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 all so much for your support of this fanfic! You kind reviews mean so much to me!
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Normally, Jade was not opposed to silence. In fact, he rather preferred to avoid useless conversation, but, in this instance, he found it almost…unnerving. The normally chatty Kimlascan Princess had said absolutely nothing during the nearly twenty minute walk from Carmina Gaedelica to the Grand Chokmah palace. She had been brooding the entire trip, barely even noticing when they stopped in front of the door to her room.
He pushed the door open, hoping that it would distract her. She did not move, however. Instead, she merely stared at the floor, as though fascinated by the rich carpeting in the hallway. He ushered her through the door, sighing audibly when she stopped in the middle of the room and did not move further.
"I suppose you expect me to say something meaningful," he said with a shrug, "or, maybe, to ask what has upset you so."
She turned at this, but said nothing.
"Though I do not know what happened today," he continued, shrugging again, "I can say that, for a Princess, you certainly aren't handling it very well."
"I'm not in the mood to be lectured, Colonel," she shot back, turning away again.
"Perhaps not," he said, "but, apparently, you need to be."
"I don't want to hear it, Jade."
"But you will, whether you want to or not," he said, his voice firm. "Because you seem to have forgotten why you came here in the first place."
She whirled on him, her expression clouded with both pain and fury. "Of course I know why I'm here! I'm—"
"You're here as a potential bride for His Majesty," he continued coolly, seemingly unfazed by her display of emotion.
For a moment she stared, then, looked away towards the ground, her expression shifting as though she were trying to compose herself. "Note the word 'potential'," she said at last, the defeated tone in her voice telling him that she did not believe in her own argument.
He re-adjusted his glasses. "From what I observed last night, it's a bit more than 'potential'."
This drew her attention back to him. She blushed momentarily at the reminder of the previous night's fiasco but quickly regained her composure. "What do you mean?" she asked warily.
He hesitated for a long moment. To tell the truth, he wasn't certain whether he should tell her now or even if he should tell her at all. But, she had been visibly upset when he had encountered her at the manor—so much so, that she hadn't even bothered to conceal it. She might not be in the best state of mind to handle such news, but, still, if things happened the way he believed they had happened at the manor, then she might not get the news straight from the "Emperor" himself.
He glanced back at the princess, noting with a touch of concern the defeat evident in her posture and her tone of voice and sighed. He had, of course, been aware of her "tryst" with the Count. In fact, he had been aware of their attachment to each other even before they had been but had chosen to remain silent on the matter and let the two work things out on their own—if there was any "working out" to be done. And, needless to say, he had been aware of the potential problem presented by choosing Guy to be her escort. Still, he had proceeded, believing—if not knowing that things would still go according to his plan. But still, with every contingency he had prepared for, he had not expected things to turn out like this.
It was like witnessing a Second Order Hyperresonance again—something so out of the blue, so deus ex (though, as a man of science and reason he hated attributing anything to a deity or—worse yet—to chance)—that it simply could not be predicted. He who lived by the rules and principles of science was—for the first time in a long time—surprised. Things had not at all turned out as he had predicted—or, more accurately—things had gone much farther than he had imagined possible. Though, he supposed, emotions were never reasonable things to begin with; they acted on no principles, followed no rules and could change on a word or a whim. What they were was unpredictable—complete and absolute uncertainty. And if there was one thing he hated, it was uncertainty.
Still, there was nothing to be gained by simply standing around mulling over the uncertainty of the situation. At this stage, all he could do was move forward as though things were still in the realm of the certain.
He turned his attention back to her. "His Majesty," he said at last, "wishes to ask for your hand."
There was a moment of silence as she stared at him as though trying to process the words.
"M-my hand?" she stammered, her composure faltering slightly. "You mean…as in…marriage?"
"Yes," he said with a curt nod. "He was supposed to ask you tonight, but, unfortunately, I have been informed that he will be unable to attend the ball tonight as his illness has relapsed—probably a result of over-exerting himself before he had fully recovered. Instead, I was asked to deliver the message myself. A…troublesome request from an equally troublesome person."
She stared again, her words escaping her momentarily. In the silence, Jade noticed footsteps advancing down the hallway, stopping a few feet away from the open door. He smiled to himself, but remained silent.
"And that's it?" she asked, disbelieving. "One dance and he's proposing? And not only that, but he sends someone else to propose for him?"
