I punched the ground in frustration. The damned Empire! Lord Vayne, ruling Rabanastre? Unthinkable. Unbelievable. The Empire was starting to take over all of Dalmasca! And there was next to nothing I could do about it.
I watched the Consul's speech, which was littered with lies and deceit.
'People of Rabanastre! Is it with hatred you look upon your consul? With
hatred, you look upon the Empire?'
Well, of course it is. What, do you think we actually like the Empire? We hate the Empire! They killed our loved ones, ruined our lives and are now taking over our city!
Various boos, hisses and rude comments came from the crowd.
'GET OFF THE STAGE!' I shouted, at the top of my lungs, People around me stared, but that didn't matter. I hate him. I hate the Empire.
'There was little point in asking,' he said, looking around at the people of Rabanastre frowning at him.
'I harbor no idle hopes of frustrating that hatred. Nor shall I ask your fealty. That is due of your fallen King, and rightly so. King Raminas loved his people. Strove to bring you
peace. His was a rule worthy of your devotion. Even now, he remains among you,
protecting you.'
Damn right, you blasted man.
'His Ardor for the peace and Weal of Dalmasca falters not. I would ask only that you do your King honor. Together, let us embrace the peace His Majesty would surely desire.'
You call this peace? The Empire is hanging over Dalmasca, watching our every move, in case we step wrongly, to sever our heads from out bodies. When 'His Majesty' was still alive, that's when we had peace!
'Two years now divide us from war's bitter end.'
Caused by the Empire.
'Yet still its shadow looms over all, stifling the infant peace. A pall only you may cast off!'
Yes, easy for you to say. Let's all just 'cast off' the fact that we've lost our whole family, let's just 'cast off' the fact that we don't have any freedom anymore, let's just 'cast off' the fact that we can't ignore that and worship the Empire! YEAH RIGHT!
'Achieve but this one thing…and your hatred of me, and of the Empire, will grieve me not! I will stand fast. I will endure your hatred, suffer your slings and arrows. I will defend Dalmasca!'
Good luck enduring my hatred. Your sweet words can't fool me, Vayne. I was disgusted to see that the crowd started to smile. They believed him? The Empire ruined our lives once, who thinks they're not going to do it again?
'Here I will pay my debt!'
How are you going to pay for the death of all the people lost in the war? How are you going to pay for all the tears shed, for all the broken hearts, for all the lost dreams, for everything we've lost in the war? These things can't be repaid, especially not by the ones who brought the pain!
'I swear it now! Though King Raminas, Lady Ashe and Lady Aire are gone, they stand ever at the side of their people.'
Literally.
'In honoring peace…you do honor their memory, and to Dalmasca. What I ask, I ask plain. My hopes now rest with you.'
You liar! You don't want to defend Dalmasca, you want to claim it for the Empire - which is what is happening now.
Welcome to my life - the life of Princess Airelia, believed dead across all of Ivalice, but actually alive. I have lived, hidden, in Dalmasca ever since my sister died. When I tried to return after the attack at Nabudis, the Empire blocked my path, leaving me cut off from Dalmasca. They hoped to keep me away from Dalmasca, and therefore weaken the power of the Royal Family and cause despair to those of Dalmasca. They succeeded. I could only get back after the fall of the Royal Family. By then, the Empire had other matters to attend to and I slipped through their net. I returned to Rabanastre - to find it overrun by the Empire and no longer flourishing as it was under my father's rule. The Empire would never grant me power - even if they believed me the princess, and it seemed there was nothing I could do. I cried for Dalmasca, then, something I hardly ever do, and it was a few months before I realized there was no point crying but that I needed to take action. I took every opportunity I got to thwart the Empire, but none of my plans succeeded. Here was another opportunity - and I was determined to take it.
I learned about the banquet for Lord Vayne through overheard whispers and eavesdropped conversations. At the palace! He did not deserve to step one foot in the place I used to call my home.
The banquet for "Lord" Vayne would be the perfect time for sabotage. I knew all the secrets of the palace - it would be an easy task. Or so it seemed.
I knew how to get into the palace without anyone knowing. There was a secret passageway that Ashe and I used to sneak in and out of the castle without my father knowing to buy goods in the bazaar, go disguised as commoners, or just play hide and seek in the large areas of Rabanastre. But that was all gone now.
