Chapter Seventeen: Deceptions, insults and succulent fruit

Author note: Technically I don't think you get Succulent Fruit from Marlboro's - but from those pumpkin things – so I'm using creative licence because I like the symbolism and the cooking instructions the game gives you in the Loot page on Succulent Fruit amused me. Anyhoo on with the story...

'Balthier! Balthier where are you?'

The Princess' strident tones tore through the tranquil calm like a bullet shot from one of Balthier's guns. Fran raised an eyebrow and watched Balthier shrug with total disinterest.

' Let her wait.'

Balthier, in usual fashion, had wasted no time in putting into affect a plan to sever ties with the Princess' party.

That morning, when the Princess was ready and eager to return to Sochen Cave and onwards to Archades, he had told her of a merchant out on the edges of the Phon Coast and Mosphoran Highwaste who sold rare and valuable wares essential for their journey.

So persuasive was he that he quickly had Vaan raring to go and find this wandering merchant and soon swayed Basch with the reasoning that it was better to be as prepared as they could be.

The coup de grace, and the one thing that would destroy Ashe's trust in him when the party returned from this fruitless search for a merchant who did not exist, was that he persuaded Ashe that he and Fran should remain behind.

Telling her in quiet aside, playing on the shared secret from days earlier, Balthier mixed lies and probability together as he told Ashe that he had something highly important he had to attain just inside the Sochen Cave that would help them all when they reached Archades.

Trusting in his word and his careful lies, Ashe led the other three off at daybreak only to return now nearing dust. Balthier, although he did his best to hide the fact, was ill at ease all day; the lies and deceptions not sitting well with him, when he wished to remain with them all.

Fran equally conflicted could offer little help to him. This wound on their conscience they would both have to bear. Fran only wished she knew that the decision made was the right one.

Having spent the miserable hours slaughtering many Marlboro Overkings on their aimless, and in Balthier's case irritable, travails through the Tchita ruins they had ended up with a surfeit of Succulent Fruits in their possession.

Ever practical and having nothing to do but wait for the inevitable parting of ways, they set about eating them.

Having created a perfectly workable campfire and spit in the inlet they had found to hide in, Fran handed Succulent Fruit to Balthier who spitted the dark red pendulum shaped fruits over the fire.

Fran preferred her Fruit uncooked, though Hume's detested the raw flavour and roasted them as Balthier did now. Fran did like the scent of the Succulent Fruit as it cooked, skin splitting and juices oozing free.

Fran's keen hearing picked up the approach of the other members of the party, Vaan in the lead, the time of reckoning was upon them.

' Over here, I can smell something cooking.'

Balthier looked to Fran, something like anguish sparking to life and then stuttering out, leaving his brown eyes jaded and tired.

' Pirates have no business fighting unjust empires we should have quit while we were ahead.'

He muttered to himself, sounding as conflicted and uncomfortable with their actions as Fran felt. Yet his words were true. This was the correct course of action, was it not?

' Found them!'

Vaan appeared in the opening of the cave. He peered inside seeming unchanged in his reaction to them, 'Hey, what are you cooking?'

Vaan ambled in oblivious to the undercurrents of tension, Balthier turned to Fran as she reclined against a water worn rock, and rolled his eyes.

'Marlboro eyeballs.'

He drawled pulling a spit from the flames and gingerly handing the hot stick to Fran, his carefully maintained facade slamming into place.

Not one crack would show, not a glimmer of real feeling would he allow to ruin the masterful performance he made of his life.

'Seriously?' Vaan came to look closer at the fruit still sizzling, looking highly comical in his inspection had Fran any will to be amused.

The next to arrive at the entrance to the cave was the Princess, her pale gaze immediately rooting to Balthier with unrestrained annoyance.

' Balthier!'

Basch and Penelo were at her heels as she marched into the cave radiating anger, though both of them seemed more interested in the food than in an altercation.

'Princess, did you find that merchant?'

Balthier's tone was bland as the shifting surf, his eyes however twinkled with devilment meant to infuriate.

' You gods damned well know I didn't!' She exploded.

Behind her Basch winced and Penelo cupped a hand over her mouth though it was hard to tell if it was in shock at the Princess' language or if she was trying not to laugh.

Vaan watched with the placid interest of bovines more concerned with his pilfered fruit than the building tension.

Balthier widened his eyes, 'Such language Princess, hardly becoming of a Dynast Queen in waiting.'

Ashe stamped her foot, twitching with rage, ' Bastard pirate. You said you would lead me to Archades but I see that your word has all the weight of air. I should have expected as much from a filthy Imperial.'

Fran's ears twitched. All mirth left Balthier's face. Basch's hands moved almost imperceptibly towards his Hammerhead axe tucked into his belt. Vaan stopped eating and Penelo edged closer to him.

Balthier stared at the Princess for a long moment; The Princess looked back, her anger and her sense of betrayal filling Fran's nostrils, mixing pungently with the guilt and anger rising in Balthier.

' Pirate, Ashe. I think you meant to say filthy Pirate. You must be mistaking me for someone else.'

