Elaclea Electronic

(Hi everybody! This is my first Last Exile fic, and most of it will be from Luciola's point of view, just not little prologues and things like that. It's an alternate universe fic and will have some shonen-ai in it but nothing really…um…hardcore. XD; Also, this is not set in the normal Prestale we all know and love. It's a combination of that, and kind of a take off on Victorian-era England. Enjoy!)

Prologue

"So, Ms. Scher, may I ask why you want me to tell you about the Royal Family of the Guild?" Luciola, one of the few remaining natives of the Guild kingdom, asked the young, female journalist who sat across from him in a dark red armchair.

Dunya Scher, who wrote for the well known magazine, Disith National, shifted in the chair. She had not expected the fifty-five year old foreigner to ask her such a question, be so polite, or be so fluent in Disithian either. "Well, aren't you the only one left who knew them?" she asked.

Luciola nodded slowly, an unexplainable expression on his aged face. For a minute or so, he said nothing and simply gazed down at the carpet. He seemed to be sorting through all of the memories he had collected over the years. "That is true, I suppose…But what do you think I did for them?" he replied. While he was not unwilling to tell Dunya of his past, he was not sure yet if he should expose all the Elaclea family's secrets.

"I've only heard that you were a care taker of sorts…But I have always thought that you were maybe something…more than that." Dunya said shyly, glancing uneasily at him.

It was surprising to Luciola that she would be so straightforward. Since she spoke nothing but honesty, he assumed that he may do the same. His dark eyes examined Dunya's face; she was obviously nervous. "I will tell you only what I know I am. The Queen had a younger brother, who was not considered normal by the standards of the Guild. It was my duty to watch over him." He paused. "However, I was not just a 'caretaker,' as you called it. According to him, I was his only friend." Though his voice was calm, he had much turmoil in his heart and mind as these old memories resurfaced.

She did not expect him to say that. "I never knew that Queen Delphine had a brother! Then again, here in Disith, we're pretty alienated from other nations," she exclaimed. Now her interested was truly sparked; never in all her years as a journalist did she expect to discover something like that.

Luciola sighed; so, Dunya wanted to know the whole story, it seemed. Barely any Guilders were still alive, so he figured that the time had come finally to reveal all of those secrets that had been kept in the dark for so long. "Yes, Delphine did not want the public to know about Dio."

"Why is that?"

"Because Dio was so different from everyone else, that is why. Most Guilders were very disciplined and unemotional, like myself," he replied, "Dio, on the other hand, simply could not be disciplined, no matter who tried. It was not that he was stupid, although that is what those who knew him thought…He was incredibly stubborn. However, when I say 'stubborn,' it is some what of an understatement. You see, Dio had been diagnosed at a very young age with a serious brain problem. The doctors said that he would not live past eleven years or so, but…I suppose he was so stubborn, that he proved them wrong. That was well before I met him though." Luciola turned his gaze to a small picture frame that stood on a wooden desk.

Dunya looked over to it as well. It was a photograph of Luciola, who was much younger, and a young man who must have been Dio. Both of them wore white, traditional Guild wear and, while Luciola had the same, unreadable expression on his face, Dio had a great big smile on his. Dio's bright blue eyes held a mysterious light, as if he had some kind of wonderful secret.

She smiled. "The two of you must have been very close…Would you mind telling me more about him?" she inquired, hoping very much that he would. This was the story of a lifetime…and it was going to make her famous the world over.

Essence of a tiny smile flicked across his face. Luciola felt that this was his only chance to speak truthfully to someone who would not slander him. "I would very much like to tell you everything."

(end of the prologue! Please review!)