Chapter 20

She's gone...

dead...

murdered, by my own people, by my hand...

No! That's not the truth...it was the Senate, it was Rossi that murdered Catherine. That man and his loyal dogs have stolen everything from me. From my home and my title, to the people that I love...

Oh Catherine...forgive me...forgive me please... I am completely powerless... what am I to do?

Basch watched, completely unsettled and at a loss for what to do as Larsa stood in a dark corner of their cell, his smart, richly jewelled white suit soiled by dirt and rust, and spattered with blood, Catherine's blood no doubt. He looked lost and completely helpless, dried tears staining his face as his deep Persian blue eyes stared lifelessly into nothing.

Basch could always tell when Larsa was thinking hard about something, he would get this far away look in his eye and he'd suck in his bottom lip, sometimes he'd fold his arms too; but right now, Larsa was doing neither and yet, Basch felt that Larsa was probably tossing everything that had happened so far in his head, trying to find a solution. Or at least, Basch hoped he was.

Catherine's death was a shock to him as well. He was not expecting the Senate to go that far. He would've never guessed they would do something so blatantly unlawful as murder...again. It could very well evoke anarchy, especially among the Rossarians. No doubt King Theodor of Rossaria is beyond grief and far beyond outrage. Treaty or no, the murder of the Princess of Rossaria on Archadian soil could very well mean war. Or perhaps...perhaps that's exactly what the Senate wants.

Basch was about to share his thoughts with Larsa when Larsa suddenly coughed slightly and spoke through dry lips, "We have to get out of here Basch..." Basch stood from his sitting position against the wall of the dank cell as he watched Larsa push himself away from the damp walls weakly. "Someone has to stop Rossi. For all we know he could be trying to start another war."

Basch smirked, he was indeed thinking over there in that dark corner. "My sentiments exactly," Basch said with a grim smile. "Any ideas on how to get out of here?" Basch asked Larsa as he stood up straight and looked around the cell they'd been thrown roughly into only an hour or so ago. The cell was dark and damp, the very last cell on the bottom floor of the dungeon at least a half a mile underground. There were no windows obviously and only the vertical iron bars stood between them and the dark, damp corridor carved out of the ground ages ago, long before the first King Solidor took the throne.

Larsa walked over to the iron bars and tested them by shaking them viciously, and rapping his knuckles over them only to succeed in shaking himself viciously and bruising his knuckles. The bars were sturdy, despite the thick layer of flaking rust coating them, and they had talismans posted to each side of the cell to keep them from casting any spells and their entire inventory was confiscated prior to their imprisonment. Larsa groaned slightly as he turned his depressingly limited options over in his head.

"There's no way we can get out of here on our own. We're going to need help..." Larsa said after a long few minutes of silent thinking.

"Where is Kairos, Larsa?" Basch said suddenly as he began to rummage through his armour for any random bits of paper or torn bits of fabric on which they could write.

Larsa turned to Basch and thought about it. "It would be hard...There's no way Kairos could fly all the way here without being noticed by the guards and most of the guards in the castle know Kairos, and they aren't particularly fond of him either, they'd sooner shoot him down than let him fly over there heads." Larsa said dismally. Basch sighed and stopped searching, Larsa was right. Many of guards had been injured at least once by Larsa's very mal tempered hawk.

"It sounds like your in a bit of a sticky situation here." both Larsa and Basch jumped and peered through the bars in search of the source and found nothing.

"Who's there?" Basch called in a demanding voice.

"Basch Von Ronsenburg, it's been a long time wouldn't you agree?"

Larsa glanced up at Basch with a questioning glare only to find him smirking before he said, "Of course, how could I forget that lilting, condescending tone of yours Balthier?"

"Balthier?" Larsa exclaimed, looking around almost desperately for the notorious Sky Pirate.

Both Larsa and Basch took a sudden step back as they watched Balthier and Fran suddenly materialise before their very eyes. "How did you do that?" Larsa asked first.

"Oh just a useful little spell Kira taught us before we..."

"You've seen Kira?" Larsa nearly shouted, grabbing the iron bars and wishing he had the strength to just rip them out of the wall.

"Ssshhh!" Balthier shushed Larsa harshly and glanced behind him to the end of the corridor were two guards stood with their back to them. "Listen, everything will be explained in due time but first we have to get you out of here. Unfortunately, we don't have the ability to cast the invisibility on others and only Kira can teach it to you so we'll have to find another way."

Basch nodded and came closer to the bars and whispered, "Well aside from that, what's going on outside, we can't hear or see anything and the guards aren't likely to fill us in."