Jade studied her carefully for a moment. "Is it really so unusual?" he asked.
Her response was instantaneous. "Yes! It is!" She glanced away again. "It feels like an off-hand choice. Like there was no thought put into it."
"Oh but there was," he assured. "A great deal of thought was put into this whole situation. And, I assure you, it only seems off-hand because the choice had already been made."
Her eyes widened. "You mean…?"
He nodded. "Yes. You were chosen from the beginning."
She drew in sharp breath then took a few steps away towards the bed where she sank down weakly on the edge of the mattress. "From the beginning?" she mumbled, "From the very beginning?!" Her voice rose in intensity. "Then…what about the ball?!" she demanded. "Why put me through all this?"
"It was simply a matter of politics," he replied evenly. "The ball was held so as not to offend all the Malkuth nobility who would have to be passed over as a result of this choice. Basically, it was done to make them feel as though they had a chance. When in reality—"
"When in reality," she picked up, bitterness ripe in her voice, "he had already chosen me."
Jade nodded again. "That's about the shape of things."
She glanced over at him again. "It would have been so much easier if he'd just told me from the beginning instead of waiting for me to get here—instead of putting me through all this for nothing."
"But it wasn't for nothing," he said. "He did this specifically with you in mind."
"What do you mean?" she asked, surprised.
Jade frowned. "I loathe explaining things."
Her expression changed, becoming unreadable.
"But this once," he continued with a shrug, "I'll humor you." He readjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "To put this plainly," he said, "he wanted you to choose him."
Something in her expression shifted, like water under ice, and she looked away as though unsettled.
"His Majesty did not want you to feel as though this were an obligation. If he had expressed direct interest in you, you would undoubtedly have felt much more pressure to say yes. You would have seen this marriage as an extension of your duty and simply accepted it.
"He did not want you to feel forced into anything, so, he let you come here as a potential bride rather than as his fiancée so that you would be free to choose. The 'potential' you mentioned earlier, essentially, means 'if you said yes' as opposed to 'if he chose you'. In the end, he gave you full control over the situation and left himself at your will."
"But why would he do such a thing?!" she burst out, her words tumbling out almost frantically. "I don't understand! What is he thinking?"
She put a delicate hand to her mouth as though trying to stifle whatever else might spill out.
Jade gave a dramatic sigh and rested his head against his hand. "Though a good ruler, His Majesty is a bit of a sentimental fool when in comes to emotions. And, having known him for most of my life, I feel fully justified in saying so.
"Of course he understands that he could have simply told your father that he wished you to be his bride and left it at that. But be this a political marriage or not, he still cares about your feelings, Princess. He did not want what happened to him to happen to you as well."
"You mean—?'
"Yes," Jade continued. "He did not want you to have to choose between your duty to your country and the person you love. If there is any such person. His Majesty was forced to make a choice between my sister and his country. And though his decision preserved order in his country, there isn't a day that goes by in which he doesn't regret it. So, in order to spare you from being forced into that situation, he gave you the chance to decline his proposal."
"He still loves Lady Nephry very much, doesn't he?" she asked quietly.
Jade hesitated before answering. "Yes, he does," he answered at last. "And she, him. I am certain. The marriage of one does not take away the pain of the other. The memory of a chance forgone—it will always be there. They are proof of that."
She looked away. "Then why does he want to marry me?"
"Because he understands that this country needs an Empress as well as he understands that he needs an heir, and he has decided that you would be best for the country. He has seen you exercise your capacity as a ruler and has decided that you would make a suitable Empress—not forgetting that this marriage would also unite the two countries and, possibly, bring peace to Auldrant."
Her expression shifted again. "So he's doing this for the sake of his country."
"Yes," he said. "It's political marriage by the book. Does it upset you?"
"No," she replied, turning back to him, "it is what I expected. More than I expected, actually, and" she added quietly, "probably more than I deserve."
He hesitated again. "Then, what is your answer?"
"My answer?" she asked, surprised.
"To his question. What is your answer?"
She stared at him, somewhat flustered. "I-I…don't know."
"Is there someone else you'd rather be with?" he pressed.
She looked away, stubbornly refusing to answer. He watched as a myriad of emotions passed over her face, each fading more quickly than the last with the exception of sadness which seemed to taint all her other expressions. After several minutes, he turned to leave, figuring she would not answer at all when she spoke suddenly.
