Princess and Viera
Series: Final Fantasy XII
Pairing: Fran x Ashe, hints of Balthier/Fran and Ashe/Balthier
Theme Set: Beta
Rating: PG to R
Spoilers: Allusions to game ending, plot details/locales throughout.
#01 - Walking
Even before Ashe had revealed herself to be Dalmasca's princess Fran had known; it was clear in the confident, regal way she carried herself.
#02 - Waltz
Fran moved and fought with such subdued grace-- like a dancer of the highest and most unrivaled caliber-- that there were times when Ashe couldn't help watching her as Balthier did.
#03 - Wishes
Ashe had learned long ago that dreams and hopes were just that, but Fran, who'd been removed of her home and family as she had, at least bore a tiny sliver of hope within her.
#04 - Wonder
Since Eruyt, Fran had been catching glimpses of what she could swear was the princesses' gaze levelled in her direction; it was as if just entering the exclusively female society of the Veira had subconsciously begun to have an influence on Ashe.
#05 - Worry
Fran often ponders on the fate of the Dynast-King's daughter, though admittedly her concern has become rooted less in the woman's political capacity and more in her rather uncertain well-being.
#06 - Whimsy
Fran considered Ashe silently as the woman slept, but didn't act on her inclination; the fact was that seducing a princess was probably more trouble than the Veira was willing to put into it.
#07 - Waste/Wasteland
Ashe had no intention of complaining to the others that she was out of water, not wanting to appear weak; it did surprise her, though, when Fran tossed a flask of the refreshing liquid in her direction, insisting that the Sandsea was no place to travel dehydrated.
#08 - Whiskey and rum
The auburn-haired woman managed to consider, in her haze of whiskey-induced disorientation, that it was just the alcohol making her stare at Fran's long legs hidden beneath the lip of the bar, though at the moment she didn't particularly care.
#09 - War
It felt odd to Fran that with the final battle coming, the one whose safety she feared the most for was the princess.
#10 - Weddings
Though she now bore a ring on the slender third finger of her left hand that matched her Sky Pirate partner's, it didn't seem to stop Fran from levelling Ashe with a crimson-eyed gaze that still made her more than a little uncomfortable.
#11 - Birthday
She had known that Fran was much older than the rest of them, but even so the shrug she got in response to the question of the Viera's age had surprised her quite a bit.
#12 - Blessing
Though Fran never showed it on her stoic features, the fact that Ashe knew of her affection felt like it was already a greater gift than any she'd recieved in her childhood.
#13 - Bias
"...I prefer 'Ashelia,'" Fran responded curtly as she caught the younger woman's lips in another fierce kiss.
#14 - Burning
Between Fran's fingers stoking the fire between her legs and her smoldering red eyes, Ashe wasn't sure what to do or where to look-- she simply threw her head back and held tightly to her dark lover's powerful shoulders.
#15 - Breathing
Ashe sometimes considered the possibility that Balthier's Veira partner was an assassin sent for her life-- the touch of soft velvet lips on hers, accompanied by the melodic lilt of Fran's voice, seemed to always make her forget her body's necessity for oxygen.
#16 - Breaking
It had been Fran who'd insisted to Balthier, despite his jovial protests, that Ashe's ring and the letter be sent back to the queen-in-waiting through Vaan and Penelo; even though a year had passed, she felt strangely uncertain about what would happen if they met face-to-face again.
#17 - Belief
Fran had abandoned her trust in the Green Word long ago, and yet her faith in the benevolence of Dalmasca's princess refused to falter.
#18 - Balloon
If Fran's presence beside her in the night inflated Ashe's soul, then her distance come morning made her feel, if only a little, like she was sinking.
#19 - Balcony
Ashe was aware that to anyone watching, this had to look like a scene out of some tawdry drama, but as Fran held her in a commanding embrace and kissed her under the endless veil of stars, she found herself too disoriented and strangely happy to mind.
#20 - Bane
"...And I thought you didn't like Pirates," Fran said smoothly, a smirk hidden in her tone, as the younger woman pulled herself closer, breathing heavy as she recklessly kissed the Veira's collar bone.
#21 - Quiet
Ashe wishes that Balthier and Fran could be a little quieter when they think everyone's asleep; she knows too well that Fran can perform with silent grace when she desires it.
#22 - Quirks
"...Are you really certain you wish to know," Fran asked in a tone too suggestive and with eyes to gleeful to be lying; Ashe swears that she catches a hint of a grin as she turns away, suddenly and inexplicably at a loss for words.
#23 - Question
Ashe felt the words at the back of her throat as Fran locked burgundy eyes with her, but in a sudden moment of cowardice turned away, ashamed of herself.
#24 - Quarrel
"It's not HIM I want," Ashe protested angrily to Fran's persistent probing; she turned away before Fran could inquire any deeper into her cryptic declaration.
