AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Do forgive me if the progression of this chapter is a little weird. Like I said, it's been awhile since I wrote something fictional. But yes, this chapter is about Phantom and Aria's first meeting - something that was never mentioned in the game. It may not be what some people have in my, but after all, this is my interpretation of their history. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Constructive comments are as usual, greatly appreciated.

On a side note, you might identify some unknown names in this chapter (if you play MS), namely Isabelle and Aiolos. They are only briefly mentioned in this chapter, but they may be of importance in future chapters. Gaston will also make an appearance in this chapter as well (and yes, I know he exists in Phantom's present - but Phantom has loads of money, so is prolonged life really that impossible?)

EDIT 4 JUNE:

I've edited this chapter and also added a new portion to it. And yes I'm sorry a new chapter hasn't been posted. ;~;

The blonde with the straight and long hair cascading down her back stood at her balcony, propping her chin up with one hand as she rested her elbow on the railing.

"Empress Aria!"

She straightened up, turning around gracefully to face the sound of the voice. One of her messengers – Eucleia, Aria believed her name to be – hurried towards her with an anxious look on her face.

"What is it, dear Eucleia?" Aria asked, kindly.

Eucleia gulped. "The King… The King of Ariant sent a message for you. He said that he was nearly robbed clean by this mysterious thief, whom he believes goes by the name of Phantom. He demands your assistance in investigations and recovery of his treasures."

Aria raised an eyebrow. Nearly robbed clean? Well, this Phantom guy certainly was an interesting fellow, targeting the obnoxious King of Ariant –

Mind your language! Aria could hear Elena chastising her. She mentally shuddered at the thought.

She did suppose he had it coming. The Ariant King was certainly not secretive about his possessions and couldn't wait to boast about them whenever he could. In fact, she sort of admired this Phantom fellow for robbing the Ariant King.

"Tell him that I will sent my guards to investigate, but I cannot make any guarantee that we can get to the bottom of this matter. I'm afraid that this thief has long evaded my guards whenever someone reports him," Aria instructed, mentally sighing. The King of Ariant was one of the most repulsive men that she ever had to liaise with, and she really didn't want to help him out.

But... she had her responsibilities as the Empress.

Eucleia nodded once and bowed respectfully towards her. Aria mirrored her messenger's actions and thoughtfully watched the girl leave the room.

Phantom, huh? She wanted to meet this man who was able to rob the King of Ariant blind and get away with it. From what she understood from the many replies, Phantom seemed to steal people's priceless possessions.

And yet, Ereve had nothing to offer but the grass and the trees. It didn't seem likely that this mysterious thief would choose to come.

Aria caught a glint in the corner of her eye, and an idea popped into her mind.

Maybe… she could make him come to Ereve.

(Time lapse)

His eyes slid from artifact to artifact, a smile dancing upon his lips.

"Gaston, am I not the most brilliant thief ever?" Phantom mused.

In one of the rooms in the Lumiere, Phantom's own ship and home, everything that he had ever dared to steal were lined neatly in shelves. From the great snow crystal of El Nath to the priced crown jewel of the Ariant King, Phantom had it all. There was nothing in the world that he couldn't steal, and not one thief could be compared to the Master Thief Phantom. Merchants and wealthy men often took to him if they were keen on dealing with, frankly speaking, illegal goods.

Illegal… but yet still eyed by many.

Gaston, Phantom's butler, chuckled, "My master, I'm sure you don't need my affirmation on a subject that we've long discussed about."

"You may be right, dear pal," Phantom grinned. However, his grin morphed into a frown as he eyed all his steals systematically. "But… it feels like something's missing."

He spun around to face Gaston, an eyebrow arched expectantly. His butler would know what he meant. Heck, Phantom thought he didn't pay the man enough for the lengths that Gaston would go to in order to satisfy his whims.

"Something, perhaps… from Ereve, master?" Gaston probed.

Phantom's eyes sparkled. "Is the treasure you speak of…"

"Indeed," Gaston smiled, "but I'm afraid it won't be that easy, sir. To the best of our knowledge, the treasure of Ereve has all but been a rumour so far. No one has actually seen the jewel. It is said that the Empress' greatest soldiers heavily guard the great treasure."

The blonde thief snorted. "There is nothing that I cannot find, Gaston. This hidden treasure will not stay hidden for long!"

"Perhaps it would be wise to scour for it during one of the Empress' conferences? Security would be tighter wherever she goes, and the Skaia may not be as heavily guarded as usual," Gaston suggested.

The Master Thief rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Stealing the Skaia would probably be his greatest feat yet, but as Gaston had kindly pointed out, it wasn't going to be an easy task. Activating something as elementary as dark sight was something that could fool the dim Ariant guards; and he knew that the Empress' guards were highly trained and carefully selected by her.

Not to mention… he had no clue where the great treasure was located in the vast palace.

"Nothing is impossible," he murmured to himself. He steeled himself for the task, and turned towards his trusted butler. "Gaston, make the preparations as quickly as you can. Get Isabelle to deduce possible locations of the jewel, and tell Renault to steer towards Ereve at once!"

