Albert Fallon

Too quiet.
Why was it always too quiet when something was about to happen? The calm before the storm.. nervous energy. It was spread all across the city despite the revelry brought by the meteor shower. Albert wondered if his partner could feel it, too. The wyvern was more fine tuned to these things, she must feel it. She did seem uneasy.

Albert placed his hand on Meru's blue scaled head, trying to reassure her. Her amber eyes shimmered in the fire light as she looked at him. He smiled slightly and was about to speak, but was interrupted.
"The King wishes to speak with you."

Summons from the king? What an honor! Still, Albert didn't like the stillness in the air. It became more apparent the closer he got to the castle. That being said, at least he got to ride along beside one of the more... interesting senior riders. Morrigan was no nonsense. She always wore a serious expression whenever he saw her. Oh, but she was beautiful. Especially under the pale moonlight that seemed to make her glow. It caught on every strand of her raven black hair as it flowed in the wind. Her usually hard eyes were softened in the iridescence and she was simply luminescent. It was difficult for him to take his eyes off her.

Meru, on the other hand, had other ideas. She jerked suddenly, causing Albert to have to refocus himself. He decided it would probably be best to keep himself from drifting off again. They alighted on the king's balcony, and he was there to greet them.

"Y-yes! Your magesty, I am Albert. How may I serve you?"

"It was never about goofing off, though," Felix sighed, placing his hands behind his head with his own frown. "I just... Didn't want to have to leave... Or to be responsible for the lives of others... Least not in the way a commander is... I don't mind protecting, just..." He looked aside. "Anyway, I... I knew he wouldn't be able to. And I had faith in you, okay?" He affirmed himself before standing up straight and huffing.

"Anyway, you're right. Can't waste energy worrying about it.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Morrigan scowled at the slightly older knight when she noticed his aside glances. 'Great,' she thought to herself. 'Another so called knight who's only interested in ogling...' She saluted the king regardless of her fellow soldier's lacking manners.

The king took a deep breath, a somber note to his mannerisms that night. "At ease, both of you. No need to be so formal with a man at the end of his life."

Morrigan was perplexed by the comment. The king was the picture of health. Why would he say something like that?

"Er... Your Majesty, what do you mean by that?" She asked.

The king pointed up to the sky. "The meteor shower." He said. "It signals the end for me. Six months ago, I had a meeting with a benevolent spirit of fate... It warned me of my incoming demise... And the tools I could take to prevent calamity. At first I disbelieved it as a jest, but..." He shook his head. "Regardless, that is why you two are here. The spirit told me that two of my finest should be sent to Mt. Ignis." He explained. "In fact, the spirit gave you by name, Mister Fallon. I was told to send two of my riders, and that one of those two, Albert Fallon, would have a great hand to play in the machinations of fate."

"Surely you jest, your majesty." Morrigan spoke, trying to hide her frustrations at the king's words.

"Miss Morrigan, please understand..." The King said. "I was told to send two riders, and given but one name. I chose you because you're the finest of the Royal Riders, bar none. My only goal is to minimize loss of life and the blood shed upon my land." He explained. "And to that end, I chose you."

"Sir..." Morrigan said, still frustrated.

Katherine sighed and started walking again towards the farm, "No one wants to to that, Felix. But sometimes ya gotta do whatcha gotta do. And sometimes the best way to protect is to simply lead yourself. Also, I bet they could've figured something out for you so you didn't have to go too far at least. Some people do have families that might need their attention fast. And how were you so sure? If I hadn't looked up from Emmerich when I did, you could've been dead. I wouldn't have been able to get off a Lightning quick enough to save your butt. What then Felix?" she asked, making a face at him.

"Because... I just was, okay?" Felix said. He crossed his arms as he followed. "Look, I had faith in you. I knew you would be able to handle it... Besides, if you weren't... It's not like I lost my sword... I could have held him off pretty easily for 5, maybe 10 more seconds of just stalling." He said. "Come on, it's not like I wasn't thinking or was just goofing off. I had a plan." He said as they continued to walk.

"So... Do you think your parents are going to be surprised?"

