Defeat

[11.30.00] » by Sir Laguna

This is my very fist Legend of Dragoon fanfic and I hope you all like it since it's about my favorite character in the game. This one takes place before the game when Lavitz was captured on one of his missions. It was also based on a poem that I wrote under the same name.

A group of trail-worn men hiked slowly along a wide dirt pathway. As they did, small droplets of water began falling from the gray sky, as if it were mourning. Well, that was what one of the men felt like doing.

Eight men walked along the now muddy path, all soaking in the rain. Two masked soldiers with leather brown uniforms lead the group in the front, with three more trailing not so far behind. They were escorting some prisoners they defeated a few days ago. The remaining men, three to be exact, were from the neighboring country to the North. Two wore deep blue uniforms with pieces of silver armor. These two hung their heads low. Their helmets protected them from the rain. The other man was not so lucky. His blond hair stuck to his forehead as the rain poured down the side of his face and onto his worn Serdian armor. His gloved hands with gauntlets that reached to his elbows were tied tightly behind his back. His armored legs sloshed in the water that was overtaking the trail. He hung his head in dismay. He knew where they were going. Hellena Prison, the prison of Hell.

One of the men with a deep blue uniform stumbled over a rock and fell. The soldiers ahead turned around quickly. The fallen soldier struggled to get up, but without the use of his arms, he couldn't. The guards behind him took the opportunity as an excuse to beat the crap out of him. The comrade of the fallen soldier looked dejectedly to the man beside him, his once proud leader. The blond haired man watched on as his anger began to build. The fallen soldier cried in pain as another kick landed squarely in his chest. The blond haired man couldn't stand it anymore and charged at the guards, head-butting one of them to the ground. Taken by surprise, the other guards pulled the furious blond man off of him and held him back. The lead guard cursed at the man and began punching him in the face. The blond haired man gave a cry as he was being pummeled.

The angry guard finally tired out as his fists grew sore and the blond haired man fell to knees as the others let go of him. "Sir Lavitz!" called the fallen soldier. The guards held him back as he stepped forward. Lavitz shook his head to keep from passing out from the pain. His head felt numb and blood trickled down from his nose. He hauled himself to his feet and glared at the guard who punched him with his pale green eyes. The lead guard gave a laugh and shoved Lavitz forward.

The pain in Lavitz's head dissipated as they neared Hellena Prison. The sight of the hellish structure dismayed him even more. All who come here will surely die, either by torture or worse. They led the three soldiers over the drawbridge and into the prison. Dripping wet, Lavitz looked around the depressing place. The air was thick with moisture from the rain. It was suffocating to breathe. The ceiling stretched forever up above, for this was actually a huge tower. He looked over to the last of his men. They were the only two who survived the ambush from the enemy, two out of forty good men who were under his command. The guilt pierced his heart. If only he hadn't been so foolish as to not to be more careful. He thought of his father, one of the greatest knights of Serdio. He wouldn't have made such a tactical error. As much as Lavitz wanted to, he would never live up to his father… and he knew that.

A very large man approached the captured soldiers. God, he was big. He was wearing a red cape that was too short for his girth and a bronze helmet with large curved horns. He might as well have been the devil himself. His hoarse voice echoed in the air to take them away. He laughed out loud as the Hellena wardens took them away. The higher-ranking warden had Lavitz taken to another cell away from the other soldiers; he wanted to personally torture the information out him. Two guards led the Serdian knight down the dank hallway. The cells were filled with people begging for mercy from the wardens. Some pleaded, others tried in vain to bribe the guards, most just cried.

The wardens untied his hands and quickly shoved him inside the dark cell. He landed with a grunt on the filthy floor. A warden slammed the cell door and locked it with a loud click. One stood guard by the door. Lavitz picked himself off the nasty floor and took in his surroundings; grimy, nasty floor with rat droppings, leftover rotting food in the corner, and a large pile of hay with a blanket on it. Not some place you would want to be. He sat himself on the hay and lowered his eyes. He thought about Bale, his hometown. Oh how he longed to go back to see his home. He even missed the well that was built in front of his house. He smiled sadly. The same well that he fell into while he was trying to fish when he was a kid. His mother was so worried. Mother… he missed her, too, most of all. She comforted him when his father died. He rubbed his nose with the back of his gloved hand. Blood covered his hand. He forgot about his bloody nose. This reminded him of his friend and king, Albert. They had been friends ever since they were children. Albert had once snuck out of the castle and had gotten into a fight with some bullies. Lavitz protected the young prince and had been beaten up. They'd been best friends ever since. Now that he was captured and in this hellhole, there was nothing the Serdian knight could do. He had let everyone down and disgraced his family name. His father's words crept into his angry and dismayed mind. "I would tear the flesh from my body to protect this country…" He mouthed the words out. That was how he felt too, wasn't it? He loved this country more than anything and he'd do anything to protect it, didn't he? If he died, who would protect it from Emperor Doel? No… No, he can't die yet. He still has others to think about. King Albert, his mother, the people of Serdio; he had to think about them, too. He quickly stood up and ran a gloved hand through his wet hair. He quietly tiptoed towards the door and saw the guard who wasn't paying attention. Knowing that this was his only chance, he charged the door with all his might. The door came down with a loud crack and the warden snapped around only to see Lavitz's grinning face before he was punched so hard that he fell unconscious instantly. Lavitz picked up the sharp spear that the guard was holding. With his desire to live and to protect what he loved fueling his spirit, he was going to get out of this hell, no matter what.