Author's Note:
Yay, quick update this time!! And probably a quick update for the next chapter, seeing that I'm sooo excited to write it:)
Previously on Calamity of the Serene Vaan slowly begins to realize that he has more than friendly feelings towards Penelo and now views Larsa as competition. Larsa recognizes that Vaan misses taking care of orphans (since most of the kids died in the plague) and grants Vaan an opportunity to be Duke of Iocar- a very prosperous position- if he agrees to take care of several Archadian orphans. Vaan accepts before he realizes Penelo won't be with him. Also, Ashe and Basch arrive safely at Archades, with a distant but unharmed Balthier and Fran in tow. The entire gang is FINALLY reunited, but it is more awkward than joyous. Larsa confronts Ashe on her visit with the "Dark Lord". Ashe finds herself being scorned by Balthier (yet defended by Vaan) for not giving up her life for her kingdom, but claims that if she had an heir, she would have. On her way back to Dalmasca with Fran, Balthier, and Basch, she pities herself for not having close friendships (due to her royal status). Basch explains to her that she can have an heir without marrying Ayon, and offers his support by placing his hand on hers. The Knight-Queen relationship between them is beginning to dissolve.
( C A L A M I T Y-of the-S E R E N E )
Chapter Ten: Rose Without Thorns
Ayon Al-Cion Margrace, third born son to Rozarria's King and older brother to Al-Cid, appeared ecstatic to see Ashe safe and physically unharmed. He greeted his future bride with a loud sigh of relief and an overly dramatic gesture with his hand. Ashe quickly wondered if he had practiced his initial reaction before she had gotten there. She wouldn't be surprised if that was the case: the Rozarrians were masters of amplifying their behaviors, sometimes to the point where it was comical. But Ashe didn't laugh at Ayon's efforts. She smiled warmly instead, reaching her arms outward and walking briskly towards him. She clasped her hands tightly around his, stood on the tips of her toes, and granted him a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth.
"Forgive my sudden leave," she said, smartly greeting him with an apology, drawing away from him as she released his cold hands. "There was important business that could not wait."
He bent over slightly in order to place his head at her level. "All is forgiven, my Queen. Have you reached a decision on my proposal?"
Damnit, I forgot, Ashe swore to herself. He asked to move our wedding up to next week. Wait, he asked three days ago. Has it been so long already?
Still, she knew his offer was a good one, and she would be wise to accept it. While she wasn't particularly ecstatic to marry the fifty-six year old (a man who was thirty-one years her senior), she was in a hurry to produce an heir, particularly a son, as quick as possible. The Dynast-King's blood needed to survive. The wedding could also give her people a light in the dark. Yet despite the happiness that could occur because of the marriage, her thoughts were plagued with gloom.
Perhaps after I have born an heir, I can offer the Dark Lord my soul. Perhaps I can save my country and put a son on the throne in one swift movement.
She was taking too long in answering. Ayon shifted in his high, wine-colored boots but didn't lose his confident look. Instead of becoming nervous on her hesitation, he glanced past her to her group of unlikely friends that stood huddled in the doorway to the grand Hall and instantly turned his nose up at them.
"Lady Ashe, perhaps you should have the Judge dismiss the band of riffraff," he spoke cruelly.
Ashe was at first infuriated by his coldness, but quickly reminded herself that it was a custom of Rozarrian royals to ignore anyone below their own social status. Al-Cid had been the same way, only thinking to communicate with her and Larsa during their quest six years ago. So she instantly forgave Ayon as she had Al-Cid.
She glanced sideways towards her companions. She had departed from airship before any of them, and therefore was surprised to see that Basch had slipped into his Judge armor after she had gone. She bit her lip sharply. She despised the outfit, often associating it with the murder of her father. She also was unhappy to see Basch back into his pretend identity because it felt as if all progress she had made with him on the airship less than four hours ago had been destroyed.
She ignored her allies and turned her attention back to her fiancé. "I accept your proposal. I will inform the council of my decision immediately."
He grinned widely, showing off a large set of remarkably white teeth. In his thick accent, he said, "I expected as such. While you went on your little disappearing act, I took the liberty to create immediate wedding plans. Tomorrow evening, my dearest Lady, we join hands in marriage."
She was made alert by this. "Tomorrow? Isn't that a bit too soon?"
"Do not worry, Lady," he said with a chuckle. "It will be a small ceremony. I have only sent for my noble Court to come to your lands, that is but twenty gentlemen, my darling. Of course, you may invite whomever you wish."
At this, Ashe turned again to her three companions. "Then I desire to extend my invitation to the 'riffraff' in the corner. Fran, I wish for you and Balthier to attend. Will you grant me this honor?"
"Indeed," was the Viera's short yet coyly pleasant reply. The twenty-eight year old dashing sky pirate nodded and grinned playfully at Fran.
