Welcome to The Games We Play! Whether you came here from reading Hide and Seek or just clicked this fic to start with, we want to make a few concepts clear first.
1. The Games We Play (old version) was once a story on spideydance's account, but she's since become one of us and so the revised version will be posted here.
2. This is an OC story - the OC being Rasler's sister who is the same age as Ashe.
3. If you read the original TGWP, you'll find a LOT of familiar things here in the revised version, but also a lot of differences. Just as a heads up! It's your prerogative to compare, obviously, but TGWP was written when spideydance was much younger, so Anastacia as a character will change a little bit here.
4. The oneshot that precedes this, Hide and Seek, was also revised and is on our account. We suggest you read it. It's not THAT vital, but it does have a few story points that may matter.
5. Something to note is that in this fic/this series, Ashe and Rasler were sort of arranged to be wed/there were talks of their marriage since their childhood. Cue the This Is Not My Idea song from The Swan Princess.
6. Though The Games We Play and The Necessity of Peace are AUs of each other, the flashbacks shown in both stories are applicable to both, since it is the same Anastacia with the same past in both stories - just with a different choice between freedom and duty (series title drop!). (Just in case you're interested in reading both stories.)
7. We're forgetting something. Hmm. Maybe later.
Read on! Note: sainikah means 'guard.' They're what you call the city guard moving about in Bhujerba.
The Games We Play
1 - Freedom
Freedom.
Anastacia reveled in it. It was why she was clothed in sainikah garb, her telltale hair tied into a bun and hidden in their standard issue helmet, sitting on one of the wide stairs of the Khus Skygrounds.
The royal families of Nabradia and Dalmasca were in town for the Marquis's birthday, and the local troupe was practicing their performance for the state visitors and their celebrant later this evening. Ever eager to spoil herself - if that could be done, because the princess loved every performance regardless of repetition - she watched them eagerly, waiting for them to perfect it.
The crowd that had gathered below clapped, as did those sitting around the great stairs. Visor lifted, Anastacia put her fingers to her mouth, whistling appreciatively with others in the audience while the troupe happily bowed.
"Talented, are they not?"
"Skilled," she corrected the man who had taken her side, biting into a piece of bread she'd brought with her. "They've worked hard. I'm sure the Marquis and the royals will be impressed."
"I'm certain you will."
Anastacia froze. Her eyes turned to the man first, and then her head followed. Blonde hair, blue eyes, a smile that said he'd caught her.
Never one to admit losing a game even in the face of defeat, she fought the color that wanted to rise to her cheeks and only cleared her throat.
"Captain."
Basch only smiled. He was wearing casual clothing so as to avoid detection of his own. "Are you ready to return to the estate, Your Highness?"
Anastacia rose to her feet, sighing as her seeker did the same. "Where is Captain Geir?"
"Searching the Kaff Terraces. I will send word."
They returned to the Ondore estate, and by then Anastacia had the decency to remove her helmet, letting loose sandy blonde locks that matched her brother's. The Marquis met them at the door, giving Basch a grateful nod.
"So you have a knack for finding the princess. How fortunate," he sighed.
Rather than dutiful, as Anastacia always thought the man looked in the rare times she saw him, Basch now looked embarrassed. "Yes, Your Excellency."
She didn't understand, but the Marquis had already dismissed him and turned to her. "Lady Anastacia… Would you like to know the birthday gift I wish of you?"
Anastacia smiled sheepishly. She already knew. "To stay put for a moment?"
"You have a knack for reading my mind," said her uncle. "Does the idea of worrying your guards and your family amuse you?"
The princess sighed, properly chastised. For her uncle, she would forfeit. "I didn't think my presence necessary until later this evening, when formalities are required. I'm sorry, Uncle Halim."
"You are not entirely incorrect… but you understand the current climate, do you not? Showing solidarity - support for the engagement, however expected of you - it is important."
She bowed her head. "Yes, uncle."
He watched her for a moment, and then rested his hand on shoulder. The Marquis was never angry with her for too long. "One day, circumstances may require that you, too, marry for the sake of peace."
Anastacia frowned. She turned back to a smile it became clear that such a rare expression on her face had stunned the Marquis.
"For the sake of peace?" asked Anastacia, looking more playful now. "Rasler and Ashe are uniting our kingdoms in marriage. Sake seems like such a… a careless word."
Her uncle's failure to conceal his surprise continued. "Very well. For the necessity of peace."
His confirmation of it made the princess sigh. The very thought of war pained her. That was Rasler's province. Not hers. "Well," she laughed, shaking it off, "whoever wishes to be bound to me in such a manner would have to beat me at my games, first."
This was predictable enough for Halim Ondore to respond to with more exasperation. "Yes. First your betrothed would need to have the patience for you."
The remark made Anastacia pause, almost recoil in displeasure, but she was better at playacting than he. It was why she was performing for him after the local troupe and not the other way round. Instead, she beamed.
