Author's Note: Just a random little Radiata Stories fanfic featuring one of my favorite characters- Natalie! I'm not entirely proud of how it all came out, but it's good enough to be put up, I think. Anyways, read and enjoy!
x-x
Captain Natalie Nanette was perfect, and she knew it. She was exquisite, gorgeous, flawless. She lived in a fairytale castle, was captain of her own brigade and had admirers in every niche of this hick town. She had everything her heart desired.
Except for him. Every man in this entire kingdom was in love with her. Why shouldn't they be? She had the silkiest emerald locks, eyes like jades under the moonlight and a body like you had never seen before. She was perfect.
So why did he never seem to notice her? He pranced around this castle like he was the real king. But why wouldn't he? Everybody loved him (but not more than her, for surely, no one loved anybody more than herself). Charismatic, upbeat, courageous, strong, everything a woman desires in a man. But he wasn't hers.
There was stupid blonde girl, the other Little Miss Perfect. She had everything that Natalie didn't have (which wasn't much), and most importantly, she had him. She had him wrapped around her finger. He was her knight, he fought for her and he always would be hers.
But what did that stupid brunette see in that little blondie? Feisty, rude, arrogant- there was nothing truly special about her. So she was royalty, so what? Natalie could be royalty too, if she wished it. She had all the nobles begging her to merely look at them, let alone marry one of them.
Then again, Natalie wasn't quite sure what she herself saw in the young man. Why was she forced to love him when there were so many other bachelors in the kingdom? Maybe it was the challenge. Maybe she loved the fact that he acted the same to her as he did everyone else. Maybe she loved everything about him and there was no rhyme or reason for her unrequited love.
She's tried many times to get him to love her. For him to be hers and hers alone. He visited the castle the other day after he completed a mission for Larks. She knew that he was here to visit his lover, but Natalie didn't care. She would have Jack Russell whether he wanted her or not.
"Jack," she called out in her lovely sing-song voice. He turned to face her, clueless brown eyes flickering with recognition. "Oh, it's you, Natalie." He remarked nonchalantly. She smirked, this would be too easy.
"So, Jack, I heard you just got back from such a dangerous mission!" She mocked, though the brunette paid no mind to it. He merely shrugged in embarrassment, muttering a "it wasn't really all that dangerous."
The maiden tugged at his sleeve, pulling him into her (she prayed that idiotic Ridley girl was watching) and cooed, "Oh no, I'm sure it wasvery very dangerous. Why don't you take a break from all those missions and come have some lunch with me in my room? You must be exhausted, aren't you?" The warrior attempted to free himself from her grasp, but was unsuccessful. "Sorry, Natalie, I already got a date- with Ridley."
Date. There was that word. How she hated, how she loathed that word. It made her blood boil every time she heard it pass his lips. At least he didn't call her his...girlfriend. She might have lost it if he had.
She huffed and stomped, pouting, down the hallway and slammed the door to her room in the hopes he would hear and understand her anger.
Natalie Nanette didn't cry, for crying was forbidden in the Nanette lineage. So instead, she threw her armor across the floor as hard as she could, leapt onto her bed and clutched her hot pink pillow to her chest and recounted the thousands of reasons why she hated Jack Russell.
It was July 3rd when it all happened. The Fireworks Display was in exactly one day. It was her last chance to impress him. If not, he would surely never leave Ridley's side.
She was spread across her bed, thrashing back and forth wildly. She was going to be direct and straight-forward when asking Jack out, no wait, maybe that would offend him. Maybe she should try flirtatious and sexy...scratch that, she's already tried that half a dozen times. Maybe she should just be herself? Then again, she had lost herself to the vanity and greed long ago.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't even realize she had started down the hallway of the castle. She snapped out of her trance as she fell flat on her face. Brushing off her breastplate (when had she changed back into her everyday armor?), she noticed a crowd had formed in the middle of the hall.
"Did you hear?" "Can you believe it?" "Everyone expected it, but so soon!" Natalie tapped on Leonard's shoulder, who happened to be in the midst of the crowd. "Leonard, what's going on here?"
As he turned around, the knight's cheeks burned a bright pink to match the lady's armor. "Oh! Uh, L-lady Natalie! Um, well you see, it's Lady Ridley- Master Jack just proposed to her!"
Her heart sank. No, forget that, her heart shattered into so many billions of pieces they could never be put back together. The notion of heartbreak had seemed so impossible, so cliche, to her that she thought she would never be forced to worry about it.
