Disclaimer: Square Enix owns FFXII and all of the characters. I only wish I owned Balthier.
Chapter 5
Ashe stood staring at the reflection in the mirror, and she could hardly recognize the visage that she saw staring back. Her hair had been swept back, and then pinned behind her ears to frame her face. Her dress, a thing of great beauty, was simple and elegant. The bodice was a halter made out of white silk that attached to a striking, silver collar inlaid with sapphires. The floor-length skirt of the dress was also made of white silk, with a knee-high slit in the front. Both sides of the slit and the hem of the skirt were lined with sapphire-colored ribbon. Her arms were bare, except for a pair of silver bracers, and she wore a pair of simple silver slippers on her feet.
"What do you think, your Majesty?" her lady-in-waiting asked, as she stepped back to take a look at the Princess.
"I think it's lovely. I can hardly believe that this day is finally here."
Her servant nodded her head, as she beamed at Ashe, "Today has been long in coming, but it is a happy day for all of Dalmasca. Do you need anything else, your Highness?"
"No, thank you, Denia." The young woman smiled at her as she left the room.
"Now comes the hard part," Ashe thought to herself. She was to wait here until it was time to leave for the ceremony, and she was not looking forward to having this time to think. She walked over to her sitting room and looked at the hanging portraits of her mother and father. She knelt and said a brief prayer, asking them to be with her on this day. It was beginning to dawn on her that in just a few brief moments, she was going to be Queen of Dalmasca. It was a heavy burden, but one that she was more than willing to bear. Her subjects, people just like Denia, needed a strong, just ruler—and she was going to be the best damn leader she could.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the faintest sound of movement coming from her bedroom. She jumped to her feet and quickly grabbed the nearest make-shift weapon, a large vase that was sitting in the corner. She peered into her room, looking for the source of the noise, but did not see anything or anyone. Then, she heard the shuffling of footsteps on the other side of her balcony doors. She thought for a moment about yelling for the guards, but she knew that would scare off the intruder and she wanted to find out what thief had the nerve to rob her on the day of her coronation. She silently crept across the room, and hid behind her bed. Now, she would lie in wait for the intruder with weapon at the ready.
Balthier cursed himself silently for not wearing more appropriate clothing for stealthy climbing. He had somehow managed to get onto the balcony without notice it seemed, and he did not want to get caught now. He crouched down and waited there silently for several moments, and when he did not hear any commotion, he slowly crawled toward the balcony doors. Very carefully, he slid them open and poked his head inside. He realized at that moment that he was looking into her bedchamber. He let out a small sigh; he did not see the Princess. He had hoped that she would be here, as he wanted to talk with her before the ceremony. He glanced around, knowing that he should not be violating her personal space, but curiosity got the best of him. He quietly crept his way into the room, and stood up once he was inside. "She probably sat here not too long ago," he thought to himself, as he walked towards a vanity in her room. As he was looking at the items stocking the vanity, he happened to glance in the mirror adorning it, and saw a huge vase flying towards his head.
Ashe crouched behind her bed in absolute shock. He strolled into her room, as if he belonged there. At first, she could not believe it. She knew he was alive, but to see him in the flesh, it boggled her mind. He looked just as cocky and arrogant as the last time she saw him, and it pained her to admit it, but he was still the most handsome man she had ever seen. "He is also the most handsome coward I have ever seen," she contemplated venomously to herself. She began to tremble with rage as she thought, "He has the audacity to show up here like nothing has happened? Like he returned the ring to me himself? Like he did not imply that the stupid Cache of Glabados was worth more than me?" Before Ashe knew what she was doing, she stood up and hurled the vase with all of her might—directly at him. Ashe watched the sky pirate jump out of the way of her projectile, and was half-glad, half-disappointed. The mirror imploded as the urn crashed into it, and it immediately caught the attention of her guards.
"Your Majesty! Are you alright?" She heard one of them shout from behind the door. She glanced at the sky pirate—noticing that he looked surprised by her actions—and was pleased that for once she had caught him off guard. She grinned maliciously from ear to ear, feeling like the cat to his canary. She thought about sending him to the dungeon, but that would be too easy. She wanted to kick his ass herself.
Ashe glared at the pirate before her as she spoke calmly to the guard, "I am fine. I just knocked my mirror over. I will be out in a few moments, and then you can send a maid in to clean."
"Yes, your Highness," was the response from the other side of the door. She continued to stare angrily at the pirate, awaiting his next move.
Balthier could not believe what he was hearing. She was covering for him! Based on her reaction, he thought for sure that she would be sending him to the brig. As soon as he heard the guard walk away, the words tumbled out of his mouth, "Now, that is not exactly what I call a proper greeting, Princess."
Before he could say anything else, she was upon him. "A proper greeting!" she shrieked as she ran at him, "the only thing not proper about it was that I missed!" She pulled her hand back and smacked him across the face.
"How dare you stroll into my bedchamber after your stunt the other day! How do you explain not bringing the ring to me? You think naught of anyone but your greedy, arrogant, treasure-hungry self." She moved her hand back to strike him again, and he grabbed her wrist. Tears were streaming down her face, and she was struggling to get her arm free from his grasp. He caught her other arm when she tried to swing that one at him as well.
"Look at me. Damn it, Ashelia, look at me!" She refused to turn her eyes to his face; she just continued to struggle, trying to get away. "She won't even look at me," he thought sadly to himself. Since he had arrived at the castle, he had dodged one flying vase, and took a slap to the face. He was not letting the woman's arms go. He had never, during their journey, witnessed her so enraged. He had seen her happy, sad, upset, nervous, agitated, and yes…even a bit mad, maybe even angry, but never like this. It killed him to see her so unsettled, and killed him even more to know that he was the cause. He really had thought his previous actions were for the best, but seeing her now, he knew that he was wrong. He had tried to shield both of them from the pain of wanting something that you cannot have, and in the process, ended up hurting her even more. He closed his eyes as his thoughts overwhelmed him, and a single tear slid down his cheek. He felt her go still, and he opened his eyes to see why. She was looking at the mark his tear had left in sheer astonishment.
She was kicking and elbowing and squirming as much as she could, trying to rid herself of his filthy hands. Until she saw something fall in front of her that had slid off of his chin. "It can not be," she thought. She looked up, and saw just a single trail of moisture on his cheek. She continued to stare at his face in disbelief, unable to do anything else. She felt him loosen his grip when she stopped struggling, but he still had his hands resting on her arms. She was sure that she must have imagined that teardrop—so she ran her fingertips across his cheek to confirm its existence. She heard his breathing quicken in response to her touch, and he gently moved his hand up her arm to her wrist. She watched him as he gingerly took her hand away from his face and then gently brushed his lips against her fingers.
Suddenly, off in the distance, she could hear bells tolling. The bells! It is time for the ceremony! The chimes snapped her out of her reverie, and she ran out of the room, leaving a very confused sky pirate behind her.