Oh, wow, we're here...
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Chapter Ten
Dalmasca stronghold, Nalbina Fortress
Year 704 of the Old Valendian Calendar
The night sky was dark. The stars… no, there were no stars. It was stormy, a magnificent storm, flashing over the heavens, lightning and rain streaking down over Archades. Was it that storm, on that night eight years ago? No, wait… It wasn't stormy at all. The sky was clear outside, the sun shining through the windows into the oh-so-familiar hallways of Draklor Laboratories. Ffamran had spent his whole life in these wonderful, familiar hallways. This was where he'd laughed and cried, lived and worked, the place where he'd grown up. Draklor was a wonderfully familiar place, one where Ffamran had spent all stages of life. How old was he now? A toddler, sticking closely by his father's side as he watched from a distance the work of scientists all around? A boy, happily spending afternoons after school wandering the laboratory, watching experiments with fascination? Or was he a teenager, actively participating in the delicate work of Draklor, calling those scientists he'd known all his life colleagues and coworkers? Maybe it was now, the present day, and Ffamran was a Judge, just swinging by to visit Reina, not his father because he never had a reason to visit him. Yes, that made sense. It was now, and Ffamran was here to see his fiancée in the excitement-filled weeks before their wedding. He'd known Reina since he started going to school. Ffamran couldn't even remember meeting her. They'd been friends in their childhood, though Serah had been a pain even then. It was really only after their parents died and the two sisters started working at Draklor that Ffamran had begun to think of Reina as something else. Even then, he hadn't said anything because he was worried Reina didn't see things the same way. But years went by, things changed, and everything fell so perfectly into place. Now they were going to get married! Really, everything was perfect. There was the nagging issue of Ffamran's father, and the nethicite, and whatever was going on there, but Ffamran didn't want to think about that. He only wanted to focus on him and Reina, on their future. He wanted nothing more than to block out every real problem, to ignore them completely. And, until Nabudis, Ffamran had managed to do just that.
Nabudis? No, that thought was forbidden here. Ffamran was going to see Reina. All was right with the world on this sunlit morning, everything was okay. There was no war, no death, Reina was alive and well. The mere thought that she wasn't was preposterous!
Ffamran continued his journey through the familiar halls of Draklor Laboratories, looking for Reina. He was headed for the lunch hall, because it was probably break time then. If it wasn't, why was he here? He knew better than to interrupt anyone during work hours.
The lunch hall was empty and silent when Ffamran arrived. He wondered momentarily where everyone was. Perhaps he was too early, or too late? No, Ffamran knew when the lunch break started. He couldn't have missed it. And the labs had all been empty, too. Where was everyone?
"Ffamran! Over here!"
That voice was delightfully familiar, sweeter than any song. Ffamran spun around to see Reina sitting alone at her usual table, that bright, wonderful smile of hers painted over her lips, crystal green eyes glittering. She stood up and walked toward him.
"Reina!" Ffamran came over to meet his fiancée, but when he wrapped his arms around her, she vanished. He stood there a moment, baffled.
"Reina?" Ffamran looked in all directions, but he could see her anywhere. What was going on?
"She's not here." This was Serah's voice. Ffamran turned around and spotted her leaning against the wall.
"Serah!" He walked up to her. "Where' s Reina?"
"I said she's not here." Serah rolled her eyes, as if that was an obvious fact. "It's all your fault, you know."
"What?" Ffamran frowned in confusion. "What is?"
"Everything!" Serah said, throwing her hands up. "The nethicite, your father, Reina, Nabudis- all of it! You didn't do anything. You just sat back and tried to pretend it wasn't happening. Kinda tough to that now, ain't it?" Serah pushed off from the wall and walked over to a nearby window, looking out over Archades. In a single second, the sunlit blue sky was replaced with dark clouds, and rain showered over the rooftops.
"What was I supposed to do?" Ffamran asked.
Serah shrugged. "If you'd opened your eyes sooner, seen what was going on with your father and the nethicite, maybe you could've done something before it got this bad. There'd have been no Nabudis, no war, and you'd have been there to save Reina. You might even have your father back, too." Serah turned and threw a searing glare in Ffamran's direction. "But no… You didn't do a thing. You thought that if you ignored it long enough, it'd all just go away like your stupid powers. So what are you gonna do now, Ffamran? It's too late to stop things. Your father's already gone, Reina's already dead. You have nothing left. Your life is over."
