CHAPTER 6:

EXCUSE ME, PRINCESS!

Their first run was to go to Bhujerba, in order to smuggle some Madhu, a potent alcoholic beverage. As Balthier prepared the Strahl, Fran looked at Harry. "Have you ever flown before?"

"Only on a broomstick, believe it or not," Harry said. "And in aeroplanes. They're like airships, only they use petrol to work. Rather messier than Magicite. Plus, they have bigger wings."

"What a strange world yours must be," Balthier remarked, as he checked controls and readings in preparation for takeoff. "Magic hidden, a lot of machines…and you told me once that your people had been to their moon."

"And to Mars, another planet, by the time I was dumped through the Veil," Harry said. "I actually went there for a couple of days' holiday. Thanks to the TV pictures, I could Apparate there fairly easily. Just needed a spacesuit. Wasn't much to look at the end, though. It was a big brown desert where you can't breathe. Frankly, it was rather boring. Nice to visit, but I wouldn't stay there. At least this world has more than a desert where it's cold outside, and no kind of atmosphere."

Balthier shrugged. "Yes, it only has a menagerie of monsters that can kill you unexpectedly," he observed drily.

"I've had a wizard terrorist wanting me dead from the day I was born. Monsters are a doddle. Anyway, where are we picking up the Madhu from?"

"The estate of the Marquis. Officially, I am to deliver it to the Consul of Dalmasca, but he hasn't made any actual pronouncement to that effect. Unofficially, I am to sell it discreetly in Balfonheim, and give 80% of the profits to one of the Resistance contacts there. It's a means to fund the Resistance using a cutout, as the Madhu comes from his own private stock."

Harry nodded. "Something's fishy about him. I mean, besides the rumours that he funds the Resistance. He announced the deaths of Ashe and Basch rather quickly, didn't he?"

"True, and nobody has seen the body of either," Balthier mused. "It's true that Ashe was distraught at her husband's death. A political marriage it may have been, but apparently Rasler and Ashe loved each other too. But suicide does not seem like her, from what I know about her. I daresay she's gone into hiding. She would probably be one of the key members in Rabanastre's Resistance."

"What about Basch?"

"It's more likely that the good captain is food for worms and maggots, but there was something about the man's actions that bothered me."

"You too?"

Balthier nodded. "How did you come to be suspicious, Harry?"

"Gut feeling," Harry said. "My godfather got framed for betraying my parents and murdering one of his friends, who was the real traitor. I just had a feeling something similar had happened. I looked at Basch's profile, and I thought it unlikely that he would turn on King Raminas like that, unless he had a major breakdown or something."

"I agree with that. Basch fled Landis when Archadia annexed that republic, true, but he has since been a loyal soldier of Dalmasca. It's possible that the Archadians turned him into a sleeper agent, but I personally think they may have found a body double, assuming he is innocent. It would suit the Archadian sense of theatre, especially that of Vayne Solidor. Ruthless though he is, he is also a would-be director of comedies and tragedies on an Ivalice-wide scale."

"Not a very good comedy," Harry growled. "Too many people have died. Nabudis, Nalbina Fortress…and Rabanastre would probably be next if Archadia and Rozarria ever decided to come to blows. They'd get caught between them. And frankly, I have people I like here, like Migelo, Vaan, and Penelo, or Clan Centurio."

"The common people are but ants to be crushed 'neath the booted feet of War," Fran recited. "A proverb of the Nu Mou."

"To which I say, verily unto thee, 'Fuck that for a laugh'. Harry Potter's catch-all cry of defying fate," Harry remarked. The others laughed.


Their first venture with Balthier and Fran was an interesting one. Harry liked the Marquis Ondore's genial nature, though Balthier warned him that the man's loyalties were very much in question. He was said to both fund the Dalmascan Resistance, as well as funnelling pure Magicite from the Lhusu Mines to Archadia. Harry found Ondore better than Fudge, who was either an obstinate idiot, or an obsequious one. Ondore, you could tell, was an intelligent man. Then again, his attitude soured slightly when he thought, in retrospect, that Ondore had more than a few things in common with Dumbledore. Like the genial mask over a manipulative, secret-hoarding nature.

