Four girls—sisters—knelled praying in the middle of a small room. They were side-by-side holding hands.
The youngest of the four sisters peeled one eye open to look at her sister as they kept their eyes shut to pray. The little girl who was maybe eight years of age knew exactly what they were all praying for: their mother was a few rooms away giving birth to what they hoped would be a boy...a healthy baby boy.
Suddenly, the door opened and it broke the sisters from their trance of praying.
Esfir, the oldest stood up, her posture perfect and the look in her eyes serious.
Karina, the second born, was slow to stand but eventually met with her sister. She looked hopeful.
Mira, the third born stayed kneeling beside her youngest sister, Elise. She gripped her hand even tighter.
And little Elise, too young to fully understand the expression on the servants face. All she knew was that she wasn't smiling.
"Another stillborn son." The servant spoke softly. "I am truly sorry for your loss." And she closed the door to the room, leaving the four sisters to weep together.
Karina, who was so soft-hearted wept first and fell to her knees. Esfir was there to hold her and cried with her.
Elise looked to Mira who usually told jokes and wore a smile on her face at all times but was now expressionless as her grip loosened around her younger sisters tiny fingers. "Mira," Elise's little voice finally spoke up.
Mira could barely hear her with the sounds of the others crying. A few hot tears found their way down her cheeks as she looked down at her little sister. "Our second little brother has moved on."
"You mean...he died," Elise said with question. "But we prayed so hard. Why?"
Mira only shook her head. "Hush now, Elise." And she put her arms around her.

"Willow, are you listening?" Balthier broke Willow from her train of thought.
"Oh! Sorry." Willow said.
Balthier leaned back in the seat of his Strahl. "Honestly, do you want to learn how to fly this girl?"
Willow nodded quickly. "I do! I'm sorry for spacing out."
Balthier raised a brow. "You've been doing that a lot lately. Care to share what's on your mind?"
"No," Willow said flatly.
"Then stop daydreaming and start paying attention." Balthier ran through all the controls again when it came to starting up the Strahl. He would then let her try to see if she could do it correctly.
Willow pressed the buttons in order and flipped a few switches and the Strahl hummed beautifully. "Did I do it?"
Balthier nodded. "See what you can do when you listen?"
Willow said nothing, only rolled her eyes.
"You sure have an attitude for such a vulnerable stray like yourself."
Willow shot back at him. "I'm not vulnerable and I'm not a stray!"
Balthier was enjoying seeing her get riled up.
"You two at it again, I see." Fran came to join them. "Shall we fly her for real this time and go to the Eastersand?"
Willow stood from where she was sitting and let Fran take her place. She then buckled herself into the seat right behind and watched the two get the Strahl ready for take off.

It took three hours for them to reach the Estersand. From there they stopped at a small holdout where merchants sold potions, weapons, and other items. By this time Willow was so hungry her stomach felt like it was going to eat itself.
"I can hear your stomach all the way up here," Balthier said to her.
Willow cocked her head to the side. "Are you calling me short? And yes, I am hungry, no thanks to you."
Balthier grinned. "Feisty today, aren't you? Follow me. We'll get something."
"I hear this place has very tender meat." Fran chimed in. "It is worth checking out."
"Tender meat?" Willow's mouth started to water. "I'd like to try some."

Inside the massive tent were a few tables set up and a bar with workers serving drink and cook everyone's meal. The place was not as busy as Willow imagined it would be, but she was happy to see that it was only a small crowd.
They chose the table far off from everyone else and a waitress came by with a single menu for them all to look at. "Can I start you off with our specialty drink?" The waitress offered.
"What is it?"
"Red wine with a drop of dragons blood and a pinch of homegrown spices mixed in."
"Sound delicious. Fran, will you be having some?" Balthier looked to his companion.
Fran nodded once. "Make that two for me." She then looked to Willow. "Care to try some, Willow?"
Willow thought about it for a while and then said: "No, thank you. Water is fine, or milk if you have it."
"We have goat milk. Is that alright?" Willow nodded to the waitress. "Alright. As you're thinking of what to eat I'll get your drinks started." And she left the trio be.

