Author: Sam

Story: The Fire Bringer United: 1 of ?

Series: none

Characters Intro'd: Chris, Lucia, Jimba, Anne; Salome, Cecile, Louis, Nei, Kathy, Juan; Ace, Melville, Percival; Borus, Queen, Fred

Rating: R: Language, Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations

Summary: The Fire Bringer need to travel to their new Headquarters; the Harmonians won't make it so easy, though. What they need are disguises.

Spoiler: Yes, the entire game, so if you don't know what happened, you won't want to read this. I give away plots and characters, and even twist things around a bit. Also, if you aren't familiar with all the characters, you may become overwhelmed, as I intend to use all of them in one form or another. Be prepared to see multiple names jump out at you.

Category: Adventure, Fantasy

Setting: A journey between brass Castle and Lake Castle (Budehuc Castle)

Disclaimer: Suikoden III is a trademark of Konami and Sony. I am in no way connected with these people, and I do not claim ownership to these characters, lands, or names. I have borrowed them to share a story... and most likely not a story Konami would have written, had they had the time or no. I am making no money from this, and it is just for my entertainment, and that of free entertainment to a select group of friends. Thank You.

Distribution: Please ask first?

Note: The first few chapters may be a bit confusing, as I am spending time introducing the groups of characters more than giving you the plot. Do not worry, it will all come together in the end. Thus the first few chapter titles will actually be for group leaders, not for actual titles.

Second Note: This does NOT follow along the lines of the newly released Suikoden III Manga. It is a story concept I came up with before the Manga was even known to be conceived of, and I decided to go ahead with it anyway. Do not look for the two to coincide unless it is completely by coincidence. Thank you.

Feedback: Yes, please? Especially constructive. samwise_baggins@yahoo.co.uk

Webpage: http://www.oocities.org/samwise_baggins/index.html

Chris was surprised to find her hands trembling as she attempted to fasten the hooks on her borrowed skirt. The captain of the Zexen Knights had to stop, taking a deep breath in an effort to steady herself. She'd been on the battlefield most of her life, risked herself on countless occasions, so why did this coming journey have her shaking like a raw recruit?

She'd never recklessly risked her men in battle, but she'd also never had quite such an awareness of what rode on her success or failure. Somehow this particular risk weighed heavily... because if they failed, her men failed in shame following her? Or was it because on this journey, the knights would be undercover, rather than meeting the enemy head on?

The knock on her door snapped the young woman from her worrisome thoughts and she sighed, fumbling once more at the unwieldy hooks. "Yes. Come in," she called, frowning at her own inadequacy.

Expecting Louis, her ever-present apprentice, she closed her eyes and ran her hands through her unruly silver hair. "Oh, good. I'm not quite able to manage these stupid hooks. Come help me, please?" She kept her eyes closed, head falling back with a sigh, as her companion approached and started deftly fastening the borrowed skirt. As he finished, he moved around to her front and adjusted the borrowed top, as well.

When he finally stopped fussing, Chris smiled and opened her eyes to thank Louis. She gasped as she realized that it wasn't the eleven-year-old at all. Standing before her was Salome, close friend and long time advisor to the only female knight of the Zexens. Unprepared to see the man, rather than the boy, she found herself unaccountably flushing.

"Oh! Salome. I thought..."

"That I was Louis. It's all right, Lady Chris. Everyone is ready, waiting the required intervals before starting. Master Thomas even has some of the people he'd brought helping out." The blond man smiled and stepped back, his blue eyes softening at the sight of the Lady Knight, as they always did.

It was no secret that the five males of the Six Mighty Zexen Knights were uncommonly attached to their only female counterpart. With Salome's reaction to her, it brought that attraction to the fore once more. Thus far, Chris had avoided the subject of their affection all together, but she often worried just how long she'd be able to.

Salome turned towards the door, the lack of noisy armor bringing into sharp focus his peasant attire. "Master Thomas sent some of his troops ahead, with the other troops, to protect different areas throughout Zexen and Grassland, but pointed out that a few of his personal staff would be helpful in this journey." The older man turned back to Chris. "We've already sent the decoys to their assigned areas with their troops. It's time for you to leave for Lake Castle now."

