Author's Notes:

Thanks for reading! :)

Thank You for all the kudos, support, input, fun, laughs and doodlies from my MSN buddies Maudie (and Dan), Earisu, Amy, Feeny, Aorin and Chris!! You guys are the greatest!

Many thanks as well, to all of you that have been kind enough to take the time to leave me a few words after reading. I really appreciate it!

.• SAVE THE QUEEN •.

Chapter 6

Metamorphosis

It's the time of the day when I lay down to rest
To impressions of the day digest
But thoughts of my existence emerge
Who am I and why am I?
My consciousness can't be purged

Until a soothing breeze is putting me to sleep
I fall through endless depths

My dreams awake, they're taking over
Take me on a journey within

I see myself and I see my world
I meet people from my past
But can't remember where they're from
They stare at me with hollow eyes
Still disappointment therein lies

Metamorphosis- Anata

One year ago, the day he had entered Gabranth's quarters for the first time he had been unable to breach the threshold for a long moment. It had deeply saddened him to see the room; It was a space void of life. Once he had found the courage to step inside and begin poking about, nothing except the barest of drab colored necessities could be found inside the modest chamber. Basch was pained that the man had left nothing tangible behind that he could keep to honor and remember the last living member of his family. His identical twin brother.

Noah.

With great soberness, he had inspected his dead brother's small bed, wardrobe and desk. Exactly as Basch would have done, his bed had been made up in a ridged manner, in the way both boys had learned from their strict training as soldiers in Landis. The dark green, wool coverlet was pulled so tight, Basch had been sure he could bounce an item back into his hand from the surface. He pulled open the wardrobe and found a few sparse pieces of clothing; he already knew the dark colored garments would fit him perfectly. It had been many an occasion that he and Noah had shared clothing in the past.

On that day, Basch had turned to the only other piece of furniture in the room. The same simple desk and mirror in which he now stood facing.

Part of him had considered not looking through Noah's belongings out of respect for his fallen brother. Curiosity had gotten the better of him, however. If he were to take over the man's life and assume this new identity, he thought would be for the best that he briefed himself on any of Noah's projects, likes and interests. It was with a deep melancholy for Noah that Basch realized there was not much to uncover.

Inside the desk, however, Basch had found something that shocked him profoundly. Deep in the shadowy recess of the desk's only drawer he discovered a simple, unimportant looking wooden box.

Upon removing it, he'd shifted his weight, undecided as to whether or not he wanted to pry further. His fingers seemed almost to move on their own, however, and as the lid was lifted he glanced inside. What he found there was so unexpected, his breath had caught in his throat, for the item that rested inside belonged not to his brother.

It belonged to him.

Last Night...

The hour had passed dusk and the wood surrounding Eruyt Village was bathed in an ebbing glow. The last rays of the sun's golden ethereal light streamed between the trees, illuminating insects that floated lazily upon warm, unseen air currents.

Jote was sitting cross-legged near a bungalow talking quietly with Hala, leader of the salve-makers, and a small group of her neophytes. The quiet group of viera looked up as an armed wood-warder guard came hurriedly around the bend toward them.

"She refuses to remain outside the village...she insists on seeing you, Priestess."

The Viera Chief turned to face the guard fully, drawing her brows together. "Who?"

Before the warder could answer, Jote's eyes flicked to the movement behind the guard. Nothing could prepare her for the sight that greeted her. Her sister was staggering toward them wearing a formal, black evening dress, her hair was a loose mess about her face and most horrifying of all...she was weeping.

Standing inside her damaged guest quarters, Dalmasca's new queen continued trying to will away her piercing headache. She turned her haggard eyes up, then glanced from Balthier to Penelo. She focused on the sheepish girl for a moment then moved toward her, "Penelo get cleaned up, let's find Vaan."

Searching Rabanastre for clues about her missing friend's whereabouts was just the diversion she needed. Ashe decided she would do anything to keep her mind from the awful rift that she had created between herself and Basch. Far more painful to her than the discovery about Noah, was the image of Basch looking up toward her as he boarded the ship back to Archades. The lack of his presence in the palace left a gaping hole in her very being. Though his stay had only been a few days, already she couldn't bear his absence.

Why had she sent him away?

