Since the return of Princess Ashe to the throne of Dalmasca a new threat to the kingdom has risen from the continent to the east, Ubadia. The forces of the Empire known as Hesla have reached their military reach to Dalmasca and threaten the end of Queen Ashe's reign. Now, the country is once again struggling through war and the end is appearing ever closer...

(Giza plains - 7 years after the first war)

Barder Graham peered over the edge of a flat, gray rock set atop a a dusty slope. From his vantage point he looked down upon an enemy encampment. Men in gold and white armour, armed with swords, spears, bows, guns and all manner of sadistic weaponry paced back and forth unaware that exactly two hundred-thirty two Dalmascan soldiers were watching them from the surrounding hills. Unlike, the Heslen soldiers the Dalmascans who were poised to attack had little metal on there armor and although this meant that there was less in between the blade of a sword and there soft, tender flesh they had better mobility and in sunny climates like the Giza plains where 298 days of the year were sunny with no rain there was no chance of the suns bright rays reflecting off the metal and giving away the position of a soldier trying to keep his concealment. Unfortunately, in this battle however stealth would only be a factor for so long, once the assault started the element of surprise would replaced it and victory would depend on it. A risky plan in Barder's mind but this was no real change in the battle plans Colonel Baltar had been coming up with.

Barder looked back at his fellow Dalmascan soldiers armed with swords and spears at the bottom of the slope waiting for the order to rush up then down the slope and then he looked to his left and right at the sharpshooters who were to give covering fire. Carefully Barder steadied his rifle and took aim at one of the soldiers in the middle of the camp. One of the things the Barder relished about being a sharpshooter was the fact he had absolute control over his targets life and if he did his job right he could get it done with no risks to his own life. And it was a hell of a lot cleaner than being a swordsman.

"The attack begins in one minute..." Whispered the sharpshooter to Barder's right "...pass it on."

Barder did just that and once more took aim. The target stood in position taking in another soldiers his guard down to zero and back facing Barder. It might not be the most honorable way of fighting but it was the most advantageous.

The Heslen soldier laughed and clutched his stomach as he laughed at his friends apparently hysterical joke. But as he he laughed he turned around and as he started to calm down he looked up at Barder's position and as his eyes widened with fear Barder immediately took the shot. A loud bang ran out through the whole area and the Heslen soldiers dropped to the ground with a bloody whole in his neck where Barder's shot had made contact. Several seconds passed as the echo from the shot faded and then like a thunderstorm all hell was let loose.

The Dalmascan sharpshooters all began firing their rifles and Heslen soldiers dropped to the ground in bloody heaps as they desperately began to form a hasty resistance.

"CHARGE!" Yelled the commander in charge of the assault, a tall, bland colonel named Aras Baltar.

Following the the command a ear shattering cry from ever Dalmascan soldier ran out as they began there charge with Baltar in the lead with his sword glittering in the sun as he held it high a monument to Dalmascan bravery. He had been a key player in the uprising against the Archadian empire and a great leader in the war leading up to that. However, to Barder this seemed like a very impractical and potentially fatal move since every single Heslen soldier would be able to see her which made her an obvious target, that and Barder found little use in such displays of leadership due to there chances of ending in bloodshed.

"Move it!"

Barder felt someone tug on the back of his uniform as the swordsmen ran over the edge of the slope and down the will. Hesitantly Barder stood up and began to move with them. This wasn't right. Why was he in the middle of the main charge? Quickly he looked back at his fellow sharpshooters and saw that they had not moved.

"Damn it!" He though as he too moved over the edge of the slope and down the hill. There was no turning back now.

Clouds of dust were kicked up as the Dalmascans charged and more gunshots sounded. But these were not the sounds of Dalmascan guns. They came from the rifles of the Heslen who had formed lines of shooters who fired franticly at the oncoming Dalmascans.

Throughout the wave of Dalmascan soldiers men small groups dropped as the small round projectiles pierced through their armor and divots in the dirt picked at the dust. However, this was not enough to halt the charge.

Like a tidal wave the Dalmascans swept into the camp and the Heslen shooters began to fall back but they were not fast enough to escape the swords of their attackers. But as these men were cut down the Heslen swords men took there places and ran to meet the Dalmascans. With a powerful clash both sides collided in a flurry of a deadly arms. Shields were shatters and and swords waved back and forth cutting down men like wheat. Barder's eyes were wide with horror as he was thrust into the fray. He fired his rifle and took down one soldier and then with his bayonet he drove a hole in the stomach of another. Two down 300 more to go.

But as Barder looked around things didn't look so good. All around him lay dead Dalmascans lay still on the dusty ground and for every dead Heslen two more seemed to pop up.

Something then hit Barder hard in the back and he went crashing down onto the dirt. With all his muscles aching Barder forced himself onto his back and the last thing he saw was the hammer of a Heslen Seeq come down on his face.

