Disclaimer: I do not own Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XII, nor am I making any money off this fanfiction.

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Author’s Notes…

Just to set the record straight before I move onto anything else, this is not the mentioned sequel for Choice of Words. Haha, so nobody gets confused, I had to get that out of the way.

This story was inspired by a daily prompt I normally write, and that prompt was “write your morning.” I use original fiction of mine for these exercises, but I was growing weary of doing so many of them that way and decided I’d like to do fanfiction for this one instead. Lo and behold at the idea that came to my mind then! It gave birth to a whole new story.

Anyway, I’m really excited about this, and I hope that all of you will feel the same.

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Trust and Temptation

Chapter One

The Agreement

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“Miss!”

That noise…

“Miss, it’s time to wake up!”

That awful noise…

“Miss, you’ll miss breakfast if you don’t wake up!”

“Quiet,” Penelo mumbled. Her hand shot out for something, anything to trap out that noise, and she wound up with a pillow. Without further delay, she stuffed it on top of her face and then snuggled deeper beneath the heavy covers. Gods above, she was tired—and she ached everywhere, like someone had beaten the hell out of her and then left her alone in a gutter. But if that were the case, she wouldn’t really be in a bed, would she?

She hummed at that thought, inhaling deep the smell of crisp sheets and expensive fabric. Expensive fabric of the kind that she’d only gotten the chance to smell once in a blue moon before Vaan sold it off for more money for their purses… Oh, that fabric was so comfortable, too, especially when it was lined with silk and stitched with designs that were so complicated even Penelo couldn’t fathom the patience of the nimble fingers that had worked them into it… Hmmmm… She loved it so much. She’d have to thank Vaan for buying it and beg him not to part with it so soon, at least not before she got the proper time to bond with it.

Wait…

When had Vaan had the time to pilfer that sort of fabric from someone? They’d been busy for the past week with diving into a tunnel of caves they’d discovered just beneath the Zertinan Caverns. Those dark and equally dank caverns that put a quicker fear in Penelo than anything else had ever managed to. Vaan had pointed out that she’d done a lot scarier things than dive into the unknown. Penelo’s retort had fallen along the lines of, “At least I could see then!”

Huh. Just last night they’d shimmied down ropes and begun exploring another cavern. Technically she should still have been there and not in a fancy bed somewhere… else…

“Where am I?” Penelo pulled her pillow from her face and blinked drowsily as she sat up. She regretted the action immediately when sunlight stabbed at her eyeballs and forced her to retreat back under the covers.

“The Imperial Palace in Archadia, miss,” said a soft voice to her left.

She was in Archades? No, that couldn’t be right… She hadn’t stepped foot in Archades for—oh… five years? And that had been when Ashe’s party had all been running around to find chops so that they could make it to the upper levels of the city. After the incident with the Draklor Laboratory and give or take a few more side trips for talking cockatrices and people who had posted bills for particular marks… she hadn’t been near the place since.

“Lord Larsa wanted me to tell you that he wishes to see you for breakfast, so if you’d please—”

Larsa?

“—your bath is already prepared, as is your gown—”

Larsa…

He’d written her recently, and they’d agreed to meet at an upcoming ball that he was hosting for representatives from Rozarria. However, that wasn’t for a few weeks more at best, and besides, how did one go from caravanning in the Zertinan Caverns and then magickally teleport to Archades? It didn’t make any sense.

“Your bath, miss?”

She let the maid roll the bed covers back—at the woman’s insistence; Penelo thought she could really do it on her own, but apparently Arisa, as the woman called herself, would lose her job if Penelo did such a thing. Penelo climbed out of bed and did her best to recall what had happened last before she had woken up. Only shreds of memory were coming back to her no matter how much brain power she put into it.

Running with Vaan… Igniting a fire spell at her fingertips so that the glow would provide them with some light to go by… Vaan’s frantic breathing pattern mingling with her own… Tripping over a rock, crying out and losing the spell as she went down, and then—absolutely nothing. It was as if a chunk of the events from the previous night had been taken from her, and now she had to scramble around and try to piece them back together, only to fail.