Katherine shrugged, "But why not just do it yourself then? You would've purposefully delaying the fight so I could...get the kill? Why would I want that, Felix? I just don't understand why."

She sighed, "I do not know. Mother probably had some idea once she thinks about it, but it will probably shock Father. He's always been a pretty composed guy, though. I just hope he doesn't...take it out on her or something. He's not the type to do that, but who knows?"

"... I'll admit it, I was being selfish," Felix said with a frown. "But I just... Didn't want the glory. There was no harm if you or anyone else finished things, I just... Didn't want to be the one who did it... It's not about not wanting to kill or anything, It's just..." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair as he tried to collect his thoughts. "I didn't want to be in the position I'm in now, and was doing my best to avoid it. Sorry if by doing that I put you through any stress." He sighed as they continued their walk back to the farm.

It was well past midday by the time the two finished talking with Katherine's parents, tearful goodbyes were had, as were stunning reveals. Felix stayed uncharacteristically quiet throughout the whole proceedings, and they were soon back on the way to the militia headquarters.

"You ready for this?" Felix asked.

Katherine frowned and shook her head, "I don't like to kill either, Felix. And I can't say I like you deliberately forcing my hand to do it... Just... don't do it anymore, alright?" she sighed.

She would definitely miss her parents. They were good people and took the news pretty well. Her mother seemed to come around to it pretty quick once she thought about it, and her....well step father now, just wanted her safe. "Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose. I'd feel better if you were coming with me, but I suppose Emmerich needs you, too. You'll do your best now won't you? No more of that slacker lifestyle?"

Felix sighed. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to make anyone into a killer," he said with a note of remorse in his voice. "I won't put you into that situation again, okay?" He sighed.

"... Still... If I could get away from this whole army thing without consequences, I would... No question about it, I would just be gone." He shook his head. "Guess all that play fighting with you did me way too much good." He pushed the door open to the headquarters, and Emmerich was standing at the ready.

"Are you ready, Lady Katherine?" The old man asked. "I've everything prepared except your escort. If you've any of the captains in mind to act, let me know before I send out the request."

Katherine smiled, "Well, I wasn't implying it to that extent. But I would generally prefer to avoid a fight if I can, much less kill. Anyway, there's more to this than just being good with a sword, Felix. And to be honest, I don't think you would do that. Or at the very least you wouldn't stay gone."

She nodded to Emmerich, and gave him a big grin before grabbing Felix's arm excitedly, "I choose Felix!"

Felix shrugged, not sure what to say in response to his friend's kind words. Still, he'd resigned himself to getting ready to being an acting officer when Katherine made her sudden, if somewhat predictable, proclamation. Felix reddened somewhat, and Emmerich seemed less than amused.

"Lady Katherine, I know you trust in Felix, as do I, but..." Emmerich shook his head. "I implore you to reconsider. Even though he's now a captain, he's still green. I cannot, in good conscience, set you off alone with him. Besides, I need to get him acquainted to his new responsibilities."

Felix wasn't sure what to say. Emmerich's words rang as true. Even with his skill with the blade, Felix was still inexperienced. He was far from talented enough to be a bodyguard.

Katherine shrugged and smiled a little, "Well, what if I said I don't trust any of your other captains? And who better to protect me than my best friend if not you? You know there is no one else that would fight as hard as he would to protect me. It's only to that lord's mansion or whatever anyway, right? He can get acquainted when he gets back."

She pouted at him, "Come on, Commander. This could be the last chance we get to see each other for awhile. We'll talk on the way and maybe I can get him actually excited about his duties as opposed to treating them as stuff he has to do now. Give him some time to think all this over, and decide what he wants to do with it." Katherine sighed, "Give him...the option I wasn't given. Besides, would it really be so bad to do without him for a few days?" she asked, giving him puppy eyes.

Emmerich seemed as if he was ready to push things further, but it didn't really seem worth it. He remembered, for a moment, his days with Alphin. The young man had always been so headstrong and immovable that arguing would have been pointless. It seemed that nature must have played quite the role in this, passed on from father to daughter.

