Chapter 1

No idea where this is going to go. Ashe is queen, married to Balthier, and they have a daughter. In this first chapter, their daughter is afraid of a thunderstorm and goes searching for them. They settle her down, and head off to Dalmasca, where a new trouble is brewing.

Tall, dark, and super manly

Puts papers in his briefcase and drives away

To save the world or go to work

It's the same thing to me

He's got his mother's eyes, his father's ambition

I wonder if he knows how much that I miss him

I hang on every word you say

-Taylor Swift, "Superman"

Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca, Princess of Dalmasca, padded down the thick carpeted hallways of Nalbina Fortress in her tiny, white nightgown. She clutched a stuffed rogue tomato to her side and scurried up a flight of stairs, scrambling up steps which were difficult to scale with her short legs. Outside, a fierce storm was raging. Even though she was deep within the fortress, she could still feel the storm's thunderous vibrations through the carpet and in the soles of her bare feet. With each rumble, she emitted a frightened whimper and scurried faster. By the time she reached the end of a particularly long hallway and rounded a corner in the upper apartments of the fortress, she was running as fast as her legs would allow.

Three rough-faced and heavily armored guards were guarding a set of dark wooden doors at the end of a short hallway.

"Basch!" Ashelia shouted, recognizing one of the guards and scurrying up to clamp herself onto his leg.

"Princess…" Basch broke into a smile. "Could you not sleep with the storm raging outside?"

Ashelia shook her head and buried her face deep in Basch's leg again as another peal of thunder shook the keep.

"I want Mama!" She cried.

Basch knelt down, gently extricating Ashelia from his leg and looking her in the eyes. "Your mother is asleep, Princess. You know that she needs her rest. Be not afraid. I will take you back to your quarters and stand guard outside your door, if it will grant you the peace to find rest."

Ashelia shook her head, pale curls swaying around her shoulders. "Papa?"

Basch sighed and lifted the tiny princess into his arms. "I do not know where your father is, young one. Come. Let us see if we can find your nursemaid. Perhaps she will know the way to settle your heart."

The two remaining guards saluted, hands to hearts, as Basch carried the princess away.

The royal nursery was built in the same somber, dark architecture as the rest of the fortress. However, it was also piled high with stuffed animals, toy castles, and pretend weapons. A stuffed Marlboro lay squashed beneath a heavy storybook in front of a wooden toy box. Hanging out of the toy box were a stuffed wolf and cockatrice. Leaning against a polished armoire were toy versions of a spear, sword, and battle axe. On invisible wire, model airships dangled from the ceiling, seeming to fly on invisible air currents. Basch settled the princess back into her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin.

"There now, little one…" He tried to make his voice sound soothing. "Dawn approaches. All storms must pass in time. Rest your mind now." Basch attempted to walk away, but Ashelia cried out and clung to his arm as lightning flashed outside the windows.

"Mama… Papa…" She whimpered.

Summoning patience, Basch settled down next to her bed. "I was only going to try and find your nursemaid, but very well. I will stay by your bedside till dawn's first light. Now will you try to rest?"

Ashelia watched Basch with dark eyes until he had actually settled down on the floor. Something squeaked as he sat, and he reached behind him and retrieved a stuffed moogle before finally settling his back against the wall.

Assured that Basch was indeed going to stay, Ashelia finally began to relax. But her dark eyes remained fixed on him; pale curls lay splayed across her pillow. Basch was suddenly struck by how much those eyes resembled her father's, but the curls were defiantly her mother's. The determined streak as well. Basch did not know how long he sat there, lending a soothing presence to calm the child's fears, but sometime close to dawn a moogle dressed in Nalbina Fortress livery appeared.

"Kupo! I came to check on her highness earlier, but she was missing! I looked everywhere!"

Checking to make sure that Ashelia was finally asleep (and she was, though only lightly), Basch stood and stretched his stiff legs. "Her highness found her way from the nursery to the Queen's bedchamber. She was frightened by the storm and wanted her mother."

The moogle opened its mouth to say something more, but a deep, rich voice suddenly sounded from the bedroom doorway. "Did someone mention a frightened child out of bed at an indecent hour?" Balthier strode into the bedroom, dressed in his usual tight black pants, white shirt, and brocaded vest, pearls dangling from his ears.

