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Ramza's Hidden Feelings

by Kilakandra DiMenia

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Section 1

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Chapter One: Woes of a Former Noble
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Ramza stood in front of the altar in Orbonne Monastery, thinking to himself. He had just asked Agrias for some time alone in the monastery to relax.

"Go ahead, Ramza," she had said. "But I'm only giving you an hour."

An hour was more than enough time for Ramza; he only needed time to think. So many things were happening to him at once; it was very hard to think about anything when Gafgarion and Agrias were arguing their heads off right across you. Ramza had decided to leave them alone, as they looked as though they were on the brink of swearing at each other, and that would have made it even harder to think. He needed to sort out his feelings, especially the one that was most troubling him.

He could not belive Delita had joined the Nanten Knights. He was once so loyal to the Hokuten, and determined to protect the royal family. Why would he do something as low and as cheap as kidnap the Princess?

And then he thought about Ovelia herself. Would she be safe? Would she be killed? Whad does Goltana possibly want with her? Generally, he would not have been this preoccupied with onyone outside of the Beoulve family except Delita, but Ramza's feelings for Ovelia were much stronger than just friendship...

He had never loved anybody as strongly as he had loved Ovelia. Her abduction had caused two stong feeling to grapple with each other in Ramza's mind; his best friend was fighting for the enemy, and he had abducted the only person he had ever loved in his entire life. But what would Ovelia ever see in him?

Another "advantage" to being a Beoulve, Ramza thought bitterly.

Dycedarg had once told Ramza that Beoulves had certain advantages that commoners don't, and now Ramza saw what he meant. If Ramza were still a Beoulve, it would have been easier to tell Ovelia how he felt about her; after all, they were both nobles, his was just a slightly lower form of aristocracy. But now, for all anybody knew, he was nothing but a commoner, Ramza Ruglia, who at the moment was struggling to manage what little bit of money he had brought with him upon leaving Beoulve castle.

So what would Ovelia possibly see in some poor, lowly commoner like him?

Don't think that, Ramza, he thought to himself, not all nobles other than Beoulves are the same; the nobility structure isn't all made up of a bunch of Alguses. Besides, your personal feelings don't matter now; your duty is to save the Princess, and you wont do that by just standing here moping....

But yet..... he could not help thinking about Delita...

He remembered when he was seven, and Balbanes was attempting to teach them how to play the reed flute. Delita learned quickly, having been given a good head start at five, but Ramza had had a bit more trouble with it. "I give up father! I just can't do it!" he had said, tossing the blade of grass on the ground and pouting. Delita had watched him struggling with it, and had plucked a new blade of grass for Ramza. "Here, let me help, Ramza," he had said, and he'd taught Ramza the technique his father had taught him, so Ramza would have less trouble with it.

He also remembered when him and Delita first started at the Academy, as teenagers. Ramza was a bit scared to go in at first, wondering what all the other kids would think about these two awkwardly thin teenagers. Delita had given him many words of encouragement, things like what kind of men they would be when they walked out of those doors and into the real world, until he gained the courage to walk through those doors.

Delita was his best friend then, had been with him through thick and thin..... but not anymore. Now he was fighting against the Hokuten, against the royal family, against Ramza.

Ramza turned... and found himself standing in front of the altar. While thinking about Delita, he had somehow forgotten it was there, and he stared at it as though the had never seen it before in his life. Still thinking about Delita and Ovelia, Ramza dropped to his knees and, under a sudden urge, began to pray.

God, please keep the Princess safe.

And Delita. Please keep him safe too...


Tears began to come from Ramza's eyes, no matter how much he retained them, and Ramza found himself on all fours a moment later. He could not help thinking about that few seconds in which Delita had appeared; when he took the Princess; and his last words to Agrias.

"...Dont blame us. Blame yourself or God."

"Delita," Ramza said to himself, well aware that he was speaking out loud and that the tears were streaming down his face like two rivers, but he did not care at the moment. "Why, Delita? Why did you kidnap the Princess? Why are you affiliated with Goltana? Why----?

"Sir Ruglia."

Ramza quickly wiped his face, got up, and turned to see who had spoken. It was Rad, his apprentice.

"Sir Ruglia, Lady Agrias requests your presence."

