Disclaimer: Same as before.
Warning- Refer to Prologue.
Chapter 3- True Treasure
It was two months after the announcement came down that Vayne Solidor had died in battle. Echo and Alyss where still looking for Balthier but Echo had become more detached then usual after hearing Vayne was dead. She had cut her hair shorter also after Vayne's death.
Thy where in Archades when it happened, the event that would cause a whole new chapter for them.
That event was Larsa Solidor spotting Echo when they where heading to the inn. Larsa was out walking the town with his guard who happened to be Basch.
"Excuse me for saying this but you look like a darker haired Belladonna Landis."
Echo leaned down and smiled at the boy. "Maybe because I am a darker haired Belladonna, here id the wedding ring you you don't believe me." Echo took the ring from her pocket and showed it to Larsa, it was one of a kind so it easily proved her identity.
"Bella I am so sorry about Vayne. I didn't think you where alive but if I would have known-"
"Things would be no different. Vayne would still be dead because his obsession with power. Larsa if it isn't too much trouble could we stay at the palace for a bit? We need repairs on our airship and they said it may take a while. That is what I get for letting Alyss fly us into a cliff."
"It wasn't my fault I didn't want to kill the birds!"
Larsa tapped both of them brining attention back to himself. "You are both welcome at the palace. Bella I think it would be best if Basch escorted you bot to the palace. You may sleep in your old room."
"Thank you young Lord Larsa." Both the women said in unison as they followed Basch to the palace.
The two made idle conversation with Basch about how great it was his name had been cleared until the arrived at Echo's old room which also was Vayne's room.
"There are other guests joining us for dinner so you may want to freshen up and change your outfits." Basch stated as he opened the door for the women.
The two went in the room and Alyss was in awe. The room had a theme of dark green and there where a lot of golden items laying around. The bed was king sized and held to the dark green theme of the room. There was one thing Alyss noticed on the night table by the bed when Echo had gone into the bathroom joined to the room to change.
The item was a framed picture of Vayne and Belladonna at their wedding posing for the picture. Right below the picture was a ring that looked like the one Echo carried around.
Alyss set the ring down after looking at it and went to read a book while waiting for her turn to wash off.
Alyss didn't find much interesting until she came across as plain book that had no markings on the cover that was between ' The History of the Republic of Landis' and 'Culture's and Customs of Landis'.
Alyss opened the book to see nice neat handwriting on each page. It could have been Echo's diary when she lived here...but remembering what Echo's handwriting looks like this wasn't her diary.
After reading the first part it was painfully obvious it was Vayne's. Who else would write about House Solidor so much? After flipping through several pages of pointless talk of past events and his involvement in them she came to the part about the fall of Landis.
'The Republic of Landis had fallen to our control after the death of their elected leader on the battlefield. There was however one element of Landis that the Senate was in love with. The daughter of the fallen leader Basil, Belladonna Landis.
I had met her before when she was younger but she had grown much since the last time I saw her. She was a grown woman now and probably would have grown to be a leader like her father.
The Senate made a suggestion that Belladonna marry into House Solidor as an act of peace. It was an obvious plan to slow me down in succession if I was married a family would come first and any plans of power would be put aside.
I didn't want to marry, it seemed idiotic to marry in secret for peace. They planned to tell the public when the tension of war was gone but that is when Dr. Cid came to visit me with Venat that I understood I had to marry the woman. Venat insisted that one day Belladonna would be a great help to House Solidor given she married into it.
After our marriage I knew the woman still hated the empire for killing her father so I did nothing to her other then allow her to stay in my room. I know writing this as she is asleep next to me is wrong to say as I should have written it sooner but she is my wife and if I could make her forgive our actions and even have a hope of having her respect, her friendship, and her love I would be a lucky man.'
Alyss flipped a little further to the fake death of Belladonna to see what reaction it would hold. Maybe this was because Alyss always loved a tragic love story but she couldn't tear herself away from the book. Sure it was invading privacy of another person but he is dead anyway, he can't complain about it right?
