Why, hello, my friends. Welcome to the story that I last updated a record nine years ago, on 18/2/2011 (current date at time of writing 9/3/2020. If any of my original readers are still around, all I can say is welcome back and you may consider me impressed at your tenacity. I still remember how this plot was supposed to go, like most of my abandoned works, and unlike most of the others I don't know why I never finished it. I went looking for it back in the archives and found that it was only 17 pages back, which I found a rather sad statement of how active the fandom was. And so, we have returned. I wasn't sure if I should revive this at all after so long, especially with such a short chapter, but all going well my next update won't have quite the same time lag. If there have been no further updates in 2029, then I apologise in advance for leaving y'all hanging once more.

Equipment

Over the next few months, events at the Alexandrian Court slowly and imperceptibly spiralled out of control. There were many demands on the time of the head of the Alexandrian military, and with Dr. Tot absent, and the Queen mired in her grief, there was only so much Beatrix could do to quell Kuja's influence.

Lord King had used up all his luck on his entrance to the court, but it seemed from now on he could make his own. There were no grand plots she could see and counter, but gradually the new Lord King grew in influence. He began making known his lack of respect for the Alexandrian army, ordinarily a very dangerous position in a country with such a proud military tradition. It began by his use of his personal guards for purposes normally delegated to members of the Alexandrian army while at court, such as messages and as his bodyguards, something which was considered rude, but could be passed off as inexperience or unfamiliarity with court ways. Some close associates from his time in Treno gradually began to follow suit, and with that many soldiers in close proximity loyal to individual nobles rather than the crown, clashes became more prevalent –nothing violent, merely small issues of posturing and seniority. Lord King also began a trend for using Alexandrian soldiers for duties that were very slightly demeaning, such as serving maids, which, while not quite enough to get him in trouble, demonstrated a certain lack of respect for the military institutions of Alexandria.

What this all appeared to amount to was a very slow, very subtle attempt to decrease the stability of the Alexandrian court, in a way that could be traced back to Lord King enough that he could gather support from the like minded, but not so much that he could be called to account for his actions without a strong case for his own innocence. And she had no way to counter it without granting him the legitimacy of being considered a threat by the General of the Alexandrian army. Nonetheless, she began gathering a coterie of people she trusted within the military, in order to be able to take advantage of any opportunity to discredit him if one arose.

The main obstacle to Lord King's ascension so far, she was shamed to admit, had nothing to do with her at all. Lord King continued to attempt to gain access to the chambers of Princess Garnet on occasions where to do so would not strain propriety, and his efforts continued to be thwarted by the Pluto Knights. Adelbert Steiner had no more trust or respect for the man than she did, and denied him entrance with poorly hidden satisfaction at every turn. Access to the Princess' chambers was the only thing Captain Steiner controlled, and he was too inflexible to be easily tricked, too loyal to be suborned, and too stubborn to be driven away. No subtle machination or brazen threat could lever Steiner from Garnet's door, and this proved the one barrier Lord King failed to breach. Lord King could not approach her in open court without being marked, and if he was caught attempting to gain entry to her chambers by stealth or deceit, no silver tongue could keep him from the Queen's axe. Thus, in this, at least he was denied.

While Beatrix had great respect for the heir, she had little doubt that Lord King could dazzle her if given the chance to gain her confidence. Garnet was an extremely clever and dedicated young woman, but lacked the hard edges required for the darkest court intrigues, and Kuja could probably forge a bond over their shared taste for drama given the chance. If he gained her trust, the damage could be incalculable.

Lord King knew this too, of course.

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"I'm sorry sir," said the blacksmith, "I cannot afford to maintain your armour at these rates."

Demeaning as it was to seek aid beyond the castle, with the centuries old right to use the castle forges suddenly withdrawn from the Pluto knights, Captain Adelbert Steiner was left with no other recourse. He didn't see how it made sense to fail to allow your personal bodyguards to maintain their equipment, but the Queen certainly had her reasons. Or else this was one of Beatrix' endless machinations to humiliate him. He would not dishonour himself by begging for favour, which was surely her intent.

In other circumstances he might have berated the foolish armourer for his lack of patriotism, but that would only dishonour his name further. With the third pay cut from the treasury in a matter of months, he could spare few gil for equipment repair. Scraping away rust took time, and if he took time away from his rigorous schedule then the princess' life might be endangered. Several promising candidates among the Pluto knights had suddenly retired or resigned, and Pluto Knight Albstadt had unaccountably been struck by lightning walking Alexandria's streets one day. Strangely, there had been no storm at the time. The lack of personnel had put great demands on Steiner's time, and his armour had begun to suffer.

