So this is a story re-post…my apologies to those who were wondering where in the world this story went when it suddenly disappeared off my page. I had found some very important parts that I made huge mistakes on, so I had to revise it a bit.
So I was informed by a reader that the events on Hod happened sixteen years ago, and not fifteen years ago. I had thought that this was so on first thought, remembering that Van or someone did mention that Tear's mother was still pregnant with her as they fell into the Qliphoth. However, I got my facts mixed up when I heard about Arietta's past story. So I had heard that Arietta was born on the Isle of Feres…but she's fifteen years old and Tear's sixteen, so it confused me very much that Arietta was abandoned one year after the collapse of Hod. Maybe I'm over thinking it? But my facts are confused…however, I do know that Tear was born after the events of Hod.
So this repost is actually the first draft of this story. My first post of this story was the second draft of this story. When I had gotten my details mixed up, I completely revised the whole story so that Tear was already one year old before the collapse of Hod; however, it seems that I was wrong on that part, and so, this is the more corrected version.
I'd like to thank the reviewer that did point out that Hod collapse happened sixteen years ago, and not fifteen years ago. I had completely forgotten that that had happened.
Anyhow, do notice Guy's name change throughout the story…that was done on purpose.
No, this is not a GuyxTear pairing; connections, I say.
Another thing: I don't really know the whole "Miss" and "Lady" titles for the maids when they call upon someone of higher status to them, so please forgive me if I do get some of the titles mixed up…
Anyhow, I do not own Tales of the Abyss.
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With blonde hair, fine clothes, and wide blue eyes of wonder, the boy travelled up the grand stair case of his manor, curious as to where his caretaker had gone. He knew that it was forbidden for him to be out of the sight of the maids, where his caretaker had put him under the guidance of, but for some reason he had a strong desire and feeling to follow him. He kept climbing the stairs, determined to find him once and for all.
"M-Master Gailardia!"
He turned around at the sound his own name to see a very tired and exhausted looking maid coming up from behind him. She panted quite so, which led him to assume that she had been looking for him in their large manor. However, he did not care at that time, seeing that he must see his caretaker and knight, for some strange reason.
The maid noticed this, and attempted to grab his shoulder, only to trip upon the staircase. She chased after the curious boy, and finally caught up to him and gently patted his shoulder.
"Master Gailardia, it is not safe for you to be wandering by yourself! I understand that you are quite bored with Miss Mary out and Sir Van taking care of his mother, but please do understand that you mustn't wander! Don't hesitate to ask one of us, ok?"
Gailardia nodded. "Can I see Van?"
The maid sighed. "My apologies, Master, but he is taking care of his mother as of right now. It'd be best that we head to the drawing room as to practice your mannerisms. Your fifth birthday party is tomorrow, and we must show your relatives what a splendid Count you will be!" The maid beamed.
However, the world of a curious four-year old was not to be reckoned with, especially in his eyes. "But I want to see Van. Is his mother sick?"
The maid laughed. "Oh goodness, no! Miss Fende is not at all sick."
Gailardia tilted his head to one side. "Then why is Van with her?"
She sighed. How in the world would she explain this situation to a four-year old? It would be best if his own mother would explain…
"Well, she is resting due to the fact that her baby will be coming soon."
"What's a baby?" Gailardia tilted his head towards the side.
She squatted down to his height and gave a small smile. "Master, you're mother did tell you where you had come from when you were born?"
He nodded and smiled. "Yes! Mommy said I came from her tummy! But she didn't say how…and Sister won't tell me either."
The maid choked. Now that explanation was another story. She shook her head.
"Ah, but all that matters is that you know where you came from. You see, Ms. Lady Fende is going through a difficult time in order to have the baby, and she is quite weak."
Fortunately, he was a very bright kid. Maybe a little too bright indeed.
"So…she will be taking care of another person besides Van?"
The maid sighed a sigh of relief. "Yes Master and that is the reason we mustn't disturb her. She is resting, with Van assisting."
He suddenly smiled brightly. "Then I'll go help too!" And with that, he ran down the hallway, in the direction he had seen Van walk towards. The maid obviously did not expect such an outburst and nearly tripped when she tried catching up to him.
"M-Master! Oh, dear…"
Gailardia laughed and allowed instincts to lead him to the room he assumed was Van's family's room, seeing that it was the last room in the long hallway. He approached the large, intricately designed door and opened it slowly, as if unsure what to expect.
Upon opening it, the first thing he viewed was a woman wrapped in a blanket, sitting on a rocking chair. He then also noticed Van, who was evidently helping his mother eat and relax in her chair. Gailardia entered the room, causing Van to look up with a startled expression.
"M-master?! Why are-"
"Master!"
The poor maid finally caught up to him, and was panting for much needed air. She caught sight of Van, who was looking on at them curiously and suddenly flushed.
"My deepest apologies, Sir Van! Master Gailardia insisted that he see your mother and-"
At this, the woman on the rocking chair chuckled, causing Gailardia to step back a little.
