I said I wasn't going to write any more fanfiction. But, then Tales of Vesperia happened to me. The story behind this fic is that I was was watching First Strike with a friend who hasn't played the game, and she asked what the deal with Raven was. After explaining the situation with Raven's heart, she asked, "So, is that what Alexei wanted to do to Flynn?" I just stared at her for a few seconds because that had never occurred to me, but then I couldn't get the idea out of my head. Thus, this story was born.

I also want to point out that there are no ships in this story. There are, however, a lot of strong friendships which you could probably interpret as shippy if you wanted to.

Chapter One: Choices

To say that Flynn was angry with himself would technically be an accurate statement, but it was along the same lines as saying that the Sands of Kogorh could sometimes be uncomfortably warm. Nobody held Flynn to higher standards than he held himself, and so nobody could be more furious with his failure to notice Alexei's deception than himself.

He stood on the prow of the ship, staring out at the horizon. His talk with Yuri a few hours ago was still fresh in his mind. "He was there working alongside you this whole time, Flynn!" Yuri had said. "How could you possibly not know?" That question had been ringing around his head ever since they separated. How could he possibly not have known? How could he have been such a fool? He was so mad at himself for blindly following Alexei's orders, and he had no idea how he could ever make up for that.

Alexei hadn't always been like this, he told himself. When he started following him, Alexei really had been good, noble and worth his allegiance. Over time, he'd been corrupted from within, leaving only a thin shell of his former self for the world to see. Flynn had been so enraptured with that ideal commandant he hadn't even noticed that it was a façade. What perhaps disturbed him the most was that fact that Alexei truly had been noble once. He'd had such great aspirations to save the empire, just like Flynn did now. If corruption into an evil, power-hungry monster could happen to Alexei, who's to say it couldn't happen to Flynn himself?

"Sir?"

Flynn looked over at the familiar voice and then forced a casual smile onto his face. "Good afternoon, Sodia. Can I help you?"

"Sir, you've been standing here since we left Yormgen and haven't given any orders since telling the captain to set sail for Zaphias. The men are getting a little worried."

She didn't say it, but Flynn could tell from her expression that she was getting a little worried, too. "I'm sorry. I have a lot on my mind, but I didn't mean to worry anyone. Tell the troops that our prime objective is to find Master Ioder and secure the capital. I don't know where Alexei plans on going next, but we cannot allow him to take control of the capital. Protecting Zaphias is our number one priority."

Sodia nodded. "Very good, sir." She hesitated, not walking away just yet. Sometimes Flynn loved the fact that after working side by side for so long she could so readily predict his thoughts and orders, but sometimes it was aggravating. She could clearly tell there was something weighing on his mind, and didn't want to leave him when he was still so clearly upset. "Is there anything else, sir?"

Flynn sighed. "Sodia… I want you to watch my back."

Sodia frowned quizzically. "Sir?"

"I trust you to support me, but I also want you to keep an eye on me."

"Of course, sir," Sodia said. "I will always stand by your side."

"That isn't what I mean," Flynn said. "I don't want you by my side, I want you watching my back, so that you can stab me in it should I ever fall to corruption the way that Alexei did."

Sodia's eyes widened in shock. "Sir, that would never-"

"I'm sure Alexei never expected to turn to megalomania either. You are a good knight, Sodia. I trust you more than anyone else in the knights. This is an order: if I should ever falter from the path of justice, I want you to stop me." This was why he needed Sodia. He could trust Yuri with nearly anything, and Yuri would always be his truest and dearest friend, but the fact was that Yuri's method of justice gave way to a slippery slope that Flynn was too afraid to get near. If Flynn were to start slipping down that slope himself, he needed someone as straight and narrow as Sodia to pull him back up, not someone like Yuri who was already carefully navigating his way around it.

Sodia pulled herself upright and saluted. "Sir! I have every confidence that this eventuality will never happen, but if it does, you can count on me. I am honoured that you would entrust this to me."

"I also hope it will never come to that, but I will rest better knowing I have someone to stop me." Sometimes, he just really appreciated Sodia. After Yuri left the knights, he'd been lonelier than he had ever been in his entire life. Flynn wasn't very good at making friends, a fact he blamed on having met Yuri when they were little and then sticking together so closely that he'd never felt the need to make any other close friends. When Yuri had gone, he suddenly realized that he didn't actually know how to make friends. Having a reputation in the brigade for being a goody-two-shoes overachiever didn't help, either. His comrades trusted him unquestioningly on the battlefield, and everyone was friendly enough, but nobody ever invited him to the bar afterward and without Yuri to drag him along, he was too shy to go by himself.

