Disclaimer: I don't own FF12. Please don't sue me.

Warnings: Spoilers might pop up once in a while. If you hate spoilers, finish the game first.

Calm. He was deathly calm. And somehow, it disturbed the young Archadian lord considering everything that had happened in the past few hours. His escort walked steadily in front of him, and the clanking sounds his armor made a slow rhythm that almost drove him insane. Just as steady was the hum the airship made as it stood idly in the hangar. It started to ring in his ears so much that it took all of his control not to break the silence. Yet he was still a child after all, and awkward moments such as this one never really delighted him. It was during moments like this one that he often had the desire to stop and whine and act completely like his age for once.

Yet there was no room for that now. Not when a civil war might break out in Dalmasca. Not when the balance in Ivalice was upset once more, not when one of his dearest allies needed all the help she could get.

"Basch. Are you sure about this?" the young master finally blurted out, stopping the Judge Magister in his tracks. "I don't think now is the right time to leave."

The older man sighed as he turned to face his liege. Lord Larsa truly had a kind heart and that was one of the reasons why he can never leave him. His logic told him that they had to leave right away – that they would be of more help if they were away than if they were there … for if they stayed… for if he stayed… he would not have the courage to go away ever again.

"Vaan and the others… they would be there to protect her highness. I… it would be better if we were to return to Archadia as swiftly as we could and start investigating or making propositions to keep Dalmasca from harm…"

Larsa quickly noted the hesitation in Basch's voice. Surely he was not speaking what was truly in his heart. He knew, judging from his tense form and his curt words that he wanted to stay there. He needed to stay there to see that Ashe is kept safe.

"Basch!" the young lord called loudly, making the other Dalmascan soldiers in the hangar look towards their direction. That name had been spat on over and over again in those grounds and it would never regain its honor ever again. It was a name of the man that killed the king; it was the name of the man that shamed Dalmasca.

"I am Gabranth now, my lord."

"No, you are Basch. That name is merely an illusion," the young lord told him defiantly as he looked up at the masked judge. "If it is I you are worried about, then you must give me more credit. I can take care of myself."

"But Lord Larsa… I made a vow…"

"And your vow to this Kingdom must be given precedence." He shook his head as he grasped for the right words, "Your loyalty to your brother… your loyalty to me. It made you forget who you are… and made you fight with yourself."

Basch sighed heavily as he felt the ache in his chest. Ashe was going to be fine… she did not need him anymore… He made a vow to Noah… he can't possibly break that vow… never again… yet …if he were there, Ashe could have been saved; they probably wouldn't be faced with a predicament right now… Or maybe that was only his desire talking – that part of him that hoped to be by her side… to be…

"Very well then, Judge Magister Gabranth, I am giving you an order," Larsa said with stoic tone. He remembered Penelo's words once more, she told him that the princess needed Basch… she would never tell anyone but she needed Basch. "You are to protect the Queen of Dalmasca until the perpetrators have been caught and the threat to the Dalmascan throne is removed,"

"Lord Larsa!"

"I will not tolerate such insubordination," the young lord was starting to sound more like the ruler that he was; "You are to stay by her side to await further orders. Remember that you would be doing this for Dalmasca…and Archadia as well."

Soon the young man was off, leaving the lone Judge Magister in the cold platform. He did not even have the voice to question or go against his liege's wishes. His feet refused to move in an attempt to run after his charge. He merely stood quietly as the Archadian Airship departed and was soon out of his sight. It was only then that he felt as though he were brought back to life and was able to move again. He took one last glance towards the sky before he turned and walked out of the room…to do as he had been told… to be by her side once again.

"Lord Larsa… I… thank you…"

Charades

Chapter 1

Sand. It seemed like Dalmasca would never run out of it, she thought, as she trudged in the grainy ground behind another cloaked figure. She wiped away the thin line of sweat that was in her forehead as she tried to stay close behind her companion. It was warm… too warm in fact for that time of the year and she was starting to question yet again why she had agreed to wear a cloak in the middle of the heat in the first place.

"Your highness, are you all right?" Basch asked as he saw her struggling. They had been walking for over an hour and he had not heard a single complaint.

She looked up to meet his gaze and she saw a thin line of sweat in his forehead as well. "Why must you still call me that Basch?" she asked him back, finally recalling the reason for the horrendous cloaks in the first place, "I thought you said that it is imperative that no one recognizes me. I may have lost my memory, but I haven't turned completely inept."

The man stopped and smiled, "You are right. Please forgive my carelessness."

The silence continued once more except for the brief moments when a wolf cried out once hit by Basch's sword. It still made her feel sick when she saw it, yet from what she was told, she was chaining over fifty of these beasts just months ago.

Months ago. She still could not remember what had transpired back then. She remembered bits and pieces about her life these past few days. It was quite a relief considering she could barely remember her name during the first day of her "poisoning."

