Tides of Fate, a final fantasy xii fanfic

Disclaimer: The locations, characters and events from FFXII mentioned in this fic are property of Square Enix, however, some of the characters are of my own design.

Tides of Fate

If we are not meant to tamper with fate then let it be so, for changing fate is a sin among every living creature and only the gods have such power, but even so, the gods do not heed at times if we change our fates for that is their own hand at work even if we do not know... The Chronicles of Ivalice Book 4 Chp. 5

The whole Archadian infantry was in an uproar, not only had they lost their contact with The Ramuh. but they had lost contact with the commander Judge Magister as well, one by the name of Ffamran Demen Bunansa, son to the Draklor laboratories head scientist.

It was only a routine patrol over the Tchita Uplands, however, it seemed the anti-imperialist movement had intervened and shot the ship out of the sky from the ground making it crash somewhere between Tchita and the Cerobi Steppe.

From the looks on things there were probably no survivors since they had sent a search party and it returned empty handed, neither a body nor ashes were found. Though right now Ffamran was dead to the Archadian's as it was. However, none of them knew that he was still alive and that he had taken this oportunity to set him free from his own golden cage though it came with the price of almost losing his life and also the fact that he was badly wounded, dragging his armor clad body through the whole Cerobi Steppe just to reach Balfonheim for rest... That was if he made it alive and not become fodder for the vultures...

Barely alive was the best word he would have used at the moment as he staggered slightly through the Steppe, dragging a useless Fomalhaut riffle and barely being able to hold the weight of his armor, silver yet stained crimson and dripping blood near where his ribs were supposed to be. It was something he could blame on the armor and the shrapnel that went through it from the ship's crash. He was breathing hard by now, tired and almost on the verge of collapse, he hated feeling weak and he would challenge death like the leading man he was if it wasn't for the fact that he felt sickened as well, he figured after three days of walking through this god forsaken land, his wounds would have become infected giving him this sickened feeling.

He had stopped near a small road where no monsters were visible and sat ignoring the flare of pain that shot through his ribs as he took only a deep breath as a sign of pain wincing just the same as the wound seemed to spring to life anew as blood trickled out of the armor plate. It was then he decided that perhaps the tides of fate had gone against him and that perhaps he would never see the day of light again as he finally closed his eyes for what probably would feel like the last time if it wasn't for the noise of thunder in the air as the clouds gathered for rain and the sound of feet hitting the grass near him or the fact that someone had hoisted him up with slender arms whispering something in a dialect he had heard before but in his current state he could not decipher or analyze. After that he knew no more as his world finally went black...

He winced again only to feel that his wounds hurt less but still hurt nevertheless meaning he was still alive and apparently still sick for he still felt out of it.

At the very least he wasn't stuck out in the Steppe with rain pouring bullets on him. He was laying on a soft warm bed and apparently missing his armor for more lighter clothes which he preferred immensely to his Judge armor. As he finally opened his eyes he spotted the window first as it seemed to be raining outside and a storm at that, not to mention he wasn't alone in the room as there was a moogle sitting in the corner asleep probably from lack of slumber apparently.

He tried to sit up to try and see where he was exactly but his world spun just as he sat up though almost as he was about to collapse and pass out a hand was placed on the back of his head, tender yet firm. "You still have much to heal... To move before this is a foolish attempt" said the owner of the hand in soft yet somewhat stern tone of voice and it was female. Ffamran could only guess this was his savior, "I mean no disperect... Though curiosity is the weakness of us humes..." he replied though his eyes were closed, too afraid for the dizziness to consume him again. "Then rest... Your curious nature can wait" she said and Ffamran couldn't argue with the owner of the voice, afterall, he was lulled to sleep quickly as he felt the woman's hands moving through his head trying to soothe him and it had seemed to work as he quickly left reality for the dream world but not before feeling the cool touch of a wet cloth on his forehead, perhaps the fever had him bedridden and delusional.

Days had turned into weeks in the blink of an eye and the streets in Balfonheim seemed to be running amok with resistance members and pirates looking for the supposed dead Judge. Ffamran could only sigh in frustration nodding sideways as his arm remained in a sling and his torso bandaged still. It seemed due to the side effects of his father's nethicite infused weaponry, Ffamran had felt the curse that came with this power. His metabolism had gone out of order and his wounds were taking more time than normal to heal. Nevertheless, his frustration did not come from his wounded state but from the fact that he traded a golden cage for another one.

