Summary-When Balthier was paid to retrieve a treasure from the palace vault he agreed without hesitation. Of course the last thing he expected to find was a blond boy sealed away by the Dynast-King centuries ago. Now caught up in a war against the Empire the Sky Pirate remains unaware of Vaan's own dark and tragic past as the blond searches for the Four Shards, artefacts that will allow him to finish what the Dynast-King prevented.

Note-This story will have slash so if that is not your thing then do me a favour and hit the back button. I will not tolerate vicious remarks. This will be primarily Balthier/Vaan but I have ideas for others, you'll have to wait and see for those. So read and review and I hope you all enjoy it.

Desert Rose

Chapter One

Treasure

Dalmasca

Rabanastre Palace

It was too simple getting into the palace.

The banquet that was being held in honour of Lord Vayne should have warranted better security but then again Balthier was the best at what he did. Fran piloted their small vessel down to the lower part of the palace gardens just under the bridge. The people were all on the upper levels as were the guards making this entry all too easy and slightly disappointing.

Not being a man to throw away luck when he was given it the brunet thief shouldered his gun and made his way to the doors that would lead him to his prize. Fran made sure the ship was out of sight and the power kept to a bare minimum in case they needed a quick exit. The viera grabbed her bow and a quiver of onion arrows from the pack on the ship then followed her partner into the palace.

To better understand why Balthier was even thinking about breaking into the Royal Palace it would be best to go back to the moment hr accepted this mission. He and Fran had just finished an excellent little adventure off the Phon Coast that resulted in a lot of money and quite a few angry clients who didn't receive their shipment of precious metals Balthier had promised them. Honestly they had no one to blame but themselves. What kind of fool would trust a Sky Pirate completely anyway?

Well that meant more Gil for him and his partner. Needless to say after that excursion Balthier and Fran went to the Sandsea pub to rest up when a strange individual approached them. The client was a small man with red hair and eyes to match. He didn't look like he belonged lounging around in a pub. He looked like royalty if Balthier were honest about it.

The red head didn't give a name. Instead he handed Balthier a small gemstone and gave him only one instruction, to open the golden sarcophagus in the treasury below the palace. Fran had not spoken a word, instead she opted to observe the red head but she could find no hostile intentions or deception in his words.

The red head then offered to pay him a king's ransom if he pulled it off. All he had to do was go into the treasury, open the sarcophagus and bring him the artifact within. The pay was incredible that for a moment Balthier thought he was dreaming. Who in Ivalice could have that kind of money next to the Archedian Royal Family? After pondering it over for all of five seconds he accepted causing Fran to go back to the airship to draw up a plan on breaking into the treasury.

He had been to the palace a few times but only in passing. He knew the layout of the place and once they were inside the treasury there were two exist. One was up a flight of stairs into the palace and the other was through the Waterway below the city. If they had to go through that area then they would end up in Lowtown and all that mattered was to go into the city itself. Eventually they found the perfect opportunity when the banquet was organized so security would be on the top levels where Vayne would be.

No one really cared about the Lowtown area anyway but the monsters in there were more than enough of a threat to throw off intruders or potential thieves. So on the night of the banquet sometime near midnight Balthier and Fran made their attempt to break into the treasury. So far everything was going smoothly. Once he had the artifact he would go to the rendezvous point in one week.

The Sky Pirate and viera entered the doors into a narrow marble hallway that looked like it hadn't seen the sun in years. Cold air greeted them as well as a musty smell that made Balthier wrinkle his nose. The passageway extended until they came to another door. From above Balthier could hear the sound of soldiers stomping through the palace.

He smirked as he passed under them, his gun resting comfortably against his shoulder as he pushed open the door leading into the next part of the underground passageway. No soldiers were down here but they encountered a few creatures nesting in the darkness, mostly enlarged rats who didn't like to be disturbed.

Fran took care of the rats with little to no effort on her part. Balthier didn't want to risk firing off his gun unless it was absolutely necessary. There was still a chance that the Imperial Guards could hear the shot even through all that stone and marble. And on top of that Balthier didn't want to waste good ammo on rats. The passageway was now empty aside from the pirate and his partner and by the looks of things this place hasn't been used in a long time.

It might've been forgotten when the Empire took control of Dalmasca after the tragedy two years ago when the Princess committed suicide after receiving word that her husband and kingdom had been lost. If Vayne knew about this place he was sure that no one else would find it or attempt to use it. The brunet passed through another doorway and stepped into a much larger chamber that looked like paradise.

