steal me!: a balthier/ashe fansite

Chapter Four - The Leading Man

“Her smile, it doesn’t reach her eyes.” The viera observed keenly.

“It’s not easy being a queen, you know?” The sky pirate replied with his usual casual tone and a wry grin, enough to fool anyone but his partner.

Balthier folded his arms across his chest, fixing his gaze on new queen in the distance. The pair of pirates were two among hundreds of speculators in the crowd watching the coronation ceremony of Queen Ashelia B’nargin of Dalmasca. Though instead of choosing a prime spot for viewing, just like everyone else in the crowd fighting each other for the best view of their new queen, Balthier had deliberately picked a more discreet one, semi-hidden in the shadow of one of many stone pillars spanning along the streets of Rabanastre. He didn’t need to see the queen’s face, Fran concluded silently; he knew her features by heart. Yet Fran knew that wasn’t the reason behind his odd choice of an obscure location.

“Are you not planning to see her?” She shifted her gaze from the young queen to her partner. His casual smile did not reach his eyes either, she noticed.

“I am! Just as everyone around here,” he paused and waved one arm lazily around him to indicate the enthusiastic crowd of native Rabanastrians and tourists. Tugging his arm back across his chest, he leaned back to the stone pillar behind him, as suavely as ever. Or so he seemed. “Everyone is here to see our Queen.”

“Are you not planning to see her?” Fran repeated, with the same neutral tone. The only difference was a slight raise of her fine eyebrow.

Something flickered in his eyes for a second. She saw it, yet she said nothing. “Please, Fran,” he started again, curling one side of his lips up into a mocking smirk. “I doubt I am on the list of guests of honor.”

“I doubt anyone on her ‘official’ list is more welcomed than you.” Fran countered with a slight smirk on her face.

“We have no invitation,” he offered half-heartedly, sidestepping the direction of the conversation and the undertone of her statement. His eyes stayed on Ashe. She was still standing high up in the balcony, waving at her people, wearing a faint diplomatic but mechanic smile. Her eyes were searching among the crowd. Searching… Balthier shifted a bit more into the shadow. “Don’t want to crush her party by matching into the palace uninvited, now, do we?”

Fran noticed both Ashe’s searching gaze, as well as her partner’s further concealment in the shadow. Hume, she could never fully understand them. “It would not be the first time we matched into this particular palace uninvited.” She stated as a fact, with a bit of a smile in her tone.

“Indeed,” he recalled quite fondly with a smile that almost touched the corner of his eyes, though he could only hold it briefly. “But, remember, Fran? Last time there was a royal treasure that worth risking our dear necks.”

“And this time there is not?” She countered, almost condescendingly.

He heaved a heavy sigh and torn his stare from Ashe’s form, turning his head away from his observant partner.

Fran waited for a few moments for his response, giving him enough time to collect his wits. When she knew he wouldn’t bother, she continued. She never meant to pester her loyal partner, but his mind was shrouded, his heart clouded. Balthier needed help. “Are you afraid she would ask you to steal her once more?”

This time, his smile finally reached his eyes. Was it because of memories or the possibility she had just suggested, Fran couldn’t tell.

“Why, Fran?” He turned his head back to her and looked straight into her ruby eyes, cocking up one eyebrow in jest. “Is the current bounty on my head not high enough to deem worthy to be your partner? Kidnapping royalty wouldn’t do any good on my bounty, you know?”

“Nor did it stop you last time.” Another deadpan reminder from the viera.

“At her request, if you would recall. It wouldn’t do for a leading man to refuse the request of a princess, would it?” He put on his best flamboyant tone, very convincing indeed, Fran had to give him credits for that. Felling back in silence as his cat grin fainted away, the sky pirate glanced over to the Queen once again, seemingly lost in his memories for a second.

“And should she ask again?”

“She was a princess, one who was presumed to be dead,” he responded quietly, letting out a quiet sigh under his breath, one not meant to be heard by anyone. Any hume at least. The viera’s sensitive ears had no problem picking it up. “Now she is a queen. Quite alive and well-loved by her people, it would seem.” He studied the Queen for a moment before he continued, almost mumbling to himself. “She is strong enough. She doesn’t need a sky pirate anymore.”

“You would want to believe so,” Fran replied, shifting her weight from one long leg to another. “Is it because you are afraid?” She challenged once more. He knew what she meant, she knew he did.

“Fran, please…” He sighed out loud in frustration and pushed himself away from the stone pillar. Turning away from the Queen without one last glance, Balthier headed towards the direction of Sandsea Tavern. “You know what I need right now?”

“I know,” Fran followed him with a shake of her head, sending her long wavy white hair tumbled against her back. She would never fully understand hume, Fran concluded to herself. “But you don’t.”

Balthier chose to ignore her statement and led the way to the tavern, cutting through the thick crowd. All of them, Dalmascans or not, looked up to the young queen with such hope in their eyes.

Oh yes, he knew. Balthier knew too well.

She was a queen. He was a sky pirate. Nothing could ever change that.

And, for once he was willing to accept the reality without pushing his luck or cheating fate… all for her sake.

Queen Ashelia was strong enough to be a fine leader. She had no more need for a sky pirate, especially one with a hefty bounty on his head. With Dalmasca safely in the queen’s delicate hands, their little story is completed.

Then again, who knew where his road would eventually lead to? He might just stop by from time to time for Rabanastrian famous brews. Not that the sky pirate ever needed an excuse to go anywhere. He had always let his heart guide him to treasures, be they in any shape or form… That would remain to be seen. For now, Sandsea Tavern and its fine brews awaited. A toast to the new queen is due, and, of course, a toast to himself for being the leading man who had helped made her dream a reality.

The leading man took a gracious bow in his mind as the unseen curtains fell, and held his head up to the sunny sky where he truly belonged. The sky was calling, treasures awaited. The sky pirate stole one final glance over his shoulder, allowing himself to burn the image of the young queen in his memory. Deep down, he knew a small part of him would always remain here in Rabanastre, forever by her side.

the end?

A/N: This ending was planned and written after I’d finished first chapter of this story. A few of you might be hating me right now for stopping here. Where’s the Balthier/Ashe interaction? Where’s the longing look or the tender touch? But I have to stick to the theme of this story, “acceptance”, for both to move on to their paths, accepting their fate. That and I can’t write romance to save my own life. Honestly, I was, and still am, very torn between sticking to my original ending, or expanding it and letting it grow into a different direction. There are fragments of addition scenes already written that are meant lead to a reunion, but nothing enough to compose a decent plot all while having them stay in character. So the original sad but realistic ending remains.

Enough of that. I have to thank Amanda here, without her, this story would never see the light, cause I didn’t have the guts to post it here. And if I hadn’t posted this, “Balthier’s Nightmare” wouldn’t even exist to start with. :D To each and every reviewer, thank you for taking time to let me know you’re reading this little story. I honestly never expected any review for my story cause I am a notorious lazy reader myself who hardly ever reviews anything, save a few special ones, heh. So thank you, everyone, for all your kind words! To me, they mean more than anything you’d imagine. And to all the readers out there, thanks for reading this little story! Til next time. Pinoko