EPILOGUE: LETTERS FROM A THIEF

"Hi everyone, we're back!"

Ulmia walked a short distance behind Prishe, who was quite happily yelling at the top of her lungs and waving at people around the Safehold. Over the many years that they had known each other Ulmia had become used to Prishe's unique way of conducting herself, yet something was different ever since the magicite that had been lodged in her chest was removed.

She had grown up into a woman while Prishe stayed the same. Her body never changed, her hair never grew, and she was locked in a moment of time. That moment was when the accident happened and now it was as if her body had been freed. She had the memories of so many years yet now her body was only just starting to catch up. Prishe had changed, but it was for the better. It was almost like she was a youngster once more.

Alain and the others had help free her and she would forever be in their debt. They had all parted ways in Jeuno, but were already making plans to meet up. There was so much more of the world to see now that Tavnazia was in contact with the main land. Ulmia was quite happy just to be home, but Prishe was already talking about seeing Windurst and where Alain and the others lived in Bastok.

"Get out of the way long-legs, high class diplomats from Jeuno approaching!"

Ulmia looked around and saw the Chebukki siblings strutting forwards.

"…Diplomats?" Ulmia smiled and placed her hands on her hips. "You three are just lucky that you weren't thrown into jail for theft of an airship…not to mention impersonating government officials."

The siblings exchanged glances and then ran off home.

"Come on, Ulmia!"

On the upper level of the Safehold they approached her Grandfather's quarters. She was looking forward to seeing him again, but was still undecided just how much she would say about everything they had seen and done. Prishe rushed on ahead and was knocking feverishly at the door by the time she caught up.

"Prishe, will you calm down?"

"I'm just glad to be home. I'm home, Tavnazia! You hear me?!"

Ulmia shook her head, "You're just being loud to hide your awkwardness."

Prishe went quiet and twiddled her thumbs, "…Maybe."

Inside, Ulmia hugged her grandfather and asked how he was doing. Prishe waved and then went over to see Justinius, who was standing in the corner. They gathered around the central table and talked at length about what had been going on while they were travelling.

"Ah, our other guest has arrived," her grandfather said.

From the door a large figure appeared. They had to duck under the low door frame to get in. One arm was pressed up against their chest in a long sling supported by a leather strap. Ulmia raised a hand to her mouth in shock as she realized who it was. Prishe was silent and her hands dropped to her side as she simply stared.

"Prishe…"

Brute stepped forwards and out stretched his uninjured arm. Prishe ran forwards and embraced his large form as best she could while sobbing into his chest. He patted her head and rubbed her back, muttering that she usually would not show so much emotion.

"You big lug…I thought you were dead…" she sniffed.

"I almost was. Thankfully, Nag'molada turned tail and ran at the first sign of the Minotaur. It was a tough fight but I managed to kill it. Afterwards he ambushed me, took the spoils, and left me for dead. It took me about a week to crawl out of those aqueducts; the guard on duty almost had a heart attack."

Ulmia clasped her hands together and said a silent prayer in thanks for the kindness the goddess had shown them by allowing their dear Galkan friend to have survived through everything. Things looked far brighter now for their future and for each and every person in the Safehold.

-

Alain and Catherine walked hand in hand through Bastok Markets looking over some new vendors' bazaars. It was the first morning they had spent together since getting home and still felt a little uncomfortable. It felt like everyone was watching them just to see what would happen, or what mistake he would make. She left his hand to bend over and look at a collection of hairpins made from shells collected from the eastern shores.

Noticing that Catherine seemed very taken with a rainbow coloured shell, Alain asked if she wanted it. Out of politeness she refused, but he insisted and purchased it for her. She smiled sheepishly as he helped her clip it to the top of her long hair. She asked how it looked and he told her it was beautiful, causing her to blush. They left the stall after that and took the path into the residential district to head home.

"I'll need to get you a gift now," she said as they walked.

"You don't need too…"

"I will, but to get someone like you? A scythe or a sword?"

He laughed, "For a first attempt at a joke that wasn't half bad."

