Griffith's New Groove

"Do as thou will."

With his kingdom lost, causality no longer shackling him, adrift in a world without apostles, with his demonic band of the Hawk, Griffith remembers his only commandment.

Falconia may be lost to him, but when a door closes, another opens.

Rating: R for Berserk

Disclaimer: Muira owns the franchise, but he is too busy playing idolmaster to finish it.

Prologue- the Hawk, the Caged Bird and a One-Eyed Crow

Old Valyria, once home of the Dragonlords, whose winged mounts cast shadows and flames upon the land, naught more than a once desolate ruin. It's spires, castles and proud monuments to their might remained like misshapen, disfigured corpses. The air itself felt like a wound upon the world, one cut by a jagged blade and left to fester in the sun. Despite the raw ugliness of the once ruined capitol, it still was majestic to behold to the naked eye. Clouds above lazily moved across the dormant mountains that had been the Doom of the ancient civilization. The scorching rays of the sun shone down on the band that was making it's way through the ruins.

They were few in number, less than a four hundred, numbering at exactly three hundred and thirty-three men of fighting prowess. From a distance they might have been mistaken as a queer troop of knights with strange armours and queer disposition as they all travelled on foot, but there was no hesitation in their movements. In front of this troupe strode a person of indescribable beauty and pristine white plate armour fit for a king. Beside him walked a young woman of comparable charm, her many layered dress and crown upon her head fit for royalty. If an onlooker had gazed upon them, then they would have thought this royal procession that of the ghosts of Old Valyria warning all possible interlopers that dared to venture deeper into the land of the lost and damned.

"I can feel that you wish to talk, my queen" came the soft and calm voice that was unmistakably masculine. Beside him, the dark-haired beauty spared him a long look, eyes shooting from side to side, behind her and at the more monstrous knights in the Hawk's service.

"Griffith" the Queen's eyes looked as if they had aged about a decade in the past and Femto really could not profess to blame her "What happened in the capitol? Where are we? Wh-" however, she refused to voice the last question, but in his heart, the God-King knew the nature of her intent.

"The four angels requested of me to betray humanity, I refused." He turned to her, face sour and this was the first time she had seem him so visibly distressed "As for punishment and through whatever trickery- me, my most loyal captains and you were cast through dimensions. Most likely what was intended to be the afterlife, but while the threads of fate were revealed to me, I was able to wrest our course and we are here now."

Then he laughed, a coarse and ugly sound she could have likened to a cry of a hawk and the horrifying images of his disfigured form in her father's dungeons invaded her mind.

"Are you not able to return?" she asked as she had seen his dark wings blazing with power as he faced his grotesque brethren, revealing the deepest fears in her heart.

"Unfortunately, no." Griffith shook his head, blue eyes looking in the distance of ruins and even more desolate land.

"However, I sense a human spirit much farther than eye can see. Sir Zodd is investigating as we speak. Our kingdom need not to end here."

This careless answer was enough for Queen Charlotte to break down in tears.

"Don't cry" the demon that was her husband caressed her cheek, brushing away the tears with gentleness she would have thought impossible for one of his kin "As long as you live, Falconia lives and through your memories our shared dream of paradise is never dead"

It seemed that he didn't understand her sorrow.

"A kingdom is more than it's rulers" she wished to turn away from the apostle's hands, but his curse was that Griffith was too mesmerizing to behold "Band of Hawk were more than the banner."

"They live yet still. Through their sacrifice they gave humanity a paradise"

"Would they have wanted what happened to them?"

"It was inevitable, Charlotte. We, your father saw to that." That sentence struck her like a bolt of thunder through her chest. Memories of their night of passion and the hell that followed afterwards was enough to stop her in her tracks, her rosy skin paling at the thought of all the horrors she was forced to live through with the Kushan invasion and the man who had once been her father.

