Chapter Thirteen: 707o.v Landia, Landis

The Tavern heaved with the sheer volume of people filling the space and the tang of body odour and malt hit Balthier in the face like a hot, redolent slap. He made a mental note to find some other convenient meeting place for future rendezvous with Fran; he was growing heartily sick of taverns.

With Anna trailing at his heels (still talking) he made his way through the press of bodies to where he could see the tips of Fran's ears over the heads of the people seated across the tavern. It was conceivable, he supposed, that those ears were not Fran's but those of another Viera, but the chances were slight enough that he moved forward confidently.

Balthier was not the sort of man to push his way through the great mass of unwashed between him and his objective, instead with the power of long practice he projected an almost tangible aura of confidence and purpose.

The effect was something akin to a Shell or Shield spell in that the denizens of the tavern who found themselves in his way and confronted by Balthier at his most imperious, also found themselves all but repelled out of his path by the sheer force of his confident belief that if he wanted to walk straight through an over crowded tavern without taking any irritating detours he bloody well would do so.

Therefore in relatively short time he arrived at the table where Fran sat with Hamish Fon Denbak and, curiously, a rather pale, anxious and slightly battered looking Penelo. Before he had even reached the trio Balthier had formed the bedrock suspicion that he was not going to like the story behind why Penelo was bereft of her bosom companion or why she and Fran looked quite so…grim.

'Balthier!'

Penelo launched herself at him and it was only a last minute twinge of conscience that stopped him from neatly sidestepping out of the girl's path and allowing Penelo to careen straight into Anna.

'How now, Penelo, something wrong?'

He inquired dryly even though he did not really wish to know what calamity had undoubtedly befallen Vaan necessitating the other Rabanastran's uncharacteristic absence. It was too much to hope that the boy had simply decided to abandon both his childhood sweetheart and his obsession with following Balthier about and wandered off for pastures new.

Penelo stopped herself just short of flinging her arms around him and Balthier had to grant her credit for that piece of prudence; the girl was incredibly tactile in her interactions with most people but was perceptive enough to recognise that neither Balthier nor Fran appreciated that sort of physicality among peers. Truly, Penelo was the only one of the pair of street urchins with any potential.

'Balthier, Vaan…he…'

'He is what?'

Balthier glanced over Penelo's head as the girl trailed off, swallowing hard and looking like she might begin crying at any moment (the last thing he wanted was a crying woman on his hands). He met Fran's eyes and nodded briefly to Hamish. It would appear Fran had experienced a great deal more success in their venture than he had.

Penelo looked up at him, large pale eyes watering, 'He's been taken hostage by a man called Eraldo Lumineres,' her hands twisted together, knuckles whitening as her fingers writhed together like snakes, 'He captured us when we were flying to Balfonheim. I managed to get free…..I think I was allowed to escape……but not Vaan.'

Penelo sniffed mightily and her breath escaped her in little hiccupping stops and starts, almost as if she was about to pass out or start to hyperventilate. Thoroughly frustrated with the whole sorry affair, Balthier yanked out his handkerchief and stuffed it into the girl's hands.

Clearly Penelo interpreted this act of barely constrained impatience as some manner of tacit empathy for her plight and with an aborted sob flung herself at him after all, dissolving into tears.

'Oh, marvellous, just marvellous,' Balthier had never coped well with crying women. He just didn't understand tears in general and, having been kidnapped, held hostage and threatened with torture and death innumerable times before he found her reaction to such both incomprehensible and profoundly unhelpful.

Despite this and perhaps because Fran and was watching him and Fran was rather fond of the over-emotional little girl, Balthier awkwardly closed his arms around her shoulders and patted her gently in what he hoped was a vaguely consoling gesture.

'Now, now, Penelo, my dear, all things considered Eraldo is not such a bad sort, I'm sure he has no intention of harming Vaan.' Or at least not irrevocably, he added as a silent caveat.

With Penelo obviously trying to control herself (he was sure she was less emotional during their sojourn with the Princess over a year ago – perhaps it was some manner of hormonal imbalance?) Balthier steered her towards the table and made sure she was securely seated before turning to address Fran and Hamish.

'Hamish, you look well,' he nodded ironically to the man, aware of Anna managing to be surprisingly unobtrusive at his back. 'Fran, well done on managing to find the man, I'm glad one of us has had some luck.'

