Black Knights
By Avalon

(I do not own Leon, Maria, Firion, Gus . . . blah, blah blah, u get my point. They belong 2 Square-Enix. Let me get 2 the point, this is about Leon after 'Final Fantasy II.' NOTE: I didn't finish the game, but I pretty much know or guessed how it ends. So, let's get this show on the road. By the way, this is how I played the game. By the way, I didn't get to the part where they got the wyvern, so I guess I made up the fact that Firion is a Dragoon. If I'm wrong, please tell me.)

Chapter 1: Deep Thoughts

Leon sat in front of a lake in goddess knew where. He was deep in his thoughts. His dark blue eyes were expressionless. He wore dark violet and black armor and had dark brown hair and pale skin. His thoughts went back to his sister Marina, whom he left in the safe, protective, caring hands of his adoptive brother Firion. Leon had no idea, until after they defeated the emperor together, that Firion had feelings for his sister. Leon looked up at the sky. It was adorned with stars and a pale, blue moon.
A black muzzle tapped Leon's shoulder. The black muzzle belonged to a big, black steed called Night. Leon pushed the horse away. He knew what the stallion wanted: oats.
"I'm sorry boy, I don't have any oats," Leon muttered. He laid back against an old oak tree. He wondered what his sister was doing at this moment with Firion.

Marina, the next mourning listened to the court with half a mind on them and the other half worrying about her brother Leon. After he left without a word, Marina couldn't stop worrying about him. Ever since her fiancee` left with his wyvern Starling to the Land of Dragoons and she found out she was having a baby, she paid little attention to the court. She had become the Head of the White Healers after Minwu died and that meant being the court healer. She had to be at courts when they were open. Now, they were discussing the matter of marriage between Prince Gordon and Princess Hilda. Marina's mind was divivded into quaters: her child, her fiancee`, her brother, and the court.
". . . think Lady Marina?" a court official asked. It was the king of thieves Paul.
"Say what?" Marina exclaimed.
Laela laughed quietly.
"I asked what did you think," Paul said.
"I'm sorry, I'm just worried about my fiancee` and my brother and . . . may I be excused?" Marina asked. "I . . . I can't think straight." Without waiting for any answer, she left, Hilda following. Gordon postponed the dicussions for tomorrow. Outside on a balcony, Marina looked out over Fynn. Hilda sat next to her.
"Are you alright?" Hilda asked.
"I'm fine," Marina replied.
"'I'm fine,'" Hilda mimicked. Gordon appeared, but Hilda shooed him away. "I know, the 'I'm fine' is stretched tightly across your face. You and I know qiute well that you're lying."
"I'm just worried about my brother and fiancee`," Marina said. "There are a lot of imperials still around that we haven't caught yet and if they see Firion and Starling flying around, they'll shoot them on sight. And you know my brother was with the empire once. The sergents he once commanded might kill him because he betrayed the emperor. And to make matters worse, I'm carrying Firion's child! A new dragoon!" Marina exploded into tears.
"So that's why you were slacking off in your work," Hilda muttered. "You were limiting yourself so you wouldn't hurt the unborn child. You may take pardons if that's what you wish. You will take time off."
"I need at least eight months," Marina whispered.

Firion flew Starling to the castle where they found a woman and her son practicing some sword combat. Firion reconized them, the boy used to be a small, eight year old boy. He was now ten.
"Hello Lady Aly and Tommy," Firion shouted. The mother and son stop practice and looked at Firion.
"Hello Firion," Aly shouted. "And Starling."
"Good news, we found a few dozen wyvern eggs in the old Palamecian capital," Firion reported. "The chances of your son becoming a dragoon are good. They're preparing to hatch in the Life Spring. Let's go Tommy."
"Okay," Tommy shouted. He followed Firion out of the newly built castle. They rode on Starling to the cave and down to the spring where a little ember wyvern popped its head out of the crystal waters. It shrieked with happiness as it saw Tommy.

Leon rode into the city Fynn in the dark of night and entered his home. It was a beautiful little house. He saw his sister sitting in front of the fire place, drinking white tea. Something was wrong.
"Marina," Leon called.
She turned her head and looked at him, violet eyes filled with tears. She turned back to the fire. Leon sat next to her.
"Are you okay?" he asked. "Where's Firion? And Starling? She wasn't in the back yard."
"Firion left to train," Marina replied. "He needed to take Starling with him. Leon, I was worried about you. Where have you been?"
"I was . . . I was thinking," Leon told her. "I needed time to sort out my thoughts. Think about what you and the lordship said. I have been gone a few months and I still can't get his words out of my mind. I need more time to think. I'll stay in the attic for a few days and leave."
"Leon, until Firion returns, I'm going to need you here," Marina snapped. "In seven months, I'm having a baby. I can't stay alone."
"Don't you have servents?"
"They only stay until after breafast and only come to prepare my meals. Other then that, I eat at the castle. I'm the new court healer, but I'm taking time off because of the child. I left one of my best in charge. So I'm going to need you here. It's only until Firion returns home."
"When will he be back?"
"I don't know; he said to postpone the wedding for a month or two."
"Don't worry Sister, I'll take care of you."
"Thank you."