Willow sat quietly with her hands in her lap as she listened to Balthier and Fran talk about and forth. They kept mentioning a mine—Henne Mines was the place.
"What's in the Henne Mines?" Willow asked curiously.
This time Fran spoke up. "A dangerous place with monsters. It's not somewhere you want to be hanging out for fun."
"Then why are you talking about going there?"
Before Fran could respond the waitress came back with their drinks and took their order for the main dish, which they all ordered the tender meat slices. "Balthier and I have been there a few times. Every now and then people hide treasure there thinking it will be safe, but we are experienced when it comes to that place. We know all the ins and outs."
"So, you're thinking of going there? When?"
"Soon," Balthier answered her. "But not with you. You're not ready for something like that."
"Then will I be staying on the Strahl?"
Fran shook her head. "Nay. But you will be staying with someone."
"Who?"
Fran and Balthier looked at each other and then to Willow. "Vaan and Penelo. You remember them, don't you? They should still be hanging around Rabanastre still. We'll go see them later today."

After finishing their meal Balthier stopped at a board with posters and other papers with lists on them and took a look at one of them. "I see the pesky Rogue Tomatoes are at it again. I swear they are worse than rabbits breading." He peeled the paper off and gave it to Willow to look at.
"Why are you giving me this?" she asked.
"You're going to hunt that thing. Besides, it will bring in some coin."
"What about the jewels I already gave you. Have you spent their worth already?"
"No, but that's beside the point. You need to learn to fight. This is a perfect way to start."
Willow looked to Fran for some support but all she said was: "Balthier has a point. You must grow stronger."
Balthier pointed at the dagger resting at Willow's side. "It's time you put that thing to good use."

"I can't kill it!" Willow yelled at Balthier and Fran from a few yards away. She was running from the Rogue Tomato. "It's too cute!"
Fran and Balthier looked at each as if both thinking: "What have we got ourselves into?"
Willow fell and the dropped the dagger. The Rogue Tomato pounced on her leg and tried biting through her boot.
"Aah! Get it off!" Willow shook her leg and finally, the Rogue Tomato let off long enough for Willow to grab her weapon again. And without a second thought, Willow swung her dagger and cut the Rogue Tomato in two. She squealed. "AH! I'm sorry tomato thing!" She quickly got up and stared down at its body. "I didn't mean to, I swear."
Balthier started clapping. "Well done. you finally killed it." In the middle of his clapping, a group of Rogue Tomatoes came rushing in, sensing that one of their kind had been slain. He and Fran were ready to help Willow fight off the rest but stopped as Willow's dagger a pale blue.
Willow looked down at her dagger. She wanted to drop it as she did not understand what was going on, but her fingers wouldn't let go. Willow raised her arm and slashed two Rogue Tomatoes at once. Their blood splattered this way and that way until Willow was standing in the midst of all of it. Her clothes were stained. Not even her face was safe from the mess.
Inside her head, Willow could hear voices crying. So many voices telling her to run, to not look back. It didn't stop until of the Rogue Tomatoes were dead at her feet and finally, she dropped the dagger and fell to her knees in the sand. She was crying, wiping her tears away in vain. "That wasn't me," she said. "I didn't mean to do it."
Fran knelt beside her. "What do you mean, little one?" She picked up the bloody dagger and held it at bay.
"I didn't survive because I wanted to. I wish I had died with them, but they told me to run...they told me to run." She sobbed.
"Who told you to run?" Balthier tried to sound as sincere as he could.
Willow only shook her head. "I don't want to fight. I can't...please don't make me do it. I can't bring myself to hurt another living thing."

