A/N: This is a remake of my story Fractured. Forget what you've read before. This is going to be vastly different. By the way, this will be my last author's note at the top of the page.

Chapter 1: Formalities

Amy stared into the night time gloom with some reluctance. In moments, the chauffeur would walk around to open her door for her, and she would be expected to leave. She wasn't sure what would be worse; getting out, or goading her mother if she didn't.

"Stop wrinkling your dress, Amy."

Amy glanced down, and sure enough, a bundle of soft red fabric was clutched between her fingers. She released her grip on the garment just as the door swung open. The driver offered his hand, and with his help the girl slid out of the car.

Though the rain was barely a drizzle, Amy opened her umbrella. She took a few wobbling steps in her unfamiliar heels, and moved out of the way as her mother, Ella, and brother, René, extracted themselves from the confines of the vehicle. Amy watched as Ella thanked the driver and sent him on his merry way. She gazed forlorn as the car cruised around a corner and disappeared into the night. There would be no quick getaway.

"Are you nervous?" René asked.

"Why would I be nervous?"

They had started walking up the steps to the building. Amy could already hear the light murmur of conversation just up head. She noted the small line of people that extended from the entrance to the edge of stairs. She griped the umbrella tighter.

"I don't know. You just seem like you're nervous about something."

"I'm not nervous."

As they reached the top of the stairs and merged with the crowd, Ella linked arms with her daughter. The woman was only a few inches taller than her daughter's five foot five stature, but she held herself straight and resplendent in her long silver dress.

"You shouldn't be nervous. I've told you before, it's just a formality." Ella said.

"I'm not nervous."

Amy saw René smile out of the corner of her eye. The boy was much taller than her and her mother and he seemed to tower over the women as they stood side by side. He was dressed in a black suit with a white tie.

Amy glanced around. The other guests were dressed in much the same way as they were. However, despite the changes in style, there wasn't much variety in color. The men were wearing black suits with either white, blue, or red ties. The women were wearing white, blue, or red dresses.

"We're getting quite a few stares." René said.

And it was true. Amy caught the glances of a couple gawking openly at them; or more specifically, her mother. Amy sighed.

"Mom, did you really have to wear silver?" Amy asked.

Ella turned to face her sixteen year old daughter seriously. Amy could see that Ella was ignoring the rude stares with ease. The years of practice had honed her skills.

"Of course. It's my rank."

"Yeah, but you're going to get rushed the moment we walk in."

"And probably harassed."

Ella just smiled. The crowd pushed forward. Amy slid a glance in the direction of the door. She realized they were still about five minutes away from the front of the line.

"Don't say harassed, René. You two make it sound like they want to attack me."

"Don't they? Every time we have to come to one of these formalities they drag you off to chat about the good old days and talk your ear off all night."

"It's called being social, Amy. You don't have to be attached to my hip. You have friends here too. Why don't you hang out with them?"

Amy frowned. She tried to picture which friends her mother was talking about. Perhaps Ella was referring to the Crowes? She made a face.

"No thanks."

"Then hang out with your brother."

René and Amy glanced at each other. He seemed to be shaking his head. René was two years older than Amy. He had his own friends and his own agendas. Amy decided it was best if she played the good little sister and stayed out of his affairs.

"Pass."

René seemed to look relieved, but Ella was getting more irritated by the second.

"Fine. Do what you want."

They finally reached the front of the line, and they dropped the subject. A security guard was standing by a metal detector and motioning for people to step forward one at a time. Amy wondered why they were even bothering with the machine. Nobody inside would bother with conventional weapons when they had something better.

Amy passed through the detector and rejoined her family. The long hallway leading to the main assembly room was well lit. The walls were a pulsating white, and Amy couldn't help but wonder if they had been recently painted. But she didn't smell fresh paint. Instead, she felt her senses being assaulted with the aroma of well prepared food. She was glad her stomach didn't start growling on the spot.

The hallway opened up into a spacious room filled with an assortment of decorations, buffet tables, and clusters of people. A waiter came by with a tray of sparkling cider and offered Amy a glass. She accepted it without much pause and sipped it slowly.

"Here comes the horde." René said under his breath.

Amy smiled at his words and they watched as their tiny mother was swept away by a crowd of political amateurs and fanatical enthusiasts. Amy almost felt sorry for the woman. Almost. She couldn't remember the last time they'd attended a gathering such as this one, and Ella hadn't been ambushed.

