CHAPTER 11:

THE INTERLOPERS

They spent the next day helping around Bur-Omisace, while gathering supplies for their expedition to Giruvegan. Throughout the day, Ashe stayed close to Harry, drawing comfort from his presence. The shock of the Archadian attack on Bur-Omisace and their murder of the Gran Kilitias had put some cracks in Ashe's psychological armour. Basch kept an eye on them both: with Vossler dead, he was Ashe's sole official bodyguard, though Harry technically filled that role unofficially. But Basch wasn't in love with Ashe, or vice versa.

Ashe had admitted her love to him back at Ondore's Estate, and they had grown closer at Jahara. But Harry found little pleasure in the fact that Judge Ghis and Judge Bergan's massacre had brought Ashe even closer to him. Even leaving aside the multitude of refugees and priests, all of whom had names and lives, and yet snuffed out all the same, there were the deaths of the peaceable Gran Kilitias, and Vossler, a comrade in arms and devoted to Ashe and Dalmasca.

Ashe looked out across at the pyres, some burning, some merely smouldering, later that morning. "Do you know what I see when I see this, Harry?"

"…I can guess. Rabanastre in much the same way."

"Yes. Worse still, Vayne is clearly not wholly in control of his own underlings," Ashe said. "And there are the Rozarrians to consider. I feel like a pawn pushed around on a chessboard. Told where to go and what to do, but with little regard for my own destiny. All we have to go on is the word of a supposedly rebellious member of a group of would-be gods, and a man to whom treachery and tyranny are as natural as breathing. How Larsa is related to Vayne, I have no idea. He seems altogether too innocent to be of Solidor blood, even for one so young."

"He still seemed savvy enough, he was just too optimistic," Harry said. "And you can't make allowances for the unpredictable nutjobs. Ghis sounded like he had designs on becoming Emperor."

Ashe scoffed quietly. "I know not what is worse: an ambitious traitor like Ghis, or a bloodthirsty lunatic like Bergan was. I suppose Ghis would be marginally better: a treacherous snake he may be, but you can negotiate with the likes of him, even if you would wish to wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. You cannot negotiate with a rabid dog like Bergan, even if he was more eloquent in his growling. Al-Cid was correct about one thing: the Rozarrians will use this as further excuse to hasten their war preparations. The Archadians on one side, and the Rozarrians on the other, and betwixt them, Dalmasca, about to be squashed between them like grapes in a winepress."

"Yeah, I know. That scares me too. You lost Rasler and your father when the Archadians took over, and Vaan lost his brother too. And Basch got framed. It'll be worse this time. Vayne may have some concern about humanity in general, but I wouldn't be surprised if he still considers Dalmasca ultimately expendable. He even said he's willing to die to see his plan through, and I'll admit, he's got balls to say that. But he's still a ruthless bastard. I mean, he killed his own brothers. So we've got to prepare for the worst."

Ashe nodded. "And there is the Occuria to consider. I must confess to be reluctant to entering Giruvegan. Into the seat of the enemy."

"We have so many, don't we? I mean, Vayne, despite him helping us, is still our enemy, as is Venat. And the Archadians, for the most part, are our enemy too," Harry said. "Larsa's our only real ally in their camp."

"Indeed. And I doubt he can do much with Vayne holding the reins of the Archadians. So too Al-Cid with the Rozarrians." Ashe looked at Harry. "We are on our own."

"So…no different from what it was like before?"

Ashe scowled. "Harry, please! While I appreciate the effects of humour in lightening spirits, I do not think that was in good taste for this time."

"Sorry," Harry said, rubbing the back of his head. "But…we're used to this, Ashe. This isn't that much different from leading the Dalmascan Resistance. At least this time we have a plan. After we deal with our business at Giruvegan, we'll have to find a way to head to the Pharos at Ridorana, though how we get there when it's in Jagd…"

Ashe considered this, before saying, "The Archadian airships…they are capable of flying over Jagd, according to Balthier, remember? Either we hijack one for ourselves, or find a way to modify the Strahl to be able to fly over Jagd."

"Which might mean going to Draklor Laboratories in Archades," Harry mused. "Crap. And if Doctor Cid is there, then Venat will be there too, and if that's the case…"

"We shall cross that bridge when we come to it, and not before," Ashe said quietly. "I do not look forward to another meeting with Venat, though. In any case, we head for Giruvegan on the morrow."