"Yes."
He turned towards her. "Yes there is someone or—"
She cut him off. "Yes, I will marry the Emperor."
The words rang with a tone of finality that brooked no argument. Still, he had to make certain.
"There is no one?" he asked.
She looked away, refusing to meet his eyes. "There is…no one," she said, her tone hollow, defeated. She bit down on her lip, seemingly on the verge of tears.
"Then shall I deliver your response to His Majesty?"
"Actually," she said quietly. "I'd rather do it myself. I have something else to address with him as well."
A frown flickered momentarily across the soldier's face. "I'm afraid that's not possible, Princess," he said quickly. "His Majesty is very ill. Besides the doctor, I am the only one allowed to see him. However, I can deliver your message for you, if you wish."
She considered him for a long moment before nodding. "Tell him that I wish to be married as soon as possible. Tomorrow would be best."
Jade's frown deepened; he had not expected this. "I'm afraid, tomorrow is not…convenient," he said at last. "At least give His Majesty a day to recuperate. Furthermore, even the smallest ceremony—and given the time frame you request, it will have to be a small ceremony—requires some preparation, and I'm afraid those preparations will take, at the very least, a full day. So, it would have to wait until the day after tomorrow."
"That is acceptable," she said quickly, her tone slightly unsteady.
He bowed before turning on his heel. "Very well," he replied. "At any rate," he said, "you've had a long day. As the Emperor will not be in attendance and, as you have already given your answer, you are not required to attend tonight's…festivities. I suggest you rest this evening." He stepped towards the door, stopping briefly at the threshold. "Just let me ask you one thing," he said over his shoulder. "Why are you in such a rush to marry?"
She remained silent for a long moment. At last she said, "It is usually best to get these things done—"
"—before one can regret them?" he cut in.
She fell silent again, saying nothing further.
He gave a long sigh and stepped through the door, shutting it behind him. Whether she had intended to or not, she had given her answer.
He leaned back against the closed door, stopping momentarily to massage his temples as though that could soothe the headache that was starting to build. As he looked up, he noticed a flash of movement at the end of the hall. His smirk returned.
He traversed the hallway quickly and turned the corner. A servant was hurrying towards the nearby stairwell.
"You there!" he commanded. "Come here."
At this, the servant, a young girl looked up, terror evident in her wide eyes. Obviously, she had heard of his reputation. Out of fearful obedience, she started back down the hallway towards him.
"How much did you hear?" he asked, his expression purposefully severe.
She looked away, avoiding eye contact. "Pardon, sir? What do you mean?"
He sighed. "I know you were eavesdropping on my conversation with the Kimlascan Princess. Just tell me how much you heard."
She bit down on her trembling bottom lip and squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry, Sir," she burst out at last, "but I heard everything! I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the door was open and—"
He cut her off. "Put out your hand," he said sternly.
She froze momentarily before complying, shutting her eyes as though preparing for pain. To her surprise, however, three small, metallic objects dropped into her open palms, and, when she opened her eyes, she found that she was holding three gold pieces.
She looked back up at the soldier before her, waiting for an explanation.
"Now go," he said with a smirk, "and spread the news."
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Noelle glanced away into the distance where the sun lingered just above the horizon. She looked down at the small package in her gloved hands and sighed. Eight-thousand Gald seemed a lot for a scarf, but, she tried to console herself, it was a very nice scarf indeed. It might have cost a lot more to buy something of the same quality in Sheridan.
Her last pilot's scarf had been a gift from her brother, Ginji, shortly before her very first flight, and though there was a great deal of sentimental value attached to the object, that was no excuse for the tattered appearance of the thing. When she had passed the store on her way back towards the manor, she had decided that, after all these years, she needed a new one.
The decision had been made with much trepidation, especially when she had glanced at the price-tag which had originally read 12,000 Gald. She had frowned. Grand Chokmah may have had nice things, but they were certainly expensive. For almost an hour, she had stared at the scarf, occasionally running a gloved hand longingly over the material, until the owner of the store had approached her, asking her if she was interesting in something while glancing meaningfully at the scarf.
She had been reluctant to admit that she wanted the thing, knowing that, under normal circumstances, that would have ruining all chances of haggling—though, she wasn't certain the price would come down enough for to buy the thing even if she haggled. But the owner had been watching her for sometime and immediately suggested the scarf.