"Our crime of love set these events in motion and what more could have I done to return to you?" In that one rainy night their brief moment of passion had doomed them, but then again it could have been argued that through the Band of Hawk's grievous sacrifice the Kushan tide had been stopped and a safe haven erected in its place, when Ganeshka had been felled through the might of the Hawk and his soldiers, both human and inhuman.

"You could have been honest with me, after all we had gone through you should have known that you could trust me"

As the royal pair had their lover's quarrel, the entirety of the inhuman soldiers and Sofia had stood still, one silver knight in particular grasping his lance as he looked how the two of them spoke. That wasn't their place to intrude upon their liege's marital matters and Locus would have a word with them if they did.

"I could have, but would you have loved me then if I had revealed what it took for me to return to you?"

Charlotte knew not her answer then, but despite everything that had happened with some reservation she could not deny her feelings for the Hawk of Light or was he the Hawk of Darkness? To her he was Griffith, no more and no less.

A slap echoed across the ruined landscape and entirety of the apostles witnessing her actions looked startled, but soon growls seemed to permeate across their numbers. Charlotte immediately realized the consequences of her actions, but before she could act, the white-haired man was capturing her lips rather forcefully with his own and her treacherous hands who had slapped the apostle was now clutching at the clasps of the cloak, almost desperately.

Yet while most had no particular feelings about this recent development, except the scowling blonde standing beside Irvine.

"You'd think that she'd be more grateful to Lord Griffith" Sofia rested her hands at her hips and the Huntsman just raised an eyebrow as they continued to look at the scene before them. The Lord of Apostles and Queen of Midland separated, her eyes watery from tears, but still smiling at the white-haired man, whose blue eyes twinkled mysteriously.

"I trust that your anger is sated?" A nod answered his question and without pause the White Hawk and his Queen followed suit.

Behind them the monsters gossiped yet followed in an orderly fashion, together with their mortal comrades, one thing Charlotte couldn't help, but notice how no one seemed to take their dire circumstances as a true threat.

"Familiar isn't it, these ruins?"

"Indeed" Femto chuckled waving his hand like an alchemist's wand and small orbs light ascended from the ruins, coalescing in front of him "They remind me of Gaiseric's kingdom buried underneath the tower of Rebirth. Seems that fate has no shortage of jests to spare…"

The chuckle was without warmth and she could heartily agree that this was concerning at least. As the souls coalesced in front of them, the apostles were drawn to the shining mirror their liege had wrought into creation. Creaks and cracks echoed across the silent plain as suddenly the mirror vanished from their point of view.

Above them, the skies darkened and their surroundings had changed from ruins to a land of magnificent towers. Streets paved in neat stones, while great buildings surrounded them from all sides. Roars of dragons echoed in the skies and all, apostles or not gazed at the creatures.

"The dead share with us the Doom of this land" soft dulcet explained and Charlotte struggled to take it all in. For never her mortal eyes had been laid on a city that could rival Falconia. While Griffith's capitol was created in pristine marble and hope for mankind, this reminded her of her own kingdom of Midland- beautiful, but with it's rotten insides showing. As a dragon swooped down, she instinctively grabbed the arm of her husband, who merely let the dragon pass through them.

"Do not be afraid" he called to his troops "These are but memories of the dead, let their doom be our lesson as we step forth into this unknown world!"

Soon the air started to reek of sulphur and all apostles of more bestial nature started to howl as the skies turned to crimson and in one of the towers in the distance a blue light could be seen shining as the mountains erupted around them.

Buildings started crumbling, people and beasts alike cried out as the skies rained fire and earth rumbled beneath their feet. It was surreal and horrifying, yet most of the royal guard and Hawk's Band remained unflinching in the face of reconstruction of the city's downfall. As her vision was swallowed up by smoke, the vision seemed to vanish, leaving the remnants of Falconia standing before the same empty plain, but now they realized just what sort of tragedy had happened there.

In the air a flap of wings could be seen and soon the massive form of Nosferatu Zodd flew through the clouds , before landing before the Hawk. In a kneeling position, the horned apostle locked his crimson eyes with his leader.

