As she blew an errant feather away from her face, Queen Ashelia Dalmasca wondered why it was necessary for an eighteen year old boy to have a masquerade party to celebrate his birthday. But knowing how royal party planning went, she suspected that Larsa Solidor had little to do with the theme of his coming of age celebration. That theme, she mused bitterly, was Animals of the Cerobi Steppe, and Ashe thought it the most dreadful idea in the history of all creation. As the main representative from her country at the ball, she had to look the best. And so she was dressed as a swan with a gown that was bell-shaped and made her feel like her rear end was the size of an Archadian sky cab. She'd refused a beak for her mask and instead had a face full of downy feathers. The glittering dust in her hair made her look more like a white-haired old crone than a twenty-five year old queen, but she'd received dozens of compliments. She felt like an idiot.
The guest of honor stood up at the head table, adjusting his wyrm snout to address his party guests. Ashe was always surprised with how tall Larsa had grown over these past six years, and he was well loved in Archades for his just and wise rule despite his age. Although this evening the wyrm costume did him no favors, especially the ridiculous tail that was attached to the seat of his trousers. The young emperor had already knocked over his cake table and nearly beheaded a Nu Mou party guest. "Honored friends, thank you for joining me tonight…"
Ashe smiled politely but tuned out most of his speech. Her eyes were drawn to the Rozarrian table where a man in a dark black mask was staring at her. He wore a matching black suit, and it appeared that he was a couerl or panther of some sort. But she recognized the shoulders and the way he sat, and wondered how in Ivalice he'd snuck in to this event. Her husband gave her a quick nudge under the table, and she realized that she was supposed to be applauding Larsa. Embarrassed, she joined in the clapping and when her gaze reached the Rozarrian area again, the panther man was gone.
Apparently they'd all been encouraged to get up and dance, and she watched Larsa's hesitant steps for the floor. Ashe met Basch's eyes as he followed the emperor and smiled. Even Basch had been forced to dress up for the occasion, his armor adorned with a small green set of wings on the back that clearly irritated him. The Judge Magister had been on tail duty since Larsa's earlier mishaps. Even from her distance, she could hear Basch telling Larsa to dodge a red chocobo from Dalmasca and then another wyrm from Balfonheim.
Her husband gave her a pleading look, and she patted his hand. "It's alright, Ander. You don't have to dance." Ander seemed grateful, the beak of his gander mask wiggling in happiness. Her consort was an awful dancer, and he never wanted to embarrass her. She rose from her seat, and he pulled a few loose feathers from the bottom of her gown and gave her a wink.
"You're the prettiest swan here, Shelly," he remarked, and she rolled her eyes. She was the only swan there. Ander called for some more Bhujerban madhu, and the Queen decided to hunt down the panther. There was a commotion in the crowd, and she heard Basch calling for people to stand back. Apparently Larsa had gotten his tail stuck to an old man in a sticky Flan costume. Ashe didn't remember Flans in Cerobi, but it was a good enough distraction. Unfortunately for her, the panther found her first.
"May I have this next dance, Your Highness?" His Rozarrian accent needed a bit of improvement. The panther held out a black-gloved hand, and only the characteristic smirk visible beneath the black mask revealed his identity.
She allowed him to put his hand on her waist, and he held her as possessively as ever. "May I ask why you are sneaking about with the Rozarrian camp this evening, Balthier?"
They began to dance despite the noise coming from Larsa and Flan man, and he reverted to his usual voice. "Oh, you know me, my dear. I like challenges. Still don't know why I didn't merit an invitation. I thought Larsa adored me?"
She wiggled her nose as a feather itched it. "Could it be…I don't know, the incredible bounty you've amassed these past two months?"
He smiled and let his fingers drift a bit lower, and she was grateful that Ander was chatting with some Archadian nobles at the moment. "It was a great haul, Ashe. Fran and I had to make fourteen trips to get all of it out of that treasure room. The Strahl could hardly bear all those chests full of gold."
"It was the shrine of a goddess, Balthier. The goddess of children's welfare!"
"And I only discovered my incredible blasphemy after the fact, I assure you." She didn't believe him for a minute. "But since I was already in Rozarria and word of Larsa's little party reached me, I thought to myself, I bet my favorite Queen will be at that affair. So here I am. Just tagged along with that crew over there." He waved to a very drunken bunch, most likely cousins of Al-Cid Margrace. The group hooted and hollered back. "They didn't even ask questions when I brought that wine for the trip out here."
She grinned. "And what about Fran? Is she here?"
"Of course! She's in the coatroom going through everyone's purses."
"Balthier!" she hissed. "At a birthday party?"
He laughed and dared to squeeze her backside as they completed a turn. "I'm just kidding. She's with her sisters. They get on much better these days. With our recent haul, she took a bit of a holiday. Leaves my sorry behind in favor of family, can you believe her?"
Ashe quickly moved his hand back up to her waist. "No, I can't see why anyone would choose family over you." He smirked at her sarcasm, and she watched him tilt his head in Ander's direction.