Basch had gone off to brood by himself. Well, brood wasn't quite the right word, despite his sometimes grim demeanour. It was more something along the lines of contemplation.

His thoughts were troubled, but not as dark as one would expect from a man who was, for a time, locked up in the Nalbina Dungeons, at the non-existent mercy of his twin brother Noah. He understood the hatred of his brother: he hadn't checked to make sure they had survived the fall of Landis, instead choosing to make himself strong enough to help Dalmasca take it back from the Archadian Empire.

He thought to what the Empire had done to Bur-Omisace. It was considered the last truly neutral bastion, beholden to no superpower, and yet, the Archadians had razed it. There were already refugees here struggling to make do, and now, the priests and acolytes of Bur-Omisace were touched by war, many of them dead, and the others struggling to get things back onto an even keel.

Ghis and Bergan were either insane, or insanely confident to think they could weather the backlash from such an incident. In any case, Vayne had instituted his coup d'etat, and while he shared some purpose, that of cutting the strings of the Occuria, taking Larsa away from here meant that peace was not on Vayne's mind, even without the Judges' attack.

There was also another factor. Basch knew that Harry and Ashe had feelings for each other. Personally, he welcomed them. Ashe held herself to too high a standard, trying to be more than human, and coming across as inhuman, not quite a desirable quality in a queen. She was self-critical to a fault, and it was good to see her try and admit things about herself that made her more human.

This was, partly, because of the deaths of her father and her fiancée. Prince Rasler died in Basch's arms during the battle of Nalbina Fortress, and Basch had been forced to watch by Vayne as Noah murdered the king, and then Basch's men…and grievously wounding Reks. Both deaths impacted Ashe badly, as they did to Basch.

Basch had known Harry before the fall of Dalmasca for some time, and while a bit vulgar and too familiar with Ashe, that was actually a good thing. The boy had been haunted by ghosts from his past, especially when he felt he couldn't go home. His friendship with Ashe helped keep him on an even keel, and he became the Ghost of Dalmasca because he wanted to help Ashe and Rasler. Like he wanted to focus on his new friends, to try and stifle the sorrow of possibly losing others.

And it was Harry who brought up the possibility of Basch's innocence with Ashe and Rasler in the first place. If it weren't for Harry, Ashe and Rasler would not have even considered the possibility of Basch being innocent. Basch had to be grateful, even if Harry was basing the possibility of Basch's innocence off previous experience, of his godfather being framed for betrayal and murder that he did not commit.

The truth was, Basch, at least on personal terms, welcomed Harry and Ashe's relationship. But should they survive this little saga, then they'd have to work hard to ensure that Harry would be accepted as a new consort for Ashe. Leaving aside the fact that Harry was not nobility, Rasler was well-loved by the Dalmascan people, whereas Harry was a virtual unknown to the masses. There was also the fact that many nobles or well-connected people would jockey for Ashe to wed them or their heirs, another complicating factor. For Ashe to marry for love rather than politics or power might be tricky.

Well, one shouldn't count one's Chocobos before they hatched. That would be a mistake of the highest order. They had the Occuria to deal with, and a war to prevent. If all that was possible.

While he was caught up in his thoughts, he wasn't so caught up when he heard someone say, not far away, "…Seen this boy? He'd be a bit older, maybe nineteen. His name is Harry Potter."

Basch froze. That accent sounded vaguely like an Archadian one…or like Harry's own. He turned his head to find a small group of people standing near one of the priests. The priest, after a moment, said, "He was part of the party of Lady Ashe. That man over there is also part of that party. Maybe you could talk with him?"

Basch grimaced inwardly. That damned priest thought he was only trying to help, but he may have just directed enemies of Harry to them. Basch readied himself as the group approached, preparing to spring into action at a moment's notice. He heard one of the group mutter, "Trust my godson to be right in the middle of trouble. Potter Luck strikes again."

The one who had spoken to the priest, a girl about Harry and Ashe's age, with bushy hair, and a pair of mismatched eyes, one brown, the other electric blue and moving around erratically, was the one to approach Basch. He noted that she looked like she had seen her fair share of battles. In fact, the quartet approaching all looked that way. "Can I help you?" he asked politely.

"We're looking for this boy," the girl said, showing a photograph, one that seemed to be moving, depicting a younger Harry with said girl, albeit younger and less battle-scarred, and a red-haired boy with freckles.

"And why is that? Why do you seek this boy?" Basch asked. He knew how to fight against Harry with magic, and he was ready to deal with them should they draw wands. "Are you friend or foe?"