She couldn't control herself. She gathered all of her fury into her fist and punched Leonard right in the gut. I hope you feel my rage, her mind jeered, feel the hatred. She bolted back into her room and locked the door behind her. She wanted no one to see the great Captain Natalie Nanette crying. Natalie Nanette didn't cry, for crying was forbidden.
She wanted to get away from all the pain. She needed to drown away all the doubt and agony. There was only one way she knew how to do that- the bar. Normally, she would never dare to disgrace herself by visiting such a shabby, scum-filled place, but tonight was a "special occasion". The rules seem to have been thrown out of balance.
She threw on a cloak over her body and pulled the hood over her head tight. She wanted no one to recognize the trainwreck she had become. She snaked her way through the empty streets, avoiding the light and staying secluded in the shadows. She slipped into the establishment and seated herself at the bar.
"Waddaya want?" The grizzly bartender barked. Natalie glanced at the menu, scrawled across a board hung on the wall. "Full Moon Fury," she whispered, so as not to let anyone but the bartender hear her.
He sneered. "Hmph, that's the second time someone's ordered that tonight. Not often someone drinks something so hard 'round these parts." He continued grumbling, but the maiden tuned him out. He slid her drink across the bar and she fumbled with the glass as it nearly slid past her. Years as a knight would make something as simple as catching a sliding cup, but her grief made it difficult to focus.
The glass crashed into the drink of the person next to her. She hadn't even noticed someone was sitting there. "Sorry, sir" she muttered as she reached for her glass. The man sniffled and whispered something so quietly it was almost inaudible. But she heard his words loud and clear. "I-it's alright, N-natalie."
She spun to face him, eyes widened in shock. There sat Jack, hot tears spewing from his brown eyes. Those eyes, always so innocent and full of life. What made them so anguished? "Jack? What are you doing here?" she questioned, cocking an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be out on the town with your fiancee, Ridley?" she added bitterly.
He scoffed at her. "Please, I wish Ridley was my fiancee." Now she was thoroughly confused. Was it not today that she had heard that he and Ridley were to be married? "Ridley ran away..." he concluded after a moment's hesitation.
What would keep Ridley from accepting his proposal? He was rich, famous, he was perfect. Why run away on something that should be the happiest day of her life?
"Said she couldn't handle the pressure. Couldn't take all the pressure and all the expectations. She never wanted to be with me in the first place, I guess." At this, he took a swig of his drink. The crimson liquid spilled from his glass as he consumed the liquid, and it was then she noticed it was the same exact drink she had ordered- Full Moon Fury. How ironic.
As he set his drink down, he turned to stare at her. He put his hand on her shoulder and she could feel her cheeks burn. His touch was exhilarating- how often was it that he was so voluntarily affectionate with her? She didn't even care if it was the alcohol's influence or his own actions but she was happy. Huh, happy. Not exactly an emotion she was used to.
Suddenly, he embraced her. He wrapped his arms around her and sobbed into her shoulder. She wasn't used to this. How could she be when all her admirers were secret? Her father was an army general, rough and headstrong, he had no time to spend on loving her. He was too busy training her. And her mother left to go on a mission one day and never returned. She hadn't been given a hug in years. How foreign it felt to her.
"Thank you, Natalie", he said through sobs, "you always wanted to be with me. But I kept pushing you away. I'm so sorry!" Her gripped her even tighter now. Slowly, she put her arms around him awkwardly. She wasn't even sure if you put your arms like this or that or whatever. But she knew she wanted to hold him and for him to hold her.
She didn't know if she should say something. It seemed appropriate to say or do something for him, seeing as how he was in the middle of a breakdown. "It's alright, Jack. Um, everything's going to be okay." ...That wasn't how she wanted it sound. "Uh, Ridley will come back." No, wait. BAD idea. Stop now. Change the subject. "And even if she doesn't, I'll be here." Ding ding ding. Bingo.
He lifted his head from her shoulder and smiled softly. "Thanks, Natalie. I guess I'm not used to being so sad, you know? Sorry I kinda lost it, hehe." He paused for a moment, deep in thought. "Hey, Natalie. I guess since Ridley's gone, I don't really have a date to the Fireworks Festival. Do you wanna come with me?"
She smiled her flawless smile with her flawless teeth on her flawless face and answered, "I'd love to." She wasn't really perfect, as she's found throughout this whole experience. For no matter what she does or how much makeup she puts on or how rich and famous she becomes, not everyone will love her. But one day your prince will come and he'll look at you and say "you are perfect."
She wasn't perfect, and neither was he. But in each others' eyes, they could do no wrong. They were perfect for each and other and they were perfect together.