"Oh my, what brings the young Count to visit me? I must be ashamed of myself."
The maid shook her head. "I'm so sorry, madam-"
She weakly waved at the maid and smiled. "That's fine; it'll be quite alright for Master Gailardia to stay by my side. You may be dismissed now."
The maid, obviously surprised at the action, hesitantly bowed before exiting and closing the door softly. Gailardia took a few steps forward before hearing her voice once more.
"Now, what can I do for you, young Count? I may not be at the best condition, but I'll do the best I can."
He tilted his head to one side. "Where's the baby?"
"Ah, so is that what you've come for? My, well, I must say that you are a tad too early, though she is coming soon."
Now this comment completely sidetracked Gailardia's thoughts and he became confused. Suddenly, a ragged coughing sound was heard from Van's mother, causing Van to step in with worry.
"Mother, should I-?"
"No, no, it's fine. Don't send him away."
Van sighed, and turned towards his master. "I thought I had given you to the maids for the remainder of the day."
"I-I'm sorry, Van. I was just wondering where you always go, and I really wanted to see you and…" he turned his head towards Van's mother.
"You were curious about my mother? Aren't you going to be a bright boy when you grow up." Van laughed.
The large doors behind Gailardia suddenly opened, revealing a soldier. At the sight of the young Count and Van, he saluted before speaking.
"Knight Fende requests your presence down at the courtyard, Sir Van!"
Van sighed and reluctantly picked up his sword where it was propped against the bedpost. "Probably to start practicing for the entrance ceremony tomorrow. Yes, I will be going soon. Thank you."
The knight saluted once more and closed the doors. Van looked at his mother, who smiled back at him.
"Go, Van. You must practice for the most important ceremony tomorrow, for the most important child of House Gardios." She glanced at Gailardia, whose eyes were still in wonder. She laughed. "Go make the name Fende a proud guardian name under House Gardios."
At this she, gently touched Van's arm. Van smiled softly towards his mother and nodded, before opening the doors once more and leaving the room. He left the door slightly ajar, so that the maids passing by would not think any harm is being done to the young boy behind the doors.
She sighed, and turned back towards Gailardia. "Well now. I believe you wanted to ask me something, young Master?"
Gailardia looked up towards her, suddenly widening his eyes. He didn't expect to see the mother of his knight to look so different, so unusually…wide. He recalled seeing her a couple of months ago, and not seeing her at that size. He nearly shrank back at the sight, but thought better against it and decided to let his curiosity wander once more. "What's that?"
Miss Fende laughed at the young boy's expression, then suddenly covered her mouth politely. "Sorry, that was not my place to laugh, was it? You must be wondering why in Auldrant I may look like this."
He slowly nodded and gulped nervously, making her slightly laugh again.
"This, here," she started, patting her rounded stomach gently, "is a baby…or more like, another life within me."
When his puzzled eyes still didn't come to an understanding of her words, she sighed and tried her best to break everything down into much simpler terms.
"Young Count, your mother did tell you where you had come from, correct?"
He nodded. "Yes, Mother told me that I came from her!" He paused. "So…does that mean why you're like that too?"
She smiled. "Yes, indeed. My, you're going to be a quick learner and great explainer of things when you grow up."
"So…that means there is another person in there?"
"Yes, you can say that."
He tilted his head off to the side. "If that's another person…then would that mean that they would have a name?"
"My, don't you catch on quick!" she exclaimed incredulously. "Yes, in fact." She closed her eyes and sighed, as if she were in great thought.
"She will be a girl, and possibly your next knight or room maid. She will be full of mystery and grace, yet loving and tender to the ones she cares most around her. Her personality is to be of control and of the calm side, yet strongly emotional and impacting, to others, and I hope that she will be a gracious blessing when others hear her name in the future."
She opened her eyes and chuckled at Gailardia's confused expression. "One day you'll understand, young Count. And I hope that one day, she will as well. She will be of fine nature, and I hope that she will have a gracing future with wonderful friends and a loving man who will accept her for who she is."
At this, he was very confused. "How do you know that it will be a girl?"
She sighed with content. "How, indeed…call it a mother's instinct, if you may. But I just know that she will be someone important later in the future; this child has such an impacting and emotional aura about her." She looked up towards her young master, and smiled.
"You will understand, one day…"
She watched his facial expressions change from confusion to wonder, and he continued to stare at her in which the person was growing. He slowly stepped up, and unconsciously, placed his hand over her rounded stomach, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly, a faint but noticeable beat was felt as he touched her, causing his eyes to widen, but he did not step back. Miss Fende looked on towards the young boy, who in turn, looked up to her wonder.
"It looks as if she's excited to meet you, too. Your honesty and quick learning will indeed make you a fine Count, and I do hope you remember her well." She smiled at him, and he continued to stare at her.
"If she is a person…what is her name?"
"Ah, the name." She smiled softly, and said the name loud and clear with confidence, touched with a hint of softness.
"Mystearica Aura Fende."
