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Abyss: Hod's Justice
I was looking through my hard drive recently, and realized I'd written but never posted this fic. Not really sure why, nor when it's from, but here it is anyway. ^.^;;;
Title: Hod's Justice
Fandom: Tales of the Abyss
Warnings: SPOILERS! through first visit to Grand Chokmah. AU
Rating: PG
Summary: Things go somewhat differently during Guy's time in House Fabre.
Hod's Justice
Guy thought he had prepared himself to suffer any indignity. He could work for the man responsible for his families deaths, and bide his time, and at last destroy that man and everything he held dear. It would be easy, too easy, to earn their trust and turn it against them. He thought he was ready.
The day his father's sword was hung over that man's mantle, he realized how wrong he had been.
~
Van said nothing until they were already on a ship bound for who knew where. The Commandant's brow pinched together, and his hand gripped Guy's shoulder so tightly that it ached, but he said not a word as he dragged the blond from the Duke's house after hastily throwing his own cape over Guy's blood covered visage. House Gardios's retainers had always been noted for their intelligence, even above their unfailing loyalty.
"You shouldn't have done that." Van pushed Guy into the room and slammed the door shut behind them. "Your revenge could have been so much sweeter, so much better, if you had just followed the plan. What are you going to do now?"
"I don't really know yet," Guy said, a little sheepishly. Then the half-smile faded from his face. "I couldn't let him live any longer, though. It was an insult to my family and everything they ever stood for that I lived and served in his house as long as I did. I should have killed him the first time I met him."
Van sighed, and shook his head.
~
Guy didn't plan what happened when the sword was hung over the mantle, but it went off as easily as if he had. He grabbed the sword, yanked it free from its scabbard and rested the point of it under the Duke's chin, just against his throat. The Duchess and her son, little nine-year-old Luke, had gasped, and the White Knights had charged, but Van had blocked them.
"I should kill them while you watch, just like you did to my father, and then kill you," Guy said as he stared at the unflinching man on the other end of his sword. "But my father was more honorable then that, and I will be, too. This ends between us."
The red-haired man hadn't even looked surprised, stood stoically and even dignified as Guy thrust the sword home. He wondered if his father had looked like that when he died.
He was almost ashamed that he hoped he had.
~
The green hills that rose before them on the smallish island looked unlike any part of Malkuth that Guy had ever seen. He'd seen much of it, both as a young child and later, as a wandering survivor of the lost island. The island before them, though, was unfamiliar.
"You can't go back," a voice said to his side, and Guy spun around to see his one time retainer standing not far off. Van looked down and shook his head. "Malkuth can't take you back, now."
"Why not?" Guy protested, staring up into those fathomless eyes. Van smiled, but his smile had more apology in it than anything else.
"Think, Gailardia." Van looked away from him, off across the ocean. "What would Kimlasca do if Malkuth welcomed you home, as they almost certainly would? What would happen when Kimlasca insisted on justice for their Duke's blood shed by your hands? How many more would die?"
"But that wasn't…" Gailardia shook his head, shrugging off Van's hand on his shoulder. "What I did was justice! Why shouldn't it stop there?"
"Justice, Gailardia," Van said, "can be more subjective than we might wish."
~
"Fool," Van said as he knocked out the White Knights, and if the Duchess and her son stepped back from him, suspicious at last of the traitor in their midst, he did not notice. "Fool."
They left, blood still dripping from his sword, the scabbard forgotten on the ground behind them.
~
Daath towered before them, a grand cathedral waiting for its lowly pilgrims to arrive. Baticul had been taller, though, and Grand Chokma more grand by far. This city seemed almost homely, for all that it was the greatest seat of power in the world.
"Are you willing to work with me, Gailardia Galen of the House of Gardios?" Van asked as they stood at the foot of the cathedral's outer stairs. The gray-haired man looked down at him. "If you wish to leave, now is the time."
"No," Guy said, eyes iced over with a hardened calm, "let's go."
"Then welcome, Gailardia the Gallant." Van threw an arm out towards the Cathedral, and if the glint in his eyes seemed to joke, none but Guy spotted it. "Welcome to the Order of Lorelei."