He hadn't been allowed to leave though the only communication he could get from the outside world was either that moogle, Nono or the viera... Who's name he had yet to learn. He had already asked her but she only replied with the fact that for her to tell him her name he had to earn it. He sighed thinking about it, "No sense thinking on that now" he thought as he limped to the bed slowly and sat down. He looked a bit of a mess with his battered and bruised self though he wouldn't mind the marring scars on his back or the ones on his chest from these wounds, after all these were one of the many marks of a free man.

He had forgotten what it felt to be free and worry of nothing other than your health and your future. He was craving freedom the moment his father had returned gravely ill from Jagd Difohr. And that craving grew to hunger when the only person he admired the most became as corrupted as the rest of the gentry. His father had been his world when his mother died and now his father had become a shell of a man making him a Judge and an orphan in a way.

Ffamran closed his eyes and placed his forehead on the window hearing thunder as the streets became as bare as the seas without any ships, rain starting to fall quietly at first but then it started to fall down violently as thunder danced in the sky. He winced for a moment, he was never fond of storms but he always found that there was something soothing about them, he never could figure out what exactly.

The door opened but it went ignored by him until a voice shook him out of his thoughts, "You should not be up" said the viera as she looked at him, her seeming to stare at his soul when their eyes met. "I apologize..." it was all he could offer as he turned to the window again lost in his thoughts once more...

He cold feel the eyes of the Viera on his back and he sighed, "I do not mean to be disrespectful to my hostess but... How long do you plan on letting me stay prisoner?" he had asked and her ears seemed to twitch. "That is not for me to say... The resistance does not take kind to imperialists" she said lost in thought like him but it was just for a second as she was back to watching him

Ffamran only sighed, "Well then... I believe it is all for naught my dear... The Archadian's believe me dead and I guess this was much my entrance to freedom... If it wasn't for the fact that I traded a gold cage for a silver one instead... A freedomless bird..." he said shrugging slightly.

"Balthier..." the Viera suddenly said causing Ffamran to raise an eyebrow, "A flightless bird whose wings have been clipped tearing freedom away from him... Still he tries to attain it by other means... That is a Balthier" she said looking at him though her face was expressionless her eyes told otherwise. He could not say what he saw that day, he didn't know if it was pity or some sort of sadness but still he nodded at her words.

That was him in a way, a flightless bird whose wings of freedom had been clipped yet when he finally finds flight he ends up in the jaws of the jackal waiting to be devoured or wounded mortally. He sighed shaking such thoughts, his father thought like that, not him. He was the leading man, the rebel, the only one that could start and finish his story. He had to escape though with these wounds it would be near impossible, it was frustrating but he had to manage somehow.

Night had fallen in Balfonheim, the streets were bare and only one shadow crossed them, a limp in his walk yet he was doing so hurriedly. Ffamran panted wincing slightly from the pain but holding on, somehow his guardians had fallen asleep and he managed to slip by past them without waking them up, now it was just getting past the resistance guards.

He was not planning on going back to Archades, that place held no meaning for him anymore. He had to get somewhere though and there wasn't anything beyond the Phon Coast. He sighed, maybe he could slip by the guards and steal an airship back in Archades, and make a name for himself as a Sky Pirate. He figure that wouldn't hurt either. Speaking of hurt he winced as his wounds took impeccable timing in flaring up in pain as he gritted his teeth trying not to make a sound, there were guards around here and the last thing he needed was to get caught.

Once he took a look around, making sure there were no guards, he continued on his way mindful of his surroundings until finally he reached the Aerodrome. He wasn't about to walk all the way to Phon Coast, he needed an airship in order to go to Archades and rob one. He could rob one here, but the one he had an eye for was back in Archades. He managed still to get into the Aerodrome but that is where he stopped short with one hit on the back of his neck making him fall on the floor.

"Well, well,well... Seems to me like your Viera failed Jerem, he managed to get out *snort*" said a voice that, to Ffamran at least, was annoying especially with the building headache he had now. The last thing he needed was a Seeq and a Bangaa trying to see which would tear him to pieces first.

He tried to get up but with the pain and the added weight as a foot came crashing down to his back, he was feeling weaker than he should, though, he could probably blame it on the pain which was starting to frustrate him. "That is enough" said another voice though the new one he recognized, it was his caretaker.

