no comm; Graceless
Title: Graceless
Fandom: Trinity Blood
Characters/Pairing: Esther, Abel, mentioned others; Esther/Abel, a sliiiiight hint of Esther/Ion
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,047
Note: Major spoilers for the anime! It also takes place after the ending. As in waaaaaay after, like decades after. Yeah.
Eighty-three years after the Rosenkreuz’s attack on the Kingdom of Albion, and subsequently the signing of the peace treaty between the Vatican and the Empire, the world has remained in a delicate yet steady harmony. The balance between the three main powers of the world has remained much unchanged over the past decades, and humans and Methuselah alike wish to keep it that way.
Esther Blanchett, former agent of the AX and current queen of Albion at ninety-seven years of age, also wishes to keep it that way, but as she lies on her deathbed, she knows that some things must change.
She breathes slowly in white little puffs of air, and she thinks it strange that she can be so cold; it is springtime in Albion, and she is sure that the trees outside the palace must be blooming. The last time she was this cold was in front of a grave-an empty grave, one that held no real meaning as its supposed inhabitant still roamed the earth, but a grave nonetheless.
There are quiet, quiet footsteps coming her way, and she opens her eyes to look over. “Virgil,” she whispers, “is that you?”
“Well… not quite, I’m afraid. Though I certainly hope that you don’t mind seeing me instead! Ahaha…”
Her eyes flash wide open, and standing right above her is a warm, familiar smile that she has longed to see for the past eighty-three years.
Abel Nightroad, in the flesh, and not looking a day older. She cracks a smile. “Father Abel, I believe you’re supposed to be dead.”
He laughs again, and the sound is so unchanged that she knows if she was to close her eyes, she would feel fifteen again with her AX uniform on and a shotgun under the dress, but she does not dare close them lest this be a dream.
“And I can’t believe that you’re ruling an entire nation! Things sure have changed while I’ve been away, I suppose!”
As he gestures wildly around her grand bed chamber and regal possessions, she laughs behind a hand; he thinks that the sound is more graceful than before, changed slightly with years among royalty, church bells rather than chimes.
But it is still Esther, and that is all he could ask for.
“It’s been a long time, Esther,” he says softly, sitting down at her bedside and taking her hand quietly in his.
She nods, squeezing his hand lightly. “It has, over eighty years if I’m not mistaken,” she pauses, giggles, “though I suppose you’re a better visitor to me than you are to Seth. She told me that the last time she saw you before we went to the Empire together was over nine-hundred years ago.”
“W-Well, circumstances are circumstances, you know, it’s not like I could just wander into the Empire as an agent of the AX a-and in any case,” he stammers, quickly changing the subject, “have you seen my sister that often? I didn’t think you two would be able to travel so much due to your positions.”
“We’ve only met with each other again a few times these last few decades; the last time was with members of the Vatican as well. It was good to see Lady Caterina again; she’s just as fierce as ever!”
She pauses again, and the bright smile on her face sobers into something more wistful. “I wonder if they’ll be able to come to my funeral…”
Abel stiffens ever so slightly. “Esther…”
Esther seems content with the silence, despite Abel’s own discomfort over what she just brought up, and after a few minutes she spoke again. “How is Ion? It’s been so long since I’ve last seen him… tell me, how does he look? Being around you and Seth doesn’t help at all, you know. Eighty years and neither of you look a day older!”
He laughs weakly, but answers all the same. “Ion is just fine. He’s become an even better warrior,” and the look on his face almost seems a bit proud, Esther notices, “and I suppose he does look a few years older. Not much though, so I wonder if he would look any different to you.”
“You should have brought him in then,” she says, craning her neck slightly to look around the room, “why didn’t you?”
“Well, that is…”
Abel thinks of the day before, of Ion’s clenched fists and feet rooted outside of Albion, of the anguish in his eyes but the resolution in his face.
Esther would rather see you than me; you and I both know it.
His smile is painful, and it cannot look pleasant at all. “He couldn’t make it, that’s all.”
“Oh,” she says, blinks and looks down, “oh, I see.”
Another silence, and this time both of them are uncomfortable. Her breathing is slightly raspy now, still quiet but becoming weaker and weaker. He sucks in a breath, and he cannot seem to swallow the lump growing in his throat.
“It’s kind of funny, don’t you think,” she breathes out, and Abel thinks that despite her wrinkled skin and vibrant red hair turning rust-coloured, her eyes are still the same sapphire blue, bluer than the sky even, “even after all these years, after having three wonderful children and ruling the Kingdom of Albion and living without you, I…”
Abel grips her hand tightly, so tight but not enough to hurt, tears already gathering at the corners of his eyes. “Esther, you don’t-”
“I haven’t stopped loving you, not for one day or one minute. I haven’t stopped loving you once.”
Her smile is all sunshine again, and it almost hurts to look at-it just doesn’t seem right, not like this.
She reaches up with her other hand, trembling lightly, to wipe away his tears. “Hey, come on now, Father. It’s all right.”
The touch of her hand should be comforting, and it almost is, but the coldness and the shaking are anything but comforting.
“It’s all right, Father,” Esther whispers between coughs, her voice becoming quieter and quieter, not at all like the Esther he knew, “it’s all right.”
But her trembling seems to have been transferred to him, and not even the kindest words can stop his sobs from racking his body.
(Note 1: According to the anime, Prince Gilbert sent his daughter out of Albion fifteen years before the storyline, thereby making Esther fifteen-years-old when everything happened. In my opinion, that seems a bit too young--I had guessed she was around eighteen--but that's the what the anime said. Feel free to correct me if they really said seventeen or something and I just have horrible hearing!