He pressed his back against the wall, trying not to raise the attention of the guards.

The conference was still going on, but it seemed like the Empress had a never-ending supply of guards. Every corridor he passed seemed to have a whole row of them guarding every door.

Phantom sighed forcefully. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought.

Just then, he could hear light footsteps falling behind him. He panicked. He couldn't possibly trace back his steps, nor was it possible at the moment for him to dash into the corridor. There was no way the Master Thief would allow himself to be caught sneaking around the palace. Maybe… Maybe he should just give dark sight a shot.

He squeezed his eyes shut and murmured a few words under his breath. And at the very last possible moment, he activated his dark sight… just barely in time for a beautiful blonde woman to walk into his portion of the corridor.

Phantom had to bite back a gasp.

The most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Empress Aria.

Now, there was no way he could steal the Skaia from such a gorgeous lady. It almost made him guilty just thinking about it. But maybe…

The thief bit his lip, and quietly followed the Empress.

Aria heaved a sigh of relief as she made her way back to her quarters. The conference was nothing but a flop. She could still hear the outcries of her people about the Black Magician, wanting her to do something to prevent all of them from falling into their doom.

But dealing with the Black Mage wasn't easy.

She was thankful she had her able guards to handle the crowd as she excused herself from her spot in the conference. All the shouting and worrying on her part was giving her a terrible headache. Aria was certain her trusted advisor-slash-tactician could use his words to persuade the crowd to calm down – it always seemed to work. Aiolos always had a way with words.

Aria settled herself down on the plush sofa in her quarters. As an Empress, she felt the weight of her people's expectations on her shoulders. Before the Black Mage reared his ugly face to the world, Maple World could even be considered as a peaceful place. But now there were little pockets of chaos all over the world, and there was only so much she could do. Aria was already stretching her resources thin by trying to increase the security in Ereve and the major cities across the globe. She couldn't possibly appease everyone, could she?

The Empress sighed forcefully and allowed her eyes to flutter close. Maybe she could just –

"Am I disturbing your peace, dear Empress?"

Aria's eyes flew open and she spun around to face the source of those words. What? How could anyone be in her room? She had specifically requested the guards outside her door to not let anyone in, save for her council and Aiolos.

And standing at the door of her quarters was a complete stranger.

"Who are you to intrude on me?" she fumed. The cheek this stranger had, barging in on a lady's quarters like some… some… uncivilized fool!

The stranger merely flashed her a charming smile and leaned against the door. If not for the fact that she was blazing pissed off with him, she might have blushed a little.

"I think a smile suits you more," he commented casually, leaning against the frame of the door. A card manifested between his fingertips, and he released it, letting the wind carry it towards the Empress.

Aria caught it, her angry gaze leaving the stranger to stare at the card. What in the world? Wasn't this –

"Master Thief Phantom, at your service," the stranger bowed.

She found her anger giving way to curiosity, and a tinge of excitement. Was it possible that her plan might have worked?

"What is the infamous thief doing in my quarters?" she raised a delicate eyebrow, feigning surprise. "Are you here to steal something from me?"

The thief bit his lip, as if he was toying with the answer in his mind.

"I'm still waiting for an answer."

His violet eyes found hers again. Phantom shifted his weight from one leg to another, feeling awkward. "To ask for the Skaia."

Aria's brows furrowed. "Did I hear you right? You want to ask me for the Skaia?" She was flabbergasted. There was nothing more ridiculous than hearing the great thief asking for her to hand over the precious jem of Ereve. Aria would have expected him to just swipe it right under her nose, but here he was!

Phantom folded his arms in front of himself. "I'm trying to be a model citizen here," he rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm asking you for the Skaia. Haven't I already done that?"

The Empress pursed her lips, trying to hold back her amusement. "The answer is no, Phantom. Please leave my room before I call in the guards."

The man smirked, a knowing look on his face. "They won't hear you."

"I'm sorry?"

"I provided ample distraction for them to handle. There's no one outside of your room," Phantom said, matter-of-factly.

Aria gaped at the thief. The idea that the mysterious Phantom single-handedly distracting all her guards seemed completely far-fetched; but yet, it did seem like something he would do.

"Please, just leave now," Aria demanded, still flustered. She may not be a match for this man, but she was still a force to be reckoned with.

Boredom was clearly reflected on Phantom's face. "Since you're not going to give me the Skaia, I'll just come back again and ask you. Until you give in, my Empress," he stated.

"I shall take my leave then," the Master Thief grinned. A rose materialised in his hands, and he covered the distance between himself and the Empress within a few long strides. "For you, milady."

Now she was really blushing. Reluctantly, she accepted the rose from Phantom, and eyed him warily. He bowed again, before brushing past her, and running towards the balcony. Aria nearly screamed when he vaulted across the handrail, but the sight of cards surrounding him like a protective veil stopped her.

When she looked past the handrail, there was no bloody body on the pavement.

Aria looked at the rose in her hand again, her heart fluttering wildly in her chest.

She wanted to meet Phantom, and now she had.

But she never expected this.