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 for all your kind reviews! I worked extra hard on this chapter just for all of you!
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In the past few years, Luke fon Fabre had embraced many virtues—courage, humility, and self-sacrifice to name a few. Patience, however, was one that still eluded him, especially in moments like these. As he stared down the officious butler who blocked the stairway that led to the castle's guest wing, he found himself more and more willing to damn all protocol to hell and just pummel the man.
"And who did you say you were?" the butler asked again, as though his main pleasure in life came from tormenting seriously frustrated Kimlascan nobility.
"For the billionth time, I'm Luke fon Fabre, son of Duke Fabre!"
The butler tapped his chin in a mockingly thoughtful gesture. "Fabre, Fabre…now why does that name sound familiar…?"
Luke felt his eyebrow twitch, and his hand involuntarily (because that sounded so much better than "intentionally") began to inch towards the hilt of his sword.
"I'm King Ingobert's nephew," the redhead stated in an somewhat strained tone.
The butler, however, did not seem to notice this. "Oh really?" he asked, seemingly unware of the doom that was about to befall him.
"YES."
"You're certain?"
Luke's hand twitched again and tried to grab the hilt of the Key. Luckily for the butler, Luke's hand met only air, and the swordsman realized with a frown that he had left the Key in Daath, in the care of Maestro Tritheim—for safekeeping he had assured himself before he had left. Maybe he had had some sort of premonition that had told him to leave his weapon behind. Didn't the seventh fonon have something to do with predicting the future? And if he was made mostly of seventh fonons, maybe then he too could see the future. It was unlikely, but, whatever it was, Luke silently thanked the impulse that had told him not to bring a weapon, because, psychic or not, he could just see the headlines if he had. Kimlascan noble murders butler in Grand Chokmah Palace. That would go over oh-so-well with the peace effort.
"If I'm not mistaken," the butler began, drawing Luke's attention away from his dark inner musings and back to reality, "weren't you once affiancéd to the Kimlascan princess?"
Luke could have sworn that his heart had just stopped. For a moment, he went cold as Asch's face passed before his eyes—a face identical to his own. His insides twisted painfully at this unexpected reminder of his deceased Original.
His hand dropped limply to his side. After all these years, he had thought that he could handle being reminded that he had, essentially, stepped into someone else's life—the constant reminder of what his birth had forced Asch to abandon. Asch, the charred remains of the sacred flame—that wasn't right. Asch shouldn't have been forced to call himself that, but, for him, there was no option. His name had been taken by another. At this, Luke shuddered—not just by anyone, but by him. Given the situation, the name would have been all that Asch would have had left, but in the end, he didn't even have that. It wasn't right! Asch was not Asch, but Luke, and Luke was not Luke, but…nothing.
A familiar weakness washed over him. "No," he replied in a trembling voice, "that was not me."
"Then you cannot rightly be Luke fon Fabre, son of Duke Fabre."
He grit his teeth, trying his best to keep his expression neutral—to keep the pain that was welling up in his soul from spilling over. "No," he said, "I suppose not."
In the back of his mind, he realized that Tear would have smacked him if she had heard him say that.
Tear…
She had stood by him all this time…through all this. When he had been faced with losing everything he had ever known she had supported him selflessly. She had given his life meaning—had given him a reason to continue living! And after all this…after all she had done for him…how could he have been so thoughtless this morning!
Tear. Without her, he really would be nothing.
"Well then," continued the butler, his tone dripping with smug superiority, "if you are not Luke fon Fabre, I see no reason to let you through."
Luke had heard him, really he had. It was just…his body was taking longer than usual to react to the signals from his brain.
"Go on now! Shoo!" said the butler, making a dismissive gesture. "Don't loiter. Move! There's no place here for trash like—"
"ENOUGH!"
An angered shout echoed down the stairwell. Luke managed to look past the butler to the landing where a certain very stood, glaring rather maliciously at the butler who was now cowering under the weight of her gaze.
A smile of relief tugged at the redhead's lips. Natalia stood on the landing, dressed in her familiar travelling clothes from their journey so long ago, feet planted firmly on the ground, arms crossed over her chest, head tilted back and a glare that might—just might—put Jade to shame. It was an expression that, originally, Luke would have dreaded seeing, but, in this situation, it couldn't be more welcome.
The Princess stalked gracefully down the stairs, stopping directly in front of the butler. Even in her heeled boots, she only reached the man's chin, but somehow she still managed to stare down on him.