His eyes widened once more. Though he did not know the true meaning of the name, he felt as if he were in awe, as if the name had strong meaning. He had nothing more than the mind of a four-year old child, yet the feeling that the name did mean something of importance did enter his mind, and seemed to have a strong effect on him. It felt strong, calm, soft, and emotional all at once…just as Miss Fende had explained.
She looked at him, and closed her eyes as she spoke.
"I know that this is not my place to ask this, but…young Count, I do have a favor to ask of you."
He looked up towards Miss Fende and politely nodded. "Yes?"
"As this child grows up to serve under you and work for your house, please promise me that you will look after her. I can feel that she is a delicate child, and I know this is much to ask, but please look after her."
He tilted his head to the side in confusion. "What about you, Miss Fende?"
She chuckled and smiled at him, but she did not respond. Something in her eyes gave him a feeling that something about her was about to happen, as if something were to change in this girl's life forever. He couldn't place it quite right, but as a child, he pushed aside the odd feeling and nodded.
"Yes, Miss Fende, I'll watch over her. I think she will be great when she grows up like me!"
"Ah ha, yes indeed, I do hope so for the best."
He scratched his head, as if he were thinking about something, causing Miss Fende to look at him with concern.
"What is it, young Master?"
"Mys-Myst-Misteri-" He stuttered odd pronunciations that led Miss Fende to chuckle and conclude that he was trying his best to pronounce her name. At long last, he managed to pronounce some of the name, though it was not complete.
"Misterca…Mys…Tear…is it Tear?"
Miss Fende looked at him with a puzzled look before she realized that he was saying partial of Mystearica's name. She nodded and smiled at him. A child's innocence was beautiful indeed…
"My…what a beautiful nickname for her. Mystearica and Tear..." she looked at him and smiled. "You may call her Tear."
He looked towards her rounded stomach, and smiled. "I will take care of you, and remember you always, Tear."
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The Tataroo Valley selenias bloomed brightly in the full moonlight, absorbing as much as they could. Their petals flew around about in the cool ocean breeze, up and about the group that had stopped to settle there.
They were colorless, yet bright with an aura of light about them, as the moon shone down on them. They brightened the path to the Sacred Light of Flame, the one who came back, the one who promised to return.
A few yet impacting words were spoken between the two that were bound by that one promise. The words caused the one with the emotional name to suddenly shed tears, tears that meant everything all in one.
As a certain other man watched the scene unfold in front of him, he smiled softly, remembering a certain past memory that no one knew of; not even the daughter of the woman he spoke to.
"…will be full of mystery and grace, yet loving and tender…"
The wind about her blew her long, gracious brown hair all around her, the selenia petals also doing the same fashion. They flowed around her as she walked forward to the man in front of her, all the while gracing her presence with every step she took.
"personality is to be of control and of the calm side, yet strongly emotional and impacting…"
She walked at a calm pace to the man with a sense of purpose. But even as she did so, the tears that escaped from her eyes had been caught by the breeze and flew in glittery sparkles behind her, almost complimenting her long hair that did the same. It wasn't that she was being strong on purpose; her emotions were already showing, true to herself.
"…will be of fine nature…hope that she will have a gracing future with wonderful friends…"
She hadn't reached him just yet when the others who had accompanied her to the valley had begun to move forward towards him as well. They came slowly, however, allowing her to reach him first, then to come as support, to help her as she waited for two years.
He, who was observing all this, however, stood back for a moment and smiled. The very last fragment of the memory began to echo its words in his mind…
"…and a loving man who will accept her for who she is."
With that, she had finally reached him and was wrapped in his arms with the love she had waited for two years. He didn't have to confess back to her; it was all said within that one, simple action, along with the tears that fell down her face.
Once she had reached the man, the other man, who was observing, smiled even more and chuckled to himself, shaking his head and the woman's words that echoed in his mind. How she predicted that her daughter would be such a woman was beyond him; it was probably a mother's instinct, as they all say.
"Guy!"
He stopped chuckling to himself, after receiving suspicious looks from the other man who had also hung back, and after receiving a call from one of the girls that had gone ahead of him. He nodded and smiled, and walked forward, with every memory fragment still echoing in his mind.
He saw her, still tears on her face, though she had stopped crying. Even though he had lost sight of her for fifteen years, she still became the woman that her mother had wanted her to be.
"Mystearica Aura Fende…you would make your mother proud."
And with that said under his breath and caught by the wind in the direction of where the memory was held, he walked on, the selenia flowers in full bloom and lighting the way for him.
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Well there you have it. Sorry again for suddenly deleting the story, but I had to make the corrections!
So you must be wondering why Van and his mother were inside Guy's manor? Well, I just thought that since she was feeling a little sickly, that perhaps the Count of that time allowed them to stay inside the manor whenever she felt that way. Just a little thought as to why they were staying there to begin with, since they did serve his family and all.
I hope the ending was alright. It was a little hard to describe Tear as an image to words, with the selenia flowers blowing in the wind and Luke coming back and such. This was enjoyable to write, though.
Anyway, thanks for reading, and reviewing if you do!