And so, she had ended up trying on the scarf and staring at it in the mirror, and thinking how perfect it looked with her jacket—which, to her dismay, seemed rather worn in comparison to the scarf.
At some point, she didn't know when, the bell over the shop door had rung and the owner had dashed off to deal with what she assumed was another customer. It wasn't until he burst out excitedly that this was a real cause for celebration that she turned around just in time to see a middle-aged woman in a servant's uniform vanish out the shop door.
Noelle had never been one to pry into other people's business, but, in this case, she almost couldn't resist.
"Did something happen?" she asked the owner cautiously.
To her surprise, he turned back to her, practically beaming and smiled a wide smile.
"Did something happen?" he exclaimed, euphoric, "Did something happen? Something wonderful has happened!"
"May I ask what it is?" she asked, stepping away from the mirror and removing the scarf carefully from her neck.
"Of course you may!" he all but sang. "For I must share this joy with everyone!" He glanced back at the scarf in her hands. "And to celebrate, I'll give a big discount on the scarf! How does…8,000 Gald sound?"
She glanced back at the scarf in her hand, deciding that 8,000 Gald wasn't too bad a price to pay for a normally 12,000 Gald scarf. She nodded, handing the item over to the owner who dashed behind the desk to ring it up.
"So," she began as she handed over the Gald to pay, "what happened?"
He paused in the middle of wrapping the scarf in tissue paper to look up at her. "You mean I didn't tell you?"
She shook her head.
"Oh bless Lorelei!" he laughed, clasping his hands over his barrel-like chest, "I was so caught up in the moment that I must have forgotten!" He leaned towards her as though about to tell a great secret. "The Emperor," he laughed happily, "has chosen a bride! Oh at long last!" he continued, never noticing the look of sheer shock that had crossed over the pilot's face, "Malkuth will have an Empress!"
"That's wonderful," she smiled rather awkwardly. "So, I suppose he's made a choice then. Is there any news on the bride-to-be's identity?"
He tied the final knot on the bundle and handed it back to her. "Yeah," he said, his joyful expression faltering ever so slightly, "it's the Kimlascan Princess. Hard to believe, I know," he said upon noticing the disbelieving expression on the pilot's face. "Some people'll be uncomfortable with the idea of such an…alliance with Kimlasca, especially after how long the two countries have been fighting each other. But still, I trust that his Majesty knows what's best for Malkuth. After all he's—"
Noelle held up a hand to cut him off. "That's great," she said with a forced smile, "but there's really somewhere I have to be now."
He considered her for a moment. "Oh, I understand. Well, just be sure to tell your friends this piece of good news!"
She had bowed, agreed and thanked him for the discount before rushing out through the door and glanced at the sky to check the time.
"He has to know," she told the small package in her hand. "Someone has to tell him."
She stared at the bundle. How could things have gone so wrong so quickly? What was it that had led to this situation? And most of all, she wondered as she took off in the direction of the manor, could things possibly be fixed?
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"I don't believe it!" Anise burst out as she and Tear re-entered the manor. The shorter girl stopped walking for a moment and tugged on the ends of her long pigtails. "I mean, I always suspected…well, something…but I didn't know…that they were…you know."
"Neither did we," Tear said quickly. "I don't think any of us knew. It seemed to happen so suddenly."
"If anyone knew," Anise commented, "the Colonel probably did."
"But how long did he know? Since when—?"
Anise shrugged. "Inista Marsh would be my best guess. I mean, when you think about it, things seemed to change between them after that."
"You might be right," Tear admitted after a pause. "But if it was building since then…" she broke off mid-thought. "Then three years went by when they didn't see each other."
"And then they saw each other that time at Tataroo Valley when Luke returned," Anise continued, picking up where the melodist left off. "But it didn't seem like there was anything between them then."
"Three years is a long time, Anise," Tear said sensibly.
"But you and Luke were apart for three years," Anise reminded her, "and your feelings for each other didn't change."
Tear looked away to hide her growing blush. "Y-yes, but Luke and I…"
"Is it really all that different?" Anise asked, her voice uncharacteristically quiet.
"What do you mean?" Tear asked, concerned.
