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Natalia L.K. Lanvaldear ([personal profile] raisedroyal) wrote2012-01-01 12:59 am

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Character Info:
Name: Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear
Age: 18
Canon: Tales of the Abyss
Pull Point: First visit to the Zao Ruins, shortly before the God-Generals return Ion to the party.

Background Info:
History: {Tales Wiki Entry for Natalia.}; {Tales Wiki Entry for Tales of the Abyss.}

Promised "a long life and the radiance of stars", Meryl Oakland (the daughter of one of the queen's servants who was switched with the stillborn princess a few days after her birth) grows up as Princess Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, having no knowledge of her true origins. Despite her unusual blonde hair (for the royal line carries red hair, and the queen's is black), few speak of it. The only people truly in the know are her nanny (grandmother), Grand Maestro Mohs, and her biological father who has left the country to join the Oracle Knights after losing his wife and daughter.

A year or two into her life she is engaged to Duke Fabre's son (his wife Susanne and King Ingobert VI are siblings) who is but a year younger than she, and Natalia begins her royal tutelage, being taught all the things a princess and future ruler must know. But the engagement is certainly a glad occurrence, for Luke fon Fabre becomes her first true friend, and without him castle life would be very lonely indeed. At one time or another he aids her in sneaking out of the castle (and breaking her fall), the two of them explore the capital city of Baticul, and a whole new door has opens onto Natalia's world. Luke teaches Natalia to care for their people and assists in her learnings. (Later on, many of these topics likely come from what he is told by Dorian General Van Grants about the outside world.)

When Natalia is only five years old, the Queen dies. The details aren't clear, but this may mark a time when her relationship with her father (the king) grows even closer, and the two make visits to her grave. Despite this, her lessons continue.

Within a year Natalia and Luke are joined on their expeditions by Guy Cecil, Luke's servant and playmate. And though Luke starts making a habit of running off to play with Guy instead of her, much to her dismay, it is all in all a happy childhood for Natalia. This happiness reaches its pinnacle when on her 9th birthday, Luke makes a promise (a proposal she calls it) to Natalia that one day when they're older, they will change this country together into a place without war or poverty where people can live happily.

But all good things must come to an end. When Natalia is eleven, Luke is kidnapped. Of course there is a search for him and talk of war, because they believe the Malkuth Empire whom they've had shaky relations with for as far back as anyone can remember is behind it all. In time Luke is eventually found and returned home. However, he has no memories of the past ten years and cannot even walk or feed himself. At first the maids try to keep Natalia away from him for her own well-being, but she finally manages to sneak past them and see her betrothed for herself. The boy she finds is absolutely terrified of her and sits there shaking and whimpering on the edge of his bed. Natalia is quite understandably upset. She goes home, throws her head onto the bedsheets and cries her eyes out. But there is talk of calling off the engagement, and that simply won't do because Luke promised her! And so Natalia swears to herself that she'll help him remember and return him to his former self - much easier said than done of course. Luke has become fussy and has absolutely no interest in learning to read or write whatsoever; Natalia doesn't have the most patience for his childish behavior either. They manage to make a little progress when Luke finally calls her by her name ("Annoying Natalia"), and it gives her hope which she continues to hold onto tightly.

The years pass, and though Luke still has only limited interest in learning, Natalia continues her studies, begins to take an active role in politics, and devotes of her time to humanitarian projects. She assists the people of Baticul in finding new jobs and proposes a number of building endeavors; she even journeys to meet with the troops in Chesedonia and help boost their spirits. Despite all this, she visits the Fabre household whenever she can to see how Luke (and Guy) are getting along.

Following one such visit, the defenses of the Fabre household are once again breached. A mysterious female assassin confronts Luke and his sword instructor during their routine practice, and when Luke intervenes, a hyperresonance occurs and the two of them are whisked halfway across the world.

You can just imagine how well the news goes over with the princess. She speaks with Guy about the situation, though she can hardly be angry with him as he's clearly shaken up about it. He informs her that the Duke will probably be sending him off to look for his wayward charge, and that there are already several other groups searching the kingdom and Malkuth territory. Commandant Grants has also agreed to look for him. Natalia tells Guy that she wishes to join the search, and after he protests, assures him that she will speak with her Father afterwards and protect his life (only not before because she knows the king will forbid her from going), and then proceeds to lay out the plans for a nighttime departure.

But of course, Guy can see the dangers and flaws in her plan and after a talk with Van, he leaves without telling her. Which would mean that Natalia is stuck praying for Luke's safety and metaphorically biting her nails until Luke is found (and no doubt thinking up just what she will say to Guy when he returns). In the meantime Natalia continues her duties and pays visits to Lady Susanne (her aunt) who has fallen ill with worry over her son.