Ramza was angry with both Rad and Agrias at that point; it had only been 45 minutes! But Rad had nothing to do with it, and Ramza decided it would not be a good idea to argue with Agrias. So Ramza said, as politely as he could, "Thank you, Rad," and followed him out of the church.


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Chapter Two: The Road to Dorter
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Ramza was surprised to see that he was glad to have left Orbonne early; what with Gafgarion and Agrias screaming at each other, he probably would not have been able to think any further anyway. He could tell they would both have been audible even with the door shut.

It was going to take a long while to get to Dorter from the monastery, so Ramza was sure they were going to stop and rest. That would be good, because then he would be able to release his troubles from his mind.

***

"All right, everyone. Let's go."

Agrias stood, ready and without fear. Alicia, Lavian, Gafgarion, Rad, and Ramza stood facing her with determined looks on their faces. At her order, they about-faced, and began to walk to Dorter.

Ramza was still preoccupied with the Princess. What could possibly be happening to her? Anybody could be doing anything to her at this point.

Oh please, just don't let her be dead...

He was so preoccupied that he was not paying attention to where he was going; at that moment, Ramza tripped over a stone in the middle of the road. He fell over and knocked down Lavian, who was right in front of him.

"Ouch! Ramza!"

"Sorry, Lavian, didn't see that stone..."

Ramza stumbled back on his feet, and helped pull Lavian up. He was heated now. God damn stone... shouldn't have been there while I was trying to think...

Agrias seemed not to notice; she, Gafgarion, Alicia, and Rad were still marching on. Highly embarrased, especially at the fact that something as small as tripping over a stone had gotten on his nerves, Ramza raced behind Lavian to catch up with the party.

***


Ovelia sat in the tent, her hands bound behind her, laying against the cloth wall. She wondered what this stange man would do with her, or even what he wanted with her. She thought he might kill her, but she did not like to think about things like that. So instead, she tried to find another reason for him abducting her.

She thought he was brave to try and demand a ransom, if that was what it was, especially with the Hokuten on constant watch for anyone suspicious-looking ever since the news had come out that she had been kidnapped. But before she could consider the matter even further, the flap of the tent opened.

Ovelia screamed.

The stranger had come back... and he was holding a knife!

When Ovelia screamed, the stange man clamped his hand over her mouth and tried to force her to turn around.

"Be queit... you're going to get us caught..."

"Why do I have to listen to you?! You're going to kill me!"

"No I'm not! I just tied this knot too tightly... I hate it when I do that..."

Ovelia finally stopped struggling, which allowed the stranger to cut the ropes binding her hands.

She turned to face him. The man was a bit taller than her, maybe about a two and a half inches shorter than Ramza, one of her guards. He had short brown hair, dark brown eyes, and he wore very attractive gold armor.

The sranger pointed at the exit. "Get out of here. I don't want to see you killed."

"But----"

"Why do you think I took you out of the monastery?" She hadn't noticed it when she was trying to get away from him, but the stranger also had a cool, calm, slightly flat voice, as though he always knew something someone else didn't, and was impatient that no one else knew by now. " I couldn't let the Hokuten get their hands on you. They don't wan't you alive. They belive that Orinas should be next in line for the throne. You are in the way."

"What? How? Why?" Ovelia was in shock.

"I can't tell you. That is all I know. Now get out, before the Hokuten arrive."

"But..."

Ovelia stopped suddenly. she saw a flash of light in the corner of her eye, like a fire... or a torch.

The stranger must have seen it too, because he yelled, "Damn it! I told you all that sreaming would get us in trouble!! Come with me!"

And taking Ovelia by the wrist, the stanger ran out of the tent.

***

Ramza sat watching the others sleep hours later. He could not sleep, as he was still thinking of Ovelia. He wondered where she was now, if she was still alive, if she was watching the same full moon he was...

Why couldn't he tell her before? Why couldn't he just say three words to her without his troat going dry? He felt even more embarrased now; just three words made him pratically stutter.

Trying not to think about that, he began thinking random thoughts.

How the world looks so much smaller on a map than in real life...

On a map of Ivalice, this journey only takes four minutes... but in the real world, it would take four days.

Caves of Narshe: Final Fantasy Tactics
Version 6
©1997–2024 Josh Alvies (Rangers51)

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