The Bangaa looked at the Viera and then at his partner, "Viera... your job was to watch over him and make sure he didn't die until judgement day. I do not see why you tend to his wounds... They were not fatal!" said the Bangaa as his Seeq partner only nodded at this statement. Truth was, Ffamran was getting sickened as the world around him seemed to spin. "Had I not tend to his wounds, he would have died... I merely ask that you return him. He will not do much for the resistance dead. Neither will he be able to live the remaining days unless you leave him in my care. This was nothing more than an outing and he got lost" she said crossing her arms.

The pressure on his back faded then though for Ffamran the world had gone into the darkness when she entered. "Then take him and get out of our sight!" said the Bangaa as he left with his partner.

When Ffamran came to his whole body screamed murder at him he was in pain and he couldn't move from the bed since his wrists were chained. Under other circumstances he would have found the whole ordeal amusing but the pain and his muddled brain wasn't helping him at all.

In came the Viera then, probably his savior and condemner as well. If he was to die, he expected to either die old or doing something to leave his self in the pages of history. He nodded sideways trying to clear his head, muddled thoughts wouldn't help now.

He looked up watching curiously as she undid his bindings leaving his arms free, "I apologize for the chains... It seems the resistance no longer trusts me" she said as she sat down. Ffamran chuckled, "Oh don't worry, once I'm feeling better I'll be out of your hair in no time" he said chuckling a tad rather sarcastic. He nodded sideways, "I know I made this inquiry already but now that the leading man has perhaps found his final act... May I ask your name, my dear?" he said looking at her.

When she didn't offer a response he thought she was not going to talk until he heard her, "I believe you have earned it... It is not everyday I get outwitted by a Hume... I am named Fran, and you hume?"

Ffamran looked at her for a moment and nodded, she had earned the right as well to learn his name, "Ffamran Demen Bunansa... Though under the circumstances I guess Ffamran will have to suffice" he said and Fran nodded at his name. To him he never liked the name but it was what his father named him, but now he despised the name as much as he hated his father though those feelings would be deeply buried never to surface for now.

"It does not fit you..." Her voice caught him by surprise and he raised his gaze at her, "Oh? And what would you rather call me then, Fran?" he asked mirth and a somewhat an air of confidence mixed in his voice. Fran nodded sideways, "I would call you the same as before, a Balthier... Or rather the word and not its meaning. In one tongue it means freedomless bird yet in others it means 'hawk'"she said explaining. He nodded at that, liking the name as it stood, Balthier or hawk in Hume tongue.

It was at that moment when she placed him under a new name that he decided, he would have to ask this beautiful Viera to join in his quest for freedom, afterall, she was the only one kind to him at all.

Days had turned into weeks and weeks into months, long had the Archadia Ministry called its search off labeling Judge Ffamran as dead. It was all he needed to adopt his new name, and with a change in appearance as well. He discarded everything tying his past to him all except an earring he had gotten as part of his rebel age. Judge Ffamran was dead, now it was only the sky pirate Balthier though, first he needed to get out of this place then steal the airship of his dreams and he'd be set. That, and the fact that he had to look for a partner and who better than the one that took care of him?

He chuckled at the thought as he got out of bed no longer wearing chains or the ocassional sling or bandages or for that matter his armor. No what he had now was a pair of dress pants and a dress shirt with a Feral Croc leathered vest over it. He smirked at his attire, not exactly the normal sky pirate clothes but then again he was going to be different from the rest.

He picked up a gun, an Altair, that the moogle guarding him had left. He had won favor from that same moogle since Fran had befriended him. It was time to get out and luckily none of the resistance members would notice him as his hair had a rather short haircut though not enough to leave him bald though it was a difference from his rather abandoned looked as he had longer hair and a beard to boot, something he wasn't quite fond of and had Fran help him there.

He opened the door to look for Fran receiving glances though none of them asked thinking him one of their own. They probably thought he was still in there, the naive fools. He headed out but not before asking the moogle, Nono was his name he believed, where Fran was. After being told he headed for the bar to find her though what he found made his blood boil though why he wasn't sure.

There they were two Bangaas and one Hume trying to circle her as she sat there weaponless. They seemed like headhunters to him though their lecherous gazes were making his stomach turn. Balthier was usually a flirt during his days in Archades trying to woo women but never did he go beyond a kiss or fooling around. The curse of the Bunansa family, he called it, being able to attract hordes of women but never managing to fall in love with them. Balthier nodded sideways and entered, he was going to put a stop to this.

"Excuse me but I believe the Viera has had enough of you three" he said looking at them as they dismissed him saying that he should mind his own business, a mistake in their part as Balthier pointed his gun at one's head clicking the safety off. "I believe you three were leaving my partner alone" he said with a cocky tone of voice and smirking as well.