"I… I…" Try as he might, Ffamran couldn't come up with an excuse for Serah's accusations. Only, the person in front of him didn't really seem like Serah anymore. Its face was that of ever man he'd killed in the battle at Nalbina, the one man from Lemahl, that little girl after the battle…
"Ffamran?"
That voice was loud. It echoed off the halls, making the raindrops outside shake with its force. The image of Serah or whoever it was now wavered and vanished, leaving Ffamran alone.
"Ffamran!"
It was the same voice again. The voice was familiar, high-pitched and female.
"GB47?"
Ffamran sucked in a breath, real air filling his lungs. The wretched dreamscape that had claimed him vanished in the light of wakefulness, dispersing like mist in the morning sun. Staring up at the roof, or rather canvas folds, above him, Ffamran deducted that he was in a tent of some kind, lying in a makeshift bed. That was where he'd awoken most mornings since the war started.
Ffamran sat up slowly, a stabbing pain rushing through his right arm. He saw that it was in a sling, bandaged tightly. The memory of the battle and his horrid dream rushed through him all at once. From the sounds of groaning around him, Ffamran guessed he was in a medical tent. It seemed Ross had managed to get him there after all.
"Ffamran?" GB47's worried voice that had drawn Ffamran from his dream again entered his mind. "You're okay! Oh, you're okay! I'm so glad you're okay! Are you okay?"
Ffamran let out a chuckle, despite how tired and hurting he was. "Yes, GB47. I'm okay. And you?"
"Oh, a bit busted, but I'll live," she replied. "I guess I don't really need to say it, but… that battle was awful."
"I know what you mean," Ffamran sighed. "How did things go? How long have I been out?"
"Not that long. Only through the night and morning," GB47 said. "As for the war, it seems like Dalmasca is going to surrender. So things are almost over! You'll be able to go home!"
Ffamran let out a sigh, the words from his dream echoing in his mind: your life is over. "Home? I don't know if I even want to go back."
"Why not?" GB47 asked. "All you've ever wanted through this war was for it to be over so you could go back home."
"Reina's gone," Ffamran said, the words bitter in his mind. "Our future's over. My father's stark raving mad, blind to everything but that nethicite; I don't want to see him like that. That creature inside the stone is back in Archades, too, at least to my knowledge, and I've no desire to learn more of its schemes. I certainly don't want to fight in this blasted war anymore, but going back seems almost as bad. Part of me wishes I'd died in the fighting last night." Ffamran stopped there, stemming the flow of depressing thoughts. GB47 was silent for a few moments, pondering his words.
"Okay then," she said at last. "If Ffamran Bunansa died last night, then what would a fresh new man like yourself want to do?"
Ffamran frowned in confusion. "What are you trying to say?"
"You said you didn't want to desert because then you wouldn't be able to go home, right?" GB47 said. "Well, if you don't want to go back to Archades anymore, what's stopping you from leaving? I'm saying, if that's really how you feel, then leave Archadia. Leave Ffamran Bunansa behind. If you really think everything's gone so wrong, then start over."
Ffamran was silent for a moment before speaking. That sounded very nice indeed, but also an irreversible change. He didn't want to go home, but the unknown seemed downright terrifying.
"That's a rather weighty decision to make at a moment's notice," he said at last.
"It wouldn't be that hard!" GB47 said. "Just steal an airship and fly off! Well, when I say an airship, I do mean me, of course. So? How about it?"
"I don't know…" Ffamran said, shaking his head. This was all so sudden. "Do you have a plan for this escapade?"
"Sure." GB47 replied. "I know the code to get through my doors, and when there'll be people around or not. They've got me docked in the aerodrome for repairs now, so it should be easy for you to reach me!"
"Repairs?" Ffamran said. "I certainly can't take you if you're damaged."
GB47 let out a sigh. "It's just a coolant leak. I can totally get us far enough away from here, and then you can fix me up. You grew up at a laboratory, so you must know your way around an engine, right?"
Again, she was very convincing.
"I supposed it could work…" Ffamran said hesitantly.
