Balthier sat alone on the cold floor in the palace dungeon, enjoying the stinging sensation in his hands. He would probably regret it later, but it just felt right that he should feel pain after his miserable display earlier that evening. He heard protesting voices outside of the room, and the door was opened.

He looked up to see Vaan and Penelo enter the room. Metal bars stood between him and his friends, and it appeared that the two young Dalmascans were happy because of it. Vaan spoke first, anger dripping from every word. "You could have killed her, Balthier. What is wrong with you?"

Penelo looked equally hurt, but she seemed to be more understanding than her friend. "Is it true what you said? That someone manipulated you?"

Balthier met Penelo's eyes and nodded. "Fran and I were held by Rozarria. They injected us with something that turned us against Ashe."

Vaan's expression softened slightly. "All this time? You were there all along, and they were doing this to you?"

"Since the Bahamut, yes. I was one of their guests of honor. And now here I sit in yet another prison. I can only hope that Ashe will dispense with me quickly," he muttered in reply.

Penelo gasped. "No! If it wasn't your fault, Ashe won't have you executed. She knows that you were poisoned!"

The sky pirate laughed. "The fact remains that I tried to murder the Queen of Dalmasca in her own bedchamber. The law doesn't say anything about the killer not really wanting to go through with the crime."

"Ashe will bend the rules then! She cares about you!" Vaan replied. Penelo nodded in agreement. The young woman knelt down at the bars, holding her hand out in comfort. He reached for her and grasped her hand. She finally noticed his bleeding knuckles, mingled with the grit and grime of the dungeon walls.

"Oh Balthier, what did you do to yourself?" she said quietly. She made to begin a healing spell, but he waved her off.

"Save yourself the trouble, let me bear some responsibility for my actions here," he argued.

Penelo groaned and rolled her eyes at him, regarding him with a look of annoyance she usually saved up for Vaan. She began chanting the spell anyway, his wounds closing up and the sting in them lessening. Vaan decided to change the subject. "The Strahl is still in good condition. Penelo and I haven't done anything to wreck it, I'll have you know."

Balthier grinned. "I find that hard to believe. If I do manage to survive this night without summary execution for treason, don't get it in your head that the Strahl is yours for keeps."

Penelo squeezed his healed hand. "Do you know what they poisoned you with? Has it worn off for good?"

He thought about that. It was a good question. They had switched up whatever they were giving him over the course of his stay in Rozarria. The side effects changed, the resulting behavior had changed. He felt perfectly fine at present, but who knew if it lay dormant in his system?

"I suppose that would be for a doctor to decide. Gods only know what effect it had on Fran. Has she resurfaced?" he questioned.

Vaan and Penelo exchanged glances, neither of them wanting to discuss something. Vaan finally spoke up. "Fran tried to kill Larsa. Basch just told us up in Ashe's room when they were bringing you down here."

He was in shock. Fran had been set loose weeks ago, but she had still been under the manipulative draught's effects even now. "How are they? Larsa and Fran both?"

"Basch said Larsa will make a full recovery," Penelo explained, "He said that Fran was being held in Archades, but he didn't say more than that."

"Larsa won't do anything to her. I'm sure she's just as confused about everything as you are," Vaan added. Balthier sighed in relief to know that both the young man and his partner yet lived. He longed to be free of the dungeon so he could see Fran again. It had been months since they had spoken, and he missed her desperately.

Penelo released his hand and stood then. "We should probably be going, Balthier. It's really late."

Balthier stood and regarded them both. "I appreciate you two coming to visit. I've gotten used to spending most of my time with myself these past few months."

Vaan interlaced his fingers behind his head, his usual pose of confidence. "Don't worry, Balthier. We'll get you out of here. We can talk to Ashe for you."

Balthier thanked them again, and they departed. He sat back on the floor of the dungeon, leaning back against the metal bars of his cell. He was surprised at how easily the children forgave him. He only hoped that Ashe might be able to show him the same courtesy. The sky pirate closed his eyes, his body finally realizing how late it was. He hoped that Ashe had gotten the full story out of the old man.

The guards pulled Renot up out of the tub, water splashing wildly onto the floor. Basch's interrogation technique had greatly loosened the old man's tongue. He had thus far given a great many details about how he had involved his nephew in his plot. Al-Cid's little bird Dhava had been a plant from the beginning, and she had communicated all of the party's encounters with Al-Cid back to Renot while they fought to reclaim Ashe's throne months before.

The Queen frowned at the knowledge that Al-Cid had been a pawn all along, just as she had. It made her ill to think of family turning against itself so easily. But something had not made sense to her throughout this interrogation. The old man was held back in the chair by the guards, water dripping from his crinkled face and body.

She approached him and looked him straight in the face. "How did you come to abduct Balthier and Fran? How could you have known they would have gone back to the Bahamut that day?"

