Final Fantasy XII: A Traveler in a Strange World

Part Ten

Dalmasca was still not restored and though they had the Dawn Shard, they did not know how to use it. And if they were going to stand against Vayne and the Empire, then they needed power. Ashe resolved to use the Dawn Shard. So the decision was made to travel to Jahara, south of the Giza Plains, through the Ozomone Plains, to speak with the Garif, because magicite lore was taught to them from the cradle and maybe their Elder had the knowledge they needed.

Ivalice could smell moisture in the air as they walked through South Gate. The Rains had come to Giza, turning the familiar, arid lands that she and Vaan and Penelo had hunted to create their sunstone into a swampy marshland filled with rivers. Luckily, though, the Rains had also opened the southern pass into Ozmone. Ivalice could dimply remember a time before her Traveling days when she had enjoyed walking in the rain without an umbrella. It had given her mother fits.

A sudden fit of sneezing made her realize that this wasn't going to be as much fun. Basch was at her side in a moment. "Are you alright?"

Ivalice nodded in between sneezes. "I'll survive. There was a time when this would have been a lot of fun."

Balthier gestured to Vaan and Penelo, who were scooping water up and throwing it at each other. "At least some of us still think it is."

Fran started walking forward. "We should hurry. And beware, there are elementals about." Elementals didn't like anyone other than they using magick, but they were otherwise peaceable. It just made for an uncomfortably wet journey.

Once they crossed into Ozmone they were able to set up the tents and dry out before continuing across a flowering testament to old battles dotted with white and grey stone and ruined airships. Jahara was to the south and west.

Several times they stopped to rest on one pretense or another. Ashe was hungry. Penelo wanted to make daisy-chains. When Ivalice saw Penelo hanging those daisy chains over a Balthier who then helped her rebraid her hair . . . well, ideas started percolating in her head.

Given the fact that the last time she thought she saw something it turned out to be wrong, Ivalice decided to silently ask for a second opinion.

Penelo? . . . and Balthier? Basch was stunned. But she's a . . .

A child?

Basch paused at the gentle reminder. Not that long ago he had thought the same about her. I apologize. I deserve that. But she is so delicate.

The term is turbo-cute. She is also a war-orphan who has lived parentless for two years now. As she told you, she is stronger than she looks.

She has proven that.

I'm not saying that there is no cause for alarm. She's not like me, she is seventeen in truth, and very innocent is ways that I will never be again. Barring complete memory erasure.

Basch almost choked. That has happened?

Her name was Guenevere. I was her maidservant. I became a Traveler to help her. Something in her mind's voice hinted at a closer relationship, almost familial. You would not believe how delicate a person is after something like that.

Basch started to glare at Balthier who had his hands buried in Penelo's hair. If he . . . I'll kill him.

Ivalice hid a smile. I wonder though, . . . Balthier is an accomplished rake. He flirts out of instinct. He only teases me because he fears your sword . . .

As well he should.

But surely other women have tried to trap him. I cannot believe that he is not well skilled in avoiding feminine lures. It could be that he is fascinated by her very innocence. As long as she does not try to play the coquette, he could be drawn in until he is trapped by his own games.

I should like to see that.

There's more, and the reason I need your eyes as well as mine. There are other possibilities. Lady Ashe will eventually require a husband, of sorts. If she is to be Queen, she will need heirs. And I have seen royalty fall for rogues so many times it is becoming cliché. They seem to need each other for some reason. Something about the roguish freedom and the royal responsibility.

But the sky pirate . . .

. . . isn't the only rogue. Vaan is only two years younger than she, and he is a natural leader. They shared something in the Tomb. Whatever Ashe saw, Vaan saw it too. Even now they are connected by that experience. But Vaan is devoted to Penelo, who looks up to him in her own way.

I believe my head is beginning to ache.

And around and around it goes, where it stops . . . is anybody's guess. It could be worse. You could still be in the running.

What course of action is open to us?

Quietly warn Balthier that if he takes advantage of a young girl's innocence that there is a special level of Hell reserved for him. He might be a rogue, but he's a gentleman one. He'll take your warning in the attitude in which it is given. He probably won't even bring me into the conversation. In the meantime, I'll be open to confidences. Let us hope someone states a preference, and soon. I do not fancy going mad again.

Basch agreed wholeheartedly.

---

They arrived in Jahara to hear talk of another hume boy-child come to seek Garif aid. Ivalice felt her heart clench with sudden hope. Would it be him? Could they travel together openly? Ashe was speaking with the Garif elder when he came walking up to join them.

Ivalice gave a joyful cry and ran to embrace Larsa. He colored at the display, but hugged her back. After a moment she let him go and stood at his side as he made is proposition to Ashe.

Travel with him to Mt. Bur-Omisace, where the Gran Kiltias, a holy man, could declare Dalmasca restored and Ashe Queen in truth. Then she would declare peace with the Empire and prevent a terrible war brewing between the Resistance forces, led by Marquis Ondore, and the Empire. A war whose battlefield would be the Dalmascan lands.

