I suddenly had the inspiration to write a songfic using the song "Lullabye." It's just a little one-shot. As for the genre, I didn't really know how to categorize this, so I just put it under romance. Yeah.
I own neither Tales of Symphonia nor "Lullabye," unfortunately. Namco owns Tales of Symphonia, and Billy Joel owns both the music and lyrics for "Lullabye." The only thing I own is the way I have combined these words together. Enjoy.
"Shhhh," Colette, the ex-Chosen of Mana for the world of Sylvarant, murmured to the crying child in her arms. The baby girl, just over a month old, had been crying for hours, her sapphire eyes filled with tears. "It's okay, Tamera," Colette continued, "Daddy's coming back tomorrow. You don't want to be crying when he comes home, right?"
She let out an exasperated sigh. She had no idea why her child was crying. She had checked her diaper countless times to see if that was what triggered the fit, but saw that that was not what started the crying. She fed her baby and burped her, but that did nothing. When she had summoned Raine over to see if the baby was coming down with something, the half-elf said that she was as healthy as ever. Colette had given her child all the attention she could ever want, but found that the young baby continued to cry. Colette felt as if she would pass out at any moment, her exhaustion catching up with her.
"Tamera, please, tell me what's wrong," the blonde-haired woman asked desperately. "Why are you crying? Why can't I, your own mother, help you?" She brushed away the tears on her baby's face. "I don't even know any lullabies for you. I'm a horrible mother." She rocked her daughter, believing that she couldn't help her child.
Despite having said that she knew no lullabies, Colette felt as if there was one that she knew. She could feel it tugging at the back of her head, trying to get her to remember it. Why can't I remember this song? she thought, frustrated. I faintly recall a melody that my mother sang to me before the she died. That was so many years ago. She struggled to remember it. Where are you, lullabye? Why can't you come back to me? Why must you remain hidden with the rest of my memories of my mother?
As if to reply to her, a soft melody seemed to enter her mind. Is this the lullabye that Mother sang to me so long ago? The woman hugged her child. It's worth a try.
"Goodnight, my angel
Time to close your eyes
And save these questions for another day
I think you know what I've been trying to say
I promised I would never leave you
And you should always know
Wherever you may go
No matter where you are
I never will be far away."
The words seemed to flow to Colette's mouth. She sang softly, never being fond of her singing voice. Tamera's crying dulled down until they were only small whimpers. She snuggled into her mother's arms, her wet face cool on her mother's arm. Smiling, Colette continued:
"Goodnight, my angel
Now it's time to sleep
And still so many things I want to say
Remember all the songs you sang for me
When we went sailing on an emerald bay
And like a boat out on the ocean
I'm rocking you to sleep
The water's dark and deep
Inside this ancient heart
You'll always be a part of me."
By now, the young child had fallen completely silent but for her soft breathing. The baby's eyes were closed, showing that sleep had finally come to the little baby. Had it not been for her chest moving up and down, the baby would have resembled a doll. Colette smiled, all weariness forgotten. She kissed her child's forehead, amazed at how peaceful she looked now, when mere moments ago she had been wailing.
Unknown to the ex-Chosen, a brunette man was standing by the doorway of the room, watching the scene before him. He had arrived just moments ago and had watched in wonder as his wife calmed down their child.
And to think, Colette had always acted embarrassed about her singing voice, Lloyd thought, a smile forming at his lips. Just goes to show how wrong people can be.
Colette continued the song, wanting to finish it for her child:
"Goodnight, my angel
Now it's time to dream
And dream how wonderful your life will be
Someday your child may cry
And if you sing this lullabye
Then in your heart
There will always be a part of me."
Getting up as quietly as she could manage, Colette walked over to Tamera's crib, where she gently placed her. Leaning in and giving her one last kiss, she tucked in her daughter. Stood up and headed towards the door, where she stopped when she saw her husband standing in it, leaning against the frame.
"You forgot the last part," he told her.
"You're back early!" Colette whispered as she rushed over to him. Lloyd caught her and they embraced.
Once they had finished, Lloyd said, "I managed to find a shorter route than what I had originally planned on using. I wanted to get home as soon as possible." He grinned. "You still haven't sung the last part," he added.
"What last part?" Colette asked, not knowing what he was talking about. Lloyd sighed, and sang:
"Someday we'll all be gone
But lullabyes go on and on…
They never die
That's how you
And I
Will be."
Colette was shocked. "How do you…"
"I heard Kratos humming the tune one time and asked him about it. He told me that my mother had sung it to me when I was a baby. He told me the words for it, and I managed to remember them."
Colette smiled. "It'll be our lullabye for Tamera," she murmured as she hugged Lloyd.
"Yes. It'll be our beloved angel's lullabye."