The three looked at him like he was crazy, he would kill for the Viera no doubt about it. They left, Fran looking at him not annoyed but not amused either, "I did not need help Balthier" she said crossing her arms. "Oh that I know but I would rather save them from the massacre of being beaten to a pulp by a rather intriguing Viera" he said shrugging slightly as he sheathed his gun in his back. "Now I was wondering if you would hear a deal, my dear?" he asked her as he sat down on the same table as her.

She raised an eyebrow curious to this hume's antics, he was different from the rest, he could show wisdom but mostly acted like a child at times. But right now he was being wise carefully using his words. He offered a deal though what kind was what had the Viera curious. "What kind of deal?"

He smirked, "What if I told you about stealing the airship of your dreams? About partnering up with a newborn Sky Pirate? Would you accept in joining me, or reject the offer? I can tell you there will be danger but the rewards will be worth it. What do you say? Will you be the leading man's lady?" he said a hand under his chin as his elbow rested on the table as well as his other arm.

Fran remained silent, this wasn't what she was expecting. She would have expected him to say he would either take her as a hostage for the resistance to leave him alone or just announce that he was leaving though then again he was different from other humes. A partnership with one of the most amusing humes she had ever encountered or to remain in this place forever lamenting leaving the Wood. She took her decision then, "I will go with you though, I am curious. This airship we're stealing... It is not in Balfonheim, is it?"

To that Balthier grinned though it was the first time she had seen him do so, "Well that, my dear Fran, is where we come in" he said as the grin never faded.

One mental note he had to make to himself was the fact that Fran disliked Archades as much as him and he knew probably why. The city never saw Viera and the stares she was getting was unnerving to him, that and the fact that the air was full of scents no Viera would like at all. He was lucky no one recognized him since he had a cleaner look about him, seriously, he couldn't believe being a Judge was messy after all. He headed into Tsenoble, having managed to hold on unto his Sandalwood Chop before he rid himself of his armor.

Once there he was watching the building that would be the ending chapter in the prologue of the Sky Pirate Balthier and the beggining of his story. "Well Fran that is the place" he said pointing to a huge crimson building. "This place is..." she said but didn't finish as he lowered his arm. "Draklor Laboratories... We ought to find the airship we're looking for there" he said having a glint in his eyes that would rival the stars themselves.

Oddly enough Fran felt at ease which was a first considering this was a hume and not a fellow Viera. Yet, Balthier had gained her trust over the months he spent half crippled by his wounds and he, in turn, learned to trust her as she tended his wounds. However, that was past now and this, this was now.

Getting into the building was the easy part, getting to the hangar was another thing as Balthier seemed to know where to go. She figured it was because of his time as a Judge but it went beyond that. Afterall, he was the son of the laboratories founder and boss, Cidolfus Demen Bunansa. Either way, Balthier cared not of the past now as they arrived to th hangar looking at the different prototypes of airships but the one he had was right at the end where the condemned ships were.

"I can't believe he wants to turn her into scrap metal" said Balthier as he removed the covering from the ship smirking. The airship was small, probably made more for combat than to fly a lot of people around since it had a pair of cannons placed on its sides though what Fran saw made her blink in desbelief. Balthier was discarding said cannons and any other weapons leaving the ship just for flight. Either this hume was too much of a pacifist or he was just plain crazy, she knew they would need the ammunition but then again she trusted him, perhaps he had a few ideas.

Balthier searched the blueprints near the hangar, the office was dust covered meaning that this place hadn't seen a hume in ages. Finally, after searching for a while he pulled out a folder containing blueprints under the name of Ffamran Demen Bunansa, his old name.

They were the original blueprints for the ship and none of them had cannons in them or any type of ammunition though the squematics were more leaning toward faster speeds than the average combat airship. "Alright Fran... Now all we need is the engine and we're set to go" he said, however, all he received as a reply was silence. "Fran?" He turned only to be stunned slightly, there was his partner on the floor blood underneath her and two soldiers with bloodied swords looking at him. Though what had stunned him was not them but the man standing behind them, one Cidolfus Demen Bunansa.

"I would have taken you for one to stay dead, Ffamran, not one to be back from the dead and partner himself with a traitor to the Empire" said Cid as he nodded sideways.