"Exc…excuse me," a quiet voice said.

They both stopped and looked down to see a dumpy looking Galkan child looking a little anxious. He explained, through nervous stutters, that he was new to town and was a little lost and that he was trying to find Bastok Mines. Alain turned and pointed back the way they had came, which would take him into the centre of Bastok Markets and from there getting to the Mines would be easy.

The Galka smiled, "Thank you, Alain."

With that the child ran off. They started walking away and a few steps down the road paused and looked at each other.

"How did he know my name?"

"…You don't think that was…?"

They held hands all the way back home. Inside they were surprised to see Rost arranging a lot of boxes and bags. It looked like Hanaa had been roped into helping, along with two of the Moogles. Alain's jaw dropped at just how much there was filling up the front room of the shared mansion.

"There's no way all that stuff survived your house collapsing!" he said.

Rost huffed, "This is not just what was recovered from the wreckage of my home in North San d'Oria. Many are gifts from the people of the city as thanks at averting the end of the world."

Alain's jaw hit the floor. President Karst had decided to keep as much as possible about what happened a total secret and as such they had received nothing, yet San d'Oria was praising Rost despite him being in the middle of the warring sides. As far as he had heard the only bit of information that was freely available was the existence of the Highwind and that Jeuno had sanctioned that it be allowed to carry on as an independent airship given the key role it played in protecting all three nations.

"Man, this must be solid gold – it weighs a ton!" Hanaa exclaimed and stretched.

Alain shook his head, "There's just no justice in the world."

"No need to be jealous, Alain," Rost smirked. "This is only a temporary situation while my new home is built, I will be gone in a few months. Besides, one might think you should be grateful that everything you went through resulted in you expressing your feelings for the one you love."

He blushed, looked at the floor, and noticed Catherine had done the same. Hanaa laughed so hard she almost fell over, declaring that Rost had won that argument with ease.

Changing the subject quickly Catherine asked, "Where are Nokum-Akkum and Renene? Surely they have not left already?"

Alain had heard the two Tarutarus talking about travelling to Windurst. Nokum-Akkum had never really been there and it was not like him to go anywhere without telling him first. But it looked like he had left, meaning he had to be quite taken with Renene for him to forget to tell them where he was going. That was good though, he was happy that his friend had found the same thing that he had. Catherine looked around and was just as surprised they were both gone.

"What about you, Hanaa?" Alain asked. "Are you going on the road again now?"

"No…" she said and smiled. "I'm happy to be home."

A frantic knock at the door surprised them. Alain's heart sank; had something else bad happened already? He opened the door and was startled to see Samuel standing gripping a scroll of some kind and a horrified look on his face. Catherine appeared and was worried something was wrong and asked if he was hurt or if something had happened. They helped him in, but the young Ranger insisted that he was not hurt. Hanaa sat uncomfortably close to him under the pretence of double checking and purred as she did.

"What's wrong, Samuel?" Catherine asked.

"It's…I, I need to show you this letter…" he said and held up the scroll he had been cradling in his hands. "The Gentleman Thief sent me it…please, look at it Alain."

Alain took the scroll in hand and read the first line.

"This sounds personal, Samuel. Are you sure you want me reading this?"

With the same look on his face, Samuel insisted that he had to look at it.

-

Dear Samuel,

First, allow me to apologise that I cannot speak to you in person. I felt perhaps that it was time that I bowed out from the limelight I have created for myself over my long life. Whether we will meet again or not I cannot say, but it is important that I pass onto you something which I have kept secret for some time.

In my youth I was somewhat misguided and succumbed to the allure of being a professional thief. Though I was not one to believe hearsay, many of the same trade heralded me as a master in the art of theft. This eventually led to me taking on many students who wished to learn the trade from me. One of which was your father. I made a promise to him that I would only refer to him as Pops to you and so that is how I will proceed from this point, I believe you understand that well enough. Don't you, Samuel?

