Ashe was met with an awkward silence as she pushed open the door to the Sandsea. She didn't know if it was her personally or the guards standing behind her, but something told her that she wasn't welcome. Keeping her head held high, she approached the bar. Tomaj smiled at her, "Majesty, I believe that the legal drinking age in Dalmasca is twenty years of age, is it not?" he joked, but obviously wasn't very serious about it as he poured the nineteen-year-old princess, soon to be queen, a beer.
"I do not want to hear it." she sighed, taking a long swig of her beer, "I just spent the past six hours reviewing the budget for the coming year. I need a drink." though she could easily have gotten a drink, and one much better than this swill at the palace, she really needed to escape for a while. Placing a large fistful of gil on the counter, she announced, "Drinks are on me tonight!"
The initial cold shoulder she received from the drunkards in the bar quickly faded as she was met with a chorus of cheers and people running up to her to thank her and give her a hug, "Majesty, are you sure that this is wise?" her guards seldom questioned her decisions, but this one sounded a bit risky.
"We have a surplus this year, which is remarkable considering the war efforts," she ordered some water to her companions, not permitted to drink while on duty, "The money came from the pockets of these people, I am just giving some of it back."
"Ah, finally a politician who makes sense to me!" Balthier, already clearly tipsy, clasped a hand on Ashe's shoulder, "Long time no see, princess! I must say, I like the way you've been running things. The streets are clean, we have beer money, and most importantly, no one's trying to kill us!"
"I'm glad that you approve." she muttered coolly.
"Hey!" a man stood on the table from the loft above, "A toast! To da princess; who's done more fer dis country in sis mons tha any other moron in a 'undred years!"
Ashe shook her head and took another handful of gil out from her purse, "Perhaps I should have thought this through a little better. Use your better judgment. If any of these men are too drunk to leave, set them up with a room for the night?"
"I shall see to it," Tomaj nodded in understanding. "Although you should know, that man was drunk long before you got here."
"I don't doubt it, but just to be safe?"
"Lady Ashelia?" one of her guards prompted, "I think that you should really get back to the palace. Tomorrow you still have to meet with the security council and an address to give. You really should get some rest. And the drunker these men get, the more likely they are to do something stupid. We don't want you involved in any mishaps."
"I suppose, but I've told you that you may simply call me 'Ashe'." she stood, a little shaky at first. In an instant, her guards were at her side, helping to support her. "I am fine, just a little woozy. I should probably sleep this thing off. It was...nice to see you again Balthier."
"Hey, drinks are still free after you leave, right?" Balthier shouted out the door after her.
"Your Highness, if I may be so bold, you have an image to protect," she sighed, preparing for another of her guards' lectures. "Being seen with drunkards and fools is hardly appropriate for a woman of your stature."
"How so?" she questioned, "How is being with drunkards and fools any different than meeting with the security council tomorrow?" she sat by the fountain in the town square, placing her head between her knees to try to stop the nausea that tore viscously through her body. She rinsed her mouth, regretting her decision just a bit. She couldn't hold her liquor well. She'd only had one beer, and she was wobbly and vomiting in a fountain. "Take me home please?"
They nodded, calling over their chocobos, "A good night's sleep will do you good." one of the knights gently guided her onto her mount, "You didn't even finish your first beer, my Lady." he chuckled. "It's a good thing that you didn't order anything stronger. A drop of Bujherban ale and you'd have been out cold."
"Shut up and take me to bed." as the knights exchanged awkward glances she rolled her eyes, "You know what I meant!"
"You've had a busy day," Ivalina, one of Ashe's nurses helped her into bed, placing a bucket at her bedside in case she needed it, along with a bottle of medicine, "Take a capful of that stuff on the table if when you get up you've got a headache." she smiled sweetly, offering her a glass of water and some more vile medicine, "That'll probably keep you from getting a hangover."
"I cannot get a hangover!" Ashe insisted, "I didn't even have a full beer!"
The nurse shook her head, "You're too little. That's why you're such a lightweight when it comes to liquor. You need to get a little meat on your bones. Even after you've quit fighting beasts and Espers and the like, eating what you want, when you want, you've barely gained a pound! I wish I were so lucky..." she chuckled. She wasn't a large woman, but at least twenty pounds more than Ashe, "We need to fatten you up!"
"You will do no such thing!" Ashe threatened.
"Not much, just a few pounds to fill out your figure a bit." she turned out the lights, "Plus, if you're too thin, it's not good for childbearing. And you are planning on falling pregnant soon, are you not?"
Ashe snorted, "I am not even married yet, Ivalina!"
"One step at a time, hm?" she grinned, closing the door behind her.
Rubbing her temples tiredly, Ashe searched her wardrobe for an appropriate dress for her meeting. She already knew that the security council had very little respect for her, and would be looking for any possible means of critiquing her. Though she'd lived here most of her life, she still felt as though she didn't really belong in the palace yet. Part of her insisted that this was her birthright, and that she was where she was meant to be. The other part of her lay shrouded in doubt, telling herself that she couldn't do this.
"My Lady?" one of her knights inquired. Sensing her short temper, he politely remained in the doorway until she acknowledged him, "Are you feeling alright?" he had known her long enough to know that something was troubling her.
"It is nothing, Tobias. I just...it feels like none of this will matter. In a hundred years, who will know or care about any of this?" she sat down on the edge of the balcony in her bedroom, her favorite spot to watch over the city. "There are times when I wonder if it's worth it at all."
"Princess, you brought your people together after the greatest war any of us have known. You brought wealth back to this great region. And you connect with your subjects, and see yourself as one of them, not above them." he smiled proudly at her, "You're young. You still have to grow, and see who it is you will become. This role was pushed onto you, and Dalmasca eagerly waits to see what all you have in store." he whispered in her ear, "And if I may be so bold, a lady should not stand in the window in her undergarments."
"I am not!" she scolded him, slapping him lightly. She looked down at her attire. A thin white dress, falling just above her ankles. It was very light and loose, but it was nearly noon, and the temperature was soaring quickly. "In the public eye, I have an image to protect. In my own home, in my own bedroom, I shall dress as I please."
"You are in the public eye," Tobias looked down over the city, its subjects busily finishing up their days early so as to escape the harsh afternoon heat.
"They cannot see me from down there!" she insisted. "And so what if they can? What can they-"
Tobias stepped forward anxiously, "Ashe? Are you alright?" he placed a hand on her shoulder. He gasped and took a small step back. Her white gown was stained with blood, streaming down her stomach. Her eyes were wide in shock. She tried to speak, but only strangle gasps escaped her lips. He pulled her into his arms, fearing that she would fall to the streets below, and set her down gently on her bed, "Wait here, I shall go get help." he gripped her hand in reassurance before bolting for the door.
AN: I know where I'm going with this, just not what I'm calling it. If you have any suggestions for a title, PM me? Review please!