That was how that boy from Archadia… Larsa had explained the situation to her. A vial of some substance had been found in one of the servants' quarters and it was believed to have been the cause of her current condition. The drug was initially formulated in the Draklor laboratory, a place that vaguely rang a bell in her mind, yet the experiment had been dropped years ago – that whoever perfected it may be lurking somewhere else. The duration of its effects are unknown, and even the mere purpose of her poisoning was not known either. Yet one thing was clear. She had to get away – until she regains all of her memories, until she can reclaim her throne, until the person or persons that wanted to cause her harm are apprehended.

Somehow, her instincts told her that it was all right to believe what she had been told. Yet was it really? Can she place her trust in people who claim to know her when she barely knew herself now? They seemed to be kind, and their words seemed logical enough. Larsa was a young boy – much younger than she was. Surely such a young man could not be wicked enough to betray her, could he? And there was that other boy, Vaan; he was the first person she recognized. She knew she could trust him. And there was Penelo. She seemed to be a sweet girl and everyone was genuinely concerned about her. And there was… there was … him… Basch.

It was quite odd; in fact, it still eluded her up till then how some people called him Gabranth, while the others called him Basch. Was he perhaps carrying two names? Or could he have been a … spy? She doubted it, judging from the way he had treated her since they left the palace. He always made sure that she was safe … and somehow, she did feel that way while she was with him. He was strong and it seemed like nothing could faze him. Yet… he didn't have that warmth… the same warmth Larsa and the others have shown her. Could it be that they were disillusioned? Yet her friends would not entrust her to a spy… would they? Surely, they know what they are doing… she had to trust them, she had no one else to trust… trust…

She watched as the man called Basch hurled his sword at a large wolf in front of them. Three other wolves attacked him at once and her warning was too late. Yet it didn't bother him a single bit. He looked as if he merely shrugged off and the wolves were thrown off of him. He wielded his sword and at one blow, he took down four wolves all at once. Small pools of blood appeared in the sandy ground and the echoes of the wolves' last cries droned in her ears. Slowly the crimson trail vanished, almost magically and nothing was left to see but grainy sand once again.

Basch barely heard the princess's strangled cry as he shook off the blood in his sword. That's right. She was not the Ashe that she used to be. Surely, this show of violence was new to her. He looked behind him, hoping to apologize or even give her some comfort yet when he turned around, she had already started running away from him.

"Highness!" he called yet she continued to run away.

She felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. He was strong, she would give him that, but he was ruthless… he was too powerful. He could kill her if he so willed it. Was it right to trust him? Was it right to believe in him? She felt tears in her eyes. She must run, run away from him. Suddenly, her head ached as she heard distant voices in her mind.

Captain Basch… he was a good man… who would've known

Basch… he is a traitor… he ruined Dalmasca…

Basch … Basch….

"Your highness!"

The cursed cloak got in her way, and before she knew it, she was tumbling down ungracefully in the sand. Stubbornly, she wiped the tears away from her eyes. That was it; she was alone in this cursed dessert… alone to fend off for herself. Basch… Basch… she cannot trust him… she cannot possibly…

"Your highness, are you hurt anywhere?"

"Stop! Stop calling me that!" she shouted angrily at him as she backed off, trying to see if she can escape, if she can get away from him.

"Your highness, please, calm down."

"Don't come any closer!" she felt the sword in her side and her shaking hands grabbed its hilt. She tried to calm her speeding heart as she gasped in air. "Who… who are you?"

Basch froze as he looked at the vulnerable queen. He didn't know what to say to make her believe that he could do anything but harm her. He didn't know what to do just for her to believe him… yet to answer her question… he didn't know how to start.

"They call you Basch… But you are someone else, are you not? Again, let me remind you… I may have lost my memory…but…"

"Highness, I do not wish to question your judgment but please… do not run away… you might hurt yourself."

"Stop it! Stop!" She placed a hand in her head then, as throbbing pain erupted once more. "If you come closer, I… I…" she pulled out her sword from its scabbard and swung it awkwardly. Everything was starting to get hazy and more voices entered her head.

"Highness!" he unthinkingly grabbed the sword from its blade and Ashe, once realizing what he had done tried to yank the blade away. Yet he continued to hold on to it as blood trickled down her sword and splattered to the ground. "It's all right… it's all right," he said softly, hoping to soothe the confused woman, "I promise not to hurt you. Please let go of the sword, you might hurt yourself."

Despite the pain in her head, she could not help but notice the blood that was starting to form in the sand. Soon it looked like a small puddle, not unlike the bloodstains the wolves left as they were slain in the sandy ground. She looked up to see a small wince the man called Basch made as he struggled to get the sword away from her grasp.

Never again would I trust him

She heard her own voice talking in her mind. Basch… Basch.

Who are you to talk of trust?

Again she heard her voice in her mind, as she saw a lone figure, a raven haired man, wielding his sword just like how Basch did.

"Vossler… Vossler…" she mumbled as she weakly let go of the sword in her hands. Soon her knees gave out and she slumped down the sandy ground.

"Your highness, please… hang on…" Basch discarded the sword and caught the fallen woman in his arms.

