Disclaimer: Same as before.
Warning- Refer to Prologue.
Chapter 2- Revolution?
It had been months since that day at Rabanastre and Alyss hadn't found where Balthier had run off to. She followed many leads even ones from people who given they found out who she was would turn to kill her in a second.
None of them panned out. She even got arrested to get thrown in Nalbina Dungeon after hearing he may have been arrested but all that lead to was Echo having to pay the city to let her go.
When they had stopped at Bhujerba after getting Alyss out of prison Echo said she had matters to attend to and left the inn. Alyss didn't want to sit around an inn room doing nothing so she followed Echo to the home of Marquis Ondore. Alyss began to wonder what business Echo would have there but put it aside whatever it was it wasn't her place to pry.
Upon walking back to the inn Alyss overheard townspeople talking about some kid impersonating Captain Basch. Why would you want to impersonate that traitor? Who knows maybe the kid was crazy.
Echolensa on the other hand was seated at the table of Marquis Ondore across from the man himself.
"So what name do you go by now? I am sure you have forsaken your birth name."
"Echolensa but please call me Echo."
The Marquis seemed unsettled to see this woman again. He stood up and walked over to her on his cane.
"I do not know of any Echolensa. I do know of a Belladonna Aurore Landis Solidor, the daughter of the leader of the Republic of Landis."
Echolensa was truly Belladonna. Belladonna had after the fall of her families land been promised to one of the Solidor men. Vayne Solidor was the one closest to her in age so they where married in secret at night at the palace.
Belladonna never argued with her husband for as power hungry as the man was he never did do anything to harm her. In fact he taught her how to use basic magicks and how to fight. He was a good man who had lost himself to power and his family name.
"Belladonna is dead. I am Echolensa now and I desire no more then that. I faked my death in a Resistance attack for a reason."
Echo got out of her chair and got to the door when she was stopped.
"Why pick the name Echolensa? It isn't even close to Belladonna."
Echo got a little smirk on her face a turned to look the man in the face after he asked the question.
"If I used something close to Belladonna I would be discover. I dyed my hair and grew it out for so no one would ever relate me to her. As for the name Echolensa the first place I stopped after faking my death was a shop that sold echo herbs and the 'echo' part just made me think of Echolensa."
"Take care Lady Echolensa, also I ask of you not to return here ever."
"Of course not, I just wanted to make sure you where still alive."
Echo began to leave the home and she began to wonder what Alyss was doing, she was probably running around yelling at people asking where Balthier was.
Contrary to Echo's thought Alyss was in the inn room looking out the window. She had begun to reflect on why she was traveling the skies with Echo in the first place.
Alyss was born in Nalbina but the Plague from Rabanastre had spread to Nalbina and killed her parents when she was young. Unlike Rabanastre these children had nowhere to go and they where put to work until the time of the war in which Alyss had fled for Rabanastre and had lived in Lowtown.
Didn't spend much time in Rabanastre because she got a job picking up orders for the weapons shop and they had after a week offered her home in the upstairs section.
After the war one day she on an errand in Nalbina but arrived late and had to get an inn room.
The inn keeper had made a mistake and gave Alyss a room that already belonged to someone and that someone was Echo. It turned out all the rooms where booked but Echo didn't mind sharing her room and that was when they first met and had come up with the plan to travel the world together on the grounds doing it alone would be dull.
After a few months of work they had enough money for an airship but they really didn't desire to work behind counters should a problem arise with it so Alyss had the idea to become sky pirates. Echo at first was against it but after seeing the greater profit Alyss brought quickly changed her mind.
"Mom and Dad must be upset their daughter is nothing more then a sky pirate. I will make you proud...someday." Alyss said as she fell down on one of the beds.
Love was the one thing Alyss had left that got her through the night other then Echo's friendship but even then Echo hid things from her. She just wanted that love that you could be totally honest with someone and they would be honest with you. She desired it so much she traveled the world for this love because it was what helped her stay together in rough times. The dream one day someone would love her and get rid of all the emptiness she felt.
When Echo returned to the inn room she saw Alyss asleep. Echo often debated telling her the truth but the part of her that told her Alyss would leave kept winning in the end.
Echo went down to the inn kitchen to get two plates of food to take up to the room hoping this would all blow over.
The local gossip was about the impending war and Vayne Solidor possibly taking power from his ill father. If the man died Vayne could easily take total power and then a war would be waged. It was sad how power could so easily take control of people.
There where also rumors that Captain Basch was alive that shocked Echo, she had known the man he was a noble man from her homeland and she never believed for a second he would have turned like that, now his twin brother would have but that was a story for another time.
After getting the plates of the food she paid and went up to the room and woke Alyss.
"Hey I got us some food. I thought you might be hungry is you asked around about Balthier. All that walking would make one tired."
"Thank you Echo, you are too much like a sister you know that?" Alyss said taking the plate and beginning to eat as yelling was heard outside.
Echo went to open the window and almost fell out of the window upon hearing what the man was yelling. The word echoed in her head and she did fall back on the floor.
'Emperor Gramis is dead and Vayne Solidor has taken over.'
Alyss ran over to help Echo up and got her on one of the beds and heard the yelling from outside the window.
"No wonder you fell over! Vayne Solidor taking over as Emperor is a scary thought. I knew Emperor Gramis was ill but to die at a time like this when you could cut the tension of war with a butter knife."
Echo was lost in her own mind and began to talk without thinking. "This is not happening..."
"I know it sucks but will you be alright there Echo, you said you where from Archades so maybe this upsets you more." Alyss sat down next to Echo and wrapped her arms around her to try to calm her down.
Echo put her wedding ring out of her pocket and showed it to Alyss.
"My name is Belladonna Aurore Landis Solidor, I faked my death a few months after my forced marriage to Vayne Solidor. I went to see the Marquis today on those grounds." Echo said through her tears.
Alyss ignored the admittance of identity, she knew who Belladonna was and when you thought about it Echo did look like her aside from her hair length and color but that wasn't important now. The one person who had become like family to Alyss was in pain and getting rid of that pain and was all that mattered.
Alyss held Echo until she went to sleep from crying and then tucked her in the bed. They could discuss this in the morning should morning ever come.
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A/N: A bit of an angsty chapter but backstories where needed for the OC's so angst it is. The next chapters should be happier then this one.