In the end Larsa offered himself up as hostage, and Ashe reluctantly agreed to travel with him. That night Ivalice stayed with her brother as guardian while Basch stood guard over Ashe.

The next morning they left for Mt. Bur-Omisace, by way of Golmore Jungle and the Paramina Rift.

---

Golmore Jungle, though, was blocked to them. In a rare show, Fran took charge and led them through a secret path to the village of her birth, a place where she was outcast. The sister she sought, Mjrn, was not there, having left the Wood to follow Fran. Now she was lost in a warren of armored humes to the south – the Henne magicite mines.

So they left the Jungle for the Mines, to find Mjrn. When they found her she was maddened by nethicite, a condition inflicted upon her by Imperial humes. Larsa took back the nethicite he had given Penelo. He had not known that it was so dangerous.

They were just outside the Mines, preparing to go back into the Jungle. Ivalice stood beside her brother, enjoying the slight breeze on the Ozmone Plains, when her knees suddenly gave way beneath her and she collapsed into the grass, deathly pale. Basch cried out and ran to her, but was not quite quick enough to catch her. He fell to his knees beside her and pulled her into his arms. "Ivalice? Ivalice!"

Larsa was frantic. "What is happening to my sister?"

Penelo fell to her knees and pulled Larsa back with both her arms around his chest, like he was her little brother, too. Ashe shouted for Balthier, who shouted for Fran to find a safe place for the tents. Vaan ran to help Fran and Mjrn unpack them and get them set up.

Larsa would not be silenced. "What is wrong with my sister?"

Basch's voice was harsh with emotion. "Lord Larsa, your sister is dying."

Larsa burst into tears and Penelo rocked him in her arms like he was a little child.

Balthier turned on Basch. "You never said that she was dying. Hallie said that she would recover."

"She will recover," Basch told him, "just as soon as we can unseal her powers. When they are restored then she will be restored. Until then, she is dying."

Larsa looked at Basch, his tear-ravaged face accusing. "How did this come to be?"

Basch bowed his head to the young prince. "Your sister has gifts that go beyond magick."

"She has explained this to me. Her powers are sealed. That was why she left Archades."

"Some few of her gifts have been unsealed. She . . . overextended herself in protecting Lady Ashe and the rest of us. The damage that she sustained at that time and in . . . the destruction of the Leviathan is what is killing her."

Larsa was silent, watching, as if seeing it for the first time, the gentle way that Basch held Ivalice and the way she clutched at his arms as she woke from her faint. After a moment he sat up and shrugged off Penelo's arms with a grateful smile. Then he reached out and took hold of one of Ivalice's hands.

"Tell me, my sister, how long has Captain Ronsenburg been your paramour?" Absolute silence reigned.

Ivalice flushed red and then sighed. "Since Bhujerba, after we returned with Lady Ashe."

"When were you going to tell me?"

She flushed a deeper color. "I was afraid to tell you, Nii-chan, afraid of what you would think."

"Do not misunderstand me, Sister, I do not disapprove. While we have traveled together he has seemed to me the most honorable of knights, but . . ."

"But he stands accused and convicted by the Empire for a treason he did not commit."

Larsa blinked his eyes in surprise. "Innocent?"

"Yes, Nii-chan, innocent. Do you think that Vayne would balk at making a blameless man seem guilty if it would serve his ends?"

Larsa looked troubled. "Vayne is very capable." He thought for a moment. "Captain Ronsenburg, what are your intentions towards my sister?"

Basch looked at Ivalice and then at Larsa. "My intentions are honorable. I seek nothing less than her hand."

"Would you give her the honor and the respect that are her due as an Imperial Daughter? Would you make her a mother as well as a wife? Would you join to her and none other?"

Everyone around them was silent and still as they witnessed the exchange. Basch's face was unreadable and his eyes were a mystery. "Yes."

Larsa turned to Ivalice. "Do you consent to be joined to this man? To be his wife and bear his sons? To give him the loyalty and the devotion that you now give to me? Do you choose this man, freely, willingly, and without constraint?"

Ivalice smiled wanly. "Yes."

Larsa took hold of one of Basch's hands and solemnly placed Ivalice's hand in it. "Her hand is yours, Captain, as I am the one who adopted her with my father's blessing. Father told me then that this day would come and that I should be prepared. I give you my approval. When peace is restored again, we will find a way to clear your name so that a public wedding may be held. Until then, Captain, consider her to be your wife in all things and me, your brother." He released their hands and sat back on his heels.

Ivalice drew in a breath as tears started to fall down her face. "Thank you, Nii-chan. Another seal just shattered. I should be alright soon."

"Never the less," he said, "I don't think we'll be going anywhere until morning. How are you breaking the seals, Sister?"