"Exactly."
Freedom.
To think that all of it rested on the treaty-signing nauseated Anastacia. What was all this waiting for? Why did they agree to allow King Raminas go without aid?
So much had happened in the past year. Too much, to the point that she no longer felt as though she might only be seventeen. The uniting of the kingdoms of Dalmasca and Nabradia, the complete and utter obliteration of her kingdom and her father and most of their people with it. Rasler's death and that spectre of him on the cathedral.
And now, cornered by the Archadian Empire, King Raminas choosing to shed his kingdom's sovereignty to spare his people. All that was left now was for him to sign the treaty at Nalbina - a 'neutral' area between Dalmasca and Archadia. It was as though Nabradia had never existed.
She awaited news of the signing in Bhujerba with the Marquis Ondore, and without her sister - who had insisted upon staying in Rabanastre to welcome her father when he returned.
The princess was seventeen and knew better now. Still she sat at the feet of the griffon statue before her uncle's desk rather than on any other chair in his office. These childish habits privately comforted her in troubled times.
Tired of wringing her hands, she looked to the Marquis. "Uncle…"
"I know," he murmured, apparently exasperated with his own habit of tapping at his desk. He rose to his feet, impatiently knocking his cane twice on the ground before making his approach to her.
His office doors burst open right as he did, revealing a Bhujerban sainikah who bowed quickly before offering a scroll to the Marquis.
Anastacia hopped off the ledge and hurried to her uncle. "What does it say?"
Halim shook his head, still unfurling it. Before long, his fingers trembled with his voice. "Raminas…" he began, blinking away tears as he looked upon his niece. "The captain - Captain Basch - assassinated King Raminas during the signing and has been put to death."
The princess released him, slowly shaking her head. "No… That's - that's impossible. He wouldn't. He would never—"
"And Ashelia," he continued on reluctantly, "grief-stricken, has taken her own life."
"No! It's a lie, uncle. Tell me. Tell me it's a lie," Anastacia begged, but the last time she had denied herself the truth, she had lost almost all credibility. She knew this. So she snatched the truth from his hands, nearly kissing the parchment as she read it over and over and over, but the words didn't change. Her uncle Raminas was dead, murdered by a captain she knew to be honorable. That same captain was summarily executed by the empire. And, learning all this… Ashe had killed herself.
"I should've… I should've stayed in Dalmasca with her," she murmured, voice growing in panic, in fury as she went on. "Why did I leave? Why did I allow her to stay behind?!"
Crumpled parchment fell to the floor, soaked with tears as the princess turned to her uncle for comfort. He embraced her in turn, holding her tightly until Halim the Marquis remembered the need to act. Pulling away, he squeezed at Anastacia's shoulders and looked at her. "There remains time. You are heir to the union Ashelia and Rasler left behind. Do you understand?"
Anastacia met her uncle's gaze in confusion. "M-Me? But I'm only..."
"Once a princess of Nabradia, beloved to the people of Dalmasca. Now the Queen of the united kingdoms of Dalmasca and Nabradia. Anastacia. Listen to me."
"I - I - I… I know this. But…" She shook her head. Repeatedly. "What can I do? You saw the letter! They've marched upon Rabanastre, and Ashe died before she was forced to witness it. And Nabradia is... long gone."
"Rozarria," said the Marquis through gritted teeth. "The House Margrace has many sons. One, unmarried, closest in age to you: Prince Al-Cid. Unite Dalmasca with Rozarria and fend off Archadia's advance."
Anastacia stared at her uncle as though he spoke a language she couldn't comprehend. "Fend them off? They are already in Dalmasca, uncle! You read the letter!"
Halim rubbed a hand over his face. "Then what will you do, Anastacia?"
The princess froze at that. She had never been asked such a question, or perhaps the answer had never been so difficult to give. Bound as a princess with duties to the kingdom, but free enough to do as she wished - that was Anastacia. She was lucky in that the two concurred - know the people, keep them happy, distract them from their worries. That had become difficult with Nabradia in ruins, with her family in tatters, but her role had stayed the same with King Raminas and Ashe remaining. Now…
Now she was alone. Heir to a necrohol and a kingdom recently invaded. Queen.
She gulped. But her nerves wouldn't stop Archadia's advance, and the Marquis continued to watch her.
"I…" Anastacia's gaze fell. The answer should have been clear to her, but… "I need time."
"Anastacia, there is no time. Not now."
"Please, uncle," she begged, lowering her head. "Just an hour. I'm…"
Halim's eyes softened. "Very well. Shall I have you sent a tonic?"
The girl shook her head. "I only need an hour."
With a curtsy, she departed her uncle's office and set off for her room. The devastation made her stomach churn, but it was strange how steady her steps were on the way there. Of course, she hurried to the bathroom at once and vomited, twice - but she felt resolute after that.
