This short bit of dialogue from Fran can only be accessed for a very limited amount of time. Lots of people I know who have played XII have never found this part of the scene, simply because Fran only speaks to Ashe if the party reaches the Necrohol of Nabudis before traveling to Archades.
But although this bit of dialogue is very short and so optional that most people don’t know it exists, it’s always what comes to mind whenever someone asks me about relationships between female characters in XII.
We really don’t see XII’s female characters interact all that often, even though Fran’s relationship with Penelo is anything but insignificant. But in this short little scene, we see that Fran is one of the only people in the entire game who has enough nerve to flat-out ask Ashe if she intends to take revenge against the Empire.
The Necrohol of Nabudis itself consists of what was once the Nabradian Royal Palace. This was Rasler’s home, and it’s not out of the question to assume that Ashe visited the palace once or twice in her life. For a while, she can’t bring herself to look at her surroundings, and she can’t meet Fran’s gaze even when she mentions revenge. This is an emotional moment for Ashe, but Fran doesn’t go easy on her. Though she never says so outright, Fran highly disapproves of Ashe’s quest for power. She doesn’t give Ashe any special treatment because of all that she’s been through or simply because she’s the princess.
While this isn’t the most uplifting of relationships between female characters in the Final Fantasy series, it’s pretty powerful in its own way. Fran is definitely Ashe’s friend, and it’s for that exact reason that she makes her disapproval perfectly clear.
Final fantasy XII &co 