"I don't know how she can stand all that attention." Amy said.

René shrugged. He was glancing around almost absently. Amy wondered what he was looking for. Probably some of his friends, she figured. His eyes fell upon someone standing across the room.

"Ah. And that's my cue. Try not to get into to trouble, Sis, and don't wonder off. The ceremony should be starting soon."

"Yeah, yeah." Amy said as she waved him off. He was lost in the crowd before she could blink.

Sighing, Amy wondered how she was supposed to keep herself entertained for the rest of the evening. There was always the buffet table. Amy glanced in that direction, and decided that it wasn't too crowded yet. She gulped the last of her cider and handed the glass to a waiter as he passed by. She had her eyes set on a particularly appetizing plate of strawberry cheese cake, when quite suddenly, her path was blocked.

"Hey, Amy! Long time no see."

Amy stared at the two people in front of her. Morgan Crowe was tall, and willowy with soft brown skin and red wire framed glasses. Her long, dark, brown hair was curled in wavy tresses. Like Amy and many of the other guests, the girl was clad in red dress.

Alexander Crowe was even taller than his sister. He sported the traditional black suit, except it was adorned with a navy blue tie. His short hair was somewhat disheveled in what appeared to be an attempt to gel it down.

"Hi Morgan." Amy said at last.

"What? No 'hi Xander'." The boy pouted.

"I'll think about it."

Morgan laughed and Xander pretended to look insulted. Amy was already trying to think up ways to excuse herself. She couldn't come up with anything on the spot.

"So, did you just get here?" Morgan asked.

"Sort of. There was a line at the door."

"We got here before it started getting busy. Did you see that metal detector? What a load of crap, right?" Xander laughed.

Amy was a tad disappointed that they'd reached the same conclusion.

"Hard to miss it."

"They probably have it to appease the Sightless staff." Morgan said.

Amy looked at her sharply.

"The staff is Sightless?"

Morgan leaned in as if she didn't want her conversation to be over heard. Amy was suddenly feeling very conspiratorial, herself. She glanced around trying to spot the nearest waiter, but they all seemed to have disappeared.

"You couldn't tell? They have that fuzzy look. Like someone with a strong Aura is clouding their minds."

Amy could feel it in the air then; the subtle twinge of the Veil clinging to the room, the slightly anxious expressions on a few of the guests.

"Why the hell couldn't they hire Paladins?"

"That's what I asked." Xander said.

"I don't know."

The three of them pondered that newest revelation. Amy couldn't think of a good enough reason for the hosts to hire the Sightless. Morgan and Xander didn't look any closer to discovering the truth. Amy decided it was time to change the subject.

"When's this thing supposed start?"

"Why? Are you getting nervous?" Morgan asked. Amy didn't like the look she saw in the older girl's eye. It made her feel somehow like a specimen under a microscope.

"It's just a formality." Amy said.

"I'm nervous." Xander said.

Amy turned to face the boy. She hadn't expected him to admit that. He shrugged under her incredulous look.

"What? You're not worried about tripping or doing something embarrassing? I mean what if you get all the way up on the stage and when they're about to initiate you they say 'sorry we don't want you'."

Amy was starting to feel sick again. She did not like thinking about Xander's words. What if they did say that they didn't want her? Was that even possible?

Morgan whacked her brother in the back of the head.

"They don't do that, Stupid."

Amy felt relieved.

"But if you two trip, I'm so laughing at you."

And then she didn't.

"Don't you have friends or something to nag?" Xander asked his sister. "What happened to that guy you're always ogling."

"He's around somewhere." Morgan said without a trace of embarrassment.

"So why don't you go stalk him or something?"

Amy watched the siblings bicker with some interest. Her fights with René were never so animated. In fact, they hardly ever fought at all. With a mother like Ella it was always difficult to get a word in.

"Alright, fine. I'm leaving. Have fun with your girlfriend." Morgan said as she started to walk away.

Amy was indignant. She could already feel her face turning crimson. She was going to shout something rude at the retreating girl, but decided better of it. Instead she turned her attention to Xander. The boy seemed to be just as embarrassed as she was.

"I'm getting food." She said as she started to walk off.