~
Justice for his family had been simple. It was done, even now, so shortly after he had set out for it. And now…
Now, there would be justice for Hod.
Title: Hod's Justice
Fandom: Tales of the Abyss
Warnings: SPOILERS! through first visit to Grand Chokmah. AU
Rating: PG
Summary: Things go somewhat differently during Guy's time in House Fabre.
Guy thought he had prepared himself to suffer any indignity. He could work for the man responsible for his families deaths, and bide his time, and at last destroy that man and everything he held dear. It would be easy, too easy, to earn their trust and turn it against them. He thought he was ready.
The day his father's sword was hung over that man's mantle, he realized how wrong he had been.
Van said nothing until they were already on a ship bound for who knew where. The Commandant's brow pinched together, and his hand gripped Guy's shoulder so tightly that it ached, but he said not a word as he dragged the blond from the Duke's house after hastily throwing his own cape over Guy's blood covered visage. House Gardios's retainers had always been noted for their intelligence, even above their unfailing loyalty.
"You shouldn't have done that." Van pushed Guy into the room and slammed the door shut behind them. "Your revenge could have been so much sweeter, so much better, if you had just followed the plan. What are you going to do now?"
"I don't really know yet," Guy said, a little sheepishly. Then the half-smile faded from his face. "I couldn't let him live any longer, though. It was an insult to my family and everything they ever stood for that I lived and served in his house as long as I did. I should have killed him the first time I met him."
Van sighed, and shook his head.
Guy didn't plan what happened when the sword was hung over the mantle, but it went off as easily as if he had. He grabbed the sword, yanked it free from its scabbard and rested the point of it under the Duke's chin, just against his throat. The Duchess and her son, little nine-year-old Luke, had gasped, and the White Knights had charged, but Van had blocked them.
"I should kill them while you watch, just like you did to my father, and then kill you," Guy said as he stared at the unflinching man on the other end of his sword. "But my father was more honorable then that, and I will be, too. This ends between us."
The red-haired man hadn't even looked surprised, stood stoically and even dignified as Guy thrust the sword home. He wondered if his father had looked like that when he died.
He was almost ashamed that he hoped he had.
The green hills that rose before them on the smallish island looked unlike any part of Malkuth that Guy had ever seen. He'd seen much of it, both as a young child and later, as a wandering survivor of the lost island. The island before them, though, was unfamiliar.
"You can't go back," a voice said to his side, and Guy spun around to see his one time retainer standing not far off. Van looked down and shook his head. "Malkuth can't take you back, now."
"Why not?" Guy protested, staring up into those fathomless eyes. Van smiled, but his smile had more apology in it than anything else.
"Think, Gailardia." Van looked away from him, off across the ocean. "What would Kimlasca do if Malkuth welcomed you home, as they almost certainly would? What would happen when Kimlasca insisted on justice for their Duke's blood shed by your hands? How many more would die?"
"But that wasn't…" Gailardia shook his head, shrugging off Van's hand on his shoulder. "What I did was justice! Why shouldn't it stop there?"
"Justice, Gailardia," Van said, "can be more subjective than we might wish."
"Fool," Van said as he knocked out the White Knights, and if the Duchess and her son stepped back from him, suspicious at last of the traitor in their midst, he did not notice. "Fool."
They left, blood still dripping from his sword, the scabbard forgotten on the ground behind them.
Daath towered before them, a grand cathedral waiting for its lowly pilgrims to arrive. Baticul had been taller, though, and Grand Chokma more grand by far. This city seemed almost homely, for all that it was the greatest seat of power in the world.
"Are you willing to work with me, Gailardia Galen of the House of Gardios?" Van asked as they stood at the foot of the cathedral's outer stairs. The gray-haired man looked down at him. "If you wish to leave, now is the time."
"No," Guy said, eyes iced over with a hardened calm, "let's go."
"Then welcome, Gailardia the Gallant." Van threw an arm out towards the Cathedral, and if the glint in his eyes seemed to joke, none but Guy spotted it. "Welcome to the Order of Lorelei."
Justice for his family had been simple. It was done, even now, so shortly after he had set out for it. And now…
Now, there would be justice for Hod.