She bitterly berated herself again for her useless stubbornness and pride.

She blinked herself out of her reverie, and looked up to see Penelo's arm reaching outside the slightly ajar bathroom door. The girl was waving Balthier's silk dress shirt vaguely in his direction, trying to return the garment to him. Once he moved forward and grasped it, her arm disappeared back inside and the door began shutting the rest of the way. It hadn't quite swung all the way closed when the pirate leaned forward, casually trying to glance inside in shrinking opening. Ashe gave Balthier a brisk slap to the back of his head causing him to jump with surprise.

"Shouldn't you be looking for Fran?" Ashe placed her hand on her hips and looked at him sternly.

He turned to face her, meekly rubbing the back of his head, his bracelets clanging together softly. "That's going to be somewhat difficult without the Strahl," he flashed her a small grin as he began pushing his lean, muscular arms through the sleeves of his shirt.

Ashe sighed, trying to avert her eyes from his attractive form, however she couldn't help her eyes from being drawn to the mysterious abstract tattoo that marked the bulge of his upper arm. "You may take one of my airships. Can you fly a Dalmascan transport?"

He stopped dressing and looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. After a short guffaw, he continued in a haughty tone, "Please tell me you are joking...How about you let me take the Jenova instead?"

Last Night...

Jote rose to her feet as the masked guard turned to gaze at the shoeless viera that approached. With a cold and unapologetic tone the guard repeated the words she had already spoken to the intruder. "You are no longer welcome. Leave this place at once."

The non-resident viera took another step toward, but faltered as the warder lifted her great bow and aimed it straight into her chest at close range.

Fran looked to Jote, unable to control the wretched and weak tears that slipped from her eyes. "Sister."

Jote motioned for her guard to lower her weapon. As she did so, Fran lowered herself to her knees and let her head fall forward in defeat. Her tangled white hair cascaded over her face and brushed the leaf littered floor of the dwelling's wooden porch. Her usual melodious voice gone, she spoke in words that were barely audible, "I seek to return, to become one with the wood again."

The viera around her cast each other glances and a few shook their heads unyieldingly.

"I have come to be allowed to perform Hingabe."

Jote's lips parted in surprise. It had been many years since she had heard a viera mention the ancient and little-known custom of penance.

"That custom is dead, sister. We no longer practice..."

"Please." Fran looked up, her burgundy eyes pleading with the Chief of the Viera.

Jote blinked and looked to Hala. Upon being addressed by the village chief, Hala stood to face her with respect. Being among the higher ranked individuals in the village, the head salve-make demonstrated her opinion on the matter quickly to Jote.

"All viera hold the right to Hingabe." Hala's response was matter-of-fact.

Jote blinked and responded simply, "and the few that have performed it have not survived."

Hala looked away from Jote, knowing her words were true.

"Why do you ask this sister?" A hint of imploring entered the chief's voice, "Go back to the world you have chosen...and live."

Fran sat unmoving for a moment, then quietly she spoke, "There is no longer a place for me there."

Penelo sunk into the hot foam filled tub. She still felt foggy and a bit ill from the after effects of the serpentwyne. Still wanting badly to remember more of what had happened in the latter part of the coronation ball, she let her body submerge deep into the water with a pitiful moan.

As a flash of memory came to her, she suddenly sat bolt upright in the sudsy tub unaware of the thick, white bubbles that were framing her face.

Balthier and Fran had been dancing together, as were Ashe and Basch. She, in turn, had been left with no partner.

She had looked over and seen Vaan dancing with that dark, exotic Rozarrian beauty; both his strong arms had been wrapped around her bare waist and the she had been smiling coyly up at him. The girl had been playfully toying with the white dress fabric covering his shoulder.

Penelo had seen red.

She sat in the bathtub and grimaced as the events started rolling back in her mind.

Overcome by the need to lure Vaan's attention away from that other girl, she had made her way over to the swaying sky pirates.

"Excuse me, mind if I borrow your partner?"

She hadn't even given Fran a chance to respond, she remembered now with horrible regret. Balthier certainly hadn't seemed to mind; in fact, he'd been grinning happily, quite pleased by all the female attention. He had shrugged at Fran then turned and swept Penelo off her feet in a wide arc, and to this she had laughed loudly hoping to draw Vaan's attention.