She hadn’t been knocked unconscious when she’d fallen, so the large gap between there and now wasn’t making any sense. Also, why would she be in Archades? And why did she ache all over? She’d long grown accustomed to fleeing for her life, and she wasn’t out of shape by far. Then again—why had they been in such a hurry to get out of that cavern?

“My head…” she groaned, lifting her hands to clutch at it.

She was so distracted with the pain throbbing behind her eyes and concentrating on not falling flat on her face from how weak and aching her limbs were that she didn’t get a good chance to look around. Only when she was sinking into steaming water that immediately began soaking into her bones did she pause to examine her surroundings.

The bathroom was huge, and the bath itself was lowered into the ground. There was a pull string nearby to add more hot water to the bath if she so desired it. On the edge of the stone next to her shoulder was a line of different soaps, all of them ranging in color from lavender to a deep, red rose. They all smelt remarkably good, too, like those nobles that trounced around the streets of Archades with their little umbrellas.

She’d never been the type to let perfumes and bath scents cloud her head, mostly because she’d never been able to afford the steep prices of such vanity. Working at Migelo’s Sundries had barely provided her with enough money to pay for the hovel she’d lived in, and in her sky pirating career she’d never bothered with the stuff because she only ever wound up getting dirty. The life of a criminal was not a clean one.

She didn’t want a particular perfume she fancied to be recognized by any person she wronged later on… and smelling like a beauty shop while wearing clothes on the somewhat revealing side only invited men to be lured to her in ways that were less than wanted.

Vaan’s temper didn’t need to get provoked by men who couldn’t keep their paws off Penelo. He already had enough trouble keeping a clear head with the clothes she wore and the attention she drew from someone other than himself—why give him another reason to get worked up?

Vaan…

She hoped he was okay.

Frustrated all over again that she couldn’t remember when they’d parted, she sank below the surface of the bath water. There were several steps leading into the bath, so she had to slip off them in order to submerge herself successfully. The pool was deep enough—and wide enough—that she could have gone for a short swim if she’d wanted to. At least one thing was for certain—she was definitely in the Imperial Palace.

She toweled off twenty minutes later and slipped into the clothes that had been left for her on a table a short distance away. A mirror was laid next to them, along with an assortment of powders and paints for her face. She ignored them and reached for the delicate brush that was at the edge of the table. Its bristles were soft, but hard enough to work through her thick hair.

Lifting the mirror and getting a good look at herself made her feel as if she were a princess. The gown she was dressed in reached to her knees, and it had thin straps at her shoulders and around her biceps, along with a rich red bow wrapped around her hips. The bow tied at the small of her back and had tail ends that brushed against the hem of the gown. The fabric of the gown was colored in creams and slips of crimson here and there, especially on the straps and then in a ribbon that was sewn through the lace along the patterns on the bottom half of it.

The gown was embarrassing enough. To complete the ensemble, cream stockings reached up to her thighs, and beneath the skirts that made the gown poof out, more ribbon was etched around the tops of the stockings and tied in bows on the outsides of her thighs. Equally cream boots made of very soft leather covered her feet up to her calves, and there was no decoration on them except for buttons lining near the ankles.

Okay, so maybe she didn’t feel like a princess—it was more like she’d been dressed up as a doll. A pretty doll with—

“Miss, are you finished—oh!” Arisa was back, and when she got a good look at Penelo she started to frown. “Your hair! And the makeup, why aren’t you wearing it? Oh, dear, come here, we must get you ready for breakfast!”

All of this for breakfast?

Penelo was told to remain still while she was suitably powdered up and her hair was brushed with hard yanks and various tugs until it was forced into submission. It was then dried, brushed all over again, and finally let loose around her shoulders in gentle ringlets that “gave her such a youthful appearance.” Arisa was smiling proudly at the job she’d done, and there were tears in the corners of her eyes.

“Oh, you look so beautiful, miss…” she cooed.

