl from the sight.

"Well when you put it like that," He stared unblinking at the bandaged man's impassive face, with a look in his eyes that looked as if he imagined driving a dagger into his lieutenant's eye. "What would you have me do?"

-Steve POV-

Steve deflected the blade aimed at his neck, parrying the attack to his side, before thrusting his own blade forward, pushing his opponent further back from where she started.

Alicia Arcturus was on the defensive, her usual aggressive style doing little to her much larger and stronger opponent. Their blades flashed out again, clashing with the sound of thunder as Alicia felt both her hands tremble from the effort. Steve had to respect that. Even when pushed to her physical limits, Alicia still refused to give in. But even so, that iron will of hers was not enough to win.

A flick of his wrist was enough to throw Alicia's weight off balance, the blade in her hands embedding itself into the ground of the training field. Before she could do anything to retaliate she found the point of a sword pointed at her throat. A moment passed Before Alicia Arcturus, proud princess knight of Feoh let out a deep frustrated and resigned sigh.

"I yield."

There was clapping all around them which seemed to break them out of the trance they found themselves in. The spar had been distracting, and despite kicking himself over it, he had not noticed the crowd of knights and castle servants that had been drawn to them mid practice.

"I can't believe this!" Alicia's voice broke through the noise, almost echoing off the stone walls," Three days of training and you've already bested me in swordplay. Had I not seen just how awkward you were with a blade with my own eyes I would say this is some sort of jest on me."

That was certainly true, to the immense amusement of the knight in front of him.

When Steve had first held a sword, he almost felt more like he was *Pete Reiser stepping up to the plate than some knight of the round table. The sight of Prim trying to hold in her laughter at the sight and the sound of Alicia not even bothering to hide her amusement at the sight certainly was a hit to his ego, but not something he couldn't handle.

But a few days of training was certainly enough to silence them, And while Steve thought he'd never be a master swordsman by any stretch, he felt he had learned enough to ensure he was at the very least knowledgeable in a few of the many different schools of swordsmanship used by the warriors of Estoia.

Despite whatever the spectators who had seen him train would say amongst themselves.

"Well." Steve started as he placed the dull blade of the training sword back against the stone wall." I did have the best instructor in all of Feoh teaching me."

"Ha" Alicia gave a dry laugh, but if the look in her eyes were any indication, the remark meant allot to her." Do not use flattery on me, Rogers, you are simply less of a liability now then you were a fortnight ago. Nothing more and nothing less."

"Less of a liability huh." Steve quoted in a tone of voice that sounded far more like Alicia then she would admit out loud. "You certainly know how to instill faith in your students."

"If you wished to have your ego stroked, I would have had Vera instruct you," she said as she turned to follow him, the pout on her face melting back into its mask of indifference. "Goddess knows your ego has grown enough since the battles end."

Steve chuckled to himself. Alicia certainly had a unique way of speaking to people, but he had a feeling that she warming up to him, at least he hoped so anyway. According to Tony, he was always too much of a boy scout when it came to things like this.

His thoughts were interrupted however when Alicia herself ran up to him clutching an item to her side. An item Steve almost shuddered at the sight of.

"You forgot your sword," Alicia said, pressing a sheathed blade into Steve's chest, and despite himself, he almost felt like cringing at the contact.

It was a lot shorter than he imagined a sword to be when he was a kid, a little longer than a yardstick and made out of the finest castle forged steel Alicias family had to offer and sharpened to a razor edge. The gilded handle looked similar to Alicia's but upon closer inspection, Steve noticed several slight differences, including the image of a single white star on both the center of the swords guard as well as its pommel.

It was more than a simple sword, it was a work of art. Steve was more than a little embarrassed that someone had put so much effort into such a beautiful piece of weaponry for him and his, in his opinion, lackluster sword skills.

"You cannot think to leave without your sword." She admonished, "You have done a great service to this city and its people, and this whole continent should know of it."

Ah yes, Steve thought to himself with a slight grimace, my knighthood

The ceremony was filled with the pomp and circumstances of every medal ceremony he had ever been a part of as both a soldier and as an avenger, which meant he wanted to be anywhere but where he was at that particular moment on principle alone.

The fighting may have stopped for the moment, but there was still far more to do to help the city and its citizens then stand around and hear about how great he was. Fires needed to be put out, injuries needed to be checked on and tended to, and bands of enemies in hiding needed to be rounded up and put in chains.

In fact, the only thing keeping him from refusing to kneel and simply walking away were the cheers of the men and women around him. Civilians exiting their homes and hiding places to join the chants where enough to give him pause, but it was a small boy, barely five years old and whose face looked to be caked in dirt and dried tears being held atop the shoulders of his equally disheveled looking mother. Just to have a chance to see him.

That did it. That broke him.

Steve could almost feel the smirk on Bucky's lips or the boisterous laughter coming from Thor or the toothy smile Wanda would have given him if they were to have seen him. Captain America, Cowed in fear of disappointing a child. He always seemed to have a weakness when it came to kids. His one true flaw, Natasha would always say with that all-knowing look on her face.

"You are no longer a simple man with but a shield, you are a knight of Feoh and this sword," Alica said as she raised up the blade. "Is a symbol of that position. You have joined the long and storied lineage and should be treated as such."

Steve stared at the blade for a moment, a part of him wondering just how he managed to get into this position in the first place, before strapping the hilt to his hip and sheathing the sword, not missing the small and genuine smile on his companion's face as he did so.

"Are you fully prepared for the journey?" Alicia asked as they walked amongst the busy citizens working to fix the damage of their homes. "The summer rains can make traveling most difficult for Prim's wheelhouse, I would hate for you to lose a day on the road because of a broken axel."

