Prologue

I. FRAN

Fran took a few steps away from the tent; her long heels touching gravel took her further away as if on floating wings. She walked silently, was always cautious of every step like moonbeams dancing on ice. Adept at mechanics and hume-created tools despite being raised in a wooden glen full of women and mist, Fran was an exemplar to young Vieras.

There was one thing she would never forget: the endless years that seem to toil forever in front of her. Her thin white brows drew together in the middle, creating an unpleasant state of confusion on her pixie-ish face: Fran knew she was from a race that got older, and worry creased her doleful expression on the notion of attaching herself to a hume; she just knew that with him, the skies the limit: adventure would be endless. The sisters in the wood would never know how bittersweet this unseemly strange future held; many of them lived past a hundred together so how would they acquire that information?

When Fran approaches near the wood, she can't hear the whispers in her ears, which would have been a mother's warning or a gentle urging. Now it's dead.

She whispered aloud: "I fear the wood hates me so." A lone tear followed a path to the one that had left moments ago, and she wasn't depressed because she left the wood. That wasn't it: in truth, it was liberating to be scouring the skies with Balthier, and even freer when she's on a magnificent hunt with her new family- the humes. But now, some of them have adjusted to a newer life.

Princess Ashe was a Queen now, and Basch was doing what he loved best: being a supportive role as a shining knight with a crystal or dragon armour; a two handed blade or large battle axe in his strong arm to keep the dogs at bay. Larse was finally getting older. The child bears many responsibilities; never had she seen such command in a boy. Larse had seen so much and with grace, gladly took his role. Penelo and Vaan were always around so that was a good thing.

Fran's and Balthier's campsite was adjacent to another encampment on the plains; although a bit further, the men on that site were still up chatting and roasting charred cockatrice meat from a recent kill. The fires from that lit up that side of the world, dancing shadows on Fran's left cheek and exposed skin from her Viera clothing.

As old as the trees in the wooded glen; the ancients around the cypresses and oaks had seen many rings, and would live as long as their forest was protected. Fran's small nose crinkled, smelling the newly scented grass beneath her feet from the night's rainfall.

She stared out at winter's night sky, folding her slender arms and rubbing roughened hands to warm up. Never too cold, really, her clan wore revealing clothes that looked like they were modeling for one of the Hume's sleep wear shops. Gratefully, Balthier, her present partner in arms wasn't prejudice against her attire. In fact, he raised a brow the first time they met. He hadn't dared used glib words to what she referred humes called: Flirting. He never actually flirted with her, but managed to do so with every other hume female that wasn't married or too old to hear. A chuckle escaped her lips at the thought.

From a distance, the small gathering of men in a small campfire ahead a ways from her and Balthier's, sat watching the tall female standing there beneath the cover of stars. Fran felt the chill of the new wind kissing her skin. Staring at all those night stars twinkling at her, it was good be alive. Death had evaded her, giving her another chance at another day to steal from those who deserve it - she took up that philosophy hanging out with Balthier. All due to his resilience, and charming insistence, she'd be up to see the sun. It became easier and easier as time went by. Having seen how some Humes and other races weren't exactly kind beings, or just selfish and destructive, gave her all the more reason to swipe candy from an errant child.

As she turned, facing the eastern wind, she felt the cool caress of winter's march, taking its hold on the entire land. Fran would take care to keep herself thermally warm; all those secrets she had known since birth – so very long ago. And that's why she's standing there facing the North Star. She's cherishing this very night.

How old would she be again? It hadn't occurred to her to tell even her closest friend – Balthier. With age, like fine wine, or a statuesque redwood tree, it is more like reaching the purity of strength and valour.

Fran secured her bow in the small binding on her back, making sure her long downy Viera hair wasn't in the way to get tangled up. As she walked forward, her small eyes, black and wise, focused on a bright star. If she walked further, a few more steps, perhaps, she could touch it. Her eyes started misting. The plains looked beautiful, yet empty without either her family or the company she was used to hanging out with for the past months. Her new friends: Humes. She had been feeling the great loss of so many things.