It had worked, she had drawn his attention.

Then things had gone terribly wrong.

Last Night...

Fran had been given a small bungalow by her sisters as a respite for the evening. Before dawn, she would set out to begin her Hingabe. If she could withstand what the gods saw fit to punish her with, her penance would be accepted and she would once again be allowed to join her sisters in the Wood. She curled her lithe body on top of the sparse bed and tried to find the inner peace that brought with it sleep.

As she lay listening to the strange night-time cooing and twittering of the treants in the darkened surrounding wood, she heard light padding footsteps outside her door. Her keen senses picked up the lightly sweet smell of one of her kind and gentle friends.

Fran sat upright and looked to the door, "Hala."

The door opened inward with a faint creak and Hala peered inside, ears perked. She was one of the most petite viera that Fran knew, and wore her hair cropped in a loose bob that left her brown neck and shoulder's exposed. Though Hala was diminutive for a viera, she was still one of the most important and revered in the village. She was the leader of the salve makers, patient and intelligent. She was also the lead healer of Eruyt, and a great teacher as well. The thing that set her the most apart, however, was her gentle kindness; Hala had a more developed sense of empathy than most viera, which was as much a curse in the village as it was a blessing.

Hala moved silently toward Fran and sat beside her on the bed, "Are you well?"

Fran nodded and looked away from the salve maker, ashamed for her earlier display of weakness.

"Why have you come back to Eruyt Fran? Is it something to do with your hume partner?" She furrowed her brow for a moment trying to recall his name, "Balthier?"

Her question was so direct that Fran could not help but blink at her in surprise. She saw no reason to hide the truth from Hala, so she simply nodded.

"I see." Hala looked away in thought, the mottled, shadowy light of the moon moved over her lovely form as she pondered. It was obvious to Fran that the entire situation was very concerning to Hala, she was very interested and perplexed.

"Do you love this hume?

Fran looked at Hala sharply, her spotted ears flattening back on her head. It was uncharacteristic for a viera to speak such terms. "Love" was a weakness and an affliction that a respectable viera would not concern herself with, nor ever admit to. Fran searched her friend's face carefully, looking for signs that she was judging her negatively. Seeing only caring and openness on Hala's face, Fran suddenly let her shoulders slump. She dropped her face into her claws.

"I fear that I do." Her reply was breathy with emotion.

She felt Hala scoot closer to her on the small bed and soon after, a warm claw rested gently on Fran's back.

"Perhaps you should be returning to...Balthier," His name rolled strangely inside Hala's mouth, "instead of the wood. Perhaps it is with him that you belong."

"No. I do not belong there."

As if Hala could feel Fran's pain through her hand resting on her back, as well as hear it in her voice that cut the quiet night air, she sighed, and did not push any further.

"I have made you this salve," Hala placed a small container in her hands, "it's qualities in healing are strong...please take it with you on your journey."

Fran looked at it, then back to Hala, "You know I must not heal myself or use weapons of any kind..."

"Please." Hala pushed the salve hard into her palm, "Please...take it."

Fran nodded then bent down to slip it inside her small satchel.

"It contains Erromonea leaf..." Hala suddenly cut her words short; her ears pinkened and seemed to roll tighter.

Fran looked at her and blinked for several moments wondering what this behavior was about. "Erromonea comes from the garif," as far as Fran knew, her statement was a simple one, but Hala's bashful reaction said otherwise.

"Have garif traders come to Eruyt?" Fran watched Hala closely.

The salve maker nodded furiously and blushed to the very tips of her ears. As Fran watched her friend the realization slowly dawned her. The directness of her questions about love and her feelings for Balthier were beginning to make more sense.

Hala was in love.

Balthier maneuvered Queen Ashelia's private ship in a steady smooth arc through the sky, up and away from the city of Rabanastre. The beautifully stream-lined airship's engine was nearly soundless as it pierced the lazy, thick cloud cover. Immediately upon leveling out the Jenova's wings, he began searching his pocket for the item he always kept on his person. He dug around for a moment, fighting against the tightness of his black leather pants, but soon came away with a small metallic cylinder. He peered at it closely, then smiled. The homing device that was always locked onto the Strahl was working perfectly. He read the coordinates, then leaned over and punched in the precise location of his ship's resting place upon the Jenova' navigation panel.