The old man's eyes never left hers. "Serendipity, Ashelia. Our plans all along were to take your friends, yes, but it was to be after the battle against Archadia. There was bound to be confusion, so we thought there would be an opportunity. Luck had it that they leapt right into our waiting arms during the battle itself, so we just moved up our timetable."

Basch was unsatisfied. "You regale us with details, but you have yet to name your collaborators."

Renot would not break his eye contact with Ashe. "You have your father's assassin, this Landisian filth do your dirty work?"

Ashe scowled. "Don't change the subject."

"Oh, my apologies," he continued, moving his gaze finally to Basch. "For you are not really the assassin of King Raminas. You are his brother, the coward. How many men did your brother slay, coward? How many did he kill as he played lapdog to Vayne Solidor?"

Basch's patience was snapped then. He shoved the guards aside and pushed the old man into the tub of water furiously. "You know nothing of my brother!" he shouted, holding Renot beneath the surface. A flurry of bubbles rushed to the top of the basin, and the old man struggled against him.

Ashe watched this for several seconds, unable to move. Finally, the noisy thrashing of the old man was weakening, and she found her voice. "Stop it! Let him breathe!" she cried. Basch did not stop, continuing to hold him under the water. Pain was etched across his features at the mention of his brother. Ashe was terrified at Basch's behavior, so out of control and foreign to her. It made her blood run cold.

Finally Ashe grabbed Basch's arms, trying to loosen their grip on Renot. "Basch, let him breathe!" she screamed, tears springing to her eyes. He finally relented, staggering away from the old man. Renot sputtered and coughed, wheezing heavily as the water dripped from his face onto the floor. The guards moved back to hold him in place as Ashe grabbed Basch's arm and dragged him back into the hallway.

She looked at him angrily. "This is not getting us anywhere, we must stop!"

Basch was shocked at his own behavior, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "Highness, I am sorry. I apologize for letting my emotions get the better of me. But we are making progress with him. He will tell us names if we continue."

Ashe shook her head. "I cannot watch this any longer."

"I will not let him get to me, you have my word."

"You cannot kill him, Basch," she whispered, looking at him sadly, "I will not allow it. He seeks to ruin us both, and I know you want to punish him for hurting Lord Larsa."

Basch closed his eyes, trying to regain his focus. "Give me just one more hour, and I vow that I will cease my questioning after that."

"I will not spend another hour watching an old man be taken to the brink of death again and again. There must be some other way," she complained.

"One hour, majesty. I promise you I will stop in one hour," Basch urged. He met her gaze, changing the subject. "Why don't you take a guard and try speaking with Balthier? Perhaps he can fill in the missing pieces that Renot will not share."

Ashe had not even thought of such a move. "You are right. I will ask him what he knows." She did not know what she was even going to ask Balthier. She rubbed the ring on her finger unconsciously, worrying about seeing him face to face again so soon after what he had done to her.

"I strongly urge you to take a guard. You cannot be alone with him when we know nothing of how long this poison's effects last."

Ashe considered this, but she had more to ask Balthier than she wanted a guard to hear. "Of course I will," she lied. "Do not worry about me. As for your part, Basch, I want you to find out names. Information only."

He nodded, and turned back to reenter the room. As he opened the door, Ashe could see Renot staring straight at her. He was still wheezing heavily, but he almost looked like he was proud of her behavior that night. The Queen looked away and let Basch close the door behind him.

She took a deep breath and headed down to the dungeon alone. She was en route to talk with the man she cared about. The man who had been manipulated to kill her.

He didn't know how long he'd been napping, but he heard the door to the dungeon open and soft footsteps. "Ah, Penelo," he said as he continued leaning against the bars, his back to the door, "You and Vaan talk to the princess yet?"

There was no response behind him. He turned his head then and was astonished to see Ashe standing there, looking exhausted. Her eyes were red from crying, but the remainder of her face showed no expression.

He immediately stood up and gripped the bars. Ashe turned to the guard at the door. "Leave us."

When the guard protested, she growled back at him. "He is behind bars. I do not think he will be able to harm me. Leave now." The guard shuffled away, closing the door. She remained across the room from him.

Balthier met her eyes, and they stood in silence for several long moments. Her neck was still pink, although thankfully the imprints of his fingers upon it had faded by now. He did not know what to say to her that could make up for all the wrong he had done. The silence grew uncomfortable, and Ashe finally broke the tension by looking down to her feet.

"I have a few things to ask you, Balthier," she asked quietly.

He squeezed the bars at the soft sound of her voice. She sounded utterly defeated. He loathed himself for reducing the strong woman to this. "Anything," he replied, begging her to meet his eyes again.

She didn't yet. Her eyes remained fixed on the ground as she spoke again. "Would you be able to name the people who took you?"