She opened her mouth, but for a moment, no sound came out. Luke knew from many years of being on the receiving end of her tirades that this silence was deceptive. He was certain it was calculated to make her target let down it's guard so that her strike would be all the more effective. Some of it probably came from her archery training—wait patiently for the perfect opportunity to strike. Wherever she got it from, it was certainly effective. Instinctively, he braced himself, even though the rant was not directed at him.
"How dare you speak to him like that! How dare you address Luke fon Fabre, nephew to King Ingobert the Sixth of Kimlasca, son of Duke Fabre, and my childhood friend and most beloved cousin in such an…irreverent manner!"
Later, Luke would realize that her lecture to the stunned servant would last for nearly a half an hour; however, he didn't hear the half of it.
She thought of him as her cousin. It was something that, in all the years he had known her, she had never called him. In fact, as far as he could remember, she had never even called Asch that, though, he supposed that calling your fiancee "cousin" would be slightly unnerving. He wanted to ask her about it, but, before he knew it she was dragging him by the arm out of the castle entry hall while threatening to personally report the butler to the Emperor when she next saw him. She didn't stop pulling him along until they had reached the docks. At last, she let go of his arm and turned back to face him.
"I'm sorry," she said after she had caught her breath, " if I'd known you were coming—if I'd come down sooner you wouldn't have had to hear—"
"It's okay," he said, waving her off, "It's all right."
"No, it's not!"
He took a step backwards, a little startled by her intensity.
"You shouldn't have to take things like that!" she continued, her voice pained, "for that matter, you shouldn't put up with people talking to you that way!"
He looked away out over the ocean which lapped quietly against the dock pylons. "But, I'm only a replica…"
She let out a frustrated sigh. "I thought we've been through this before! Weren't you the one to tell me that blood didn't matter, that it couldn't change years worth of shared memories?! After everything we've been through together, how can you still believe that you're only a replica!" She fell silent for a moment, following his gaze out over the water. At last, she turned back to him and said quietly, "Replica or not, I consider you my precious, irreplaceable cousin. I don't know what else I can say—if there's any way I can convince you of your own worth."
He sighed, unable to think of a suitable response.
After a moment, she chuckled quietly. "I guess that Tear would be better at this kind of thing."
He cringed involuntarily at the mention of the meoldist's name. He wasn't certain if she had noticed his reaction. He searched desperately for something to distract her.
"You know how it is," he laughed nervously. "It's just like Guy said. I'm a genius at seeing the silver lining so long as it's somebody else's cloud."
Whether or not she noticed his reaction, he certainly noticed hers. Her entire posture which had been relaxed moments before went ramrod straight, and her hands clenched tightly around the railing she was holding onto.
"I suppose he was right," she said, forcing a smile.
The pair fell silent for a moment.
"So," she said, trying to break the silence, "what brings you to Grand Chokmah?"
"You, actually," he said matter-of-factly.
"Me?"
"Yes, you," he said, his voice picking up both intensity and volume. "I want to know what you're thinking!"
She seemed puzzled. "What I'm…thinking?"
He sighed, frustrated. "Are you going to repeat everything I say?"
"That depends on what you say," she said with a smile.
He fixed her with a glare, and, after a moment, her expression changed to mimic his.
"What?" she asked. "Why are you staring like that?"
"Because," he began in an impatient tone, "there's an ugly rumor going around Daath that you're here, not as an emissary of Kimlasca but as a prospective bride for the Emperor!"
She cringed involuntarily. "Is there…something so wrong with that?"
"Yes, there is!"
She folded her arms over her chest defensively. "And just what would be wrong with it, pray tell?"
"He's nearly twice your age for starters!"
She shrugged, trying to seem indifferent. "So? This is a political marriage. Age differences are common."
Luke fidgeted, embarassed. "There's just…something so wrong with that."
She looked away again. "It could be worse, I suppose. At least he's a good person."
He hesitated uncertainly. "But…well…you don't love him, right?"
"What makes you think that?"
"The fact that you refused to look at me when you said that."
She did not answer.
"Come on," he sighed, "I know you better than that. If you were really interested in him you wouldn't be out here wandering the city, dressed as though you were going for a trek through the wilderness. In fact, I'd be surprised if he even got a minute to himself." Luke shuddered at memories of her past…attentiveness.
"You say that like it's a bad thing," she quipped, some of her good humor returning.
He snorted.
