Of Sleep & Snow
"Out cold," Balthier sighed, examining Ashe with a frown. "Just when we run out of curatives, too." Vaan looked down at her in concern, while Basch knelt and healed the wound to her forehead that came with the "sleep" status. The monster that had caused it lay dead, left to fester on the snowy ground. Wind blew around them, making the already-freezing temperature feel lower than it really was. It was all Basch could do not to shiver, and he saw Penelo do just that.
"Would shouting help?" she asked, teeth lightly chattering. Balthier shrugged, pulling down his sleeves a little. None of them were dressed for such weather – especially Ashe. While they dwindled, pondering whether or not to wake her, she lay on the snow – he could feel her body tremble from under his hand.
"Shouting, a slap to the face – anything like that."
"Let her sleep," Basch said, shaking his head. The pirate raised an eyebrow – obviously, he had not noticed how little the princess slept of late. No, Basch had seen the dark circles under her eyes, and noticed the way she stared off into space. Her sword hand never suffered for it, but she ate little, and long after everyone else had retired, she remained alert. Though he would never wish bodily harm on Ashe, this was perhaps the best thing that could have happened. She needed the rest. "I do not want to suffer the consequences for waking her rudely."
"True," he smirked, easily accepting the lie. The only thing that suggested he might have disbelieved Basch was a slight raise of one eyebrow, but it was easily ignored. "All right, but you'll have to take her. It was your idea, after all."
"'Tis only fair."
"Hey, Basch, do you need any help?" Vaan asked quickly, but the knight had already slipped an arm under Ashe's shoulders. Just touching her skin sent tremors up his spine – already, she felt frozen. He tried not to shiver again as he curled another arm below her knees, and with a miniscule grunt, he had lifted her up.
"I thank you, but it is not necessary," Basch said, giving Vaan a smile. "I have her." In her sleep, she rested her head against his shoulder and placed a hand on his chest just below. Soft breathing skirted down his flimsy silk shirt, and just through his body heat she began to feel warmer.
"We should find a place to rest," Fran said, looking about them. "The day is short here."
"While the nights are long," Balthier added. "Fran's right – let's stop somewhere and make a fire. The princess is like to be deep-frozen by now, as will we all be if this blasted weather keeps up. Sure you can carry her?" Basch nodded, getting a better grip on Ashe to be sure. She was lighter than he had really expected – almost like a feather compared to some of the weights he had hauled.
Without another word, they scanned the Paramia Rift for a place to settle down, picking up what wood they could find on the way. Trees were scarce, but luckily, there were a limited amount of what (ironically) looked to be dead pine trees scattered here and there. When they finally found a little nook that was not covered in snow and somewhat out of the wind, Balthier jerked his head to signal a stop. Vaan practically dumped the branches he carried onto the ground, stretching so hard that a few cracking noises could be heard. Penelo winced.
Even now, while the bustle of setting up camp began, Ashe slept, and Basch wondered if it was for the 'status effect' or for sheer exhaustion. It had been long enough for the sleepiness to wear off, but if it hadn't been for the steady rise and fall of her chest, she could have been mistaken for dead. Once everything had been settled, the princess still carefully cradled in Basch's arms, Balthier made a motion with his eyes towards her. "She all right?"
"Cold, her skin frigid to the touch," he replied. He expected Balthier to touch her arm and see for himself, but instead, the pirate nodded and looked at the fire.
"At least she's breathing easy, but that's become the least of our problems," he said, shaking his head. "If she still sleeps later, you'll have to figure out what to do with her. We can't let her freeze overnight, as likely as that unfortunately is. We'll need all the heat we can get just to survive this night."
"Of course," Basch said, looking down at the princess. She seemed peaceful, resting comfortably (as comfortable as the situation could allow) and had not shivered in a while. Fondly, he remembered when she was younger, and would often drop off in the middle of her father's affairs. Thank goodness she had eradicated that abnormally loud and unladylike snoring… but would she wake soon?
"Imagine: first kidnapping, then murder. What a bounty would be on my head. I don't believe, Vaan, that you convinced us that this hunt would only take a few hours. That's the last time we listen to you, isn't it?" After a short-lived and half-hearted argument, they all settled in a circle around the blaze. There was a stiff sort of silence at first, worried that they would wake the princess, but after a time there began to be talk and laughter. Penelo even sang a bit of a song, her voice sweet and simple, rising over the snow-tipped mountains and undoubtedly up into Bur-Omisace. Throughout it all, Basch was silent, unmoving for fear of disturbing Ashe. Though he had originally been uncomfortable, (surely this was inappropriate?) by now he had grown used to her head on his thighs, resting in his lap.
Long after night fell, and the sun had sunk low beneath jagged mounds, Vaan announced that he was tired, bringing up the matter of sleeping arrangements. Balthier suggestively mentioned body heat, giving Fran a look as he said it. She merely shook her head, surely impervious to his lewd comments by now. Still, when the sky pirate gave her a serious, imploring look, she deigned to set her head down beside his, close enough to hear each other's breathing and feel a little warmth. Vaan settled against a rock, Penelo tucked under his arm, both curled up tightly. This left Basch, looking down at Ashe with a bit of a sigh.
She still rested, deeper than he had ever really seen a person sleep. It would be a shame to wake her, though he could really see no other solution to this situation. Perhaps he could find some means of making her a pillow, or a blanket, something that might give her comfort. Trying his best not to disturb her, he slid his knees out from under her head and leaned up against the rocky wall. For a moment, he pondered this particular conundrum before Ashe's eyes finally fluttered open, though lazily so. He nodded at her, wondering how much of his face she could see by dim firelight.
"How are you?" he asked her. She merely shook her head, putting a hand to her temple.
"How long was I…?"
"A few hours, nothing more. You needed the rest." Ashe sighed lightly, examining their companions a moment before finally registering the cold. She shuddered lightly, and he could see her jaw clench. "Majesty…"
"They have the right idea," she said almost musingly, still clenching her jaw so that her teeth might not chatter. "I do not wish for either of us to freeze." Before he could quite realize what she had done, Ashe had wormed her way between his legs until her back was against his chest. He stared at her, amazed at her audacity and mentally repeating to himself that this sudden boldness and disregard for the rules was only a side-effect of her previous ailment. This was not even addressed in the knight's protocol, except perhaps the rather obvious and number one rule: never develop anything other than platonic attachments to your royal charges. Though he had already broken that particular rule (shamed for so easily admitting it), this felt like… well, like a complete disregard to the memories of Lord Rasler and King Raminas both.
Still, when she began to droop forward, he automatically put his arms around her to keep her from falling over. It certainly was not right for them to be like this, and were they anywhere else, he would have made her move. However playful Balthier had been, though, he was right about body heat… so maybe for now – just this once – he would tolerate the sheer insanity at breaking a code this high up. If only he could find his conscience's off-switch…
"Remind me to strangle Vaan in the morning," Ashe muttered, leaning back again. Basch smiled, both for the joke (...yes, that had to be a joke), and for the sudden whiff he got of her hair. He had never before been close enough to smell her, something that he now regretted. Holding her a little tighter, this time it was Basch who watched as the last of their companions drifted away into much-deserved sleep. Funnily enough, he didn't think he'd be getting much rest tonight anyway.
"You and Balthier both."
Author's Note: An early/late/on time Valentine's Day present for my readers (or, those of you who prefer this pairing, anyway). I merely polished it up, as I wrote a draft of it ages ago, but I must admit that I prefer this polished version to the rough draft. It's rather more fitting to the characters (though I don't claim it's perfect). I try, really. Anyway, Happy Valentine's Day!