Harry and Mjrn enjoyed their further ventures with Balthier and Fran, if only because of the company. Fran, despite her distant and detached demeanour, had a dry sense of humour, and once she had gotten over the shock of Mjrn having left the Wood (she had been very accepting of the fact that Mjrn and Harry were lovers when she first learned, only warning Harry to not hurt her sister), she helped support her younger sister, teaching her much of the ways of Ivalice that Harry hadn't been able to glean himself in his short time here.

Balthier, meanwhile, was a jovial sort. While his sense of humour wasn't quite as dry as Fran's, it was dry enough. And Harry felt himself privileged when Balthier eventually confessed his original name, Ffamran mied Bunansa. Harry respected Balthier enough to call him by his nom de guerre, and regaled Balthier with the tales of the Marauders. The Marauders' Map was one of the few artifacts, other than the Hallows, Harry had managed to keep with him from home (thanks to his satchel, something Death granted him, and which would only be summoned if he needed it). A shame that, since he was no longer in Britain or on Earth, the map couldn't show Hogwarts anymore, though the responses of the remnants of the Marauders made it worthwhile.

Ironically, though Harry was over thrice Balthier's age, it was Balthier who acted like the big brother of the group, with a wisdom that belied his years. He masked it with a cool, cocky bravado, but he also tended to be the more sensible of the two Humes in the quartet.

It was during the time when Balthier confessed his name that he also mentioned something more about his father. One of the reasons he forsook the very prestigious rank of a Judge-Magister was his father's increasingly erratic nature. He began speaking as if to a spectre who was invisible. This spectre went by the name of 'Venat', and Dr Cid had become increasingly obsessed with Magicite and Nethicite.

Harry frowned when he heard that. Death had told him about the Occurian Venat who was helping the Archadians. After some consideration, he told Balthier what Death had told him. And while Balthier thought Harry deranged, he did agree that he had heard rumours here and there about myths about the Dynast King. Rumours that painted him as the lackey of would-be gods who used powerful stones like the strings of puppets. He agreed he would keep an eye out for any mention of the Occuria, including one called Venat. If Venat was more than mere delusion, then it made his father's mutterings all the more ominous.


After a few more trips with Balthier and Fran, and selling the remainder of their salve at Jahara (Nalbina being a no-go area for the two for now), Harry and Mjrn opted to stay in Rabanastre for a while before returning to Golmore. In fact, they were exploring Lowtown, a shanty town beneath the main streets of Rabanastre. Once storage areas for merchants, due to the displacements caused by war, they had become a new town for the underclasses of the newly-conquered Rabanastre.

"How do they stand living without sunlight?" Mjrn mused as they walked through the passages of Lowtown. A Viera was a novelty in Rabanastre proper, but in Lowtown, they were almost unheard of. Harry kept her hand in his own. Not that she needed it: she could deal with any footpad or would-be groper with ease. But they liked the mutual assurance they got from this.

"I dunno, but I slept in a cupboard for ten years," Harry said. "This is a luxury by comparison. Still, I suppose it's almost a prison. The Resistance almost certainly has its HQ somewhere here. Shouldn't be our problem, though."

"I would say otherwise," came a voice from behind them, belonging to a bearded man in armour with a sword on his back. "Are you the salve-sellers from Golmore?"

Harry looked at Mjrn, before nodding. "Yes. We're not carrying any on our person at the moment, in case you intend to rob us."

"I heard of what you did to Ba'gamnan. I would prefer a business transaction to be made first," the man said. "I am Vossler Azelas."

"Gesundheit," Harry remarked facetiously.

Vossler blinked, before he said, "Come with me. But be warned that treachery will be paid for in blood. Namely, yours."


They were led into a storeroom where a woman in her late teens stood alone, consulting a map. Her blonde hair framed a face that would have been beautiful, had it not been set into a scowl. The face looked very familiar to Harry. She looked up when Vossler entered. "Vossler, are these the salve-sellers?"

"Indeed, Amalia," Vossler said. The name triggered off recognition in Harry, and he began digging around in his satchel.

"What are you doing?" Vossler asked, ready to draw his sword.

"I'm not getting out a weapon," Harry said, before plucking a book from the satchel. "It's just the A-C volume of the Encyclopaedia Ivalicia." He flicked through it, before emitting a cry of triumph. "Mjrn, lookie here."

Mjrn realised what he meant immediately as he pointed to a portrait of a girl in her mid-teens. "Oh my," she murmured.

