Disclaimer: I own nothing, both the Dark Souls franchise and Familiar of Zero series belong to their respective owners.

You know, all things considered, today has gone well. For once I was the center of attention, and it was the good kind of attention. So many things had gone right. My familiar had shown his honor in defending the maid, commoner or not, she was falsely accused, and no noble should allow that to go unpunished.

He had stopped me from embarrassing myself in front of the entire academy. I can't believe I almost bowed down and apologized to that blonde, wimpy, two-timing womanizer! Luckily, I actually hadn't bowed, which was the most important part. No one could hold that over my head.

Most of all, he had displayed his strength for the entire academy. He utterly embarrassed Guiche, a strong mage in his own right, despite his many, many faults.

Yes, today had gone well, which was why I didn't care too much that I was now in the headmaster's office, the headmaster himself staring me and my familiar down from his side of the desk. I sat at one the chairs in front of him, while my familiar, due to his size, leaned against the wall behind him.

I stole a glance at him, and as I expected, he looked thoughtful, irritated, and respectful, all at the same time. How he managed it all in one look, I'll never know. He was just so… so incredible. I mean, he tore apart Guiche's golems, taking no serious injuries and without any magic, aside from the one lightning bolt.

How did he do that anyways? He didn't chant, and even if he did, I had never heard of any mages actually being able to form a real honest to goodness lightning bolt in their hand! Normally they just channeled the lightning through a catalyst, it couldn't just be held like that.

That brought up another thing; he didn't even need a wand to cast spells!

And I summoned him! Me! I almost couldn't wait to see Kirche's face, since she was present at the duel, when I asked her what she thought of my familiar. Of course, that was much too shallow for being my main reason for being so happy.

A familiar was a representation of a mage's power. It's why generally square mages summoned dragons, griffins, and other such creatures, while line and circle mages would summon weaker familiars, like an owl or a frog.

And from what I saw of my familiar, he was incredibly strong. Not to mention if what he said was true… the implications of that would be incredible!

Mother would be pleased with my familiar, that I was sure of.

I was pleased, which was even more important. I had thought at first I'd summon something rather underwhelming, maybe an owl, a rodent, something that didn't scream amazing.

Luckily, I was proved wrong. I summoned something amazing, and I knew that things were only going to improve from here on out.

"So," The headmaster spoke at last, snapping me out of my thoughts, "do you know why I brought you two here?"

I shook my head, though I had a suspension it was about the duel. My familiar voiced the same thoughts, defending his actions with words, and he seemed ready to defend it with more than words if needed. "If it is regarding my actions moments ago, I will not back down. My motives were just, as were my actions."

The old headmaster gave Ornstein a long look, seemingly bored. With an eyebrow raised, he spoke, "What, you thought that's why I brought you two here?" I bobbed my head, my familiar doing the same.

The headmaster laughed, leaning back in his old, comfortable chair, "No, this place needs some excitement, and besides, no one was really hurt. No harm no foul, I say."

I agreed; it's not like anyone died or anything. Guiche needed to be humbled. By the Founder, half the students here needed to be humbled! Sure, they were nobles, but most came from more minor noble families.

The smile fade from the Headmaster's face slowly, though he seemed disappointed at having to take on a more serious look, his eyes narrowing, "I have brought you two here for a different reason," he spoke, "It is regarding the… interesting issue of who you are, sir…?"

"Ornstein," my knightly familiar replied, "the Dragonslayer." I noticed some irritation in his voice, though I couldn't quite tell why.

He probably was disgusted at being told what to do. I mean, he called everyone 'human', no respect what so ever. It was odd, he demanded respect, but didn't seem to give it out. Most nobles understood that to get respect, you had to give it as well. No one liked someone who was demeaning of everyone else's accomplishments.

The headmaster nodded, "Yes, yes, Sir Ornstein, I'm afraid we still aren't sure just exactly who you are, unfortunately."

Oh, that's right. I had nearly forgotten that we had been trying to identify him with all that had happened. He was definitely a noble, I had discovered that easily enough by the way he talked and the way he fought. No commoner would be able to get that sort of training.

My familiar against the wall spoke once more, his voice smooth as silk. He was at complete ease with the situation. "Well, if that is the issue, then it is hardly an issue at all; none here know of me, of my tales."