Ashe turned her gaze to the man dressed as a Judge, and she wished at once she could see his face. Those dark, lifeless eyes in the helmet seemed completely and utterly cold. She had to remember not to call Basch by his name. "Judge Gabranth, you will be the only Judge Magister present."
He bowed forward slightly. Out came the muffled voice in agreement, "Majesty."
Ashe turned back to Ayon. "There is no time for me to send invitations outside of Dalmascan lands, but I will have several maids-in-waiting attend as well."
"Good," Ayon said loudly. "The gentlemen in my Court will have someone to dance with, then."
Dance? Ashe didn't like that idea. She was never fond of Balls or other party-like events, let alone dancing. "There is to be dancing?"
He chuckled at her anxiety. "It is Rozarrian tradition to celebrate after the ceremony! Certainly you will accept this?"
She offered him a small, sheepish smile. "Perhaps if there is a great deal of alcohol present."
He leaned forward towards her and wiggled his graying eyebrows. "Ah, yet another Rozarrian tradition!"
She laughed openly at his comment, and found herself surprised by how joyous she was over the coming event. She had been weary over Ayon at first, but he was too delightful and humorous for her to be sour over their marriage. He had a good heart and a good soul. If anything, he would put the cheer back into her now lackluster castle.
Ashe turned around to look for her friends, and found that Balthier and Fran had silently slipped quietly from the Hall and left. Basch still remained, however, standing tall with his heavy armored arms crossed over his chest. She could feel his eyes burning into her despite the fact that she couldn't see them. She paused, losing her smile and choosing instead to stare back at the cold Judge exterior.
"You could conceive without marrying, Majesty."
There was something about the way he had spoken a few hours ago that had given her the impression that he did not like Ayon, and this troubled Ashe. Basch had always been remarkably correct when it came to judging people, and if found Ayon to be a bad character, then maybe she was making a terrible mistake…
…Or maybe he is simply jealous.
The thoughts bombarded her mind, and she mentally gasped from her sudden feelings. Basch had never given her a reason to believe that he would be jealous of her being wed, nor a hint that he ever wanted her. Still, her thoughts plagued her: He placed his hand on yours; such contact is strictly forbidden. Instead of immediately returning to Larsa, he chose to stay with you. He nursed you back to health- twice- when someone else could have easily (and probably should have!) done it.
Realizing she was staring, she turned away from him and back to her fiancé. Do not be so silly, Ashelia. He did all of those things out of respect for you; out of respect for his old knightly honor. He is not jealous of Ayon. He does not want you.
Still, the idea of him wanting her and being jealous sent a shiver down her spine, and she realized at once she enjoyed the idea of him wanting her. It had been a long time since she had actually wanted someone to need her, and suddenly she felt like a thirteen-year-old girl again, playing make-believe that a handsome man truly wanted her and would stop at nothing to have her. She had often pretended such fantasies when she was a little girl, and here I am again, completely grown yet willing to play pretend once again.
She giggled lightly at her childish, crazy thoughts, and received strange glances from Ayon from her efforts.
Penelo made her way through the palace gardens, her feet trudging lightly against the cobblestone path. She glanced up towards the sky as she walked. It was ten o'clock in the evening, and the large, white moon hugged the star-laced sky. It was a cool night in Archades, and the young woman shivered as she moved towards her goal. She wished she had thought to grab a sweater before she left her guest room in the palace. It was too little too late now, for she was already late.
Larsa Solidor had requested to meet with her at the far end of the enormous palace gardens, and maneuvering through the various flowers and shrubs had taken Penelo longer than she expected.
When she finally spotted him, he was standing in a section of the garden that was hidden from the eyes of the castle. A true sight for sore eyes, he was dressed in black but was surrounded by what seemed to be a field of red roses. He smiled fondly when he saw her approach, and raised a white-gloved hand up and brushed his bangs away from his face.
"I was beginning to think you were not coming," he said quietly when she finally stood before him.
She blushed slightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize your gardens were a complete maze."
There was a cheerful twinkle in his gray eyes. "Would you have them changed?"
"Oh, gosh, no!" she breathed out. "They are beautiful the way they are. Really, if I lived here I would walk through them every day."
He gestured to the acres of garden. "Then they are yours, Penelo."
"Your Grace?" she wasn't sure if she understood.
Larsa bent down and plucked a single, long stemmed rose by his feet. He stood slowly and proceeded to remove the few prickly thorns that protruded from the stem. "If you find them so captivating, then they are yours, and you are free to do with them what you wish."
Startled by his gift, Penelo raised her hands up and clasped them over her gaping mouth. He was giving her the gardens of House Solidor, gardens that were known to be the most gorgeous and scenic in all of Ivalice. He was giving her the very beauty of Archadia.
She forced herself to lower her hands to her side. "Lord Larsa…I don't know what to say."