'Aye, Ffamran, I'd say it was good to see yuir again too, but I have a feeling I'm not going to like the reason for this meeting.' Hamish's greeting was luke-warm at best.

Fran merely quirked an expressive eyebrow at him, her gaze flicking questioningly towards Anna, Balthier cleared his throat just a tad awkwardly.

'Ah, yes,' he turned towards Anna and gently pulled her before him to face the table smiling brightly (if not a little inanely) as he did so, 'Fran, I would like you to meet Anna Zaagabaath, Anna this is my partner Fran, but I'm sure you already knew that. Hamish, you remember Anna do you not?'

'Gods above and below, Ffamran, tell me yuir have not kidnapped the lass again?'

Hamish clearly did recognise Anna and was more than a trifle appalled to see her once again. Balthier felt his brows dip and even Penelo looked up from her sniffling with curiosity written large upon her damp features.

'Oh no, Mr Fon Denbak, in fact it is the other way around, in a manner of speaking.'

Anna said chipperly and extended her hand across the table to the man, 'I can't tell you how much of a thrill it is to see you again, Mr Fon Denbak, and to find you in Ffamran's company. I have no doubt that headline alone would sell thousands of papers.' She smiled happily; Balthier repressed the undignified desire to roll his eyes.

'Anna has made for herself quite a successful career in journalism,' Balthier explained smoothly, favouring the newest thorn in his side with a rather false smile, 'In fact our meeting was quite fortuitous as Anna is in the process of covering the sky pirate succession war, for the prurient interest of her middle class Ardent news reading public.'

Anna gave him a quizzical look, the expressions on his other companions faces varied from Fran's rather closely guarded stoicism to Penelo's open confusion and Hamish' deepening suspicion. Balthier felt his suave smirk lock into place as he pulled out a chair for Anna and then went around the table to take his seat next to Fran. He relaxed nonchalantly with the full knowledge that he had a rapt audience at his disposal.

'Pirate succession war, what's that?' Penelo spoke up blowing her nose inelegantly on his handkerchief. Balthier sighed, there went the loss of another handkerchief as there was no chance he would take the thing back now.

'The very reason poor Vaan has been taken from your side, I dare say. I must admit that Eraldo Lumineres is not the man I expected to open hostilities however,' he shrugged cheerfully, 'well it can't be helped I suppose.'

'Know you something we do not, Balthier?' Fran asked him pointedly.

'Hmm,' he smiled blandly, 'I doubt it is possible for any to know more than you, Fran, however it might be best if Anna relate to you the news she has just imparted to me. I think it will cast a new complexion on recent events.'

He allowed himself to sink a little lower into his chair, folding his hands over his stomach as he stretched his legs under the table. Letting Anna explain the unfortunate situation vis-à-vis the assassination attempts on his life would allow him a few moments to think – and he rather badly needed to do a lot of thinking in a very small period of time if he was to get ahead of events fast spiralling out of his immediate control.

The image of Eraldo Lumineres ghosted across his thoughts and Balthier winced internally. Eraldo was not precisely a pirate, in that he did not partake of illegal activities such as looting, hi-jacking and theft himself, instead he made an obscene amount of Gil benefiting from the criminal activities of those who did partake in looting, hi-jacking and theft.

'Well first I would like to say that it is an absolute pleasure to meet two of the heroes of Dalmasca's liberation, especially you Fran, I have dearly hoped to have the opportunity to speak with you, and perhaps, once we are better acquainted you might acquiesce to an interview?'

Balthier himself had always maintained an amicable working relationship with the Bhujerban crime master, in that he stayed out of Eraldo's way for the most part and Eraldo did not attempt to kill him in return. Until today Balthier had assumed that working relationship was mutually beneficial, but obviously Eraldo had other ideas.

'Well as Ffamran intimated to you my name is Anna Zaagabaath, I believe you are familiar with my father Judge Magister Zaagabaath? What Ffamran has neglected to mention is that he and I were once engaged to be married......'

As Anna gushed over further introductions, demonstrating as she did so a frankly disturbing glee and hitherto unknown capacity for mischief as she took far too much pleasure retelling the story of their last parting (Balthier made note that he would have to be careful not to underestimate this new Anna) he took his time chewing over the news that every pirate with a grain of ambition or greed in he or she (so, in essence all of them) would be trying to kill him to secure their bid for the dubious honour of becoming the next pirate king.