It might shock you to learn that your father was even more headstrong than I was in his youth. Despite his over-eagerness to leap headfirst into situations, he was a quick learner and soon became a partner rather than a student. We did many jobs together and had quite a reputation, so to speak. Though our identities were not known, our escapades were oft spoken of.

This continued for many years. I cannot say for sure when it happened, but somewhere along the line your father met your mother. I was introduced to her some time later, on a warm Windsday morning in Port Windurst. She was a beautiful woman and seemed to give off a radiance of kindness. I remember joking with your father that he must have surpassed my skills to have stolen the heart of such a heavenly person.

Despite finding love, your father still continued to work with me. She seemed happy to travel with him and did not inquire why he was always on the move. I tried to encourage him to work less but he would have none of it. Eventually our work took us to Bastok, where we became stuck.

We had been in and out of Bastok many times over the years and had never really settled in one place. However, during our stay there on this occasion the war that had been stirring broke out in full force. A state of emergency was declared and armies were rallied. In the initial panic caused by this the whole city was placed in lock down and no one was allowed to leave.

At first it was a nuisance, but we had more than enough money to split between us and find accommodation. I settled for a small out of the way place, but I believe your father purchased the house that you stay in to this day. The city lock down lasted three weeks while the state of things was fully assessed and by the time it was allowed, under certain circumstances, to travel to a limited degree your father had lost his urge to move.

I was relieved, I could not be happier for them. I went on my own way, but due to the war I, too, was limited in what jobs I would take on. Bastok was still a port of call for me as often as possible. Every so often I would visit your parents and your father would take me aside and ask to come along on a job. He missed some aspects of the life I believed he had left behind, I suppose. I, too, missed having a companion and accepted his assistance from time to time.

Your father was never one for good timing. He chose to tell me that she was pregnant in the middle of a job, dangling on the tilted roof of an estate house trying not to drop platinum candlesticks to the street below. It was in that exact moment that I realized that the life I was leading was no place for a man with a partner expecting their first child.

It was the first time your father lost his temper with me. I did my best to reason with him and to convince him to give up the life of a thief. It is probably the fact that he argued against it so strongly, that made what happened so painful for him. I will not dwell on this, but you once asked me about your mother and what happened to her and now I will tell you.

Why? I had searched for information regarding an incident for a long time. I broke into many places that most other thieves would never dare. I saw many things that shocked me, including what I eventually discovered. On the way I also saw just how far reaching this information was and what it might mean. Perhaps in a moment of weakness, I decided that I would not tell you. But then, in that white city, I saw what desire was in my heart. The Twilight God promised me contentment. It was something so simple yet so powerful. Afterwards, I saw only one way to find contentment through my own means. If this is selfish then I apologise, but I see no other way.

The incident in which your mother died was covered up. You may or may not be aware; but the official reports at the time through the Vana'diel Tribune and other sources was that numerous civilians in North Gustaberg were preyed upon by a raiding party of Beastmen that had slipped through Grauberg. I searched out where this happened and found no evidence of Beastmen having been anywhere near Bastok's walls.

I brought my suspicions about something not being right to your father, but alas I was not heard. There was no consoling him after your mother died. I feared more than once that he might try to join her. He blamed himself, you see. Your mother was alone because he had decided to take on a job. What kept him alive, I think, was that you still lived. You will not remember, Samuel, but you were with your mother when she died. You were still an infant and she had taken you out along the north path for a stroll.

It made no sense. Beastmen would spare no one, not even a small child. I broke into the presidential offices to try and discover what had really happened on more than one occasion. They were well guarded and I could never stay long without risking capture. Your father found out that I was doing this and asked me to stop, he did not want me to risk so much as it would not bring her back. I reluctantly complied with his request, leaving what really happened unanswered.

More years passed, more than I would like to remember. I am not sure why, but I could not forgot that incident. Without Pops prior knowledge I returned to Bastok after a long absence and picked up my investigation from where I left off. I found that all documentation of the attack was only what was covered by various news sources. There was nothing official. I found links back to one Hume, the representative from the Jeuno embassy in the Metalworks, but those offices were near empty. I broke into his home and, in my haste to find any information, fell foul to a rather impressive security system, resulting in my capture. Fate felt it right for me to meet Alain at this moment, locked away in the dungeon that the ambassador had thrown me in.

