her soul embodies grace

Guy Cecil

Before Natalia's journey begins, she shows absolutely no interest in getting to know Guy. She appears to be sick of his phobia of girls and even says to his face that she "doesn't know what the maids see in him." Natalia is not concerned as to why he may be the way he is, which would be evidence of not caring about him to begin with. To her, Guy is only her future servant after she marries Luke. While she isn't nasty to him, she certainly does not treat him like anyone important to her. She gives him commands and expects him to listen to whatever it is she asks of him. It is only after traveling with him that she begins to see him as a true companion. Not only does he tend to cater towards her condition and happiness initially, it is Guy who works incredibly hard to cheer her up when she is struggling with the situation of her birth. He makes sure Luke keeps an eye on her, makes sure they take breaks for her to rest and tries at any opportunity to make her smile. When Natalia is worried that King Ingobert will reject her no matter what, Guy responds by saying:
Guy: If His Majesty insists on rejecting you, then come with me to Malkuth. I'd welcome you with open arms.
Natalia: ...How can you say things like that with a straight face?
Luke: Hey, don't let Guy sweet-talk you into defecting to Malkuth!
Anise: How about instead we take King Ingobert off the throne and make Natalia queen?
Natalia: ...Hah hah. ...I'm...sorry... I...I didn't mean to start crying...
Guy: It's okay. So much has happened, it's got to have been unsettling.
Natalia: ...I'm sorry, everyone. I'm all right. Thank you, Guy.
Guy: I'm happy I could help bring back your smile.
Natalia: You're going to make me blush.
While Guy is notorious for saying such things to women, I do believe he truly meant what he said. He would be happy to have Natalia with him. Guy obviously cares for Natalia, otherwise he would not try so hard to watch over her. He was the only one that did not express annoyance or disgust with her actions and words when she first joins the party. It is hard to tell just what his feelings for her are because he is polite to everyone and usually keeps his feelings to himself. I personally believe that Natalia is at least almost as important to him as Luke is. It could be in a friendship sense, or he could have more feelings for her than he realizes. He may just simply feel partially responsible for her because while Luke is Natalia's childhood friend, Guy is aware that Luke is not in the position to take care of her. Guy also knows that Natalia has been rather sheltered up until the point that she joins the party so he most likely wants to look out for her for that reason.

Whatever the case may be, his words and actions definitely do not go unnoticed by Natalia. Though she may not openly say anything, her behavior towards him obviously changes after the princess ordeal, and even more so when the party finds out the cause of his female phobia. I think it is safe to say that she no longer considers him pathetic. In fact, Natalia seems to have formed a bond of trust with him along the way. When the party finds out about Guy's connection to Van, Natalia immediately stands up for him. She refuses to believe that Guy would betray any of them because he is a dear friend to all five of them--herself included. Before the final battle, the two of them talk by themselves and Guy gives her his input about her hesitation with Luke. He is the one that gives her the push that she needed in order to come to her own conclusion about her relationship with both Luke and Asch.

All in all, I believe that Guy is like a guiding light for Natalia. He is there to support her when she is down and help her through any fog clouding her mind. Natalia probably appreciates his consideration and treasures his unconditional kindness. They bond initially because of their concern and responsibility for Luke and eventually Natalia begins to trust and appreciate Guy's support during her struggles. Ultimately, I think that Guy is probably the strongest relationship Natalia formed during her journey throughout the game and that they have the most potential for a deeper relationship.

b a c k   .   c l e a r   .   f o r w a r d    Defining Royalty and its contents are © Samantha, however Natalia and Tales of the Abyss are © NAMCO. Defining Royalty is a part of AFTER-DEATH.ORG.