A/N - Only one chapter left! It will be an epilogue, and will bring me both great joy and a little bit of sadness to post.

Reviews are always welcomed! I want to get better at writing, and the only feedback I receive is reviews.

Disclaimer - I do not own Final Fantasy XII or its characters. Balthier, however, owns me.

Chapter 10

Balthier stared at the dainty fingers intertwined with his own. Normally, he did not partake in such silly acts after sleeping with a woman. Up to this point in his life, sex had often been more of a means to an end—a tool to be used to get something he wanted—whether it was information, gold, or companionship mattered not. Of course, Ashelia would be the one to change that. He had never felt the need to "cuddle" or "snuggle" afterward, until now. Not that he would become one of those sappy, clingy idiots who could never seem to disengage themselves from their lover, even after they left the bedroom. He promised himself that if that ever happened, he would put a bullet in his own brain. But, he saw no harm in holding her here in the privacy of her room, and he was a bit surprised at how much he was enjoying the sensation of her arms around him, both protective and possessive. A gentle snore interrupted his thoughts, and he glanced down to see the closed eyelids of a sleeping queen.

He chuckled lightly and whispered, "Normally, Princess, I would be fulfilling my earlier promise to keep you awake by whatever means necessary, but you are clearly exhausted."

She responded by snoring again, and he felt her chest gently rise and fall against his own. He closed his eyes, in hopes that sleep would take him. He laid there for quite some time, but his brain was racing with all kinds of thoughts and he could not rest. His Princess, however, was having no such problem; she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. He did not want his restlessness to disturb her; so he placed a gentle kiss on top of her head and quietly slipped out of the bed. In the darkness, he had some difficulty finding his clothing scattered about in her bedroom. Somehow, his pants were located all the way on the other side of the room, over by her wardrobe. "She must have given them a good heave," he thought amusedly to himself. He dressed himself and crept out onto the balcony—since there was really no place else in the castle he could go.

It was very much unlike him to suffer from insomnia, especially after this evening's activities—usually he slept like a baby after that kind of exercise. He suspected that his inability to rest had to do with the thoughts that still swirled in his mind about Ashelia. He took a seat at the table, and reached for his shirt and vest. He slid the shirt on his torso, and checked the pocket of his vest to make sure its precious contents were still inside. He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the cold metal brush his fingers. He sat there for a few moments, trying to absorb the gravity of the situation. They had taken this, whatever it was, past the point of no return by being together like only a man and woman could. He had not expected to bed the Queen of Dalmasca when he crawled up the castle wall earlier in the evening; he had actually come with much more noble intentions in mind. He knew he loved her more than anything or anyone in all of Ivalice, and he would gladly spend the rest of his life with her. The question that remained unanswered was how Ashelia felt about him. Clearly, after tonight, Balthier realized that she cared about him on some level, but he wondered if that emotion was strong enough to overcome the problems their relationship would face. He remembered the disdainful glances he received earlier in the evening from her advisors, and felt his heart sink in his chest. He needed to know just how strongly she felt about him but was terrified of what he might find out. He had adored every moment that he had shared with Ashelia since returning to Rabanastre, and if he had to walk away tonight without her, it would kill him—this he knew for a fact.

The sound of shuffling footsteps broke him out of his thoughts, and he glanced over to the balcony doors to see Ashelia walk through them. She let out a strangled gasp, and then started to sob uncontrollably. Balthier flew to her side in a flash, enveloping her in his arms. She buried her face in his chest, and he could feel her body trembling through the robe she wore.

"Ashelia, what is wrong?" he pleaded, his voice full of concern.

He heard her take several deep breaths before she answered, trying to calm herself. "I thought you left. I reached out for you, but the bed was empty. Your clothes were all gone. I thought…" she trailed off sadly.

"You thought what?" he gently prodded.

Her voice was heavy with pain when she whispered, "That you had gotten what you came for, and that you were finished with me."

Balthier was stunned by the words that had come out of her mouth. He could not really blame her for thinking that way, given his history, but it still caught him off guard. He realized then that he had to make her see just how ferociously he loved her—consequences be damned.

"Ashelia, I will never be finished with you."

She stared at the ground, "I'm sorry, Balthier. I shouldn't be crying like this. It's silly. You've made no commitment…"

He tilted her chin up so that he could see her eyes, and put a finger over her lips. "Shhhhh…Princess. Listen to me. I do not want to be anywhere else but beside you for the rest of my days."

She went quiet and offered him a weak smile. He took her hand in his, and led her over to one of the balcony chairs. He took a seat first, and then patted his leg, offering it to her. She rolled her eyes at his gesture, but he noticed that she did not hesitate to sit in his lap.

"You know, Balthier, that there is more than one chair on this balcony."