"Yeah!" GB47 said, her voice eager. "So let's go! Let's get out of this crazy war! Please? I guess this sounds selfish, but I don't want to go back, either. To YPA, I mean." GB47's voice took on a tone of desperation Ffamran could tell she was trying to hide. "I… I'm scared. Scared to learn what I really am. I'm scared that if I know, my nature will trap me forever, like all the others. So, why don't we just fly off into the horizon, and then neither of us will have to worry?"
Honestly, GB47's offer was very tempting. Ffamran couldn't really think of any reason not to take her up on it, other than simply the fear of change. To leave Ffamran Bunansa… Actually, that sounded very nice. Abandon the heavy heritage and mystery that surrounded that name, leave behind the horrible mess Ffamran had got himself into… That sounded very nice indeed. And did he really want to go back to Archades, to watch his father talking to no one, lusting after ever greater power? Could he really stand that with nothing greater to hold him there? And then there was the other side of that offer; take GB47? What she said was true; once the war was officially over, YPA would take her back and do who-knew-what with her, else the Archadian government would just use her to destroy something else. For whatever reason, Ffamran couldn't stand the thought of letting that happen to the innocent little airship. All of these reasons compelled him to go, but still…
Ffamran hesitated for another moment, and a new voice cut him off before he could reply.
"Ffamran! You awake?"
Ffamran recognized this voice as Cheff, Ross's younger brother and also a long-time friend of his. He could see Cheff walking down the aisles of injured, stopping at Ffamran's bed.
"Cheff. Yes, I'm awake," Ffamran replied. He could feel GB47's annoyance at this interruption to their weighty conversation.
"Look, I'll let you know what I decide later, alright?" Ffamran said quickly to GB47.
"Just tell me now!" GB47 said. "Yes or no?"
"I, ah…" Ffamran hesitated. He didn't want to leave GB47 hanging, but he also didn't want to make a life changing decision in a split-second. "I'll think it over and tell you tonight, alright?"
GB47let out a sigh. "Okay. Tonight."
And then her presence disappeared, but not completely. There was still a trace of that inexplicably connection, and Ffamran was glad of it.
"You holding up okay?" Cheff asked.
Ffamran let out a sigh and just nodded.
"You're lucky they managed to save that arm," Cheff continued. "Otherwise, that've been the end of your sword fighting career!"
Cheff chuckled, and Ffamran did too, though half-heartedly.
"Where's Ross?" Ffamran asked.
"I'm not sure," Cheff replied with a shrug. "I haven't seen him since we dragged you in here. I'm sure he's somewhere around here, though."
"Mm." Ffamran nodded in agreement.
"I'll let you rest," Cheff said. He seemed to realize his friend wasn't in a mood to talk. He and Ffamran said quick goodbyes and Cheff left. Ffamran lay back down in his makeshift bed, GB47's offer the one thing on his mind. The thought of running away was both terrifying and exhilarating; no Judges, no Draklor, none of his friends or family. He would be leaving everything, even his name. Ffamran decided that then and there. If he really was leaving Archades and everything else, he didn't want that name anymore, that timeworn stamp that marked him as one in the long line of Ffamran Bunansas. It named him as the bearer of his unwanted powers, as the inheritor of a noble Archadian family. Ffamran didn't want that. Not anymore. Realizing that brought him once step closer to deciding.
But was it worth it? He would be leaving behind everything, both his mistakes and successes, his past with both its sorrow and its joy. Could he do that? Lose all the good, just to rid himself of the bad? But how much of the good was left, really? His father was insane, Reina was dead, and their memories only made things worse. There really wasn't much left in Archades for Ffamran to go back to. And then there was that thing, the myst-creature hidden in the nethicite. It had clearly wanted something with Ffamran, and he regrettably knew too little of his own powers to fight it. Being anywhere near that nethicite was dangerous. Everything was compelling him to go.
So there, in his bed, Ffamran decided that when the sun rose the next morning, he wouldn't be Ffamran anymore. He was going to leave all that behind. Permanently. He'd be alone. No, not alone; GB47 would be there. That was a strange thought in and of itself. Despite their present closeness, Ffamran had never officially thought of the bright little airship as a friend. But he did want to protect her, to take her away from whatever fate Archadia or YPA had planned, to keep her safe from whatever shadows lurked within her nature. The desperation in her voice still rang in Ffamran's ears… He couldn't stand the thought of abandoning her to her fate. So perhaps GB47's prediction at their meeting really had come true. Somehow, someway, they were friends. Her impossible uniqueness and various oddities still puzzled him greatly, but perhaps this new partnership would be an opportunity to learn more about her, as well.