Balthier huffed slightly and folded his arms. "It's nasty out there. King Theodore's throwing a tantrum, nearly officially declared war before Lady Ashe managed to convince him other wise, reminding him that they'd only just signed the Treaty. Then, soon after, Rossi shows up, gives a bullshit speech about loyalty and honour, claiming that Judge Magister Basch was the the one to kill Catherine and that their very own King was an accomplice. Quite obviously not many people believed this, just a few Archadia hating Rossarians, but no one got the chance to say nay before Rossi suddenly declared himself King in your stead. There was a brief up roar among the Archadians that was quickly quelled by Rossi's personal soldiers, but with the entire Senate backing him, there really wasn't much the people could do except bow to him. On the way here we whitnessed the beginnings of many rebellious groups and the end of them as well. If something isn't done then surely civil war will break out. Rossi fully underestimated the peoples love for their true King." Balthier gave Larsa a fleeting smile then grimaced and continued, "Especially after he announced your execution date."

"Execution?" Larsa gasped, then shock his head and mumbled, "Why am I not surprised."

"When is it?" Basch asked, his voice unwavering.

"Tomorrow at dawn." Balthier said quite bluntly. "that's just a few hours from now."

Basch looked like he was about to make a comment when Fran interrupted, glancing over her shoulder as she spoke. "We cannot stay much longer, the Lady Ashe awaits our return. There is much that you do not know, much that Kira has to tell you, but that will have to wait."

"indeed, we will inform the Lady Ashe of the latest developments and send Kira to your rescue, likely she is the only one of us capable with such limited time and option." Balthier said while folding his arms.

"Developments? What's going on? What does Kira know?" Larsa asked, shocked to hear that even in hiding, Kira seemed to know more about what is going on than he did.

"Patience young King, the time will come. Come Balthier." Fran said urgently as the guards began their hourly patrol of the corridor. Larsa watched as Balthier and Fran disappeared from sight only to be replaced by completely oblivious soldiers moments later.

"I see. So not only is the Senate after Larsa's power and title, which they now have, but they are also after the Sun Cryst?" Ashe mused as they finally reached the teleport crystal in the city of Archades.

"Precisely, and Kira has inherited the duty to protect it and ensure that it does not end up in the wrong hands." Balthier said as he touched the huge crystal and teleported them to Kira.

Ashe gasped slightly as they arrived in the huge and beautifully decorated room that once housed the Sun Cryst. As she observed her surroundings, she noted the excessive amount of myst floating around the room and made to ask Fran if it did not bother her when a familiar voice interrupted her.

"So you've returned? How did it go?" Ashe turned around to find Kira sitting cross-legged in mid-air, a small crystal floating in front of her chest. The sight startled her slightly and she watched, amazed as she unfolded her legs and stood up with as much grace as a swan, the crystal falling back to her lay on her chest supported by a thin silver chain.

"Terribly, as we predicted." Balthier said stepping forward, not surprised at all by her new found abilities.

"What happened?" Kira asked, looking worried.

"Well, after they signed the Treaty and Larsa was made king, they murdered Catherine, Princess of Rossaria during the wedding ceremony and of course, chaos ensued,"

"They murdered Catherine?" Kira exclaimed loudly, her voice cracking at the thought of the once bubbly, slightly crazed Princess that she'd grown to be rather fond of despite the many complications she'd caused for her and Larsa.

Balthier nodded grimly and continued, "They accused Basch as her murderer and arrested Larsa with him as his accomplice."

"After that Rossi announced his rule over the Galtean Alliance in Larsa's stead and also, Larsa and Basch's execution." Ashe said as she folded her arms, her expression displaying her disgust.

"Execution!" Kira scoffed as she folded her arms and stared at them incredulously. The insanity of the Senate knows no bounds did it?

"Of course that won't sit well with the Archadians, not to mention King Theodor, Catherine's Father, very nearly officially declared war. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly what Rossi wants." Balthier said, his tone laced with the same disgust Ashe showed earlier.

"Balthier and I could not free them whilst we spoke to them in their cell. They are very heavily guarded." Fran said.

"Likely the only chance we'll have is as they are waking up to the gallows. Rossi will want to display it to the whole city so security won't be as tight. The only trouble would be the number of witnesses." Ashe said as she rubbed her chin in thought.

"No, that won't be any trouble at all." Kira said, nodding to herself as she felt the fibres of her plan already stitching themselves together. "Where will they be executed?" Kira asked.

"Most likely in the town square, so that everyone can see the murder of an innocent." Ashe answered with a snarl.

Kira nodded slightly to herself. She'd been there before on numerous occasions. It would be easy to teleport there without being noticed, especially with the help of the Cryst. The only trouble would be teleporting herself, Larsa and Basch at the same time back to this place. Kira smiled however and thought, No, I'm sure that if I focus, and with the Cryst, I'll be able to do it.

"So do you have a plan?" Balthier asked as they watched her stand there, thinking, one hand on her hip, the other at her mouth as she absently chewed on a chipped nail.

Kira looked up at him and smirked, "Of course I do."

