CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The hug Penelo gave the new Queen upon seeing her almost knocked the air from her lungs. The following hug from Vaan actually did. Ashe couldn't help but beam at the two young orphan's blatant disregard for her status, treating her as their friend, not as their Queen and she had to bite her lip to stay her giggles at the frown that had appeared on their announcers face at such impropriety. She didn't care one bit. She was happy to simply be Ashe with somebody once more.
"Oh Ashe, it's so good to see you!" Penelo cried, giving her another squeeze.
"Yeah, we were starting to think you'd forgotten about us." Vaan was grinning when he said it but Ashe couldn't stop the flash of remorse fly over her face. Penelo caught it too, and punched her friend in the arm.
"Vaan! Don't say things like that! You know how busy Ashe is."
"It's alright, Penelo." Ashe cut in. "Vaan's right. It has been longer than intended."
"Ashe, I was only messing with you." Vaan was starting to look at little sheepish for making her feel bad. "We get it. You are the Queen now. I'm amazed you can make anytime for us at all."
"Don't say that, Vaan." Ashe said, her sad grey-blue eyes looking into his own clearer blue ones. "I don't want you to ever think of me like that. You two are welcome here anytime. I don't want to lose touch with you. I don't want to be on my own." She said the last part barely above a whisper but her two friends both heard it and exchanged startled looks. Penelo went to her and put an arm around her shoulders.
"You aren't on your own, Ashe." She said comfortingly. Vaan came to the other side of the Queen and mirrored Penelo's move.
"Absolutely. We won't let that happen." He gave Ashe a confident smile.
"Well, that's part of the reason I summoned you here." Ashe confessed. "To ask you favours of you both, if you'll permit me." The two Rabanastrans nodded in encouragement. Ashe took a deep breath and turned to Penelo first.
"Penelo, I was hoping you would come and see me, perhaps once a week, to catch up but also to keep me informed of the city streets. Of the people." The young girl continued to smile at her but also looked a little perplexed.
"Sure, Ashe, but don't you have advisors for that sort of thing?" She asked.
"Yes, but you're one of my citizens. Both of you. You know the streets, the shops, you know Lowtown and most importantly you know the people. Who they are as individuals. Your knowledge would be invaluable. Besides, someone once told me you two may be my most valuable assets when it comes to being Queen and I'm inclined to believe them." Penelo blushed at Ashe's praise.
"I think we can manage that." She said, looking to Vaan for confirmation. The young man nodded eagerly.
"So that's Penelo's job." He said, cocking his head in inquiry towards Ashe. "What do you want me to do?"
Ashe gave him a crafty smirk.
At Ashe's request, Penelo was scheduled into for a standing appointment every week to come and 'brief' her on the goings on in the city. When Aria came to make the appointment, Ashe and Penelo could barely hold it together at Vaan's reaction to Ashe's personal assistant. His mouth dropped and he spluttered his way through their introductions. It was love at first sight for Vaan. Aria just smiled him. She found him endearing.
Both orphans were visitors to the Palace often. Penelo came to chat to Ashe about the city and just general nonsense, just like they did when they where camping around Ivalice. Ashe found these visits were the highlight of her week. Sometimes Vaan would accompany her and the hour scheduled for their meetings would inevitably spill over, often resulting in the two of them staying for dinner or the night. Whenever this would happen, Vaan would do his best to get Aria to join them, much to his friend's entertainment, but they were pleased for him when he succeeded.
Ashe was right in thinking Penelo's information on the goings on in the city would prove more useful than anything her councillors brought to her. Vaan had nicknamed her 'Ambassador For The People' and it became a fitting title. Both Ashe and Penelo had a goal to help the orphaned children of Rabanastre, and after the war there seemed so many. They worked together with Migelo and several other citizens of the city to establish homes for them all. Ashe knew there were many without proper homes in Rabanastre but the children were her first priority. She didn't wish for these children to become a lost and bitter generation. They were doing so well, when Larsa heard of their work he vowed to set up something similar for the people of Old Archades.