With his decision made, Ffamran decided to get some sleep rather than contemplating. He needed to rest up for their departure that night.
…
That night, Ffamran slipped out of the medical tent and made his way stealthily to the aerodrome. His arm was still securely in the sling, and it hurt with every movement, but Ffamran didn't let that slow him down. If he wanted to escape the army, he had to be able to at least endure an injured arm.
Inside the aerodrome, the conversations of several damaged fighter crafts hummed through the air. Ffamran ignored their jubilance over the recent battle and headed straight for GB47. He didn't need to ask her where she was; Ffamran could just follow the tug of their connection. There was no denying it then, that there was a real, tangible bond between the two of them, whatever that entailed. Ffamran wasn't worried about that at the moment. He just wanted to leave.
Once he reached the docking bay where GB47 was kept, he reached out to her.
"GB47? Is it all clear?"
"Ffamran? Oh, you're here!" Ffamran could hear excitement as well as relief in her voice. "I was worried you weren't coming!"
"No, I'm here," Ffamran replied. "I've decided to go."
"Great!" GB47 said. "Well, their changing the guard shifts now, so it's probably as good a time as any. They'll be a few fighters on patrol outside, but I can outrun them, easy!" Ffamran could feel her bright smile, as well as the relief hiding underneath it. GB47 acted so happy and excited, but he could tell she was scared, both of what she left behind and what lay ahead. She was obviously trying to hide it, so Ffamran decided not to say anything.
Ffamran pushed his way through the doors into the hanger. Inside was GB47. Her voice always sounded so small, it was almost surprising when Ffamran saw the real her, a massive military airship. Such crafts were not small jets but were designed for all manner of missions. Military airships always had ample holds and could carry several people in their spacious cockpits. Combine that with glossair systems and a load of firearms, and each fighter was a large, intimidating aircraft. GB47 was no exception; though Ffamran often thought of her as a "little" airship, she was nothing of the sort. That, combined with the delicate patterns of gold and navy-blue swirling over her white paint, made her both imposing and lovely.
"So! Ready to fly?" GB47's familiar, small high voice sounded in Ffamran's mind. He let out a chuckle and nodded slowly.
"Yes, GB47. Ready to fly."
She quickly gave him the code for the door, and he opened it with ease. The door was low on the side and opened into small hallway with short stairways leading down to the hold and engine rooms and up to the cockpit. Ffamran took the stairs up into the cockpit. Inside were two rows of seats; two were positioned in front of the control panels for the pilot and copilot. Ffamran sat down in the pilot's seat, resting his one good hand on the steering wheel. He'd flown airships before, mostly test-driving new prototypes for Draklor, but it never felt like this. It was time to go, leave everything he'd ever known. But he'd thought this through. Was it worth it? He had decided yes, it was.
"This is it," Ffamran said, half to himself and half to GB47, just because she was there. "The end of Ffamran. There's not much left to end. I suppose that's why I'm doing this."
"So who are you now?" GB47 asked softly. Ffamran could tell she felt the gravity of this moment.
So this was it. Time to pick a new name, to leave behind Ffamran and the weight that name carried. Freedom. Somehow, it didn't seem as exciting as it should have.
"I hadn't really gotten that far," Ffamran said at last. "You have any ideas, GB47?"
"A name?" GB47 stopped and pondered for a moment. "Well, you could use your grandfather's name."
"That's rather uncreative," Ffamran said with scoff.
"You got any better ideas?" GB47 asked.
"No," Ffamran admitted. "But unfortunately, my grandfather's name was Ffamran, as well."
"Really?" GB47 asked. "Both of them?"
"Well, no," Ffamran said.
"Well then what was the other one's name?" GB47 asked.
"I never met him," Ffamran said. "I think it was Balthier or something like that. Oh, I don't remember."
"Balthier?" GB47 said. "Sounds good enough to me, even if it isn't right. So, how about it?"
Ffamran let out a sigh. "Like you said, I haven't got any better ideas. I guess… that's that."
So he was Balthier now. It was a weird feeling. He'd thought it would be invigorating to finally be rid of it all, and yet now… Now he just felt empty. It was a fresh start, but it was also starting over. While Ffamran had held both joy and sorrow, Balthier had neither. Not yet, anyway.