Balthier readied his rifle though he only walked to the front to check Fran. Once done, he stood carefully planning his next move. He had to get out of there with the airship and Fran and head somewhere where they weren't known and with good healers, her wounds would kill her if not treated. "Tell me something, old man. Why are you trying to bring the law for a piece of garbage? I mean, you were going to turn this beauty of an airship into scrap metal, were you not?" he said picking Fran from the ground and letting her lay against his back like a piggyback ride, he'd worry about blood stains in his shirt and vest later.

Cidolfus laughed, "Ah, yes I had forgotten. You Sky Pirates have a way of calling your thieving a way of life. Nevertheless... You will be captured, sentenced and hanged like the pirate you are! Men, seize him!" he commanded and the soldier ran at Bathier. However,in a few seconds both of them were on the ground dead and Balthier's Altair was smoking. "You are lucky I'm in a hurry, old man. Otherwise there'd be one between your eyes" he said boarding the airship but before he would leave Cidolfus called out his name, his real name. "Ffamran! Was ther no other way!?" asked his father seeing as Balthier only sighed and entered.

He managed to start the ship first, then laying Fran on the seat besides the pilot seat and soon enough he took flight. The ship still had an engine but once on the next town he would have to change it as it was not made to fly the fastest. He ignored his father's words though, but he knew there would probably be a time when that question would be redirected at the man who asked it.

The skies along Jylland we're great to watch how the stars sparkled at night, he always marveled at them and even though he was stuck in this cold city as the snow seemed to never melt, he was here because his partner was still wounded and now apparently ill according to the healers, which were Viera at that. He shook his head watching how the fire near the furnace crackled and seemed to dance. He had his dress shirt on but the buttons were undone, though this one lacked the vest and the blood stains. He shook his head again, Viera had more blood to lose than Humes apparently though the thought that bloodloss could kill them as well as any other fatal wound had him half shaking in fear.

He would be losing his partner, and probably the only friend he had in this world, besides Nono, that understood him. Even though he was grateful to the moogle, Fran held a more special place, though he couldn't exactly say what kind of place in his mind, or was it his heart? It was a conflicting thought. He looked outside once more to the streets of Moorabella and turned toward Fran's sleeping form in the bed across from his.

He would have to be patient, even if his eighteen, or rather nineteen in a few days, year old self was impatient to say the least, but for her he guessed he could endure. He took a swig from his wine glass leaving said glass empty as he crawled into bed hoping Fran wouldn't take long in healing, afterall, what was The Leading Man without his lady.

He was curious, though the fact that this line of question could get him in trouble. Regardless he had to ask. There had been rumors about a treasure not far from Moorabella, he figured this could be his first solo act as he waited for Fran's full recovery.

The treasure was suposedly hidden in some ruins to the west and though he was itching to go and claim that treasure for his own, he resisted the urge though. He would wait for Fran, afterall what was a few more days?

After Fran had healed he made his way into the ruins with her in tow though the thick mist in the place was making him feel sick Fran seemed to be at ease for some reason. However, after searching for a while the only thing they found was a group of Bangaa and as quickly as they found them, Balthier was shot at but luckily he managed to take cover in time as well as Fran.

"Well never expected a warm welcome either way" he said taking his Altair and shooting back though one shot managed to deflect in his gun making him hurt his hand. He grabbed at his hand as it clearly was bleeding having a gash there though luckily the bullet never went in.

At this Fran reacted sending a special flash arrow Nono had made just in case this happened and let it fly to the ceiling. Once it made impact the Bangaa were momentarily blinded as well as Balthier though she grabbed his wrist and led him out of the ruins and into the ship.

However, when she started to tend to his wounded hand that was the first time and probably last she saw fear in his eyes though his face remained emotionless not even showing if he was in pain or not. She knew the Bangaa were headhunters, not to mention from the Empire as well meaning that they were probably sent by that man.

She stopped thinking such thoughts, what he needed now was not someone reminding him that the past he so desperately ran away from was coming back haunting him. What he needed the most was a friend.

She ran her claws through his hair scratching his scalp lightly and she felt as though the tenseness he had faded as he closed his eyes laying his forehead on her stomach sighing in relief and exhaustion as well. It was then Fran knew, she couldn't leave him be alone or else that would be his fall.

The months had gone by again, and though it was near the end of the year, Balthier knew Fran didn't find this occasion in such high regard. Afterall, it was during these weeks that he had almost died in Cerobi Steppe if it wasn't for her. Still he thought, this was their anniversary, the day they met a year ago.

He decided a bottle of wine and food would be the only thing to enjoy since he had something planned. To share the night with the only person that understood him far better than what his old man would have. To that he would toast, as he downed the first glass of wine.