Balthier smiled thinly, a cold, hard smile that left his eyes as bleak as mid winter.

' You lied about that Merchant.' Ashe accused softly, not retracting her statement but edging away from a fight she recognised she did not want to have.

Balthier rarely lost his temper but when he did he was quite vicious. Fran did not want to see the Princess torn to shreds by Balthier's viper tongue let loose.

What had she done? Fran was seething inside with the realisation, as she looked at the near frightened faces of the children and the look of open concern on Basch's grave visage, that whatever risks there were to her and Balthier's freedom they should never have done this.

Fran had made a mistake, something she did not do often, now she must rectify that mistake and salvage what she could.

' There is a Moogle known as Veedi who sometimes travels the Coast.'

Fran spoke in defence of her partner's lie made at her behest.

'That he was not there this day does not invalidate that he exists.'

Ashe dragged her heated gaze from Balthier to Fran and doubt flooded her scent. Ashe would believe deception of this nature from Balthier, but not Fran, it seemed.

Not wasting the advantage on guilt for the Princess' misplaced assumptions, Fran instead sought to use it to restore Balthier's good name.

'We looked everywhere Fran; we didn't see any sign of him.'

Penelo spoke up from her place on the cave floor next to Vaan, she was tense, her own scent that of worry and a fear of imminent abandonment.

Fran looked to Balthier who was watching her with clear question in his eyes. Fran addressed Penelo but locked eyes with the Princess.

' I have seen him but a few times in passing, I am sorry that we have wasted a day in our journey. Perhaps I should have accompanied you myself.'

Balthier jerked in surprise but hid it quickly by tugging on his shirt sleeve.

The Princess, still standing, caught the movement however and her eyes narrowed in puzzlement. Basch spoke before she could form any response, moving forward to take his own fruit from the spit.

'We found no merchant but it afforded us ample opportunity to gather more loot and supplies. As well for it too as you appear to be eating our supply of Succulent Fruits.'

Basch's dry and gentle humour began to erode the ebbing tension that had begun to abate at Fran's show of apology.

Soon Penelo and Ashe had Fruits of their own. They ate as a group yet the divisions so masterful wrought in error, remained in the stilted silence.

Balthier remained uncharacteristically silent and the Princess refused to look up from her study of the ring on her finger. Until it seemed to Fran that even these humes should be able to sense the high emotion pervading the air in the small cave.

'I must know that I can trust those who stand with me implicitly.'

Ashe suddenly burst out; looking up with intense eyes.

' Balthier, surely you see this?'

Balthier, who had been fastidiously wiping fruit juice from his fingers with a handkerchief, did not look up.

'Of course Princess, for what other purpose do we serve but to be your ever faithful peons?'

Ashe looked for just a moment stricken and then quickly hid the expression.

Fran looked at Balthier, willing him to stop this. She had been wrong; they could not simply leave with harsh words and broken trust.

'No one asked you to come this far, Balthier. You are free to leave whenever you choose.'

Penelo sucked in her breath sharply and Vaan tensed, his eyes rooted with strange anger and some pleading on Balthier, as the words left the Princess' lips.

'Ashe.'

Basch warned in an undertone, forgetting her title. His eyes met Fran's.

Whatever misgivings he may have towards their intentions the Captain knew that his Princess would not have come very far, would not make it to the heart of the Capital, without Balthier.

Fran watched her partner for a number of heartbeats, knowing that he was sorely tempted to leave.

Fran knew that with the princess' words his manipulation of her anger had reached their formerly desired outcome. Fran knew that if Balthier left now she would of course follow him but she hoped that he too had realised their folly.

Balthier looked up and met Ashe's gaze, 'Before the story ends?' He asked in feigned disbelief.

' Princess, really, what sort of a Leading Man do you take me for?'

Penelo let out a huge breath of relief, Vaan echoed it. Basch met Fran's eyes again and smiled ever so slightly. Ashe and Balthier remained still, eyes locked in a battle of wills.

Fran, a hostage of their silent battle watched them captivated. The Princess who thought to tame the free spirited pirate; the Pirate who feared he was as she claimed him, a filthy Imperial, drawn to her spirit even as her duty repelled him.

'Very well Balthier, but no more talk of phantom merchants, at least until we reach Archades.'

The Princess offered implicit apology and beseeched him for honesty and loyalty in future. Balthier managed a genuine smile that reached his eyes, his own apology to the Princess.

'On my weightless word of honour, Princess,' Balthier placed a hand over his heart,

'I promise I will only pass on information that I have personally checked for accuracy, at least twice, from now on.'

Ashe smiled despite herself, the last of the tension fading like a dream, ' A simple apology will suffice, Balthier.'

Balthier raised an eyebrow, ' I'll bare that in mind, Princess, if I should ever make a mistake.'

Fran looked down upon her own fruit and felt the heat of Balthier's regard on her. She did not look up. There had been mistake made indeed, but it had not been his judgement in error, but her own.

Fran realised now that she and Balthier were committed come good or ill to this cause. Their loyalty must first be granted to those who needed them, before they could once again fly free above the world and all its troubles.