"And how about me?" GB47 asked.
"You?" Ffamran, er, Balthier, asked, not understanding.
"I don't want to be YPA's private killing machine for the rest of my days," GB47 said, a taste of bitterness in her voice at those words. "So what's my new name?"
"Well, what kind of name do you want?" Balthier asked.
"I don't really care," GB47 said with a mental shrug. "Take something from a story, make something up; as long as you pick it, it's good enough for me!"
Balthier let out a sigh, pondering for a moment. Make something up? He could do that.
"How about… Strahl?"
"Sounds good!" GB47, or Strahl now, said. "It shorter than YPA-GB47 Test Combat Fighter, that's for sure."
"Now that that's all settled," Balthier sighed, "I suppose it's time to go."
"Yeah. Time to go."
Balthier reached across Strahl's control panel, flipping switches and hitting buttons. In a few moments, her engines rumbled to life, sending a gentle vibration through the floor beneath his feet. The dome-shaped roof overhead split open, revealing a starry night sky overhead. It was so bright, so wide, and all theirs. That sense of freedom Balthier had expected finally rushed over him as he stared into the endless open sky, and he suddenly, knew that was where he belonged.
"You mean where we belong, right, Balthier?" Strahl asked, reading his thoughts again. Balthier smiled, tightening his grip on her steering wheel.
"Yes, Strahl. Where we belong."
At Nalbina Fortress, the night after the brutal battle between Archadia and Dalmasca, an airship, white paint glowing in the starlight, raised out of the aerodrome and sailed off towards the horizon. The future awaited, and who could tell what it might contain? Was it worth leaving everything? One day, they'd find out.
…
The war, indeed, was over. After Dalmasca's crushing defeat at Nalbina, Archadia extended terms of peace, or rather, of Dalmasca's surrender. King Raminas of Dalmasca made his way to Nalbina Fortress to sign the treaty, ending the war and Dalmasca's freedom. To fully understand the grief of Dalmasca's people, one must know of the hope that had filled the kingdom in the days before the war. King Raminas' daughter, the Princess Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca, known affectionately by her people as Princess Ashe, had recently been wed to the second prince of Nabradia, Lord Rasler. This wedding signified a treaty between the two nations, promising prosperity for both. But it was more than a mere wedding of convenience; the people of Dalmasca rejoiced in seeing their beloved princess wed to her true love. Rasler was still residing in Rabanastre, Dalmasca's capital, when Nabudis fell and Nabradia was lost. Burning with grief over the loss of his nation and family, Rasler led Dalmasca's forces against the hated Archadian Empire in the Battle of Nalbina Fortress. Unfortunately, he was hit with an arrow to the heart and killed in the combat. With their greatest stronghold and most passionate leader lost, the Dalmascans had begun to despair. Still, they remembered the hope that had surrounded Princess Ashe's wedding and clung to that memory. Many were angry when the king agreed to surrender to the empire that had taken everything away from them.
Despite this, Kind Raminas went forth to Nalbina, determined to end the war before any more lives were lost. However, Archadia had massed more soldiers at Nalbina, and many feared the king was walking into a trap, that the Archadians would kill him as soon as he signed the treaty. This is mind, the Order of the Knights of Dalmasca set forth, following the king to the fortress, intending to rescue him from this fate. However, this plan went horribly awry, and King Raminas was assassinated by of the Order's own knights before he could sign the treaty. This knight, Captain Basch, claimed he only wished to save Dalmasca from Archadian control. Nevertheless, he was taken captive and executed for treason. Following the king's death was Dalmasca's complete surrender without terms. The final blow to the Dalmascan people was the death of Princess Ashe, who, full of grief and despair after the death of her father and husband and the loss of her country, took her own life.
The feared war between Archadia and Rozarria never came, and Ivalice remanded in a state of restless peace.
But what did the future hold, just over the horizon? History is written with the ink of tears and laughter, and both joy and sorrow await those who would play their roles in it.
And what of those who fled the crisis of nations? Do they still have a role to play in this history's tale? Will it be their tears, and their laughter, that stain the pages of Ivalice's history…?
End Part One: The Prelude
And that's the end of part one! I thank all very much for your support and I hope you've have a great experience! Next week I'll be releasing a special chapter that takes place between parts one and two that will introduce a certain someone who all you who've played the game can probably guess. Until then!