Title: Memoirs of a Desert Queen

Fandom: Final Fantasy XII

Genre: Romance/ Drama/ Adventure

Characters: Al-Cid X Ashe X Vaan

Status: In Progress

Disclaimer:

I own nothing but the outline of this story.

All names, characters and anything related to FFXII mentioned here, unless duly stated, belong to Square Enix.

Author's Note:

I am so sorry for the very long delay of the 4th chapter! There were so many things to be done at school these past few months, and part of it was lacking inspiration to finish this. Anyway, thanks for patiently waiting for the update^^


Flashback: Chapter 3 – Decisions and Consequences

Ashe recalls that intense argument between her and the Dalmasca's court of Magisters regarding Al-Cid's proposal. According to her uncle Halim Ondore, she must think of a way to save Dalmasca from this recession immediately—or else she would have no other option but to accept the marriage of the Rozarrian.


Chapter 4

"Sneaking Out"

"Alright—Who would be next?"

The sound of clattering armor echoed through the gushing waves of the waters, as the former princess slashed her sword mercilessly in a rigid but fluid manner, like an avenging Valkyrie. She defeated a number of Archadian soldiers but most of them still chased after her, despite of going through the deepest part of a seemingly underground channel she had never been to. Unfortunately, she found herself in the most unlikely situation—surrounded by a group of menacing soldiers ready to grab her.

But in the middle of nowhere, an unfamiliar voice suddenly called out to her.

"JUMP DOWN!"

And upon looking below the ridge where she stood, she saw him.

"…Huh?"

It startled her at first to see a young boy below calling out to her, trying to open his arms as if preparing to catch her. He was there—his breath caught, and his eyes directly staring at hers, giving her a signal.

"HURRY!"

It's too late to turn back now, she thought—since she knew she was cornered at the moment. She had nothing else to do but to shortly put her trust to that young boy; and without more ado, she turned and jumped down.

xXx

The queen snapped out of her thoughts and merely smiled. She can never forget the first time she had laid eyes on that young savior of hers, thankful that it was him whom she ran into, not only because Vaan and the two sky pirates were of a great help, but also because no one knows the passages through the Garamsythe Waterway far better than him. She also recalled the ludicrous tale Vaan used to tell her of how he cleverly whisked away that Goddess' Magicite from the palace treasury without being thrown to the dungeon.

"It was all just a piece of cake actually. I did nothing but shout, 'HEY BUCKLE HEADS!' and those Archadian soldiers would chase me like hell! Old Dalan was right; they are too stupid to even take a joke."

Ashe can't help but look at him amusingly whenever she listens to his juvenile tales. True, she had always been annoyed by his somewhat lack of maturity, but Vaan had always been someone who loves to make fun even if the situation's getting way out of control. He's someone who would do everything for the sake of those he cared for so much, and he is more than willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his greatest dream of becoming a sky pirate.

No wonder he was good at sneaking in, she thought.

The queen was in the middle of her thoughts when a somewhat absurd yet thrilling idea struck her. Though feeling quite hesitant of the many risks, she knew she longed to seek for something out of plain curiosity. Ashe plainly shook her head at this, as she firmly held on to that warm blazer. She had been standing on that open window for as long as she could remember, but time seemed to pass by deliberately.

"If Vaan was able to sneak into the palace without being noticed, then there has to be a way to for me to sneak out of the palace…"

The whole idea sounded preposterous for her, but still, she wanted to take the leap.

xXx

The whole place was bewildered in silence, and she heard nothing more but the sound of her own footsteps echoing in suppressing rhythm as she nonchalantly trailed the palace hallways. The moonlight's rays, which reflected upon the smooth marbled floors, have given her sufficient luminosity to guide her through the aisle. Whenever she somewhat hears strange clinking noises, such as the footsteps of the palace guards patrolling, she immediately prompts herself to hide. She had to take precautions—she wouldn't want to wake anyone, or else, let anyone catch her sneaking out, would she?

The moment she made it pass through the corridors, she was rather surprised, and a bit anxious, to see one of the palace guards sleeping soundly underneath his steel armour. This was much of an unexpected scene, after assuming that she was, and always will be, well protected—just as what the palace guards have always promised. However, she was thankful that the situation requires its necessity, for she knew that this little escape would be impossible to accomplish if ever someone is watching.

She finally arrived at the far north east corner of that subtle corridor, where she came across a huge door she knew she was familiar with. The queen was stunned for a moment while her hands rested lightly upon one of its railings. There was this bizarre feeling of enthusiasm, as well as nervousness that stirred within her, and she couldn't understand why. What mysteries lie beyond this door and what significance does it have?

And then, it came to her.