"Names? No, they never revealed them," he admitted sadly, "I could describe them physically if it would help."

She sighed and shook her head. "No, it's quite alright. I understand. I came here to tell you that neither you nor Fran are going to be punished for your actions. I have no intentions of holding you responsible for something beyond your control."

He snorted. "You should."

Ashe finally met his eyes. "Why? They were poisoning you."

Why was she being so forgiving? He tried to ignore the pounding in his chest as she looked at him. Even now he found her beautiful, and it would not do to be distracted by her at present. "I could have tried harder to stop myself. I could have tried not to hurt you, princess." She raised an eyebrow, and he realized his mistake. "Queen, sorry. Takes some getting used to."

She stepped a bit closer to him, and his pulse continued to race. He remembered their encounters in his dreams, and he thought back to the brutal kiss they had shared before he tried to…

It was now his turn to look away from her. "I'm not sure," she replied, "Months of this treatment could break anyone. You have nothing to apologize for."

"I have everything to apologize for," he replied, scraping the floor with his boot. He could smell her perfume, the sweet floral aroma entering his nostrils. It calmed him as he recognized its scent from their months of journeying together. It was familiar and comforting.

She stood only a few feet away from him now, and he could tell she would not yet get within arm's reach. He felt that she was making a wise decision. Although he felt no impulse whatsoever to harm her, he could not say the same for other impulses that were making themselves known in his head. "Larsa has been deciphering your father's documents," she said. "Maybe he will be able to determine a way to reverse any permanent damage."

Her words startled him then. What did his father have to do with this plotting? He looked back at her. "What do you mean Cid's documents?"

Ashe gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth suddenly. "Oh gods, of course you wouldn't know." He urged her to continue. "It appears that your kidnappers used a formula your father devised to coerce you. Larsa was transcribing his personal papers since they were in some form of cipher. Maybe there is a cure mentioned in them."

As if this whole situation wasn't irritating enough, even his father played a part in turning him against Ashe. He sighed resignedly, pressing his forehead against the cool metal of the cell bars. "Of course. One cannot escape Cidolfus Bunansa even in death."

She reached a hand out tentatively, wrapping it around one of his hands that clutched the bars. "Balthier, I'm sorry." They returned to silence then, he with his head against the bars and she with her hand clutching his.

The old man was brought back up out of the water. "The Margrace family is the true heir to the Dynast-King. That boy in Archades and this naïve fool of a queen are too weak."

Basch scowled at Renot Margrace as he revealed his motivations for the plot against Ashe and Larsa. He continued his mutterings as he caught his breath. "Ivalice needs strong leadership. A single authority, not some council of imbeciles who would cater to the needs of the weak of Ivalice. House Margrace would be that authority."

Basch scoffed at the old man's arrogance. "Ivalice has changed. You would assassinate a woman and a child to justify Rozarria's need to rule?"

Renot smiled at him. "We do what we must." Basch nodded and the guards forced the man beneath the tub's water once more. After a few seconds, Basch had them take Renot back out. The old man's chest heaved, but he continued to be amused at the events taking place.

"What I would especially like to know," Basch continued, grasping the old man by his wet hair and forcing him to meet his eyes, "is why you didn't simply assassinate the Queen and Lord Larsa with your own agents? What was the point of all this needless trickery?"

The old man spat water onto Basch's face. "With Archadia vanquished and under new leadership, Rozarria couldn't simply step in and conquer them right away. Public opinion would not be behind an assassination by Rozarrian agents. No, but if a third party suddenly extinguished the lives of these new leaders, there would be a power vacuum in Ivalice."

"And Rozarria would be there to conquer them in the guise of a benevolent savior," Basch replied.

The old man nodded. "But of course. Simply ingenious."

"Very," Basch muttered. He glared at the old man once more. "Names, Renot."

The old man laughed, and Basch gestured for the guards to continue their watery punishment.

Ashe gripped Balthier's hand as he sighed. If only she had broken the news of his father's involvement more gently. But what other way could she have mentioned it? She knew she shouldn't be in here alone with him after the night's events, much less be holding his hand, but she could not dissuade herself.

Having vividly imagined Balthier by her side all these months, she felt strangely calmed by his presence. Where he had seemed like himself before he attacked her, she now knew that the nearly broken man standing before her was the true Balthier she had fallen for. She did not know what to say to continue their conversation. He did not know the names of his captors, so she had no reason to remain there. She felt her hand grow clammy as she held onto his. He must be able to hear how loudly my heart is pounding, she thought, feeling incredibly jumpy by being so close to him.

"I can decipher them," he muttered, not moving his head from where it rested against the cold metal.

"Wh-what?" she stammered in surprise. Don't let him notice how I stare at him, she prayed.