I didn’t look beautiful before? Penelo thought sourly.

“Come along, come along! Lord Larsa is waiting!”

Larsa.

Arisa placed her hands over Penelo’s shoulder blades and pushed her out of the bathing room and into a corridor that stretched as far as Penelo could see. For some reason, a knot had come to settle in Penelo’s chest. Down that hallway was a boy that she hadn’t laid eyes on in five years. Down that hallway was the person she had written letters to off and on with, whenever she stayed in one place long enough to receive them. Down that hallway was the answer to her question—where was Vaan?

They passed a few people on their trip to the dining hall. Some maids, some judges. None of them made any real eye contact with Penelo. They’d give a short nod at the most, and then they’d be on their way again, absorbed in whatever was on their minds. Penelo didn’t take any offense to it. Compared to the emperor that these people served, she was unimportant. She probably wouldn’t have had much to say, either.

Arisa kept up a steady enough babble, though. Penelo only heard half of what she was saying. On a reasonably better day, she would have kept up the conversation for all it was worth. She just had a lot on her mind now, and none of it was good.

Had there been arrows whistling toward them in the dark…? Had there been some sort of weird and guttural voices behind them…? Damn, it was all so fuzzy. She focused on it despite how much her mind wanted to steer away from it, and after much thought and furrowing her brows until doing so made her headache worse, some words and images came pouring back to her. There had been arrows. They’d come from above, and then from behind—an indication that they’d been followed.

Vaan—reaching out for her—

Sharp, searing pain—

“Miss, we’re here.”

Penelo stepped forward into the room as Arisa stopped on the spot and gave a low bow. Sparing her only a brief glance, Penelo figured out that the humble gesture wasn’t for her when a tall, young man met them and nodded his head. Arisa then excused herself and beat a hasty retreat. Penelo had only a moment to stare after her before her hand was captured and swept toward the mouth of the newcomer.

“Penelo, I am pleased to see that you are doing better since last night’s affairs.”

She opened her mouth to question who he was when her heart stopped in her throat. She’d recognize the intense shade of those green eyes anywhere.

Larsa smiled at her over her knuckles, half bent forward in a bow and nowhere near as short or as remarkably cute as he’d been five years ago. Instead he’d grown into a height that topped even Balthier, and the baby fat in his cheeks had faded until there was nothing but aristocracy in his face no matter which angle you looked at it. He was breathtakingly gorgeous because of it, and with the way he was eyeing her now, he seemed to know it.

“Larsa,” she said, her voice so faint that she almost didn’t recognize it. “You’ve…”

“Come, sit with me and let us have our breakfast before we begin to discuss important matters. I’ve always thought that food in our stomachs helps to sharpen our minds, and I trust that you feel the same?”

His voice.

She must have made some noise because he was folding her hand in the crook of his elbow and guiding her in the direction of the dining table. Ignoring the extensive—and expensive—sets of silverware and goblets and candles, Penelo’s stomach growled when her eyes landed on the sheer mountain of food that was piled before them. Bagels, loaves of bread, fruits of every imaginable size and shape… meat, dark meat, white meat—ham. Oh, ham. She hadn’t had proper ham in… oh, it didn’t matter.

Larsa pulled back a chair for her, and she sat in it heavily. Once he had pushed her in against the table, his mouth came next to her ear, and he murmured, “It certainly does look very delicious, doesn’t it? I imagine that you haven’t had a proper meal in days, from what Vaan has told me.”

“Vaan?!”

Her mind rolling to a screeching stop, Penelo was almost out of her chair again to confront her friend before she noticed that he was taking a seat next to her. They weren’t anymore on eye level than they had been when he was standing up, but at least she didn’t have to tilt her head back so far now.

“Where is he?!” The words were rushing out of her mouth, and she couldn’t stop them. “Larsa, you have to tell me! I’ve been worried sick! I can’t remember anything! I—”

“That’s not so hard to believe, considering the lump you had on your head when he brought you to me.” He set about for butter, and his eyes lit up when he found it. She waited as patiently as she could while he finished slathering a piece of bread with it, and she didn’t explode again until he was about to take a bite of it.

