I'm slowly replaying Abyss (my third playthrough!) and it put me in the odd mood for fanfiction. I've always had a soft spot for Natalia/Guy, and I've had so many ideas for fics that I never ended up writing. In the end, I decided to combine them all into one epic love story. Enjoy 8)
FLICKER
(by elegans)
His estate in Grand Chokmah was a handsome affair, pristinely white, with ivory columns and a colorful flowerbed out front. His gardener – he had his own gardener now! – had confided, with the air of one bestowing a great secret, that flowers were remarkably hard to grow in the capital's wet climate, so he ought to be thankful for his sun-daisies and dewflowers. Guy wasn't much of a flower person, himself, but he did admit that their reds and yellows looked striking against the clean form of his manor.
It wasn't terribly big – "I'm sorry to say, Gailardia, but there simply isn't enough land for every noble who pops up out of the woodwork," the emperor had said – but what it lacked in space it made up for in charm. He decorated simply, but Peony ensured he had fine sturdy furniture and enough staff to keep everything in order. His favorite room was the study, with its tall windows that kept the room well-lit; if he turned his head a bit, he could see the low glimmer of the ocean.
He was currently occupied there, writing his letters. Without the Albiore, which had been returned to Sheridan after their journeys, it was a long way to Kimlasca, and as a result he found it much harder to remain in touch with Luke, Tear, and Natalia. Even Anise, who had returned to Daath, was far distant. The only one of his former allies he saw with any regularity was Jade, which was hardly a comfort. He wrote them weekly, at the very least, although his life had settled into such a banality that it was sometimes difficult to think of new things to say. His pen hovered thoughtfully.
...Emperor Peony is trying to set me up, have I told you? he wrote. He's very enthusiastic about the idea that if I meet the perfect girl, my issues will just up and vanish. I've made progress, but I don't think it's quite as simple as that. But enough about me – how's Luke doing? Make sure he's treating you right. If he acts like an idiot, you have my full permission to knock him down a peg or two.
He spent a few minutes finishing up his letter to Tear, sealing and addressing it with a practiced hand. Standing up and brushing off his pants, he glanced out the window. He still had time to get to the harbor before sunset, he judged; he would give the letters to a ship headed to Baticul, and with a bit of money involved, they would arrive safely enough. He strode down the hall, heading for the manor's side exit.
Guy made it a point to treat his servants well, and considered himself friendly with all of them, so he recognized immediately that there was something wrong with the group of maids clustered on the couch in his sitting room. He had never seen them all neglecting their duties at once, and besides that, there was something worrying in the secretive tilt of their heads.
"Tamblis, what's wrong?" he asked, addressing the maid nearest him, and the girl turned to face him; her cheeks were flushed with emotion. She fumbled when she saw him, dropping the charm bracelet she had been turning anxiously in her hands.
"Oh, sir," she said fervently, and he realized that she was genuinely upset. Were her eyes always that bright, or were there newly formed tears catching the light? What in the world had happened?
"Have you heard the news?" she asked, but without waiting for a reply she continued hurriedly, her voice quavering. "The princess of Kimlasca has been killed."