Vaan's role in Ashe's life would be a much more clandestine one. A challenge he rose to eagerly. One evening, every two or three weeks, with Aria's assistance, Vaan would sneak the young Queen out of the Palace simply to 'have the night off' as he put it. They would walk around the city at night, sometimes go to The Sandsea or Lowtown, simply to hang out with his friends. Sometimes they would just climb the roof of the Palace and stargaze and talk. She knew being a Queen, she really shouldn't be taking such liberties, but it just felt good to do something normal every once in a while. He even tried to take her out for a flight on The Strahl but he understood immediately when Ashe couldn't bring herself to go near the ship.
Ashe met so many people through Vaan and his friends became her friends, especially Kytes and Filo, and Tomaj, the bartender at The Sandsea. Vaan trusted them and she trusted Vaan. For his Eighteenth birthday, Penelo, with Tomaj's help, had organised a party at the tavern and Ashe and Aria had, of course, attended. It was the most fun Ashe had had in a long time. She felt like the young woman that she was. She played drinking games and danced with everyone, and alone when no one else could stand. She danced so much her feet hurt and was piggy-backed by Vaan all the way back to the Palace, while the pair of them loudly sang a drinking song Balthier had taught them on a rare rest night in Balfonheim. The following morning Aria had found them, still dressed, collapsed in bizarre angles on top of Ashe's bed. Ashe's hangover was atrocious but it was worth every second.
Penelo had gone home with Tomaj.
If Ashe needed any thing sent to Larsa she would send Vaan and Penelo. She knew, like her, the two young Dalmascans missed Basch terribly, and were so eager to go and report back on his well-being, and Larsa's too. As a birthday gift, Ashe had granted Vaan his own personal hanger in the Royal Aerodrome for when he had his own ship, but until that time it was where he docked The Strahl. Whenever Ashe sent them on these trips, she would see the Sky Pirate's ship fly out of Vaan's hanger, and it would send a jolt through her heart. They rarely spoke of Balthier or Fran because whenever they did, Ashe's pain was evident.
"Do you still believe they're alive?" Ashe asked Vaan one day as they were skimming stones across a lake. Vaan had finally gotten his hands on his own airship and as it was Weeks End of a fairly light week, he and Penelo had managed to 'kidnap' Ashe for a few hours to fly somewhere for a picnic. Penelo had brought Tomaj as the pair were firmly an item now, and Vaan had used all his powers of persuasion to get Aria to come. Ashe could tell her Handmaiden was secretly smitten with the young man, and while she was truly happy for both of her friends that they had someone, she couldn't help but feel left out. Especially as she was still suffering.
Ashe's question was out of the blue and Vaan was taken aback by it. He took a second to think.
"Yeah, I do." He replied, throwing a stone. "I don't know where they could be or why they've not come back yet but I think they're out there. Somewhere. And I'm sure they've got a good reason for staying away." He looked at his Queen. "He loved you, Ashe." Ashe couldn't help but note his use of the past tense.
"He never said it." She said, tossing another stone across the water.
"Did you?" Ashe's guilty silence answered for her. "He might not have said it, Ashe, but we all knew it. Hell, even Basch told him to go for it." That shocked the Queen.
"Basch did what?!" She sounded scandalised but she couldn't stop the grin working its way onto her face.
"You didn't know?" Vaan was wearing an equally wide grin as Ashe looked at him incredulously. Vaan pulled a face. "Good thing for Basch he's in Archades right now." Ashe shook her head in disbelief and gazed out across the water. Vaan put an arm around her shoulder.
"He'll come back to you, Ashe. He has too. After all, there's no way he's leaving me with The Strahl."
"I pray that you're right, Vaan."
Over eight months had passed since Ashe had reclaimed her throne and Rabanastre had almost returned to its former glory. Ashe was nearing the end of a council meeting when there was a sudden commotion outside the chamber doors. All heads turned in confusion when the door burst open and one of her guards stepped in.
