Knightfall from Grace

"The truth often hurts...and it can cut deeper than any blade..."

- Sir Aleksander Koenig

Part I: A Fateful Meeting
     ''I miss home...and I miss Weiss. I wonder how she's doing... ''

I yawned again. I was the second yawn of my shift. I really started to wonder if there was any real threat to the train. The other passengers were probably wondering the same thing. We haven't been attacked for the most part of the journey. It was getting late, and we were heading further down the tracks.

Well...sleep does make for a sound mind...

I then find a place to nod off for a few hours, my claymore propped up on a wall near me, just in case that there was an attack on the train during the night. I let sleep take me, feeling that everything was safe for the time being.

Well...what's the worst that could happen...?

--Eight Hours Later--

I then wake up, feeling better than I did eight hours earlier. Suddenly, I hear alarms sound off on the train and one of the passengers comes over to me, his tone was one of concern "Sir...alarms are coming from the rear of the train, and we're starting to lose mechs, and fast." I place my sheathed claymore on my hip, going to the car behind the lead, and shutting the heavy steel door to the lead car and locking it, taking a position to ambush them.

Fortunately, the sound of a nearby explosion gave me an indication as to how close they were to the lead car. I grabbed the claymore's handle and prepared to draw it.

Schnee isn't going to want to hear about this one...

I wait for the explosions to end and wait for any other sounds that would indicate a continuing attack. For a few minutes, the only sounds I heard was the clattering of the tracks and the thundering of the train engine itself. I then hear a pounding at the door, and unlock it, and I open the door gingerly. "Sir...I don't know how to say this...but we've lost the rest of the train cars." I blink, a curse welling up in my throat, my tone carefully controlled "Get back in the car and let me handle this." I then lock the door again and head to the door and mutter "If you want something done right, do it yourself." I went to the door, and it opened, revealing a a figure with a small, but very large blade on her back.

I draw my claymore, pointing it one handed at the figure, and then she spoke to me in a tone very reminescent of Weiss: "I don't want any trouble..." "That you caused when you and your parter hit this train. Now stand down, or prepare to use that weapon," I interrupted, my tone one of controlled anger. She then drew her weapon, her tone still relatively quiet, "I don't want to fight you, I just want to keep you safe." I charge up the claymore, the blade now glowing with power, "You'll have to fight me to convince me otherwise, peasant."

I then ran towards her and charged, our blades echoing with the impact as she blocked my claymore. As the blade hits, I see her legs buckle slightly under the force of the impact, but she held her ground. Clearly, it was going to hard fight.

Part II: A Dance of Death and Revelation
The fight ground on and she was starting to beat me back, the speed of her blows continually keeping me on the defensive. Once in a while, I'd create some distance with my claymore, but she'd close the gap on me again, continuing to  beat me back with her lightning fast strikes. The only sound I was aware of was my pulse thundering in my ears, and the train continuing on despite our duel.

My muscles were on fire, and large dents cratered the floor like meteor strikes. She continued to pour it on, and I was on my last bit of strength left. The girl beating me back, however, looked as if she still had a whole lot more fight left in her. I then came in with a one-two-three series of strikes, beating her back enough for me to move. As I came around for a decapitating blow she moved and I heard a faint click and then a small blade whirled over my right shoulder, leaving a tear in my uniform and sending a sharp lance of pain down my spine.


 * I can't go on like this...she's got me beat...

       As if to confirm my thoughts, I hear the crack of a gunshot and feel lance of pain rush up my spine again, and I see the small blade had bit into my shoulder. She then yanked me like a puppet on a string and I fell down like an axed tree on the floor, my blade spinning and impaling itself on the floor. I groaned, slowly getting off the floor and using my blade to help me stand. I then waited for the killing blow...but it never occured.


 * Why won't she kill me...she's won...

I coughed, still feeling weak and winded, and muttered "You've won...but you won't kill me..." She interrupted me, the forcefulness in her tone surprising me, "I just want you listen to me." I then ask an obvious question, "Mind telling me your name, my dear?" I coughed, my breath ragged from the fight. "My name's Blake, you jerk," she stated in an almost mocking tone, "You?" I gather what's left of my pride and muster a bit more energy "My name is Aleksander."

The air then grows silent, the tension hanging there like a fog. "You know, Schnee isn't going to be happy about what you did, Blake, and they'll hold me resposible..." She then gives me a stare that would have gone straight through steel, yelling at me "You work for her, after what she's done!?!?! You...you MONSTER!" I blink, geniunely taken aback by the statement "Her? I thought Lord Schnee was in charge..." She then whirled on me, slapping me hard in the face and sending me back to the floor, her face wearing an expression of wounded anger, "If you had any idea about what she did...you'd hate her like I do..." I then got up, feeling the sting of that slap as I slowly got up, using my blade to prop myself up again.


 * What does Blake mean...Who have I really fighting for...?

        The voice that came out of me was weak and quiet, "I just follow orders, like any soldier would..." She came back with a sharp retort, in that still soft voice "Even if it meant that innocent people had their livelihoods taken from them?" I went silent, the remark stinging me. It never struck me that I was serving a tryant. I was a mere knight, bound by an oath and name to protect and serve the kingdom and its interests.

I then ask the question rolling around in my head since she asked me that, "What's been going on here?" She looked at me, now getting that I knew nothing of what was really going on. She then told me everything, and my face changed from one of curiosity to shock, my mind reeling at the horrors of what was happening, and I suddenly felt betrayed.


 * Everything I did...was for a lie...it was all a lie...

I hung my head in shame, not feeling worthy of wielding my own blade. My morals were begging me to join this cause, but my heart was conflicted. My name, and my allegiance told me to go home. Right now, I didn't know what to do, a conflict raging in my head.

Part III: The Rise of a Hero and the Fall of Knight
I stood on my blade handle, unsure of what to do now. I looked at her, and to the men in th lead car. They were most likely wondering if I had killed her, or had at least stopped her. My mind then settled on an answer, and my morals felt better for it.


 * I'll let her live, let her wage their war on the people who betrayed me...It's the least I owe them...

I looked to her, my face still slightly contorted with pain, but my tone controlled "Go, leave this train and let me return to my home. I owe you that much." She looked to me, a bit brighter eyed and a whole lot less angry with me. She nodded taking her leave, and leaving me alone in the train car.


 * Everything I knew...I have to find out the truth...if only to clear out my conscience...

The last thing I heard as I collapsed to the floor was the sound of the train chugging along, my body willing me to go to sleep. I gladly let sleep take me, feeling as if I had bought my conscience some measure of peace.