But this was no time to brood on his ills. He thanked the blacksmith for his time and moved to depart back to the castle, or tried to.

"Sir?" A customer of the armourers had followed him out. "If you're looking for an armourer, I know someone that might help."

An unfamiliar man in armour, which made him a foreigner or a member of a noble's retinue. No one that would help from the goodness of their heart.

"And the price?" Steiner said, hating that he had to ask. But he could endure any indignity if it kept the princess safe.

The man grinned. "For a person of your significance, I'm sure we could arrange something."

Finally, a man that valued the Alexandrian army! He followed the mystery man into the alley at the side of the main square, just as two men began to approach from the far end. Steiner stood aside to let them pass, and one fool stumbled into him and bounced off. The dagger seeking the gap between his armour plates scraped along his chestplate instead, and knowing that sound well, Steiner punched him in the face on pure reflex. There was a crunch from the impact of the steel backed gauntlet, and the brigand dropped instantly. Another unseen brigand leapt on his back trying to stab him in the face with another knife, and Steiner flung himself backwards into the alley wall. The man on his back went limp with another satisfying crunching noise.

A brigand with a sword was moving towards him, and Steiner seized the sword by the blade and ripped it free of his grip with his gauntleted hand.

Suddenly disarmed, the man retreated, and Steiner threw the sword he held at the another advancing brigand as it was too small for him to wield. He was expecting nothing more than to gain space to draw his own blade, but his throw nicked the attacker's forearm and she froze in place. Literally froze, a patina of ice forming across her skin as she snatched a last desperate breath before her face and staring eyes frosted over completely.

The thugs hesitated long enough for Steiner to step clear of the fallen and draw his own two handed blade.

Three brigands stood yet. His new friend that had lured him into the alley had pulled his own blade, which strangely pulsed with heat, and two more that had emerged from down a nearby stairwell.

"Silence!" said one of the other thugs, and Steiner smiled as the constricted sensation built in his throat. Mere thugs thought he needed to call for help. All three were standing between him and the mouth of the alley, but his sword was now drawn and he had more than enough space to manoeuvre.

The disarmed man bent to retrieve his dropped sword, and Steiner took the opportunity to attack. The armoured man with the strangely heated sword stepped to meet him with confidence, confidence which faded when Steiner parried the first stroke, then cut off his arm and the sword it held. Shoving the now screaming man into one of his compatriots, Adelbert was free to cut down the final woman. The last uninjured thug scrambled free of his fellows in time to find a swordpoint hovering in front of his face and abandoned his attempt to rearm.

The sounds of battle must have attracted attention, because two Alexandrian soldiers arrived at a full tilt run soon after. By then Steiner could speak enough to explain the situation, and the surviving brigands, and frozen statue were escorted to the dungeons.

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"And so, once again, my Lord King, your weaponry is found at the scene of a crime."

Kuja examined his fingertips, not even looking at Beatrix as she spoke. "Hardly surprising. It's not my fault I make the best."

"Not good enough, it appears." And that at least stung him, making the man raise his head. Kuja's languid smile wavered only slightly, but she would take what little could be achieved.

"That's twice, Kuja. Two political assassinations that lead back to you. Will the third time be the charm? The penalty for treason would be death." Brahne, on her throne, sounded merely tired. A façade, hopefully.

Kuja inclined his head towards the queen. "I certainly hope not. Although I hardly think that affair in the streets deserves the term 'assassination'. Perhaps our good Captain has offended someone with his slovenly appearance."

There was a clank from Steiner nearby, but he didn't speak. Beatrix stayed silent as well, because anything she said would have teeth in it. Oh yes, she knew why specks of rust had begun to appear across Steiner's formerly pristine armour, it was almost painful to watch his decline. She was, however, legally barred from intervening in the affairs of the Pluto Knights, and would humiliate the man if she tried.

"That's enough, Kuja. Mind your tongue or lose it." Brahne cut in.

He bowed elaborately and stood silent.

There was only one reason anyone might try to assassinate the Captain of the Pluto Knights (Armed, armoured knights carrying nothing of value were not the typical prey of thieves or footpads.). Steiner controlled access to the princess. But executions demanded proof.