Note 2: I... have no idea if people with red hair go gray like everyone else or if their hair still contains some red in it. Let's just pretend that it does. |D)
Fandom: Trinity Blood
Characters/Pairing: Esther, Abel, mentioned others; Esther/Abel, a sliiiiight hint of Esther/Ion
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,047
Note: Major spoilers for the anime! It also takes place after the ending. As in waaaaaay after, like decades after. Yeah.
Eighty-three years after the Rosenkreuz’s attack on the Kingdom of Albion, and subsequently the signing of the peace treaty between the Vatican and the Empire, the world has remained in a delicate yet steady harmony. The balance between the three main powers of the world has remained much unchanged over the past decades, and humans and Methuselah alike wish to keep it that way.
Esther Blanchett, former agent of the AX and current queen of Albion at ninety-seven years of age, also wishes to keep it that way, but as she lies on her deathbed, she knows that some things must change.
She breathes slowly in white little puffs of air, and she thinks it strange that she can be so cold; it is springtime in Albion, and she is sure that the trees outside the palace must be blooming. The last time she was this cold was in front of a grave-an empty grave, one that held no real meaning as its supposed inhabitant still roamed the earth, but a grave nonetheless.
There are quiet, quiet footsteps coming her way, and she opens her eyes to look over. “Virgil,” she whispers, “is that you?”
“Well… not quite, I’m afraid. Though I certainly hope that you don’t mind seeing me instead! Ahaha…”
Her eyes flash wide open, and standing right above her is a warm, familiar smile that she has longed to see for the past eighty-three years.
Abel Nightroad, in the flesh, and not looking a day older. She cracks a smile. “Father Abel, I believe you’re supposed to be dead.”
He laughs again, and the sound is so unchanged that she knows if she was to close her eyes, she would feel fifteen again with her AX uniform on and a shotgun under the dress, but she does not dare close them lest this be a dream.
“And I can’t believe that you’re ruling an entire nation! Things sure have changed while I’ve been away, I suppose!”
As he gestures wildly around her grand bed chamber and regal possessions, she laughs behind a hand; he thinks that the sound is more graceful than before, changed slightly with years among royalty, church bells rather than chimes.
But it is still Esther, and that is all he could ask for.
“It’s been a long time, Esther,” he says softly, sitting down at her bedside and taking her hand quietly in his.
She nods, squeezing his hand lightly. “It has, over eighty years if I’m not mistaken,” she pauses, giggles, “though I suppose you’re a better visitor to me than you are to Seth. She told me that the last time she saw you before we went to the Empire together was over nine-hundred years ago.”
“W-Well, circumstances are circumstances, you know, it’s not like I could just wander into the Empire as an agent of the AX a-and in any case,” he stammers, quickly changing the subject, “have you seen my sister that often? I didn’t think you two would be able to travel so much due to your positions.”
“We’ve only met with each other again a few times these last few decades; the last time was with members of the Vatican as well. It was good to see Lady Caterina again; she’s just as fierce as ever!”
She pauses again, and the bright smile on her face sobers into something more wistful. “I wonder if they’ll be able to come to my funeral…”
Abel stiffens ever so slightly. “Esther…”
Esther seems content with the silence, despite Abel’s own discomfort over what she just brought up, and after a few minutes she spoke again. “How is Ion? It’s been so long since I’ve last seen him… tell me, how does he look? Being around you and Seth doesn’t help at all, you know. Eighty years and neither of you look a day older!”
He laughs weakly, but answers all the same. “Ion is just fine. He’s become an even better warrior,” and the look on his face almost seems a bit proud, Esther notices, “and I suppose he does look a few years older. Not much though, so I wonder if he would look any different to you.”
“You should have brought him in then,” she says, craning her neck slightly to look around the room, “why didn’t you?”
“Well, that is…”
Abel thinks of the day before, of Ion’s clenched fists and feet rooted outside of Albion, of the anguish in his eyes but the resolution in his face.
Esther would rather see you than me; you and I both know it.
His smile is painful, and it cannot look pleasant at all. “He couldn’t make it, that’s all.”
“Oh,” she says, blinks and looks down, “oh, I see.”
Another silence, and this time both of them are uncomfortable. Her breathing is slightly raspy now, still quiet but becoming weaker and weaker. He sucks in a breath, and he cannot seem to swallow the lump growing in his throat.
“It’s kind of funny, don’t you think,” she breathes out, and Abel thinks that despite her wrinkled skin and vibrant red hair turning rust-coloured, her eyes are still the same sapphire blue, bluer than the sky even, “even after all these years, after having three wonderful children and ruling the Kingdom of Albion and living without you, I…”
Abel grips her hand tightly, so tight but not enough to hurt, tears already gathering at the corners of his eyes. “Esther, you don’t-”
“I haven’t stopped loving you, not for one day or one minute. I haven’t stopped loving you once.”
Her smile is all sunshine again, and it almost hurts to look at-it just doesn’t seem right, not like this.
She reaches up with her other hand, trembling lightly, to wipe away his tears. “Hey, come on now, Father. It’s all right.”
The touch of her hand should be comforting, and it almost is, but the coldness and the shaking are anything but comforting.
“It’s all right, Father,” Esther whispers between coughs, her voice becoming quieter and quieter, not at all like the Esther he knew, “it’s all right.”
But her trembling seems to have been transferred to him, and not even the kindest words can stop his sobs from racking his body.
(Note 1: According to the anime, Prince Gilbert sent his daughter out of Albion fifteen years before the storyline, thereby making Esther fifteen-years-old when everything happened. In my opinion, that seems a bit too young--I had guessed she was around eighteen--but that's the what the anime said. Feel free to correct me if they really said seventeen or something and I just have horrible hearing!
Note 2: I... have no idea if people with red hair go gray like everyone else or if their hair still contains some red in it. Let's just pretend that it does. |D)