Turning around, she made sure Balthier wasn't going to stir anytime soon. Inside the tent they had propped up quickly, he lay comfortably without the use of blankets, silently snoring; looking ever peaceful like a child dreaming about the good times ahead. They were accompanied with a couple of passing merchants, saying only that they'd stay for a night or two and be on their way.

The Viera and Balthier were heading to retrieve the newly purchased sky ship he had made from one of the richer merchants in the city. It was a rare and unusual event: selling a few stylishly flying ships, these were equipped with all the state of the art designs and materials. All those that Balthier demanded to know would come in handy for them and her for. She was a genius at fixing things: the ships engineer was what she was generally referred to by those she and her partner brought along for the ride. Mostly, they would fly the skies together, towards the sunset into the vacant sky.

Smells of damp grass fiercely consumed her senses, it reminded her of her childhood with her sisters. Among the cool wood trees and dense foliage, they trained hard with relentless buoyancy. Those reminders made her feel good to take what was good and forget the bad; she had left them because their policies were no longer hers. Even as she walked further and further away from the fires that glowed ethereal on their campsite, and those unwanted vindictive tears spilt unheeded down her cocoa soft skin.

Balthier woke up slowly, his eyes opened to the world inside the tent; the caramel colored fur hide making up the material of their warmth brought him superior sleep. Grumbling slightly, he lifted himself up, his hand reached up to rub his eyes. Stretching, he grinned: "So much better than a five star Inn, I'd say…" he looked around, assuming Fran was there, "Right, Fran?"

He raked his hair with his fingers, closing his eyes momentarily. A sigh escaped his lips. The sky pirate wasn't worried; he knew Fran liked to venture off once in awhile. When he pulled himself off the small bedding, next to him, there lay his things and Fran's by the edge of the pergola. Balthier noticed something in one of Fran's belongings: A letter. He didn't want to pry, but he liked to sate his curiousity. Leaning over, he looked outside the opening, drawing the flaps aside. He saw his partner at a great distance. There, out in the empty plains, with a few cactuses spread out here and there, and smatters of small bushes, her willowy figure stood stark against the brilliancy of the stars.

"Well, she's too far…" Glancing at the letter, he saw the handwriting: Finely slender with delicate smooth lines, much like the Lady Ashe's.

He drew his brows together in perplexity; a weighty black mood hung over like a greedy cloud, shifting his calm in a drastic way. Gritting his teeth, Balthier uttered loudly: "Indeed, I shall have to wait until Fran returns. If I can bear it."

With a huff, he gathered his belongings a little too roughly.

II. The Lady Ashe: The Present

Ashe leaned against the doorframe of the egress, facing her resplendent loggia. There, she could stare out at the stars and think of them. Of him. Looking down, the ring on her finger shone brilliantly, and the other, the one returned to her by Balthier sparkled as equally as the other. With a tender touch, she glazed her finger over the ring. An overwhelming sadness compelled her to bite her lip. No matter how busy she became as Queen, or how much was demanded of her, Ashe would come out here on this private veranda and start making wishes to the stars.

She missed them. All of them: Basch who now served Larsa, and Penelo whose smile lit up a room, always cheerful and independent over Vaan. And yes, Vaan, who had similar tender moments with her; someone who understood loss in love and family, and there, her smile faded when she thought of him.

The memories of her late husband no longer haunted her; leaving his spirit behind and looking forward to the future was what he would have wanted her to do.

However, the stabbing recollection of the sky pirate haunted her, even to the point of him invading her sleep induced nights. For once, she'd take care to forget. Wasn't it easy to forget when after all, she had lost the first love of her life to war? And how hard that was for her to get over? So why was it different for this man to plague her peace?

Releasing a sigh to the wind, Ashe shook her head, spilling soft pale blond bangs over her eyes. "I'm being entirely supercilious about all this," and she was half expecting the wind to answer; her eyes scanning the perimeter for any voice to hear her out. Nothing but the hollow sounds of the evening replied.