He raised his head then, and there was some recognition in his eyes. He knew exactly what she was thinking. But he did not make a cheeky remark as she expected. "Cid's papers. His cipher isn't so hard to break. I thought it the ultimate rebellious act in my youth to snatch his papers from his study and try cracking his code. Never thought it would come back to haunt me like this."

"You mean you would be willing to decipher them? Maybe you could determine an antidote faster than Larsa can," she replied, trying to slip her hand away from his without raising his suspicions.

He stood up straight, letting his hands drop from the bars. "Well I imagine Larsa doesn't have everything he needs. I know where Cid kept all his papers at home. There may be more to this than what Larsa already is deciphering."

"I will have you go to Archades with Basch. You can work on them there, and you can see Fran," she offered.

She could see Balthier's spirits rise considerably at that idea. He looked at her sincerely, a smile crossing his face. "I would appreciate that, Highness. Thank you."

"I wish I could come along, but with the conference and now whatever agreements we will have to work out with Rozarria…"

"No, of course not. I will be sure to do my utmost to irritate Basch during my visit," he replied with a grin. She smiled in return, and they now enjoyed a much more comfortable silence. He changed the topic. "Things seem to be well in Dalmasca, all things considered. I'm happy for you."

She blushed slightly. "Yes, I feel that peace is still within our grasp. I'm very proud of the progress we've made these past few months."

He looked into her eyes then. "It is so good to see you." The sincerity of his words made her feel like her stomach was twisting itself into knots. She knew that if she had blushed before, she was now a shade of red heretofore unknown.

"I really missed you," she began, "Now this will sound strange…" Oh gods, was she really going to tell him this?

He nodded his head for her to continue. She stepped closer to him so she could speak quietly, even though no one else was in earshot. "I found myself thinking of you constantly…not in a lewd way!" she exclaimed as he grinned at her admission. "More like I imagined you here with me at the palace, making comments on my day to day activities. I just felt better imagining that you were here causing a ruckus."

He smiled at what she told him. "I am glad that I was a part of your life even in my absence. You were kind enough to visit my thoughts as well." He looked away then, leaving her to wonder at just exactly what he must have been thinking of her. This only made her more embarrassed, but her mind was buzzing with this new knowledge. She decided then to be bold.

Ashe reached for his face and grasped his cheek. She had done so earlier that evening, but the situation was now far different. He was surprised at first by her initiative, but he allowed his body to relax at her touch. She took a deep breath. "Can I ask you one more thing?"

She could feel his breath quickening as he searched her face. "What is it?" he asked, no trace of his usual cockiness apparent.

Just ask him, Ashe. Ask him. She steeled herself and decided to let the fates determine the outcome of her query. "Tonight when we were in my room…"

He inhaled sharply at the path of the conversation, but she tried to give him a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry, when we were…what I'm trying to ask is…"

She leaned as close to him as the metal bars would allow, and he did the same. Where before she had been intimidated and rightfully so by what she had seen in his eyes, she now saw only desire. It excited her, and she was determined to finish her question. "Was kissing me part of the manipulation?"

He was startled by the question, dropping his eyes from her face. She wouldn't let him avoid her, tipping his chin back up to look at her. "Ashe," he said quietly. He reached a hand through the bars to lightly brush her bare arm. His touch sent shivers up her spine. "I am not sure if I understand what you are asking me," he breathed, their bodies close enough that she felt his breath on her face.

Her lips trembled, her mind grinding to a halt. She could not focus when he was there staring a hole through her with those eyes. He must possess some sort of mystical power that turned young women into mute idiots, she thought as his eyes darted between her eyes and her lips. Luckily for her he seemed as flustered as she. She finally found words. "If you had not been manipulated, would you still have kissed me tonight?"

He leaned forward then, and she closed her eyes. She felt his breath hot against her face, his lips so very close to her own. She swallowed, feeling like the room was spinning around.

A grinding noise interrupted the moment, and Basch appeared suddenly at the door. Ashe and Balthier jumped apart immediately, embarrassed. Ashe felt the disapproval in Basch's eyes cutting her like a dagger. She tried to regain her composure, but she could tell by her heavy breathing that Basch was no fool and could see right through her. Luckily enough, he chose not to mention the compromising situation he saw before him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Highness. Renot Margrace has finally relented and given the names of his conspirators," the knight said, choosing instead to glare at Balthier.

Ashe heard Balthier shift his weight to another foot behind her, shuffling uncomfortably under Basch's gaze. "Thank you, Basch," she said shakily, "We will take this up with the Rozarrian delegation immediately."

She moved to follow Basch from the room. "Your Majesty," Balthier interrupted from behind her. She would not turn to look at him, but she felt her stomach do a flip as he answered her question. "The answer is yes. Yes, I would have."

Ashe hurried past Basch, not wishing for him to see the enormous smile that now plastered her face.