She was annoyed to see him walking in step with her. In the time they'd been talking, Amy had lost track of that cheese cake she'd been aiming for. She could feel her irritation rising. If that wasn't bad enough, Xander was walking too close for comfort. She felt like telling him to back off, but as she looked around, she realized that he was probably standing so close because every other inch of foot space near the buffet tables was already taken.

"Damn, it's crowded over here." Xander said.

"Well you didn't have to follow me."

Xander laughed.

"Don't be so conceited. I want food too. You just happened to be going in the same direction as me."

He reached over someone's shoulder and snatched a couple plates. He passed one to Amy, which she accepted with a small frown. She wasn't sure if she should thank him or not. He was like a giant standing so close to her.

Amy tried to maneuver around the crowds of people in the direction she suspected the good food to be. She eyed another cheese cake a bit further down, but she doubted she'd be able to get to it any time soon.

Xander laughed again. It was beginning to grate on Amy's ears. A couple people turned around to stare at the boy.

"What are you laughing at?" Amy asked.

"You. Since when were you so timid? Just tell 'em to move."

A couple of eaves dropping people looked offended and walked away. Amy scowled.

"I'm trying to be polite."

Xander gasped.

"That's shocking. Do you even know what that word means?"

"Yes. Do you?"

"Ouch. That hurts."

Amy ignored him and tried unsuccessfully to squeeze past another group of people standing in front of what looked like smoked salmon. Her stomach growled. She was about to give up when Xander sighed and pushed past her. She stiffled an insult as the boy surprised her when he grabbed a pair of tongs and started piling different food stuff on their plates.

"Thanks."

"Yup. I'm starting to see why you're so skinny."

"Oh, shut up." Amy said.

Hanging around with Xander was getting tiring. She wasn't sure how much more she could take of his company. She decided to find a table and try to put as much distance between them as possible. She was just about ditch Xander when she heard him say something.

"Huh?" She said, thinking that he was talking to her.

"I just saw Tristan Drake."

He was looking off with obvious distaste. Amy blinked.

"So…?"

"He's sitting with your cousin, Emily."

Amy was getting confused. She was aware that her cousin would be there. It was a given, considering how small their "community" was. Her aunt and cousin Savannah were probably there too. She didn't see why Xander cared so much.

"Yeah. They're friends. What's your point?"

"They're getting initiated this year too, right?"

"Obviously."

"What if Tristan is inducted into my Protectorate?"

Amy laughed as she realized what he was grasping at. It was no secret that Tristan Drake and Alexander Crowe hated each other. She wasn't sure how the enmity started or when it happened, but for as long as she could remember they'd been at each other's throats.

"You realize they're only initiating like twenty Paladins this year, right? Four people in a Protectorate. You have what, a twenty percent chance that you'll be stuck with him?"

"Shit! It's that high?" Xander looked worried.

"I'm going to go sit with them. But, yeah, twenty percent chance."

Amy laughed as she walked off in Tristan and Emily's direction. As soon as she had put a bit of distance between them, she threw a look over her shoulder. Xander stood where he was looking more than a little pissed. She couldn't help but smile.

It took a few moments of maneuvering, but eventually Amy spotted her cousin. Emily was even tinier than Amy. She was barely five foot two, and looked almost doll like in her short red dress and strappy heels. The girl was wearing her light brown hair in two short braids which only added to the effect.

Tristan Drake was sitting to the left of Emily. The boy was vaguely muscular and wore a white tie with his black suit. His chin length, sandy blonde hair was combed neatly away from his face. It didn't appear that the two were talking about anything. They just seemed to be staring off into the crowd.

"Hey Em," Amy said as she sat down in an empty seat to the right of her cousin.

"Ah! Amy. Good evening." Emily said with a grin.

"I wouldn't say good, exactly." Amy said as she started nibbling on her food.

Xander had tossed way more food on her plate than she'd ever be able to eat herself. Emily seemed to share that same thought.

"So you brought me some munchies, I see." Emily said as she grabbed a cookie off her cousin's plate. "And why is it 'not good, exactly'?"

Amy made a gesture for the girl to help herself, as she tried to swallow. She tried to come up with a way to best phrase her next response without sounding too whiney. She settled for vague.

"Stuff. Just stuff."

Emily raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, the mysterious stuff. I see. It makes so much sense now."

