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One could say that royalty was a life of luxury, where people catered to one's every whim and fancy. And in some sense, there was a grain of truth to it. People often did bend over backwards to try and please those they considered nobility. But for one Empress Aria, the de-facto ruler of Maple World, such things didn't suit her fancy. For one, the members of the Knights who protected and served on Ereve had, by her orders, refused to call her things like 'Your Majesty' and the like. She was a ruler, but that didn't mean that she was a tyrant.
Still, there were generous perks to being considered royalty that she grew accustomed to. For one, she was never in want of anything. If she felt the slightest bit hungry, the chefs were ready to prepare a meal. If she felt tired, a warm bath and bed were provided immediately. But there were downsides as well. Being a ruler meant keeping watch over the 'ruled'. Which also meant things like politics and suitors, both of which she had to maintain herself as an Empress rather than as 'Aria'. There were plenty of times where she wished she didn't have to hear about her strategist discussing things like budgets for the Knights, or the worries of potential disasters such as the increase in number of monsters. She also grew tired of having to listen to many men try and attempt to woo her with fancy titles and money.
Truthfully, they were wasting their time. Her heart had been claimed already to one man, though the world would never know about it.
As night began to fall, Aria was calmly sitting in her room, as a maid was brushing her hair, being as delicate as possible. Aria paid her little mind, as it was a normal routine for her nightly activities. "All finished, Miss Aria."
"Thank you. You may retire for the night," she said, to which the maid bowed and left the room, closing it behind her. Aria waited for a few moments, making sure that no one would disturb her before making her way to the door and locking it. Turning around, she headed to the glass door that separated the room and the balcony and opened that, walking outside. This too, was part of her nightly ritual, though it had only been going on for a few weeks at most. She took her time to enjoy the night air, letting the cool breeze run through her.
Several minutes passed in silence. There wasn't a sound to be heard, save for the distant clinging of wind chimes. Then, she suddenly spoke. "Good Evening, Phantom."
A hand that had been reaching for her back was quickly pulled away before a chuckle emerged. "Good Evening to you, Aria. It seems you've been getting better at noticing me." Behind her, dressed as fancily as always, was the legendary thief Phantom.
"Perhaps you're just getting predictable," Aria said playfully. Given how long they were playing this 'game' between them, if there was anyone who could say that they knew the thief better than anyone it would be Aria. "May I ask what it is you want this time?"
"Oh, nothing much. Just the same thing every time." There was a rustling of movement, before the thief suddenly appeared in front of her, giving her a quick startle. He gripped her arm, gentle, yet firm at the same time. "Please be so kind as to hand over the Skaia."
He was called a Master Thief. Were there anyone greater, Phantom had never heard of them, nor did he believe they even existed. Treasures disappeared without a trace, artwork stolen without a clue, all could be said to be the work of the mysterious Phantom. He wasn't quite sure when such a name had been given to him, but he liked it. It added a sense of mystery and excitement to him that he felt he deserved.
So when the time came for his ultimate heist yet, stealing the treasure of Ereve, Phantom naturally believed that it would be a simple endeavor. Get in, steal the gem, and get out. Quick and easy, without even being seen.
Why make it so easy on himself?
And so, he confronted Aria, the Empress of Maple World, and asked her to hand over the gem. She had refused, naturally, so that was when Phantom knew it was time to play to his greatest strength: charm. He always knew what to say to the ladies to swoon them, make them nothing more than blushing piles of mush, only to be left without a penny to their name after words. He never had qualms about doing it before, so he saw no reason why it wouldn't work now.
But Phantom had underestimated Aria. She had been straightforward and honest about herself and what she thought of him. She had said his little acting had been 'cute'. Cute! To think there was anyone who could resist the charms of the Master Thief, Phantom! It was preposterous! But Phantom relented for the moment, seeing this as a fun new way to add some excitement into his life. And with a promise of being back, he left her that night to her thoughts.
Weeks had passed in that manner, Phantom asking for the gem rather than simply finding a way to take it by force – he would never hurt a lady after all – and Aria simply chatting with him, often asking mundane questions or talking about her day. And he wasn't sure when, exactly, he had stopped coming to see Aria for her treasure, and just coming to see her. Oh he would always make his simple opening one-liners, mostly about stealing the Skaia, but he never made much of an attempt to actually taking it, even when she held it up for him to see.
Yes, the great thief Phantom had indeed fallen in love with the Empress Aria. It was almost something of a fairy tale.
