Author's Note:
In the last chapter's NEXT ON, I put down a couple of things that I actually can't cover in this chapter. It was either rush a lot of scenes to fit it in, or put some of it in the next chapter. Sorry!
Previously on Calamity of the Serene Vaan doesn't notice the attraction that Larsa has towards Penelo. Penelo and Larsa become annoyed with Vaan when he finds a painting more interesting than Larsa's words. Larsa tells them of the mysterious man who threatened to spread the Varran plague if Larsa did not take his life. Larsa DID NOT tell them that Ashe had the same proposal. On the Strahl, a giant creature attacks Basch, Ashe, Fran, and Balthier outside of the Kru-Borma, and the ship ends up crashing into the trees, leaving Basch unconscious and the fates of the others unknown.
( C A L A M I T Y-of the-S E R E N E )
Chapter Seven: Devotion and Passion
...Two Years Ago...
It had been just over a year since he had received her last letter, and still he eagerly awaited for another one. In four years she had managed to send him a total of twelve letters, and each had put a smile onto his face. It didn't matter what news the letters contained, he was still happy to see she had taken the time to write to him. The letters were a symbol of a cherished friendship on her part, but to him they were much more. To the young Emperor, they were his window to the outside world; his only true sense of normalcy. His life was choked with politics, political games and dances, and an overwhelming feeling that all who were around him would lie directly to his face in order to please him. And then he would receive one of her letters, and she would let him know that here was one person out there who truly cared for him; that she saw past his crown and his wealth and his power. She saw him for him. And to Larsa, this was the greatest treasure in the land.
Yet as the years worse on, Penelo's thrice yearly letters became completely nonexistent. She was growing older, he knew. She was turning twenty-one this year, and he understood that she was experiencing life, and perhaps that meant leaving the memory of him and their short adventure together behind. He understood, but he didn't like it.
Five days ago he celebrated his sixteenth birthday, and this meant that he was expected to lose his virginity. It was a rigid Archadian custom that male nobles and male royals were to have sex around their sixteenth birthday. It was a silly tradition, but for an Emperor to not keep up with it would symbolize his not caring for his countries principles. With the Senate breathing down his neck as they waited for him to consecrate this tradition, Larsa asked Basch to help him find an appropriate woman (who would be older and experienced) to usher him into manhood. To this question, Basch burst into laughter- something he rarely did.
"In my home land of Landis," Basch had explained with a cheerful grin. "One would never go to bed with another unless they were completely ready. We had the choice of abstaining if we so wished."
"And did you choose to abstain, Gabranth?"
Basch laughed again, a deeper laugh somehow, and a slight scarlet spread across his cheeks. As Larsa looked on, and peered into Basch's joyous eyes, he could see the memories of Basch's past years soaring through the Judge's mind. Basch, Larsa concluded, must have been quite rebellious in his youth, and possibly a heart-breaker among many women.
"Twas a long while ago," was Basch's only response.
After the conversation, Basch set out to fetch Archadia's most desirable women. He brought back two dozen, and each were breathtakingly beautiful. Larsa was given his choice, but he found himself unable to choose.
For none of them were her. None of them even reminded him of her.
But he was expected to have one of these eager women, and so he picked the shyest looking girl possible. In the bedroom, he quickly explained that he didn't wish to sleep with her- and that they would not be doing the deed. He also added that should she tell anyone that they had not done it, she would be in a sore situation. The woman left honestly believing that the Emperor was a homosexual, but Larsa knew his secret was safe.
As he himself emerged from the room and caught Basch's surprised look that he had gone through with it, Larsa vowed something to himself: He would one day reconnect to his long lost childhood crush, and save himself only for her.
...The Present...
At first, all Basch knew was pain. His whole head felt like it was being attacked by demons. Through the hot, white throbbing, he heard someone release a loud groan. Keeping his eyes clenched tightly shut, Basch gripped the sides of his head with his hands. Another groan sounded.
Who... Who is making that sound?
It took him another disoriented minute to realize that it was him making such pain filled noises. He quickly silenced the groans from this throat and forced himself to open his eyes.