He would be reunited with Fran and the Strahl before lunch-time.

He settled comfortably back into the seat, rested his arms behind his head and decided to give his eyes a quick rest.

...

Penelo gripped the sides of the over-sized claw-foot tub as images of last night's events came crashing back.

Vaan had looked over at the scene Balthier and Penelo were making and furrowed his brows at them angrily, even flashing a bit of white as he ground his teeth. Much to Penelo's dismay, the dark haired girl had grabbed Vaan's face and turned him back to face her. Penelo's mouth had dropped open in shock as the girl had flashed a grin at her then clutched a handful of the platinum hair on the back of his head, then leaned up to press her deep red mouth against his. His eyes had widened in surprise and he hadn't really kissed her back, though he hadn't pushed her away quickly enough either.

Blinded by jealousy, the next thing Penelo had done, was now the thing she most regretted doing in her whole life. She had looked into Balthier's playful hazel eyes then scissored her arms seductively around his neck. Her movement had tapped one of his earrings and sent it swaying gently, she watched it for a moment, then she leaned up and pressed her rose polished lips to his in a small kiss. Being Balthier, the handsome pirate had moaned his surprised, yet delighted approval and kissed her back.

Very abruptly, the kiss had been broken as the pirate was ripped backward harshly. Penelo stumbled forward and looked up in time to see Vaan cocking his arm back for the blow. He still had a hold of the collar of Balthier's shirt, and the Rozzarian girl was annoyingly hanging on Vaan's elbow trying to stop him.

Then Vaan had punched Balthier. Hard.

The impact sent him reeling backward, grabbing at his jaw, "Buggar!" Being fairly drunk as well, he'd continued stumbling backward until he landed on his rear-end at the outskirts of the ballroom floor. "Gods Vaan..." Balthier had reached up and grabbed his jaw, "I think that was a bit...excessive."

Fran had stepped slowly over to where the immaculately dressed pirate was sitting on the ground, rubbing the side of his face. He had looked up at her, given her a lopsided grin and extended his hand for her to help him up. Her reaction shocked them all, not just Balthier. The viera had slapped his hand away. He had blinked and looked up at her stunned.

"I have had my fill of you." She'd glared down at him for a moment, then turned her deep red eyes to Penelo, as her slick, white hair cascaded forward over her shoulder.

Penelo's heart seized as she saw the terrible hurt in her eyes; they held more emotion than she had ever seen cloud Fran's features. With ears slightly tipped back, the viera blinked at her once but said no more, she then turned and quickly left the ballroom with long strides. Penelo looked from Fran's retreating form to Vaan who was massaging his fist with his other hand and staring at her intently, his chest heaving. Her mouth dropped open to speak but before she could, he stepped very close to her, yanking his arm roughly out of the Rozzarian girl's grasp. The girl stepped away from him with a huffing pout. He brought his face very close to Penelo's, his light familiar scent wafting over her.

"If that's what you want." He gestured toward Balthier, who was pulling himself to a standing position on the back of a nearby chair. "I guess I can't stop you." He shrugged, a simple movement that showed every bit of his anger, hurt and confusion.

Then Vaan had turned and strode out of the great-hall alone.

...

Balthier woke with a start, he was surprised to discover he had dozed off, but the motion of the Jenova's gentle descent brought him back around. He leaned forward, furrowed his brow and peered through the windscreen as the ship became engulfed in a thick blanket of gray clouds. Suddenly, they fell away and the pirate momentarily had the strange sensation of falling as there was nothing to be seen between himself and the thick green vegetation below. He wondered where he was for a moment, but then recognition washed over him, and with it came crawling apprehension.

Golmore.

He grimaced as he expertly brought the ship down very close to the place where the Strahl was anchored in the sky above. Though the invisibility cloaking device was on, he new his ship was there all the same. He peered out the windscreen into the foreboding forest, the moss hanging from the trees, looking disturbingly like rotten, peeling flesh. A shiver ran up his spine and he sighed as he unlatched his safety belt, then leaned over to grasp Fomalhaut.

"Nothing like a nice stroll through the woods."