Anise looked away, clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides. "Even if…there was no confession," she said, her voice trembling, "even if the feelings were never expressed…they were still there. Time…no matter how much, might not change them. When you're apart from someone you…care for…no matter how long a time you're apart, even if you never told them how you felt…it doesn't mean that the feelings simply go away…no matter how hard you might try to make them."
Tears brimmed in the corners of Anise's eyes.
"And sometimes," she continued, rubbing furiously at her eyes, "all it takes is seeing them again and everything just…comes back." Her breath hitched. "It comes back…like a flood, but you can't escape it." The corners of the girl's mouth twitched up slightly as though she were trying to force a smile. "And it's always worse when you didn't say anything cause then you feel what you felt all those years ago but also feel like you have no right to say it after all that time." She turned back to the melodist. "It was a little different with you and Luke, Tear," she said, "because you two had a promise. But…otherwise…I can tell you…for them, it's probably the same."
"Anise," Tear began, placing a hand on the dark-haired girl's shoulder, "is this…about Ion?"
"O-of course not!" Anise said, taking a few defensive steps away. "I mean, it's not like I can see him anymore, after all."
"You do," Tear said, refusing to be dissuaded. "You see him in Florian, don't you?"
"Florian's not Ion, Tear," Anise said firmly, as though trying to convince herself of that fact. "It's not like I sometimes mistake him for Ion, or call him by that name or something. And it's not like I don't realize that what I felt was for Ion and not for Florian. It's not like I get mixed up that easily. And it's not like all that stuff he says bothers me or anything—"
Tear stepped forward, drawing the younger girl into a hug. "I'm sorry, Anise," she said quietly.
Anise forced a laugh and stepped back. "What're you apologizing for, Tear? It's not like you're the one who—"
"Still, I'm sorry," she said simply.
The younger girl simply stared for a moment before shaking her head as though to shake of the somber mood that had settled over them. "Thanks, Tear," she said at last, "but now's not the time to feel sorry for me." The puppeteer set her hands firmly on her hips. "Right now, we have bigger problems to deal with, right?"
"Anise…"
The younger girl jogged away down the hallway they had stopped in. "Don't worry about me," she called over her shoulder. "I'll be fine. I promise."
"If you say so," Tear said, still watching the girl.
Anise nodded. "Yup. I promise."
Tear hesitated for a moment before starting down the hallway.
"You know," Anise added after a moment, "Luke was right. You do make a good big sister."
"Really?" Tear asked, a bit unsettled. "I…didn't know he thought of me as a…sister."
Anise's eyes widened as though realizing her mistake. "That's not what he meant, I'm sure," she said, trying to reassure the older woman. "He just meant you're good at dealing with people. That's all."
"Oh…okay, I guess."
"Well, at any rate," Anise said, cutting into Tear's thoughts, "let's go see what's going on in there." She gestured towards the door.
Tear nodded. "Right. Let's go."
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Luke watched as his best friend of many years disinterestedly bandaged the wound on his hand. The cuts, though not especially severe were numerous and each stood a chance of getting infected. Noting that his friend had not only neglected to disinfect the wounds but was also struggling with the bandage, Luke stepped forward.
"You're not doing that properly," he said after a long moment. "Let me help."
Guy looked at him but said nothing.
Luke carefully removed the used bandage and placed it aside before applying some of the antibiotic ointment procured from the first aid kit. Then he carefully wrapping a fresh bandage, double-checking to make sure it wasn't too tight.
"Not bad, huh?" Luke said, trying to break the silence that had fallen over them. "Tear taught me basic first aid, just in case."
"In case of what?" Guy asked, speaking for the first time in several minutes.
"I dunno," Luke said as he pulled the scissors out of the kit. "Tear seems to think I'm really clumsy or something and that I'll injure myself simply by walking." As he said this, he snipped off the excess bandage, not noticing that he had also snipped the edge of his finger.
Seeing this, Guy couldn't help laughing weakly. "It seems she's right," he said.
"What?" Luke looked down at his hand, noticing with a frown that he was bleeding. "Oh great," he muttered, "just when I was trying to make a point." He sighed and replaced the scissors in the case.
"Aren't you going to bandage that?"
Luke shook his head. "Nah," he said. "It's just a small cut. It'll stop bleeding in a second."
"So the pot calls the kettle black," Guy muttered.
"Hey, my cut's not as bad as yours, so I don't have to worry as much about it."
