CHAPTER 1
It was hot; vapor arose and settled above the sand. The reflections of the light would fight across this dusty ambiance, looking like gloomy flares from far away. It was quiet although the air was rapid, it pushed the sands up and twisted them, you could see the beautiful airy shapes of the winds in them.
Balthier didn't care to wait on a day like this, he enjoyed it and this was a fact that Ashe could have seen perfectly in his eyes. He was laying on one of the thick pillars of the terrace; Dalmascas dry beige colored them, the engraving of the decoration was the Classic Dalmascan style and it was graceful. The exquisite building Balthier was "waiting" in was strategically placed in the south of Dalmascas Easterland and east to the Giza Plains. If you had to choose a place where to spend a nice couple of days and you could choose to come here, you wouldn't hesitate it.
It was designed to face the desert, people coming from Rabanaster would feel they had arrived to heaven, but it had 3 more faces, a front gate to receive people from the Easterland or Archades, another for the Giza Plains or people coming from the south, and the favorite of the Queen; the one that faced the sea. Ashelia had this built out of a necessity to receive aristocrats and diplomats coming from Rozzaria and Archades, after the Dalmascan Independence from the empire of Archades, Ashelia made great efforts to create a peaceful connection between the 3 empires, she knew they had possibilities and through diplomatic congresses and fairs, they created commerce and trade flourished although they already had a financial debt with both kingdoms, recovering from a process of Independence wasn't cheap at all. This was an important time in the history of Ivalice, and for Rabanastre, no King had accomplished what Ashelia B´nargin Dalmasca had in such a short time, she created a dynamic world economy, with unity, creating respect between cultures, with a lot of opportunities for communication and commercialization, and she was only 21.
The golden yellows of the straight sunlight lines drew a picturesque blurry desert in front of Balthiers eyes. As a sky pirate he used to wander around looking for the "right people" to have his usual conversations instead of losing his time waiting, he knew information was handy at any given situation, and so, he was always prepared to use his charms to squeeze out some useful fact, like where he could get some material, how was the pay for jobs around there, rumors about the thrones, good places to eat, funny tales, politics, myths and great stories, anything could be useful, he had even made friends by just talking out his curiosity and asking the right questions, he was a pure enthusiast of conversation with an enviable wit.
The only waiting he enjoyed more than wandering around looking up for the "right people" to talk, was indeed on a sunny afternoon at Dalmascas Desert, he loved the feeling of the air embracing him, he thought it was liberating and this was something he had always looked for when he was a small novel child in Archades.
The view from the terrace was epic, and the sound of the desert was silent, but breaking the shimmering silence was Ashelias voice:
-I didn't know you could remain this silent.
Now her talking was cold and cut up too square, but her voice was pretty. She walked out from one of the nicest rooms in the Palace of the Desert Bloom. Blathier was an experienced sky pirate, no one walked on him, so he knew she was coming.
-Well Ashelia, you've built a great palace for hedonists, and you know as well as I that most of the puppets of the empires are indeed great hedonists, which I hope one day you could clean up, that will make things easier for you, plus; they don't deserve this view.
Ashe was intimidated by the pirate, but with the confidence she gained by debating between empires, she answered:
-And what is exactly the title you give to yourself to claim the right to enjoy this view?
Balthiers cockiness was only exceeded by his own wit, so he faced the queen and kneeling down upon her pronounced:
-I, my Queen, claim this pleasure as reward as I am your humble servant.
Then he drew a reverence for the queen with his hand, and smiling said:
-Do you need me?
Ashe then again was cornered by the skillful pilot, she needed Balthier, and indeed she had called him to meet her at the Desert Bloom that afternoon.
Ashe was a young Queen, too young for most of the old ambassadors that had survived the Archades Invasion years earlier, they would take her as naïve and think she lacked experience to rule, and at first nobody blamed them, people had doubts because when you have a girl almost out of her teens using the resources of the country to build palaces, organizing congresses, fairs, traveling around empires, investing in arts and culture with money borrowed from other dominating empires, you would think she's immature and indeed, naive.
But as a matter of fact she was an excellent leader; she was a caring woman, who with her charming presence already had won half of the parliament. She was good looking, intelligent, excellent with language, morally correct, skilled in politics and very, very careful with decisions. With all this aptitudes she still had a few insecurities which she could handle in front of the rulers of Ivalice, but never in front of a young good looking fella like Balthier.
And with this she continued:
-I do Balthier, I need you, you are the only man I know who could accomplish with success such stunt like the one I am about to expose.
Balthier straighten himself, and with the confidence that only a man this wild could possess, said:
-You're just flattering me.
Then he pulled off his trademark smile and said:
-What's in it for me?
The young Queen was amused still annoyed by his arrogance, what was it about this man that made her feel like a young girl? After taking a few seconds to analyze the feeling, she let out a sigh and looked at him in the eyes, then slowly started to walk upon the Pirate.
-Hmm.
Balthiers gesture to her walking was the start of a scanning ritual he had patented before. The young Queen passed him leaving that perfect aroma of fertility, she was indeed very attractive, perfectly shaped; she was not too strong but just enough to look athletic, long legs with perfectly full calves, succulent thighs that started a harmony which continued and ended in a vivid and rich behind, she had good hips in equilibrium, a very small waist and just the right amount of bust. She was a Hellenic beauty, her face was candid and fresh, her eyes were eager and still looked innocent, and her hair had grown a little longer and looked like a beautiful white gold curtain that had just revealed her lower back, Balthiers favorite part.
She continued walking and leaned a little bit over, resting her arms on the elegant finish of the terrace. She was facing the Desert but she knew Balthier was looking, and so she took advantage of his attention:
-Balthier, I think you probably know about the treasure of the late Dynast King Raithwall.