"Say you will accept my gift," he told her, twirling the perfect red rose in his hand. "I shall announce it tomorrow: the famous Archadian gardens are to be known henceforth as the Gardens of Penelo, and governed by a true Lady. It may sound silly to you, but it is quite the honor, Penelo."
She nodded silently. She knew what an honor it was to receive such a present. She imagined Larsa making such an announcement to his people. Gosh, what would everyone think? I'm not rich or famous; they'd all wonder why I got such a gift. Actually, it's something a smitten Emperor would give to his Empress. The townspeople would think that…
"An announcement like that would make people think you were in love with me," Penelo admitted with a nervous thrill of laughter.
She waited for him to object to the statement- to laugh along with her by the utter silliness of it. But instead, Larsa smiled a sad smile and stepped towards her. She froze instantly, unsure of why he was moving so close. Her nerves relaxed, however, when he thrust his arm forward and held the rose out to her.
"Will you accept?"
"Yes," she responded breathlessly, taking the rose from his outstretched hand.
Larsa smiled, and it lit up his handsome face. Again, he brushed hair from his eyes. "A thornless rose for a rose without thorns."
Is he calling me a rose without thorns? "Lord Larsa…"
"No," he corrected her with a shake of his head. "Not 'Lord Larsa.' Not 'Emperor.' To you, Penelo, I am simply Larsa."
She inhaled sharply, looking up from the flawlessly shaped flower in her hands and into his charming eyes. Nobody had ever said such a sweet thing to her before, or been so kind. Nobody had ever given her a present before. Tears welled up into her eyes. The man before her was, without words, admitting to her how much he cared for her. And Penelo had never been so happy before in her entire life. Gods, I'm turning into such a romantic sap!
And now he was admitting to her using words. Reaching out, he grasped her chilled hands into his, pulling her body closer to his. "Promise me that you will stay with me, Penelo."
"Larsa?" What is he suggesting?
"In Archades," he finished. His eyes held a slightly frantic, nervous look. He was spilling his heart to her, she knew. And he was deathly afraid of how she was going to react. "I will give you anything you desire."
"But I… we don't even really know each other."
"Those letters you sent me," he explained, squeezing her hands gently. "You have no idea how dear to my heart I hold them. Stay, Penelo. We will defeat this 'Dark Lord' together, and then we shall take the time to get to know each other."
She hesitated, keeping her eyes locked onto his. Here was the most handsome, brave, and intelligent man in Archadia- the Emperor himself- and he was confessing his love for her, a street rat. She was in complete shock and awe, and yet at the same time, she could feel her heart beating wildly with excitement inside her chest.
"Take the time to get to know each other, yes," she decided, unable to contain the excitement from her pretty face. "Let's do that, Lord--… Larsa."
He pulled her hands up to his face and kissed each one gently. His lips were warm and smooth, and she shivered again despite herself. He noticed her shiver and smiled as if he knew he had been the one to cause her reaction. "Come, Lady Penelo. I shall escort you back inside where it is warm."
She agreed and slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, careful not to let go of her thornless rose. The flower signified his love for her. And even if she did not yet love him in return, the fact that he cared so greatly for her meant more to her than anyone would ever know.
Vaan was sorely disappointed to learn that Penelo was not in her room in the guest wing of the castle. He wanted nothing more than to tell her of Larsa's offer to him to become the Duke of Iocar. He wanted her opinion. He wanted her to beg him not to go, for Larsa had made it clear to him that she was not to go with him. He wanted her to tell him she wanted to take to the skies again and go pirating, and get away from the Dark Lord and all the royal politics that they had recently been surrounded with.
Above all, he wanted to look her in the eyes and try to sort out his new feelings for her. He wanted to know if he could still honestly call her 'just a friend,' or if he would be lying if he said so.
But he could do none of this; it was nearing eleven at night and she was still not in her room. He was curious as to where she was: Penelo was not the kind of girl to go out at night. He could always find her laying about right where he left her.
Disappointed, Vaan made his way to the public balcony at the end of the hallway which overlooked the castle's famously beautiful gardens. The cool air felt pleasant, but the scene three stories below him was not:
For he could clearly see Penelo and Larsa, there arms locked together, strolling lazily towards the castle. She was giggling in that beautiful voice of hers, her cheeks the color of the red rose she held in her hand.
It was then that Vaan felt his first real pang of pure jealousy. It hit him hard in the pit of his stomach, and like a wounded animal, he turned away from the sight below him and sulked back into the doors of the castle.
Author's Note:
Make sure you check out the little contest thing I have in my profile!
I have two different oneshot song fic's I'm currently writing, if you're interested. One is about Gabranth. The other is a VaanxAshe story. They're both kinda dark, and the latter will most likely be rated Mature. ;)
On the next episode of Calamity of the Serene: Wedding bells are ringing and all of Dalmasca is rejoicing over the coming wedding between Ashe and Ayon. Balthier admits something very private to Fran, and Basch secretly meets with Ashe in her dressing room.