"Of course not," The Headmaster interrupted, waving a pipe that I only now noticed around as he spoke, "that's the whole issue. Now-" Ornstein raised his hand, cutting the headmaster off from his speaking, "Allow me to finish, if thou would be so inclined."

I clenched my fists, he was a knight; he should be more respectful! Not that I said anything, I didn't want to be on the other side of his anger, especially after what he did to Guiche. I doubt anyone wanted to be on his bad side.

I'd much rather stay on his good side, which seemed like an up-hill battle at this point; I didn't need to make it worse by making comments about his lack of respect, as much as it irked me to ignore it.

"Now, as I way saying, there is a very good reason for thy people not knowing of I," my familiar continued, "and that is because I come from distant lands, beyond the… holy lands, I believe thy kind called them."

H-He came from beyond the holy lands? B-But that was impossible! The only other known race was the elves! Well, it wasn't too far-fetched. We had never actually explored beyond the holy lands, because of the elves. It was certainly possible that other races lied beyond.

And it made even more sense that a race filled with strong beings, such as my familiar, could survive among the elves. I'm sure there were brutal battles fought every day, but both were probably at a stalemate. It actually made a surprising amount of sense, now that I thought about it.

"Do you now?" The headmaster stared my familiar down, his eyes sharp and aware. I stole a peek at my familiar, and saw he as well had steeled over, his face showing nothing while his lips moved. I imagine he managed that skill from his many years of being involved in politics. He did say he was a captain, and most captains in the military dealt with politics in one way or another.

"Thou question my word?" It was a challenge, I knew that much. I had to agree with my familiar here, nothing suggested that him coming from beyond the holy lands to be far-fetched. It was certainly more believable than him coming from another world!

The headmaster sighed, leaning back. Words flew from his lips once more, "I suppose not; however, this does bring up some issues as well, very serious issues."

My familiar raised an eyebrow, indicating for the headmaster to continue. He obliged, taking an inhale of his pipe before speaking. "Well, you're the first to come from the holy lands that's not an elf. The council will want to get their hands on you."

Ornstein nearly scoffed, but seemed to catch himself. Instead he spoke, his voice venomous, "if thy kind dare think they can interrogate I, they are deftly mistaken."

I held my tongue, the princess would never approve of people just coming to take him and interrogate him… but he didn't know the princess like I did. I couldn't be too harsh. I knew a barbarian country like Germania wouldn't hesitate to do the same.

But we weren't Germania, and I'd have to explain that to him after this meeting.

The headmaster nodded, brows furrowing. "And that is where the problem lies. Now, if they learn you hail from the beyond the holy lands, they will try to take you, and there's nothing I can do about that." He paused, seeming to consider other variables as well.

He continued a moment later, "That's not to mention when they learn of your equipment, which they will naturally assume you stole from a noble. However, I can perhaps… weave a lie, if it'd save me from more paperwork."

Ornstien let out a charming, rich yet silent chuckle that I imagined would save him many times throughout his life. He spoke, "Oh yes, I understand thee well, human. Paperwork was always a common foe of mine, one I could never beat. I could slay the mightiest of dragons, demons, and much more, but my valor and my spear could do nothing against such a thing as paperwork. I much prefer battle, really. "

"Is that how it is now?" The Headmaster questioned, intrigued. He took an inhale of his pipe, breathing the smoke out a moment later.

"Yes, by Gwyn yes," Ornstein answered, his voice tired yet joyful, "None of my comrades understood just how difficult my leadership position was; I had to write up the battle plan, do the paper work to get it approved, sign other documents that were pending approval, and still had to continue my many other duties. It was absolutely awful. Artorias always found if quite humorous, as he did with all unfortunate things that were bestowed upon me."

The headmaster let out a chuckle himself, speaking "Yes, the council is quite the same; they all think it's so easy, but they're part of a council. They've never had to handle a true work load like us!"

Ornstein nodded and spoke, "The ignorance of those in positions of power never ceases to amaze me. Luckily, they've never been the absolute power from where I hail. I can only wish it is the same here."

With one last chuckle, the headmaster continued to speak, though his eyes never lost their spark, "Be that as it may, if I am to deceive the council, I need a few things from you, both of you, actually."