"I think we'll manage," Steve said with a small smile, not even looking at her as they walked past dozens of Feoh citizens beginning the long effort of rebuilding their city.

"Be sure to ensure at least an hour of leisure time a day for Prim, she has a habit of growing restless if she is forced to stay in her carriage all day."

"Vera mentioned something similar to me this morning." the veteran swordswoman, despite nursing a broken arm had seen it as her duty to explain the young pinkettes traveling habits.

"You're expected to arrive within the week to Ken, Her Highness is not to be kept waiting."

"So how do you recommend approaching the situation?" Steve asked as he nodded to a saluting guard. "I mean it's not every day you have a one on one meeting with a reincarnated goddess is it?"

"Your manners" she paused for a moment, her face contorting looking for the right words "are... acceptable in most instances, you should have nothing to worry about."

Well... that was something" Steve thought to himself. That might have been the first time since he had met the woman next to him, that she had given him a semblance of a compliment. Sure it was nestled in the same emotionless tone she used when she spoke to her soldiers, and she still didn't look him in the eyes as much as it was considered "normal" but hey it was certainly better than the frank coldness she referred to him the first time they had met one another.

"You know, strange as it sounds but that might have been the nicest thing you have ever said to me."

"Perhaps that says more about your character then it does about mine," she said with a smirk, as they passed a group of city guardsmen in the middle of their patrol. Steve noticed the swell of pride in their chest as they saluted to them as they passed as well as the brief moment of Alicia looking at him out of the corner of her eye with a look Steve couldn't quite decipher.

Gratitude? Respect? The feelings were both there in equal measure but still didn't fully describe the look. Maybe if Natasha was here with him, she'd be able to set him straight. Or she'd just laugh at him. That seemed just as likely as any other situation.

"You treat her Grace, with the respect someone in her station deserves and you should be fine." Alicia's face turned sour for a moment before she willed it into the mask she wore when dealing with members of the noble class of her city, "It is Queen Olga and her ilk that you should be worried about."

Steve mentally noted the advice. Truth be told he wasn't exactly an expert in how to act around a goddess, late-night drinking and card games with Thor and the warriors three notwithstanding, but he liked to think he had decent enough manners. His mother certainly tried her best to drill that much into him at a young age.

"SIR STEVEN!" a shout arose over the crowd as Lady Prim spotted his arrival from atop her horse, a small pure white mare that seemed just as gentle as her rider." We were worried Alicia would keep you all day."

Steve smiled as the pinkette jumped off her mare and ran towards the two, the riding outfit she wore just as oink and frilly as the usual gown she wore.

"Nothing to worry," Steve answered as the girl latched herself to his side. "Your cousin just had some important things for me to take care of before we go. No need to take it out on her for my sake your highness."

"Of course." Alicia said as she tried to maintain her "knight of Feoh" facade in front of her subordinates" Now that Sir Steven is a knight in service of Feoh he must uphold his new responsibilities"

The response, to Steves surprise, was met with laughter, as every man and woman who made up their rather large travel party chuckled together at the unspoken joke

"Ah yes." Vera taunted with a smug grin while raising her index fingers. "Upholding his responsibilities"

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Alicia countered, sounding more like an older sibling shouting at a younger sister than someone who held actual anger. "Sir Steven has many responsibilities to uphold before beginning his travels,"

"Oh, of course, Lady Alicia," Vera said, her tone even and emotionless despite the smirk on her face as she said it. "Forgive me for not understanding the importance of breaking a morning fast alone in a garden with one another and spending the afternoon in private training and wandering the city streets together."

"If you wish to imply something Vera, "Alicia said, narrowing her eyes at her friend, "Then why don't you simply say what you think."

Vera, with a quirked eyebrow and a half-formed smile on her face, which seemed to be all the response she needed to get her thoughts across to both Alicia and their companions if their reactions were any indications.

"It isn't like that!" Alicia huffed, far louder than before as she turned away from Vera, not even wanting to look at the female knight, which only seemed to make the knight that much smugger, "and I advise against you spreading such scandalous rumors about..."

She stopped for a moment when she realized he was watching the scene unfold, which did nothing to settle her down in the slightest. It seemed to have the opposite effect if he was honest.

"At least try and be a bit subtle about it Milady..." Vera said, her voice shocking her commander out of whatever trance she was in, resulting in the argument from heating up once again.

With each passing comment at Alicias expense and heated response directed back, the laughter of those around him only seemed to increase, and Alicia seemed to grow far more embarrassed, which only seemed to confuse him more and more. He looked towards Prim, hoping that she could explain what was happening to him, or at the very least see if she was just as lost as he was. Her wide eyes and blushed face made it clear that while she understood what was meant by Vera, she didn't find it as funny as her companions. She seemed to go even redder in the face when she noticed him looking at her, so red she raised her hands in a vain attempt to cover her flushed cheeks.

Which only seemed to cause more laughter out of the travel party.

The pair continued to bicker back and forth with one another, with the experienced enthusiasm Steve had only ever seen in small children arguing on the playground, but Steve paid them little mind as he readied his horse. They had a schedule to keep after all.

Thank you for reading and hopefully enjoying. please leave a review telling me what you like, or if you have suggestions to make the story better, or if you just tell me how much of a piece of shit I am. Variety is the spice of life after all.

For those curious, "Pistol" Pete Reiser was a professional baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Steve mentioned going to a dodgers game with Bucky at the end of the first Captain America film. Where this player hit an inside the park homerun winning the game. So I assumed he was a fan.