Tales of the Abyss :: Second Chance at Goodbye :: G :: no pairings
Title: Second Chance at Goodbye
Fandom: Tales of the Abyss
Pairings: None?
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 1,581
Spoilers: Yes, up to the end of the game; specifically, Natalia's past.
Prompt: "No name can be read there." -Les Miserables, Victor Hugo
Summary: It was a loss, but at the same time it gave her something she didn't have before. For Natalia, farewells never really last.
Notes: Yeah, I pulled a Tales of Symphonia. But Largo did it first. :|
After Largo's death - Badaq's death, her father's death - Natalia went several days in indecision, unsure just what to do with the locket he'd left behind. He'd slipped it to her during his final moments, and afterwards she'd wrapped it in a lace handkerchief and tucked it away in the bottom of her coin purse, a method of avoiding it as much as it was protecting it.
A week later, she withdrew it again in the privacy of her rented bed once Tear and Anise had fallen asleep. Natalia had honestly never been one for jewelry beyond a couple rings or a necklace on occasion, but she immediately took a liking to the locket's make. Neither gaudy nor crude, it was, she thought, a perfect piece of craftsmanship, a type of accessory that seemed to have been made out of love for the craft rather than simply profit, which was something she'd seen only in the merchants of Chesedonia. They were passionate about their work, and looking at the intricate detail along the locket's golden outer case, Natalia liked to think that its maker was the same.
Should she keep it? she wondered. He had given it to her. Would it be more appropriate to perhaps bury it and create a proper grave for him? And if she did keep it, should she wear it, or keep it somewhere safe - on her mantle, or her vanity, the next time they returned to Baticul? She pored over the possibilities, but being some weeks from her city at the time, she finally decided to wear the locket for the time being, concealed and protected beneath her undershirt.
Natalia never took it off after that.
Years after, both her wedding day and wedding night saw her wearing it; she even kept it on when giving birth, both times, despite her nurse's insistence beforehand that she remove it. Natalia developed a habit of occasionally wrapping her fingers around it when anxious or indecisive, taking comfort in the cool touch and strength in its memories, and the locket was soon as natural a part of her as it could be. Rather than serving as a grim memoir of the family she'd lost, as she had initially feared, it gave her yet another reason to work to protect Auldrant's people by reminding her of her father's strength and dedication, of his sacrifice to her just seconds before he'd passed away. The locket was him, in a way, providing guidance when she needed it and giving her a warm sense of being looked after and even protected - none so much as the time it narrowly saved her life.
There were still those who questioned the peace treaty and doubted each country's loyalty even a decade after the signing, and as these small factions joined and grew, so did the need to see to them. Along with Guy, Natalia and Luke traveled to some of the more remote towns and villages in Malkuth, a dual gesture of peace and charity: bringing food and supplies to the poorer areas, they also met with as many of the common people as they could, hoping to establish good relations and heal old hurts where needed. A several-month campaign, it went smoothly and successfully for the most part.
In one of the last towns on their roster, Natalia and Luke went from sunrise to mid-afternoon just touring the area, speaking with all who approached and approaching those who didn't. Natalia was weary by the time dusk began drawing near, and at first thought she had imagined that glint of silver on a distant rooftop; but then she did a curious double-take, and by the time she realized what she was seeing, her quick reflexes and honed sense of direction had already told her what she needed to know. Whirling about, she followed the invisible line, searching for a target, and found it. Her heart dropped into her stomach.
"Luke-!" Her body reacted quicker than her mouth - throwing herself against him, Natalia managed to just shove him out of the way, and barely a second later a wooden shaft crashed dead center into her chest hard enough to knock her off her feet.
The arrow's force was so crushing that she'd lost her breath before she even hit the ground. Once she came to a rough landing on her back, gasping as the air was forced out of her, there were several tense seconds where she waited for the inevitable pain, for an instant too stunned to look down or do anything other than clutch at her breast. Suddenly Luke appeared above her, and then some of the villagers; by the time Natalia comprehended his words - "Natalia! Don't-" - she'd realized the odd absence of that awaited pain. Slowly, her instinct as a Seventh Fonist reacting and her hands heavy, she reached for her collar, and with the help of an older woman who had crouched beside her, Natalia managed to unbutton her blouse as Luke cleared the onlookers back a decent distance. Beneath her layers of clothing, she discovered the arrowhead: lodged almost neatly between the locket's two sides, trapped in the golden seam less than a centimeter above her skin.
At that unnaturally fortunate sight, Natalia could only let herself be helped up as she released a small, shuddering exhale, her throat immediately thickening - not in fear or even relief, but in silent recognition.
...Father...
She composed herself, however, and no one seemed to notice. She later learned that the archer had been aiming for Luke, as she'd predicted; the man, arrested soon after the incident, was reported to have lost family in the destruction of Akzeriuth.
Later that night as she examined the locket, Natalia found that the arrow had left its mark. Where the name Meryl had been etched into the gold on the inside of the tiny door, there was now an unsightly slash across the fine letters that rendered them all but illegible. At first she frowned at the blemish, but Guy convinced her otherwise.