"Of course I do. But, isn't it customary for you to sit in my lap while I'm telling you a story?"

She smirked at him, "Well, I guess that it's acceptable, as long as I get a story out of it. It better be a good one."

"All of my stories are, Princess."

He took a deep breath, and began, "You know that I fled Archadia, but I am sure that you do not know the details. I had decided, long before I actually left, that I wanted to run away. My father was well on his way to becoming a raving lunatic and lapdog to the Emperor, and I absolutely detested being a Judge. The only thing that was stopping me was an absolute fear of getting drug back to Archades to stand trial on charges of desertion and treason. Judges did not simply abandon the empire—it was completely unheard of. If I was going to run, I needed to escape quickly, and I had no way to really do that. So, I waited patiently, hoping that one day I would get my opportunity. It came when I was given an assignment within Draklor Laboratory, no doubt at the behest of my father, to guard some top secret 'craft' that had just been built. The first time I laid my eyes on it, Ashelia, I knew it was going to be my ticket to freedom. The airship was metallic and graceful; it was simply the most beautiful piece of machinery I had ever seen. With it, I could get away from that hell and go anywhere I wanted to in all of Ivalice."

He paused to check on his audience, and noticed that she was staring at him with a smile on her face, captivated by his story. He returned the grin before continuing, "So, I began to devise a way to steal the thing. I must have been out of my mind, but for some reason, whether stupidity or arrogance of youth, I thought I could get away with it. I knew there would be fewer guards on duty at night, and I knew that I could use my credentials to get in. So, that night, I went back to the laboratory. As luck would have it, there was some sort of riot in the nearby military brig, and several guards had left their posts to assist. I'm not sure I would have got away with the heist if all the guards had been there. I opened the hangar doors, and then I snuck onto the airship. I got it powered up and flew out of there like a bat out of hell. I didn't dare stop until I was well into foreign airspace. I foolishly thought that I was finally free—I could go anywhere and do whatever I pleased. In reality, the Strahl freed me that night, but only physically. I was still bound to my past and to my father."

He took his hand, and placed it on her cheek, guiding her eyes to look right into his. "When I met you, Princess, I had no idea that you would become my true savior. You were the reason I was able to return to Archades and make peace with my past and my father. You are my freedom."

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the ring while holding it between his thumb and index finger. He watched her eyes travel down to the trinket, and again as they snapped back up at him in shock and realization. He continued, "I had this ring made years ago using some scrap metal from the Strahl, but I never wore it. At the time, it just didn't feel right. It seemed like it wasn't meant for me, like someone else should be wearing it. Fran and I even had a running joke about it. I told her that if she ever saw the ring on a woman's finger, she would know that the wild heart of the great Balthier Bunansa had finally been tamed."

He took her hand in his, and he noticed that she was trembling. He slid the ring onto her delicate finger, and her gaze never left his.

"Ashelia, I don't know where we can take this, but I want to take it as far as I can. I don't care what obstacles are coming our way—whether they are advisors, laws, or whatever the hell else they can throw at us—nothing is going to keep me from being with you. I've spent my entire life chasing freedom, and now that I have found it here with you, nothing will keep me away. I love you, Princess."

She finally looked down at the ring on her hand, and Balthier felt his heart racing in his chest. The longer she stared at it in silence, the more nervous he became that she would reject it. She brought her face up and looked in his eyes, and he noticed that her eyes were brimming with tears. Suddenly, she grabbed his face in her hands, and kissed him so hard that he thought he would see stars. His mouth responded eagerly to her, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. She broke away to murmur, "There will be many who do not approve, but we can deal with them together." She drew a deep breath and continued, "When I saw the Bahamut crash in the desert, I never thought I would get the chance to say this to you…I love you, Balthier, with all of my heart. Stay…forever. Please."

His heart soared at her confession of love, and he teased, "A man could get used to hearing that, Princess. Would you mind saying it again?"

She shook her head and sighed, "Faram help me. I have fallen in love with an egotistical sky pirate."

He smiled widely at her joke, "You think you have it bad? Try falling in love with nobility."

She gasped, and gently smacked him in the arm. Her eyes darkened playfully, and she stood up, prying herself free of his grasp. She sauntered behind the balcony doors, partially hiding her form, and boldly dropped her robe. His eyes popped out of his head, as he took in the sight of her naked beauty in the moonlight. She purred at him, "Are you sure you love me, Balthier? I thought sky pirates only loved treasure."

Balthier whistled appreciatively, and an absolutely mischievous grin spread across his face. "Treasure comes in many forms, Princess, and sky pirates love them all. Now, I think it is time that I claim mine." He rose from the chair, and started walking towards her.

She laughed as she ran into the bedroom. Balthier chased her in, slamming the balcony doors shut behind him.