"There's a ship of humans just beside the coast. Nothing worth fighting, but it reeks of foul magic." The massive creature shook his head in disgust "They have anchor's drawn and it seems only a fraction of the crew is on board. A swift attack would give us the vessel to reach the nearest city, not to mention the knowledge about this world."

"That sounds like a mark of good fortune; however I sense you have something else to say"

"…Err…Lord Griffth, the ship isn't really looking like something you'd have as your vessel" the apostle scratched his chin and Griffith sighed.

"I guess it can't be helped" he sighed "Guess it would be better for us to swim to mainland or would you and your flying kin rather fly for thousands of leagues, Hmm… What do you think, my lady?"

The former Queen looked at the demon who had helped to rescue her from the Kushan grasp and it's crimson eyes didn't blink.

"I think that we shouldn't take this opportunity for granted my lord." She offered a guarded smile to what looked like a horned chimera of man and cat, who shifted visibly as if waiting for further orders.

"Your orders, Commander?" Charlotte was sure that Locus would take an offense to that title, but to her nothing more described the white armoured man beside her. It was his nature as a leader of men and commander was a worthier mantle than a king. Not because her memories were tainted by the actions of kings she had known, it was the title he had been introduced to her the first time.

"Secure the ship with no casualties, if possible. Take whoever you need with yourself, Zodd"

"Aight" Zodd straightened out on his hind legs, standing up in his impressive stature as he addressed his fellow apostles.

"You heard the boss!" the winged demon bellowed "I need at least 20 thinking, flying apostles and you, Rakshas"

As if a gutter rat caught stealing sweetbread, the Kushan Assassin slunk from the shadows of Griffith's cloak and shifted in the wind, it's form vague and everchanging.

"Hot sun, ugh…" the shadowy apostle grumbled, the porcelain mask of a hawk glinting in the sun as it slinked over to Zodd's side, who begrudgingly allowed his fellow to hide in the shadow of his wings.

Letting the inhuman soldiers do their craft, the brunette spared a glance at Griffith, who was looking in the distance as if he was bothered by something. Never he had really been the most open of people she had known, but if there was anything she could do to help. His broken body still was fresh in her mind and she refused to let it happen again. Laying a hand on his shoulder, she noticed that the heat was beginning to take it's toll on her.

"What will we do while your soldiers secure the ship, Griffith? I feel that this sun isn't gentle at all"

"I suppose there is a welcoming and cool shade in front of these towers, but it's only a momentary respite, I'm afraid" he reassuringly put his hand on hers and guided it to the nook of his elbow, where without any guidance needed, Charlotte's hand found her place.

There was no doubt that this sand would fill her shoes, but discomfort was the least price she could pay. After all compared to what they all had gone through, little sand would be nothing to her! Carefully, her husband led her and their soldiers to a long-crumbled wall at least ten men tall, where shade was aplenty and some boulders they could sit on. First of course was she and Sophia, the sorceress. If it was few years ago, the queen would have though this just a quirk of a personality, but long she had learned of the child's intentions towards Griffith. While she considered herself a kind and generous ruler, she wouldn't share.

As everyone had gathered in a half moon around their shelter from the Lord of Apostles started to speak.

"We are in a foreign world due to my refusal to sacrifice my goal for joining the ranks of angels" soft and velvety voice that enchanted and entreated was replaced by harsh, much more commanding tone, one she hadn't heard at all "You had but one commandment: Do as thou will. You obeyed the angels and with that you were granted strength beyond mortal men and lives longer than the mountains. The Angels were your masters, and I am still their kin, if anyone wishes to test their mettle against me and be found lacking, step forth."

Silence reigned as the small warband listened to their leader, even behind suits of plate armour and greathelms, a feeling of unease was permeated through the desert. However, Charlotte just smiled. There wouldn't be anyone willing to fight him for leadership as they all knew that he was the only one fit to lead them in this world.