“Larsa!” She gripped his forearm. He paused, the bread halfway to his mouth. “What. Happened?!”

Green irises searched her own.

She swallowed hard against a sudden fear. “He’s not dead, is he?”

Larsa laughed then, and something inside of Penelo’s chest eased. “Of course not. I would not have had you dressed in creams and crimsons if he had passed on—those are not the proper mourning colors.”

Absently, Penelo looked at her dress. “You picked this out? What, did you just having it lying around?”

“Here, try this pear, it was brought fresh to us this morning. It’s quite good.”

Opening her mouth when he pressed the fruit to her lips and then letting the juice roll over her tongue as she chewed on it, Penelo made a muffled moan of agreement. Gods, now that was a good piece of fruit.

He laughed again, and it was delighted more than amused this time. “Here, have another.”

This went on for a few more pieces of fruit until the situation caught up with her and Penelo almost choked on the pear. She held up a hand and waved for Larsa to cease as he was bringing another piece to her lips. He merely raised an eyebrow at her. She munched, swallowed, grabbed for the nearest goblet and took a long swig of whatever was in it—hmm, some sort of wine—and then breathed deep.

Larsa had just been feeding her the damned fruit. Larsa, Larsa the sweet boy that had been twelve the last time she’d seen him, was smiling at her with those eyes of his shining so brightly. Larsa, the boy she still knew because of those beautiful letters he wrote her… looked and acted nothing like he had been in her mind. Of course, this wasn’t a really fair conclusion of the Larsa of today—but it was hard to not see someone for five years in the running. You tended to grip on to the image of the last time you’d seen them.

All right, so she’d certainly tried to picture what he looked like now. Truth be told, it was nothing compared to the real thing. Hell, she hadn’t even recognized him!

It was too much for Penelo’s mind to handle. On top of the mystery surrounding the night before, she needed some answers, and she needed them now.

“Larsa, the fruit was—er—wonderful, but… I need to know. Where is Vaan? Please tell me?”

The smile died right on his face. He cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair, and then he was quiet for a very long time. During this time, Penelo gave another cursory glance around the room and spotted a familiar figure on the far edge, near a set of windows that started at the floor and didn’t stop until the ceiling. She could have been wrong, but his armor stated otherwise. Basch was present, along with a handful of other important looking figures.

It felt weird. It felt weird to know that people were listening in on their conversation. Then again, Larsa must have been used to it. He couldn’t really go anywhere without protection, could he?

“Penelo…” Larsa whispered at last. And then, when she looked at him, “Penelo, Vaan is… He… Well…”

She had never seen Larsa at a loss for words, and dread began growing within her. Larsa always knew what to say—especially since he’d been officially named emperor not too long ago. Before that, even. When he’d been twelve and his voice wasn’t yet cracking and he’d taken Penelo’s hand in his own after she’d come out of those creepy as hell Lhusu Mines and saved her from not only a pair of awful bangaas, but Judge Ghis as well.

Where could Vaan be that Larsa was afraid to tell her? He’d already confirmed that Vaan was not dead… so how bad could it be? Did Penelo really want to know? Yes, but at what cost…? Was she going to regret hearing this?

“Penelo.” Larsa’s voice was heavy.

“Yes…?” She straightened her back in her seat and gave a reassuring squeeze to his hand, which was resting on the table.

He lifted his eyes to hers. “It was agreed some time ago that should anything happen to you again while you were in the care of Vaan, you would come to stay with me here in Archades.”

Penelo blinked. What…?

“Last night, the two of you were attacked by the Urutan-Yensa while you scoured the pits of the Zertinan Caverns for what I presume was treasure, perhaps even hidden wonders. But Penelo.” And here he paused, turning in his seat so that he was facing her straight on and gripping her hands in his own. He squeezed her fingers tight. “You were injured very badly… So badly that Vaan got you out of the state you were in as quickly as possible once he had reached safety. Afterward, when he made it back to his ship, he brought you here, as per our agreement.”