Chapter 2: A Looked into Leon's Past

Firion trained the new dragoon the were coming to Deist. He taught them everything he learned from a dragoon he had once traveled with. But he had died saving Firion, Marina, Gus, and Leon. The dragoon had not intended to save Leon, but all the same. Aly assisted him in the training. In three weeks, Firion felt it was time to return to Fynn where Marina was waiting to get married. Riding his blood-red wyvern Starling, they flew to the capital. He land Starling in the palace courtyard. Hostlers came to handle the wyvren. Firion entered the throne room.
"Welcome back Sir Firion," Hilda called.
"Where the hell have ye been?" Leala asked.
"Good to see you too," Firion laughed. "I was training in Deist. I got a lot of dragoons by the way."
"That's good news for all of us," Gordon said.
"Marina is at her home," Paul shouted.
Leaving without a word more, Fririon left.
"Do you think we should have told him that his brother is there as well?" Gordon asked.
"Let that be," Laela replied.
"You really don't care what other people think, do you?" Paul questioned.
"Not in the least," Laela answered.
"I like her," Paul told Gordon.
"Great, more trouble," Gordon muttered.

At home, Marina put out an extra plate with bacon, eggs, and toast as Leon took his old seat. He noticed the extra plate after Marina put three glasses on the table. One was full of white tea for her, orange juice for Leon, and water.
"Are you expecting someone?" Leon asked.
"I looked in my mirror and saw we would have company this mourning," Marina replied.
"Who's the visitor?"
Firion entered the room. His eyes went wide when he saw Leon; Marina didn't say a word. They were silent for five minutes. It was Firion who spoke first.
"What is he doing here?" he asked.
"He's staying with us for a little while," Marina replied.
"I'll be laeving tomorrow," Leon reported.
"No you won't," Marina snapped. "It'll do the three of us good if you stay. Besides, you don't have to share a room anymore. Firion and I sleep in my room until we can arrange this house propperly. I want you both here until after the wedding and I give birth."
"We're having a baby?" Firion asked dumbstruck.
"Yes silly," Marina replied.
Firion felt weak. Marina remember how she discovered this. A white wolf and a servent had pointed it out. She had fainted afterwords.
"Now Firion, are you going to sit down and have dinner with us, or just stand there until you collasp?" Marina asked. Firion took his seat. They ate their breafast in silence. Like always, Marina saw Leon rubbing his left shoulder. Firion saw this and after breakfast, he decided to ask what was wrong.
"What do you mean?" Leon asked.
"I've notice this for the past three weeks; you rub your left shoulder," Marina replied.
"So, what's wrong with it?" Firion asked.
"It's just an old scar," Leon replied. "It shouldn't be bothering me. I got three years ago five months I arrived in the Palamecian capital."
"How did you get it?" Marina questioned.
"That's none of your concern," Leon answered.
Marina gave him the 'you tell us or you're in big trouble mister' look.
"Alright . . . I used to be whipped and beaten," Leon explained.

'After I entered the service of the emperor, I started where most swordsmen-in-training start. I was a servent for a time. Every time I did or siad something stupid, the emperro would whip or beat me. After three months of harsh treatment, I barely felt the whiplashes and sticks. After the last whipping I got, the emperor decided I was ready to begin my training as a black knight.'
"Are you pleased with the treatment?" the emperor asked.
Leon was shaking. His shirt was ripped, cuts and bruises adoned his back, and blood was everywhere. He threw up until he had nothing letf to throw up. The whip net his back again, cutting a deep wound into his back. Leon cried in agony. He had tried to stay bottled up, but it was pointless. The whip struck him again. It met his back a second time. Three, four, five, six times. He had already been whipped five times before the he started throwing up. By the time Leon would be able to return home, he wouldn't have a back.

Six months later . . .

The emperor finally called on Leon and announced him a Black Knight. Leon was pleased, but he had no idea that thhe emperor had called on him for more then just that. The emperor shared a plan with him.