"I take will take it that you all are willing to fight under the banner of the Hawk in this foreign world. Once you pledge yourselves to me, you are mine." His eyes were almost shining.

"However, fear not that you will forfeit the joys of battle and conquest that your hearts long for. I'm not unreasonable" the Hawk continued as he paced before them, cape blowing in the breeze, like wings surrounding him "I ask that you restrain your urges for worthy foes and appetites for those deserving your malice. Our goal is to claim this world for our own as our paradise was robbed from us by the envious fallen. Let our hosts grow until we are like blades of grass in an open field! Each of you, my apostles are worth more than a hundred of finest stock of men this world can produce! My officers of the Hawk, do you remember the eclipse and the strength of their souls?"

"Yes"

"Yes Sir!"

"How could we forget!"

"It was truly something!"

Cheers and shouts of agreement reverberated throughout the ranks and while the Queen didn't quite understand what the eclipse was they were talking about, she knew that despite the four angels judgement of him, he had loved his old sellswords.

"Good" the White Hawk turned to his soldiers both ascended and human "Feathers of mine wings, we will-" then Griffith paused, his eyes narrowing "Irvine, Locus- bring them to me."

Immediately the warband turned to where their leader was looking and some were ready to burst into action, but a raised hand halted the rest of the apostles as the Huntsman and Silver Knight both set out, like bolts of lightning.

"It seems we are about to meet the fine people who will transport us to the nearest living civilization." Despite all his benevolence, Charlotte doubted that the white-haired man was being amiable.

"As I said, before I was aware that we had an audience" he resumed "Feathers of my wings, we will have it all."

"Thy will be done, Lord Griffith" Grunbeld the Dragon spoke as his towering frame knelt before his liege, many following suit and in doing so swearing their fealty in both words and actions. Their King and Commander looked at the assembled forces and smiled.

"No need to kneel, my friends" even in the shadows it almost seemed that his eyes glowed "I am aware of your fealty, but now we have a much more important matters to attend to, I feel that Zodd will return soon, as will both the Hunter and the Silver Knight"

When Locus and Irvine returned, the Silver Night's transformed form was carrying a dark figure on his back. All apostles that had previously been entranced by their leader stepped aside, allowing the captains to pass. To her realization, there was blood staining the silver skin of Sir Locus' form. The captive was unceremoniously thrown onto the sands as both knights shifted back to their more human forms and Locus had acquired an armoured courser, which neighed at the man in front of them who was struggling to raise his eyes to meet Griffith's.

It was dark man, the sort that looked like a villain, but in these days the distinctions between heroes and rogues was rather blurry. What a peculiar man this was, with lips tinted blue as if frozen and an eye to match.


Euron Crow's Eye was not a man easily scared. He who had sailed most of the known world and faced the hidden treasures and terrors left by the age of heroes. Sacrificed his eye for knowledge fitting gods and was no trifling warlock himself, however when he had sailed to Old Valyria, he had never expected to come across such an interesting sight. Some twenty odd miles into the ruins was when a powerful surge of magic had overcome the land and he could feel his other eye hurting through the eye-patch that hid his true nature. Beside him, the mute crewmembers unsheathed their blades from his gesture of open hands as they decided to seek the cause of this event.

Not marching far, their vision suddenly changed to that of the past and Euron could see every nook and cranny of what looked like Old Valyria in her prime! Every nook and cranny was visible to him and it would make far easier to find the Horn of Dragons that would reveal to him secrets even Targaryens didn't possess. The exiled Greyjoy knew that he had to find this source of power at all cost.

Then the vision flared, but as a warlock, there was a clear sense of direction to find the wondrous source of power. It took them no time to ascend a small hill and together with his small band of raiders, the blue lipped pirate could see a little more than three hundred men, armed to the teeth that seemed to permeate the area with their magic, yet in the middle was a being that radiated power.