I nodded, "Of course Headmaster," I said, stealing a peek at my familiar. He seemed ready for whatever it happened to be that was needed. I found it odd that he could change from more casual conversation to a… well, a soldier so easily.

The only thing I could do was to hope I could get him to act more, well, normal around me. He was very proper around me, but he was talking to the headmaster a moment ago as if they hadn't just met each other. I guess it was because they had something in common; their hatred in paperwork.

What did me and my familiar have in common? I couldn't think of anything.

"Now Miss Vallerie, the circumstances of your summon are anything but common. Sir Ornstein here is a person, which makes everything much more difficult, and he also comes from beyond the holy lands."

The headmaster stood from his chair, walking over to one of the windows as he spoke. His voice was grave, so I absorbed everything he said as he spoke. With age come wisdom, and my mother always taught me that the best way to learn was to remain quiet and listen while others defended different approaches to a situation.

"This country is my home, and sadly it is plagued with many problems. Things are brewing Miss Vallerie, make no mistake, and if word gets out about Ornstein, this country will erupt into chaos."

He paused for a moment, turning towards me, speaking once more, "That is why you must never speak a word about Ornstein's homeland, his past, anything. Not just for your sake, but for his, and this entire country. Do you understand?"

I nodded. This was a bit much to take in. I knew the country wasn't in the best of shape right now, people doubted the Princess, who was soon to take the thrown. They were fools; the princess was very bright, strong, and loyal. None of them actually knew her, what she had to deal with daily.

And as much as it pained me, I knew it wasn't just the commoners who thought this. Some nobles did too. They were hardly nobles, though, to doubt their ruler… this was one of the things I believe my familiar would agree on.

He seemed to believe very highly in authority, in honor, and there was no greater dishonor than mutiny.

None the less, I understood very well what the headmaster meant. People would jump at the chance to find something to get rid of the princess, and somehow if word of Ornstein got out, not only would other countries take action, but my very own country would take action. After all, it'd be pretty hard to pass up the idea that Tristan was hiding an ally to the elves.

I would keep my lips sealed, not for my sake, but for the sake of the Princess.

"Very good, and now to you, Sir Ornstein," he looked the giant of a man up and down for a moment, sighing soon there after, "Unfortunately, I'm not sure how we can keep you on a low profile. With such extravagant armor, your giant size, and your fine spear, it will be impossible really."

Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Nothing ever was. Really though, how were we going to hide him? He was a giant in body and honor. He wouldn't hesitate to jump in and defend someone, like he did Siesta. If I took him to town and a fight broke out, there'd be no hiding him. For that matter, there was no hiding him anywhere. He had already become known to everyone here after one battle, and it hadn't even been three days!

"As it stands," he continued, "the council will demand an investigation on both you and your familiar Miss Vallerie, once they learn that he hails from beyond the holy lands or that he has such extravagant gear. People don't like what they don't understand, Miss Valliere."

The old headmaster began to stroke his long, white beard, still speaking. "While it is practically impossible to keep the council from having interest in you, I can do something else which will take care of some of our problems." I nodded, eager for whatever he had in mind.

He turned to me, "Miss Valliere, I understand that your familiar might be in need of some armor in order to properly protect you, as his duty as a familar states he is required to. Now, Mr. Colbert has been developing something for quite a while, very fine armor, glows in the sunlight, made of bronze, and we require someone to… test it, before we can bring it to the council for approval."

"By Gwyn, this sounds like an Artorias plan. Stupid enough to work." My familiar spoke, his voice a mere mumbled whisper; I had barely caught that. Before I had time to contemplate what he meant by that, the headmaster continued speaking.

"I understand this is quite a lot to ask, but if you are willing to accept, we will throw in something more, a wonderfully crafted spear, very similar to the one Sir Ornstein is holding now," he finished, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

This, while not exactly a scholar like plan, was something I would have never thought of. Ornstein's armor and spear would be shown as a project Mr. Colbert had been working on, and given the many different inventions he experimented with, it wasn't hard to believe.

And, due to it being sold to me and given to Ornstein, my familiar, the council couldn't legally order an investigation on me in order to interrogate him, and if they did, they'd face my mother's wrath, which would stop many, many people from trying anything.