"Speaking of family," he sighed, "how's your better half?" Ever since she'd married a Dalmascan aristocrat four years ago, Balthier had been incredibly jealous. But it was her duty, and she had a three year old to carry on her line now. She didn't love Ander, but he was kind to her. He spent most of his days hunting, so she didn't have to spend too much time with him. Ander wasn't stupid – he knew their marriage was a sham, and he kept his own mistresses. But Balthier had developed a bit of a complex where her husband was concerned.
"My husband is doing well. Moving up the ranks in his hunting guild," she replied.
Balthier snorted. "So what is he tonight? A goose?"
"A gander."
"Cute. And how is little Tyrol?"
Ashe smiled at the thought of her son. She'd been incredibly lucky to marry someone whose complexion and hair coloring were so close to Balthier's. "You could visit more often. You know he likes you."
The sky pirate shook his head. "I know he does. That's the problem. He's a smart one, he'll figure out that I'm a far more exciting fellow than his father." Ashe felt herself blush at Balthier's comments.
The dance finally ended, and Balthier escorted her to a balcony overlooking the entire downtown of Archades. She adjusted her itchy mask and thought contentedly of Tyrol. "He's already reading. Absolutely loves stories about kings and queens and…"
"Pirates?" Balthier inquired wickedly.
"Yes, and thank you for the anonymous gift. Tyrol loves all the colorful pictures of airships and treasure."
"That's my boy," he said with a wink, and Ashe was grateful they were out of earshot. "So what do you think about Larsa? All grown up. We're getting old, aren't we?"
She sighed. "He's so unhappy about the engagement. All these years, he's had his heart set on her, and then…"
Balthier nodded. "Well, that's royalty. Can't marry the ones you love." They were silent for a few moments, and she picked at the feathers on her bodice. He brightened a bit and took off his gloves. "I'm sure they'll find a similar arrangement. Might be a bit easier for Pen to just move to Archades."
Ashe agreed. "It's not like she has a life of crime to keep her busy like you do." Penelo and Larsa had been an item since he'd turned sixteen, and it had broken her heart to hear of Larsa's recent engagement. She knew exactly how the young man felt.
"Speaking of marriages," the sky pirate continued, tapping his gloves against her shoulder. "You've got the kid, all the succession paperwork taken care of…so what's stopping you?"
"Stopping me from what?" she asked, already knowing what he was going to ask. He was always nagging her about it.
"Divorcing him. You've got an heir, can't you banish him and his little lady friends to Nalbina or something? They can drink themselves silly. He can have a regular little harem."
Ashe shoved his hand and gloves away. "He's done nothing I haven't done," she replied pointedly, referring to their ongoing affair. "He may not be as discrete, but Ander is a decent man. And Tyrol loves him."
"Well…" Balthier seemed out of ideas. "Hunting accident?"
"Balthier!"
"I'm just kidding. But you need to drop this guy, Ashe. You married so far beneath yourself. You could do so much better," he continued, letting his bare hand brush against the inside of her arm.
"You're saying I should marry you?" She hated the way he could distract her with just a touch of his fingers against her skin. She was already feeling hot despite the night air, and he kept moving closer to her.
"You could snag Archadia's most eligible bachelor."
"Who? Larsa's already…" She watched Balthier point back towards the ball room to the armored man with wings. "Basch? You want me to marry Basch?"
"He's always had a soft spot where you're concerned," Balthier reasoned. "Besides, Larsa won't need him forever, and it would be a nice way for you to show respect for the elderly."
"Basch is not elderly!"
Balthier shrugged. "I think it would be adorable."
He was just messing with her now. It was his way of dodging around the issue that would always stand between them – the fact that she could never marry him. She loved him completely, but it would always have to be hidden. They stayed quiet for a few minutes, his hand still tickling her arm as they watched the party. She could see Ander trying to openly flirt with a Rozarrian lady. On the floor, Larsa had detached the tail and was dancing with his betrothed, and she could tell his smile was forced. Basch stood idly by holding the wyrm tail patiently for his charge.
"Are you going back to Rozarria tonight?" she asked suddenly.
He took advantage of the relative darkness on the balcony and threaded his fingers through hers. "Yes, I was planning to hitch a ride back, why?"
She watched Larsa dance with the other girl, knowing his mind was elsewhere. His thoughts were wherever Penelo was, since she wasn't noble and couldn't attend that night. She thought of her son at home with his nursemaid, and of her husband who was already disappearing with the woman he'd been flirting with. Her bed would be empty tonight. "Will you stay with me?"
"Aren't you staying at the palace?"
She smirked. "Is that a problem for you?"
The challenge issued, she watched a wide smile emerge underneath the panther mask. "Of course not. But I suppose I've delayed the Queen of the Swans a bit too long. I think Basch has already seen me." He pulled her away from the view of the ballroom and to the balcony wall. Even with the wall blocking them from others, they hadn't been so openly visible in what felt like years. They'd been far more risk-taking in the early years. She missed that. He lifted up her feathery mask and took off his own.
She kissed him eagerly, clinging to him as tightly as she could. They'd surely be able to continue this later in private, but for once…just once, she wanted to be able to kiss the man she loved and get caught. But he pulled away before that could happen, handing her mask back with a sigh. "I think I'll pay my respects to the birthday boy. See you later tonight." He slipped his panther mask back on and bowed to her as he always did when he departed. She watched him put on a jovial air as he reentered the party, and she did her best to do the same.