Marina and Firion were speechless.
"Why didn't you say something?" Marina asked.
"I didn't want you in my affairs," Leon replied.
"So, you were with the empire before they attacked Fynn . . ." Firion muttered. "Let me guess, you killed your mother and father?"
"Guilty," Leon said.
"Did you intend to kill us too?" Firion aksed.
"I was going to try and talk you into joining the emepire," Leon replied.
"After you told us that imperials had killed your parents?" Firion snapped.
"That was stupid," Leon muttered.
"Firion . . . Leon . . . drop it! Both of you," Marina cried. "That was all in the past. We have to deal with the present now. Like now, I have a wedding to prepare for!"
"Why does she always look at positives?" Leon asked.
"I have funny news, I'm planning to force Laela into a pink dress," Marina laughed.
"Laela likes black . . . why are you putting her in a pink dress?" Firion asked.
"One: she's one of my bride's maids and two: I just want to embarass her," Marina replied. "Besides, embarassing her will be the pay back I owe her for that little ambush a six months back. Remeber, we were on our way to Deist."
"Yeah," Firion laughed.
Laela arrived at three with the latest gossip from the castle. At night, she went to Paul's house, making up an excuse that she was going to help him clean his house, which no one believed of course. Marina and Firion went to her room while Leon slept in his childhood room, with no idea the next day would be very eventful.

Chapter 3: The Past of Marina

Marina was glad to see her brother and fiancee` getting along for the first real time since they departed from Fynn four years ago. She remembered the day well. She had cried that day when they left.

Firion and Leon stood in the doorway. Father was talking to them about honor and duty. They were to learn a paicular sword art. Leon had decided to learn the Black Art form that was taught in Palamecia and Firion hoped to go to Deist to learn the Dragon Sword Art taught nby Dragoons and their wyvrens. Marina was coming down the stairs as they were leaving. They walked out the door. Marina ran down the stairs, she would have walked out the door, begging them not to leave, but her father had grabbed her and told her not to interfere.
She didn't even say goodbye; she had no idea that her brothers going down their own seperate pathes would change her life in a million ways.

Now, standing in her kitchen, her brother and her fiancee` were talking with each other and stroking Starling. Starling was getting irrtated by all the attetion, so she stuck her head in the kitchen door.
"Isssss yarrah yeerr rissha isss," she hissed.
Marina thought about what the wyvren could be saying. Firion tapped on the window; Marina opened it.
"She asked if Leon was friend or an enemy," he translated.
Marina's eyes closed, when she reopened them, her world was crimson and strange. She looked at Starling.
"Leon is my brother and he's an ally, friend, however you want to put it," Marina answered to the wyvren. When she reopened her eyes, Firion and Leon were staring at her.

That night, the three of them sat in front of the fire. Marina was leaning against Firion while he stroked her hair and Leon sat in the shadows. Marina was tired and watching the fire was not helping. She feel asleep and to the floor; Leon and Firion caught her and it was Firion who carried her to bed and returned.
"She spoke wyvren," Leon muttered from the shadows.
"I didn't even know she could speak wyvren," Firion muttered.
"I have done a lot of reseach on Dragoons," Leon reported. "Dragoons and white wizards are very powerful combinations."
"Marina said it was going to twins: a boy and a girl," Firion muttered. "Twins don't run in your family. And I hardly think they run in my real family."
"That's the thing about dragoons and white wizards; one twin is a girl with her heart set on fighting for the greater good and the other will be a boy meant follow in the white wizard tracks. I read that every one hundred years, this actually happens. But, the white wizard dies in the birthing and the dragoon dies when the chilren turn ten. Firion, Marina is going to die when she gives birth to those twins."
"And I'll meet the same fate in ten years."

Chapter 4: Final Minutes

Firion raced through the city seven months later. He was in a hurry and it was almost midnight. If he didn't get home before midnight, Laela would scold him if Marina died. Laela herself was giving birth in a few months. Leon had been coming and going every now and then. He'd leave one month and return two months later. Firion and Marina were curious about what Leon was doing; he never replied. Firion entered the house and slid out of his soaked cloak. He raced up a flight of stairs, slipping and bruising his right knee. He entered a room as the cloak struck midnight. He took Marina's hand, assuring her everything would alright. They weren't. After ten frightninig minutes, one boy and one girl were crying.
"Miracle and Fredrick," Marina gasped.
"I like those names," Firion agreed.
"I'm sorry," Marina sighed. She closed her eyes and her hand opened, revealing a crystal heart on a silver chain. One of the healers was a rainbow belt like Marina was.
Firion handed the crystal to him. "I think Marina had you in mind as her successor."
"I'll handle this honor with care," the healer said putting the the necklace on.

(Ok, i admit it! sucky ending! But that's all i can think of. Please wait 4 the next story 2 find out what Leon was up 2. until then, bye.)