If Doctor Tot were here, he would have been able to work some scholarly magic, no doubt. As it was, they were trapped.

Under interrogation, the surviving assassins had not yet given up their master, but they had revealed a network smuggling Lord King's magical weapons, which the Alexandrian Guards had now shut down, seizing and melting down a large quantity oddly unused looking magical weapons. Many more had been surrendered as nobles of the court realised the potential consequences of being linked to the assassination. With Kuja's tongue stilled under threat, Beatrix took the pleasant silence as an opportunity to outline her intention to enforce strict rules against Lord King's weapons being sold within Alexandria, only under strict license with notification to the Crown.

That was the limit to what she could do against him at present. Preventing weapon sales entirely was impossible, the citizenry needed a means to defend themselves from Mist monsters, but she could try to keep track of what he was doing. Dr Tot's correspondence indicated that in influx of weapons to Treno had resulted in several small wars between noble houses, and the total ruin of a few. The houses that had come off best were the ones that had bought his weapons, but only used them defensively, turtling up and keeping their heads down. Lord Knight had survived several attempts on his property by Kuja armed assassins by the simple expedient of dropping intruders into his monster pit.

There was no way to stop the proliferation she could think of, unless Lord King could be caught in an actual crime. Treasonous crimes happened around the man with distressing regularity, but so far, he'd managed to keep his own hands clean, at least in the eyes of a judge.

If his methods were similar to those he'd used in Treno, he would continue to sell powerful magical weapons to all comers. Those that did not buy at first would be forced to or fear being left behind by the arms race, until the most powerful force in the region made an offer he couldn't refuse, which at the time was the previous Lord King, since destroyed. If the pattern held, Kuja would seek to align himself with the strongest power in the court, namely, the Alexandrian crown, and then profit from bringing it into conflict with its greatest rivals.

Still bound to silence by royal command, Kuja acquiesced with a nod, but without his customary smile. Brahne waved her hand in disgust, freeing him to speak.

"Your majesty, it is to my deep regret that it appears I may have inadvertently put your court at risk from divisive elements within it. I am at your disposal in resolving these difficulties as they arise." And here it was, the sting.

"How… exactly… would you do that?" Beatrix asked, carefully.

"It's simple," said Kuja happily, "I have sold my wares widely at this point, as it was in my best interests to stay apolitical. One or other of my competitors would have assassinated anyone partisan. It's clear that I am best placed to counter the weapons I may have sold to your rivals, either by rooting them out, or simply providing superior versions of them to your forces. I could not be partisan before, but with the protection of the crown…"

"And what happens to us when we become no longer useful to you? The former Lord King was abandoned quickly enough, when he stopped suiting your purposes."

Kuja spread his hands. "Who could be more powerful than the Kingdom of Alexandria? Except perhaps your neighbours…"

"Lindblum doesn't need your toys."

"Burmecia, then. With my help, you could keep your borders secure against any foreign or domestic threats." And if he found no customers here, he could go there and sell his wares to them. He was too clever to say it, but the message was clear.

"I see," said the Queen, watching him carefully, "Well, you have presented your proposal, now leave."

"Of course, your Majesty," he said, with an elaborate bow, and swept out.

He knew they couldn't arrest him. Private weapons sales were too vital to the security of the kingdom. And that was discounting whatever measures he himself had waiting. He would have some, Beatrix was certain of it. A snake like that always did.

Brahne turned to look at her. "Well?"

"One of the least trustworthy people I have ever met. He'll betray us at the first opportunity. But…he's also a risk running loose, we can't arrest or execute him. We don't need his weapons, but we don't need the headache of anyone else getting them. We have to keep him close."

Brahne leaned back into her throne. "So, the question becomes, can he do more damage closer to me, or acting on his own?" She closed her eyes, thinking hard. It was several minutes before she opened her eyes.

"No. I won't give him the legitimacy of the support of the crown. His weapons are bloody, but they don't threaten us. Not yet."

They both knew that was unlikely to stay true for long.

And there we have it, folks. Ladies, gentlemen, non binaries, and search engine spiders, thank you for reading. Reviews are always welcome, and compliments are not compulsory. See you in 2029!

I always felt it was extremely out of character for Steiner's armour to be rusty. He seems like the type of person that would look after his equipment more than his children, so I'm blaming Kuja.