Basch turned to Balthier and nodded. "Her highness was frightened by the storm," he repeated. "She wanted her mother, and when she was denied this, she asked for you. I did not know where to find you or her nursemaid, so I returned her to her quarters.

Balthier brought his dark eyes to bear on Basch, and Basch was once more struck by the similarities between him and his daughter. "I thank you for looking after her," he said. "However, would you please leave us now? The leading man must answer to the summons of his daughter." Balthier smiled at Ashelia, adoration shining in his face.

Basch nodded once more and strode from the room. The moogle nursemaid shuffled around, muttering to itself. "Her highness will be terribly out of sorts in the morning without proper rest… it is a bad idea to awaken her again… and who will have to soothe her in the morning – me!"

Balthier eyed the attendant. "You as well, dear. This scene is between myself and her highness."

Still grumbling, the moogle shuffled indignantly out of the room. "I will tell the queen about this… oh yes! She will thoroughly disapprove!"

Finally alone, Balthier gently sat on the edge of Ashelia's bed and softly placed his hand against her cheek. "Hello, darling," he whispered lovingly. "Papa is here. I am so sorry that I could not be with you in your moment of fear. Will you forgive me, my little princess?"

Ashelia rolled over sleepily and blinked up at him. "Papa?" She mumbled.

"Yes," Balthier could not help suddenly smiling, so reminded was he of how the Queen, his lady love, looked upon awakening. He laid a soft kiss upon her small hand. "I am here." Ashelia shifted to rest her cheek against his knee, small fists clutching at the fabric of his pants. "I was scared. The storm…"

"Say no more," Balthier whispered soothingly. "Do you wish me to tell you one of my stories? Something to calm your heart? Perhaps the one in which I was flying over the Eastern Sandsea in the Strahl when I saw a fair maiden being chased by some fiendish Urutan-Yensa?" Balthier stood up grandly, grabbing the toy spear from beside the armoire. "With Fran at the helm, we swooped down, cannons blasting – BOOM, BOOM, BOOM – I opened the hatch, fending off one, two, three, no four Urutan-Yensa while we roared across the sand, with only a broken spear as my weapon!" Balthier made grand thrusting motions with the spear, and Ashelia gasped in delight. "I pulled the maiden into the ship just as the last Urutan-Yensa dived for her. On broken spear, I impaled him – HA! On your guard!" Balthier raised the spear threateningly. Ashelia had sat up by now, dark eyes riveted on Balthier.

"As the fates would have it," Balthier said, sitting down on the bed next to Ashelia again. "The maiden was actually the daughter of a rich merchant from Bujherba who had run away some months beforehand. Her father was determined to see her married to a boorish snob of noble birth, but she was desperately in love with a handsome sky pirate. He had agreed to abduct her, and they had run away to the Sandsea together, where they thought no one would ever seek them again. But then…"

Ashelia's eyes were large and dark. "But then…?" She asked uncertainly.

"While scavenging for supplies from some nearby Rozzarian ruins, the sand pirate was viciously attacked by the Urutan-Yensa! They carried him back to their camp where they intended to kill him for trespassing on their tribal lands, but he convinced them that if they let him live, he would lead them to a vast treasure. They held him in their camp for months, and all the while he feared that his lady love would die without him by her side. Meanwhile, when he did not return to her, the maiden assumed that he had abandoned her. She was heartbroken."

"But he ran away with her to the desert. Did she not trust that he would be faithful?" Ashelia asked with a single tear sliding down her cheek, terribly upset by the way the tale was going. Balthier leaned close and nuzzled her cheek affectionately. "Have no fear, my love, for that is only the beginning of the tale. When Fran and I—"

A voice cleared itself from behind them and Balthier turned to find Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca, Queen of Dalmasca, standing in the doorway with arms folded over a swollen, pregnant belly, frowning disapprovingly. "Balthier… is this your idea of calming our daughter's heart so that she can return to sleep?"

In one graceful move, Balthier was striding across the bedroom floor and pulling Ashelia into his arms. "Hello, my love," he whispered, voice soft and seductive. "Should you be out of bed like this? We were warned not to over exert you in later stages of your pregnancy. "He placed a ringed hand gently on her abdomen. "I could not bear it if something should happen to you or our child."

Ashelia, not amused by this tactic, slapped his hand away from her abdomen and frowned. Pale, shoulder length hair framed a face strikingly similar to that of her daughter's, all but the eyes. Princess Ashelia had her father's eyes. "Do not change the subject, Balthier. Our daughter is up at the break of dawn because you could not resist telling her one of your wild stories! Nanny will have a terrible time getting her to return to sleep!"