'As I explained to Ffamran when I found him standing over an assassin's corpse earlier this very evening, I am a reporter for the Archades Herald, the foremost daily newspaper in the Archades and Cerobi region. Due to my prior association with Ffamran before he left Archades to embark on a life of general lawlessness, it was decided by my editor that I would work on a series of articles detailing the life of Archades 'Prodigal Son'……'

After absorbing the initial shock of this news, Balthier had come to the conclusion, that yes, from a certain less than intelligent perspective it did make sense that he would be a target in any war for power amid pirate-kind, and certainly he had earned his preeminent position in the nebulous hierarchy of Ivalice piracy. Still there were a number of questions that needed answers before he could even begin to implement the plan forming in his mind for what to do about these events.

'…..and that is what I discovered, after the death of former Judge Magister Zecht, otherwise known as the pirate king Reddas; piracy in Ivalice has fallen into a power vacuum, the result of which is a vast increase in the numbers of sky pirates and the severity of their innumerable depredations, as I think you witnessed in Lemures?'

Balthier let Anna's breathless words wash over him in a warm wave of articulation. He could see the glazed look in Penelo's eyes and even Hamish was looking uncomfortably overwhelmed. Fran was not looking much of anything, but then Balthier had no doubt that Fran would have the strength of mind to keep up with Anna's endless chatter.

In fact as Anna spoke Fran watched him; Balthier did not squirm under that scrutiny (although he wanted to) but instead gave her a minute nod, suspecting that Fran had already ascertained the point behind Anna's stream of consciousness ramblings.

'After Reddas, it is you many will view as the greatest pirate alive in Ivalice this day, and one who holds most claim to the title of pirate king.'

Fran said interrupting Anna in mid-flow. Shockingly Anna stopped talking and did not feel the need to start up again.

Balthier sat up in his chair, 'Apparently,' he conceded the fact dryly while neatly side-stepping either agreeing with it or not, 'certainly that is the view Rikken seems to have taken, and the reason he has placed a bounty on my head.'

'Why?' Penelo asked eyes bright as she tried to work things out for herself, 'Does he want to be king instead?'

Balthier favoured Penelo with a genuine smile, 'Well done, my dear, you grasp the fundamentals quite well.'

Despite her general state of anxiety over the fate of poor, half-witted Vaan, Penelo preened a little at this genuine and unexpected praise from Balthier (who, even he was forced to admit, was not a man to give praise lightly).

Stroking his hands down his sleeves he continued, 'However if Rikken wanted to succeed Reddas he could have done so at any time in the intervening months. No, I think our dear Rikken has another motive behind setting every bloody cut-throat and opportunist in Ivalice against me.'

'But what?'

Penelo asked, proving once again that of the two Rabanastrans she was the one with brains, as Balthier had always suspected, which was probably why he actually approached feeling affection for the girl. Penelo was a worthy apprentice, Vaan was an idealistic inconvenience. Still it was personally insulting to Balthier that Eraldo Lumineres of all people had stolen the dim-witted street thief.

He might be insufferably idealistic, altruistic and bull-headedly noble but Balthier had found the dim-witted street thief first and he'd be damned if he let Lumineres use Vaan to destroy him; the embarrassment alone would surely kill him.

'That is the question, isn't it?' he murmured and then turned his attention to Hamish, 'But for the moment it can wait. Hamish, why is it precisely that you and your compeers of the Landis freedom movement are deliberately trying to thwart your only chance for autonomy, hmm?' he smiled thinly.

The other man looked slightly disconcerted by Balthier's apparently loss of interest in affairs very much concerning his immediate future. 'We are not trying to destroy our chance at autonomy. Gods man, yuir of all people should know I have dedicated the last twenty years of my life to seeing Landis free of Archadia.'

Balthier smiled lazily and flexed his fingers meditatively over the surprisingly plain (by his standards) vest he wore, 'Hmm, perhaps.'

To Hamish Fon Denbak, who had known Balthier since before there was a 'Balthier', the look in Balthier's eyes now, sly and veiled, was extremely troublesome. Hamish considered Balthier an ally and a friend, he owed the younger man his life and his liberty, but Hamish also knew that it was not wise to completely trust Balthier. He was far too devious and the twists and turns of his thought processes had a tendency to disregard such simplistic notions as loyalty, trust and friendship.