"Who knows?" he'd ventured. "Maybe it's a sign."
"Sign? Whatever of?"
"Of who you are. That you're no longer the infant in that picture." He smiled reassuringly at her. "Maybe it's Largo's way of saying he's acknowledged that you've grown - that you've found your place as Natalia, and that he doesn't have to worry about you anymore."
Considering those words for a while after, Natalia decided she liked that reasoning. It did seem to fit the subtlety of Largo's character, and she preferred to think that he and her mother looked down on her with confidence rather than anxiety.
Luke was predictably less sympathetic about the whole matter. For all anyone knew from the way he was acting, Natalia actually had died protecting him.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" he demanded the second they were alone, having at least the common sense to avoid the confrontation in public.
"That man was aiming for you," she said patiently, still slightly winded but recognizing where the temper was coming from. "There was no time to say anything."
"And what good would it have done to get killed instead? This isn't - this isn't some journey to save the world anymore! You're queen now! If you'd died just for my sake, what-"
"If that had happened, then I would say my death was not in vain," she interrupted firmly, her eyes hard as she looked up at him. "I would not regret my actions. I still do not."
Luke's expression faltered, visibly wavering between irritation and understanding. He looked aside, either considering or silently fuming or both. After a moment, he huffed discontentedly. "...You can't think like that. Where would your people - where would our people be if something happened to you?"
"I was not trying to die, Luke. I acted because I wanted to." Natalia smiled solemnly, and then a little sheepishly. "I love my people. But even if something happened to me, you said yourself that they are your people, too." She met his eyes, hers soft and serene and his still sharp with concern. "And I care for you no less than anything precious to me, so... please, never suggest the nonsense that I am worth more than you." Shifting slightly, she glanced away, again solemn. "I may be their queen," she said more quietly, "but whatever anyone says - whatever you may believe in your heart - you are just as much their king."
Luke was silent, and backed down soon after that.
Back in Baticul some time later, Natalia stopped by the port just before sundown. The sea was a deep orange that merged halfway into the light pink sky above it, and for several minutes she just stood and observed it in silent reflection, her hand lightly over her heart and the locket. When at last she turned away, a small, content smile had replaced that thoughtful look and remained all the way back to the castle. Before retiring that night, she slipped into her daughter's nursery and stood silently over her cradle, watching the sleeping infant and still wearing that same smile. Gently, Natalia smoothed her child's blonde hair, stroked her round cheek; she adjusted her blanket before at last withdrawing, and lingered momentarily in the corridor with her fingers still around the handle.
After another brushing touch to the gold on her breast, Natalia departed down the hall for her quarters, to where her king waited.
Fandom: Tales of the Abyss
Pairings: None?
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 1,581
Spoilers: Yes, up to the end of the game; specifically, Natalia's past.
Prompt: "No name can be read there." -Les Miserables, Victor Hugo
Summary: It was a loss, but at the same time it gave her something she didn't have before. For Natalia, farewells never really last.
Notes: Yeah, I pulled a Tales of Symphonia. But Largo did it first. :|
After Largo's death - Badaq's death, her father's death - Natalia went several days in indecision, unsure just what to do with the locket he'd left behind. He'd slipped it to her during his final moments, and afterwards she'd wrapped it in a lace handkerchief and tucked it away in the bottom of her coin purse, a method of avoiding it as much as it was protecting it.
A week later, she withdrew it again in the privacy of her rented bed once Tear and Anise had fallen asleep. Natalia had honestly never been one for jewelry beyond a couple rings or a necklace on occasion, but she immediately took a liking to the locket's make. Neither gaudy nor crude, it was, she thought, a perfect piece of craftsmanship, a type of accessory that seemed to have been made out of love for the craft rather than simply profit, which was something she'd seen only in the merchants of Chesedonia. They were passionate about their work, and looking at the intricate detail along the locket's golden outer case, Natalia liked to think that its maker was the same.
Should she keep it? she wondered. He had given it to her. Would it be more appropriate to perhaps bury it and create a proper grave for him? And if she did keep it, should she wear it, or keep it somewhere safe - on her mantle, or her vanity, the next time they returned to Baticul? She pored over the possibilities, but being some weeks from her city at the time, she finally decided to wear the locket for the time being, concealed and protected beneath her undershirt.
Natalia never took it off after that.
Years after, both her wedding day and wedding night saw her wearing it; she even kept it on when giving birth, both times, despite her nurse's insistence beforehand that she remove it. Natalia developed a habit of occasionally wrapping her fingers around it when anxious or indecisive, taking comfort in the cool touch and strength in its memories, and the locket was soon as natural a part of her as it could be. Rather than serving as a grim memoir of the family she'd lost, as she had initially feared, it gave her yet another reason to work to protect Auldrant's people by reminding her of her father's strength and dedication, of his sacrifice to her just seconds before he'd passed away. The locket was him, in a way, providing guidance when she needed it and giving her a warm sense of being looked after and even protected - none so much as the time it narrowly saved her life.
