"How many days has it been since we left the mountain?" Penelo yawns, stretching her arms over her head after hopping off her chocobo.

"Six," Basch replies, scratching at his rapidly growing beard. "I could use a razor and a good bath."

"I second that," Balthier mutters, glancing over at Fran and tracing the unkept edges of his facial hair.

"You know it's bad when Basch complains," I tease, plopping down into the sand.

"I need you to get firewood," the knight replies, hitting the back of my head gently as he walks by. I groan, falling on my back.

"I just sat down, big guy."

"You know Shae's just fine when she complains," Vaan mutters. I swipe at his ankles and miss, leaving he and Penelo laughing. Pouting, I throw a fist full of sand at them lazily and drag myself to my feet.

The journey through the Salikawood was exhausting. The wetlands leading up to it were bad enough what with their giant snakes and malboros. After that, we spent two days venturing through the Salikawood, running favors for moogles and opening paths. The air was heavy and a massive bomb chased us through the second half, but we finally made it to the sandy shores of the Phon Coast hardly an hour ago. The closer we get to the city I ran from, the closer I feel to suffocating.

Fran leans back against a palm tree, sharpening a handful of arrows. Penelo sits on the bright grass, watching with great interest gleaming in her eyes and speaking to the viera. Vaan, Balthier and Ashe continue with their usual banter. I give Basch the firewood he needed and stand at the edge of the ocean, feeling the cool waves wash over my boots. I hug my arms to my body and look up at the bright moon. Far down this beach, tucked down beneath a cliff, is the ruins of Jonan's childhood home. The standing memory of the destruction that follows my carelessness no matter where I go.

"Stargazing?" I turn to see Vaan meandering up to my side, wearing a lazy smile. "It's pretty cloudy for that tonight."

"It's nothing I can help," I shrug, narrowing my eyes on that moon, wondering if it's the very same light beaming through Jonan's window right now. If it's the same light casting harsh shadows across Vayne's bedroom. If Balthier looks the same tonight as he did all those nights ago in the jungle.

"Aren't you hungry? Basch and Balthier are cooking those hares we killed earlier."

"Are they now? And is Fran eating as well, or would that be considered cannibalism?"

"That's quite rude, you know," Balthier calls across the beach.

"Quite," Fran agrees with a nod, though her eyes hold something far more gentle than anger. And when they meet mine, she leaves Penelo's side and strides toward us. "Go back to Penelo, Vaan," she says calmly but sternly.

"Fine, fine," the thief breathes, running off. The viera stands beside me in silence, staring up at the moon. Finally, she speaks.

"It's odd," she murmurs. "Jote can see this very moon, just as we can. Perhaps even clearer."

"I was just thinking the same thing," I nod, shivering against the cool night breeze. "Why'd you send Vaan off?"

"To talk adult speak," she replies, a teasing tone in her voice. "Not for children."

"Oh?" I smile. "And what's that?"

"I feel that you have a question for me. Perhaps even two." I sigh, nodding and turning my eyes back to the deep blue waves.

"I suppose I do. I was wondering… Back in the Golmore Jungle, why did you let me hear your conversation? You knew I was there; Balthier did not."

"There is much you want to know," the viera says simply. "And so, I let you learn a piece to our puzzle."

"Not fully," I point out. "What's Balthier's deal with nethicite?"

"It's sensitive," she sighs. "You will find it soon, I am certain."

"How soon?"

"Archades, perhaps even sooner. He has a far deeper past than you must believe."

"Probably, but I don't suppose anyone has much of an idea of what I've done in my time, either."

"Other than fighting the holy mountain and serving Vayne, I suppose we know nothing."

The conversation dies there for a minute, and then two. Three. Four. Fran takes a deep breath and speaks her final, quiet words.

"I must warn you: Balthier is a free-spirited hume. Your eyes betray the truth; I only mean to save you effort. His heart is strong on the outside, but soft inside. He falls easily." Her ear twitches, her scarlet eyes narrowed on the moon. "To capture such a hume might bring you great reward, but he recovers from his falls twice as fast as he makes them."

"What are you saying?" I ask hesitantly.

"Capture the rabbit before it frees itself from the trap," she mutters, turning her gaze down to me. "Or it runs."

"…You want me to cook Balthier?"

"I suppose, if that is your heart's desire," she sighs, but I swear I see a smile play across her lips as she turns away. I laugh to myself, stooping down to run my hands through the salt water once more before following her back to camp. That poor viera… she has no idea what she's talking about.

There's no escaping my snare.

The next morning, I feel anything but happy. My body aches, my head pounds, and my mouth is dry. I fix the third problem by snagging Vaan's water bag and chugging all he has left while he dozes. He notices soon after, however, because Ashe wants to get a move on as soon as possible now that we're walking the rest of the way. The chocobos couldn't fit on the narrow Salikawood walkways, and so we dropped them off with the moogles in hopes that someday they might be returned. Picking up my spear and sliding my dagger into my boot, I follow the group in our long trek across the sand.

