And the Clock Struck Twelve
By seraphimstarlight
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Tales of the Abyss or any of its characters.
Author's Note: Thank you so much for all your kind reviews and your support.
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Natalia trailed her fingers over the smooth silk of one of the gowns hanging in the armoire. No. That one didn't suit her either.
She removed the plainest looking gown from its hanger and, holding it in front of her, stepped to the full length mirror to check her appearance. The blue fabric still seemed too bright for her mood, but this dress, after all, was the closest thing she had to black.
Sighing, she laid the dress out on the bed and, sitting down beside it, began to pick out jewelry. Truly, she did not even feel like attending the dances, but, after coming all this way, it would be irresponsible—not to mention shameful.
She picked up a flower shaped earing, staring not at the sapphire teardrop that dangled from the fragile gold shape, but past it to a distance garden that sparkled in the starlight, to—
She quickly derailed that trail of thought, letting the earring fall from her hand back into her jewelry box where it clattered softly among the other jewels.
Why had he sent her away? Hadn't he seen that she had wanted to stay? That she hadn't wanted to remember her duty to her people, that she had only wanted to stay by his side?
But really—she thought with a pang—it had been her fault. She had been a fool of epic proportions to bring up her duty, but it had been an unconcious response. He had been so honest in his feelings that she simply couldn't bring herself to lie to him. He deserved no less than the truth of all her feelings. There was no way she could tell him that she loved only him, no matter how much she did love him.
Really, though, she had hoped he would understand what it was she was saying—that it wasn't that she was using her duty as an excuse to push him away, but that she had wanted him to share that duty with her.
It had been one thing to say that she loved him; it was another matter entirely to say just how much—to say that she wanted him to share that duty with her. From the chatter she had heard among the maids at the palace, she had always assumed that the quickest way to scare away an interested man was to start talking about marriage on what amounted to the first date.
All her recent focus on marriage, however, led to that being the only though in her mind at the moment. She couldn't help feeling terrible for thinking so far ahead in a relationship. She had almost let it slip when they had talked in the garden, when he had held her, when she had thought that she could get used to that…
She picked up a different earring and admired it against the light.
Where was he today? She hadn't seen him around the castle all day. The first party was tonight. Hadn't he said he would be on "guard duty"? Shouldn't he be at the castle then?
She had walked around most of the day, hoping to see him. It was only now, about two hours before the party was scheduled to begin, that she had actually returned to her room to prepare. She had briefly entertained the idea of not going, and then…. She shook her her. This was getting her nowhere; she was going around in circles again. She wanted to take a nice long bath before getting dressed, so she chose the first pair of earrings she had looked at, quickly finding the matching bracelets and rings. She forgo the matching necklace and wear the Maestro Stone pendant instead since she had grown so accustomed to wearing it.
Maybe she should wear something nicer. If she could sneak away during the dance, she might get to see him. She went back to the armoire and picked out a strapless teal gown with a soft flowing skirt. After a moment's thought, she pulled out a thin, bejeweled shawl as well.
Maybe, tonight, she would get to talk with him under the stars once again.
She laughed grimly to herself. She could only hope that tonight's party would be that good.
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Soft music drifted through the air, mingling with the scents of lucious foods and the laughter and conversation of fellow partygoers. Natalia leaned against a pillar in the corner of the room as she watched the dancers on the dance floor twirl in neat, prescribed circles according to the music.
She idly swirled the wine in her glass, watching as the liquid sloshed against the sides, trying to see how high she could let he liquid go without it spilling over the rim. As she looked down into the glass, she noticed her masked reflection as well as another one over her shoulder.
"Are you not going to dance, Princess?"
She turned slightly to look back over her shoulder. "Jade," she said as she turned back to her drink.
He made a strange sound that she could only assume was a laugh of some sort. "I believe," he stated matter-of-factly, "that the question demands a 'yes' or 'no' answer, Princess."
"Stop calling me that," she muttered, her normally sharp tongue a little dulled by the wine.
"And what would you have me call you?" he teased. "Empress?"
She glared at him now, but her feathery swan mask dulled the effect. "Don't even start with me."
He stepped in front of her now. "My, my, I wouldn't dream of it," he drawled.
For the first time, she looked up at him. He looked shockingly handsome in his long black coat with his hair tied back from his face with a black ribbon.
