The Dreadnought Leviathan

Imperial: The prisoners, my lord.

[As Vaan and co., still shackled, are escorted to the bridge, we see Amalia is present. Seeing Basch, she scowls and approaches him.]

Basch: Majesty –

[Upon reaching him, Amalia slaps him squarely across the face.]

Amalia: After what you’ve done! How dare you! You’re supposed to be dead!

Ghis: Come now, come now. Have you forgotten your manners? This is hardly the courtesy due… the late Princess Ashelia B’nargin Dalmasca.

Vaan: Princess?

Ghis: To be sure, she bears no proof of her former station. No different than any mean member of the insurgence.

Ashe: The Resistance.

Ghis: The Consul asks the ministry of the disthroned royal family in restoring peace to Dalmasca. Those who foster instability and unrest, who claim royal blood without proof… they shall meet their fate at the gallows. There are no exceptions.

Ashe: I will not play puppet to Vayne.

Basch: King Raminas entrusted me with a task. Should the time come, he bade me give you something of great importance. It is your birthright: the Dusk Shard. It will warrant the quality of her blood. Only I know where to find it.

Ashe: Wait. You took my father’s life! Why spare mine now? You would have me live in shame!

Basch: If that is your duty: yes.

Vaan: Stop being so stubborn! Keep on like this and you’re gonna get us all killed.

Ashe: Don’t interrupt!

[Suddenly, the stone Vaan stole from the palace treasury begins to glow again.]

Balthier: Vaan. That stone.

Vaan: It was in the palace treasure.

Ghis: Well, well. Splendid! You’ve brought the Stone with you! This spares us a great deal of trouble.

Ashe: Don’t give it to him!

[Vaan looks at Ashe, then at Balthier, who nods.]

Vaan: You have to promise: no executions.

[Vaan resignedly hands the stone to Judge Ghis.]

Ghis: A Judge’s duty is to the law. Take them away. Lady Ashe is to be quartered separately.

[The party is escorted off the bridge. Ghis gazes at the stone in his hand.]

Ghis: Vayne Solidor. What fascination does this hold for you?

Southern Sluiceway & Overflow Cloaca

Southern Sluiceway

[Upon arriving in the central area, three flan emerge from the sewers and corner the party. Feeling a presence, they slowly look up to see a fourth flan on the ceiling above them, which now descends on them.]

[After defeating the four flan, the party gets the first victory screen in the game, and is then free to move on.]

Overflow Cloaca

[As the group enters the area, steam suddenly begins to rise in great amount from the water.  A ball of fire flies in from another part of the waterway, and turns into the Firemane.]

[After defeating Firemane…]

[The creature turns back into a fireball and shoots down the waterway.]

Imperial: Stand where you are!

[The party turns to see they have been surrounded by Imperials armed with crossbows. Vayne appears among them, seemingly smugly satisfied having caught them. Amalia looks as if she’s about to start something, but Balthier grabs her by the arm.]

Balthier: Now is not the time.

[Amalia growls, but does nothing. The scene changes to Lowtown, right outside Storehouse 5. The party is now in handcuffs, escorted by Imperials, and Lowtown’s citizens are watching and speculating.]

Random Citizen 1: They’re the thieves who stole into the palace.

Random Citizen 2: Is that what the commotion was about last night?

Amalia: They think me some common thief.

Balthier: [murmuring, to Amalia] Better than a common assassin.

Amalia: These people have done nothing. Release them.

Vaan: What are you doing?

Amalia: Don’t interrupt me. I’m thinking.

Penelo: Wait!

[Vaan turns to see Penelo trying to shove past a bunch of Imperials.]

Penelo: He didn’t know what he was doing! You have to let him go! You have to!

Vaan: Penelo! [she looks up at him] Sorry. That dinner’ll have to wait.

Penelo: I told you!

Imperial: That’s enough! [cuffs Vaan]

Penelo: Leave him alone!

[Penelo breaks free of the Imperials and is making a beeline for Vaan. A soldier steps in front of him, hand on his sword… Then, Balthier steps between the two, facing Penelo with a handkerchief in his hands.]

Balthier: Hold onto this for me, would you? Just until I bring Vaan back.

[Penelo takes the handkerchief, clutching it to her chest as the three are escorted away by the Imperials.]

Imperial: On your feet! You, over here!

Balthier: All right, all right. Edgy, aren’t we?

[Nearby, a triplet of bangaa watches the scene. The one we recognize from a scene earlier in Rabanastre – the fierce-looking green bangaa with piercings.]

Henchman: It’s Balthier, my brother.

????: What does that philanderer think he’s doing? I was to kill Balthier, not those addle-pated Imperials!

[The scene changes to a bright white light, coming through a window. It’s the sterile white room again, where Reks sits lifeless in a chair before the window. Vaan walks into the room with the Galbana lilies in his hand.]

Vaan: I brought you some of those flowers you like: Galbana lilies. Remember? You always said how they smelled nice, and how pretty they were. Remember? [pause] The King - Did you? Were you really a part of it? [pause again] Even if - Even if you were - Captain Basch must have tricked you into it!

[Vaan resignedly places the flowers on Reks’s lap. As he does, Reks begins to dissolve into glistening particles of light that then flow out through the window like liquid. Vaan is left alone, with Reks’s ring in his hand. The scene fades.]

East Sluice Control

[An unnamed girl, the same from the earlier scene, is fighting a group of Imperials, who are backing her into a ledge.]

????: Who would be next?

Imperial: Close ranks! Bring her down!

Vaan: [running to the base of the ledge] Jump down!

[The girl considers…]

Vaan: Hurry!

[The girl jumps. Vaan catches her. They exchange glances for a moment.]

Imperial: She’s not alone!

Fran: Our ranks grow by the hour.

Balthier: And our troubles with them.

[After defeating the four Imperials…]

Vaan: You all right?

????: Thank you.

Vaan: Um, I’m Vaan. And this is Balthier, and – [notices Balthier and Fran walking away] Hey! [turns back to the girl] What’s your name?

????: Amalia.

Vaan: Amalia, huh? Nice to meet you.

Amalia: There were others with me…

Fran: I’m sorry.

Amalia: No…

[Suddenly, the Goddess’s Magicite in Vaan’s hands begins to glow.]

Vaan: Huh?

Balthier: Oh, now, isn’t that impressive.

Vaan: Don’t get any ideas. I said it’s mine.

Balthier: I’m afraid the jury’s still out on that one.

Amalia: You stole that?

Vaan: Yeah!

Fran: Have you finished? When the guards don’t report in, they’ll come looking for us.

Balthier: If they aren’t already.

Vaan: [to Amalia] You should come with us. Better than being by yourself.

Amalia: Very well.

Vaan: What’s wrong with her?

Balthier: You have a lot to learn before we even get started on your thievery.

Vaan: What’s that mean?

[Approach Amalia again after the cutscene…]

Amalia: The situation requires I accept such help as I find. Though it be from thieves. I shall accompany you until we find my companions. No longer.

Balthier: Let’s think of her as a “guest”, then. Unlike Fran or myself, our “guest” won’t be taking orders from anyone anytime soon. And she’ll leave when she pleases. So, we keep to our affairs, and she to hers. I doubt we’ll find her wanting in valor… being such an upstanding member of the insurgence.

Amalia: [correcting] Resistance.

[Amalia joins the party as a guest!]

Amalia: Well, what are we waiting for?