When Sodia had joined, and she was just as driven and just as much a stickler for the rules, they got along instantly. She was his confidante when Yuri couldn't be there. At first he had feared that their relationship would fall apart when he got promoted and became her commanding officer, but he'd been stupid to worry. Sodia supported him every step of the way and had always been his most loyal and trustworthy subordinate.

Running footsteps approached, and Flynn turned around to see one of his men hurrying toward him. "Sir!" he said, pulling up short and giving a hasty salute.

Flynn pushed aside his personal troubles to snap into position as confidant captain. He couldn't let his men see their captain waver. "What's the situation, Corporal?"

"The Heracles has been spotted heading toward Baction, Captain," the corporal said.

"The Heracles? I thought that was still off the coast of Tolbyccia," he said, more to himself than the corporal.

Dammit, Flynn thought. The Heracles was Alexei's greatest weapon, and he had to go bringing it to the same place Yuri had just run off to. He probably had a small army of his Royal Guard on board as well, ready to fight off intruders at Baction. What had he sent Yuri into? Maybe he should have gone after Lady Estellise himself. Furthermore, why would Alexei need Heracles just to walk into a shrine? That behemoth had the power to take out an entire city… He thought back to what he'd said earlier about ensuring Alexei didn't get his hands on the capital and clenched his fists. Threatening to shoot the castle with Heracles if they didn't hand him the keys to the city would work quite well.

"What should we do, sir?" the corporal asked.

Flynn took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "It is imperative that Yuri's rescue mission at Baction succeed." He turned to Sodia and said, "Sodia, I need you to lead a platoon to Baction and help Yuri. Tell Lieutenant Briggs that when we reach Illyccia, he needs to lead our ships to patrol the sea around Zaphias. Under no circumstances can the Heracles be allowed to take aim at the capital."

"Yes, sir!" Sodia said. "What about yourself?"

"I will disembark and proceed to Master Ioder by myself. I trust my brigade to deal with the Heracles, but someone has to ensure the safety of his highness."

"Yes, sir," Sodia said again. "How do you propose we stop Heracles from aiming at the capital?"

Flynn had already started to walk away to find his lieutenants and relay his orders. He looked back and said, "I don't know. You'll figure something out. Ram it if you have to."

Flynn's horse stirred up a dust storm in its wake in his rush to reach the capital. There were members of Alexei's Royal Guard stationed all over the empire, even in the capital. What if kidnapping Estelle was just the first step in staging a coup? Even now his knights could be attacking the Council to take the castle in the name of Alexei. He had to reach Zaphias and ensure Ioder's safety.

Luckily, he could already see the glow of Zaphias' barrier in the distance. He kicked his horse, urging it to gallop faster. He felt bad for pushing it so hard, but the fate of the empire might rest in his reaching Zaphias in time. They'd unloaded the animal from the ship when they made port on the coast, and Flynn had ridden at a steady pace all the way inland. He only sped up now, when the end was in sight.

Flynn galloped across the plain toward the main gates of the capital. He didn't see any smoke or hear any commotion, so he let himself hope that nothing had happened yet. With any luck, the Royal Guard were biding their time until Alexei arrived, and he was probably still at Baction. He was almost at the gates now, and spotted movement as the guards jumped to their feet to deal with the man speeding toward the city. Flynn pulled back on the reins to slow his mount down a bit. There weren't usually guards on duty at the city entrances. Had they heard about Alexei's treason already?

Flynn got closer, and got a better look at their uniforms. His grip on the reins tightened when he saw that those knights wore blood-red – Alexei's colour. He had just started thinking of what he should do when he felt rather than heard a thud, and his horse jolted and let out a pained whinny. A second crossbow bolt rushed forward and sunk into the creature's shoulder, blood seeping out and staining its fluffy white fur.

Flynn clutched the reins as the creature whinnied and reared into the air, front legs kicking madly. Flynn clung on for dear life, the beast's muscles spasming as more crossbow bolts sunk into it. He needed to get off and get his sword so he could fight off Alexei's men, but for now all he could do was dig his fingers into the fur and hold on tight. The horse came back down on all fours and then bucked its rear legs, thrashing about to try to get the bolts out of its flesh.

His fingers slipped and with one violent thrash the creature flung Flynn from his saddle. He landed on the dirt with a heavy clank of armour, the breath knocked out of him. He couldn't move for a few seconds as he gasped for breath. After two more bolts hit his horse, the animal gave one final whinny and collapsed, toppling over right on top of Flynn.