It was New Year's Eve by the time they were back around the Archadian border though this time Balthier wasn't piloting the ship but rather Fran. "You know, I believe it's about time we named this ship" he said thinking for a minute.

Fran looked at him, "And what would you name it, then?" she asked clearly still focused on pilotong the ship. Balthier just thought for a moment, "How about the Strahl?"

Needless to say, the thoughts of the ships name remained silent as though they were both silently agreeing the name suited it just fine, afterall, it was the Archadian word for sky and they were Sky Pirates afterall.

This month was slow, at least that's what Balthier thought as the rumors of treasure had died down and the headhunters seemed to have taken a break as well, then again he wouldn't have it any other way, he was twenty now no longer a teenager by his account though according to Fran he was still a child no matter if he was even forty. To her,it seemed, humes were childish in every aspect it seemed.

He nodded sideways clearly lost in thought. He remembered other times he had spent alone during his birthdays and sincerely he had gotten used to it. Right now sitting in the pilot seat with his trademark smirk plastered on his face was all he needed though he always had a hollow-like feeling in his chest. A longing more to say, he wished for someone to at least be there, his father never was there when he needed him.

His smirk turned into a frown then and he sighed eyes closed. Then, they snapped open fast when he heard footsteps but, these weren't the light steps of a Moogle, these were rather heavy but delicate ones, ones belonging to a certain Viera.

"One would think you would be after treasure, Balthier" she said as she sat on her seat beside him causing him to smirk again, "It seems this month has been slow my dear. No words on treasure whatsoever, though not that I mind the headhunters taking a vacation mind you" he said but after that just sighed closing his eyes again until he felt something on top of his hand. When he opened his eyes and looked it was three rings.

All had leather-like bands but each had a different stone glued to them at the endings, a ruby, a saphire, and an emerald. "And this?" he asked looking at her and, if he wasn't hallucinating, he could see a smile, clear as day, on her features. "Today is a special day is it not?" she replied with a question of her own as she went expressionless once more.

Balthier had to conclude then and there, he wouldn't have another partner, or rather, he would not trade her for the world, or in his case, for the greatest treasure known to humankind.

The days had gone by faster than he was happy with and right now he had wished he had never opened his mouth. Apparently, Fran had taken offense when he said something about the forest in Salikawood and she had gone off on her own without so much as a warning. At least, he believed she had taken offense to his comments but eitherway he went in search for her.

After hours of searching with no luck whatsoever, he stopped to rest until he heard cackling and sneering near where he was and carefully decided to see what all the commotion was about. When he did, he had finally found Fran, the only thing though was that she was unconscious and tied on the floor.

He knew this was a trap but he took his chances as he went foolishly towards her only to be hit on the back of his neck really hard and be knocked out cold. When he came to hours later, he was woken up by a stinging pain coming from his back as he had heard a cracking sound reverbrate through the room.

"Foolish Sky Pirate! Did you really think you could escape my sibblings and I!?" said the same Bangaa that had laid a trap about a few months ago when they were raiding the ruins for treasure, only this time Balthier had been caught and now he was being tortured before he was given in to the Archadian authorities.

Another crack sounded and he winced feeling another gash on his badly abused back. "We're going to take revenge for the humiliation you put us through, Balthier... If you don't die then we'll claim the reward if you do well... bad luck on your part hume!" said the Green one that seemed to be the leader of the band of misfit headhunters.

Balthier hissed again as another crack of the whip landed on his back making another gash and this one bleeding severely. Throughout all of this however, he wasn't thinking of himself, which even to him sounded off but, rather, he was hoping Fran was alright and that they had let her go, which seemed to be the case since his captors never mentioned any Viera.

Days had gone by and Balthier felt weak and was constantly in pain even tied up as he was against this tree. Ba'Gamman and his crew, as he had picked the name of this ruthless Bangaa, had fallen asleep by now though Balthier couldn't as the pain usually kept him awake and he was at the verge though no matter how much torture he had gone through he still wouldn't break like they wanted.

He would not beg for death, that was not the role of the Leading Man. Though at times Balthier though that muttering those words would rid him of this pain he had rememebered something Fran had told him during one of their theft. He had gotten hurt as well then, 'Without pain, there is no life' He stuck to those words like a mantra to keep him going.

He heard something rustling through te bushes hoping it wasn't another Marlboro, he had tired of those as well as the annoying Baknamy. However, what came into view was much more different, a Viera and not just any Viera but Fran herself.