Packing only a few things. Putting on a disguise. Writing a letter that would be found when she was long gone herself. Climbing out of the Marquis's estate from her balcony - she had done this part so many times it seemed as though this decision was meant to be.
It had to be. It must have been why she was so calm, sneaking from the gates and into the streets of Bhujerba. All the way to the Kaff Terraces, staring over the abyss beneath the jagd.
It was only fitting, wasn't it? Father was gone. Rasler was gone. King Raminas was gone. Ashe now, too. Ashe…
Anastacia leaned over one of the posts, peering into the clouds, eyes wet. And yet her knees were steady.
She wasn't meant to live without them. Nabradia was completely wiped out. She was Nabradia. What was she without her home? Why not follow? They were dead.
Dead.
She had no business still playing princess.
She lifted one foot into the air.
"You do know nobody's ever died from falling from the skycity, don't you?"
The voice yanked Anastacia from her reverie. Suddenly, the edge was frightening, and her hands trembled from the proximity. The girl fell, nearly threw herself back, and found a pair of slender hands to catch her.
The princess looked up. A handsome hume and a beautiful viera, who glanced at one another when she met their gazes.
"At most," the man continued, "you'll fall to the beasts. And then you'll have a death slower and more painful than you imagined."
"Unnecessary," the viera seemed to scold him. She was the one holding her. But the man only shrugged.
The viera hauled her to her feet, brought her over closer to the steps leading to the terraces. Sat her down.
"I...was supposed to go to the aerodrome," Anastacia muttered.
"Wrong way," remarked the man.
For some reason, Anastacia didn't take offense. She felt empty. Empty and yet bursting with the knowledge of what the Marquis would soon announce. The urge to run from her saviors and leap stirred again, but she had to focus or she would lose. Lose what? She didn't even know now.
"I… need to leave," she said, face scrunching up with oncoming tears - but they didn't come. Instead, she looked to the viera, gave her and her companion an appraising look with the little left of her blood. "You… you are not from here."
The viera and the hume exchanged another glance. The latter's eyes widened. "No. No," he repeated. "We don't deal in runaways."
The woman quirked a brow. "Don't we?"
The man gave her a shameless look in turn. "No. Not the royal kind."
Anastacia blinked. Lowered her gaze to her neck - the pendant bearing her house's insignia. She was quick to tear it from her neck. "Take it," she pleaded, offering it to either of them. "It doesn't matter now. Please take it. Just let me go with you. Help me get out of here. Please."
"It will matter when we're arrested for kidnapping," the man sighed.
"No. I'll - I'll change my appearance! No one would expect it. And you'd give my pendant to my - to the Marquis. Tell him I leapt off, wherever that takes me. He'll go looking below and never suspect it. Please."
The hume pursed his lips. The viera glanced away.
She was the first to speak this time. "You will need a new name; a new disguise as Balthier pawns your pendant."
"What!?" Balthier gawped at her. "Fran. You're considering this?"
"We are in the habit of running away," said Fran, rising to her feet. "The girl escaped her confines discreetly enough. She has a knack for it."
"I - I do," Anastacia gasped, standing now too.
"And we need repairs," Fran said quickly, when she saw Balthier starting to protest again.
The man frowned. Opened his mouth once more - and then shut it. "Understand…" he turned to the girl instead, since there was no fighting the woman. "Once you choose this, there's no turning back. Is this really what you want? Your uncle will spare no expense in his search for you. You may regret it. You will, sometimes."
Anastacia paused… but nodded. "I want freedom. I want this."
Fran and Balthier regarded her at that. It was the pity she hated... But nobody expressed it. Balthier only sighed again. "And the name?"
"You decide," said Fran, gently guiding the princess's hand toward his - to offer him the pendant. "Or do you refuse a girl after your own heart?"
Balthier clicked his tongue as he looked away. But when his gaze fell on Anastacia again, it bore the assent she craved. Taking the pendant, he nodded at her. "Anya," he decided, lips pursed, and then he lifted an expectant brow for them. "What do you think?"
The girl took a deep breath. Her thoughts hounded and clawed at her, but she brushed them away. "Anya. I... like it."
Fran gave her a small smile. "Welcome."
"Don't cause too much trouble," Balthier warned.
"Not as much as Balthier, anyroad," murmured the viera.
Balthier squinted. "Shouldn't you be looking for the girl's new clothes? Finery ill befits a free woman."
Fran wrinkled her nose. "Be on your way, then."
The girl glanced between the two strangers to whom she had given the last of her. It was strange… but she had a good feeling about them. Already she could begin to forget the tragedy that had brought her here. Already she could feel another game beginning.
Balthier stalked off, and Fran offered the girl her hand. "Shall we?"
She accepted, a small smile on her mouth.
Freedom.
Anya reveled in it.
Please let us know what you think in a review! We always love reading them, however short. c: And they're great inspiration.
Or if you have any questions, let us know! We're happy to answer them.
If you prefer an AO3 format, we also have this story posted in our account there named thepartwhere :)