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    Born in 684 Old Valendian, Balthier is the third son of Dr. Cid.[1] At the age of sixteen, he was made an Archadian Judge, though not a Judge Magister. Six years prior to the game's storyline, after his father returned from Giruvegan, he noticed that his father's sanity was slowly fading, as he was constantly talking to someone who wasn't there. This strained their relationship, and eventually Ffamran couldn't stand the sight of his father anymore. This, combined with the way Archadia was moving, made Balthier decide to leave his post as Judge and run away, stealing the new prototype fighter ship as a means of escape from Archades. Since then, having gone into hiding, he has heavily updated the ship, so much so that it no longer resembles the original design and named it the Strahl. During this time, he took on the name Balthier as an alias to help cast aside his ties with Archades. Also during this six year time period, he eventually partners up with Fran, though the game doesn't state specifically when, where or how.<br />
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    Balthier comes into the main story while Vaan is stealing from the Royal Palace of Rabanastre. Seeing the young thief steal the Goddess' Magicite, Balthier demands that he hand it over. When Vaan asks who he is, Balthier responds with "I play the leading man, who else?" Before he can take it, the Ifrit attacks, causing him to reluctantly run away, with Vaan in tow. During their escape, Fran's hover crashes into the Garamsythe Waterway, and they are forced to work together.<br />
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    While the game never tells how well Balthier got along with his father before he went to Giruvegan, Balthier can't stand the sight of him ever since. Thinking him to be insane, he ran away, unable to tolerate listening to his father talking about returning "The reigns of history back into the hands of Man." Eventually, with the help of the other main characters, Balthier finally realises that his father wasn't insane, but rather, he was talking to the Occurian Venat all this time. Wanting to confront his father, he travels with Ashe to Archades, his home. After getting into the Draklor Laboratory, they finally confront Dr Cid, where Balthier tries to convince his father that what he's doing is insane. Cid has none of it and runs away. Finally, they catch up to Dr. Cid at the Pharos at Ridorana. After a long fight with Cid, where he summons the Esper Famfrit, Balthier has to watch his father die, and up to his dying breath, he believes what he was doing was best for mankind, much to Balthier's disappointment.<br />
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    After Vayne's defeat, while the others left, Balthier and Fran remained behind to start up the Bahamut and get it away from Rabanastre. Though he succeeded, he and Fran were believed to have died in the crash. It would only be a year later that Balthier took back the Strahl from Vaan and Penelo, leaving them a note and Ashe's ring, which he had loaned as payment for his services earlier in the story. On the note, Balthier explains that he is going for the Cache of Glabados at Bervenia Palace, wishing Vaan and Penelo to join in on the spoils. It's usually believed that the ring was Ashe's wedding ring, however, that is incorrect, as she is seen wearing her wedding ring after Balthier makes his loan (it notably serves as a trigger to a flashback about Rasler at the Phon Coast).
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