#25 - Quitting
"...We have to stop," the princess whispered as she slid out from between the sheets, trying to ignore the clawed hand on her belly that was beckoning her back into Fran's arms.
#26 - Jump
Ashe looked away as Fran pulled off her black sleeves to mend the wound above her left breast; she tried to figure out, in her sudden rush of unease, why such a slight exposure of even more of the Veira's rich mocha skin was making her heart skip.
#27 - Jester
Fran is no joker by intention, but occasionally she can be so unbendingly serious that Ashe has to make an effort to suppress her laughter.
#28 - Jousting
Ashe felt a rare smile of excitement come to her lips as Fran deftly parried her blow-- the princess couldn't remember the last time sparring with another woman had been such a challenge.
#29 - Jewel
The princess felt herself moan as she wrapped her lips around the tiny bud at the crest of Fran's womanhood; she wanted to stop but the overpowering scent coupled with clawed fingers running through her beige hair and the hypnotic sound of Fran's pleasure conspired to keep her exactly where she was.
#30 - Just
Fran blinked, confused by Ashe's hastily whispered request, but before she could speak she felt hands gently caressing her dark face and full lips pressing against hers.
#31 - Smirk
Ashe seems more comfortable on top; Fran accomadates her simply because the smug little grin on the princesses' face in such situations is difficult to refuse.
#32 - Sorrow
Fran walked off in the other direction after she'd finished, and it took Ashe a moment to realize that the weight in her chest had lessened a bit at her companion's surprisingly kind words.
#33 - Stupidity
Ashe almost wanted to slap herself right then and there-- all Fran had done was draw a bit closer purely by accident, and yet the princess had shut her eyes and leaned forward, lips waiting desperately for a kiss that wasn't coming.
#34 - Serenade
Ashe watches as, in a moment of ease, Fran begins to hum a tune in her mother tongue-- and while it sounds harsh at first, the natural elegance with which the Viera intones makes the song equally melodic.
#35 - Sarcasm
She doesn't want to admit it, but though Fran is just as vulgar and disrespectful as her partner, it seemed to Ashe that such qualities only made Fran...well, alluring... in the same way that they made Balthier occasionally insufferable.
#36 - Sordid
"Wonderful," Ashe groaned as a shaken Penelo dashed off, disengaging herself from the Veira's passionate embrace, "...soon everyone will know."
#37 - Soliloquy
"You should not be alone now Princess," Fran said simply as she walked up behind her companion, who seemed a little startled by the Veira's sudden appearance; "...Not with thoughts as troubled as your own."
#38 - Sojourn
Fran smiles vacantly as Ashe whispers fantasies into her ear, hopes of a life together somewhere far from the war and all responsibility; even though both know such dreams are impossible it feels better to at least voice them aloud.
#39 - Share
Fran grins to herself as she feels a set of short, thin scars on her shoulder blades; it feels every bit as rewarding to the Veira as the marks she leaves on Ashe's skin, hidden better by the princesses' slightly more conservative attire.
#40 - Solitary
There are times when Fran feels like she's living among strangers even though she knows them all; it comforts her to know that Ashe isn't unfamiliar with the feeling herself.
#41 - Nowhere
Like seeds at the mercy of the wind, they both struggle blindly for a home, a place that their wandering feet will finally come to rest in comfortably.
#42 - Neutral
Ashe hated how calm Fran always was-- always so peaceful and collected it barely seemed like she was even alive.
#43 - Nuance
Fran inhaled deeply as she gently kissed her lover's pale shoulder; the light strawberry scent that few would have noticed even this close was driving the Viera's already sensitive nose out of control.
#44 - Near
Ashe couldn't help but sigh as Fran held her tight even in sleep; somehow, the Viera's warmth and gentleness had made her feel almost like Rasler was by her side again.
#45 - Natural
The Viera's touch felt, to Ashe, at once strange and immoral and utterly perfect, her body instantly catching the rhythm of Fran's thrusting fingers.
#46 - Horizon
Ashe was still sitting in the nearby hot spring as the sun rose into the twilight sky, trying desperately to wash the aroma of sex and shame from her body.
#47 - Valiant
Ashe struggled with all her might, as Balthier pleasured her, not to scream out Fran's name by accident; the bewildered eyes staring back at her informed the princess that she'd failed utterly.
#48 - Virtuous
The princess wasn't sure if being with Fran was proper, but she was completely certain that it was right.
#49 - Victory
She wanted to delay the trip to the Bahamut as long as she could; when it was all over, she knew that Fran and her would probably never meet again.
#50 - Defeat
From out of her blissful numbness it occured to Ashe suddenly that Fran was kissing her, that the Viera had her slender arms wrapped tight around her, and the Princess vaguely wondered what she'd been so afraid of before.