Amy decided it was high time to change the subject. She glanced over at Tristan who seemed to be half asleep in his chair. She didn't blame him. She felt the same way.

"When the heck is this thing supposed to start?" Amy asked.

"I don't know. Probably pretty soon. I'm getting kind of edgy, though."

"Why?"

"I want to know what Protectorate they'll assign me to after the initiation. I don't want to be stuck with a bunch of losers for the next ten years."

"Well it probably won't be ten years. Chances are some of them will die in training or on the job or something. Being a Paladin doesn't exactly come with a lifetime guarantee."

Emily stared at her cousin. Even Tristan seemed to wake up.

"Thanks. I feel so much better."

They dropped the subject. Amy looked around for a clock but couldn't find one. She offered the rest of her plate to Emily, who accepted it graciously.

"Em, do you know what time it is?"

Emily shook her head as she stuffed her face. Amy was amused at how young her cousin looked as she did so. Amy saw Tristan half smiling out of the corning of her eye. She decided to address him directly.

"Um, Tristan."

The boy caught her gaze.

"Do you know what time it is?"

To her surprise, he pushed back his jacket and revealed a watch. After studying it for a moment with sleep filled eyes he replied.

"Almost nine."

Amy half wished that itineraries had been distributed at the door. How much more time was it going to be before they announced the start of the ceremony? The room looked plenty full to her. So what was taking so long?

Amy looked around the huge room trying to keep herself occupied. Out of boredom she started picking out people in the room that she recognized, and matching faces with names. It surprised her that she knew so few people. In fact there were several people in the room she'd never seen before in her life. It wasn't as if she'd lived in a small city, but when you were a part of such an exclusive community you tend to meet most of your peers before your Initiation.

Amy turned her attention to the stage. A few people were gathering in that area. Amy hoped they were preparing to start the ceremony. And as if someone was answering her thoughts, a voice appeared over the loudspeakers.

"I'd like to ask everyone at this time to take their seats. If we could also get the new initiates to find their chairs on the stage, we'll be proceeding shortly."

Emily hopped up faster than Amy could blink. She was almost shocked to find the table still standing. Emily brushed the crumbs off her dress as Amy and Tristan slowly extricated themselves from their chairs.

"Finally!" Emily said under her breath.

The three teens pushed past the thinning crowds almost too easily. A couple of elderly Paladins clapped them on their shoulders as they hurried past, and offered their congratulations. They smiled but didn't slow down until they'd reached the stage.

The initiates' chairs were lined up towards the back of the stage. At the very front of the theater was a podium and three chairs centered behind it. Amy was displeased to discover that her seat was in the first row and almost exactly dead center.

She sat down feeling uncomfortable and exposed. But to her immense relief, Emily was seated on the first chair to her right. She was slightly less thrilled when Alexander Crowe found his seat directly on her left. Even odder, Tristan Drake was seated on Emily's right.

Some higher power must have had a sense of humor to allow Tristan and Xander to sit within arm's reach of each other. Amy could feel the two glaring daggers at each other without even glancing at them. She needed to focus on something else. Amy quickly searched the crowd.

She found no signs of her brother René but she located her mother without much difficulty. The woman had a table in the front with an un-obscured view of the stage. Of course.

Ella was talking to an elderly woman that Amy didn't recognize. But Amy had a few guesses judging by the gold gown that that she was wearing. Only three people in the entire Paladin Order were allowed to wear gold to an official ceremony.

Amy raised an eyebrow and at the exact moment the old woman turned around and looked directly at her. Then she winked and started up the conversation with Ella again. Amy turned to her cousin and asked in a low whisper.

"Did you know that the Triumvirate was going to be here?"

Emily looked startled by the question and proceeded to look around suspiciously.

"Oh, holy knight. Is that Selina Montoya talking to Aunt Ella?"

"That's what I said!"

Xander seemed to have heard their whispers and he spotted the woman in question with one quick glance. He turned to Amy and Emily and joined in their hushed conversation.

"You've got to be kidding me. Since when does the Triumvirate come to initiation ceremonies? Is it just Selina here, or are the other two here as well?" Xander asked.

The three teens did another scan of the crowd. By that point even Tristan was interested. Some other initiates seemed to have over heard them and the word quickly spread. There were quite a few craning necks and strained voices.