"Besides," she continued, "what's wrong with my getting out of the palace every now and again?"
"Nothing, I suppose." He paused for a moment. "Where were you headed anyway?"
Her posture stiffened again. "Nowhere particularly."
He raised an eyebrow. "You were…just going to wander around the town?"
"Not exactly," she admitted.
He scratched his head. "I don't get it. What exactly were you going to do?"
She hesitated for a moment then looked back at him. At last, she admitted, "There's…somewhere I want to go, but…I'm not certain if I will be welcome."
"Why wouldn't you be?" he asked, puzzled.
She bit her lip, stubbornly refusing to answer.
"Does this…have anything to do with the Emperor?" he ventured.
She shook her head. "Not exactly."
He waited for her to elaborate, but she remained silent.
"You know," he said at last, "if you're not going anywhere in particular, I know someplace you should visit. I've only been once or twice, but I know for certain that we'd both be welcome."
"Oh?" she asked, turning her attention back towards him, "where would that be?"
He laughed. "That's a secret."
"I…dislike secrets," she frowned.
A frown briefly crossed his face. "Well, you seem to be keeping enough of your own, so, humor me."
She sighed but did not argue. Instead, she followed him through the city past several large statues and fountains, finally along a long, curving road that led to the outskirts of town.
At the gate, she paused and did not follow him through. He turned back, realizing that she had stopped.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Where…are we going?" she asked, a tinge of panic creeping into her voice.
"I thought we'd agreed that this would be a secret."
She shook her head slowly. "No…I, need to know. Where are we going?"
Luke sighed dramatically. "Fine, if you must know, we're going to visit Guy. He built his manor a few miles east of here…." His voice trailed off when he noticed that she had paled visibly.
"Natalia, what's wrong?" he asked, taking a cautious step towards her.
She seemed not to have heard him. Instead, she only continued shaking her head.
"I…can't go there," she said at last, her voice shaking.
"Why not?" he asked confused.
"I just can't!" she insisted.
"That answer's not good enough!" he said, a bit surprised by the intensity in his voice. "I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong!"
"And what makes you think you can help me?" she burst out.
He took an involutarily step back when he noticed tears brimming in her eyes. "You're crying," he murmured, amazed.
The statement seemed to break her train of thought, and she reached up, rubbing the back of her hand over her eyes. She stared for a moment at the moisture on the back of her hand as though surprised to see it.
" I understand you're upset," he said, trying to sound reassuring, trying to remember what Tear had often said to him when he was upset. "I don't know for certain if I can help, but there's no way to find out if I don't know the problem."
She looked back at him but said nothing.
"Look," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "back at the palace, you called me your cousin, right?"
She nodded mutely.
"If you meant that—if you consider me a member of your family—"
"You are a member of my family," she interjected.
"Then please, trust me enough to tell me what's wrong."
She seemed to study him for a moment.
"I did…something terrible to him," she admitted after a long moment.
He drew back, surprised. "I—didn't know you had seen him recently."
She turned away to stare at the intricate molding of a nearby building. "He escorted me from Baticul to Grand Chokmah under the Emperor's orders."
Luke's heart froze in his chest, as though he knew what she was about to say.
"I-I don't know what came over me," she continued, "I should have known better. It wasn't as though I was engaged to the Emperor, but still, I shouldn't have—"
"What did you do?" Luke asked in a strangled tone.
She glanced towards the ground, a blush painting her cheeks. "I-I…fell in love with him."
She had said the words so quietly that it took Luke a moment to process what she had said. "Wait. What?"
She looked back at him. "I won't say it again," she muttered defiantly, her blush intensifying.
"You mean, that's all?" he asked in disbelief.
"What do you mean, 'that's all'?"
Luke let out a sigh of relief. "From the way you were talking earlier I thought you had done something a lot more…serious, if you know what I mean."
She stared at him for a moment before she understood just what he meant. "N-no!" she exclaimed, her face burning a furious shade of red, "that's not—I wouldn't—not before—" She hid her face in her hands.
Luke walked over to her, smiling. "Well, if that's the case, then I don't see a problem."
She looked up at him, confused. "Of course there's a problem!" she exclaimed.
He blinked a couple times. "What? He wasn't interested?"
Her blush deepened. "He was."
"Then I don't see a problem," Luke said. "You're interested, he's interested, it's good to go!"
She shook her head again. "Of course there is!" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "The Emperor…has expressed interest in me."
