Hi there. I've been wanting to write this story for a long time and since all my other work is kind of jammed due to lack of inspiration, I decided that now is as good a time as ever.
This is my outtake on the history of my favourite FFXII couple Fran and Balthier and it goes into the hardship of interracial dating. Drama alert; I am a real sucker for psychological struggle. There will probably be some mature content in later chapters but I write enough of the nitty-gritty in my other stories so I'll keep it (moderately) civilized.
As some already know English is not my first language so there will be consistent, irritating spelling-errors throughout the story. I am still learning however and making steady progress at that so please bear with me and kindly point out any screw-ups. Comments are always welcome, provided that any criticism is constructive.
I admit that I've had to consult the FFXII Wiki page and some fan-sites on various subjects, especially the whole Magicite-Nethicite theme. Does that make me a bad fan? I hope not… Any errors concerning this will hopefully be pointed out to me without the use of flames. Nope, don't like those.
The title is bad and I'll probably change it later on, but for now I just want to get this prologue up and hopefully the first chapter later this night.
Hope you enjoy the story!
Barriers
Prologue
The longing for a glance outside the woods of her homeland had lived in Fran for as long as she could remember. It was an ever present ache for knowledge of the lands beyond the boarders of Golmore Jungle and a strong will for adventure. As she grew up these desires became ever stronger, though long had the young Viera fought against it since it was made clear to her that such wishes were unhealthy and forbidden to her kin. The Viera lived in the woods and She was their mother, none of her children should ever question their existence within. This was their home and the lands outside were for other races; Humes, Bangaas, Seeqs and other unlighted beings. None of them could even begin to comprehend the splendour of the land of the wood-dwellers. They were ignorant beings, deaf to the voice of the wood, the almighty Mother of the Viera.
This was what Fran had been taught, the Green Word was their law and thus, her feelings being considered profane, she spent much of her life hating herself for her adventurous heart. Gradually she retreated from every day life in the village of Eruyt, spending her days meandering through Golmore Jungle and dwelling in solitude in the tree-village. It was not as much her choice to avoid contact as it was that of her kin. The Viera preferred to steer clear from her, sensing in her the will to leave the lands of their beloved Mother. The wood-dwellers were alarmed and frightened even to witness her inner battle in which her loyalty to the woods and her longing for venture beyond it's boarders strove against one another. They feared also that she would set alight a similar longing in other Viera since Fran proclaimed often that though they were born from the woods, their paths were not bound to tread only beneath the trees and that the Viera might find life in the lands outside.
And as Fran grew more and more isolated from her people, the calling of the lands beyond finally became too strong to longer ignore. Still she fought to refuse knowing that once she left, she would not be allowed to return and she did love the woods dearly. It wasn't until her younger sister Mjrn began to display a similar fascination for the outside world that Fran finally answered the calling. The curse that had been put upon her would end with her. She would take her lust for adventure away from her kin so that the Viera could continue to live in peace within the grace of the woods. Upon her leave she was banished by her own blood, her sister Jote bid her never to return. Solemnly Fran made her that promise.
The pain of her banishment had been unbearable when young Fran embarked upon her journey to the outside world, but as she witnessed first the lands of Ozmone Plane, her heart swelled with joy and her blood boiled with feverish excitement. She had never felt more alive than at that moment when the bright sun, unhindered by leaf and trunk, gently caressed her face, a light wind playing her hair and scents both unknown and enthralling filled her nose. She was freed at last and the beauty was that, despite what the Viera and Jote in particular told her, she felt the wood sing strongly within her. Though her kin had banished her, the beloved Mother had not.
Fran roamed the lands aimlessly just enjoying her freedom and reveling at the beautiful sights of Ozmone until she came to Jahara and the village of the Garif. Here she settled and learned from them their ways and wisdom and they taught her the way of the Garif Warrior. Her adventurous heart, ever hungry, drove her onwards eventually and she went to travel with the Nomads of Giza Plains and after that she met other wayfarers whom she joined to the cities of Humes: Rabanastre, Nalbina and later the Sky City of Bhujerba which they reached by the use of an airship. That first flight made Fran's heart sing and she made many more after that. She went in learning with an engineer, developing meticulous knowledge on airship maintenance.
Countless years Fran wandered the wonderous world outside the woods, eager to learn and guided by her instinct - as she would call it - that brought her upon the paths of Humes and Seeqs, Bangaas and Moogles and all of them shared with her their knowledge. Finally she reached Valendia and it was in the Emperial City of Archades that her adventurous heart long found peace. Here she met a man who went by the name of Cidolfus Demen Bunansa, an ambitious scientist who was profoundly interested in the working of Nethicite. Doctor Cid took her in and together they researched to unravel the mysteries of this most peculiar form of Magicite. It was her fascination of the Mist that lulled her heart to slumber and allowed her to remain in this place content for so many a years. Nevertheless she knew that one day her heart would spur her on once more to unknown adventures for this was her calling.