Chris nodded, drawing a deep, steadying breath. "I'd feel better with my sword, Salome... have my companions been selected?"

The pair walked from Chris' suite and down the back stairs of Brass Castle, towards the training room. As they walked, Chris determined that the Karayan clothes felt different from her earlier traveling clothes but not too terribly awkward, despite the unfamiliar skirt. She relaxed noticeably, pulling her long hair up into a twist as Salome spoke.

"Yes. You've been matched with three companions. As long as you keep your skin darkened, you should be able to pull this off. Your cover story is that you are a family of survivors traveling to join the Fire Bringer."

"Family? But I hardly look Karayan, Salome. How could I possibly blend into a Grassland family?" The woman stopped long enough to secure her hair. She frowned at the other knight as he nodded. "And who are they, Salome? I can hardly be family with someone I neither look like nor trust."

"You'll have to push aside your differences, Lady Chris. The others were chosen for their resemblance to you, not for their race. A similar facial structure, or even hair color, decided it."

"There's another person with silver hair in this world?" The woman couldn't help the disbelieving chuckle.

Salome smiled in response but nodded anyway. "Oh, her hair's more white than silver, but close enough to pass for sisters. The people you'll be traveling with are right out here.. you're to be the older daughter." With that, he pushed open a side door and let Chris proceed him into the courtyard. There, in a flashy Karayan wagon, was Chief Lucia herself.

The leader of the almost wiped-out Karayan Clan merely looked at Chris and waited, silently. The man next to her was equally known to Chris: Jimba, a warrior she had dueled with, and defeated, during a raid on Iksay Village. The third person was a girl in her teens. Her hair was indeed white, though her blue eyes held little warmth for the woman who had destroyed the Karayans' hometown.

Chris turned to Salome with a frown. "I get along better with the boy who keeps trying to kill me, Salome. We'll hardly appear a well-adjusted family." She actually felt more comfortable with the boy, Hugo, as well, though she couldn't see any sign of Lucia's son.

A friendly voice called out, "Come, get in the wagon. We're about to start."

It was Jimba. He seemed to have been elected spokesperson for the small group. That was, at least, better than trying to converse with Lucia. Chris nodded, gave Salome one last look, and climbed into the wagon next to the unknown teen. She turned and tried a smile, though it was forced. "So, what name am I to go by?"

The teenager blinked in surprise and shrugged. "How about Kista? That's Karayan. My name's Anne. You've met Jimba and Lucia, correct?" At Chris' nod, the girl fell silent once more and the wagon lurched away from Brass Castle's courtyard.

Chris leaned forward, schooling herself to stay in the spirit of the disguise, no matter how much it might rankle. She touched Lucia's shoulder gently, drawing her hand quickly away as soon as she had the woman's attention. "Mother..." the word was hard to associate with anyone, let alone this rival, "how soon do you think we'll be there?"

Lucia turned in her seat, violet eyes amused as she smiled at the younger woman. "A few days, if we aren't set upon, Kista." She seemed to greatly relish using the converted name for the Zexen woman. "Your sister, Anne, hopes to be able to recover the loses of her stock... the supplies collected over a lifetime but destroyed in a single fire."

Ah, that explained Anne's hostility... in addition, of course, to the loss of the village; her decision to burn that village had resulted in the teen's livelihood being destroyed. Chris was acutely aware that as time passed, she'd be given quite a few more examples of what her actions had wrought. It was with a private bid of desperation that Chris hoped they'd meet another group on the road, though everyone had already been instructed to try not to band together too much.

Salome sighed as he watched the wagon pulling away. He couldn't like thrusting Chris into such company, despite their common goal with the Karayan survivors. After all, those people had a very genuine grudge against the Captain of the Zexen Knights... and Chris was without a weapon for the journey.

He turned, knowing his own group would be collecting in their assigned wagon. Since there were several children that needed transporting, some groups would have to take the chance of taking several young ones with them. His group had been allotted four children, and that worried him as much as his friend's predicament. After all, they, too, would be weaponless for the journey.