...

Sitting in the tub, Penelo covered her face with her hands and began to cry, much as she had the night before.

She had stood in the center of the dance floor with several shocked and staring guests of Queen Ashelia's royal ball and begun to cry. Balthier had moved toward her and quickly ushered her away, and out onto the large patio that over looked the Royal Rabanastre Garden. There she had cried harder and harder, as no amount of the pirate's consoling could made her stop.

Then she had begun to feel sick. Very sick.

She remembered vaguely throwing up on Ashe's yellow gown and Balthier being less than excited about that as he carried her quickly along the outside terraces to her suite. They had entered through the outer patio doors and she was pretty sure he had picked the lock to gain entry to her room. Even hazier were the memories of him undressing her and slipping his shirt quickly around her, buttoning it closed then dumping her onto the bed.

Her cheeks burned terribly.

He saw me naked!

Maybe he was a gentleman and didn't look.

Yeah...right.

She didn't remember anything else about last night, but already Penelo was climbing quickly out of the tub and reaching for the thick, white towel.

She had to find Vaan.

Still standing before the mirror, Basch reached inside the box and gingerly removed the small item within. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back slightly as he was overcome by an emotion so powerful he nearly choked on it. Thoughts of the moment she gave it to him washed over him, the memory nearly drowning him.

Saddling his mount, he had been preparing to lead his men into the first of the battles at the Nabradia border. That dawn morning, he had been 34, and still a proud Captain in the Order of the Knights of Dalmasca.

"Captain," her voice had been tentative.

He had turned in surprise as the form of a woman stepped out from the shadows. She wore a velvety hooded cloak much like the ones worn by the mages in the temple. As she walked closer to him, the shadows fell away from her face and he could see who she was.

"Majesty." He stood rooted to the spot and watched as she approached him slowly, then a look of concern passed over his face at seeing her distraught look. "Is everything alright?" His voice was low and gruff, but not unkind.

She shook her head softly in reply. No. Then she had walked up so close to him that their chests were almost touching. He'd gazed down at her, in turn, and shifted his feet uncomfortably, wondering what this was all about.

"Majesty..." He began again, but then he cut his own words short when reached out and began tying something small onto one of the buckles that held his chest armor in place.

He remembered waiting patiently as she went about her task. When she was finished she stepped back with a small nervous smile. He'd bent his handsome face down to see what she had done and saw the small braided loop of silvery hair resting against his chest. He had looked at it for a long moment as it slowly registered in his mind what it was.

He had seen many battles in his days. Several years ago, before he was a captain, he had fought alongside a good Dalmascan man by the name of Tias. The soldier had a beautiful Rozarrian wife, the envy of many of his comrades. Basch had observed the woman, on many occasions, tying something to her husband's armor before they set out to battle. On one such occasion he had asked the man about the charm that he always wore and Tias had, in turn, explained the sentimental tradition to Basch.

Basch had then raised his gray eyes and stood looking at her for a long moment, totally at a loss for words. His mind began trying to decipher what she could mean by this gesture. He saw the hopeful look on her pretty face and realized she was expecting him to respond in some way. Quickly, he'd dropped to one knee and bowed low before her.

"I am honored, Highness."

He stood again and looked down at her feeling slightly awkward. He had been confused by what she'd done. The gesture was a romantic one, and Basch was alarmed by this. He had been carefully managing his attraction for the princess since she had returned a few months ago. The woman was forbidden to him on so many levels that Basch almost never allowed himself to even think of her. He looked over her delicate face a moment, letting his eyes wander longer than he intended. He noticed again the cloak that enshrouded her head. He had assumed that she wore it to ward off the early morning chill, but now as his mind thought of the charm she had made, an alarming thought occurred to him.

He recalled catching Ashe off guard when he reached up suddenly and pushed back the hood of her cloak.

His breath caught in his throat. "Your hair."

He had completely forgotten himself for a moment and allowed his fingers to touch some of her light colored hair. She had cut it off. It was now well above her shoulders, in light lose layers. He had been stunned that day, as still today he was. She had cut off her long luminous hair...and made it into this charm infused with a spell of protect...for him.

