Disclaimer: None of the characters of Final Fantasy 12 belong to me. All copyright Square Enix and whoever made the games (My memory sucks, sorry.)
Sigill, however, belongs to me! Yay! Enjoy the fourth chapter of Saendal.

The sun was blazing down as the day reached its peak of heat. So far Sigill hadn't encountered a single monster – which felt good. She didn't have to worry about fighting. Truth was she didn't really know how to fight properly; she'd just bash her foes with her hammer. Therefore, she couldn't take on any stronger opponents but normal wolves were okay once in a while. It wasn't too much of a hassle as long as they didn't attack in a pack. She cursed her dark clothes while thanking the gods she had picked out a tank top and a pair of hot-pants at least. It wasn't the best to forge with but during summer-time she had to wear it. Besides, yesterday she didn't have to forge much at all so it was okay as long as she wore her leather-apron; it protected her bare skin from the welding sparks.

Sigill decided to take a break from all the running she had been doing for the last hour – good thing she was in shape. She didn't even break a sweat. Well, at least not because of exhaustion. More because of the blistering heat she was being exposed to.

Sigill stopped by a nearby river to cool down and re-hydrate. Her father had taught her it could be life-threatening if one would sweat a lot without drinking any water. She started to feel the symptoms of it; a pulsating headache and a weak body. She prayed the wildlife would leave her alone while resting up so that she could regain her strength and then continue her journey home.

The water was cold and refreshing. Sigill leaned down and submerged her head under it. Her father had taught her this as well; if you're under blistering heat – cool down. A wet towel, cloth, or even wet hair was good enough for a while.
The river, luckily, wasn't that deep. Even if she'd fall in it'd be impossible for her to drown unless she landed face-down and got paralyzed at the same time.
A single tree stood tall by the edge of the water. It provided a small area of shadow enough for Sigill to sit down and relax in.

Maybe she'd be able to take a small nap here. The area was empty and thus she wouldn't have to worry about any monsters showing up.
Sigill leaned against the tree as she thought of how she'd kind of miss Basch. She wanted to go home, but she wanted to bring him with her; he was gentle and showed care for her. It was interesting in a way, she thought. She believed her parents would agree as well. He was a big man and it would not be impossible for him to come and help running the shop with her. Balthier may look good but Basch was handsome and nice to her.

Her mixed thoughts of the two men kept her awake for only a slight moment until she drifted off and fell to the ground, sound asleep.

Meanwhile, back on the Strahl, Basch went inside to switch shifts with Fran after he had waved off Sigill. He thought it sad she had to leave; it would've been nice with a girl like her aboard.
As his thoughts wandered off, Ashe came up to him out of nowhere.

"You off the watch for now?" She asked calmly. The only royal about her was her calm. Other than that she could be quite fierce if she wanted to.

"Yes, your highness."

"Drop that already, Basch. I'm of no more royalty than the rest of you. I've left that behind for now; I will take back the throne someday – but not today. Today I am merely a common hume like yourself." Ashe smiled at the former knight. "Also, Balthier told me to inform you that we need to discuss this situation about the blacksmith girl. Vaan told me she was outside with you. Could you tell her to locate herself in the common room in… five minutes?"

Basch's stomach turned in a nervous manner. What would he tell them? That he had let her run away just like that? Balthier would be furious. So would Ashe.

"Uh… Yes, of course your high-… Ashe." Basch quickly walked away as Ashe went to inform the others about the meeting, his heart beating fast.
Five minutes later everyone were sitting down in the carpet-clad common room – except Sigill.
Balthier crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair as he raised an eyebrow at the man. Fran stood as usual beside him, expressionless as always. Vaan and Penelo had been scolded by Balthier during the time Basch was on watch and sat there quietly, staring down on the floor in shame.

The one to break the silence was Balthier with his low, commanding voice.

"Where's the blacksmith?" He asked in a manner which seemed calm, though everyone could notice the tension which spread throughout the air. The atmosphere was anything but calm.

Vaan and Penelo looked questioning at each-other.

"Come to think of it… Wasn't she outside with you while you were on watch, Basch?" Vaan spoke.

All eyes were on Basch now. He could feel the questioning stares at him. He'd agree on that it wasn't the most comfortable situation he had been in.

"She ran away." He simply stated.

The golden-haired sky pirate's heart skipped a beat. A young woman like her would never survive in the Giza plains. It was impossible. He could feel his anger sizzling up from the bottom of his heart. His whole body was shaking with anger. Balthier couldn't remember the last time he was this furious.

Penelo and Ashe gasped, eyes running from Basch to Balthier, back and forth.
Balthier's eyes narrowed. He stood up and treaded swiftly over to the older man with light steps. Standing beside him he shot a piercing glance at the older man. His scarred face was filled with slight regret.

"You let her go?" Balthier growled. "Just like that?"

Basch nodded, slightly regretting what he had done. Once again he had disobeyed orders – what had made him do it? The thought of a sad young woman, not being able to meet her family again nor being able to support it? Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to let the kid wander off alone. If she got hurt, it'd be on his conscience.

"You can't just let a hostage walk away, Basch! Oh dear, this will lead to some serious trouble." Ashe joined in on the conversation. Not that she really cared for Sigill; it was more that she didn't want the group to get into any trouble.

"Yeah, Basch! She won't survive in the Giza plains! She might be dead by now!" Penelo's voice cracked up. She really didn't want someone getting hurt. Even if she didn't know Sigill, it still hurt her feelings, hearing Basch was being so reckless.

"Either we leave her to her fate or – " Fran turned to Balthier in a swift motion. "We go looking for her, bring her back and take her with us."

Chapter 4! Yay!
Sorry about having to cut it short, but it was for the best. Hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to review! It makes me really happy and way more motivated to write :3 it really means a lot. Until next chapter!