"Very well," Emmerich sighed. "Lady Katherine, Felix will be your attendant to the lord's manor." He said, looking to Felix. "I trust you will be prepared for what this entails. No more silly mistakes, yes?"

"Yessir," Felix said sheepishly.

"Alright, then." Emmerich said. "Lady Katherine, I will need to borrow him for a few minutes to prepare provisions, but after that, you may be on your way."

Emmerich and Felix retreated to the office, and after about an hour passed, Felix returned, wearing a cleaner and crisper set of armor, one befitting his new position.

"Well... Guess it's time then," Felix said.

Katherine smiled at Emmerich, "Thank you. Bodyguarding can't be that hard, can it? Everything will be fine! You'll see!"

Katherine looked over Felix, and smiled, "Oh! look how handsome! I wonder if I should change into something fancier? No, probably not, huh? That'd draw attention and I...don't have anything fancy or the money for something like that anyway. Heheh.... Anyway, yes, I suppose we should get going."

Felix's face flushed red for a moment. "Well, the old man said that I should look the part of a captain and of the King's army," he said with a small sigh. "Oh, he also prepared a few sets of travelling clothes for you. There's a horse drawn wagon outside with a few day's supplies. Something small and manageable, he says." He explained, clearly still a little uncomfortable. The whole situation was so odd, he simply wasn't sure how to feel. "Well, princess," he said in a clearly teasing tone. "Shall we go?"

By the time night fell, the two had made it to the point where Prima was only a small light on the horizon. It was hard to believe just how much ground the two had already covered for the night. From how clear it all was, it seemed impossible that there was a war coming, or that they were on some epic quest to prevent it. To some degree, it was as if it were any other summer night.

"Unreal," Felix mumbled, looking to the sky as he motioned for the horse to stop.

Katherine rubbed her chin, "Is that wise right now, though? Considering there is no King, and we're kind of trying to keep on the down low for now? It might be nice to dissuade some bandits from attacking us, though." she nodded to him, "Anyway, yes. Let's go, Captain." she said, dropkicking poking him the side.

She stopped next tp Felix and looked up at the night sky, "I know, it's strange. It seems like any other day as far as you can tell. But I imagine that's because we're still kind of on the outskirts. Imagine how it is at the castle... Everyone must still be pretty confused and scared. I bet it's a whole different feeling than here."

"If it's not just overrun with enemy forces," Felix said solemnly. "I guess you'll really have your work cut out for you." He sighed. "But I'm sure that Regalia stuff will help you out, but..." He looked off to the distance.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Night was his favorite time of the day. Hiding under the cover of darkness, waiting until people were tired, that was the best time to strike. Brax was known around these parts as the Bandit King. Though in all honesty, he wasn't even that high up on the bandit food chain. He just happened to be the strongest guy in the small area that he commanded. His crew wasn't even that large. There were only six of them in total. Including himself, there were five axe wielding men, big, muscular guys who took things by force. The last among them was a smaller, but much faster, knife wielding man who acted as their scout.

The five axe wielders were unknowningly only a short distance away from their next prey. Brax himself was leaning against a tree sharpening his old, worn, but well taken care of weapon. The other four were checking their equipment as well. Everyone looked up from what they were doing when the scout returned to the group. "That was fast." Brax commented.

"It looks like easy pickings tonight, boss." The scout began, pointing in the direction of the road. "Two people headed this way, a man and a woman. They have a horse drawn wagon with them as well, their supplies are ripe for the taking."

Brax grinned, his already not so handsome face turning uglier with dark intentions. "Alright boys, you know the drill. Kill the man, take the woman and the supplies."

With surprising amounts of stealth, the bandits followed the scout until the people came into view. Then they split up, two axe wielders going to each side, while the scout slunk away to sneak up on the two from behind. In a practiced movement, the bandits moved in quickly, surrounding the two and their horse. Two axe wielders on each side, Brax in front of them. "Well, well, well. Looks like two little love birds are out for a stroll. Tell ya what boy, I'm in a good mood tonight, give us your woman and your supplies and we might make your death painless." Brax ended his statement off with a chuckle that was echoed by his men.

