Queen Ashelia was visiting the sky city of Bhujerba at the request of the Marquis Ondore.
She was in the living quarters of her guest chambers, reviewing notes and reports on some of the nobles and businessmen she and her uncle would be dining with that evening. It was necessary, but really rather tedious. She needed a distraction to save her sanity. Just as she thought this however, the chamber door opened and in stepped Aria, Ashe's personal assistant. The Queen glanced up briefly.
"Ah, Aria, I'm glad you're here. Do you have any idea what a 'sammapuon wrangler' is? Some of these people have strange interests." Aria wasn't listening.
"We might have a problem." She said and Ashe turned to look at her properly.
"With the banquet tonight? Has there been a change in the schedule?" Her assistant let out a nervous laugh.
"I wish. No, I've just had an interesting meeting with one of the guards. About ten minutes ago an intruder was apprehended breaking into the Palace and before he was taken away, he was being very vocal and demanding to see you before being sent to the holding cells." Ashe's heart sank.
"Please don't tell me it was -"
"Afraid so." Ashe put her head in her hands.
"There couldn't be any chance it was Vaan, could it?" She asked, hopefully. As Aria was also Vaan's girlfriend, that only made her laugh. She shook her head and Ashe groaned.
"I'm going to kill him." Aria could only smile at the Queen.
"I think you'd be within your rights. I've told the guards to bring him up." She left the Queen with her irritation.
"When I said I needed a distraction, this is not what I had in mind." She muttered to herself.
A few minutes later there was a knock on her door and Ashe called for the guard to enter. The man came in and bowed to her.
"Your Majesty. Please forgive the disturbance but we -" Ashe held up a hand for the man to stop.
"My assistant has informed me of the situation. You have the intruder here?" The guard nodded.
"Outside."
"I would see him." Ashe took a deep breath to keep herself composed, as the guard let in the prisoner, flanked by a second guard.
His eyes lit up when he saw her and the arrogant grin he wore became a little more real. He raised his handcuffed hands and gave her a small wave.
"Hello, Princess!" He called out, cheerily. "Sorry for all the dramatics."
Oh, Balthier. Ashe wanted to be furious with him but he seemed so damned chipper and genuinely pleased to see her, her face started to betray her and she had to chew her lip to stop a smile from forming at the absurdity of the situation. That is until the guard next to the Pirate hit him.
"You will speak to the Queen with respect!" The man said, as the Queen cried out. Now she really was furious.
"Stop! How dare you attack this man when he has given you no just cause! I do not tolerate unnecessary violence by my own guards, I will not tolerate it from you." The two guards bowed to the Queen humbly and apologised. Ashe searched Balthier's face, whilst keeping her own neutral, and he gave her a small nod to show that he was okay. Ashe took a deep breath.
"Leave us." She commanded, though the first guard began to protest.
"Your Majesty, we cannot. This man could be dangerous, we cannot in good conscious -" But the Queen had walked to the door and opened it.
"I thank you for your concern, guardsman, but he will not harm me. I am unfortunately familiar with this miscreant, ("Miscreant?!" Balthier objected from behind her) and as you can see my own guards stand just outside these doors. I will be safe."
Reluctantly, the Bhujerban guards left the Queen's chambers and Ashe could see her own guards from Rabanastre trying not to laugh themselves as Balthier called out, "Bye boys! It was great working with you!" They were familiar with the Pirate and his ways.
The second Ashe turned the lock she heard a metallic clattering. She turned to see the handcuffs Balthier had been wearing cast to the floor whilst the Pirate readjusted his shirt cuffs.
"Ah, it's nice to be rid of them." He gave her a winning grin as he stepped towards her.
"Are you hurt?" She asked, as he put his hands on her hips. Balthier shook his head and she appeared relieved. "Good." Balthier leant in to kiss her but got a slap instead.
"Ouch!"
"That's for breaking in!" She said, stepping away from him as he glared at her, rubbing his cheek. "Oh please, I've given you harder. What are you doing here?"
"I was in the neighbourhood. I heard you were here and I wanted to see you. I missed you." He took her hands and gave her his 'big-eyed, sorrowful' look which just made Ashe laugh. He really couldn't pull it off.
She relaxed into his arms and sighed. "You only saw me three days ago." She murmured as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Ashe, three days away from you can feel like an eternity." He whispered into her hair. "At others times though, three weeks can feel like nowhere near long enough." He smirked at her, only to be rewarded with a smack on the arm.
"Balthier, I love you but this isn't Rabanastre. You can't just break in and expect everyone to turn a blind eye."
"I know that."
"You were arrested, you could have been in real trouble. I thought you said only fools and bad pirates let themselves get caught."
"And that's true, but you see, only the really good ones let themselves get arrested intentionally." Ashe gave him a queer look.
"You got arrested on purpose?" Balthier beamed at her.
"Of course. It was the easiest way to find you. I'd been walking around this maze of a Palace for half an hour and you still alluded me," He gave her nose a tweak, "So I thought it would just be easier to have the guards bring me to you." He kissed her gently.
"I can't decide whether that's the most brilliant thing I've ever heard or the stupidest." Ashe uttered, between kisses and feeling his mirth upon her lips. "Give back whatever it is you've stolen." Balthier looked at her.
"Who says I've stolen anything?" Ashe just stared at him, eyebrows raised until he relented, reaching into his vest and pulling out an old, expensive decorative plate and handed it to her.
"Is that all?" Balthier snorted with annoyance and to Ashe's surprise and amusement, reached down the front of his trousers and removed a small gold statue. Ashe burst out laughing.
"Really?" She said, taking it from him. "That can't have been comfortable."
"Don't act like you weren't impressed." He said, giving her a devious grin and a wink as he pulled her back into his arms. Ashe just rolled her eyes.
"Where's Fran?" She asked. "I can't imagine she would let you go ahead with all this foolishness." Balthier chuckled.
"You would think, wouldn't you?" He smirked. "But she actually bet me a hundred gil that I wouldn't be able to break into the Palace without getting caught." He dropped his grin and it was replaced with pensive frown. "Come to think of it, I think she was trying to get rid of me for the evening. Basch isn't in town, is he?" Ashe had to laugh at him as she shook her head.
"Not that I know of." She kissed him again, a little longer this time. "So, it looks like you owe Fran a hundred gil then." She moved to claim his lips again, but he pulled back and stared at her.
"What? No, I won the bet. She owes me."
"But you were arrested."
"On purpose."
"You were still caught."
"It doesn't count."
"Balthier, it absolutely counts." Balthier looked at her, uncertain.
"No, I think you're wrong." Ashe just huffed at him and pushed him away.
"Oh, of course you'd think that." She said, but with a teasing note in her voice and a swagger in her hips. "Because the Sky Pirate Balthier is never wrong! After all he's the best Sky Pirate in all of Ivalice." The Pirate laughed at this statement while he watched the Queen cross the room, only to stop and retrieve the handcuffs from the floor. She regarded them a moment before turning to face him.
"I bet you think you're pretty good with these as well, don't you?" Balthier just gave her an intrigued smile.
Hours later, Balthier woke in Ashe's bed alone, his Princess having to reluctantly leave him to attend her uncle's dinner. The sky had darkened considerably which held hope that Ashe would return to him sooner rather then later. He yawned and decided he would refresh himself with a bath while he waited for his Love.
He made to move but found he couldn't. He looked over to find that Ashe had handcuffed his left hand to the bedpost before she had left, as a prank. He smirked to himself as he used his right to remove one his longer earrings, and proceeded to use it to pick the lock. When Ashe got back, he'd show her exactly how good he was with these handcuffs.