The trio made their way back to the Strahl and while Balthier flew them to Rabanastre Fran helped Willow into some clean clothes. "I'm not sure how these will fit. I wore this dress in my younger days. When we get to the city we'll buy you something more suitable."
Willow put on the brown dress with white ruffles on the bottom; the white sleeves were long and puffy. She felt a little-naked seeing as her black tights had been ripped and tossed away. Her boots were still good though, but that didn't make up for the air she felt sweeping beneath her bottom now. She'd have to be careful not to bend over too far. Her breasts, however, fit a little snug, but it was nothing too uncomfortable. And she ditched her hat, no longer feeling the need to hair her long hair and she let it flow behind her back while kept in its braid.
"We'll be there shortly," Fran told her. "Oh," Fran noticed a small scratch on Willow's arm. "Let me fix that." She held Willow's hand gently and hovered one hand above the scratch. A pretty green light sparkled and felt warm and the mark on Willow's arm faded.
"How did you do that?" Willow asked.
"Simple. I used magic."
Willow seemed unsure with that answer. "Magic?"
Fran nodded. "People use it every day. Is that strange?"
Willow wasn't sure what to say. "Where I'm from, magic is banned. Only under certain circumstances is it allowed. Besides that, not a lot of people know how to use it. I certainly don't."
"But you used magic to defeat the rest of the Rogue Tomatoes, did you not?" Fran now sat beside her.
"I did!" Willow was shocked.
"You don't remember?"
"I blacked out for a second...is that bad?"
Fran thought for a moment. "Well, that's not exactly good either." It was quiet between the two for a second before Fran asked: "Willow, where do you come from again?" Willow had told both her and Balthier when they first met, but she wanted to hear it from Willow again, in case her story had changed, she would know.
"Zartoska," she said the word as if she had lost something dear. "I'm what you would call a Zarkian. It's very cold there; winters are long and harsh but every year the people who live there grow stronger because of it. But when the spring comes and the snow melts away, the country is even more beautiful and the crisp air that fills your lungs makes you feel whole again."
"If it is such a great country why are its people leaving and coming here?"
Now Willow was upset, but she hid it well. "I told you: Valan Linshk. He killed the Emperor and his family who ruled over more than two million souls...and now he has overrun the entire country with his rebels. People like me have fled here to safety. The future Valan wants is only meant for the strong...and I am not strong."
"But you are," Fran lifted Willow's head to look at her. "Look how far you've come."
Willow smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thank you, Fran."

Sure enough, they made it to Rabanastre is record time. Balthier went off on his own to go look for Penelo and Vaan while Fran and Willow headed off for some new clothes.
The shops were dazzling. The last time they were in Rabanastre they didn't stop to look at much. Willow had never seen something so remarkable. There were magic crystals that could be fused together to make a more powerful crystal and then use it on an item or person to gain strength. Willow was fascinated. She was also learning so much as Fran took her from shop to shop showed her the many different kinds of armor that were used in battles or weapons that were meant for war.
At last, they made their way to a clothing shop and Fran let Willow pick out her outfit. She chose a dark purple skirt that reached to her thighs. The top part acted as a corset and tied in the back with a black string. Next, she picked out a white long bell-sleeves white shirt that dropped low on the back and was tied together with white silk strings. The shirt tucked into the skirt making everything fit to Willow's frame nicely. Lastly, she picked out another pair of black tights and slipped her old boots back on.
"This will do." Said Willow. "I hope it won't be too much."
Fran looked to the shopkeeper and dropped a small green jewel in his hand. "Not worry. Your jewels are paying for it."
Willow didn't care. She was happy that the jewels she had to offer were going to good use. So far it paid for their meals and sometimes their lodging if they chose not to sleep on the Strahl and other things like potions or weapon upgrades, which Fran and Balthier frequently did.
"I thought I'd find you two here." The door to the shop chimed a bell above as Balthier made his way in. Penelo and Vaan were right behind.
"Willow!" Penelo ran up to her and grabbed her hands. "I didn't think I'd get to see you again so soon. How are you liking Rabanastre?"
Willow smiled shyly. "I uh...I really like it. I've never seen anything like it."
Vaan rubbed right below his nose. "Yeah, Rabanastre is a pretty cool place. It's the best place if you ask me."
Penelo laughed. "Oh Vaan, of course, you would say that."
"Let's hurry back to our place. We can talk more freely there." Said Vaan.