The next morning dawned. The sun seemed an angry fiery red as it slowly crawled over the edge of the horizon; almost as if it were in anticipation of vengeance for the blood slipped the previous night. Kira did not sleep that night. She'd spent the hours meditating with the Cryst. Searching its endless encyclopedia of knowledge for ways to enhance her teleportation skills and to further attune herself to the ways of the stone so that she may better work with it.

As the Cryst announced to Kira that a new day had begun, she slowly rose to her feet, stretching her aching muscles and glanced around her. Balthier and Fran had stayed and slept in a corner where she'd made two makeshift beds for them out of the remains of the stand on which the Cryst once stood before Sulendii shrank it for her. Ashe had returned to Archadia where she was staying in a high class hotel, intending on attending Basch's and Larsa's 'execution' in the morning. She said she would rather stay here, where she was positive no assassin from the Senate could reach her in case they still had more up their sleeve, but it would be seen as suspicious. The Lady Ashe was already known for her rebellious tendencies, so her absence might've tipped off the Senate.

Kira gently woke the two and told them to take the Ridorana teleport crystal to Archades. "I'll go on ahead and scout the area." she said before she disappeared in a puff of myst.

Kira appeared on the edge of the town square. The large crowd in the square hardly even noticed her appearance, they were too preoccupied with the ass currently making a bogus speech on a huge platform in he middle of the square. Kira opted for tuning Rossi out as he spoke to the people and instead searched the platform for Larsa and Basch. She caught sight of them a ways behind Rossi. Their hands were bound and their feet were chained. She could tell they'd been kept somewhere over night considering Larsa and Basch were still in formal attire and were covered in a thin layer of dirt and grime. Kira forced herself to calm down as she felt a familiar heat in the pit of her stomach growing violent at the sight of Larsa and Basch bound and chained like that.

Something Rossi had said stirred the crowd and they were now angrily jeering at him, throwing vegetables and fruit unto the platform as he quickly retreated. At that moment Kira knew she had to get moving. She watched as Larsa and Basch were lead to the middle of the platform were too nooses hung sweet and low for them.

Kira steadily prepared herself, myst gathering around her as she move toward the platform, her speed increasing all the while. She watched as they draped the nooses over their heads and she noticed Larsa searching the crowd with his eyes. Their eyes met briefly before Kira was forced to duck under a man's arm to get through to the platform.

"And so, an era ends, and a new one begins!" Rossi shouted over the roar of the angry crowd, his face split in two, his grin spreading from ear to ear. Rossi walked over to Larsa and said to him, "Goodnight, my King. Don't expect to see me in the after life any time soo...what the hell are you smiling about?" Rossi said harshly as he stared down into Larsa's grinning face.

"oh, nothing..." Larsa replied coolly. Rossi bristled and stepped away from him.

"Hang them!" He shouted, but just as the executioner pulled the lever, a form with blazing red hair vaulted unto the platform and crashed into Basch and Larsa and in a swirl of myst, a bright flash of light and the tell tale booming sound of teleportation magic, they were gone, their nooses empty.

Larsa had barely regained his balanced when he felt the bonds holding his hands and feet magically dissolve away and a figure wrap its arms tightly around him. He grinned widely and hugged her back as tightly as he could, as if even loosening his grip a little would mean losing her again.

Balthier smirked as he helped Basch out of his restraints and said, "Boy sure does move fast; gets married, becomes a widow, now he's already got a new girl. And I thought I was bad."

Basch thumped him on the arm and said with the same smirk on his face, "Oh she's not new, they've been like this forever." They both chuckled as they grabbed each others arms and embraced briefly exchanging warm greetings.

"Basch," Basch turned toward the voice and smiled as Fran bowed slightly to him. "I am glad to see that the two of you have not been greatly harmed."

"Indeed, I am surprised however that you returned so quickly, we hardly had time to awake and become descent before you materialized before us." Balthier said turning to Kira as she finally untangled herself from Larsa's embrace.

"Yes well, Rossi got a bit excited and seemed to want to end it quick so I had to move fast." Kira said with a smile as she brought Larsa over to them.

"Enough about that, what is it that you know that I don't? Kira, what the hell is going on?" Larsa demanded. Kira looked over at him and sighed.

She waved her hand and five pristine white chair immerged from the floor, then she said, "We'd better sit down."

OoOoO

To be Continued…

Ok, i know, i know, i've been gone for what feels like years but i only just got back my laptop hard drive with al my stuff on it so i can continue writing now, but there's a catch (as always) i am currently in the middle of the most important exams of my life so hopefully by summer you'll have chapters coming in steady enough, and i'm thinking about doing some revisiting to the older chapters so look out for that too, but not for now. My last exam is early june so hopefully by then i'll have something for u or a little after. this story is the first thing onmy agenda for the summer so =] don't plan to raid my house just yet lol.

Love you guys, i know this one was short but review and i'll try to write a bit faster =]