Flynn grunted as the weight landed on him, pinning his legs to the ground. He had gotten his breath back, and tried in vain to push the dying creature off of him. Clanking footsteps told him that Alexei's knights were running his way. Flynn swore and then dug his fingers into the horse's side, gritting his teeth and straining his muscles to try to move it. He was mostly uninjured from the fall, but he couldn't fight if he couldn't get this damn thing off his waist!

He managed to move it a centimeter and the horse whimpered in pain. "I'm sorry," Flynn grunted, trying to move it further. He did feel bad for the animal, but he didn't have time to focus on that right now. The knights were almost upon him. He was certain now that they'd been expecting him to come for Ioder and prepared an ambush.

He glanced over at the knights. There was no time to get this animal off of him. He held up its weight with one hand just long enough to pry his sword loose. He got his sword out just in time, and swiped it at the first knight's legs. The knight jumped back, and Flynn only succeeded at making a loud clang as his sword struck greaves.

There were five knights. Flynn knew his chances weren't good. If he was on his feet he could probably take them, but all he could do from the ground was swing his sword around violently and hold them off. Perhaps someone from the city would hear the commotion and come to his aid.

A few of the knights now had blood running down their legs from cuts on their thighs, which gave Flynn some satisfaction. He'd held them at bay for about three minutes, which was honestly better than he'd been expecting. None of them were reaching for their crossbows, which Flynn took as a good sign. With him thrashing around like this it would be hard to ensure a non-lethal hit, so Alexei probably wanted him alive.

His luck ran out. One of the knights got too close, and before Flynn could knock him away the knight met Flynn's sword with his own. He drove Flynn's arm back and then stamped down on his wrist, grinding it into the dirt. As the knight increased pressure on his wrist, he was forced to release his sword and Flynn gritted his teeth in frustration. Two more swords appeared over his face, and Flynn let his head fall back into the dirt, accepting defeat.

Two knights grabbed his arms while three others lifted the now-dead horse off Flynn's legs. They pulled him out and to his feet, and then quickly brought his hands behind his back and handcuffed him.

"Captain Flynn Scifo, you are under arrest by order of the commandant."

Flynn took a deep breath to contain his anger. "What crime am I supposed to have committed?"

"Treason," the knight said.

"I have only ever been loyal to this empire. Your commandant is the traitor." The knights ignored him, leading him back toward the gates where their own horses were waiting. "Why are you still loyal to him?" Flynn asked. "Can't you see that his actions will lead to ruin?"

One of the knights hit him. "Silence! Do not speak ill of the commandant." He didn't hit hard enough to be painful, but it wasn't gentle enough for Flynn to bother trying to keep talking, either. Flynn sighed and glanced up at the spires of the castle, wondering how long it would be now before he could reach Master Ioder.

Flynn wasn't sure how long he sat in the jail cell. Probably no more than an hour, but he couldn't be sure. They were at a knight outpost just south of Zaphias, but no one was telling him anything. For all he knew, Alexei planned on keeping him locked in here until after all his plans had come to fruition.

He shifted on the wooden bench, trying to get comfortable. It didn't work. His injuries from his fall earlier had finally caught up with him, making his joints ache. He was pretty sure he'd bruised his tailbone, which made sitting on the hard bench quite literally a pain in the ass. On top of that, no one had bothered uncuffing his hands, and by now his arms were sore from being held behind his back for so long. He began to feel more sympathy for all the times Yuri had been roughed up by the knights and then tossed in jail, although at least Yuri usually deserved it.

The worst part was that he didn't know what was happening outside. Had Yuri successfully rescued Estellise? Had Alexei actually mounted an attack on Zaphias? Were his men alright? He needed to get out of here and figure out what was happening, but the cell didn't even have any windows. He wished Yuri were here. Yuri probably had loads of ideas for how to break out of jail – he spent enough time in them after all. That was something he rarely properly appreciated about Yuri. Even though all throughout their childhood Yuri consistently got them into trouble, he also consistently got them out of trouble afterward.

Heavy metallic footsteps echoed down the stone corridor outside Flynn's cell. He looked up curiously, hoping someone was finally coming to tell him what was going on. His expression hardened when he saw Alexei, and then his heart dropped into his stomach when he saw Estelle hovering in an orb of light behind him. Her body was limp, but she pulled herself together when she saw him. "F-Flynn!" she said. Her voice was strained and high-pitched, distorted by the field of aer surrounding her.