"High..." He began, but was unable to finish because, the princess did something then that had rattled him even further. She had leaned up suddenly and pressed her soft lips against his for an excruciatingly brief moment, then pulled away quickly from the kiss.

He'd just stood there blinking stupidly.

"Captain!" Someone had called out a greeting then.

Basch had jumped at the sound of his title and turned to see a jumble of his men making their way toward him from the direction of the barracks. They were talking and rubbing the sleep from their eyes, no one seemed to have witnessed the previous moment. He kept his eyes on the men briefly before turning his attention back to the princess, but she was not there. She had disappeared back into the darkness form whence she had come.

His confused mind had wondered if it had really just happened at all. He remembered running his tongue run over his bottom lip and tasting something sweet. He knew then that it had.

...

Inside the small box lay the Anneau de la Sûreté.

The Ring of Protect charm that the princess had created for her knight from her own silvery hair. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked down at the small part of herself that she had given to him that morning. It lay in the palm of his large hand, the shine of her pearly hair as fresh as the day it had been braided into an intricately decorative knot. It no longer contained the spell of protect as Basch had released it upon himself during that very battle.

Ashelia had saved his life.

The night Noah had crept into his captain's quarters and stolen his Dalmascan Soldier's Uniform, he had unknowingly stolen this treasure along with it. This was just the first part of Ashe that his twin had robbed from him. When Basch had made the discovery of his charm inside Gabranth's desk, he had no way of knowing that his brother had taken much more of her than just this trinket. His own brother had cheated him; robbed him to the very core of his being. At the time, Basch had thought it's safekeeping by Noah, had merely been a coincidence, as he couldn't possibly have known what it was, or who had placed it upon his armor.

Now he knew differently.

Noah had kept it as a prize; to him it had been a trophy to mark his conquest.

Balthier reached up and gripped the side of his neck. His palm squelched through warm blood that seeped through his fingers and splashed bright crimson spots onto the shoulder of his shirt. He brought his hand away and inspected the smeared gore, then looked down at the freshly slain panther at his feet. With a dull thud, he kicked it once furiously, then stumbled forward.

"Gods, I hate this place."

He looked up with relief as he recognized the hidden entrance that led to Eruyt Village.

But why had Fran come here...to a place where she was unwelcome?

He was beginning to have a bad feeling about all this. A very bad feeling.

Suddenly he realized that finding his partner's whereabouts was of utmost importance. Having keenly observed Fran the day she had opened the path in front of him, he quickly repeated her words and motions, silently congratulating himself for his highly developed memorization skills. Once the wood opened to him, he jogged quickly through the entrance into Eruyt.

He didn't get very far.

Cursing under his breath, the sky pirate stared down the line of armed and ready statuesque wood warders that blocked his path; as one they raised their arms and aimed their weapons directly at him.

...

Ashe had wandered into Migelo's shop to ask the gentle shopkeeper of Vaan's whereabouts.

Penelo chose a different route however, and at their parting of ways she had broken into a run. Unable to stop, she now felt her chest was being scorched from the inside. She knew where he was and had to reach him before he left Rabanastre.

She just had to.

She rounded the bend to the huge merchant airship dock that contained Migelo's private space along with many other merchant's slips. She saw the exotic shape of Vaan's ship parked behind several ordinary cargo ships and suddenly she found a new burst of speed, terrified the ship would lift into the sky before her eyes.

Through the clamor and bustling activity along the docks, she ran as fast as she could go. The dancer dodged a giant bangaa with extreme agility then slammed head on into someone that had been to short for her to notice behind the large sacks the burly creature had slung over his back. Kytes was sent flying. He landed squarely on his back and the inertia controlling his body made him slide along the polished floor for several more feet before he finally came to a stop.

He lifted his head and looked up at her in shock.

"Kytes!" She bent to offer him a hand, gasping for breath. "I need to stop Vaan!" She had only pulled him halfway to his feet when she let go of his hand and kept running toward Vaan's ship. The boy stumbled, and with her support so abruptly removed, he fell once again to the ground.

"Penelo!" Kytes rolled over and leapt to his feet calling after her, "You can't...Penelo stay back...Vaan is taking off...he's taking off!"

Kytes watched with dismay as Penelo's running steps faltered, beyond her the Galbana began slowly hovering above the ground.