She squinted as she studied his face. Maybe it was the wine, but there seemed to be something different about his face. "Why aren't you wearing a mask, Colonel? Last time I checked, this was a masquerade." She squinted and leaned forward again; her vision seemed strange for some reason. It must be the mask. "For that matter," she continued, "why aren't you wearing your glasses?"
He bent at the waist, leaning forward until she had to back off. "I'm not wearing my glasses because I've replaced them with tiny lenses that I place directly on the surface of my eyes, and I'm not wearing a mask because I don't feel like wearing one. Besides, a mask would interfere with my duties."
His statement was innocent enough. Well, at least as innocent as any remark coming from the Colonel could be, but she was feeling strangely brave and confrontational.
"And, would your duties have something to do with harrassing young Kimlascan princesses?"
He seemed to ignore her remark. "Not specifically," he said, "but they have to do with guarding a certain carefree Emperor as well as a certain drunk Princess."
"I'm not drunk," she protested.
"Well," he mused, thoughtfully tapping his chin with a graceful, gloved finger, "you've been standing—or should I say 'leaning'—in the same corner for the past three hours, and each time I've looked over at you, you've had a glass of wine in you hand. And, judging from your slightly…erratic…behavior and the color of your face, it is no stretch to assume that you are…inebriated."
"For your information, Colonel, I've been holding the same glass the whole time."
"Have you now?" he smirked. "That's such a shame. Things would have been much more interesting if you had been intoxicated."
She raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What things?"
"Oh, nothing, just your introduction to the Emperor."
The eyebrow ascended even further. "So he actually decided to show up now, did he?"
Jade "tut"ted disapprovingly. "Now, now, Princess, that's not very kind. You know that His Majesty is still recovering from an illness."
"If he's so ill then why didn't he simply cancel the party tonight?" Or all three nights for that matter.
Jade shrugged and gestured to the crowded dance floor where couples now milled about during a break in the music. "I suppose that he did not wish to disappoint all the visiting dignitaries, Your Highness."
"Well, I'm disappointed," she muttered.
"Oh, did you want to see His Majesty that badly?"
She glared at him from behind the mask.
"Or," he continued, "were you looking for someone else? An old friend, perhaps?"
She quickly snapped her attention back to her wineglass. "Perhaps."
She took a gulp of wine to keep from having to say anything further. The liquid stung her throat slightly on its way down and settled warmly in her stomach.
A long silence stretched between them. As she swirled the wine again, she reflected that they had never talked much during their travels. If they had, however, she had always imagined it to turn out something like this—complete with short, choppy sentences and long, awkward pauses.
At last, Jade shrugged and sighed, "I suppose I must admit at last."
"What?" she asked, suspicious.
"That—alas—I am terrible at making small talk."
She stifled a chuckle. "Colonel, I think that anyone who knows you would know that."
"Perhaps, but that doesn't change the fact that I am still terrible at it."
"No it does not," she laughed to her drink.
He cleared his throat. "Then I suppose I will get to the point."
"Please do."
"The Emperor wishes to meet with you."
He had said he would get to the point, but she really hadn't expected him to be that blunt.
"Right now?" she squeaked.
Jade turned and briefly glanced over his shoulder. "Whenever he gets here."
"Oh," she said, unable to contain her sigh of relief.
When she looked up, she noticed—with a start—that Jade had turned back to face her and had raised a critical eyebrow. "Is something wrong, Princess?"
She backed away, a little startled.
"No...I'm—"
"PRINCESS!"
A loud yell rumbled through the entire hall, momentarily drowning out the music—which was amazing considering the side of the room and the volume of the music.
Jade and Natalia turned instinctively towards the direction of the sound—no, not sound—deafening roar was more like it—just in time to avoid being bowled over by a large, rather rotund shadow and the body that accompanied it.
"Princess!" exclaimed the voice again.
Natalia forced herself to blink. She had been staring so hard that her eyes had gone dry. That—stout—form, that nose reddened by drinking, that already receding hairline. Oh no. It couldn't be.
Alpine's son, Walter.
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Author's Note:
This part turned didn't turn out as well as I would have liked it to. And this time, there's no excuse for the lateness either, other than I got caught up in spring break stuff. I apologize for the lateness and the wierdness of this chapter. I'll do my best to make the next chapter better, though, unfortunately, I can't guarantee when exactly it will be out, though it should be some time next week. See you next chapter.