I gave Ornstein a look, and saw a small frown on his face. He didn't seem very fond of the plan, and judging from what he said earlier, he probably thought it was stupid and didn't want to be part of it. Well, that was too bad, because I couldn't find anything wrong with the plan. He'd have to deal with it, like a good familar should! I smiled, turning towards the headmaster and speaking, "I graciously accept your offer, Headmaster."

"Perfect. Since you're a student here, I'm willing to give you a small discount. How does 50 new gold coins sound?" The headmaster asked, and I nodded, speaking, "That sounds fair. And besides, I am a noble, I can afford it."

"Then the deal is done. If thou does not mind, I would like to leave this room and it's foolishness." My familiar spoke with a groan. Was this plan really so bad? He probably just thought himself too good for it. Stupid familar, way too confident for his own good. He turned towards the door and began waking towards it.

I saw Ornstein tense up, silence overtaking the room. "Yes," Ornstein spoke as he slowly approached the door, his steps quiet, "such a plan is unworthy of my presence..." With a flash, the door was opened, revealing nothing. He seemed confused, but I was more annoyed if anything.

Letting go of a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, I wanted to curse. Stupid familiar, he had to go and make everything tense for no reason. Still, from the look on his face, I could tell he really thought he heard, or saw, something. "Uh, Ornstein," I spoke, "perhaps you should go to the nurses, you did make a quick recovery, maybe you're stilld hurt."

He shook his head, speaking, "No, no, my head is fine, I am just being… paranoid." It seemed like he didn't even believe what he was saying.

I shared a look with the headmaster, hoping he might order Ornstein to go to the nurse or something similar, but he merely shrugged. My eyes bore into the back of my familiar's head, and I knew I wouldn't be able to do anything to get him checked out. I doubt his pride would allow him to consider that he might actually be hurt.

"Very good then," the Headmaster announced, his voice oddly entertained despite what just happened, "Now get out of my office, I'm a busy man you know!" I saw Ornstein shake his head again, and though he seemed uncomfortable, I was just glad it was over. As we left, him ducking beneath the doorway, I spoke. "I had no idea the headmaster was so… politically sneaky."

"With age comes wisdom, child. And believe me, that human was old." I laughed, Ornstein giving a small smile at the soft noise.

I tried some more conversation as we left to Mister Colbert's laboratory to retrieve my familiar's armor, but he didn't seem to pay attention to what I was saying, too lost in his thoughts it seemed. I imagine it had something to do with what he thought he saw.

"It's okay you know," I spoke, and he gave me an odd look, "What is okay, child?" I glanced away, and my hand reached to rub my arm, "What you thought you heard or saw back there, if it wasn't really there, it's nothing to worry about. You've had a long day, it's, uh, probably just the stress."

A heavy sigh escaped his lips, and he finally made eye contact with me. "Perhaps thou are correct, but I have long since learned to trust my senses…" He left the statement hanging as he broke eye contact, and I decided there was nothing I could do if he wouldn't bother listening.

Fine, if he wanted to worry about nothing, he could do it all he wanted, so long as it didn't affect his duties.

It was hard to stay mad at him though, probably because he was almost twice as tall as me, but it was also more than that. I had a feeling today was the first of many changes that were going to occur, all thanks to him.

Maybe I'd finally start casting spells properly; maybe I'd get some of the respect I deserve not only as a noble, but as a Valliere. I wondered if he could maybe teach me something, but decided that was crazy. He said he wasn't a mage, he couldn't teach me anything.

Still, with all the steps forward, one step back wasn't too bad.

Yes, today had gone well, that was for sure.

After Ornstein had retrieved and donned his armor, looking even more menacing and imposing than before, we left Mr. Colbert's laboratory and went back to my room, which was where we both now were, Ornstein against the wall and me on my bed, talking about anything and everything.

"…What thou must understand about Dragons," Ornstein spoke, "is that they are the smartest beasts thou will ever meet, which makes them all the more deadly. A single dragon could match ten of my comrades."

I nodded, absorbing everything he told me. We had been doing this for a while, getting to know each other, though he didn't let out anything too personal. I didn't either.

He was interesting, I'd give him that. Tales of slaying stone, immortal dragons, or slaying demons that once lived in a place he called "Izalith". I had tried to squeeze more information about him out, but he never directly answered.

Oh well, one step at a time.