"It's not like you punched a window," the blonde retorted.
"It's not like I wanted to," Luke shot back.
At this, Guy's gaze fell away towards the floor.
"Sorry," Luke sighed after a long moment. "I didn't mean…"
"It's not your fault," Guy said quickly.
Luke gave him a plaintive glance. "But…I can't help thinking that it was! That maybe there was something I could have said to her—"
"There was nothing you could have done, Luke," he said, his tone firm. "She's just like that. I guess…I should have seen it coming. I mean…when she has the choice of anyone in practically the whole world—why would she choose me?"
"You think she doesn't care?"
The blonde sighed. "I'm not sure what to think any more."
"Whatever you may think," came a voice from the far end of the room, "I can tell you what I know. And I know she does care for you."
"Tear," Guy said, turning around. "And Anise."
"Oh boo!" muttered Anise. "What's with that frown? Are you that unhappy to see me?"
"Sorry Anise," he said after a moment. "I'm just not…in the mood for jokes. That's all."
Luke shrugged. "It seems as though Guy would rather sit around and mope for the rest of the month or so."
Guy glared, but said nothing.
Anise pouted. "Oh boo! That's no fun!"
"Luke, Anise," Tear chided, "be more considerate! He's been through a lot today."
Luke glanced back at his friend momentarily. "I'm sorry, Guy," he said at last, "but I can't just leave things like this."
"You have no choice in the matter!" he burst out. "She made her choice, and I made mine and that's all there is to it!"
"So that's it?!" Luke exclaimed, turning back to face his friend. "One roadblock and it's all over?!"
"It's not just a roadblock," Guy said, defeated, "it's a sign that says 'end of the road'."
"Surely there must be something beyond that," Tear suggested, stepping forward to join them.
He turned away. "There is for her, but not for me."
"And you're just going to give, just like that?" Luke asked, exasperated.
"It's not a matter of 'giving up'!" Guy shot back. "I haven't got a choice in the matter!"
"Of course you have a choice, idiot," Tear sighed, massaging her temples.
Guy looked up. "Tear?"
Luke started forward at the same time. "Tear," he whined, "I thought I was the idiot….I mean, you always called me 'idiot'."
Tears glanced at him. "You're…jealous?" she asked, disbelieving. "Idiot," she muttered, glancing in the red-head's direction.
Luke couldn't help the grin that broke out across his face.
"Anyway," Anise broke in, "Luke's…bizarre objection aside, I think the title fits."
"Not you too, Anise," he groaned, dropping his head into his hands.
"Of course 'me too'!" she said, pointing at him. "I can't believe you! I may be younger than you, but even I can see that you're being…well, an idiot!" She huffed indignantly. "The way you're going, even Luke seems more mature than you!"
"That's an insult, Anise," Guy said.
In the background, Luke opened his mouth to protest, but Anise cut him off. "It was meant to be," she fired back.
"Doesn't anyone care that they're insulting me here?" Luke muttered to himself.
"It doesn't seem so," Tear replied, moving to stand beside him.
"You say these things," Guy continued, ignoring Luke and Tear, "when you don't even understand the situation I'm in!"
"Of course I don't understand!" she admitted, squaring her shoulders and staring him down, "because you won't even talk about it! Since we came in, you've just been beating around the bush, arguing about every little thing that we say, but you won't even face the real problem! You can't even say what's hurting you so bad about the situation!"
Luke turned to Tear. "I don't understand," he whispered to the melodist. "Just what is Anise asking him? Didn't you explain the situation to her?"
Tear merely shrugged. "I did explain—well, at least everything I knew. I don't understand where she's going with this."
Luke sighed. "I get the feeling she's backing him into something. She's been spending way too much time around Jade."
"She refused me," he said, his words spilling out faster than he could contain them, "what more is there to say about it?!"
"Plenty!" the puppeteer retorted. "Like just why that hurts you so much!"
He fell silent for a long moment. "Just what do you want me to say?" he asked at last, his voice dangerously calm. "Do you want me to break down and give some long soliloquy about how she is light of my life and the breath of my soul? To say that she is the first thing in my mind when I wake and the last before I sleep? Is that what you want me to say? Well, I'm sorry! I can't!" He clenched his fists and looked away. "I can't…because there aren't any words to describe just how much I damn well love her!"