Harry dropped the book back into his satchel carelessly, and gave a bow which Mjrn mirrored. "I've never met actual royalty before you know…Princess Ashe."

Vossler shot Amalia, or rather, Princess Ashe, an alarmed look, his hand almost at his sword's hilt. For a moment, she considered things, before she shook her head. As Vossler moved his hand away from his sword, Ashe said, "That information is not for anyone's ears bar your own."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, excuse me, Princess! We got brought here presumably because the Resistance wants some Viera salve. Right?"

"Indeed," Ashe said. "This would be a somewhat obvious conclusion. My people have had you two watched for some time. Harry Potter, an Archadian who acts like no Archadian, and Mjrn, a Viera from Golmore Jungle. It is odd to find even a Viera selling salve outside the Wood, let alone accompanied by a Hume. To my knowledge, it is a rare Hume who is suffered by the Viera of Golmore."

"It's a long story, Ashe…I may call you that? Only I'd get tired of all the 'Your Majesty' and all that."

"I am a deposed princess, so I will not stand on convention, so 'Ashe' will suffice in private. I am Amalia in all other circumstances, though. Informality I will brook, but until I know you better, familiarity and insolence is another matter."

"You do NOT know him at all, do you?" Mjrn asked, raising an eyebrow. "He is known for being frequently provocative within Eruyt, saying things in a manner purely to irritate others. He can make the Gran Kilitias laugh, and his acolytes cringe."

"Mjrn, spoilers," Harry said, with a facetiously chiding tone. He then looked at Ashe. "My loyalty is not to Dalmasca, but to Eruyt Village. It may be full of a bunch of bunny-eared women with sticks up their collective arses, but it's also home, of a sort. That doesn't mean we won't help you. We're friends with a few of those here, including some of those orphaned by the Empire's takeover. And frankly, from what I heard, the Archadians had help taking over Dalmasca. But if we do help you, Ashe, it is because we are allies, not your underlings. You lost your father and the love of your life, and I understand that. I lost almost everything I held dear myself. But I'm helping you for the sake of all of Ivalice, not just Dalmasca. Am I clear?"

Ashe considered his words, before nodding. "If you have any aid to lend besides the salve, I would be glad of it. And your honesty is refreshing. I value my allies, Harry Potter. I do not intend to squander their fealty. Dalmasca does not forget aid offered, or slight inflicted. Be true to Dalmasca, and I will see that you are rewarded on the day I assume the crown once more. Treachery, however, will earn you a meal of a length of cold steel."

Harry fought to keep his expression schooled in solemn acceptance rather than a facetious smirk. After all, it wouldn't do to spoil the surprise just yet that he was immortal, would it?

CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Harry and Mjrn have met Ashe. And while the story may turn out differently from Ghost of Dalmasca, Harry will still be warning Ashe about the Occuria. Of course, I'm still in the early stages of this story, so how effectively will Harry and Mjrn derail the events of the game is still up in the air.

Review-answering time! Mangahero18: I'm glad you like this story, and I'm sorry if it seems rushed. I just want to get to the good bits. As for the sex scene, I find myself worried about getting it right. I've read both excellent and abysmal examples in normal fiction and fanfiction. I thought writing about it at one remove is the best way to go for my works, about the feelings and passion rather than a blow-by-blow account, complete with utterances.

diagonalpumpkin: True, Deadpool is an inspiration, but I was more inspired by the Harry Potter in Getting Too Old For This. But Deadpool is definitely a big influence. Harry's just more handsome and less psychopathic. It's when Harry actually gets truly angry that you'd better watch out.

Jostanos: I know that there are, until this fic, no Harry/Mjrn stories AFAIK on this site, and this story is, in all likelihood, the first. Lupine Horror did mention in one of his reviews for Ghost of Dalmasca that there had been some Harry/Fran stories, but they got taken down. Until I came along, the only Harry Potter/Final Fantasy XII crossovers currently present were slash, and these two stories were written partly to rectify that. Slashfics are all very well if they're actually to your taste, but they aren't to mine.

Regarding your discussion of that sequence, well, I HAVE seen The Lion King (I saw it at least TWICE when it first came out), and I remember the lines in question involving Pumbaa getting angered, but I was actually inspired by the scenes from Dragonball Z Abridged specifically.

No numbered annotations this time.