Flynn jumped to his feet. "Lady Estellise! Alexei, what is the meaning of this? Release Lady Estellise at once!"

Alexei gave him an amused look. "Rather demanding for a man in your position. Shouldn't you be more concerned about ensuring your own release?"

"Flynn, are you alright?" Estelle asked, giving him a worried look. The very fact that Estelle was still so worried about him when she was clearly in a much worse position broke his heart. That wasn't even counting the worry that ran through him when he realized Yuri's rescue attempt at Baction must not have been successful.

"I'm fine, Lady Estellise," he said. "Please, worry about yourself." He directed his attention to Alexei and said, "What do you intend to do with her?" Quite frankly, Flynn didn't care about himself right now. He didn't have time to worry about his bruised tailbone or sore arms when she was clearly in pain.

"Enough chit chat." Alexei raised an apatheia in one hand and the aer surrounding Estelle shone bright red. A hot flash of energy burst forth, accompanied by a scream of pain from Estelle, and Flynn flew backward, landing painfully on his tailbone once again.

Alexei unlocked the cell door and said, "The princess is of no concern at this moment. Now come with me; I have a proposition for you."

Flynn eyed him suspiciously, but he didn't have a lot of options at the moment. With a small grunt of pain he pushed himself back to his feet, which was difficult with his hands still locked behind his back. He exited the cell and glared at Alexei before turning his worried eyes on Estelle. Her body was limp again, her eyes half-lidded and her breathing slow and ragged. She slowly spun in circles within the orb like an abandoned marionette. When she passed him, though, her eyes flicked to him, so Flynn gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile. He'd find some way to get them both out of this, no matter what it took.

Flynn followed Alexei as he paced down the hall, back the way he had come. Trying to run would be useless. With his hands tied he couldn't go very fast, and this outpost had thick walls, locked doors, and was crawling with members of the Royal Guard. He might have better luck trying to escape by sprouting wings and flying away.

"You are a good knight, Captain," Alexei said. "You're possibly the youngest person in imperial history to reach the rank of captain. It would be a shame to waste such a precious resource. You're going to work directly under me from now on."

"I don't think so," Flynn replied coolly. Just yesterday, the very idea of taking up such a tone with the commandant would be unthinkable. Now, especially seeing Estelle floating lifelessly behind him, it was all he could do to keep his tone icy and not give in to fiery rage.

"You misunderstand. I was not giving you the option, I was telling you what is going to happen."

"If you think I will ever accept orders from you again after everything you've done, you're crazier than I thought." He felt awful enough about following those orders in the past, so there was absolutely no way he would ever do such a thing in the future. Even the excuse that he hadn't known any better didn't pacify him, because he should have known better.

"You have been most useful to me over the years, Captain. I was quite disappointed to see you turn your back on me this morning at Yormgen. Out of respect for your service, I will give you an option." They stopped at the end of the corridor by a door that led to a central courtyard. "Continue to serve me loyally and without question, and I will release you immediately to take your place in the Royal Guard."

Flynn didn't even have to think about his answer. "No. Absolutely not."

Alexei nodded slightly. "Very well. I was not actually expecting you to agree, but I thought I should offer. It's alright, though. I have another plan for you."

He opened the door and led Flynn out into the courtyard. A handful of knights stood ready, not that Flynn was stupid enough to try to escape from here anyway. Flynn didn't have to ask what that other option was when he saw a gallows set up across the yard. An empty noose swung ominously in the slight breeze. Flynn's feet froze and his blood ran cold. He couldn't say this was entirely unexpected, but the threat of imminent death would send shivers through anyone.

Alexei saw him staring and said, "I don't suppose you'd like to change your answer?"

Say yes, a small voice in his brain whispered. It was tempting to give in to that voice, because that voice was the animal instinct that pushed for self-preservation at all costs. He wanted to say yes because Flynn did not want to die. He really, really did not want to die. There was so much left for him to do in this world, so many things he had yet to accomplish. He was only twenty-one, for heaven's sake!

Flynn took a deep breath and lifted his chin. "No," he said in a firm voice. He couldn't do it. He would not serve Alexei willingly, and if he had to choose between that and death, he didn't actually consider the former an option. "If you plan to kill me, then so be it. I will die with my honour intact."

"A white knight to the end, I see," Alexei said. "It takes a special kind of fool to choose his own demise when offered the chance to live."

It was beginning to look like both he and Estelle wouldn't be getting out of here alive after all. But, he wouldn't give up hope that she at least would be rescued. If he died, either Sodia or Yuri would pull through for Estelle. He was sure of it.