I headed to the Lowtown area. The secret passageway was reachable through storehouse 5, and I knew how to get there with my eyes closed. I had decided that it would be better for me not to look too much like who I really am, so I had taken some efforts to change my appearance. I never wore anything that remotely resembled what I wore as a royal, and my light brown hair was dyed black. I wore a pair of brown boots which came up to my knee - fully equipped with shin guards and the like. I wore arm guards and elbow guards - you never know when you're going to get into a fight, and people respect you more when you look a bit tougher. I wore a black top that skimmed my shoulders and a purple skirt, along with guards for various areas of the body. So I looked just like a normal person, rather than the princess I am.
I crept quietly through the waterway, coming ever closer to the castle with anticipation. My plan of attack was all planned out in my head. Sneak past the guards and Imperials, reach Lord Vayne and knock him out. I didn't have the guts to kill him even though he was taking over my beloved Dalmasca. Steal an airship from the Imperials, and cart him off to the Sandsea for the Urutan-Yensas to take care of him. I laughed to myself.
I'd learnt all the techniques of being invisible - or almost so - as a child, sneaking in and out of places forbidden to princesses. Rule no. 1 was not to talk to anybody, if possible. So I kept completely silent, except for the occasional nod and 'hm' if one of the servants talked to me. I wondered if they were a servant while I was in the castle. Rule no. 2 is to pretend you're meant to be there. So I stood around and pretended I was one of the servants, and copied the others, trying to fit in. I didn't get questioned by the Imperials. Rule no. 3 is evasion. Evade all enemies, where possible. So I stood clear of the Imperials.
I looked around and waited for my chance - someone would have to call the Imperial guarding the stairs sooner or later - so I waited. Soon enough, a boy that looked around my age with blond hair called the guard. I ran around him and up the stairs. To my surprise - he followed. I decided he was up to no good - and I should follow him.
He was quite oblivious to my presence, amazing as it is. I crept behind him and followed him. He kept on muttering 'signets'.
Signets… where had I heard that before? I thought for a while on the subject. It echoed of something from my childhood - how long ago that was. Of course! Father always talked about a rumour, though it was more like a myth, of the treasury room. A secret passageway that opens to the light of the sun… through the signet paintings! He was trying to get into the treasury room! Maybe I should follow him - I'd never actually been in there in my childhood. I was curious.
He used his technique of calling the Imperials then running as I followed him up and down the corridors, before he activated the secret passageway with the crescent stone. So it was true!
He made his way to the treasury without noticing me (again). Even though he'd worked out how to get in, this boy really was quite thick. When he entered the treasury room, I slipped ahead of him and looked around. There was a statue of a goddess, and it intrigued me. I raised my hand to touch it, and as I did, it glowed and opened her mouth. There was a piece of magicite there, so I took it. It might be worth something later. And plus, it wouldn't be stealing - because everything in the palace should really be mine anyway. Around were various artefacts, almost all of them shiny and probably worth a fortune. The blonde boy finally saw me, but I wasn't bothered.
'Who are you?' he said, holding up a mythril sword. I tried hard not to laugh - mythril swords were pretty ancient and quite weak.
'Someone,' I said evasively. He circled around me. I wasn't scared. He probably had no fighting training at all - he was holding his sword all wrong and he was too engaged with me to notice a viera creeping up on him. I smiled.
Someone pulled me back by the collar. Darn. I forgot to watch my back.
'What do we have here?' said the voice of a man. I saw the viera's eyes dart towards the magicite I was holding. I sighed. 'Quite a performance,' he said. His voice sounded slightly amused, and it was really starting to bug me.
'Who are you?' I asked angrily, trying to pull free of his grip.
'I play the leading man, who else? Fran, the magicite.' His voice was vaguely familiar.
The viera stepped away from the boy and toward me. Great, Aire. You just had to pick up the piece of magicite that the two thieves are looking for.
'I'll take that,' the viera said, holding out her hand.
'It's mine,' I said firmly.
'Yes, and when I take it from you, it'll be mine,' said the man. It was good logic, but not in my favour.
There was movement behind the door and the man let go of me. Obviously some guards had found their way to the treasury room after the secret passage opened, and they were trying to get in now. Which meant it was time to get out.