All I could find in the home of the man was that the ties to Jeuno seemed far stronger than I had originally thought. Those in command in Jeuno seemed to have immediately leapt on the incident after it happened and controlled who was involved with the clean up. Of course, with a war raging, there was little time or reason to suspect anything was wrong. It was investigators from Jeuno that found the scene of the carnage beyond the original witness. You were found behind a rock a short distance from where your mother's body was discovered, crying loudly. The investigators had wanted to take you to a war orphans home established within Jeuno, but thankfully you were identified and returned to your father, but not without considerable argument from said investigators.

Why would they care so much about you and what happened to your mother? I knew where answers would await me. After the business with the Zilart and my silent reunion with your father I slipped away. I broke into the secret vaults of the Archduke and explored every office of every high ranking official and eventually found what I was looking for. I, however, was also discovered by some of those puppet guards and was once more thrown in prison.

The truth can hurt, Samuel. It can also heal and make bonds stronger. I pray that this information will cause the latter. If you read on then I must ask two things of you. The first is that you show Alain the content of this letter, for reasons you are about to hear. The second is that, no matter what I am about to tell you, you will not change who you are. I see both your parents in you and I encourage you to live an adventurous life just as they did.

Your mother was taking you out that day as she had done many times before. You were in a small carriage that she pushed along. However, the other reason that she went out that day was because her other son had asked to go.

Your brother, Samuel, was a few years older than you. When your mother was attacked she ordered him to run. He was still too young to really understand what was going on, but run he did. Meanwhile, she took you from the carriage and hid you. Your cries eventually led to your discovery and you were brought back to your father. Your brother, however, went missing and was presumed dead.

She was not a normal Hume. I had always said it and so did your father, but we could have no idea how right we were. The reason that Jeuno was so keen to hide any involvement in what happened to her was because they were the ones that killed her. She was attacked by assassins sent specifically to murder her; the other deaths were purely to cover their tracks. Her death had been ordered by the Archduke himself and the reason for this eluded me for some time.

By now you may have worked it out for yourself, but allow me to confirm what I discovered. Your mother was a Zilart. She had abandoned Kam'lanaut and Eald'narche's insane plans to enter paradise and paid the highest price as a result. She had never told your father any of this and I hope you can understand why. All along she had been running as well, that was why she so readily allowed your father and me to continue our work.

What happened to your brother I can only guess. I suspect that he stumbled upon soldiers of an allied nation, or perhaps wandered alone for days, but eventually found his way back to Bastok and was labelled as a war orphan.

Alain, you are reading this as well I hope. My boy, I saw the resemblance in you straight away. Not so much your father, but your eyes match your mother's perfectly. I was shocked when you were thrown into the cell beside me; I assumed that I was seeing things. Yet from that day things spiralled. When I saw you and Samuel I saw the resemblance, but could not believe it. That helped spur me to risk breaking into Jeuno to find out the truth. I hope you, like me, can find some solace in the fact that those responsible for all this have been dealt with.

That is all I have to say to you both. What you chose to do with this information is up to you. I hope that you both live a happy life in whatever way you think fit, in honour of your mother.

Yours,

Alexander R Otrovali.

-

Alain finished reading the letter and let it drop from his hands. He looked at Samuel and Samuel looked at him. He did not know what to say. Catherine picked up the scroll where it had landed and read through it, with Hanaa and Rost looking over her shoulders.

Hanaa looked up, "You know, they both do sorrrt of have the same stunned look."

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Author Note:

Thank you for sticking with DV1 and DV2. I hope you enjoyed them, I had fun writing them. I won't call this the ultimate end, but for the time being this is the end of this particular story.

Thank you to those who read both and a special thanks to any one who took the time to leave reviews, especially the 3-4 that did it for almost every chapter in this story.

I can be contacted through my profile. I guess that about covers it. See you around and thanks again.