Luke does finally return with an entourage in tow - the Fon Master of Daath as well as some Malkuthian representatives who wish to present His Majesty with a peace treaty. Though unbelievably relieved to see him, Natalia has a few words for both her fiancé and Guy. She also manages to mistake Tear for being one of Luke's servant girls and doesn't leave the most desirable first impression on any of those present. Natalia then offers her condolences about Van, and when Luke discovers he's been arrested on suspicion of being a co-conspirator in his disappearance, begs Natalia to talk to the king and have him released. She finally agrees (so long as Luke will hurry and remember his promise) but leaves in a bit of a huff because such talk makes it seem that Luke's more worried about Van than he is about seeing her. (You know how it is.) Nevertheless, Natalia keeps her word.

The next day Natalia pens a letter requesting Luke's presence at the castle. There the king announces that he has every intention of taking Malkuth up on their offer, but there is another matter which must be dealt with first. It seems there's some trouble at Akzeriuth and Malkuth has asked Kimlasca for aid since due to a poisonous vapor known as miasma blocking the way, the mining town can only be reached from the Kimlascan side. A fonstone is brought forth and Tear is asked to read the Score inscribed thus. In short, it foretells that Luke will lead the journey to Akzeriuth and therefore they ask him to become Kimlasca's goodwill ambassador. Luke finally agrees thanks to a previous conversation with Van, and the ambassadorial group is assembled. Natalia asks for permission to accompany them, but of course her father says it will be impossible. As everyone hurries off to prepare for the journey, Natalia goes in search of Luke to try and devise some plan in which she can be included. Along the way she overhears him taking to the Dorian General and discovers it was Van who kidnapped him seven years ago and that after the Akzeriuth mission he intends to defect to Daath. Well, Natalia certainly can't sit still after learning all that, and so she packs her things and heads off early in the morning to get ahead of the party and meet them along the way.

The group is all set to leave, but they receive news that Ion has been kidnapped and the Oracle Knights are stationed outside the capital. A plan is formulated to dispatch a decoy ship with Van aboard while the others exit the city via an abandoned factory. It is there that Natalia reveals herself to them, and when Luke and the others protest, she uses her newly discovered information as leverage. Luke finally caves and they pinky swear - Natalia can come along with them if she'll keep what she heard a secret. Adventures with spiders and friendly banter ensue, and though Natalia still hasn't done much to better the party's opinion of her, she proves that she does have some redeeming qualities and has managed to humble herself just a little. She also has to be rescued for the first of numerous times throughout the game.

Upon exiting the facility, they come across the God-Generals who are escorting Ion onto a landship. Luke charges forward and attacks the nearest soldier, but when he turns around, everyone discovers that he looks exactly like Luke! The God-Generals escape with Ion and the party is left to wonder precisely what is going on. The mysterious man (later revealed as Asch the Bloody) manages to contact Luke telepathically and tells him that Ion is in the Zao Ruins beneath the desert. And so, the party presses on through heat and sand to rescue the world's religious leader. Unfortunately for Natalia, her mind remains full of unanswered questions and her heart and feet both feel quite heavy since Luke's been trying to get everyone to move with haste. In the depths of the ancient ruins, the party once again meets up with Largo the Black Lion, Sync the Tempest, Asch the Bloody and Fon Master Ion. A battle soon follows and the structures above them begin to crumble...

Personality:
Anise: She sure looked like a princess, didn't she? Pretty clothes, royal bearing, elegant speech... I guess that's the upper class for you. A little boisterous, too.

Raised as a princess, Natalia embodies many of the qualities one might expect of a member of the royal household. She behaves and speaks in a very proper way, dresses elegantly, and exudes confidence and pride in her country. In formal situations, Natalia seems to consider her words and actions, how they'll reflect on her country, and whether or not she'll slight the person she's speaking with. This doesn't mean that she doesn't form strong opinions, however, and she will gladly share them when given a reasonable opportunity to do so. Sometimes she shares them regardless.

Natalia is rather spoiled, though, having lived in a castle all her life and even maids to bathe and dress her much of the time. She has moments where she behaves childishly or responds in a petty manner when she doesn't get her way. Natalia also has a tendency of getting jealous easily, a trait Guy alludes to several times on the party's way back to Baticul. Funnily, most in-game examples are complete misunderstandings on Natalia's part, such as when she jumps to conclusions about Tear being a maid, or later when Noir teases her by saying that Asch "sure knows how to treat a lady". Not only jealous, Natalia can on occasion become downright competitive and attempt to take control of things. Luke describes and often complains about her being a nag.

Despite Natalia's overbearing tendencies, many of her actions are done out of love. In fact, half the reason Natalia is such a royal pain is because she's earnestly trying to help Luke regain his memories, learn what's necessary of him, and return to the way he used to be. It was Natalia who took a leading role in trying to re-teach him how to read and write, and though she had to endure an abundance of tantrums (and likely had a few of her own), she didn't give up, and was pleased despite the progress being small. Natalia even had devised a plan to sneak out of the castle and join the search for him, but of course that fell through.