Unabashed, Balthier turned and smiled lovingly at Princess Ashelia. "I think her determination not to return to sleep would be more of a reflection of character traits inherited from her mother and not myself, my queen."

Unable to stay angry with the way Balthier was gazing so adoringly at their daughter, she sighed. "I suppose that if she is already awake, we should at least make our goodbyes before departing…"

Balthier nodded sagely. "Most reasonable of you, my queen." Ashelia glared at him, warning him not to push his luck.

"Mama… you and papa are leaving?" Princess Ashelia's eyes widened and her curls swayed as she turned to stare out the window. Pale dawn light was just touching the horizon. Thunder still rumbled in the distance, but it was softer now. The little princess was no longer scared of the thunderstorm, for she had a much greater concern now. Mama and Papa had never LEFT her before. She had never been away from them in her life, and the very idea of being separated from them now terrified her. "Don't go!" She cried, climbing out of bed and dashing over to Queen Ashelia.

Queen Ashelia smiled and stroked her daughter's pale hair soothingly. "We won't be gone for long. Anyway, while we're away Nanny and Fran will find many things for you to do. Fran has even mentioned taking you out to see some of the city. You've never seen Nabudis from the air. It is beautiful."

"No!" Princess Ashelia wailed, clinging to her mother's legs even tighter.

"Do you still think that she gets that determination from myself?" Balthier joked. "That is DEFIANTLY something she has inherited from you." He knelt down and pulled Princess Ashelia into his arms, nestling her under his chin and inhaling the smell of her hair, enjoying the way she felt held so close to his heart. There was pain in his face as well, for this would be the first time he would be away from her since the day she was born. "Never fear, my darling. Let me reassure you with this… a sky pirate's treasure is his life. He will never be away from it for very long."

"Why are you telling me this?" Princess Ashelia sniffled, looking up at him.

"Because you are this sky pirate's treasure. He will return to you as soon as he is able. Rest assured that I love you with all of my heart, no matter how far away from you I am." Princess Ashelia sniffled again, but finally conceded. Balthier smiled and pulled her away so that he could rest his forehead against hers. "Now… do you think that you could go back to sleep for a while?"

"Yes," Princess Ashelia said. She scampered back across the room and climbed into bed. Queen Ashelia and Balthier pulled the covers up to her chin and stroked her hair. "I love you, my daughter," Queen Ashelia said, tucking the stuffed rogue tomato in tightly against Princess Ashelia's side. "So very much."

They kissed the little princess goodbye one more time and departed the bedroom. Princess Ashelia snuggled down into her pillow, finally content.

Queen Ashelia and Balthier strode down the hallway together toward the air garden. He placed his hand tenderly on the small of her back, taking comfort in the feel of her soft skin. "I detest leaving her," he said. "I do not much like the idea of you traveling in your current condition, either."

Ashelia sighed. "I know. I also wish we did not have to leave her, but what can we do? This affair in Dalmasca is urgent. It stinks of trouble."

Balthier stopped her just before entering the air garden, where the Strahl awaited to carry them to Dalmasca. "So let it be. Why should it be any of our affairs?"

Ashelia's eyes widened. "Balthier… it's Dalmasca! You cannot expect me to just sit back and do nothing while a new trouble stirs in my kingdom!"

Balthier sighed. "No. I could not ask that of you. I only meant that…" He placed his hand on her abdomen again, hesitating. "…a kingdom is only a kingdom, my queen. The real treasure is what is inside it. I will not forfeit such treasure when it is finally mine."

He looked at her, eyes burning with passion. She found herself drawn into his gaze. Gently, he lowered his head and brushed her lips with a kiss. Frowning, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, searching for more, deepening the kiss.

After a few moments, they broke apart. Balthier sighed. "Well… shall be we off, then?"

Queen Ashelia nodded in assent.

Basch appeared in the hanger doors, sword at his side, and a shield on his arm. "Let's away," he said.

Balthier, Queen Ashelia, and Basch departed for Dalmasca.

I watched Superman fly away

You've got a busy day today

Go save the world

I'll be around

I watched Superman fly away

Come back, I'll be with you someday

I'll be right here on the ground

When you come back down

-Taylor Swift, "Superman"