"I don't see anyone else in gold. Maybe she knows someone that's being initiated. Like a grandkid or something." Emily said.

"I don't think she has family." Tristan replied.

"Maybe she had a vision. Isn't she gifted with Fate?" Amy asked

"Wouldn't she be wearing blue then?" Xander asked.

Amy, Emily and Tristan just stared at him.

"I mean, like a blue ring or necklace or something to indicate what she's gifted with." Xander looked a bit embarrassed.

"Um. Not necessarily. She could be Exalted like Aunt Ella."

"Shhh, it's starting." Amy said.

She wasn't sure she liked where the conversation was going and she was glad for the excuse to change it.

Selina Montoya hobbled up the stage with the aid of her black lacquer cane. The old woman was wrinkled, and her hair was completely grey. It was slicked back into a tight bun atop her head. Her golden gown was long and flowing, and for a brief moment, Amy was captivated by the irrational fear that the Elder would trip. She counted the seconds it took the old lady to reach the podium.

At last the Chancellor gripped the edge of the stand and set her cane up against the wood. She adjusted the microphone until it was a comfortable distance from her face, and then she began to speak. Through the entire process the room had been silent, but in that instance, her voice rang in everyone's ears.

"Good evening."

She paused for a moment and glanced around the room, making eye contact with a few acquaintances and nodding to a few strangers.

"I'm sure many of you are wondering what this old lady is doing here. Well, to put it simply, I wanted to address the Order on this very special day. As many of you realize, today is the sixteenth anniversary of the Third Breach of the Soulless. It was decided after we won that battle that we would host an Annual Initiation ceremony on this day for as long as the Paladin Order still stands. Today I am here to honor that decision and personally bless the new initiates as they become fully fledged Paladins.

"But before these young adults can be knighted, I would first like to say a few words in memory of the Heroes that fought and died in that battle. I would like to recognize both the Heroes that have passed on, and the Heroes that live on today.

"Many people have their own versions of that hellish battle. For some people, they would choose to forget it entirely. But for others, they can't forget. They must live with repercussions of the decisions made during that tragedy. They must live knowing that others have died in their stead to protect the people they care about, and to assure the future of the Paladin Order.

"The casualties of that battle were staggering. When the Soulless poured out of the Hell Gate, we, the mighty Paladins were taken by surprise. With all of our magic, and all of our foresight, why had we not seen the advent of this catastrophe?"

The room was silent, no body dared to make a sound. Amy knew this story by heart. It was a story she'd heard constantly growing up. But still, she listened to the old woman as if transfixed by the sound of her voice.

"We were arrogant. We assumed that our power would hold out against the horde of demons that assaulted us. But their numbers were vast, and not even our pride could stand the beating we received those first few weeks.

"For the first month our Order did nothing but dwindle. We couldn't hope to hold back the onslaught for much longer. But just when we expected to fail, five mighty Paladins stepped forward and challenged the Demon Lord that guarded the Hell Gate.

"The battle was fierce. Two of the courageous paladins fell in battle. Enraged by the loss of their comrades, the other three Paladins continued to fight calling upon deeper reserves of strength and magic. Just as the Demon thought he would win, the tides were turned. The three injured and emotionally exhausted Paladins fought back with a vengeance.

"They lured the Demon into a trap and together, the Paladins defeated him. In the wake of their fallen master, the hordes of Soulless retreated back to the dimension from whence they came and the Hell Gate was sealed. And thus the battle was won.

"Today, we are graced by the presence of one of those Heroes. I, Selina Montoya, Chancellor of the Triumvirate, and Paladin in my own right, would like to humbly express my gratitude to our resident hero, Ella Pierce."

The crowd broke into applause and Ella was forced to stand and wave to the crowd before sitting down again. Amy raised an eyebrow at all the theatrics. It was the same every year. Ella would be presented in front of the audience and the speaker would go on about how valiant the Heroes had been. Amy couldn't remember a time when the speaker had been so prestigious before, but in the end, they would still get on with the ceremony, and hopefully when it was all over, they could go home and forget about it.

As the applause settled down, Selina spoke the words that Amy wanted to hear.

"And now without further ado, we shall start the knighting."

A/N: I hate deciding on genres. They give you a pop out list of like ten different things and they expect you to know what to categorize it as. Grr. I keep wondering why they didn't have a category for noobs.