"I – I'm not sure. They're tied to events, I think. Hallie said that they were tied to Basch. Certainly the events that have broken them thus far have all involved him."

Larsa nodded. "Then, Captain, I ask you to do your utmost to help my sister break the seals with all speed."

Vaan came over to tell them that they had one of the tents up and ready. Basch nodded to him and lifted Ivalice in his arms, carrying her to it. Larsa walked beside them. "I should like to hear the circumstances of the other unsealings. We may be able to theorize about what would be required for the future. But that is for later. For now, I will guard Lady Ashe while you care for Ivalice."

Basch knelt to set Ivalice on the bedroll while Larsa stood. "May you be happy together." Larsa bowed to each of them and then left the tent, closing and tying the flap behind him.

---

Alone together for the first time since Rabanastre, Ivalice and Basch simply looked at each other for a long time, thoughts and half-formed thoughts flying back and forth. Finally Basch broke the silence. "What powers unlocked this time?"

"They're tied to the healing, some very fine control techniques. May I test them?"

"Yes."

She reached out a hand and touched an exposed area of his chest with a fingertip. He felt his face grow uncomfortably warm. He looked at her curiously.

"I'm making you blush." There seemed to be a hint of a laugh behind her smile. "I wanted to see what it looked like." She sobered then and the heat faded as she directed her attention elsewhere. His hands clenched, and not by his will. He felt muscles contract and relax on their own. It was a very strange time for him until Ivalice withdrew her hand.

Something in her face made him grow concerned. "Is there more?"

She nodded, her lips pursed as if afraid to speak.

"What is it, Ivalice?"

Tears sprang up in her eyes. "I need to test something, before my life – or the life of someone else – depends on it. Forgive me?" She looked at him pleadingly.

In a moment, he understood. Her heart told him what she needed to do, and why. He nodded, silently giving his permission. He had endured worse for less reason. He reached up and slid the buckled vest he wore from his shoulders, letting it fall down behind him. He opened the shirt beneath it so that his chest was exposed. No longer the thin shadow of a man they had rescued from Nalbina, Basch had filled back out and his muscles were strong again. He reached for her hands and took hold of both of them, his thumbs in her palms so that she couldn't shut them.

Tears fell from her eyes as he gently placed both hands fully on his chest and then held them there. She bit back a sob. "This, too, shall pass." It was a promise and he nodded his acceptance. He watched her close her eyes and concentrate.

It started as an itch, a crawling sensation like a thousand tiny insects were crawling over his body. The itch became a stinging that became a burning. He could feel the sweat gathering on his face as he struggled to remain silent. He knew that she was so upset by what she was doing that the least distraction would make her stop.

The burning became a throbbing that was interrupted by brief shooting stabs that grew stronger. He could feel his muscles begin to twitch in reaction to the pain. The tears fell faster down her face until, with a cry, she abruptly pulled her hands out of his grasp and curled up on herself. "Forgive me. Forgive me. Forgive me."

The pain faded and the twitching stopped. Basch pulled Ivalice into his arms and held her there, rocking her gently. "It is alright. There is nothing to forgive. Are you able to use this weapon against an enemy?"

"In a heartbeat, if Larsa or our children were threatened."

"Then it is well."

She sought his lips, needing comfort, and he was willing to give it. Silently he thanked to gods that she had not enjoyed the pain-giving. A torturer with such a gift . . . was a nightmare he feared considering.

Eventually the kisses became something else and this time Basch didn't hold back. Morning found them still in each other's arms.

---

They returned Mjrn to her people in the Wood and were able to obtain permission to continue on their journey. On the other side of the Jungle was the snow-bound Paramina Rift, and the path that pilgrims and refugees followed up to the haven of holy Mt. Bur-Omisace. An audience awaited them there, with the Gran Kiltias, and a mysterious enemy who was also a friend, and maybe, just maybe, the official restoration of Dalmasca.

And with that, the story reaches the furthest point I have reached in the game. I've got two saves for that game, one before the Mount Bur-Omisace cutscenes and one actually in the Stilshrine, before doing anything there. So I have actually seen the cutscenes, but I'll need to see them again to decide exactly how I want to approach inserting Ivalice into those events. I'll have to snag the strategy guide from my brother-in-law and see if I can play through some more of the game so that I can have more for those of you who are reading this next week. I have this recurring thought about completely deviating from the possible storyline at that point, since the strategy guide has screenshots that give me a decent idea about how things don't seem to work out for our heroes, but I dunno yet.

In the meantime, take a look at Chapter Three. I've got another save file that I'm going more slowly in and I'm taking the time to play-pause-write the cutscenes so that I have the actual dialogue to play with. My intention is to eventually rewrite all that I have done so far with an eye for more detail, more depth, and more in-game accuracy. I'll try to keep the story going, but I'll still be heavily summarizing.

Lemme know what you think.

Mrs. Grizzley