'This morning I received news that while she was visiting Draklor Laboratories and attack by the Resistance had taken her life and they had taken her corpse. They probably wanted to bury her in her homeland or some nonsense along those lines. It looked like Venat was wrong about Belladonna being an asset to House Solidor unless her death could be used but even I am not so low to disgrace her memory.
Belladonna Aurore Landis Solidor is dead and my hope that I could be a better person with her. Goodbye Bella, I wish I had a chance to win you over properly before your death but I will see you again when I die. I am sorry I never told you that I lo-'
Echo interrupted her reading to tell her the bathroom was now free. Echo wasn't looking at what she was reading so Alyss decided to put it back and not tell Echo about it. Vayne was dead knowing that he loved her would help nothing. Alyss turned to see Echo was out of her fighting clothes and in a blue noble looking dress.
Alyss went to the closet and found a dress that looked like it would fit her and put it on knowing she wouldn't get a bath in before dinner.
After she finished dressing Basch knocked on the door and led them to the dinning room where Larsa was seated with his two guests. Alyss' eyes widened upon seeing it was Balthier and Fran.
"Balthier I finally found you!" Alyss screamed as she ran over to him.
"Well if it isn't the women we stole a hunt from months ago. I didn't think we would meet under such circumstances." Balthier said looking at the two as they sat down.
Echo spoke up first. "Nor did I Judge Ffamran. I couldn't believe I didn't see it sooner actually. Anyway what is your business here?"
"We left our airship with a partner and need fair for a trip to Rabanastre to get it back. You could however give us a ride, you have an airship." Balthier suggested as Alyss jumped at the suggestion and accepted.
Larsa also wanted to go to speak with Queen Ashe and Al-Cid Magrace who had been spending a lot of time in Rabanastre and ha been rumored to be courting Queen Ashe.
"Of course you can all go with us. Hey Echo I don't suppose you have any money as the Representative from Landis laying around do you?" Alyss asked.
"Oh no, I am no representative my father was the leader that doesn't mean I would have been elected to it myself. Anyway I believe that Arcadian government holds all the money from Landis. I have no entitlement to it."
"You certainly would be the next leader though! I mean look at you, you are prim and proper and mind your words around others. You would have been elected for sure unless the people hated your father but it sounds like his people loved him."
Larsa interrupted. "I have a reason for this as well. I found some research Dr. Cid was doing and I wanted Balthier to know. I will let you look at it after the meal."
After the dinner Larsa took them to Draklor to see Cid's and Balthier began looking through the papers as Alyss was reading some of the research and Echo was looking at a stone on the desk.
"There is nothing here except insane ramblings of Venat saying that stone Echo has was important. This isn't research it is the deluded words of a man who was insane." Balthier said as Fran bent over and then fell to the ground.
"Are you alright Fran?" Alyss asked her as Fran looked at the stone in Echo's hand.
"Mist bleeds form that stone as if it has chosen a master. It seems to have awaken by her touch." The stone began to shine green and Echo set it down.
"What does that mean exactly? I am not of descent from Raithwall like Queen Ashe so if it was like Deifacted Nethicite why would is awaken to me? I am not of noble blood by far and to my knowledge I am not descend from any people who could have used this." Echo asked as she didn't want to believe this.
"It looks like Fran and I will be joining you permanently now. I can't let you wonder around with a stone that has power alone. I would be a horrible leading man if I did that. We will be using the Strahl as soon as I get it back though. Just think of us as your body guards."
Alyss was happy as could be about this revelation. It meant Balthier would be joining them for a while at least until they found out what the stone did and why it chose Echo. Echo on the other had was scarred of what this could mean for her. Sure she wanted adventure but this wasn't what she had in mind.
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A/N: Can anyone say that in Vayne's journal entry when he mentions that Venat thought Echo/Belladonna would be useful is foreshadowing?