With a forced smile, uncomfortable with the idea of pretending to be a husband and father to people he probably didn't know... Apple had assigned the groups based on appearances, after all... the Knight headed for the large cart off to the side of the Rune Master's shop. With a jolt, and a relieved smile, he realized he did recognize at least two of the people he'd be traveling with.

Cecile Brown, a young Zexen girl who had replaced her own father as Commander of the Lake Castle Guard, despite her youth, was sitting next to Louis, Lady Chris' apprentice. That made two children he knew had some fighting skills, if it came to an attack by the Harmonians, and Salome found himself grateful to Master Thomas for lending him the young Commander. Also in the cart were a blonde teenaged boy and girl and an Elf with mint-green hair and eyes. The male teen was vaguely familiar, but the two females were unknown to the Advisor.

Salome climbed into his seat and softly spoke for his group's ears alone. "My name is Salome. Has Apple said what our cover story might be?"

The Elf nodded with a genuine smile, putting her nervous companion at ease instantly. "Yes. We're to claim to be from the Toran Republic. My name is Nei. I am a musician, though my troupe has been split up for this journey."

"I'm Cecile, sir. It's a real pleasure to meet you again." The girl's enthusiasm made the man smile wider, especially as Louis added to it eagerly, for the benefit of those who didn't know him. "I'm Louis. Cecile and I are to be twins."

Turning, the Knight extended his smile to the teens, noting that the male looked either bored or sleepy. The female drew his attention by tipping her pink hat and grinning widely. "Howdy. Name's Kathy. I'm a horse rancher on my way to Lake Castle, but I s'pose I'm to be your daughter for the trip. It sure does make it easier when y'all travel in a herd."

A snort from the sleepy male interrupted the girl. "Juan." That was all he said.

Tilting his head, frowning softly, Salome opened his mouth to question the youth further. He needn't have bothered, as Cecile jumped in to fill in the details. "Juan's the Bujitsu Instructor for Lake Castle. He naps a lot, and is pretty annoying, but Master Thomas thought you'd need a bare-hand fighter, since we're not allowed swords or anything."

That foresight by the very young Master of Lake Castle surprised the Knight. He nodded and turned to start the horses at a slow plod, reviewing the information in his mind. He was supposed to be from the Toran Republic, married to an Elf, and the father of four children. He probably wasn't even old enough to be Juan's father, but years of worries had made him appear much older than he really was. If they were stopped by Harmonian Patrols, the story would probably pass, though they would most likely still be required to fight.

The cart pulled away from Brass Castle slowly enough that Salome couldn't even see the dust of Chris' transport ahead of them.

Swinging up into the small donkey cart, Ace turned a wide grin on his two companions. True, this cover story Apple'd come up with for him was far-fetched, but he had been ordered to follow it. Since Geddoe was his captain, he followed the man's orders... even if they weren't to travel together this trip.

In the cart was a boy of about eleven with the strangest blue eyes Ace had ever seen on a male. On the seat, driving, was a dark-haired man also unknown to the Twelfth Unit's secretary. He nodded to the man and settled in beside the kid, relaxing.

Really, the story of being the single father of this boy journeying with his best friend to join the Fire Bringer wasn't such a bad one. It even had the bonus of allowing him to drink or whatever as much as he wanted. Girls went for the fatherly type, and this kid was good looking enough to draw them in like flies to honey. What was touchy about the situation was that the Harmonians would most likely recognize Ace, as he was the member of the 'Harmonian Twelfth Unit Mercenaries' that dealt with the hierarchy most often.

Turning to the boy, Ace nodded. "So, I'm to be your dad, huh? Name's Ace. I'm most often from Vinay del Zexay." There, that exposed his Zexen background, though he hadn't been native to this land at all. It was still something which would need to be out in the open, what with the general unease between Grassland and Zexen.

The kid nodded, turning those electrifying pale blue eyes on the older man. "My name's Melville. I'm from Vinay del Zexay, too." He tilted his head. "You're dressed Harmonian, though."

Ace groaned. He knew he'd forgotten something. As the man getting ready to start their cart, all he was waiting for was his signal, turned to look at them, Ace shrugged and started stripping off his jacket and trousers. He reached into a bag to pull out some Zexen clothing he'd been provided. "Not used to having to change my appearance with my job... I'm a mercenary by trade."