The day only goes downhill from there. Rain picks up off the ocean and drenches us. The wildlife grows stronger the farther we walk and we get our asses kicked nearly everywhere we travel. By the time Penelo's exhausted from casting too many spells and blood washes down my skin with every raindrop, night begins to fall yet again.

"Man, I'm drenched," Vaan grumbles, shaking his head like a dog. The fire pops and crackles with every splash it receives. Irritated, I shove his shoulder with a scowl. "Sorry, geez."

"No, keep going," Balthier says, his voice laced with a distinct "I'm on the edge, no one spark the fuse" tone. "She needs to cool off."

I glower at him from across the crackling flames, rubbing at my sore shoulder with a wince. Somehow, one of the massive birds stomping around out here on the coast dislocated it earlier. Basch had to help me set it right again; as you can imagine, that was quite the fiasco. Ashe paces back and forth, clutching the Sword of Kings in her hands. Suddenly, she speaks up.

"Once we destroy this Dusk Shard, we hold an advantage over the Imperials yet again."

"Do you plan on letting the war start?" Balthier asks, hooking an arm around his raised knee.

"I don't want it to," she sighs, running a hand down the length of the blade gingerly. "But if that is what must take place to distract Vayne in order for us to crush this once and for all…" Her voice trails off. Fran tilts her head.

"Is it revenge that you desire?"

"I… It may be a part of my motives," Ashe admits. I push myself to my feet, tucking my trembling hands underneath my arms. The pressure's building inside and it's only so long before I burst. "I'll do what it takes to end Vayne Solidor, even if the war sparks."

"Even if hundreds die?" I snap, turning to face her with a scowl. "Even if hundreds of innocent lives are lost because of your actions, you'll continue with this nonsense?"

"It's not nonsense!" Ashe fires back, rage burning behind her eyes. She's sick of me questioning her actions. "You don't know what it's like to feel what he did! A scar and a few friends dead are nothing compared to losing an entire nation."

"Nothing?" I sneer, drawing closer. "You're a bratty little bitch who's throwing a tantrum over a bloody seat! War isn't some valiant effort where both sides lose people who had no ties—it's a slaughterhouse for men and women with families and careers." I throw an arm out to the side. "You want your revenge? Go for it! But don't drag half of Ivalice to Hell with you."

"Sacrifices must be made!" she insists, nervous as I draw closer. "You're nothing but a plunderer on the search for gold; what do you know about being an heir?!"

"What do I…?" I throw my head back as a sickening laugh forces its way out. And then the rage returns and I grab her shoulders, shoving her to the ground.

"Shae!" Penelo cries, leaping to her feet and covering her mouth with her hands. Afraid.

"I think it's about time I set things straight!" I shout, falling down on my knees and lifting Ashe toward me by her collar, hissing. "You're not the only damn royalty on this trip!" Stunned, everyone falls into silence as my shaking hands drop the princess and I slowly draw myself to my feet again. There's no going back now. "My name is Shera Castean Solidor, daughter to Emperor Gramis Gana Solidor and younger sister to Vayne." Vaan leaps to his feet.

"But… You said you served him!"

"I did!" I turn to glare at him, the flames casting eerie shadows over my face. My voice cracks, my resolve failing. "I did…" To see the fear, the anger, the confusion in their eyes… My heart clenches and I choke on air. Shaking my head, I turn and run off into the rain, running until I can't see the glow of the campfire or the shock on their faces or the smoke from damp logs.

I only stop when the toe of my boot catches on a rock I didn't see whilst sprinting uphill. I land face first in the muddy sand, knocking the breath from my lungs. Spitting the dirt from my mouth, I force myself past the pain and drag my aching body behind a set of crumbled stone walls. It was likely once a home for a sailor or two, but now it's nothing more than a loose brick slab for me to sit against. I can't tell if the warmth on my cheeks is rain or tears, but whatever it is, I let it fall until it runs cold. Hunched with my knees pressed to my chest, I hug my legs to my body and stare off into the angry ocean waters.

A whole past I tried to forget, surfaced into the eyes of those I wish would hold me in the highest regard because of who I am, not because of my title. I huff, pressing my forehead to my knees. I knew better than to get so close, to let them see my anger and my scars and my past. And they don't even know about… I shake my head, slamming it against my knees once more before beating it against the bricks with my eyes screwed shut. Even if I just slipped away now, ran and hid like I always do, I...

"I doubt giving yourself a concussion will solve anything."

"Go away." My voice is raw, broken. Tired. I hate it.