Vaan's and Penelo's home was in the slums of Rabanastre. But it wasn't so much a slum as it was a cozy hideout. The young couples home sat in a corner far away from the business of the twisted streets. The large door was made of metal with one window on the side, but a white curtain blocked any view from seeing inside.
"Welcome to our humble abode." Vaan let them in.
"Sorry if its a mess," Penelo added.
Balthier was quick to find himself a seat. "Not at all. I think I can get used to this place.
"Careful," Fran joined him. "Don't get too comfortable. I'll end up leaving you here." She caressed his hair.
That was the first time Willow had ever seen the two in such a state. She had her feelings of the two being a couple. Now she knew for sure. Was her being there butting into their relationship and time together? She had to wonder.
"Willow, make yourself comfortable. I'll go get everyone something to drink." Penelo ran off to the kitchen.
"How long have you two lived here?" Willow asked Vaan as he took a seat.
"Almost three years now. Whenever Penelo and I take to the sky we have some trustworthy friends to look after the place. Plus, Rabanastre is our home."
Willow gave him a small smile and then looked about the cozy home. "I really like it."
"Good. I'm glad to hear you say that. Balthier told Penelo and me that he and Fran are going to the Henne Mines. You're welcome to stay here with us until they get back."
Willow was slow to answer back. "Thank you, but I'm sure I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
Vaan was a little taken aback by her choice of words and wasn't sure what to say.
"Here we are!" Penelo's voice sang as she set the tray of drinks down before everyone. It's hard liqueur. I got it for pretty cheap when I did a favor for someone a few weeks back." Penelo sat with Vaan and let him put his arms around her.
"Have you ever had alcohol before, Willow?" Vaan asked as he poured Fran and Balthier a cup.
Willow shook her head, her cheeks going red from embarrassment. "I...I have not. Mother never allowed it."
Vaan poured another glass but before handing it to her he asked: "How old are you?"
"I'm nineteen." She answered him.
Vaan slid the drink over to her. "You're old enough. Go ahead. Have a swig!"
Willow brought the cup to her lips and sniffed. It was sour and bitter at the same time. Next, she dipped her tongue and grimaced as she held the cup away from her face. "Ew! I can't!
"You have to do it quickly," Vaan told her and he poured himself a cup and gulped it down within a second. "Ah! See, its that easy."
Willow was unsure but she did it anyway and ended up choked as her throat started to burn. Most of the liqueur went on the table. Willow coughed, trying to catch her breath. "I'm sorry," she wheezed. "I wasted your liqueur."
Balthier laughed. "She reminds me of when I had my first taste of alcohol. I think I was ten."
Willow looked at him with wide eyes. "Ten?" Her mouth gaped open at him.
"I think you've had enough to drink." Fran swiped what remained of his drink and finished it off quickly. "It's not good to get drunk right before a mining raid."
"So you're leaving tomorrow then?" Penelo asked.
Balthier stood up. "Tonight actually. Fran and I will head there as soon as we are done here."
Fran stood up as well. "We know you two will take good care of Willow." She headed to the door.
"Vaan, care to join us outside for a moment. There is something I must share with you."
"Yeah, sure."

While the three left to talk outside for a moment Willow and Penelo enjoyed the quietness.
"How much of Ivalice have you seen?"
"Not much. But I like what I have seen so far. Archadia was wonderful. I hope I can go back one day."
Penelo smiled knowingly. "Yes, I have good memories there...and bad ones, but mostly good."
It was at that moment that Willow noticed that Penelo hadn't a drink yet. "Do you not drink alcohol?"
It was a few seconds before Penelo answered. "Recently the smell has made me feel sick to my stomach."
"Oh, I see."
"Ah, what did you think of Larsa's birthday party? Wasn't it beautiful? His speech was amazing..as always." She was quick to change the subject.
Willow agreed with her. "Yes, everything was so beautiful played out."
Penelo looked at her in question. "Huh? Played out?"
Willow felt embarrassed again and blushed. "Sorry. What I mean to say is that everything was set up so carefully. Nothing went wrong." What Willow really wanted to say was that everything that happened that day was planned out well ahead of time. Larsa's speech, the formation of the crowd, guards, conversations, etc. Willow had seen this sort of party before and she was all too familiar with it.
Vaan came back but this time Balthier and Fran and did not return. "Balthier told me to tell you that he expects you to be better with that dagger when he returns." He said this to Willow as he grinned. "Penelo and I can help you with that."
Willow was a little confused by this. "What do you mean? How long will they be gone?"
Vaan shrugged. "A few days maybe?"
"You seem upset about this. Have you grown close to them, Willow?" Penelo asked.
Willow sighed. "It's just that they saved me and have looked after me the last couple of weeks. I'd feel terrible if anything bad were to happen to them."
"Don't worry," said Vaan. "As Balthier always says: 'I'm the leading man'." He mimicked his accent perfectly, making Penelo laugh.
"He always says that? I have yet to hear him say it." Willow admitted.
"Perhaps one day you will be lucky enough to hear him say it," Penelo told her.
Willow smiled. "Yeah, maybe."