She took a giant breath then screamed, "Vaan!"

Several people in the crowd to look over at her in alarm. Further along the dock, the Galbana continued to rise slowly. The low hum of the engine growing louder, and blocking out most of the surrounding din.

"Vaaaaan!" Penelo screamed again and this time her voice broke with desperation.

Kytes frowned and watched helplessly, stunned by the despair in her voice.

...

"Leave this place at once."

I'm not going anywhere without Fran."

Balthier stared down Rael the lead wood-warder, she in turn stood her ground, keeping her arrow drawn and aimed lethally at his roaring heart.

"She won't see you."

He pushed past the viera guards and started jogging up the path. Several more wood-warders along the walkway took position and raised their bows, all easily following the man as he moved through the village. Hala was nearby the village entrance and looked over quickly as she heard the commotion breaking the silence of the wood.

"Fran!" Balthier cupped his hands to his face and called out as loudly as his reserved voice would allow.

"Ready your weapons!" Rael stepped forward, raised her arm and sounded the command loudly.

Hala dropped the ceramic bowl in her hand and burst from her position. The pottery shattered upon the ground as she sprinted toward the unwelcome hume, daring not let her mind wander to what the consequences of her actions might be.

She reached the stubborn man before any weapons could she discharged. "You fool! It is not that she won't see you...it is that she cannot...Fran is no longer here."

"Where is she!?" Balthier stepped close to Hala, and because of her petite stature, the bleeding pirate loomed over her.

Hala shook her head, "I cannot tell you...where she is...she has gone..."

Balthier reached out and grabbed her by her shoulders, shook her once abruptly and shouted into her delicate face, "Where is Fran!?"

Hala spoke close to his ear in a whisper, hoping desperately that the other viera could not hear her, "Paramina...Silverflow's End...hurry."

No sooner had the words slipped from her lips, when Balthier released her and turned to break into a run. The sky pirate was stopped dead in his tracks, however. He released a terrible cry of pain and frustration as he stumbled backwards then fell to the pathway. He writhed once in agony, clawing at the ground beneath him, then he lay still; a bamboo arrow protruding from his chest.

Carefully, he placed the Anneau dela Sûreté back inside the box. Ever since he had discovered it a year ago, Basch had tried to push it from his mind. In his earliest days of living as Judge Magister Gabranth inside House Solidor, he had developed a tendency to remove the charm from it's resting place each night before he went to sleep. Every time he did this, however, the surge of emotions it brought him left him feeling weakened and terribly alone. He couldn't continue allowing himself to yearn for a woman that could never be his.

His gray eyes shifted to the other items that lay upon the surface of the desk, each item representing another part of a life that he was not meant to have. His fingers found the cool silver of his phoenix pendant. He looked at the symbol closely for a moment, absorbing all that it meant to him. It spoke of Landis, his home now gone, the rolling hills now an annex to the northern Archadia border; the beautiful historic buildings, burned and crumbled. It stood for his family: his brave father, his loving mother...his twin brother. They were all dead, he thought bitterly as he placed the pendant into the box next to Ashe's braided hair. Next, he placed inside the scroll that contained King Raminas' order and official seal. Dalmasca was forbidden to him; he would never again walk proudly as a Dalmascan Knight or Commander and it was time to stop dreaming of his former life and honor. He was no longer welcome. He turned the final item in his fingers for a moment before adding it to the others inside the modest case. To Basch, the tiny soldier that belonged to Ian epitomized the warm, unconditional love of a child. A loving wife and sweet children to care for- a family was something a man such as himself would never know.

Unceremoniously, the judge closed the lid of the box and latched it. He bent and stowed it back into the deep, dark shadows of the drawer; vowing to himself to forget it and all that it represented. With a loud bang, he roughly shut the drawer, then retrieved his black helm. After replacing the mask over his face and the dark gloves over his hands, Gabranth turned and left his quarters. There was business in the magistrate that needed tending to.

...and with that Basch fon Ronsenburg was no more.

Kudos:

Maudie! Thank you for your input and help with some research...and especially for co-creating the HalaxSupinelu romance with meeeee.

Also! Thank you Earisu for letting me use your creation of Queen Ashelia's private airship the Jenova... she is a fine ship!