"Relax, Princess. I know now at least why you and Larsa are so close." Upon seeing my glare, Balthier shakes his head and slicks his wilting hair back. Water has drenched clean through his clothing. "Fine, I won't call you that. I should have suspected who you were with all the clues you threw out." He puts his hands on his hips, peering down at me. "The name Shera, the ship called the Castean, the dread of Archades…" He shrugs. "It seems you bested me yet again."

"How did you find me?"

"The footprints weren't hard to follow."

"Why did you follow me?"

"I'm not sure," he admits with a sigh. "I doubt Ashe will be pleased by that move, but somehow I can't bring myself to care."

I tear my eyes away from him and stare out at the ocean. Heaving another sigh, he steps closer, offering a hand to pull me up. I eye it for a second and then turn to glare at the grass. He shakes his head, raising an eyebrow.

"Is that how you're going to be? After I chased you all the way out here to make sure you didn't do anything stupid? You're the one who just told the next Dalmascan ruler you're the devil's little sister."

"…You didn't have to."

"I didn't have to save you in Nalbina's dungeon either, now did I?" He nudges his hand closer. "Some say I have a heart of gold, but I prefer to think that I just like you, Shera Castean Solidor." Huffing, I roll my eyes and take his hand, letting him tug me to my feet. And then I immediately pull away, walking closer to the edge of the cliff to see the ocean clearer. "I never understood the men who decided that the ocean was far more inviting than the skies," Balthier comments, breaking the silence.

"I don't know," I mutter, kicking a stone and watching it drop into the water. "It looks fairly inviting right now."

"For the Fate's sake," the pirate huffs, gripping my elbow and pulling me from the cliff's edge. "Haven't you been running for long enough? Cut the lies." He frowns, forcing my eyes to meet his. "What do you plan to do about Vayne?"

"I don't know if I should do anything anymore," I admit, my eyes falling to the drenched white material of his shirt, eyeing the odd edges that glue themselves to his skin and make his arms appear smaller than usual. "Or if there's anything I can do. Nothing will bring Dern back." I turn my eyes back up to his. "Besides, you're not the prime example of a man to speak on honesty. I don't even know who you are." He doesn't say anything for a second, brows drawn together and his grip on my elbow loosening. Then he huffs, his hand falling down my arm slowly.

"You should go with us to Archades. As much as I hate to admit it, you'd be an invaluable asset once we've arrived."

"How many times have you been there?"

"Often enough to know the basics of the city," he replies, raising an eyebrow. "You haven't ever returned?"

"Why would I?" I can't bring myself to fight anymore. My head's spinning and light; I can hardly think. "I ran because I hated every part of that place. Why would I return to the very brother who turned his back on me the moment he met me?"

"I don't blame you," he shakes his head. "What did Fran speak with you about?"

"She didn't say?"

"No."

"…" I try to pull my eyes away from his and down to the olive green and gold vest my hands are splayed across, but they move right back to their target as though they're magnets meant to be paired.

Balthier's frown deepens in the silence, but I can't bring my lips to form the words. So, I use them another way, silencing his next question with a harsh kiss. For the second time since I met him, Balthier is taken by complete surprise, fumbling for the first few moments before finally finding a grip on my waist. The first time… Hey, Fran? How old are you again? I push the memory away, reaching up a hand to drag through the cropped brunette hair that's practically flattened to his head by the rain. For once, I feel as though I've done something right.

Finally, I push myself away, brushing my wet hair from my face and stumbling back. My eyes find the ocean and Balthier's find me. My eyelids can hardly stay open, my body flat out of energy from the past week. Silent, I drag myself back toward my wall and slide down until I'm sitting. Taking a deep breath, Balthier follows, settling to my right. We sit in the rain for an eternity before he speaks.

"Was that word for word?"

I barely hear the laugh shaking through my chest, but Balthier seems to sense it, breathing out his own chuckle.

"Not exactly," I mutter, closing my eyes and leaning my head against the brick. "There was more lecturing involved."

"About?"

"Catching rabbits in traps."

"… I see."

"Do you?"

"No." Another pause. This is unlike him… "Comfortable?"

"No." I peel my eyes open.

Shaking his head, he nods toward his shoulder. I sigh tiredly, scooting closer and laying my head on the sharp joint. It's harder than the wall but somehow more comforting. Just as my eyes fall shut, the rain still pouring down around us, he nudges my side.

"You owe me, you know."

"For?" I yawn, sitting up to face him. He raises an eyebrow, but I can see that familiar smug glint in his eye.

"You've only been paying me a damsel's rate." I can't help the grin that parts my lips as I roll my eyes. Braver than before, I lean forward and press a chaste kiss to his lips. His lips quirk into a mocking smile. "Much better."

"Shut up," I huff, punching his chest gently. He chuckles as I settle against his side again.

"She's returned to herself."

I don't have a reply, so I close my eyes and let sleep dig its claws into my consciousness and drag me down until it drowns me. Next thing I know, I'm dreaming of the peaceful days of reading books to young Larsa and teasing Vaan through the desert.