'What's going on in that mad head of yuir's, lad?' Hamish asked carefully by no means sure he wanted to know.

Balthier did not immediately answer and Hamish suspected that he was much too busy thinking and may not even have heard the question. Certainly his Viera partner looked as if she suspected no good to come of Blathier's growing silence. Finally Balthier lifted his gaze from his contemplation of his own fingers tracing the whorls and swirls embroidered on the vest he wore and met Hamish's eyes dead on.

'Tell me about the Landis Phoenix.'

'Good gods, Balthier, what have yuir to do with….' Hamish trailed off, 'Gods above man tell me it was not yuir that stole it.'

Hamish had known, in part because he had worked so closely with sky pirates to facilitate his resistance movement, that the Phoenix had been stolen from Archadian hands (who themselves had stolen it from the people of Landis) some time ago but he had honestly not considered just which group of pirates might have stolen it. Now he watched amusement dance across Balthier's face as the other man recognised the direction of his thoughts.

'Hm, yes, and people say you are slow, Hamish.'

'Why?' Hamish told himself there was absolutely no sense in feeling personally betrayed, Balthier was not of Landis and he had no comprehension of patriotism or sacrilege. Balthier shrugged.

'Remus wanted me too; it was a part of an incredibly complicated plot to kill me, as it happened.'

'Do you have it now?' In many ways that would be the best answer; lying bastard Balthier might be but he had more often than not shown a surprising, if slightly skewed, honour which would surely mean he would return Landis' greatest treasure when it was so badly needed.

'No, I do not, and now I find myself in the frankly ludicrous position wherein I am, apparently, the only one who can find the damn thing, but have no idea how to do so.'

Balthier shook his head, scowling lightly. 'Larsa wishes the Phoenix retrieved so that he may return it with much heartfelt apology to Landis.' Balthier quirked an eyebrow, 'Truly, you have a friend in little Lord Larsa, it is a pity for you and your compeers that it is your actions that will see Larsa forced to withdraw from any talks to liberate Landis.'

'My actions…..what in the gods blue blazes are yuir talking about?'

Balthier smiled then and Hamish was not the only one disconcerted by the pitiless look in his hooded eyes. This could only bode ill.

'The political situation in Archades is about to become somewhat…..fraught. Larsa will be forced to divert attention from the upcoming Landis summit and turn to matters closer to home. As the momentum to grant Landis her autonomy is almost entirely driven by the Emperor, this will prove to be a terrible blow to the freedom movement.'

'What matters closer to home?' Hamish asked through cold lips. He had seen his young friend look like this more than once, and knew that Balthier was about ready to enact some manner of complicated, almost unfathomable plan or some other action that no sane man would dare conceive of, let alone put into practice.

Balthier's smile grew wider as he reclined casually in his chair. The smoky light of the tavern flickered over the dangling jewellery in his ear as he cocked his head to the side and with utmost nonchalance examined the state of his snow white cuffs.

'A full scale uprising in Balfonheim,' Balthier explained, 'the port has held nominally to its independence from Archadia for years, however now they are about to press their own suit for autonomy – one that could be much more dangerous to Archadia than anything you and your luckless compatriots have ever attempted.'

'I fail to see how that has anything to do with me, lad.' Hamish blustered, though he found himself wondering why it was that his sources in the port had not mentioned any such uprising.

Balthier let the smile fade from his face like water draining from a cracked vase; all the humour and vitality leeched from his features and his eyes were dark, opaque and impenetrable.

'The Phoenix is not merely a particularly ugly national heirloom, is it? The rumour that it possesses the spirit of a fallen goddess holds more veracity than many believe, is that not so?'

'I've only heard rumours, lad,' Hamish shook his head, 'Ffamran, what are you planning?'

Balthier leaned forward suddenly, a surprising aggressive and jerky movement for the usual languid and aloft Archadian, his forearms braced on the table, 'How does the magick work, Hamish? The damn thing is your country's greatest treasure; I do not believe for a moment that no one in this damnable country knows what it does.'

In a war of deception and evasion Hamish could not compete with the younger man, that he well knew, and veteran of many battles Hamish knew when it was time to capitulate.

'The story goes that the spirit of the Phoenix can only be awakened by one who has a spirit the equal to her own; then she will heed that spirit's call and her power will be his to wield.'