Felix blinked, quickly taking in the situation. Seven men in total. Less than the group they'd faced the day before, though they didn't exactly have the support of the veteran soldier the day before. "Kate, do you have your tome?" He asked quietly before looking at Brax. "Hey, sorry, actually have an important place to get to, don't suppose you could just let us go, give us a rain check?" He asked, resting his hand to the hilt of his sword.

Katherine frowned, "Well, if it is, I'd need an army of my own to take it....which we....aren't even close to having. Haha. I guess we'll worry about that when we get to it. It'll be a long way from now."

She sighed as they were suddenly surrounded, "....More bandits? We just killed like 20 yesterday! I didn't realize so many were around this area. Or maybe I'm just a magnet for them now, I guess." she shrugged and responded quietly back to Felix, "Yes. I have my staff as well. Watch my back and I'll watch yours. And remember, no funny stuff Felix. Let's just get through this so we can find a place to sleep for the night."

She looked back to Brax, "Yeah, I mean we don't even have that much stuff. I'm just a cleric/farm girl, I doubt you could get much for me, and our wagon only has a couple days worth of supplies. For a big group like yours it would probably only last a day or two....you guys don't look that desperate for them. Such big, strong men!" she said with a smile, hoping to butter them up. Katherine doubted they'd let them go, but hey it was worth a shot.

As expected, the couple tried to talk their way out of it. The poor fools clearly didn't know who they were dealing with. Brax's only regret was that it was too dark to see the fear in their eyes, that was always his favorite part. Oh well, he'd see plenty of fear in the woman's eyes soon enough. The bandit laughed again. "You really don't understand the position you're in, do you?" At a hand signal from the boss, the four bandits surrounded the two moved in a little bit closer, axes raised at the ready.

"You may have chosen the hard way, but I'm feeling nice tonight. Instead of killing you outright, you can have the chance to fight back." Besides, it was more for them of their prey put up a fight. It made the kill more enjoyable. At another signal, only one bandit stepped into range, swinging his axe at the boy in an attack meant to harm, not to kill. They'd toy with the boy for a while, and then once the boy began to beg for mercy, they'd put him out of his misery.

Meanwhile, the scout had moved into position behind the two, crouching low in the grass, settled perfectly in their blind spot. He was not to move until one of two things happened. The first was a signal from the boss. The second being if things went wrong and it turned out the prey wasn't as vulnerable as they had initally thought. Unless the boss died, in which case, he was leaving. No point in risking your life if the guy who pays you is dead.

Felix sighed. Well, if nothing else, he had a chance to show off. He doubted that Katherine would be telling too many people if Felix went all out. When the bandit stepped towards him, he made a quick movement. The truth was, he didn't have time to unsheathe his blade. The truth was, he didn't need to. The blade was still a heavy iron staff when in its sheath, and with a quick move, the young man removed the blade and scabbard from his belt and clobbered the side of the bandit's head. "So, uh... Sorry about that, but... I think your friend there may have a concussion," he said calmly, looking at the bandit he'd basically sucker punched with a sword out of the corner of his eye as he unsheathed the weapon. "Might be good for you to get him some help from a healer or something," he said as he looked at Brax. The guy seemed tougher than the bandit that had attacked the day before, but it didn't mean too much, seeing as none of them appeared to be anywhere near as tough as old man Emmerich.

Felix's blade shimmered in the moonlight, practically illuminated. "Kate, can you defend the wagon? You can probably keep it safer than I can." He asked.

"Well, there's a healer right here. I'd be happy to heal him if you left us be." she offered to Brax after watching Felix. She took out her tome, keeping it in her left hand while her right held her staff.

She looked at Felix, "Well, sure, but I'd prefer us both protect it, that way you're close to me if you need help. Or I need help... Regardless, I think their attention is more on us than the wagon right now." Despite this, Katherine actually felt rather calm. She wasn't sure if it was because of Felix's calm, focused confidence that came out of nowhere, or just his presence, or what, but she just felt safe around him.