The driver nodded and leant over, softly speaking in an amused drawl. "My name's Percival, also Zexen."

Melville's eyes widened even more and he turned to stare in awe at Sir Percival. "You... you... you're one of the Six Mighty Zexen Knights!" It was apparent that Melville held the Knights in the highest of esteem.

With a chuckle and a friendly nod, Percival agreed. "Yes, that I am. But for this trip, I'm his best friend." He gestured to the still changing Ace.

There was a very apparent difference between the two adult males. Ace seemed relaxed and content to be rumpled and laid back. Percival, despite his Zexen peasant clothing, seemed more polished and well mannered. It was hard to imagine these two as best friends in any lifetime, and Melville's doubt was apparent on his pretty features.

That struck Ace forcefully. Whoa! The kid's gotta be the prettiest boy I've ever seen. Damn if he won't get himself hurt one of these days, unless he's got someone looking out for him. He determined immediately that he'd make certain no Harmonians decided that the boy was fair game for the life of a slave... it was quite obvious to Ace what kind of slave the enemy'd make Melville, if they had the chance.

Percival smiled at Ace, who was finished dressing and gestured with his head towards a barrel. "There's ale in there if you want to break it open now. We're supposed to have gotten too drunk to know better, and so set out for glory and riches to join the Fire Bringer. It'll help if we at least smell like we'd been drinking.

"Hey! Now this is the kind of mission I love!" Ace immediately rummaged around in the supplies that had been haphazardly stacked in the small cart. He found three mugs and started pouring out the brew for his group. When he handed the first mug to Melville, he hesitated, then shrugged. "Make it last, kid, you won't be getting another."

The boy nodded and sipped, eyes huge in the wonder of being included in such an adult ritual. The bitter taste of the ale, however, broke through any illusions of grandeur and Melville made a face, handing the mug back. "I... I don't think so, but thanks." He hoped he wouldn't suddenly be delegated to infant because he didn't drink.

The Knight laughed uproariously and Ace joined in. Neither seemed bothered in the least that they were being stared at or that Melville wasn't joining in their binge. Instead, Percival nodded acknowledgement of his signal and whip up the slow moving donkey. "More for us. You can drive when we're too drunk to see straight."

At Ace's ready agreement, Melville felt a burst of excitement. He would be permitted to drive the cart? That was certainly an adult chore. The boy found himself hoping it wouldn't take long for Percival and Ace to determine they'd rather enjoy the ale than guide the donkey; he wanted his chance at the reins.

Thundering hooves signaled three riders racing their way out of the Brass Castle courtyard. They sped past the donkey cart, one rider turning to wave to the trio. Ace frowned, thinking how familiar that guy looked, but unable to place the dark-haired man in the Outlands garb. Percival snickered, however, as he recognized one of the threesome. Figured *he'd* get to race across the plains to Lake Castle.

With a determined glint in his gray-blue eyes, Borus leaned over his horse's neck, trying to stay ahead of his two companions. The fact that the three were supposed to be brothers on a long-distance race made it easier to keep away from them. After all, even if they didn't recognize him, the platinum-haired Knight had run-ins with both of the other riders... and neither encounter had been terribly pleasant.

Laughing, the brown-eyed rider turned back from acknowledging a donkey cart and rode harder, gaining on Sir Borus as the blond tried to keep his lead. Dressed in men's clothes, it was hard for anyone to recognize Queen of the Harmonian Twelfth Unit Mercenaries, but she didn't seem at all bothered to have been delegated to male. She was having too much fun tormenting Borus. Seeing him lean further over his mount, her grin widened.

Bringing up the rear, not because he was a lousy rider, but more due to not preferring horses at all, was Sir Fred Maximillian. It was odd to have been unceremoniously ordered to disguise himself, rather than meeting the enemy in the open, and that rankled in the good-looking young man's breast. Also annoying was the fact that he wasn't permitted to bring his squire, Rico, along. She had been sent in some other group, no doubt, to hide their identities further.