There was a gentle smile on Ashe's lips when she finally figured out the reason behind her sudden anticipation. She remembered where this strange door leads to—the palace cellars where she usually plays hide and seek during her childhood years. She recalled that the whole place was usually filled with barrels, boxes, and chests of different sorts and sizes—which made it the perfect place for hiding. Because she was so good at the said game, there was even a time when she made everyone in the palace burst in outrage!

While everyone scattered to find the missing princess, the little girl kept herself safely hidden in one of the few barrels, silently amused of the commotion she had unconsciously created. She knew that no one in the palace is clever enough to know where she was hidden—but that perception of hers suddenly changed when she saw someone unpredictably open her barrel.

"I'd never thought I'll be seeing you around here, my little princess."

"B-but, you're not supposed to join this game."

The old man gave out a heartfelt laugh and took hold of her with his large hands. "Oh, surely your father is not that old for little games. And besides, are you not aware of the ruckus you have just created my dear?"

She gave out a sigh. "I am sorry father, I was just playing a game."

"I know my dear. But next time, do avoid causing too much trouble if you really want to play. Understood?"

"Yes father," she nodded, as the man carried her off into his arms in a warm embrace.

Who would've thought that, of all the people in the palace, the one who would actually find her was none other than her beloved father, King Raminas?

The smile on the queen's lips did not fade, but a cold bead of teardrop came rolling down her eye. Ashe took a step closer to the huge passageway and felt her excitement slowly pacing into pounding nervousness. Though she had gotten this far, she still doubted her own courage—but no matter how awfully ridiculous this idea may seem to her, she was determined to keep moving forward. The queen took a deep breath as she slowly, but carefully released the knob.

The cellars was not submerged in darkness, as opposed to what she had expected, for there was sufficient luminosity from the burning torches that hung onto the stone walls. Although she could see everything around her, she can't help but feel quite petrified to trail down the stairs, for she knew there would probably be some palace guards patrolling there all night long. At this, she kept vigilantly sensitive for any noise that could signify their presence, but she heard not a footstep, or a single clink of metal—and this gave her enough courage to go down and see what's in there.

'This place has changed so much,' she thought as she advanced further into its depths, taking a step at a time, watchful of her surroundings. There, she found many things like armors, weapons, and unusual accessories all stacked in their respective places. Along the way, however, she caught sight of a particular spot piled up with large barrels, one at the top of the other.

She took a few steps to have a closer look—but was abruptly taken aback after noticing a trail of what seemed like red droplets on the ground. This unlikely scene almost convinced the queen to go back upstairs, since she didn't know what menacing creature is there to see.

But no—she isn't that of a coward to just back off and leave.

Although she knew she was unarmed, Queen Ashelia decided to follow the trail of what she thought was blood, which finally led her to a corner where two palace guards laid seemingly unconscious on the ground. They were probably victims of this beast, she thought, and examined them to search for any marks left by this threatening creature. However, she saw that they were not wounded—and she wondered where the trail of blood was coming from.

Suddenly, a strong, familiar scent lingered through her nostrils, and it prompted her to scan her surroundings once more to confirm her theory. There at the corner, she saw glasses of spilled Rozarrian wine, which she assumed the two guards had been feasting on all night long. Knowing that there was nothing to be afraid of after all, the queen sighed in relief. Part of her felt irritated after seeing such unlikely sight of drunken men in armor, but she knew the punishment for these two could wait. Right now, all she must think about is to sneak out of this place once and for all. She forgot to bring with her her licenses, and she figured she couldn't leave the cellars unarmed—so she took the metal dagger beside one of the guards and hid it underneath her blazer. Besides, she'll never know when and where would that weapon come in handy.

"I got into the cellars through that door," she recalled Vaan telling her as she stared bluntly on the unassuming passageway on the ground. She extended her arms to release the lock from that ground opening and managed to inhale sharply after seeing another staircase leading into the abyss. She heard the sound of rushing waters from that opening, and she knew she had it right.

"This is it…" she whispered as she exhaled deeply. She felt the strange jolt of satisfaction, as well as excitement as it raced through her veins. Setting aside all of her hesitations, she finally stepped down the staircase and hoped that somehow, she can manage to get herself safely out of the Garamsythe Waterway.


Author's Note: Then again, I've failed to include Vaan in this chapter! T_T But don't worry. I'll not make promises that he'll be on the next—I guess we'll just have to find out and see for ourselves. Can Queen Ashelia survive the threats of the Garamsythe Waterway all by herself—or will someone come to her rescue? *Closes mouth* ooopsey-SPOILER ALERT! XD

Anyway, I'm not pretty sure if I've gone better on writing this chapter or not since I really admit I lacked inspiration on doing this. Comments, critiques and reviews would be greatly appreciated^^