Chapter 10 – Royal Connections
The Emperor of Archadia sat before a large mahogany desk. He was a young boy of only thirteen years, but had a workload that was considerable for somebody even twice his age. Paper was strewn over every inch of the desk so that only the very tips of the corners were visible, but the boy was no longer paying attention to them. His eyes were now rested on the trickling of the small stream that ran past.
Larsa tried not to think of all the work he still had to do. Technically, he was not Emperor until he turned eighteen, but with the deference and public respect of his most trusted advisor, Judge Gabbranth, or Basch has he had once been known, the entire city seemed to look towards him as if he had already been crowned. And so Larsa was given work fit for the emperor. He had to admit, he had looked forward to it at first; being given the role he had witnessed his father and older brother assume, now it was his turn to stand tall in their place. But after the days of non-stop calls by every political advisor in Archadia looking for a meeting, Larsa had finally decided that he would take it all in and look it over in his own time, which was what he was still doing now, along with maintaining the everyday structure of the city. But the young emperor wasn't sorry he had been given the job. With his input, and the co-operation of two bordering neighbours, he could bring about a whole new realm of peace that Ivalice had always dreamed of. He looked back down at the sheets that littered the desk and with a sign began to tidy them up, but before all that happened, he would have the deal with all the paperwork.
As he grabbed a handful of pages and straightened them with gentle bangs against the smooth surface of the table, an envelope fell from the centre of the pile. He put down the sheets and picked it up; the letter was addressed to him. Turning it over, he found the name of the sender and where it had come from; it was a letter from Penelo.
He opened it and scanned the parchment with a wry smile, correspondence from his friends was rare, seeing as they were all working on their own new plans for life. The letter was written much less formal than all the others he had been receiving lately, including one from Ashe that invited him and Basch to her coronation ceremony, and Larsa was glad to see that he still had proper friends who would speak to him as a normal human being. From his return to Archadia after the fall of the Bahamut, he had been showered in people that either treated him with some kind of worship, or worse, treated him as a child, incapable of understanding the world of 'grown ups' and having to have all explanations made to him in very simple terms. In fact, without Basch, Larsa thought he would have gone mad. He had only known Basch for a small time, but because Basch looked exactly like his twin, who was the original judge Gabbranth and Larsa's guardian, Larsa easily warmed up to the man, and sometimes, Larsa felt awkward to admit, he forgot that this wasn't the same man that he had once been under the care of, and rambled to him about the past. He was glad that Basch was considerate about it, for he would just nod and smile faintly at these moments, though Larsa knew that Basch didn't have the slightest idea of what he was going on about.
The thought of his most loyal advisor made Larsa wonder where he was at that moment. He had just finished reading the letter and wanted to pass it onto him, as Basch received just as little correspondence from their friends as the young emperor did. Larsa thought he had imagined it as he heard the sound of footsteps, but as he turned his head to the path, he could see somebody approaching dressed in full, but familiar armour.
"A letter for you." Larsa said to the approaching judge and held out the parchment towards him. The armoured man removed his helmet and looked quizzically at the young boy, who returned his looked with a grin. Basch took the proffered sheet and glanced at the writing, then with a reminiscing smile, began to read. By the time he was done, his feet had somehow found their way to the edge of the stream, and Basch felt himself falling into the memories of the past events. He stood with his head bowed in revered silence for the brother he had lost, hearing only the sound of the water trickling and the gentle scrapes of paper against wood behind him.
Basch jumped when a voice spoke from next to him, "You will be attending the coronation?"
Larsa had appeared next to him, though Basch had no idea how he could have made it over without him hearing, "If Your Majesty requires an escort?"
"Of course. But I have a feeling we both may be expected." The young emperor replied with a flicker of a grin at the letter that Basch still held, "But with our absence, Archades will require somebody to fill in. Judge Gabbranth, I would like you to determine the candidate."
There was a silence as Basch wondered whom he could entrust with the governing of Archades, if only for a few days. After a moments pause, he replied, "I believe Judge Zaargabath will look after the city accordingly. I hold him in good faith."
"As do I. We shall depart for Rabanastre in a fortnight, best we began our preparations."
"Than I shall speak to Zaargabath. I will see you at the feast tonight." Basch finished with a small bow of reference to the emperor before leaving the patio. Larsa turned back towards the paperwork covering the desk with another sigh, it would be best to have it all sorted out before they leave.