"Now, you keep mentioning one dragon," I said, "Seth or something right?" He nodded, "Yes, Seathe the Scaleless, the dragon who betrayed his own and played a vital role in freeing my kind from the dragons' rule."

"He was a fine being, for a dragon, very intelligent. He led the way for magical advancements in my homeland, as well as other devices. He served as Gwyn's duke throughout his stay in his archives," He continued, "and was well respected by myself and the other knights, and certainly by our very own Lord Gwyn."

"Sadly," My familiar explained, his voice becoming sorrowful, "the others did not extend the same courtesy. Havel the Rock, a well-respected general of Gwyn and a personal friend, absolutely despised all dragons, but Seathe even more so."

He paused for a moment, considering his next words I guessed. Finally he spoke, "He was not alone in his endeavor either. Many of the other beings who resided in Anor Londo detested the dragon's presence. Some even walked along the thin line between treason and precaution."

"Never allow thy prejudices to blind thine reason. I have seen even the best of men fall to this, and it is not something I ever wish to see again, human or no."

There was a long pause between his last words and his next, and I can't say it wasn't uncomfortable.

He finally continued, this time moving away from himself and onto me, "Enough of I however, my desire is to learn of thou, and how to best utilize my skills to assist thee."

I nodded, thankful for the change of subject. "Well…" I began, "I'm not sure to be honest." He gave me a long look, and a part of me wished he had that helmet on so I didn't have to stare at his eyes, which begged the question "why not?"

"Listen, it's not that I haven't thought about it- it's just you won't do most of what I need you to do! You're a knight, and it's not like I'm in constant danger… I don't really know what to use you for." Ornstein rubbed his head in frustration.

After a moment of silent, he spoke. "If thou cannot figure out the best way to utilize my skill for thy uses, I shall do it myself. Firstly, let us establish what you excel and are subpar at."

"And be honest." I bowed my head; this was going to be a long list…

After multiple re-examinations of my answers, Ornstein seemed to have come up with both my strengths and my weaknesses.

"So, let us review: thy saber skills are non-existence, thy magic skills are less than terrible, thy health is about what I'd expect from a human, thou can decide the implications of that, thy list of comrades is terribly thin, very few resources for us to use, and thou have a definite anger issue. Did I miss anything?" Ornstein asked.

"…No…" I answered, resisting the urge to bang my head against the wall.

"Very good, onto thy strengths," Ornstein said, and I prepared myself for an underwhelming list. "To start off, thou art a hard worker, very determined, thou understand concepts well- it's the application that is the problem-, thy confidence is admirable, and thou seem to be an honorable person, although misguided. That seems to be it."

Well, it was about as underwhelming as I figured it'd be. I brought my eyes up to Ornstein, and saw that he had a conflicted look on his face. "I will guide thee, improve upon thy skills. I shall serve thou with honor, as I believe I was sent here to do by my Lord. It seems the best way to utilize my unique skill set."

I nodded, excited but dejected.

It wasn't that I wasn't grateful, I was. It's just, well, I had been tutored by a lot of people. It had never actually changed anything, I was still the same failure at magic as I was when my first tutor came along. Still, Ornstein was quite different from any of my previous tutors, so it was unfair to assume he couldn't help me in any way.

If anything, I could probably learn from him more political stuff, though without being a strong mage, I'd never grow to anything great. Why did I have to be so bad at magic? It wasn't fair! How come Kirche got to be the prodigy mage?

Before I could lose myself in thoughts anymore, it seemed Ornstein wasn't done, as he continued speaking, "Thou have the potential to be great, but thou art not striving to be great. Thy goals are to achieve mediocrity, yet thou lie to thyself and say thee want nothing but greatness."

Why that no good familiar… he doesn't know anything! I don't strive for greatness? He barely even knows me, yet he's acting as if he's been around me my whole life!

I had done nothing but strive to be the best. Kirche didn't stay up late, studying over and over for a spell, memorizing everything about it! But it just came to her! I've tried everything, and he acts like I've just sat around as my classmates excelled!?

"Thy confusion at my words is to be expected. Thou will understand as thou proceed throughout your journey as my pupil. I shall be tough and harsh, for anything but is for those who wish only to be average."

He let the words sink in, and I tried to re-examine what he had said before. Maybe I could impress him if I figured it out.