He took in the scene slowly. He was laying on his side on top of the backs of the seats in the cockpit. It didn't take him long to understand that the seats had kept him from potentially being ejected from the Strahl. The airship, he realized, had struck head first into the trees. It was currently suspended in the air, completely vertical. The front window was now the floor, and should Basch move into the aisle, he would plummet down twelve or so feet onto the shattered front window. Yet the seats hadn't protected him against the spray of glass and metal. Bits of glass were lodged into the skin on his bare arms. The wounds weren't seriously, and the glass was easily brushed aside. However, he had been struck hard in the head by a stray steel storage bin that had been stored in the cockpit. It now lay far below him, its contents spread out amongst the wreckage.
Basch rolled over across the back of the seats and peered over the edge. Other than his own staggered breathing, he couldn't hear anything else. He moved onto his back again, willing his severe headache to die down.
That's when his mind cleared, and he realized that he hadn't seen anyone, either.
Oh, Gods. The Queen.
He remembered that when they crashed, she had slipped from his arms and disappeared from his sight.
He knew he couldn't stay there forever. He had to find the others, and so he moved to the edge of the seat and again peered down. Branches from abnormally large trees that invaded the Strahl upon impact. He glanced around, searching for a way down and out of the wreckage. And that's when he spotted it: a hand, palm-side up, poking out from beneath a sheet of metal in the front right corner of the ship. Basch knew that hand. It was pale and delicate and he had felt it contact his face six years ago.
Ashe...
Determined to reach her as quickly as possible, he grabbed the edge of the seat and swung himself down to the next chair. He did this with all four rows until he reached the bottom, where he dropped down onto the ship's smashed control panel. The sheet metal was thin and easily lifted, revealing a dirt and blood splattered woman underneath. She was half laying on her back, half on her side, and when Basch shoved the metal away from her, she opened her eyes and glanced his way. He hesitated as he stared down at her, unsure of what to do next.
"Majesty, can you hear me?" he gently called out to her.
After a moment, she nodded lightly. He saw her swallow hard. Dropping to his knees beside her, Basch slowly ran his eyes down the length of her body- not to disrespect her, but to view the extend of her wounds. Nothing appeared life threatening, but she did appear to be in quite a bit of pain. Still, he reached for a Hi-Potion from his pocket in order to ease her pain and was sour when he discovered he had none on his person.
I should have protected her better.
"I am going to move you," he explained softly, glanced over towards a while in the front window that they could escape through. "We need to get out of here. Is that alright?"
Another nod. He leaned over her, sliding his left arm under the middle of her back and his right beneath her legs, between the backs of her knees and thighs. He stood slowly, pulling her up with him, and cradled her in his arms. She was lighter than he imagined, and as he shifted her to get a better hold, she wrapped her right arm around his neck and rested her head weakly against his chest. With that, he moved slowly from where he stood to the hole in the window. Glancing out, he was surprised to see that the Strahl was closer to the ground than he originally thought. With a small jump, he landed seven feet before the ship, staggered, and nearly dropped Ashe. Straightening himself, he glanced around: no sign of Fran or Balthier, and this greatly worried him. He prayed they were alright, but he couldn't stop and search for them now.
For the sun was setting, and who knew what kind of foul beasts would emerge from the darkness in this foreign land.
He had to find somewhere for them to make camp. He quickly explained the situation to her, and she sighed and nodded her consent. The Kru-Borma was a nasty forest of pure gray trees that seemed to stretch on forever, and there seemed to be no fiends in sight. Basch still kept his guard up and alert as they traveled; the complete silence was numbing, and he expected some kind of attack at any moment.
A half mile from the wreckage he found himself exhausted. His head was still killing him, and all his muscles ached. Worse still, Ashe suddenly felt like she weighed a ton, and he had to constantly shift her body in his arms in order to support her. All the shifting, however, presented him with a new problem: Ashe's pink mini skirt had slid its way up the entire length of her thighs. So far up, in fact, that the fabric was nearly completely around her waist. When Basch happened to casually glance down at her, he was not only granted with an eyeful of the smooth skin of her upper thighs, but of the black underwear that lay underneath. His eyes lingered a second too long.