Laughing, softly even as it wavered, Penelo breathed, “Since when have the Urutan-Yensa been such a threat?”

“One man against untold numbers, Penelo, is too much for anyone to handle, let alone Vaan. You were unconscious already. One had snuck up on you from behind, from what Vaan gathers, and you lost your footing and hit your head on something. Possibly a rock. He had to handle them on his own while also protecting you.” Larsa lowered his eyes to their joined hands. “I’m terribly sorry if it upsets you to hear this, but Vaan has left already, Penelo. To where, I do not know. He didn’t say.”

Ice was an uncomfortable knot in Penelo’s belly. “Do you mean to tell me,” she began slowly, carefully, her throat constricting at even that much, “that he’s not coming back?”

Silence stretched between them. Their gazes locked. Penelo’s lips trembled as she fought for control over her emotions. She didn’t even know why she was getting so emotional—she had as strong a backbone as any of the men in this room. But Vaan had been with her for years… all of her life, really. They’d grown even closer in the past five years, if that was possible, and now he was… was…

Larsa gave her the courtesy of not looking away. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head and buried her face in her hands as the world began to dangerously tilt. She couldn’t even remember what Larsa was talking about, let alone be expected to be able to take this lying down. Not that he had… not that he—oh, gods. Oh, gods. She had no idea of what was going on. Vaan? Larsa? Agreement? An agreement over her safety, when she was a damned sky pirate herself and could handle—

The emperor’s hand was warm on her shoulder. “You should eat. Your body spent the night recovering from the use of very strong magicks. It also might help to clear your mind, as I’m sure you…” He trailed off when she gave him a very hostile look from between her fingers. “I realize this is a bit much, Penelo, but please see reason. It won’t do anyone any good not to eat.”

She took several deep breaths, let them out slowly. “After I eat—can we talk… about what happened? Some more, that is? I’m really confused, Larsa. Why would you make an agreement with Vaan about that? He wouldn’t just leave me here! And I hardly am so weak that that kind of agreement needed to be made in the first place!”

“Penelo…”

She let out a near growl from the back of her throat, but it was born from frustration more than anything else. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe that…” In and out, Penelo, just breathe in and out. It’ll be okay. You’ll get through this. “I’m sorry, I’m not… mad at you, Larsa, this is just kind of a lot to take in right now.” I’m his navigator, his god blessed navigator, and at the first sign of trouble, he’s just going to give me to Larsa? Why Larsa? Isn’t he busy with his imperial duties? How can he house a criminal and get away with it? I’d be nothing but a burden!

I can’t believe Vaan would just give me up like that…

“Penelo, please know that he cares very much for you.”

Ha!

If he cared so much for her, why wasn’t he here right now? Why was he off who knew where? She scowled and crossed her arms over her stomach despite the fact that the dress was so tight across her ribcage that it protested every step of the way. Maybe if she passed out from lack of oxygen, she wouldn’t have to deal with this anymore; she’d wake up later and realize that this had been the most bizarre dream of her life.

“Penelo, please—eat, and I will be happy to discuss things with you further…”

They shared another look, this one longer.

“You promise?”

Larsa nodded. “You have my word.”

“Fine, then I’ll eat. But then I want answers, Larsa, real answers.”

“My word,” he repeated with a solemn nod.

She hesitated—watched him for a span of seconds, maybe minutes—and then gave in to the hunger pains gnawing at her stomach. After all, a girl had to eat before she could take on the world.

Or, at least, a boy emperor who was twice as smart as her, twice as good looking, and twice the trouble, if she knew the direction her libido was thinking in.

Gods above, Vaan, she thought as she placed a few pieces of ham on her plate, what kind of trouble have you gone and landed us into now?

Because somehow she got the feeling that her new situation was a lot worse than a horde of Urutan-Yensa and a very dark cavern that she’d never wanted to dive into in the first place. And those feelings she had? The ones that sent all her senses on overdrive they were screaming so loudly?

They were never wrong.