Balthier started to walk to join Ashe as he was looking up to the desert too, but he stopped right behind her and started:
-What are you looking for Ashe? Are you afraid to lose your throne?
Ashe, surprised, lost her eyes looking at a flat complete picture of the sand in front of them and said:
-I need to know if the Sun-Cryst was really destroyed.
Balthier was not surprised by the fact that she was trying to keep the peace in Ivalice, but instead, he was impressed by the quality of empress she was. So not everything was fairs and parties? He asked himself in amusement and continued:
-Listen Ashe, the Occurian deposited their faith in you by giving you the Treaty Blade to rule, and even though they wanted to manipulate you; the Sun-Cryst was destroyed by Reddas. Ivalice is starting to unify safely under your rule, we are on the verge of looking at a new and more prosperous Ivalice. My beautiful Queen; you really are making this place better… What you really need is a body guard, if you'd asked me.
Ashe started to feel unpleased as she felt he was treating her like a child:
-No, that power is infinite! And this is why I need you to listen carefully; there is a royal tale that was supposedly told by the Occuria to the Kings of Dalmasca, and this was downed from Kings to their families for generations but I must let you know it, you know better than me that no Sky Pirate can go back to the Pharos at Ridorana, unless…
Balthier interrupted:
-Unless is as good as I am.
Ashe continued:
-Unless he has the Strahl.
Both remained silent, but then Balthier gave it a second thought:
-The skystone of the Strahl?
Ashe knew that the only way to get an airship with a skystone was to borrow it from Archades, but she didn't trust nobody but Emperor Larsa and a few Judges in Archades, and if she asked them the word could spread, and the Sun-Cryst could be compromised by new intentions of dominating Ivalice from the conservative party of Archades, plus, even if she didn't admit it to herself, she wanted to see Balthier again.
Balthier knew a lot about the history of Ivalice, but he never heard about this royal tale:
-Interesting, so what is this so called "Royal Tale" you need me to know about?
Ashe kept on going:
-The treasure of the Dynasty King Raithwall was not only conformed by the most precious, rare and wealthy effects produced under his rule, it had the key elements needed to rule Ivalice, these elements were given by the Occuria to Raithwall so he could unify Ivalice by creating the great Galtean Alliance with the ruling empires. He received this task commanded by the Occuria and fulfilled it successfully. Everybody knows this, but there are very important points missing in this story. What I am about to tell you is the Royal Tale of the Death of the Dynast King.
Balthier then placed himself next to Lady Ashe, and with a penetrating look said:
-So it was worth the waiting.
Ashe had a feeling that made her unease, but she didn't know if it was the Sky Pirate intimidating her, or indeed, a premonition; after all she was telling him something no plebeian, not even a high class lineage novel should know:
-The books say that King Raithwall lived 104 years, but in few royal history books that information differs, he was present in the marriage of her Daughter Amelia and this event was dated 4 years after his dead. Have you ever been to the royal library in Rabanastre? It has a huge old paint that themes the birth of King Farghas, heir of the throne and first son of Amelia, above of all the event you can see King Raithwall painted as a saint, as an apparition, and this happened 5 years after Raithwalls death. So there are a few hints that could confirm this tale is true.
Balthier was a good listener and didn't interrupt the Queen.
-The records say that the King died peacefully of old age leaving the Shard of nethicite that gave him all his power hidden in his thumb and guarded by Belias the Esper, and the Sword of Kings to cut the Sun-Cryst was hidden by the Great Kiltias of his time at Giruvegan, so the elements needed to bring back the peace by a new chosen of the Occuria if the Alliance was to be broken were safe. We broke this chain by destroying the Sword, and the Sun-Cryst itself, so there is no way the Occuria could choose a new Dynast King. But this tale talks about how the King Raithwall didn't die of old age, but instead he made a pact with Gerun, the king of the Occuria, in which he was promised to become infinite as long as he felt endless love, but in order to be undefined he was to renounce to all that represented his true self, so he gave up the nethicite that made him the Dynast King, the Dusk Shard, and since this represented his true self, he was sealed inside of it forever.
Balthier looked interested yet not really surprised. Ashe stopped her staring to the sand trance and looked at Balthiers eyes:
-I was never to become a new Dynast King, neither did Vayne was, the only and real Dynast King was Raithwall, and he didn't leave all his power for his heirs through the nethicite. When we were scared, they used to tell the tale to us "Royal children", the heirs of his legacy, saying that King Raithwall loved all his descendants and would always take care of us as he became himself infinite true love.
Balthier then jumped to conclusion:
-So the Dusk Shard once it was reunited with the Sun-Cryst at the Pharos of Ridorana, granted its very and more unique quality to the whole; its infinity.
Ashe affirmed with her head and her eyes looked eager and exited. But Balthier was about to break this by expressing his own conclusion of the analysis:
-But, you see, my beautiful Queen, you still haven't dragged the moral of the incident.
Ashe answered bothered and angry because she knew that Balthier was about to confront her talents again, now by compromising her intelligence:
-Which is?
Balthier looked at the desert and said with arrogance:
-That no matter how the Occuria pull the strings, Ivalice will never be controlled only by their will.
Ashelia was impressed as she received a different focus on the subject and felt those chills of admiration that young girls feel when they are taught something new and exciting. But then Balthier added:
-And the power you think so infinite is not what you say you believe it is. Nobody can compromise the Peace of Ivalice by using the power of the nethicite, that has been done, and so this power was destroyed. There is no use for you to make this effort; you don't need to know if the story is true to prevent evil, the Sun-Cryst might be infinite, but its true infinite quality is resumed in a small yet huge word: love.
Ashelia was surprised as she was cornered again; it took no time for Balthier to found that she was indeed, hiding her true intentions.