Slowly, Phantom opened himself a bit more with her. He talked of a few things, mostly about his own abilities and how great he was. And Aria listened to him patiently as he boasted. But eventually, he began to tell her other things. Of how he was raised, and trained to be a thief by his master, Raven. Of the trails he took in order to become the great thief he was today. But Aria never minded. In fact, she enjoyed listening to Phantom speak, and encouraged him to talk to her whenever he had a problem. Never once did she think of the person before her as the thief his reputation made him out to be.
For Aria was a ruler, and she knew that every man had their own dark secrets. And Phantom was a great thief, but she knew that he was still a man as well.
Some nights ago, Phantom had broken into her room itself, instead of their usual nightly meetings on the balcony. It was that night that he had, at last, managed to steal something from the Empress: her first kiss. He did nothing more with her, though he desperately wanted to. He knew he wasn't worthy of it, but he wanted it all the same. But Aria was different than the others he had charmed, and he could never seem to bring out the thief in him to do anything to upset her.
Tonight they stood, Phantom holding Aria's arm and Aria blushing slightly. "Sorry Phantom, but I don't feel like giving it to you tonight."
"Pity," he said, though he was still smiling as he leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips. Her blush intensified as she turned away for a moment. He laughed at her flushed face, finding amusement in making her so flustered.
"P-Phantom! Please don't do that whenever you feel like it," she said, turning her body away completely as she tried to gather herself. Even she couldn't deny the feelings that Phantom stirred within her, but she was still the Empress and he was still, almost regrettably, a thief.
"Oh Aria, you make it too easy sometimes," Phantom said reducing his laughter to a chuckle. Without warning, he reached forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her in his embrace. She stiffened for a moment, before relaxing against him. At times like this, he had made her feel not as a ruler, but as 'Aria'. Sometimes it was all she wanted.
"Phantom…" she whispered out, and she could feel his breath against her neck. "Phantom… I received a report of some strange things." Instantly she felt his body leave hers and the warmth was gone, replaced by the cool night air.
"You really do know how to kill the mood, don't you," Phantom said, almost in a whine. Aria only giggled, glad to be able to one-up the thief once again. "I assume you must mean the person who is calling himself the Black Mage?"
"Yes. I'm surprised you've heard about it actually," Aria said.
"My dear, if there is one thing even more valuable than your precious Skaia, it would be information. Although, none of it really has to do with me," Phantom said dismissively. "So someone wants to pretend they are the biggest bully on the playground. No big deal."
"Phantom," Aria said disapprovingly. "You really should take more care about this. As the Empress, I need to be aware of these things. This person hasn't made any openly hostile actions yet, but his power does have me concerned."
Phantom looked to Aria, realizing how serious she was taking this. He gave a sigh of defeat and shrugged. "I suppose I could keep track of things. Just don't expect me to do anything about it. I doubt such a person would ever be a bother to me."
Phantom opened his eyes, looking up from his bed onboard his ship. He blinked a few times, letting the remnants of his dream fade away. It had been a long time since the thought of Aria didn't send a stabbing of pain to his heart. Perhaps it was a sign that he was indeed moving on with his life, just as she wished. Before he had been stubborn and refused to cooperate with his fellow Heroes, preferring to take down the Black Wings on his own, his revenge against the ones who had killed his beloved.
You tried to steal something… but instead, that something was stolen from you.
Phantom recalled Freud's words vividly. Indeed, they had been the dogma that had temporary ruled his life, from the time he first joined the Heroes up until his admittance to the Maple World Alliance. But he had learned, very much so the hard way, that vengeance wasn't something Aria wanted from him. No, all Aria ever wanted was for Phantom to live in a peaceful world. That she had to die was completely unfair, Phantom thought. But it also taught him so much about himself and what he had to be willing to fight for. Not for revenge, but to fulfill Aria's own dream, the happiness for the people of Maple World.
Getting out of bed, he looked around. He wouldn't be back on this ship for a while, since he would journey with the other Heroes for the time being. He supposed that he had been slacking off too much in his training, and if he was to be ready to protect the world that his beloved had cherished so much, than he needed to have the strength to stop anything that would destroy that dream. For Aria's dream had become Phantom's dream. But it was something he wanted not just for Aria, but for himself as well.
And whatever a master thief wanted, he would get. One way, or another.
A/N: Thanks for reading my story! I've always liked the whole Phantom/Aria romance and wished they showed more of how they had come to know one another. Oh well, can't always get what you want.