The Hand You've Been Dealt

Balthier's once tired body from the stir in the den was wide awake now. It had been that way since he noticed his father had left the den, and now the thoughts that ran through his head had finally made his mind and emotions dead. He couldn't imagine what was happening to him, to his siblings. He would have never thought Allegro would leave them. And it had him wondering exactly how he missed the warning signs up to this moment. He wanted nothing more than to make his father proud, at least in him. Training in hunting like his father, learning to protect his family, trying to help Allegro in anyway he could knowing that their life wasn't completely calm and happy even when his father made it seem that way. And now he was feeling like everything he did wasn't good enough. Why else would Allegro also abandon them?

He returned to the expanded den that his father and he had dug out and made the extra rooms for each one of the kids. Balthier gently peeked into Psalm and Solo's dens, making sure they were both still tucked away and hopefully sleeping, the news he would share with them come morning so they could get some good sleep now. But he wandered into Azzurra's room, feeling the closest to her and feeling like she was the only one he could really unload his emotions on. He had kept his harsh feelings aside like Allegro had, anything that he didn't really agree with or that upset him he kept quiet about. This would really be no different though.

"Azzie..." His breath left quietly like that was all he would say, like there was nothing to be said. He moved in closer to her, coming around her back side to curl around her and cradle her. The emotions he was still somehow holding stayed hidden inside but could be felt in the way he clung to her and pushed into her. If he had any sort of normal life this would probably be where he cried his sorrows away, but he had physically become accustomed to shutting feelings out. "Dad... Left. He- he's not coming back."

"Balthier"