"Please forgive the interruption, Your Majesty, but you have visitors. They insist it's urgent and cannot wait." Ashe thought she saw Penelo's pink trousers just past the door and her suspicions were confirmed when she heard Vaan's voice.
"Ashe, it's us! Will you let us in?" There was several loud tuts from some of the older members of the council. Not only did they not approve of the Queen keeping company with these 'uncouth ruffians' as someone had once put it, but they hated the way they informally addressed Her Majesty. Ashe ignored them all and stood to see Vaan and Penelo being restrained by the guards.
"Rayce! Basker! Let them go at once!" She commanded and they obeyed. "You know Vaan and Penelo! You know they are welcome in the Palace at anytime and they would not attempt to interrupt a meeting unless it was a matter of great importance. Apologise at once!" The guards did so humbly as the Queen approached her friends.
"What has happened?" She asked, suddenly afraid. "Is everyone alright?"
"Yeah, we're fine." Replied Vaan, still riled up from being accosted. "Can we talk to you alone for moment?" Ashe nodded and grasped Penelo's hand.
"Take them to the Blue Room." She told the guards before adding to Vaan, "I'll be along in just a minute." He nodded as Ashe returned to the meeting.
"Ladies, gentlemen, I know this is highly irregular but I feel I must attend to this matter. As we only have the one item left to discuss and it is not an essential matter, I trust it can be seen to with your capable minds. If you'll excuse me." And she turned and left the room before they could all stand to acknowledge her departure.
Upon entering the Blue Room and being alone with Vaan and Penelo, Ashe let all propriety drop.
"What has happened?" She asked the young man again. "Has anyone been hurt? Has something happened in the city?" All sorts of horrifying ideas where running through her head.
"Ashe! Ashe, calm down. It's nothing that serious. But it is important." Ashe looked to Penelo who gave her a nervous smile. Ashe put a hand to her chest and let out the fearful sigh she was holding. She angrily swatted Vaan on the arm.
"Don't do that to me!" She cried. "I was scared witless, I thought something terrible had happened! What has happened? What is so important that I had to leave my meeting?" She demanded. Her friends exchanged looks, not knowing where to start.
"Ashe, it's about The Strahl." Vaan began. "She's been stolen." The Queen blinked at him, stunned. Somebody had stolen The Strahl? She had been returned to Rabanastre's main Aerodrome once Vaan obtained his new ship, and Ashe knew she should have issued her with some security. Somebody had stolen Balthier's ship, his prized possession. She felt as responsible for his girl as Vaan did.
"Stolen The Strahl?" Her voice sounded more breathless then she intended. "Then we must do something. Question the Aerodrome staff, put out a warrant for it's return, anything." Penelo stepped over to the Queen.
"Ashe, Vaan may have phrased it wrong." She said, in attempt to calm the monarch. "She's not so much been stolen as…taken." Ashe frowned in confusion. As the two youths stared at her, she began to feel really obtuse.
"I don't think I understand." She said. Another look, whatever it was Vaan and Penelo were trying to tell her, they were clearly worried about her reaction. Vaan set his mouth in a hard-line.
"There was something left in her hanger." He said. "You might want to sit down."
"Vaan, just tell me what's going on." Vaan huffed and gestured to Penelo, who produced an envelope and a small leather pouch and handed them to the Queen
"He right about sitting down, you know." She stated, so Ashe went to stand against a table as a compromise and slipped the small card out of the envelope.
Greetings, Vaan and Penelo.
Good to see you haven't destroyed my girl. It appears you've looked after her well. Even so, a Leading Man requires a dashing mode of transport so I'm afraid it's time to reclaim her and get back to the skies. After all, I'm always on the lookout for something more valuable and I think we may have found it. You're welcome to join Fran and I. Come to the Cache Of Glabados. I await in Bervenia.
Balthier.