A single, awful thought immediately entered his mind: I wonder what she looks like beneath the black fabric.
Instantly after this thought, he tossed his head back and exhaled sharply, extremely ashamed of his thoughts and lingering gaze. Even though his thought was random and completely human of him, he mentally kicked himself. She is your Queen, for Gods sake, he thought in his self-anger. She is young and she is royalty; such thoughts will lead you to the gallows.
Still, something about it attracted him, but it wasn't her helplessness or weakness. It was more that she didn't seem to care that he could see her undergarments- that she trusted him so much that it didn't matter. And the fact that she could potentially trust him gave him the greatest sense of fulfillment. He struggled to stop himself from gaining another visual taste.
He couldn't keep his head back forever, and he certainly couldn't pull her skirt down for her. So he decided it best to pretend nothing had happened. But still, he could see the black silk out of the bottom of his visual field, and it haunted him as well as gripped him.
Luckily for him and his guilty yet human mind, they had reached a hollowed out tree that was large enough inside for them both to rest comfortably. Basch moved inside just as the sun completely set.
He rested Ashe down on the cold ground, and she pulled herself into a sitting position, resting her back against the inside of the tree. Basch plopped down across from her, suddenly feeling exhausted. All he wanted to do was sleep, but her pained eyed were watching him.
"Basch," she called out, her eyes burning, unblinking, and staring into his. "Where is Fran and Balthier?"
He wondered the same himself. "I know not."
A small nod, and her eyes fluttered shut. Then she said something that he thought he'd never hear:
"Thank you..."
"Majesty?"
"…for saving my life."
He swallowed. "It was nothing." I was merely honoring my vows to you and your father.
"It is… nice to know that someone cares enough for me to save my life."
Her comment confused him. Who would not rescue a Queen in need? "You know I would give my life to save yours."
She reopened her eyes and looked upwards. "Why?"
Again, she had confused him. "You are Queen of Dalmasca, and I am sworn to protect you. I am--"
"You are not sworn to me," she interrupted him with a dull shake of her head. "That vow was broken ages ago. Now, you belong to Larsa."
He couldn't argue that. "Aye."
"Yet, then," she snapped her eyes in his direction once more, and he struggled to read the distant emotion in her eyes. She was making him nervous; he didn't enjoy this quizative, sensitive Ashe. Though, I must admit, she was always the sensitive type- always seeking approval. Still, he wasn't sure of what she was trying to ask him. That is, until she came out and asked:
"Why do you follow me? If not for ligeance and old promises, then why?"
He hesitated. She wanted an answer he could not give her. He caught her eye and held it firm. "To ensure your safety, Highness."
Her head bobbled forward for a moment, and Basch wondered if the Queen was about to completely pass out. Yet she caught herself, and tossed her head back to rest against the decaying bark of the tree. Her words came out in a breathy exhale of air: "Perhaps you simply miss me."
When he didn't respond, a low bubble of laughter escaped her throat, and Basch realized that the Queen was so weak from injury that she was becoming delirious. He wondered if she even realized that she was talking. She raised a hand up and wiped at the dried blood on the left side of her face.
"You do miss me, right?"
"Majesty, please, it would be in your greatest interest to rest," he begged her. And in my best interest, as well.
"So you did not miss me during these last years?"
She just wouldn't give up and so he decided to humor her. "Yes, Lady Ashe. I missed you."
And so she continued: "What about me did you miss the most?"
The act you put on- you pretend to be tough yet you are timid inside. Your independence. Your smile- as rare as it graces your face. Your determination. Your love for your country. "Your devotion and passion," he sighed, exasperated.
"Those Archadian women must be a terrible bore," she snickered, and just as she finished her words, her head rolled down to the side and then slumped against her chest.
Basch sat forward slightly and gently called out her name. Her quiet yet steady breathing was the only reply, and he was greatly relieved that she had finally submitted to her sleep. Sighing, he placed his hand on the sword that rested by his hip and allowed himself to relax. He would sleep, yes, but he would also be ready to kill anything that dared attack them in the night.