That night Willow had gone to sleep early seeing as she was tired from the events of the day that had transpired.
Vaan and Penelo were enjoying what they thought would be a quiet evening alone together, but the door to their humble home was knocked upon. It startled them a bit as they were not expecting guests at this hour.
"Stay here," Vaan told Penelo as he picked up a sword sitting off to the side and slowly opened the door, leaving the chain lock in place. "Can I help you?" He asked the dark hooded figure.
"May we come in?" They asked.
Vaan looked at the tall figure standing behind the first. It was then he recognized the voice. "Larsa?" he whispered.
"How long will you keep me out here Vaan? Shall I start counting?"
Vaan noticed a grin beneath his hood. Vaan undid the latch and stood to the side to let the young Emperor and his companion in. "Let me guess, Basch is with you?"
Basch removed his hood. "Took you long enough."
Penelo was completely overjoyed when she saw them. So much so she leaped from her seat and ran to greet them. "What brings you here to our corner of the world? And how did you find us?"
Larsa removed his heavy black velvet cloak and let Basch both of theirs up. He was dressed in a clean white cotton long sleeved shirt with ruffles at the cuffs. His black vest bore the symbol of Archadia and his black pants fit him nicely as he kept the bottom of them tucked away with his knee-high boots. To Penelo and Vaan he still looked like royalty, but to him, this was his version of dressing down.
Basch was dressed in more normal attire consisting of dark blue breeches and a black long sleeved shirt with padded armor on his chest and arms. "It wasn't very hard to find you two."
"All we had to do was ask a few people if they knew you. All we had to say was that we were looking for a job to get done. They were more complying to help us out." Larsa explained the rest.
"You'll have to tell us which friend sold us out," Penelo teased. "But first, have a seat and relax. You two must be tired."

The four of them spoke of old days first, reminiscing about the past. And as the evening dragged on tired eyes started to drop.
Before they fell asleep Vaan sparked the dying conversation. He needed to tell them what Balthier and Fran and spoke to him about. "There's something I need to tell you." Everyone was silent. Vaan looked to Larsa and Basch. "Balthier and Fran were here a few hours ago. They headed to the Henne Mines for a raid. They left Willow in our care. She's sleeping upstairs right now."
This peeked Larsa's attention. "They were here? I'm glad they left Willow behind. That mine is no place for a girl like her."
Penelo rested her head to one side. "You say this as if you know her well. Did something happen after the party?" She raised a brow.
Larsa did well to maintain his composer and not blush. "No, I assure you. I spoke with her once and just by that one meeting I can tell that Willow is not the type to get violent or fight."
"Speaking of," Vaan cleared his throat. "That's exactly what I need to talk to you about. Balthier told me Willow had an accident today."
"What kind of accident?" Basch asked.
"There was a monster raid list up at one of the bars. The Rogue Tomatoes were at it again. So, to test her strength, Balthier had Willow take one on. It didn't end well."
"Did she get hurt?" Penelo was concerned now.
Vaan shrugged. "In a way...it has more to do with her mind. Balthier thinks something bad happened to her before she came here."
Larsa nodded. "Yes, he had written me a letter explaining how he and Fran met Willow. He said she was near death...a refugee."
"Exactly!" Vaan didn't mean to sound excited, he was just glad he was on the same page as Larsa for once.
"Everyone knows that the refugees came here for a reason. It's must be bad in their home country. So bad they are willing to risk everything and leave behind all that they know." Basch said.
Vaan nodded and continued. "Balthier told me that when Willow took on the first Rogue Tomato that she couldn't do it and ended up killing it by accident. After that, a whole group of Rogue Tomatoes came after her. But get this: Willow's dagger started glowing and it seemed like something had taken over her body and killed all the monsters within seconds."
Penelo was getting uncomfortable with this sort of talk, but at the same time, she felt sorry for Willow. "So, you mean to say some spirit or spell took over her body and forced her to kill?"
Vaan nodded again. "Not only that, Willow's memory about it is fuzzy."
"She doesn't realize what happened?" Basch was surprised.
"Her mind went blank as soon as whatever it was had taken over her body."
"Is it Willow directly," Penelo asked. "What I mean to say is: is something inside of her?"
This time Vaan shook his head. "Fran thinks it has something to do with the dagger." Everyone looked at each other with wary eyes. "That's not all," Vaan continued. "Willow ended up getting a small cut on her arm. When Fran healed her, Willow acted as if she had never seen healing magic. When Fran confronted her about this Willow told her that magic is banned in her country."
"Perhaps that is a reason for them fleeing their own country," Larsa said, thinking out loud.
"I guess our main concern here is: who IS Willow?" Basch said.
"That's another thing Balthier told me: he wants us to find out more about Willow. I told him I couldn't promise him anything. It's not like me and Penelo to poke into another people's lives."
Penelo was starting to feel uneasy and changed the subject just in case Willow were to wake up and hear them. "Larsa, Basch. What brings you two here?"
Larsa cleared his throat before answering. "I knew you would ask, Penelo, so I prepared myself. The reason why Basch and I are here is that Ivalice may fall."
"What?" Penelo was starting to feel sick to her stomach.
"I shouldn't be telling you this, but perhaps you two have already noticed: the soil on which we farm is losing its nutrients...it's dying. If that happens all of Ivalice will suffer. Surviving off of animals and certain monsters will only help us for so long until they too are gone."
"We have noticed." Said Vaan. "Penelo and I have been trying to find certain potions to help with that...no such luck though."
"I sent word to Lady Ashe by Moogle. Same with the Rozzarian Empire. I have yet to hear back from them. I wish to know how they are doing."
"We have a plan though," Basch cut in. "We want to visit the other country and ask whoever is in control about their livestock and farming grounds."
"We have to have hope," said Larsa. "We don't want that to be another reason why the people may be fleeing. We have come here to ask you to join us on our expedition. We were hoping to run into Fran and Balthier, but I guess they will have to sit this one out."
"Ah, yeah, about that," Vaan said. "Fran mentioned something about rebels in Willow's country and the fact that the Emperor and his family were killed."
Larsa was saddened to hear this. "I see. So they overthrew their leader. Things must have gotten incredibly worse after, no doubt. That makes more sense as to why the refugees are here. Now I am unsure of going there."
"You said you have to try, right?" Vaan tried to sound hopeful. "We don't exactly have to make ourselves known. Go in and get out."
"Chances are Balthier and Fran may find out where we are headed and come find us." Penelo smiled a bit, trying to lighten up the mood.
Larsa was pleased to hear this. "Does that mean you two will join us?"
Vaan rubbed below his nose again. "Yeah, of course!"
"Feel free to stay here for the night. We have two spare bedrooms. The one at the end of the hall is free. Willow is sleeping in the one right beside." Penelo informed them.
"Wonderful," Larsa said as he stood. "Then I bid you both goodnight."