"The road to greatness is through discipline, honor, and determination. I believe thee to posse all of these traits, but they need to be forced out." He paused, examining his words carefully.

"Whether thou wish to accept my proposal or not is irrelevant, for both of us already know thy answer." It was true. If this hinted at even a chance for me to get better, I'd jump at it. I jumped at anything that would help me. While it seemed they rarely worked, it was the hope that kept me trying.

"I shall work to establish a schedule, and first I wish for you to reach a physical acceptable level. To be frank, thy health and fitness is worse than any human I've ever met. No muscle, no meat; I doubt you could even run around this academy without getting winded."

I thought about any responses, but he was right. I couldn't run around the academy without getting winded, but it wasn't like I was alone there. Most of the other students couldn't do it either.

"For now, however, thou require sleep. Tomorrow we will not begin thy lessons, but the day after we shall. Enjoy what rest thou can achieve now, child." Ornstein stopped at that, and I nodded.

I didn't doubt his words; he would be tough on me, and I'd probably come to hate him. But I understood why he'd do it. Mother was always harsh on those who she taught in private lessons, and those were some of the best mages I had ever seen.

While I may not like what was in store, I didn't doubt it'd be at least somewhat successful. I could only hope it was, at least.

Sup people! Sorry it took me a bit long to update this, I've been stupid-busy lately. Think about this schedule for a second: Greek Dance practice every day for two weeks, roughly 4 hours each, then my Church's Greek Festival. Then we had a big party at my house the very next weekend, so I spend the week before that doing some cleaning, and a few days after that doing some more cleaning.

My friend also hung out the entire weekend, and he lives out of state, so I didn't get much in the way of sleep. Think 4 all-nighters. Got probably 8 hours of sleep total during that weekend. Then my boy scout troop finally got our merit badge workbooks in, so I've been working on completing my merit badge worksheets. I have summer camp this Sunday, but after that I've got two free weeks.

I'm actually somewhat uncomfortable with how this chapter turned out. It read somewhat awkward to me, but I just wanted to get an update out. Hopefully it isn't too low on the quality side of things.

Anyways, onto reviews! I'm done with my own pity-party.

Barney Stinson: It's not that he's uptight. He's just not comfortable around anyone currently. Think about it, the person he's closest to currently is Siesta, and their not even close. Ornstein will get more lax as time goes on and he gets to know the cast.

Deimos99340: When there is free time, and mind you, I get a fair bit of free time. This month was more of an exception really. When school starts back, keep in mind I only go to school two days a week, the rest is homework. Thus I'll have plenty of time to try and keep updates on a two week basis, which is what I'm aiming for. Three weeks at the most.

Fierdin: Thanks for pointing out my mistakes, and I assure you none of that was intentional. Regarding underselling Lordran's magical achievements, I don't actually think I am. Really, nothing about magic really impresses me. Sure, power wise, they probably match Familar of Zero, but as you said, Familar of Zero has much more to offer, thus I'm upping their magical power. Magic isn't the power in Lordran. In Louise's world, it is, so makes more sense to me it'd be more powerful.

The only magic that truly impresses me and blows everything Familar of Zero has out of the water power wise is Abyss magic.

Regarding Colbert, I'm actually re-reading the novels. It has been quite some time since I last read 'em, so some things are a bit fuzzy. Still, I'm going to stick with the general power scale I threw out. Even that part about Logan being more 3/4ths of Seathe's power. I think it actually lines up pretty nicely, all things considered.

Maybe I don't have a good grasp, but I wouldn't have a better grasp if I didn't publish this story. My goal with this story is to improve my writing skills, I don't expect everything to be perfect. However, that's what I'm striving for, so you keep pointing things out, and I'll try to keep myself from making the same mistakes again.

Rc1212: I hope this chapter mostly answered your question. I despise paper-thin characters, so it's certainly not my goal to make anyone like that. I'm going to flesh out Guiche's character, Mount's, Fonquet's, that's the goal. Whether I flesh them out well is another thing entirely, but lets hope for the best, shall we?

How would Ornstein respond to void magic? Well, I'd probably reveal a bit too much of what I have in mind if I answer that in any more depth than this. He'd compare it to abyss magic, as you probably suspected.

Alright, that's it. See you guys next time, which hopefully isn't in a month this time.