Fred wasn't familiar with the other dark-haired member of their trio, but he had a passing acquaintance with Sir Borus of the 'Six Mighty Zexen Knights'. Sir Borus and Lady Chris had been the ones to deny knowledge of the Fire Bringer; later Lady Chris had accompanied him in his search for the Flame Champion. It had been a rather uneventful encounter with the two Knights, but for some reason Sir Borus seemed to have taken Sir Fred into a dislike... something the darker man couldn't fathom at all.

Queen glanced back to throw a joyful grin at Fred, then concentrated once more on besting Borus in their assigned race. Their party would most likely be the first one to arrive at Lake Castle, which they were supposed to happen upon accidentally during their race. What would normally be a couple weeks journey would become a few days instead... only a few days before she was no longer really able to torment the blond Knight.

He hadn't done her any harm, per say. She had been with Geddoe in the Karayan Village when the Knights had attacked and burned it down. During their escape, Geddoe had gotten it into his head to fight Borus, and they had even managed to best the Knight and his outriders. It still rankled on Borus, too; Queen could see it in his reactions to her. She had no clue why he didn't like the handsome Knight behind them, though, but he apparently wanted as far from Fred Maximillian as he could get.

With a shake of his head, hearing the approaching hooves and knowing his horse to be the slower, since that was Lady Chris' horse the woman was riding, Borus finally admitted temporary defeat. He wasn't going to wind or injure his mount just to stay away from the Harmonian, even if he did distrust her reasons for joining the Fire Bringer against her own people. Well, he didn't exactly know her reasons, but he still distrusted them.

Slowing down, Borus let his mount go from gallop to canter to trot and, finally, to a walk. Queen pulled up almost as quickly, letting her own horse fall in beside that of the Zexen's. Fred finally managed to catch up, and the three seemed to ride amiably next to one another... if one ignored the fact that none of the three spoke. After several more minutes, thought, Sir Fred broke the silence with a dramatic self-introduction.

"I am Sir Fred Maximillian, last of the Maximillian Knights, and seeker of truth and justice."

Borus turned a frown towards the black-haired man, then looked forward again. "Sir Borus of Zexen." He would have loved to join in the boasting, but felt it prudent not to bring attention to his title for once... who knew whom was listening?

"Name's Queen. Call me Quince, though." The woman was amused to see the startled look in Fred's eyes. Ah, hadn't know I was a female, had he? That showed that her disguise was pretty good, then... a bonus during their time between castles. After all, Harmonian soldiers could sprout up at any time; there was no way she'd let them take her back to the Crystal Valley slave camp, especially as she would be considered a traitor for working with the Zexens and Grasslanders.

At the sound of Queen's assumed male name, the raven-haired man frowned. "Oh? We're to have false names as well as disguises?" Fred sounded put out by that idea, though he at least didn't blame his companions. Thinking, he opened his mouth to speak when Borus interrupted him.

"We'll call you Max. I guess you can call me... uh... Russ?" He made a face at his own chosen nickname, hating the memory it brought with it. As a child, the other boys in town would call him by that shortened nomenclature, and it still held a mental hint of derision even as he said it himself.

With a nod, Queen seemed to agree. "Okay, Max and Russ. Got it. So," she turned in her saddle to look at the two males. "Which of us is the eldest and which the youngest?"

That thought hadn't occurred to Borus and he turned startled gray-blue eyes on the disguised woman. "Well, depends on our ages, I suppose... Quince." He tried out the name and found it easy to recall. That was something... perhaps this mercenary knew what she was about after all.

Queen nodded. "Well, I believe I'm eldest, then. Russ, you'll be youngest. That's the way it looks, any way."

The last Knight piped up at that. "How is it we were chosen to enact brothers, Lad... uh... Quince?" He mentally kicked himself for the slip up, knowing he couldn't reveal either her gender or her name.

"We look alike," the woman smiled at Fred, forgiving his slip. After all, when one was raised to certain manners, it was often hard to forget them, even in disguise. "We have similar facial structures and builds... and we're all to-die-for gorgeous."

That at last brought a genuine smile to Borus' lips and the three laughed, suddenly more in charity with one another.