Ashe gripped the table as she tried to steady herself. She literally felt the colour drain from her face as she read the note several times. She suddenly realised she hadn't taken a breath for a while and did so heavily. She looked up at her friends, completely in shock. Penelo had her hands over her mouth in empathy.
"There's more. Turn it over." Vaan's voice seemed miles away but with a shaking hand she obeyed and saw an additional handwritten line.
Give this to our Queen for me, would you.
Ashe suddenly remembered about the pouch and opened it, fingers fumbling. Out rolled a silver ring. Her ring. Ashe's hand flew to her mouth as she tried to hold back the sob that bubbled there. She felt Penelo approach her, tentatively.
"Ashe…?" She barely registered the young girl's hand on her shoulder as she continued to stare at the ring. Her head then snapped up to look directly into Penelo's eyes.
"He's alive." She whispered, and the most hesitant smile started to find her lips. "He's alive!" He smile became wider as she pulled Penelo into a crushing hug. "He's alive, Penelo! Gods, he's alive!"
She laughed, a little wildly, and released the girl and ran for Vaan to embrace him too. He returned the hold wearing an equally wide grin.
"He's alive, Vaan!" Tears of joy had started to fall without shame. The world had colour again, the man she loved was alive. Everything was going to be alright.
"I told you he would come back to you, Ashe." He beamed but his words stilled her. She pulled back from Vaan sharply.
"But he didn't." She said quietly. She felt a little dizzy, as if the whole world was falling away beneath her. "He came back for The Strahl." Ashe let go of Vaan and started to wander the room in a daze. If Balthier was coming back for her, if he loved her, then why wasn't he here? Why didn't he return the ring himself? He had been so passionate about their future that morning before the battle. When Ashe was getting scared, he had convinced her he would not let her down. That he would fight for her. And now this?
She glanced down at his note again. The tone was so flippant, just like he was when she first met him. They grew to be friends but initially he was a hard man to like because of this attitude. It wasn't the real Balthier.
She heard her name from somewhere and a strong pair of arms grabbed her and led her to chair as Vaan stopped her from collapsing. Penelo had run over with a glass of water for her and she took it, blindly. Eventually she looked up at their worried faces.
"'Something more valuable'." She found herself saying with incredible bitterness. The orphans immediately tried to rationalise this.
"He doesn't mean it."
"Something must have happened."
"Balthier's not that cruel."
"He must have his reasons."
"We'll get to the bottom of this."
"Absolutely. He loves you Ashe." Ashe let out a derisive snort.
"Clearly!" She spat but even the anger she felt couldn't numb the pain that had flared up inside. She stared down at the ring she held tightly, leaving an imprint in her hand. It seemed so alien to her now.
"Will you go? To Bervenia?" She asked after a moment. The two friends looked at each other.
"Yeah, I guess so." Penelo said. "I mean, we want answers too."
"But we won't leave yet. Not for a few days. We need to get ourselves ready first. Hey!…" Vaan had perched himself on the arm of her chair and, at a sudden flash of inspiration, fell into the chair next to her. "Why don't you come with us? It'll be good to get you out of the Palace for a couple of days, and then you can talk to him yourself."
Ashe shook her head ferociously, but took his hand and looked at her young friend, her annoying little brother, with affection.
"I can't. Even if I could just leave, I… I just can't. Not yet. But thank you, for asking." He put an arm around her shoulders and Penelo took her free hand.
"Anytime." He said before looking decisively at his best friend. "Penelo, we're staying tonight." Penelo gave him a salute at the pronouncement but the Queen began to protest.
"No, Vaan, really, I don't need to be looked after. You don't need to stay." Vaan raised an eyebrow at her as he gave her a grin.
"Who said this was because of you? I'm hungry, and besides, I've got some new moves I wanna try out on Aria."
Ashe had to laugh at Vaan's optimism and as Penelo rolled her eyes, the Queen couldn't help but be grateful for having her two dear friends in her life.