She's done a great deal for her country as well, including finding jobs for the unemployed and helping to build a port and a hospital. Natalia honestly seems to care for her people, and they reciprocate this feeling (later proven when they come to her rescue with very little direction from the Dark Wings), not because of who she is, but because of her actions. Though she will voice complaints in less pressing situations, she is not afraid to get her hands dirty or her hair out of place when there is someone in need of her help, and at such times becomes almost reckless. When Luke told her to get away from the afflicted in Akzeriuth, that they're "dirty" and "you might catch something", she's pretty much outraged and snaps back: "What's dirty? What am I going to catch?! Don't say such stupid things!" Beneath her proud exterior, Natalia spends a fair amount of time wondering whether she's done enough.

Having only limited experience in the outside world, Natalia is naturally curious and eager to learn all that she can. However, this also means she's quite gullible and may easily fall for some rather amazing stories, such as the one Anise concocts to explain Dorian General Grants' skills and appearance. (Because, yes, eyebrows totally shoot lasers and beards grant one magical powers.) When preoccupied in her thoughts, some of her remarks can seem particularly air-headed. Additionally, her cooking skills are disastrous.

Natalia happens to be fond of adventure and romance. Honestly, she can be a bit of a sap... Such as her comments to Luke on how "wouldn't it be romantic if the first thing you remembered was your promise to me?" As a child, one of her favorite books was "Lady Thief 001: The Star of Ispania" who is described as a mysterious female thief and a master of disguise. Natalia claims to have always looked up to this character and when given the opportunity to dress in a similar way during a particular sidequest, she gets just a little too into it. She is also very fond of ghost stories.

There are two main fears of hers displayed in canon. The first was being openly rejected by someone she loved and considered family. It takes Natalia quite a long time to gather the courage to face her father after he sentences both her and Luke to death. The second is the loss of someone she loves. When Asch dies, she goes into a sort of shock and finds herself unable to move. It takes a slap to the face and a lecture from Jade to snap her out of it.

Interestingly, Natalia has very few strong female influences in her life - the two that come to mind are her wet nurse, Maggie, and Lady Susanne whom she is known to pay visits to in her father's stead.

Game Specific:
Arcana: Lovers
Justification: A great deal of Natalia's growth comes in the form of relationships. She gradually learns to get along with her traveling companions (not an easy task after her poor introduction!) and to ease her mixed (and sometimes jealous) feelings about the other girls in the party. Established relationships, such as those with Luke (and Asch), Guy, and even her own father are later challenged and in most cases strengthened. Natalia must also face a number of choices throughout her journey, not the least of which being her decision to go against her father's orders and sneak out of the castle to assist the group in their efforts to bring aid to Akzeriuth.


Samples:
First Person Sample: [Voice]

You're certain that this device will transmit whatever I say? ...Very well then. I suppose it will simply take some getting used to.

[There's a short pause to give Natalia enough time to compose herself and to readjust her grip on the cellphone.] Greetings to all of you. My name is Natalia, and I have a favor to ask. Before arriving in Prospero, I was traveling with a number of individuals whom I have since become separated from. It is of the utmost importance that they are located, as their lives may be in jeopardy at this very moment. While I'm not at liberty to detail the entire situation, what I can say is that these people - three men, a woman, and a little girl - come from a world known to us as "Auldrant".

[There's a longer pause, and when she resumes speaking it's far less diplomatic-sounding than before. Actually, it sounds more like a demand.] Luke! If you're listening to this message, I want you to respond immediately so that I know you're all right!

Third Person Sample:

Natalia made her way through the dingy streets and tried hard not to think of how filthy she had become. Between a trek through the abandoned underground city and now this, she supposed she must look frightful. Her eyes darted from one shadow to the next, wondering and perhaps expecting something to be lurking there.

The princess wasn't particularly frightened, although a sense of dread threatened to overtake her. However comforting, the weight of her bow and quiver could not hope make up for the absence of her companions. Just what had happened to them and how had she ended up alone in such a dark and mysterious place? She didn't wish to dwell on it, but her mind kept taking her back to the scene beneath the ruins, of the God-Generals attacking, and that Luke and the others might be in serious need of her help - help she had no way of providing them so long as they remained separated.

"...Who's there?" Natalia hesitated, straining her eyes in the darkness, and trying to catch a glimpse of what she had clearly heard. It was a young child crying, she was almost certain of it. And who could simply ignore such a thing? He could be in danger out here all alone like this!

"It's all right!" she called out reassuringly. "I'm here to help you. Please say something so I might find my way to where you are!"

And that's when the nearest shadow attacked.


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