"We haven't got time for this!" snapped the one who called Harry his godson. Hmm, was this Sirius Black? He matched the descriptions. "That priest said you were with my godson!"

"And? I am sworn to guard my charges with my life," Basch said. "Identify yourselves at once."

"Calm down," a careworn man with haunted amber eyes said, standing close to a woman with pink hair. He then said to Basch, "I'm sorry, this was the first lead we've had since coming here. We need to see Harry at once. If you do know him, tell him…tell him 'we solemnly swear we are up to no good'. He'll know what that means."

Basch, uncertainly, headed back to try and find Harry and Ashe, and found the two not far away, watching the pyres burn. "Lady Ashe, Harry, I bring…tidings, of a sort, though whether they are welcome or not, I do not know. There are people looking for you, Harry. I have just spoken with them. One of them said to me, to tell you, 'we solemnly swear we are up to no good'."


Harry felt a chill go down his spine at those words. No, it couldn't be…he looked up sharply, only to find a group of very familiar people following Basch. He wanted to deny that they were there, that they had survived, and yet here they were. A bit grimmer, a bit more scarred, but he knew these people.

Still, he took out his wand, and pointed it at them. "Tell me something I would only know," he said coldly. He needed to be sure.

"You summoned the Knight Bus in fright when we first met," said the dark-haired man with the grey eyes.

"Your Boggart was a Dementor, and I taught you the Patronus," the scarred, haggard-looking man said.

"…We travelled back in time and rode Buckbeak to save Sirius," the bushy-haired girl said.

"And what does Nymphadora have to say?" Harry asked.

"DON'T CALL ME NYMPHADORA!" the pink-haired woman yelled.

Harry chuckled, although his mirth had a somewhat strained quality to it, as tears began to trickle from his eyes. "It's you, it's really you, I…I thought…I thought that…" He frowned when the haggard-looking man pointed his wand and cast a spell. "What the hell are you doing, Moony?!"

The scarred man looked at the others. "It's gone, thank Merlin. Sorry, Harry…but your scar had some dark magic that we needed to be sure was gone. Thankfully, it is. Anyway, I'm Remus Lupin, and this is my wife, Dora, though most people still call her Tonks. This old mutt is Sirius Black, and this is Hermione Granger."

"I see," Ashe said. "Well met. Harry has spoken of you before. I am sorry we have not met under better circumstances. I wonder, though, do you know what has happened in this world?"

"…We've only been here for a week," Hermione said. "Much of that was spent on flying via broomstick. We found some rumours of you being in Rabanastre, before we headed here. Harry…" Tears welled up in her eyes, just as they were in Harry's. "You're alive…"

It was a sentiment Harry shared, even if he couldn't voice it. Maybe he didn't need the Speculum after all. And maybe, with his friends from back home here, there was more they could do to stop the Occuria…and the Archadians…

CHAPTER 11 ANNOTATIONS:

Hoo boy. It's been a while, hasn't it? Sadly, motivation has been lacking for me to continue this story, and I don't have any idea when the next chapter will come out. Still, this fic is far from dead, and hopefully, I can do another chapter for Nitimur in Vetitum as well.

I'll be honest, bringing in Harry's friends from another world was not what I had planned when beginning to write this chapter. But I did it before for my Final Fantasy VII crossover Vert the Emerald and the Cetra Heritage, and for my Girl Genius crossover Girl Genius and Her Animagus, so why not here? Okay, that renders the whole thing about the Speculum moot…but maybe I can find another use for it…

Review-answering time! Blackholelord: I found the whole fantasy trope of the hero marrying the princess in the end to be a rather stupid cliché, myself. Here, it's mainly because Harry and Ashe have been friends for some time, and Ashe is gradually letting go of her grief for Rasler. Vaan is pretty much a secondary character in the game where, nominally, he is the main character. I personally think that Ashe and Balthier (ironic, considering his own claims in the game) have better claims to being the main character. Vaan and Penelo are a bit like the characters Tahei and Matashichi from the Akira Kurasawa film The Hidden Fortress, which in turn inspired the portrayal of R2-D2 and C3PO from Star Wars, in that they are characters of relatively lowly station who get swept up in events involving kingdoms. This isn't to demean either of them, but their roles in the storyline are relatively small after a certain point, with Vaan mostly acting as a moral compass to Ashe.

No numbered annotations this time.