Fran Finds her Hero
Chapter One
Just thought I'd join everyone else and write a fic about how Fran might have met Balthier. This was just a lil story to keep me amused so sorry if it's not quite up to scratch! Set in Fran's POV. Soz if it's a bit OOC.
It's basically about how Balthier met Fran, and how he helped her to become what we know her as in the game. I thought the song Hero was quite fitting, relating to how she is her own hero, yet Balthier is her hero too. Explores how their relationship is, before and during the game, blah blah - as I said, just a little thing I wrote to relieve my boredom! Might take the song lyrics out, depends on what reviews I get and how the story progresses!
R&R and Enjoy!
Disclaimer- I don't own Final Fantasy or any of the characters or anything to do with it at all. Neither do I own the song Hero.
Fran did not know what made her go to Archades that day. She had long ago become desensitised to the hustle and bustle of the Hume world, but somehow, Archades seemed too much. After twenty years of being alone in Ivalice, unable to hear the call of the Wood any longer, Fran had never visited Archades. It held so little greenery, she noticed as she walked through the spotless streets with its imposing buildings. She appreciated the architecture, but it was all concrete, metal and stone. So lifeless.
Cabs soared across the sky, airships departed from the Aerodrome and if anything, Fran appreciated these most. Ever since she entered the Hume world and put her life in Eryut Village behind her, she had been fascinated by the machinery of airships
"Perhaps this is what drew me here" she pondered as the structures passed noiselessly overhead.
She gained many strange glances from the Archadians, but this was something she had grown used to over the years, the way the Humes would stare as she walked by. She had grown to not let it bother her any longer and any unwanted advances from Hume males who attempted to admire her scantily clad body in a most inappropriate way – well, they would find themselves on the receiving end of her stiletto.
Fran made her way down the streets, pausing when she came to a roadside café. It would be a perfect place to sit and watch the airships pass and so she seated herself at a table. It wasn't long before a waiter approached her.
"Can I get you something?" He asked
"No" Fran replied plainly. She wasn't thirsty, nor was she hungry. She just wanted to sit for a while.
"You can't sit here and order nothing" He said impatiently. Fran merely glared.
Little did Fran know, however, that another customer at the café was sitting a few tables away, eyeing her with interest and watching the exchange.
"Then I'm going to have to ask you to leave" The waiter continued, pointing to the street with his notepad.
"I am not allowed to sit?" Fran asked
"No"
"Now, now….." A voice carried past Fran's ears. Commanding and smooth and she looked up to see its speaker. A Hume male, quite tall, with a gold embroidered vest over a crisp white shirt. A gun was slung over his back.
"I'll pay for the lady" He said, pushing a few Gil into the waiter's hand. He walked away to the next table, grumbling incoherently.
To Fran's indignation, the man took his place in the seat opposite her. Fran didn't so much as spare him a glance.
"Do I not receive a thank you?" He asked, one eyebrow raised. Fran turned to look at him
"Thank you" She said flatly.
"So what is a woman like you doing in a place like Archades?"
Fran noticed that this Hume had not referred to her as a viera, which made her let her guard down a little. She was very rarely seen as an equal to other Humes, yet her suspicious nature, fostered from living in a world that is so different to the place where she was born, made her wary still.
"I came to see airships" Fran replied, giving herself an excuse for being in the city.
"Interesting" The man replied. "I came to look for a co-pilot for my own airship"
Fran's ears pricked up despite herself "Oh?"
"Indeed. Your name?"
"Fran" Fran replied, feeling herself relax a little in this man's presence.
"Balthier. It's a pleasure"
There's a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid
Of what you are
There's an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you
"And you are to offer me a position as co-pilot?"
Fran asked as Balthier lead her to the Aerodrome. What had made her follow him she did not know but somehow, he seemed trustworthy, different to the other Humes she had met. Friendly, not prejudiced. He didn't make any lewd comments about her dress sense, he didn't joke about her ears, he didn't question her past and how she had come to leave the Wood – and this suited her just fine.
"Now that would be presumptuous" Balthier replied
"I apologise"
"Of course, if you want to apply, I will have to look through the other applicants" Balthier told her distractedly as he opened the airlock on the ship. Fran admired its structure.
"How many applicants do you have?"
"You're the only one" Balthier replied with a grin.
"I did not say I was applying"
"Now I suppose that was rather presumptuous of me"
Fran smiled at this. Not a smile that could be discerned as one by most, but Balthier seemed to notice and smirked as they stepped inside. It had a strange smell to it, Fran thought. A mixture of metal, gunpowder, engine oil and some exotic cologne. Her heels tapped lightly on the floor as she moved forwards to inspect the controls.
"Can you fly?" Balthier asked, standing at a distance with his arms folded and watching her explore
"Yes" Fran replied, offering no explanation to how she learnt and she was surprised when Balthier did not question it.
"Why should you require a co-pilot?"
"Every leading man needs a leading lady" He replied and Fran felt her respect for Balthier fall a notch.
"And so you seek a trophy to impress?" She asked, the slightest hint of indignation in her calm tone.
"Quite the contrary. A sky pirate needs a partner, to put it differently. I can impress quite sufficiently alone."
"Sky pirate" Fran repeated "Quite a profession"
"Quite a profession indeed and a rather lucrative one"
"It does not appear so from your airship" Fran commented "She needs maintenance"
"Does maintenance come under skills in your application?" Balthier asked, raising his eyebrow once more
"Do you have a wrench?" Fran replied in answer to his question.
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Authors Note – Short first chapter I know, but I had to set the scene. The next chapter will involve Fran and Balthier getting to know each other a little better….I'll leave it up to your imagination as to how that's going to work out! Watch this space!