Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy XII

I apologize for the extremely long break, but I'm a University student.

I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, the atmosphere just isn't right.

They were dragged aboard the Dreadnought Leviathan. Vaan thought little of the ship. It was big, clumsy, and lacked style. It could take a punch but that's all it had going for it. It was, after all, an Imperial ship.

As soon as they were aboard, they were dragged to the Judge. The guard announced them but Vaan's eyes were on the prisoner already in the room. Amalia! She'd turned at their entrance and was shocked upon seeing them. After a moment, her features morphed into a look of determined fury. R sighed as she marched toward them.

Basch stood tall, "Majesty-"

She slapped him. "After what you've done! How dare you!" She sneered, "You're supposed to be dead!"

R rolled his eyes. "Idiots. Why don't you like Ashe, they asked. She's a nice girl, they said." He scoffed. "If that's how a nice girl treats a loyal soldier, I'll happily refrain."

Vaan was just looking at him like he had a second head.

"Soon." R nodded toward the others.

"-Princess Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca."

The Judge caught his attention with that bombshell! Vaan's jaw dropped. "Princess?" Balthier and Fran glanced at each other quickly.

The Judge continued. "To be sure, she bears no proof of her former station. No different than any mean member of the insurgence."

"The Resistance."

"She never did know when her input wasn't welcome." R's tone was a mixture of wistful nostalgia and irritation.

The Judge ignored her. "His Excellency, the Consul asks the ministry of the disthroned royal family in restoring peace to Dalmasca. Those who foster instability and unrest, who claim royal blood without proof…they shall meet their fate at the gallows. There are no exceptions."

The Princess lashed out. "I will not play puppet to Vayne."

There was a tense silence as the armoured man and the exiled woman stared each other down.

Basch broke it. "King Raminas entrusted me with a task. Should the time come, he bade me give you something of great importance. It is your birthright: the Dusk Shard." His gaze turned to the Archadian. "It will warrant the quality of her blood. Only I know where to find it."

Ashe turned. "Wait."

R snorted. "Yes, Basch. Wait. Bringing this up in front of the Empire. Honestly."

"You took my father's life! Why spare mine now? You would have me live in shame!"

"If that is your duty: yes."

R groaned while Ashe took a breath. "She'd be a terrible Queen. Doesn't she see how much better the lives of her people would be if she simply agreed to this?"

Vaan nodded and spoke up. "Stop being so stubborn!" He stepped forward to mediate. "Keep on like this and you're gonna get us all killed."

"Don't interrupt!" She snapped. She turned to him.

Vaan's eyes widened and so did R's. A section of his pants was glowing. "Vaan, listen. Don't-" But it was too late. The stone was in his hands.

Basch seemed to recognize it. "Vaan that stone!"

"It was in the palace treasure."

"Well, well." Balthier's voice echoed from behind him.

The Judge started laughing, and Vaan could honestly say he'd never been more unnerved. Even R by his side was no comfort; he said nothing.

"Splendid! You've brought the Stone with you! This spares us a great deal of trouble."

Amalia- Ashe- lunged at him as the Judge held out a hand imperiously. "Don't give it to him!"

Vaan hesitated. He looked to the others. Balthier shrugged toward the Judge, Fran nodded. It was R's somber tone that convinced him. "It's either the stone or your lives. Give it to him."

Vaan decided. He passed over the magicite. "You have to promise: no executions."

The Judge's voice was smug as he took the offered stone. "A Judge's duty is to the law." He turned to leave them. "Take them away, Lady Ashe is to be quartered separately."

Not five minutes later, Balthier and Basch had riled up their guards enough that they were attacked and easily knocked them out, with the exception of one, who turned out to be Vossler, a member of the Resistance and the Princess' protector. He joined them to break her out and handed over a map of the Leviathan.

Vaan stayed in the back of the group as they journeyed through the numerous hallways of the Imperial ship. Nobody would hear him over their own armoured footsteps. He followed their lead as he spoke quietly to R. "You knew Amalia was the Princess Ashe." It wasn't a question.

"I did."

"Does any of this have anything to do with why you were in the bedroom of the Palace?"

R took a moment to puzzle out the sentence in his head. "In a way it does, but it has more to do with the Princess herself than her identity as Amalia or the Resistance."

"So basically you'll tell me in your own time." He could deal with that. It wasn't really his business. "Are you ever going to tell me who you are?"

The ghost smiled. "I imagine now that you've met Ashe, you'll find out who I am sooner than you think."

They ran behind the group silently for a few minutes, navigating the maze-like halls and the laser alarm systems. "Hey, R? I have a kind of personal question. You don't have to answer it…"

R chuckled at Vaan's uncertain tone. "You may ask regardless."

"Well, the magicite. I don't have it anymore so why are you still with me? I just assumed you couldn't leave the stone or something. Not that I'm complaining that you're here, you're great!"

The ghost outright laughed. "Vaan, I spent years away from the magicite in my bedroom. Whatever made you think that I couldn't leave the magicite?"

"Well you were just always around me, and you could've gone anywhere."

He shook his head. "I am here because you interest me. The magicite has no affect on that, other than your ability to touch me."

Vaan sighed. "Yeah, it's a shame that I don't have the magicite anymore, the touching was nice."

Before Vaan could think on what he'd said or R could reply, the group ended up in a fight with Judges and Imperial mages. The battle was quickly won with the defeat of the Judges. After which they found Ashe.

Vossler was the first to enter her cell. "You are unharmed?"

Ashe stood hurriedly. "Vossler! I-" She swayed and the former Knight steadied her.

"Majesty!"

Her hand lingered on his arm for just a breath longer than necessary and Vaan heard R groan. "It's nothing. I'll be fine."

Then Basch entered and Ashe gasped. "You."

