Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss, or anything relevant...

Summary: ToA She was the Princess of her nation. He was the servant of her betrothed. She thought she was being gracious by just allowing him to be in her presence, and he thought the torture would never end. Natalia-bashing

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Cruelty

It wasn't that she didn't notice.

Natalia saw the tremors he tried, desperately and failingly, to hide. She saw the terrified look he gave her when she stepped closer. She could even tell, even though his jaw was clenched and he certainly wasn't in a state to say anything, that he was silently asking for her to rethink and give him mercy.

"Hardly," she scoffed , "the proper way to act in the presence of your future Mistress, Guy." His blue eyes widened at her mocking, and he ducked his head, obscuring his face from view with the blond windswept hair that made him easily distinguishable in a crowd, and from most of the other servants. It was a pity, she thought, that the looks he held were wasted on someone from so low on the class ladder. Alas, it couldn't be helped.

Natalia tilted her head and silently observed him, watching to see if he would relax and ask to be dismissed properly, but he even looked too shaken by her proximity to even form a single word, let alone string together a whole sentence. She clicked her tongue and slowly halved distance between them with two long strides. The table that had formerly acted as his only barrier was soon passed by and turned against him as a blockade from his only exit, and when he seemed to have noticed this, his shivers became even more obvious.

The numerous buttons of the coat he was holding, clinked loudly in the crook of his arm, echoing throughout the castle room that she had cornered him in. He was an absolute mess, she quietly acquiesced, as she crossed her arm and willed herself to focus back on the problem.

"Why are you here?" she asked impatiently, raising her chin and looking at his bowing form haughtily. He had no right to be in her castle—not when he could be serving her beloved fiancé who was still recovering from that frightful incident that occured several years ago. If she wasn't so busy with her duties as crowned princess, she would have put herself up to the task of helping Luke remember his vow to her, and of course—the rest of his memories.

It was to Guy that task was assigned, and as important as he felt having been given such a noble task as assisting the tertiary heir to the throne, he had no right to strut around the palace as if he owned it. It was even more appalling that he hadn't greeted her properly, or shown any other signs of proper decorum. It was unbecoming of a servant of the fon Fabre's, and she was determined to set it right.

Guy began to straighten up as her glare intensified, and he slowly rose his eyes, gritting his teeth she noticed, to meet her gaze. His eyes focused on her, stopping the slight glances he had been directing to the door behind her, and he let out one more wince before opening his mouth to reply quietly. She raised an eyebrow at his efforts, and was forced to ask him to repeat himself.

"—gift from fon Fabres." He said, this time, a little louder. It took her a minute to process the message, and another to adopt an unimpressed stance and accompanying look that she immediately centered on him.

"Guy," she snapped, faintly wondering what kind of parents had raised children to behave in this manner, "when addressing me, you will do it properly. My title is that of Princess Natalia—Understood?" His head again bowed, and he mumbled his assent. Sighing, she decided to abandon all the initiative she had had to act as restrained as possible in light of his ridiculous "condition", as her beloved had tried to explain it as when she had threatened to dismiss his "friend" from his service to the royal family.

She hadn't understood then, or even now for that matter, why he couldn't just swallow it up and ignore whatever irrational fear of, of all things, women that he held, but then again she never considered it her top priority to ponder about such pointless things. He was a servant, with not a drop of noble blood in his veins, and if he wasn't getting used it now, she would be sure to drill it out of him. When the time came for the fon Fabre household to join with that of the royal family, he would not hinder the integration.

For some reason her beloved seemed fond of him in his sickened state, so she couldn't dismiss him as easily as she did the maid who had ruined her favorite book some years ago. It wouldn't do to have such a wedge driven between them before they were to be married.

She strode forward, eliciting a faint squeak from him, and a wince of disdain from herself at witnessing such gross conduct. Then she took the coat of intricate stitching and design in one hand, and grabbed him by his forearm with the other, drawing him into a kneeling position that he adopted easily. At least his phobia had some use, she thought absently. "Greet me and ask me to dismiss you properly, Guy." He flicked his eyes up anxiously, and nodded his head frantically, prompting her to smirk at her success. She put her hands on her hips, brushing away any faint traces of dust that may have gathered from being close to the ground and to him, before drawing herself up to full height. He took a few moments to compose himself, and to voice the requested response aloud.

"Go—good d—day to you, Prin—Princess Natalia", he again gave her a panicked glance before continuing, "—may my hum—humbled self ple—please take your leave, t—to return to my hou—household?" She gave him a satisfied nod, and dismissed him accordingly, returning the with the typical royal response to his monologue.

"I acknowledge your greeting with pleasure, and give you permission to return to your typical duties." His body relaxed noticeably, and with a wave of dismissal, she stepped to the side and allowed him a clear path to the door.

Natalia watched him inch slowly past her, trying to keep a casual pace that would give away the sense of confidence that he sorely lacked. She pretended to not notice the fast dash he took up when he made it out the door. "Well, he almost made it." She sighed, turning to the table and laying her prize out on it to examine with glee.

She put the encounter as far from her mind as possible, focusing on the beautiful outer coat of periwinkle that she was sure was a gift from her beloved for the annual ball that was coming up. She had noticed the intricate designs of various shapes and seals that signaled her as princess, and let out a silent squeal when she was finally able to examine its entireity. She would be sure to prepare her fiancé for the dance, even if he were confined to his manor for safety reasons, he would not miss her birthday.

She could do so many things with him—teach him how to dance again, see if he could remember anything about his vow, and— if she had time, take him around the castle to see if he could remember anything more of the time before his abduction. It would be perfect, she nodded to herself, and no one was going to ruin it for her—them. It was her duty as the future queen to prepare him for everything if his servant wasn't properly equipped to teach him.

Natalia wondered absently whether the Duke had actually realized what a failure, she grimaced at the thought, he had assigned to her beloved's care. She sniffed and resolved to bring the subject up to him of she encountered him during one of her monthly visits. It was the best she could do for Luke for now. Until he married her, that is.

It was that she didn't care.

A/N--I LOVE GUY, HONESTLY, I DO!!!!!!!!!!...And like Natalia...

I just tore up while writing it 'cause I know its putting him into torture my inner fangirl can't stand, but then the title would be pointless, and Natalia would seem justified in what she was doing! I assure you all I do not hate her in any way! It's just that I could so see her doing this because when she was introduced in the game she struck me as this self-centered and selfish snob, though she shows herself to be compassionate later on--though that could have been all for appearances...

I put a few Luke mentions here and there (with her caring more about the vow than the rest of his memories...) with her sounding slightly possessive because the whole "even if you betray us to run off with Van (becoming a potential wanted felon to your country in the process), I'll use the blackmail I heard while eavesdropping (not rude in any way) to force you to marry me against your will because of a vow you made to me when we were seven years old" thing that went on in the sewers.

That left me a bit thrown for a loop when I forced myself to consider whether I wanted her in my party...And later on she became a permanent member when she proved herself to be the one to last the longest in every battle...Dunno, but she worked that way for me..

Hope you guys review and tell me what you thought about it!