Most men lived their lives unaware of magic that was in their world, their power came from animalistic strength, wealth, or political power of their houses, but this being in the distance radiated palpable raw might. Even the fiercest wizards he had fought and charmed seemed like embers compared to the wildfire among the sea of torches. Yet despite their humanoid appearances they did not feel human. Which was impossible. Straining his eyes, Euron tried to see who exactly was the being capable of such powers, but he couldn't.

Even tearing open the eye-patch didn't help, if anything that proved to be a colossal mistake as the feared reaver fell down to the ground and clutched his head in pain as the magical orb burned in agony not experienced since he got the damn thing!

As he laid there, he could hear arrows whistling in the wind and hooves trampling the sand along the cries of his men, but the pain wouldn't stop and like a new-born babe, he was powerless before his attackers.

"Pathetic" he could hear an aristocratic voice scoffing and a long arm grabbing him. It was useless to resist, but grasping at his attacker, the One-Eyed Crow felt the metallic armour of his attackers.

Rest of his trip passed in a blur and feeling of dread mounting only to end abruptly as the pirate was thrown down to the ground unceremoniously.

"We found him and his cronies spying my lord" even as the light receded from his field of vision, Euron was not terrified to look for this was just a manner of a different beast entirely. What he saw surprised him. In all his travels he never would have expected such power to belong to a man that looked like he was a pleasure boy for some Tyroshi Merchant lord! Clad in white armour with accents of a hawk, with hair in the same colour of his plate. On both sides of the avian knight sat two women, both dressed in rich garb. In any other situation he would have loved to have them for himself, however, there was a quite real and pressing threat to his existence.

"I take it that he's the only survivor?" the voice while soft still radiated power and the magic was unmistakably woven into the words and it alone made the disgraced prince of Iron Islands pain recede as if the light had been snuffed out.

"Yes sir." The lancer who had helped to ambush his men was the one who answered this.

"I sense that you are familiar with magic, is that right Euron Greyjoy?" Despite the surprising revelation that the strange knight knew of him, it was very hard to keep his face from gasping at the revelation.

"Your Lordship" it always paid to be careful when addressing these types, even if the Crow's Eye knew that this wouldn't work "I meant you no harm and your first response was to attack before I even could parlay with you!"

"Like you parlayed with that merchant ship and daughter of the captain few dozen leagues from…Volantis…was it?" Beads of sweat rolled down the reaver's forehead as the pretty ponce had no right of knowing of the ambush they committed in the dark of the night.

The pretty noble lady on young lord's back covered her mouth with her hands and her green eyes narrowed in disgust. She was lucky that the one-eyed crow was on his knees now, but should the situation change…

"I…" using the excuse of finding his words, he looked around the group to see just who his captors were. His eye wasn't ready for the sight of so many plate armoured soldiers on standby with such elaborate designs that he couldn't imagine where in Westeros and Essos such smiths could be found "I'm not innocent my lord, but I can be of use to you!"

"Oh really?" a neat eyebrow was raised in answer and somehow the words were wrought from his lips.

"No lies, I've seen wonders that will make the richest lords and ladies act like beggars, terrors that would make hardened killers sob in their nightmares. The whole world has not seen a better sailor than me and I will share with you all that I know and gladly!"

Around him the knight's laughed, their metal forms shaking with barely disguised amusement, like peons watching a public execution. Not like he did not deserve it, but this land of the dead wouldn't be the end of Euron Greyjoy! Especially to some pillow biter looking knight and his band of overly fancy retainers!

"Hmm, it seems human nature is the same wherever we roam" the white armoured man flexed his armoured talons and nudged "Very well, but in light of your previous crimes you cannot be allowed to leave unpunished".

"My lord is that wise?" the brunette asked, and his captor simply nodded.

"Wait-" Crow's Eye tried to speak, but as if compelled he held his tongue, surprised at himself.

"Euron Greyjoy, as a pirate and rapist, the brevity of your crimes is of too serious nature to be granted clemency. Grunbeld, I require your hammer".

