UnShaekable (FFXII)

XVI) Fran and Furious

SORRY FOR THE ONE CHAPTER UPDATE THIS WEEK. I HAVE PLENTY OF CHAPTERS TO SPARE, BUT I'M CURRENTLY TAKING MY FINAL EXAMS FOR MY FINAL YEAR OF HIGHSCHOOL, SO... I THOUGHT I MIGHT TRY FOR ONCE TO NOT FUDGE MY GRADES UP. I SADLY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO EDIT TWO. ENOUGH SAID, ONTO THE TRASH!

"Such a tremendous honor to again be graced with your presence, Majesty." Judge Ghis turns to face us, his silver hair pulled away from his face and out to the sides like a carnival actor's might be. Clown is a fitting name for any dog of House Solidor. His voice is so obviously mocking, my chest goes tight and my lungs refuse to take in air merely out of pure frustration and disgust. "You left us with such a great dispatch upon our last encounter that I must confess I had begun to worry that we may have given Your Majesty some cause for offense."

"Such a heartfelt display of remorse," Ashe bites back, unfazed by his honeyed words. "Now what is it you want?"

"I want you to give me the nethicite." The Judge takes a step closer, his steel armor clinking and grinding with his every movement.

"The nethicite?" Penelo repeats, clutching Larsa's blue stone tightly behind her back. The Judge swivels toward her.

"That is a base imitation!" he cries. "We seek Raithwall's legacy, the ancient relics of the Dynast-King: deifacted nethicite." His face falls into a smug smile at the silence, his dark eyes turning to Vossler. "Did you not tell them, Captain Azelas?" My jaw clenches and I scowl at the knight to my left, my nails digging into my palms and leaving behind scarlet crescents. Vossler steps forward, Ashe's eyes sliding shut in exhaustion as he speaks. I should have suspected a betrayal from a man so insistent on our actions.

"Majesty, he speaks of the Dawn Shard. That is the nethicite." Ashe and Basch swivel to face him, rage burning across the latter's normally calm features.

"Are you mad, Vossler?" Basch demands.

"If we are to save Dalmasca, we must accept the truth," Vossler counters, scowling at the blonde. "I will fight this profitless battle no more!"

"Captain Azelas has struck a wise bargain," Ghis continues, head tilting in the most insulting of ways. "In return for the Dawn Shard the Empire will permit Lady Ashe to reclaim her throne and the Kingdom of Dalmasca will be restored. Think on it." Ghis straightens, his beady eyes falling on mine and staying there; the fists at my sides tighten and my knuckles burn a hot white. "An entire kingdom for a stone. You must admit, 'tis more than a fair exchange."

"And when all is said and done, your master will have another pet," Balthier speaks up sharply, though he keeps his voice as smooth as always. Ghis stares at the pirate in distasteful silence before turning back to the princess.

"Lady Ashe, let us take him for the people of Dalmasca. Your Majesty wallows in indecision on peril of their heads!" He swings his sword outward, stopping just at a glowering, unflinching Balthier's throat. "And his shall be the first to fall."

"Well, at least your sword is to the point," Balthier replies with a scowl. I bite down hard on my cheek, feeling hot blood flow into my mouth before my anger takes over.

"Stop this!" I snap, breaking past Basch and Fran. "Forget him, I've your master and half the Empire after my head. Take me as one of your silly prices for peace."

"You forget," Ghis sniffs, smug as ever. "My master is yours. He was before, he is now, and he always will be." An armored hand shoots upward and clutches my throat just tight enough to cause discomfort. "You're merely a lost playing card, my dear."

"Fortunately, I'm no longer one of his chained dogs," I spit, glaring up into his dull eyes. "I doubt you could say the same for yourself."

There's a long pause as tension builds. Finally, just as I prepare to lunge at the Judge and rip him to pieces on my own, Ashe steps forth, holding out the Dawn Shard. I take a breath to protest only to have Ghis grip my throat harder and prevent any words from leaving. He sheathes his sword as I hold my breath, willing myself not to choke.