He seemed to smile slightly through his battered and bruised self and she placed a hand on his cheek as with he free hand cut his bindings and helped him stand dragging him toward the Strahl and taking off away from Salikawood and away from the headhunters.

He was not out of the woods yet though, Fran knew she had to take him somewhere he could be tended to. He needed constant care since his wounds would have him bedridden for months.

She picked him up carefully but he groaned in pain as his back protested it seemed luckily she had already dealt with Ba'Gamman and his lot knocking them out cold. Once she started to walk Balthier's world seemed to fade from view once more though this time there was no fear in his eyes, only relief.

When he came to again he was still in pain and for some reason the room felt cold to him. he shivered though he knew he probably had a fever not to mention his throat felt dry. He tried to move from what he assumed was his bed but a hand stopped him and laid him back placing a glass of water to his lips and Balthier almost choked on it though the cool liquid was welcome to his severely parched throat.

Her hands on his head soothed him somewhat and he couldn't tear himself from her as his pain seemed to be forgotten for now. He would appear to be a child in her eyes but he suddenly didn't care anymore. The pain he was feeling at the moment was being soothed if only for a little while. He passed out then but more from sleep than pain. Fran left then heading for the only place that would be a safe haven for him, but a living hell for her.

He stirred opening his eyes just a little though he felt weak. He remembered his time in captivity, when Fran had been the one tending to his wounds but that was two years ago and at that time he hadn't smelled the same scent he had now. It smelled of incense and Prima Petals as well as another scent he couldn't put his finger on. A hand rested on his head then and he closed his eyes enjoying the touch.

"Fran?" he whispered barely audible but he knew she would hear him. The hand moved down to his neck slowly caressing and he sighed as he heard her breathing and her forehead press to his, "I am here" she said and at last Balthier relaxed completely.

She was thanking the Wood he couldn't see her state now, she was bruised and had bandages covering her left cheek as well as her arm. All of this just so that her sisters would tend to him and care for him until he could stand on his own at least. She didn't wish to stay for another round with Rael or even her own sister, Jote. They did not take kindly to one who abandoned the Wood, thougn Jote had let the Hume pass only because for some odd, out of this world, reason the Wood willed it. In fact Balthier was supposed to be blessed by the very home she abandoned and he wasn't even a Viera which baffled the entire village as to why a Hume out of all the races, would be blessed by the Wood.

Fran smiled, she figured it had something to do with her. Balthier was probably more than a partner to her, a friend, maybe even family by now though she knew the feeling went beyond that and she was sure the same went for him. The need to guide him felt stronger and even after fifty years or so of being around Humes, Balthier was the only one to actually open her eyes to the world as it truly is. Sure there was cruelty out there but he had opened her eyes to see that not all was a cruel world there were treasures as well.

She looked at him for a moment, perhaps, the Wood hadn't abandoned her completely and had set Balthier unto her as a blessing. She may have left her place as a Viera but in the world of Humes, she was meant to find something though what she was not sure of it.

She laid her head down beside him as she soon drifted off too tired already though his hand on her head was helping her being lulled to sleep. To her it seemed he was thankful for her help and care as well. Perhaps she had found the perfect life as he had found the perfect partner.

Goodbyes were never necessary but the way Fran had been exiled had left a fear in Balthier's heart for some reason. Once they had left the Viera had all looked at Fran as if she was a Hume instead of one of them, with hate. And the look on his partner's eyes sent chill down his spine as well as an odd feeling at the pit of his stomach, where the fear had settled in.

She looked as though somebody had sentenced her to death and for a few days after that she didn't seem to be her usual self and that had him worried. But still, he would wait until she felt like herself again. He respected her that much though right now he was wishing he could just barge into her room and demand an explanation.

He sighed, the problems of impatience were usually the ones that lead to his troubles, including his escape from the empire two years shook his head at such thoughts as he looked at Fran's door. She would want to remain alone for a while that much he knew, so he would wait until she wished to talk about it or decided to come back to them, if not, however, he would have to break the door down and show just how impatient he was.

She had come out of her room days later though it was almost as if she didn't exist. She never spoke mostly and had this odd look to her eyes as if longing for something Balthier hadn't quite picked up yet. He sighed as he stood out atop the Strahl looking at the night sky. They had stopped somewhere near the Phon Coast going after a Mark thinking it would be honest money for a while though truthfully he was worried about his partner.

And speaking of the Viera she had come out not noticing he was there until she saw him. "I... apologize... I did not know you were here" she said though to Balthier, her voice sonded weak as if troubled. "No reasons to apologize Fran you haven't caused me any trouble" he said dismissing the thought with a wave on his hand though his back was still to her.