Everyone fell into stunned silence in the wake of the admission. At long last, Tear stepped forward.
"If you feel so strongly," she said, "you should tell her so."
Guy looked up at her. "But—"
"No 'buts'," Tear said firmly. "You should tell her."
"It won't change anything," he said.
"There's always that risk," Anise interjected, "but you won't know unless you try!"
"I do know, because I have tried."
"You told her once," Luke corrected.
Guy bit back a reply, knowing that they would only counter it.
"In some cases," Luke continued, "once might not be enough."
"Yeah," Anise agreed, nodding vigorously, "you have to remember her situation! She was told once that she was loved and then, for all intents and purposes, she was abandoned!"
"I'm not Asch!" he countered.
"And she knows that!" Anise shot back. "She knows that, but she doesn't! I don't know how else to explain it!"
Tear picked up where Anise left off. "What she needed—or, perhaps what she wanted, was for you to show that you wouldn't let go so easily."
"I didn't let go!" he protested. "She made the choice to end it! I gave her that option—let her make the final decision!"
"But you didn't even try to stop her," Luke said. "She just said no, and that was it!"
"And it was fully within her rights to do so! I wasn't going to force her into a relationship she didn't want!"
Anise scratched wildly at her head. "Ugh! You just don't get, do you? She probably wanted you to show that you wouldn't let her go so easily! To her, it must seem as though she meant nothing, despite everything you said otherwise! In this situation, Guy, words spoke louder than actions, and you simply told her to leave and did nothing to prove you meant otherwise! What was she supposed to think?"
"If that was what she wanted then why didn't she just say so?" he burst out. "Why didn't she just tell me what she wanted?" He sank down weakly on a nearby sofa. "I would have done anything for her. So why…why didn't she just tell me?"
"…Do you really think that was something she just could have asked for?" Tear asked quietly. "Especially if she wasn't sure exactly what it was she wanted?"
He considered what she said for a long moment. "No," he admitted at last.
"So, do you understand now?" the melodist continued.
"A little," he admitted sheepishly. "You guys want me to talk to her."
"Well," Anise drawled, "that would be a start."
The group fell momentarily silent.
"So," Luke said at last, "how do you suppose we set this up?"
"The party tonight would probably be best," Guy suggested. "She'll most likely be there."
Tear tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Anise," she began warily, "wasn't there something about the party tonight?"
Anise turned to her. "Huh? What?" The younger girl stared for a long moment. "Oh crap! I totally forgot!"
Her startled shout drew all eyes in the room towards her. Without another word she dashed forward, grabbed Guy by the arm and dragged him towards the door ignoring his shouts of protest.
"Oh this is bad!" she wailed. "Really, really bad!"
"What is?" he asked, planting his feet firmly to prevent her from pulling him along and tried to shake her off of his arm.
She tugged harder on his arm, trying to get him to move. "There's no time to explain! You have to get to the palace! Now!!!"
"Why?! Will someone explain what's going on?"
Anise stomped her feet. "If you don't hurry then—!"
Before the puppeteer could finish her sentence, the two doors to the room burst open and a visibly exhausted Noelle stumbled through and dropped to her knees, breathing heavily.
While Anise was distracted, Guy managed to free his arm from her grasp. He started forward towards the pilot.
"Noelle, what happened?" he asked. "Are you all right?"
She coughed a couple times, but nodded, waving him off.
"I'm fine," she said at last, "it's just that I ran all the way here from the city."
Luke stared in disbelief. "You ran all that way! That's like…really far!"
Noelle nodded again. "I had to…" she coughed again, "tell you all. Something's happened back at the city!"
Behind them, Anise sighed and dropped her head into her hands. "Oh no," she said to herself. "It's too late!"
"What is?" Guy asked, panic edging into his voice.
Noelle pushed herself back to her feet. "I…don't know how to tell you this," she said quietly, "but…it's about the Princess."
He froze. "About…Natalia? Did something happen?"
Noelle hesitated for a long moment before nodding solemnly.
"Yes," she said at last. "She—she's accepted the Emperor's proposal."
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Author's Note:
Ah man, so this has to be the longest part I've written yet! The last section was difficult for me to write for the same reason as the last chapter was difficult. I wasn't sure that the emotional arguments made sense. I tried my best, however, to make everything fit.
Anyway, thank you for your support of this fic. See you all next chapter!