"F-Flynn…" Estelle's voice was small and weak, and Flynn's heart nearly broke in half when he looked over and saw her face.

He had accepted the fact that he was going to die, but he wished Estelle wasn't here to see it. That was just cruel. He tried to keep a smile on his face as he met her eyes, to reassure her that he was alright and that he wasn't scared. He wasn't sure how well he pulled it off, because in actuality he was so scared his hands were trembling and he had never been a very good liar.

"If you refuse to serve me, then I have no more need of you." Alexei gripped Flynn's arm and forced him to walk with him across the courtyard toward the gallows. As they walked, Alexei said, "By the way, before you die you should know the fates of your little friends you sent to Baction."

Flynn glanced at him, trying to keep the fear off his face. He was determined not to let his composure fall.

"That little band of fools was buried alive and crushed by the falling rubble when the shrine collapsed on top of them."

For a few seconds, the world seemed very far away. No, he thought to himself. If Alexei had proof that they were killed, if he'd seen the bodies, he'd gloat about that. There was still the chance that they had gotten out alive. After all, getting trapped in a collapsing building carried a lot less finality than hanging. If anyone could find some way to get out of there alive, it was Yuri. Yuri would find a way out, rescue Estelle, and stop Alexei from whatever his grand scheme was. If he was going to die now, at least he could die knowing that Yuri would see to it that their dream of a reformed empire would come to be.

They reached the base of the gallows and another knight stepped forward.

"I'm afraid this will not be without pain for you, Flynn," Alexei said. "A typical execution carried out by the knights will snap the victim's neck right away, but I need your body fully functional afterward so this might be a bit prolonged."

Flynn glared at him in alarm, not sure what Alexei meant by needing his body afterward. Did Alexei plan on doing something with his corpse? Logically he shouldn't care because he'd already be dead, but even imagining what he might use him for made his flesh crawl. At the very least, he had hoped Alexei would allow him to die with dignity.

The knight led him up the steps of the wooden platform and directed him to stand over the trapdoor. His heart pounded in his chest, so loud he wondered if his executioner could hear it. He tried to calm his nerves. There was no use fighting like a cornered animal now. If he was going to die, he was going to do it with honour. He'd always had a feeling he'd die with his uniform on, although he'd hoped it would be on the field of battle. At the very least, he wouldn't give Alexei the satisfaction of pleading for his life.

"Flynn!" Estelle's voice screeched across the courtyard. She pressed her arms outward as if that would help her escape from the sphere she was imprisoned in. "Flynn, no, Flynn!" The light from the aer shimmering around her glistened off her tear-streaked face.

"Be quiet, girl," Alexei said, raising the apatheia again. Estelle screamed in pain as the orb flashed with light, and then she fell silent again, limp as a rag doll.

The knight brought the noose around Flynn's neck and tightened it. From down below, Alexei asked, "I'm afraid I can't dally. The princess and I have an appointment in Zaphias. Any last words, Captain?"

Flynn considered for a moment. He could say something to Estelle, maybe give her a message to pass on to Yuri when he rescued her. What could he say, though? What could he possibly say as appropriate last words to the best friend who was like a brother to him? Nothing, he thought. There was nothing to say to Yuri. Nothing he could sum up in a few pithy words, and nothing that Yuri didn't already know. Instead, he took a deep breath, and then spoke slowly and carefully to make sure his voice didn't tremble. "It is against the law to execute a man without a trial."

Alexei laughed. "I am the commandant. I am the law."

"And that is why you will never be a just ruler."

Alexei smirked, and the next time he spoke, it was to the knight. "Drop him."

Flynn braced himself. All day, things had been happening so first. First Yormgen, then worrying about Heracles and Baction, and then getting ambushed by the Royal Guard outside of Zaphias. Just this morning he'd had complete confidence in Alexei, and now the bastard was smirking at him as he was about to hang for the crime of not mindlessly following him in his quest for world domination.

Then, in these last few moments, the seconds started slowing down for the first time all day. He became acutely aware of the breeze that rustled his hair and the prickle of the rough rope around his neck. The smell of dead grass filled his nose, and somewhere nearby a bird sang, apparently not aware of the solemnity of the moment. The world seemed so bright and inviting, and he didn't want to leave it yet. The last uninterrupted thought to cross through his brain was, I never got around to asking Yuri to teach me how to play poker.

Then the knight pulled the lever, and Flynn dropped through the trapdoor.