How bittersweet it was to get his message, along with her cherished ring. Her eyes misted a little, reading those well meaning words that splayed neatly on a folded parchment: Thank you for saving me. This simple message told her how it was important that she had considered his life.

The story begins: The Past; Lady Ashe and the Leading Man.

"Come now, Lady Ashe, what do you make of me?" He said as he spread arms out as if he were showing off the room. "I'm not a horrible person, you yourself can attest to that." He then winked at her.

An unusual gesture for her. Balthier may be glib with his tongue, but he never forgot her status. He was very respecting towards the Princess in every waking moment, even when his thoughts were nothing but. Yet, months had gone by and she, by no fault of his, was compelled to feel extremely comfortable with the honorable thief. So much so, that she even allowed this situation to occur: they would have to spend the evening alone in a room in some foreign land.

Ashe had stared at him for suspended moments, and in that long fraction of time, she couldn't bring her eyes to stray away. There was a challenge there between them; it hung in the air like a silent crackle of electricity; and Fran, who could feel these things, much to her disconcertment was standing there; her arms folded as if she were bored. Incidentally, the expression on her face looked as if to kill.

It didn't occur to her at first that Fran had any romantic attachment to Balthier, being as they were separated by a divide of such a thing as 'race' between. And Fran was from a world of all women in her tribal community; all females bearing long downy feel ears as large as the worpel bunny's own. Consequently, the stab of her own consciousness brought her to remember her late husband. The man she swore to love forever; conversely, it was as if it were only yesterday. It didn't help much when he appeared to her every now and then in temples as a supernatural figure, and Vaan had stopped his own eyes from seeing his long lost brother.

Still, Ashe looked from Fran to Balthier and composed an expression of the utmost lady like demeanour, even slashed with a bit her regal bearing: "I suppose it would be okay to do this strange quest for one night. King Raithwall's descendent and Lord Cid's only heir, formerly judge, spending the evening in a strange mist bearing chamber."

It was indeed a strange quest: it was posted earlier on one of the boards, somewhere in her uncle's city, the Marquis Halim Ondore IV. The notice board told them to go to a petitioner in the city of Bhujerba. There were plenty of strange quests, and one was the Flan they fought recently who only challenged the feminine persuasions. The man who was found in the tavern drinking one of the very prized wines slurred with only one eye opened, relaxed against the chair, saying something about only thee royal blood shall sleep and a male and a female must sleep for an entire night.

Basch was of common blood, and the others were not of royalty in any way. Even Ashe had to disguise herself as one of them; the ragtag team of hunters ranking points and experience to aid the commonwealth of humes and other races. The only option was Balthier, a gentry's level or upper class of no less. He was grinning from ear to ear at the decided petitioner, even sharing a sip of wine or two with him, only to eagerly accept not a moment too soon.

Fran's eyes revealed nothing at the time. She was, after all, used to his cheekiness.
Since they were on a hunt, the six of them had to split up, to keep up with the pace. Their next quest was to venture into Archadia without being detected and it was absolutely out of the question for them to go on airship, or to take public transportation. So the only option as Balthier blithely quipped: By foot. And that wasn't all too fun for a couple of them. Penelo, who enjoyed and cheered up the others with her enthusiasm, was always willing to adventure out into the big world. Away from Rabanastre's lowtown and uptown communities. She was with Vaan and that was all that mattered.

Penelo wanted to go with Vaan, and they did, with the question of who should baby sit the two, watching over them if anything should happen. It was decided between Basch and Fran, and in the end, with the help of a flip of a golden gil. Heads up would be Basch, the thirty six year old sturdy veteran knight; consequently, the gil landed on a dragon's tail. This meant it was up to the oldest member of the group: Fran with her wisdom and expertise in all sorts of weapons and dark magicks.