I can serve her no more; you must take up my charge

She heard Vossler's voice in her head. More images flashed in her mind, knights guarding her when she was much younger. An old man …her father was there… handing a sword to his favored knights… there were two of them… one was Vossler and the other one was…

"Your highness…"

"Basch…" she whispered as she tentatively touched his face. Why did he look so worried… and why, why did he suddenly make her feel so… safe? She didn't have time to think about it anymore for soon everything turned black.

It was already nighttime when she awoke. She realized she was lying on some sort of fabric and the ground smelled of wet leaves instead of sand. She moved her hands and sure enough, she touched soil and the ground was anything but grainy. She rose to a sitting position, only to feel a cool damp cloth slipping away from her forehead.

"Your highness, you are awake," she nearly jumped from her seat when she heard a tired yet relieved voice from behind her. Basch's face came to view and he then nodded slightly as he knelt down in front of her.

"Where are we?" She asked, hoping she did not sound too nervous after she realized that he might have been watching over her as she slept.

"In the Mosphoran Highwaste," he replied, "Are you feeling well?"

"Yes…I … I think so." She unconsciously grabbed her makeshift blanket and pulled it closer to herself, only to realize it was Basch's cloak that she was holding.

"I … I don't know what I could say to make you trust me, but I mean you no harm," he said solemnly as he bowed his head, "please forgive me if I had upset you in any way."

She faintly remembered what had happened yet before she woke up; she could say she knew some things she didn't know before.

"Vossler was tasked to protect me and you were given that task as well. My father… he trusted you, did he not?"

Basch nodded thoughtfully. It had been like that. Yet there was also that fact that Basch was believed to be the same person that killed her father. "Aye, your highness, I vowed to protect you."

Ashe nodded as she felt an unusual calm in her heart. However, something was still unclear. "Yet why do they call you Gabranth?"

He was somehow relieved that she did not remember her father's murderer, yet at the same time, he felt a sick feeling at the pit of his stomach just thinking about how she'd react if she knew, "It is a long story… but suffice to say, Gabranth was the name used by my twin brother."

"Was?"

"He died in battle in the Sky Fortress Bahamut."

"I'm sorry," she said as she cast her eyes down with guilt. Somehow, she knew she had somehow caused his death. She felt it in her heart.

"You do not have to be," he shifted a bit and looked away from her, "I had to take his place as Lord Larsa's protector once he was gone, which is the reason why I am called by his name."

His explanation did not make sense to her yet somehow she felt that it would do her no harm to believe it. The way Basch's eyes looked… it seemed that he still mourned his brother's death. Maybe she shouldn't doubt him any longer. In the soft light of the moon, the vicious warrior she saw that morning faded into a man that seemed to be so gentle… someone … that was plausible enough to be her champion.

"You carried me… from Nalbina to here?" she asked, trying to change the bitter topic.

He nodded timidly and she felt a pang of guilt in her chest. "I'm sorry for being such a bother…"

"Nay, you were anything but that," he retorted softly, trying to put her at ease, "it was nothing."

An awkward silence lasted between them for a while until Basch stood up, telling her that he would get her something to eat. Yet as he rose, she took hold of his hands, forcing him to stay.

"Basch, I am truly sorry for today and…" she looked up to see him wincing slightly, and to her horror, she saw some bloodstained cloths wrapped around his hands. She abruptly let go and Basch, seeing her stricken face knelt down beside her once more.

"Please do not be bothered by this… it is nothing…."

"Sit down."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said sit down, now, beside me," her authoritative self was back once more and Basch could not help but comply. Yet in total contrast to her regal order was the tenderness he felt as she held his hand.

She remembered it faintly yet she knew she had caused this. Trouble. She caused the poor man nothing but trouble. She saw a canister of water nearby and she quickly cleaned his wounds with it. The dried up blood and some dirt had caked in his wounded hand and as she removed it, she heard Basch's sharp intake of breath between his teeth.

Basch wanted to stop her yet judging by the seriousness in her eyes and her pursed lips, he chose to keep quiet and let her have her way.

Soon she tied a neat ribbon around his injured hand and let him clench and unclench his fists. "Your highness, thank you for…"

"Basch, how many times must I tell you?"

"…"

"I may have lost my memory but, I have not gone daft," Ashe chuckled lightly, "that is I promise not to go around running and acting too impulsively again."

"Thank you, your highne…"

"And stop calling me that already."

"A…as you wish,"

Author's notes:

Honestly, this is the fic I hesitated most on. I originally did not want to post this because FF12 section is full of good writers and everyone seems to speak A+-level English or something and the plots and overall flow of the stories were told exquisitely and basically I chickened out. Haha. Then there is also that age-factor Basch and Ashe have (I mean, for me, their pairing is perfect…but the age difference is a bit unsettling…) So yeah… but then I thought hey, a negative x a negative a positive right? (yeah, that's like the most math I can do. Haha) so I thought that maybe, just maybe, I should give it a shot. I don't mind getting flamed for this, but well, writing this fic is my only buoy in this wild torrent of schoolwork (see, my English/poetic-ness is improving already!) so I decided to share this to all those who could possibly be interested. Thanks in advance to all those who'd review and those who would look forward to the next chapters. Thank you so much! I promise to make the author's notes super short next time. Haha.