Golden statues lined the walls while chests overflowing with jewels, gold and other gems of equal value littered the red carpeted floor. This place was truly the resting place of the Royal Family's valuables. Sooner or later the Empire would take these items and pay for their military if they started up a war with another nation. It seemed a shame really that all this wealth would be used for the Empire. Balthier navigated his way through the many treasures as he looked for the sarcophagus.

From what the red headed client had told him Balthier would be able to identify the item by the statue of a goddess holding a red stone in her right hand. The statues he could see here were of kings, queens, gods and goddess from across Dalmasca but he couldn't find a female with a red stone in her hand. He had to admit that he was tempted to take at least a handful of these treasures but the reward he would receive from his strange client would more than make up for it.

"I believe I have found our quarry." Fran's voice called from the other end of the chamber.

"Excellent as always my dear Fran." Balthier smirked as he admired the statue of a six armed goddess. She was holding a single red stone in one of her right hands.

"We'd best take what is inside now." The viera could hear the sound of soldiers getting closer. Evidently they were coming to check on the vaults from the other entrance within the palace itself.

"No need to rush a moment like this." The pirate glanced at her. "I want a good look at the prize first."

"Your curiosity has always gotten us into trouble." The viera shook her head. Her eyes were drawn to the coffin. "I can see some words...Vanguard...Shards...but everything else has been eroded."

"Well that just makes everything interesting doesn't it?" his honey brown eyes were alight as he took the gemstone and inserted it into the indentation.

The sarcophagus was lying on its back at the feet of the goddess, her eyes forever fixed on the item in a narrow cold glare. Balthier was even more intrigued as to why someone created a statue like that with such a nasty face. The gemstone had to be inserted into the goddess' chest then turned to the left once. It slid in was easily as a key and turned just as effortlessly. Maybe this was the key to the golden casket.

As soon as the gemstone had been turned a hissing noise escaped the sarcophagus causing Balthier and Fran to take a step back. The red stone began to glow a little then the lid of the sarcophagus split in two as it continued to open. After a few moments the lids stopped moving and were now open to reveal what lay within the casket. Peering inside Balthier was rendered speechless by what he saw. That in itself was an immense feat.

Inside was one thing…a young hume boy. He looked to be no older than sixteen or seventeen. His hair was golden in colour, almost platinum white and his skin a rich tan colour, like he had been out in the Dalmascan sun. He was wearing some kind of black armour that Balthier had never seen before. It clung to the boy's frame leaving only quite a bit of midsection revealed. Gauntlets and gloves of the same obsidian colour adorned his arms and hands. The pirate shot an inquiring look at his partner but she too looked just as bewildered. Well, this certainly wasn't what he was expecting.

"Should we take the boy?" Fran asked when it became obvious Balthier wasn't making nay moves to take the 'treasure'.

"I don't suppose we have a choice." He muttered in reply. "But I want some answers when we get back."

"The guards will be here soon. No doubt Vayne will have interest in this boy." Fran observed.

"Now we can't let the Empire have all the fun can we?" Balthier smirked at her.

"This sarcophagus is ancient. It is not possible for the hume to have survived so long within it." Fran was disturbed by these events.

"Grab the gemstone." Balthier instructed. Just as Fran lifted the jewel a hand shot out from the casket and grabbed Balthier by the throat.

"Ahhh!" his hands instantly flew to the one around his neck choking him.

He looked down only to see that the boy was awake and, by the look the pirate was getting, he was also beyond pissed. The boy's hand tightened ever so slightly when as he studied Balthier with those cold eyes. Finally he let the pirate go but only after the boy saw Fran holding an arrow close to his face.

"Are you alright?" she asked her hume partner.

"He certainly has spunk." The brunet choked out harshly.

"Should we subdue him?" the viera asked as the blond boy looked around the chamber, his eyes now bright and searching.

"It might be best…just what have I gotten into now?" the brunet groaned as he throat constricted with the pain of breathing.

"I have warned you before." The viera was truly unsympathetic.

"You can rub it in later." The man made a move to approach the boy. "Now we take the quarry."

"I need to go…" the boy spoke up quietly.

"What?" Balthier raised an eyebrow.

The boy got out of the casket, reached up and grabbed the stone sitting in the statue's hand. Once the stone was out of place the goddess' chest opened to reveal a hidden compartment. Within it was a small fist sized sphere. The blond boy reached in and took hold of the sphere with ease. Stepping out of the casket he was beginning to walk towards the doors.

"I can't let you leave boy." Balthier gripped his gun. "You're worth too much to me."