She only seemed to nod sitting beside him as he watched the skies full of stars and not a cloud in sight. "Oddest sight wouldn't you say?" he spoke all of a sudden making Fran look at him. He pointed up, "I could name a few of them and still that wouldn never be enough with him you know" he said placing his arm down and chuckling. "Fate and destiny... Shouldn't it be something we should control?" he asked looking at her his caramel eyes shimmering with the reflection of the stars and she seemed to smile, a first after the Golmore incident.

To her, Balthier spoke with a conviction that would never be rivaled by others as much as she thought of it. Balthier was, indeed, the Leading Man in his own way, a man of much intelligence yet, he wished to keep it to himself and those closest to him since after all, he had been made Judge because of this and his own father's ambitions, not his own. Was that what he wanted to show her? That no matter how hard life ever got she was the one to control her own destiny, and no one, not the Golmore Viera, her sisters, or even the Wood, could take that from her... and him. In his case that being that no one could take his freedom from him, not the Empire, his father, or the Judges either.

They were free of their cages, that was his message to her. She needed to stop thinking of the past and move on as he had, even though he knew one that he would have to go back and confront it he was still at ease for some reason and she would have never guess, probably until later, that it was because she was there with him.

She in turn would use him as her way to make sure that she would never feel helpless again. She would take Balthier's example and follow it, that for once the Leading Man was acting mature, even if it was unbelievable in her eyes.

Balthier neer was one to complain over the little things but he knew today something was off. They had made a stop at Nalbina for the night their Mark having eluded them in the Mosphoran Highwaste. However, as Fran entered there were Empire soldiers on her and Balthier was lucky they had soon forgotten who it was that stole the Strahl but then again maybe his father had something to do with that or it was the simple fact that the ship was considered scrap metal already.

However the situation his partner was in would simply not do as he walked up front to the captain and looked at him in the eye saying the Viera was with him. The Empire was known to be racist only allowing Bangaa and Seeqs to the capital because most were either merchants or hunters after a reward. Moogles on the other hand were pretty much liked though the most the Empire had was Humes.

He knew how they would treat Fran in this city and that made his blood boil. He would have turned back to his airship had night not fallen already. Flying in the middle ofthe night was like a flyin bat, blind and trying not to crash into something. He sighed as he kept walking with his hands behind his head to the inn Fran behind him. He had heard rumors abound of a treasure hidden in the Mosphoran but he shrugged it aside for now. He needed more information on this matter and who better than a streetear or the local pub.

After paying for their room, since technically there was one room left for tonight, he headed to the pub leaving Fran behind as she had settled in for sleep. Him, on the other hand, was headed for information as well as a drink, probably, wine or something a bit stronger. Once in he listened to the rumors for a while, most were oldwives tales he had heard countless times but one caught his ear and it wasn't the treasure of Mosphoran.

"Raithwall's treasure, some say lies inside the Dalmascan castle though right now going there is suicide, what with the heavy guard guarding their prncess and king" said a drunkard but then another replied and this caught Balthier's ear as well as it made him go rather pale. "Haven't you heard? There's rumors of a war starting, Archades wants every nation to fall under its whim" said the other drunkard, at this point Balthier had left the pub.

'War? What the bloody hell are those.... What are they thinking?!' he thought to himself though soon enough he shook his head chuckling. Why should he be concerned? This would be a great time to try and steal that little treasure as well as go back to the Empire and steal whatever he pleased from right under their noses. He chuckled at the thought though as his mind went back to the war he hadn't took notice somebody was following him until he received a punch to the face as well as a kick to the ribs and stomach and then, everything went dark.

He winced, every muscle in his body sore and aching but from what he felt underneath him it was the bed at the inn or at least what the bed was to him. He opened his eyes finding Fran asleep on the other bed though he didn't have a clue as to how he had ended here. All he remembered was the bruises and the hurt he felt as the imperial imposters tried to beat him up. Probably resistance members thinking him an Archadian traveler, and what would not give him away? After all he had the looks of an Archadian Gentry.

He sighed at the thought as he laid there sore and rather hot as Nalbina was becoming hotter now and that only made him crave a bath with cool water all the more. He sighed at his thoughts though as he focused on his breathing trying to see if something would lull him back to sleep which after an hour or so he had dozed off in this heat...

A/N: This is still not finished though I though a little glimpse would be welcome since I haven't written in some time, not counting Scars of course.