Late that even after midnight had come and gone Larsa woke with the urge to relieve himself. The bathroom was just down the hall and he quietly made his way there. He was just a few feet from the door when he heard a soft flush and the sound of water running soon after. Someone was in there and Larsa waited patiently for whoever it was to come out.
To his surprise and pleasure, he saw Willow. She was half asleep with her eyes barely open. He wondered if she saw him, and his answer was soon met. "Miss Willow..." Larsa started but Willow bumped into him by accident and they nearly fell over. Larsa was quick to steady himself and catch Willow. "Miss Willow are you alright?" he asked. The only answer he got out of her was a soft nod. Another thing that was soft was her skin and cool touch of her long hair. Larsa gulped. He wasn't sure what to do.
Willow soon slumped to her knees, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
"Miss Willow, I don't think that is a proper place to sleep." He tried to wake her but it was futile. He was forced to pick her up and carried her back to her room bridal style. He had never carried someone like this before, let alone a girl...and one that he found himself attracted to.
Larsa laid her back in bed and covered her with the sheet. The moonlight came in through the window and Larsa got a perfect look of her smooth pale face, save for her rosy cheeks. He gulped again and told himself it was a good time to let her be. If she were to wake up now and see him leaning over her it would cause a commotion. But when he tried, Willow latched on to the sleeves of his shirt and moaned in her sleep again.
A bad dream. Thought Larsa. Poor girl.
He had had plenty of bad dreams himself and hoped hers was not as bad as his.

Larsa managed to free himself from Willow's grip and before getting up to leave he stared at her as she mumbled: "It's all my fault." Tears fell down the sides of her face.
What could possibly be your fault? Larsa wondered. He could also tell just by looking at Willow that she was kind and had never hurt anyone in her life. Deep in his gut, he knew this just by looking at her. "Ivalice needs an Empress like you," Larsa whispered very quietly.
Oh, if only Willow could be just that! For only an Emperor can marry someone of noble or royal blood. Larsa wished that he could break that rule, but he knew that if he did he would be doing something selfish and all of Archadia would suffer.

With one last attempt, Larsa managed to walk to the door and make his way to the bathroom. He let himself admit defeat, defeat to the fact that he had fallen in love with Willow from the moment he saw her.

I hope you're enjoying the story thus far. Let me know what you think.