"We do not have much time." Fran drew back her arrow.

"Hume…viera…" the blond cocked his head to the side in thought. "Goodbye…"

"Stop them!" a guard screamed when the door to the treasury burst open and a flurry of soldiers moved in.

"Dammit, time to exit." The pirate ran after the blond when he dashed out of the other set of doors. "Fran, get to the ship. I'll go after him!"

"Understood." The viera ran alongside her partner then took off down the underground passageway.

Balthier followed the boy up a flight of steps until they reached the second floor of the palace. He fell to his knees when the ground and walls began to shake violently. Dust settled over him as the walls continued to be shaken by whatever was going on outside. Cursing under his breath Balthier ran up the steps until he came to another door and he spotted his quarry just passing through them.

Who was this brat anyway? The moment he woke up he took that sphere and left the treasury without so much as a distraught look on his face at his surroundings. Something wasn't right about that boy; there was something in his dark blue eyes that made Balthier wary. He would think about that later once he caught the little brat. He could only hope the pay would be worth this trouble.

They were both running along a stone walkway above the palace gardens. The pirate glanced skywards to see the Imperial battleship the Ifrit firing down upon the palace. Maybe a mob had broken into the palace.

He chased after the blond boy until he had him cornered at the other end of the walkway. There was no immediate exit from this area and the only door was behind Balthier. This time he was prepared to fight the boy should the need arise. Dark blue eyes narrowed when the pirate slowly approached him with his hand held out.

"Impeccable timing. If I didn't know better I'd think they were waiting up there." Balthier observed the warship.

"Stop following me..." the boy growled angrily.

"Just come with me boy. I won't harm you." Balthier promised. The blond only stared at him with those fathomless blue eyes while clutching the stone in his hands. He heard the familiar sound of the ship Fan was piloting close by. This was his chance. "I don't have time for this…"

Before the blond could react Balthier ran forward at full speed and grabbed his quarry around the waist with one arm. He jumped up onto the stone railing and jumped off the ledge in time for Fran to get the ship below him.

With his free hand he grabbed onto the backseat and gritted his teeth against the sudden pain that shot through his arm. Fran flew the machine low so that she avoided the walkway but the bombs being fired from the Imperial warship wasn't making it any easier for her to control it. Balthier kept a tight grip on the blonde's arm as Fran piloted the ship away from the palace as best she could.

"Dammit! This kid is heavy." Balthier growled as he tightened his hold on the boy's arm.

"I am losing altitude. We're going to crash." Fran piloted the ship away from the walls as the battle continued to rage around them.

"Down there! That gate!" Balthier pointed out the steel gate that would hopefully take them into the Waterways.

"Hold on!" Fran called as she steered them towards the gate.

The strange boy widened his eyes when he noticed that they were flying towards a wall but he managed to spot the gate at the last moment. The viera managed to pilot the vessel straight into the gate crashing them further down a narrow tunnel.

When everything stopped moving Balthier groaned and raised his throbbing head from the floor. He had landed right next to the now broken machine while Fran was picking herself up. The blond boy was already on his feet and looking around the immediate area. He was still clutching onto the Goddess' Magicite.

"I have to go now." He turned away from them.

"Wait a minute." Balthier reached out and grabbed a thin wrist. "I want some answers. Firstly who are you?"

"I am the Vanguard." The blond replied mechanically.

"Do you have a name? I'm Balthier and this charming lady is Fran." He introduced them.

"I have to find the Shards." The boy pulled his arm free. "I do not have time."

"Do you even know a way out of here?" the pirate crossed his arms when the boy stopped walking. "I'll help you get out but you stay with me until we get to the surface."

"You would help me?" blue eyes narrowed slightly. "I need to find the next Shard. This is something you cannot have." He held up the Magicite.

"The jury's still out on that one I believe. But for now we need to call you something..." Balthier stroked his chin. "You look like you're from Rabanastre anyway...alright, we'll call you Vaan."

"Vaan?" the blond raised an eyebrow.

"It's a Dalmascan name. Think of it as something short for Vanguard if that makes you happy." Balthier replied.

"The machine will not fly again." Fran finished inspecting it.

"Then we get out of here the old fashioned way." Balthier glanced at their new companion. "The Waterways isn't the friendliest of places. Stay close Vaan and you'll be fine."

The blond frowned at the use of that name again but followed after the brunet and his partner. One he reached the surface he would find the other Shards. All that mattered was locating the four artefacts. He would indulge the hume and the viera for as long as he needed until their usefulness ran out.