Seventeen year old Penelo was happy all the same: she was going to learn how to use white magick to the utmost of her ability. And she was fast showing her talents, shoving cures all over the place with exact precision, saving them in the nick of time.

Fran had then lifted up her sleek white brow at the other three: Ashe, Balthier and Basch and nodded: "Then it is so, I shall look after the two youngest and continue onward to the opposite direction until we meet up in Archadia."

It sounded good. Vaan was a bit put off with the fact that they, Penelo and he were to be 'baby sat' in a way. He even made a protest: "Hey, don't you think I've proven my worth to even the best of you?" His eye landed on the knight they had saved weeks ago.

"Aye," Basch nodded curtly. "You have the courage most would wish for, and yet, still, there is more time to learn. It is because we trust not, it is that you and Penelo haven't understood the ways of the world." He offered a small smile to assure her fears, although he wondered if Penelo was made of sterner stuff than her exterior would have many to believe. "In time, when we cross many boundaries and have acquired the knowledge and wealth of monsters and gil, then experience to you in handful is given."

Penelo looked over at Ashe, "True, even Lady Ashe knows a lot more than most girls her age."

Unbeknownst to them, Penelo's life was harsh, losing her family and living day by day and obtaining odd jobs here and there through out lowtown. It didn't occur to her that these things should be a drastic upheaval on a young girl's life. Not so to Penelo. She was too strong for that, and her cheerful disposition acquired her to take everyday as just. Even her life long friendship with Vaan was so strong; she knew he'd be there for her as much as she would be for him. After all, who would look after him when he too had no family?

Ashe only smiled at the younger girl's comment; her eyes kept the serious glint, only honed by the royalty of her upbringing. "Then it is settled." She accepted, her leadership qualities bursting forth: "We'll make flight towards the Icelandic hills of the Panarima Rift, and you three go the opposite direction from Rabanestre's Estersand to the West, coming back full circle into the plains of Giza's."

Balthier folded his arms, standing firm with legs apart; his forceful yet gentle deep voice added, "Then we'll find ourselves together at last drinking champagne to celebrate our victories on the sandy Archadia region shores on Phon Coast."

"You're so sure we're all going to make it, Balthier." Penelo chimed in. Her expression held sadness; she knew they had to part even for a few weeks. "Maybe if we had more teleport stones." She then looked a bit sullen at the small amount left there on the table. They would have to divide it among them, and only then use it wisely and sparingly.

"We have quite enough, it's not the point of having to travel by using the stones; however, it can be detected if we buy them." He offered as information, glancing at all of them. "My ship currently is being repaired at the Aerodome, and by and by we could not go by air for fear our cover would be blown."

"Right." Ashe softly replied, "The stones we possess, and so few, we will cherish until we can earn enough gil to buy more at intersections."

Vaan walked forward. "Okay, I need to go to the weapons and sundries store and get supplies." He checked the small pouch of gil clinking around his hand. "I need items just in case," he sighed, "Items is all I can afford."

"Here, I have a few extra," Ashe generously offered, "My sword I carry now will be enough until I can learn to steal from my enemies." With the word 'steal' she couldn't help herself, and all but give a glance over at the sky pirate. He looked back boldly, a silent approval glinting with merry mischievousness in the depths of his eyes.

"When we finish this first trek, we'll regroup and discuss what needs be done." Basch moved behind Ashe, as if he were a hovering protector over his would be queen. Years of being a leader and captain protecting royalty honed in his blood couldn't shake it out of him.

"Then we switch again!" Penelo's cheerful voice giving light to their somber quest, and they all agreed with the youngest of the group.

It would be best so that they all could take turns helping each other out. And in the crucial points of the mission, if and when it does happen: A powerful being that could kill the three of them. For this, they would have to join forces again, taking a teleport stone to bring them face to face with that force.

That night they slept soundly, only to wake in the morning and make their farewells.

The six of them parted as two groups of three, and later, after surviving their adventure, they'd meet again in the comforting arms of Ivalice.

TBC: to be continued.