Vaan watched as the ghost rolled his eyes. "Again? They did all this already. You're both alive. Get over it."

Vaan agreed. "Come on, come on! Let's go! What are you waiting for? Penelo's still out there!"

Balthier and Fran were keeping watch by the door. "We should hurry. They won't be long."

Vossler turned to the princess. "We will talk later." He waited for her to nod before they left the cell."

R floated close to the young thief as he ran after the group. "There's no need to worry about your friend. Larsa will take good care of Penelo."

Again their conversation was interrupted as the alarm went off. Ashe made a fuss about Basch being a traitor but Vossler calmed her.

Vaan rolled his eyes as he ran ahead of the argument with R floating beside him. He was annoyed at her behavior already. Why couldn't she just be grateful that they'd saved her life? She hadn't even thanked them.

R shook him out of his thoughts. "Head in the fight, Vaan. You need to get through these guards and get yourselves to a ship."

Vaan shook his head as he stabbed with his dagger. He could think when they got out of this place.

The group made a mad dash back the way they'd come, fighting countless guards along the way. After what seemed like forever, they ran into a large area and came head to head with Larsa and Penelo.

"Vaan!"

They ran and enveloped each other in a tight hug. He rested her head on hers as she curled into him. "It's okay, we're okay." He only half paid attention to the world around them.

Larsa coolly stalked passed them. "Ghis knows you've escaped. You must hurry." He turned to Vossler. "You are Captain Azelas. You will follow me. You must reach the airships before they do."

"You would let us leave knowing who we are?"

Larsa ignored him. "Lady Ashe. By all rights you ought not even to exist. That you and Captain Ronsenburg were made to appear dead…is like a hidden thread laid bare. Your actions hereafter will pull at that thread and we will see what it unravels. This is our chance. We must see this through, and get to the bottom of it. I believe 'tis for the good of Dalmasca, and for the good of the Empire."

Ashe just looked at the boy for a moment. "Very well then."

Vaan, finally disentangled from Penelo, said his part. "Thanks 'Lamont'."

The Young Lord looked sheepish when faced with the thief's disapproval. "I must apologize." He quickly averted his gaze and instead approached Penelo.

R burst into a fit of laughter.

"Penelo, for you." He handed her a softly glowing blue stone. "May it bring you good fortune."

She smiled. "Thanks."

Vaan looked between the two with a frown. R clapped him on the shoulder, or he tried to anyway. "You know, Vaan, I actually like this kid. He believes in his own authority, ignores inane questions, ignores Basch and Ashe's drama, and isn't afraid to make a move on the fair lady." He laughed. Vaan huffed but couldn't say anything.

After their impromptu meeting, Vossler went off with Larsa, and Penelo stayed with them. Vaan and Penelo stuck together and R actually found himself annoyed at her presence since he couldn't converse with Vaan as per usual.

I was clear sailing until they encountered Judge Ghis in the Port Launch.

"Such a great shame. I must confess: I thought you the one who would help us restore peace to Dalmasca." Troops filed into the room behind them. "No matter. We hold the proof of your royal lineage. A maid of passing resemblance will serve our purposes now." The Judge used a fire spell and held it in his hand. "As for you, my dear…" He threw it. "The Empire requires you no more!"

Right as the spell would have come down on them, there was a blue glow and the spell was sucked into the stone in Penelo's hand. She stared at it as everyone turned to look at her. "What was that?"

Balthier, as always, had an answer. "The nethicite."

"Your Majesty does not disappoint!"

They all turned to see that Ashe had used their distraction to confront Ghis.

"Ever quick to spurn an honorable surrender, as was your father."

Ashe positively shrieked. "You know nothing of my father!"

The following battle was quick and brutal, with Balthier and Basch fighting the Judge while Vaan and Penelo kept the other troops busy. Ashe tried in vain to get a hit on Ghis before reluctantly helping the younger group members instead.

Just as Ghis was defeated, Vossler ran into the room. "We've secured an Atomos, come!"

Balthier looked disappointed. "An Atomos? All skiff, no ship. Hardly fit for a leading man." Nevertheless, he ran after Vossler.

Vaan called after him, "So can I fly it then?"

R laughed and Fran nudged him, "Are you mad?" Vaan sighed.

When they landed in Bhujerba, Penelo was quick to dash after Balthier before he wandered off. She would have approached him on the Atomos, but he was flying, and Vaan was hovering around him and she was busy learning how to navigate from Fran. "Balthier," he turned "your handkerchief, I thought you might want it back." She offered the folded white linen to him.

He glanced at and then took it with a flirtatious smile. "I shall wear it close to my heart." He bowed.

Vaan watched from afar with a scowl.

R pretended to lean against Vaan's side as he hovered in the air. "If you're not careful, people will start to think you're jealous."

Vaan kept his voice quiet and pitched low. "It's not like that and you know it. It's just…it's always been the two of us, you know? But now there are boys and men, Lords and pirates, and who knows who else? How am I supposed to protect her if she goes off with one of them?"

The ghost's cold breath tickled the desert boy's ear as he laughed. "Vaan, I doubt Balthier has any real interest in Penelo. She is much younger than him, and he obviously cares for Fran. Larsa, on the other hand, is only a boy. You have nothing to worry about for a while yet, and he is also Archadian. A relationship between the two of them would be difficult to say the least in present times. As for others, I think you should speak to Penelo about the dangers of men if you're so worried." His tone was teasing. "Although I want to be there to witness it if such a talk should occur." He laughed.

Vaan shrugged as if to get the man's arm off him but only succeeded in making the arm go through him, and feeling like the cold water from the sewers had been poured down his back. He grumbled as the ghost only laughed harder. "Now, for example, would be a great time to have that magicite."