He was barely asleep when the sound of footsteps approached their happy little hideout. Instantly, he was on his feet with his sword pointed towards the hole in the tree. It was completely black outside now, and Basch squinted hard into the darkness as he struggled to see. He knew that whatever was out there could see him, and the creature had a direct advantage.
A low growl sounded from outside and Basch felt his heart pump blood quicker through his veins. Another sound of footsteps- quicker this time- and Basch knew that the creature was drawing near. He glanced quickly towards the sleeping Ashe and realized that if the beast entered and attacked her, she would be unable to defend herself. What he did then he did to prove a point to her. He would leap out, he decided, and fight the beast away from the Queen. Maybe this would solidify the fact that he was there to protect her- for honor and duty and the like. Or perhaps he was trying to quell his guilt-wrought mind because he had checked out her underwear, and killing this beast would take his mind off his error.
A deep breath, and then he leapt out of the hollow of the tree to face his challenger.
After breakfast in Archades, the young Emperor did something that he knew would surprise both Vaan and Penelo: When he excused himself from their presence, he gracefully plucked Penelo's right hand, caressed it with his gloved fingers momentarily, and then raised it to his lips for a gentle kiss. He watched carefully as Penelo's bright eyes widened in genuine surprise and her mouth fell open. He chuckled as he released her hand, and then chuckled again when she didn't lower it- instead, it remained suspended in air. Larsa flashed his eyes quickly to Vaan, who had lowered his gaze and was now shifting uncomfortably in his shoes.
"You look a bit left out," Larsa spoke, allowing himself to smile when Vaan glanced towards him. "Would you like the same treatment?"
Larsa had sounded so serious that Vaan actually looked bewildered by the suggestion. To this, Larsa chuckled for the third time. "Vaan, I realize we have not seen each other for six years, but you surely remember that I always joked with you?"
The twenty-three year old man looked relieved. "Oh yeah, of course. You're a strange one, Larsa."
Larsa grinned wickedly and glanced towards Penelo, who had a peaceful gaze on her angelic face. She appeared pleased that the two men were getting along. Still, Larsa found himself struggling to keep his eyes off her. She looked so innocent; so pure. He quickly wondered if she was still as chaste as he. He turned his attention to Vaan.
"Vaan, before I take my leave, may I ask you a favor?"
The look on Vaan's face was one of surprise, as it usually was. "Sure, Larsa."
"If you would join me- alone- before supper this evening, I would be much appreciated."
He kept his eyes locked on Vaan, but from the corner of his eye he saw Penelo draw back with shock. Vaan looked quizative, frowning slightly but then smiling.
"Yeah, sure," Vaan agreed, running his hand through his blonde hair. "What's this about?"
Larsa smiled faintly. "I have an offer I would like to give you." He quickly turned to look at Penelo. "I am sorry, Penelo, but the offer would not concern you and therefore I would appreciate you sending Vaan alone."
She blinked, and Larsa thought he saw a flash of hurt wash through her pale blue eyes. "Of course."
He felt terrible for making her feel bad, but it couldn't be helped. What he was going to offer Vaan, he did not want her to influence his decision. Vaan, Larsa knew, would do anything for his childhood friend, and Larsa did not want this at the moment.
Larsa nodded, and then moved away from them down the hall towards his bedroom. He had something to offer Penelo as well, but it would have to wait. For now, he had to contemplate how to win Penelo's heart.
He wondered if she had already given it to Vaan. Should that be the case, Larsa knew it would be too late, and that he was doomed to watch the only person who ever truly care for him disappear forever.
Author's Note:
LOL I loved the first part where Larsa and Basch are discussing sex.
P.S. Come on, don't be hatin on Basch cause he checked out Ashe's panties. He's a male, for godsake, and probably isn't getting much action as an Archadian Judge. You know he'd totally look- (hell, I'D look)- but then be pissed at himself after.P.P.S. Check out the polls in my info... they change weekly! So come back often and participate!
On the next episode of Calamity of the Serene: Fran proves her strength to her friends. Two party members get their fortunes told. Larsa gives Vaan a life changing opportunity, and Penelo questions his intentions.