F I N A L F A N T A S Y

BATTLE HYMN

C H A P T E R I

(Castle of Rabanastre)

"198 soldiers dead..." General Basch said wearily "In a foolish raid that shouldn't have happened. How could he have underestimated the enemy strength by such a wide margin?"

Basch had come back to Ashe only a few months ago after the Archadian empire had refused to enter into this war, after Larsa had made the decision to watch his own borders and stay neutral on the idea that if Archadia was to join this war it would stir up a quagmire of economical and political stress.

"It is unfortunate yes that he was not able to see past his own visions of glory but he didn't and there is nothing we can do about it." Lady Ashe replied, doubling the amount of frustration and anger that was in her voice from that of Basch's.

The two stood in the meeting room of the castle of Rabanastre and had been there for two hours discussing the every pressing war. As many had done in this room before them. But for Ashe this room was more than a place to discuss plans for war and political issues. To her this was a place that filled acute mind with memories of Rossler. This was the room where her husbands fate had been decided. To Ashe this had been where he had died He had made a mistake and it had cost him his life. And every time Ashe walked into this room couldn't help thinking about him, when they first met, their first kiss, their wedding and she had always wondered what his last thoughts had been, had he been thinking of her?

"Every day our ranks grow thinner and it is because we have not made any decisive blows. We need to find a limb of the enemy he can not live without and eliminate it."

"You were there when my husband died, right?" Ashe asked in almost a whisper.

Basch looked at her completely taken aback by the question.

"Well, yes. Why do you ask?"

"what do you think he was thinking just before he died?"

"Honestly your highness, he died in a moment of battle, of great excitement, confusion and horror. And when the arrow struck him he did not die instantly..." Ashe put her hand to her heart and Basch could see that these words had stung deep, but he was not done "And I'm sure that in those few moments every part of his mind was on you. He did love you immensely and if he was alive today..."

"Stop!"

Basch stopped speaking and held his tounge. "I'm sorry."

Ashe didn't reply to this but continued with the matter at hand.

"We have not but a few thousand at our disposal while the Hesla empire has a seemingly unlimited supply of military arms and machines. How are we to combat the armies of Hesla when we can barely match a quarter of their strength? We need a strategy... something to at least by us some time."

"Time for what?"
Ashe paused for a few moments and then said "We need more allies."
"But who?" Basch said with a sigh "The Seeqs won't join us only a few hundred Viera have come to our aid but the rest still cling to the trees. Ha and don't even get me started on the moogles."

Ashe paced across the room her gold and silver dress sweeping just above the ground her arms crossed and her brow narrowed as she pondered her idea.

"Maybe we don't need an army..." Ashe said facing the wall and away from Basch.

Basch looked at her with a perplexed look on his face.

She spun around quickly to face the general "Maybe we can come up with a way for a small group to..."

"To what?" "I don't know... not yet."

Ashe then swiftly with a aura of excitement around her began and quick march towards the oak doors of the meeting room.

"Lady Ashe!" Basch called after her but she did not heed him not because she was angry with him but because she had an idea a plan that could end the war or at least even the scales.

Forcefully she burst through the doors making a nearby Paige jump and almost drop the documents he was carrying and began to move briskly though a hall filled with busts and painting of the kings and queens of old.

"You." She said boldly to the jittery Paige "I need you to find these people for me..."

Like a light from heaven the fiery sun shone down upon Rabanastre and its people displaying the city in all its wonder and glory. The people blissfully unaware of their impending doom that hung over there heads. But Vaan knew. Unlike many of Rabanastres people he had seen combat, he had fought all manner of beasts and soldiers and joining the Dalmascan army hadn't hurt either. Since his joining he had been almost instantly promoted to the rank of captain and versed in various strategies and tactics but most of it to Vaan had been obsolete. He knew how to fight and even use magic, and as for working as a team, that was something he had even more experience in.

Unfortunately though since the groups departing they had grown apart. For a short time Vaan and Penelo had spent some time as sky pirates with Bathier and Fran but after an unexpected "situation" they to had to depart and now Vaan and Penelo were back in Rabanastre Vaan in the army and Penelo... somewhere. Vaan hadn't seen Penelo in over a month since he joined the army and she went on a journey to find some old medicine man who could apparently contact the dead. Another thing that had changed since the journey. She seemed to miss her parents even more and it had really thrown her into a deep depression. And Vaan missed, more than he was willing to admit, slot more.

"Hey Vaan get over here."

Vaan opened his eyes to the image of a blue sky and a flock of birds flying high where he was once meant to be, but not anymore.

Quickly Vaan raised himself off the ground and looked for the voice and looked around for the speaker. A young man not much older than Vaan was calling him over and waving to him. Vaan gave a quick wave back and jogged over to him. Both were clad in traditional Dalmascan armor that gave maximum protection.

"Somebody must really like you." The young soldier said as Vaan drew closer.

"What are you talking about?"

"Queen Ashe would like to see you."

"What!?" Vaan repplied. He hadn't seen Queen Ashe in person in who knows how long.

"She's waiting better come with me."