This couldn't be happening. Behind the pirate steps treaded the sand as if parting to let someone pass. The louder steps drew nearer Euron and he instinctively looked back to see the man called to be his executioner. He never had been terrified of those taller than him, but the knight coming towards him was at least 8ft tall, towering over even the likes of the Mountain. In one hand he carried a hammer, in other a shield with a draconic mouth agape.

"What judgment would you a have me execute, my liege?" deep rumble came from the giant's throat and the order came out as casually as talking about the weather.

"Cripple him."

The Crow's Eye tried to run.

Only before he could truly attempt his escape, burning pain erupted in his left leg as he collapsed, howling like an animal. The weight was lifted form his wounded limb and the reaver looked back and with tears running down his face beheld his leg crushed into a messy pile of cloth and meat underneath the knee.

His captors showed no emotion, no discomfort of what they had wrought, save for the women, but that was to be expected of wenches.

"Is this satisfactory?" the knight asked with little interest as he slung his Warhammer over his shoulder.

"As one of philosophers of Holy See said that an enemy needed to be wounded so that his retaliation needn't to be feared." The bastard was enjoying this and turned his back on the pirate to apparently comfort the woman, turning his back on him, as if the pirate lord was nothing, but a bug to be squashed underneath his sabatons.

"Understood."

By all gods, this was fate far crueller than death. If he lived, if he surpassed this, then by the Drowned god's beard, he would muster the greatest fleet of reavers, mercenaries and feed the little bastard his cock and choke him with it, then he would take that girl and… This train of thought was interrupted as a forceful kick sent him sprawling on his back, choking on spit.

He tried to move, but a boot placed on his chest held him in place, as if a large boulder had collapsed onto him.

"Either you stretch out your arm and I will cripple only the hand or trample your heart where I stand" if this was any other man, there would've been doubt, but not this time. Around him the knights continued to enjoy the spectacle of his pain, however, that only made him madder.

"By gods old and new I will find you and rape your corpse!" he spat out with venomous laughter, yet the pressure on his chest increased.

"Your wordplay could use improvement" the giant shook his head and lifted his hammer in the air. Above the shade cast by his torturer in the air he could see a great winged beast descending from the sky, a demon of folk tales. Twice the size of Grunbeld and perhaps even a match of the dragons.

"Zodd, I see that you have returned" The white-haired bastard called out to the beast, who landed in front of them. It bowed and a voice like stones crushing against one another, spoke "Lord Griffith, the ship is secure, and the crew is amiable to our demands. However, in their zeal to defend their vessel, a number of them perished".

"That was to be expected" Griffith shrugged and called out to the dragon themed knight "Finish this, we ought not to waste any more time."

"As you wish my lord."

These were the final words Euron Greyjoy heard as with pain his vision turned white and then there was nothing more.


The God-Hand brushed the few tears out of Charlotte's eyes and spared a look at the bleeding man, whose blood was staining the desert.

"I'm afraid that this will be not the first sight of bloodshed that you will experience in near future, My Queen."

"While the though galls me, the Kushan invasion revealed to me that none can truly escape violence in a world such as ours" She replied, though still shaken. Another of her fervent wishes was that one day she would be strong enough to stand by his side and support him with her own strength, not that of her lineage.

"This isn't our world, Charlotte" Griffith pointed out and she playfully swatted on his hawk winged pauldron.

"By the look in your eyes, I see that it could be" While his role was that of a saviour during their brief time in Fantasia, the sole heir of Midland's throne had realized that he, with his burning drive to surpass his humble origins was not dissimilar to the Demon Emperor. Only his conquest brought light and growth, instead of the cruel and decadent slaughter.

"Indeed" there was that small and dignified smile the Queen of Falconia had fallen in love with.

In a foreign world where their achievements and bloodlines amounted to nothing, some might have found their continued existence daunting and wrought with anxiety. However, with the Hawk of Light to guide them, they would find their happiness!