There were still those who questioned the peace treaty and doubted each country's loyalty even a decade after the signing, and as these small factions joined and grew, so did the need to see to them. Along with Guy, Natalia and Luke traveled to some of the more remote towns and villages in Malkuth, a dual gesture of peace and charity: bringing food and supplies to the poorer areas, they also met with as many of the common people as they could, hoping to establish good relations and heal old hurts where needed. A several-month campaign, it went smoothly and successfully for the most part.
In one of the last towns on their roster, Natalia and Luke went from sunrise to mid-afternoon just touring the area, speaking with all who approached and approaching those who didn't. Natalia was weary by the time dusk began drawing near, and at first thought she had imagined that glint of silver on a distant rooftop; but then she did a curious double-take, and by the time she realized what she was seeing, her quick reflexes and honed sense of direction had already told her what she needed to know. Whirling about, she followed the invisible line, searching for a target, and found it. Her heart dropped into her stomach.
"Luke-!" Her body reacted quicker than her mouth - throwing herself against him, Natalia managed to just shove him out of the way, and barely a second later a wooden shaft crashed dead center into her chest hard enough to knock her off her feet.
The arrow's force was so crushing that she'd lost her breath before she even hit the ground. Once she came to a rough landing on her back, gasping as the air was forced out of her, there were several tense seconds where she waited for the inevitable pain, for an instant too stunned to look down or do anything other than clutch at her breast. Suddenly Luke appeared above her, and then some of the villagers; by the time Natalia comprehended his words - "Natalia! Don't-" - she'd realized the odd absence of that awaited pain. Slowly, her instinct as a Seventh Fonist reacting and her hands heavy, she reached for her collar, and with the help of an older woman who had crouched beside her, Natalia managed to unbutton her blouse as Luke cleared the onlookers back a decent distance. Beneath her layers of clothing, she discovered the arrowhead: lodged almost neatly between the locket's two sides, trapped in the golden seam less than a centimeter above her skin.
At that unnaturally fortunate sight, Natalia could only let herself be helped up as she released a small, shuddering exhale, her throat immediately thickening - not in fear or even relief, but in silent recognition.
...Father...
She composed herself, however, and no one seemed to notice. She later learned that the archer had been aiming for Luke, as she'd predicted; the man, arrested soon after the incident, was reported to have lost family in the destruction of Akzeriuth.
Later that night as she examined the locket, Natalia found that the arrow had left its mark. Where the name Meryl had been etched into the gold on the inside of the tiny door, there was now an unsightly slash across the fine letters that rendered them all but illegible. At first she frowned at the blemish, but Guy convinced her otherwise.
"Who knows?" he'd ventured. "Maybe it's a sign."
"Sign? Whatever of?"
"Of who you are. That you're no longer the infant in that picture." He smiled reassuringly at her. "Maybe it's Largo's way of saying he's acknowledged that you've grown - that you've found your place as Natalia, and that he doesn't have to worry about you anymore."
Considering those words for a while after, Natalia decided she liked that reasoning. It did seem to fit the subtlety of Largo's character, and she preferred to think that he and her mother looked down on her with confidence rather than anxiety.
Luke was predictably less sympathetic about the whole matter. For all anyone knew from the way he was acting, Natalia actually had died protecting him.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" he demanded the second they were alone, having at least the common sense to avoid the confrontation in public.
"That man was aiming for you," she said patiently, still slightly winded but recognizing where the temper was coming from. "There was no time to say anything."
"And what good would it have done to get killed instead? This isn't - this isn't some journey to save the world anymore! You're queen now! If you'd died just for my sake, what-"
"If that had happened, then I would say my death was not in vain," she interrupted firmly, her eyes hard as she looked up at him. "I would not regret my actions. I still do not."
Luke's expression faltered, visibly wavering between irritation and understanding. He looked aside, either considering or silently fuming or both. After a moment, he huffed discontentedly. "...You can't think like that. Where would your people - where would our people be if something happened to you?"
"I was not trying to die, Luke. I acted because I wanted to." Natalia smiled solemnly, and then a little sheepishly. "I love my people. But even if something happened to me, you said yourself that they are your people, too." She met his eyes, hers soft and serene and his still sharp with concern. "And I care for you no less than anything precious to me, so... please, never suggest the nonsense that I am worth more than you." Shifting slightly, she glanced away, again solemn. "I may be their queen," she said more quietly, "but whatever anyone says - whatever you may believe in your heart - you are just as much their king."
Luke was silent, and backed down soon after that.
Back in Baticul some time later, Natalia stopped by the port just before sundown. The sea was a deep orange that merged halfway into the light pink sky above it, and for several minutes she just stood and observed it in silent reflection, her hand lightly over her heart and the locket. When at last she turned away, a small, content smile had replaced that thoughtful look and remained all the way back to the castle. Before retiring that night, she slipped into her daughter's nursery and stood silently over her cradle, watching the sleeping infant and still wearing that same smile. Gently, Natalia smoothed her child's blonde hair, stroked her round cheek; she adjusted her blanket before at last withdrawing, and lingered momentarily in the corridor with her fingers still around the handle.
After another brushing touch to the gold on her breast, Natalia departed down the hall for her quarters, to where her king waited.