Hamish had to concede to himself that he had never heard of anyone who knew what that 'power' was precisely, but it certainly sounded impressive. Alas, Balthier seemed to have a different opinion. He sat back in his chair all at once and crossed his arms over his chest, quietly indignant.

'Well that is singularly unhelpful.'

'I say again, Ffamran, what are you up to?'

Balthier's eyes flickered toward Anna Zaagabaath who had been industriously scribbling into a small notepad everything that had been said around the table.

'Anna, be a dear and be sure to take this down, would you?' Balthier smiled slyly, almost serpent like and the young woman glanced up at him startled, her pen growing still but her eyes growing expectant.

'Take down what, Ffamran?'

'I wish you to record that on this date Hamish Fon Denbak, prominent member of the coalition for the restoration of Landis, pledged to ensure that the rest of the coalition would agree to delay the summit with the Emperor Larsa, and the return of the Landis Phoenix as an act of goodwill and cooperation.'

'What – Ffamran I will do no such thing!'

Anna glanced between the two of them as Balthier continued to smile unconcerned and raised one eyebrow speculatively.

'Very well then, Anna, take this down instead: on this date Hamish Fon Denbak, was found to be in collusion with the very same sky pirate instigator of the recent Balfonheim aggression against Archadia; it is believe that the Landis freedom movement is actively supporting these illegal actions in a bid to destabilise Archades.'

The blood left Hamish' face as he stared at Balthier, who watched with merciless eyes. Anna too was staring at him in shock and Fran's ears were twitching as she watched all of them. A palpable pall of potential violence hung in the air.

'You are blackmailing me, lad?' he asked quietly and Balthier nodded unashamed and unabashed, the ruthless Hamish had always known was an inherent part of his character drawn like a naked blade against Hamish himself.

'Remus may have been a reprehensible brute but he did teach me one thing, there are no such things as 'friends' when one is a pirate, only enemies and people who do not know you well enough to yet become your enemy. I marked the lesson well, Hamish.'

Hamish shook his head, 'You are better than this Ffamran.'

Blathier laughed, bright and delighted, 'I assure you I am not.' He flicked his hands in an almost dismissive gesture, smirk relaxing into less tense lines, 'I am not attempting to ruin Landis, Hamish, or you personally.' He admitted in softer tones, 'I have every intention of finding and returning the Phoenix to you….however I have need of her powers first and your deadline does not allow me the time I need to finish my business.' He shrugged.

'What business might that be?'

Balthier chuckled richly as he rose to his feet, briefly stopping to exchange a highly charged silent look with Fran, 'Hamish, really, that should be obvious even to a blunt instrument like you.'

Balthier walked around the table as he smoothed the creases from his sleeves and gestured for the mildly scandalised Anna and Penelo to rise as well. Fran was standing already and watching her partner intently, 'I have an annoying apprentice to rescue, an ancient relic to recover and a personal empire to build. These things take time, even for one of my calibre.'

Hamish widened his eyes, 'An empire to build?'

Balthier looked down on Hamish and smiled thinly, 'The king is dead, long live the king, Hamish. You are looking at the new heir regnant pirate king and I have any number of rambunctious subjects to subjugate and a small, self-contained war to manufacture, all in a very short period of time. Landis' ornamental goddess is going to help me do that.'

As Hamish struggled to comprehend what Balthier meant, the man in question offered him a flourishing bow and turned to leave, Fran at his side and Penelo and Anna trailing behind him. To Hamish he looked very much like a young king with his own personal entourage.

'A pleasure to see you again Hamish, I shall be sure to invite you to my coronation.' Balthier called behind him as he passed through the wall of people filling the tavern as easily as a ship breaking through ocean waves.

Hamish Fon Denbak watched his old friend and constant enigma leave the tavern and found himself wondering just what manner of tyrant had been newly unleashed on Ivalice now – and what man or woman could stand against the vaulting ambitions and calculations of the leading man?

A/N: I apologise for this chapter being a bit of a filler chapter. It was necessary for the plot but not a lot happened really (except Balthier being a ruthless, devious sod, but that's a given in any situation I write) I do promise that the next few chapters will have much excitement as Balthier et al go after Vaan and the Landis Phoenix makes its presence felt once more.

P.S I also have big developments in store regards Fran too ;)