Luke made a dismissive sound. "So, just refuse him!"
"And risk ruining diplomatic relations between our two countries?" she asked, incredulous.
Luke snorted. "Come on. You know Peony. Do you really think he'll start a war or something just because you turned him down?"
"N-no," she admitted quietly.
Luke grinned. "Good! Now then, you two seem to have misunderstood something, so, let's go see Guy and sort this thing out. What do you say?"
She hesitated for a moment. "Well, things are a little more complicated than you might think."
He shrugged. "They always are, aren't they."
She smiled, genuinely. "I suppose so."
"Then let's go," he said, starting for the gate. Again, she did not follow.
"Aren't you coming?" he asked.
She nodded. "You know," she said as she joined him at the gate. "You've matured so much over these past few years."
He blinked. "Really? You think so?"
She nodded again. "Yes. You are so much more mature than before our travels. It must be thanks to Tear's influence."
Luke flinched at the mention of Tear's name. "Uh, yeah, I guess so."
Natalia tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Speaking of her, where is Tear? I thought that you two would be inseparable."
Luke could not think of a coherent response.
"Luke," she began in a suspicious tone, "did something happen?"
He frowned. "Yeah," he admitted. "I said something stupid and made her mad again."
It was Natalia's turn to laugh. "Well, that's nothing new. Just apologize to her. I'm certain she will forgive you."
He tried to smile. "Yeah, I hope so. It's just…about what I said…"
"What did you say?"
Luke recounted to her what had happened at the inn that morning.
"Well," she said, remembering her own reaction to such an accusation at the inn in Chesedonia, "your reaction was…understandable given the situation. Still, why is it…?"
"Because of this."
Luke reached into a pocket on his coat and pulled out a small silken bag. He opened it and dumped a small golden ring into his palm.
"Now I understand," she said, after a moment.
He put the ring back in the bag and replaced the bag in his pocket. "I swear to Lorelei it was as though Anise read my mind or something!"
"She must have gotten it from Jade," Natalia suggested.
"Probably," he continued in somewhat of a huff. "But, whatever the case, I can't ask Tear now. Not after this. She won't believe me!"
"Just give it some time, Luke," Natalia said. "She'll believe you when the time is right, and I'm certain you will know when the time is right."
"I suppose you're right. I mean, I've waited all this time."
"How long ago did you decide to ask?"
He laughed. "Would it sound corny if I said 'From the moment I met her?'"
"Very," Natalia admitted.
"Truthfully," he continued, "it was a couple of months ago during a conference held in Yulia City. It was the first time I had seen her in a long time. It was just something about seeing her after so long that made me realize how much I missed her.
"The more I thought about it, the more I realized that since my…return from Eldrant, I had seen less and less of her. I mean, I know we both have work to do, but still, I…don't like to be away from her. I just…miss her too much. I worry that she will forget me—move on, you know. I don't know if I'd be able to survive something like that."
Natalia placed a sympathetic hand on her cousin's shoulder. "Luke. If there's one thing I can say for certain, it is that she hasn't moved on. I mean, just think about what happened this morning. She got mad at you."
He tilted his head to one side, confused. "So, she gets mad at me all the time."
Natalia sighed. "You just don't get it, do you, Luke. It means that she probably liked the idea of marriage and was hurt when you denied it like you did."
"You really think so?" he asked, hopeful.
She nodded. "Yes. And good luck, Luke."
He smiled back. "And good luck to you too."
"W-what for?" she asked innocently.
He grinned wickedly. "For working things out with a certain old friend of ours."
The blush crept onto her cheeks again. "T-thanks, I think."
"Come on," he said, beckoning her towards the gate. "Let's get going now."
She nodded. "Let us go to Carmina Gaedelica."
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Author's Note:
These past few weeks have been absolutely hectic! First it was finals week, then graduation, then moving to the city where I will be attending Grad School for the next four years. All together, this ads up to a major "Agggh!" response. Lol.
But the worst of it is over now. All that's left is my week-long trip next week before I'm free for the rest of summer.
I've planned out the rest of the fanfic and, if I don't have to split any more chapters (as I had to with this one), it should be about seven more chapters or so.
On a side note, I'm completely obsessed with this new anime series I'm watching called Romeo x Juliet. Kyaa! It's sooo good. If you're looking for something to watch, I highly recommend it. (Okay, enough shameless advertising now.Lol.)
Until next chapter then!