A little bit of fluff! And happiness! This is the other dance that Ari got the dress for.
CHAPTER ELEVEN: STARLIGHT DANCE
A few days have passed since the incident, and it is now Nia’s actual birthday. She received her gifts and was generally celebrated to be sixteen. And that night, Ari would get her new dress she won in a previous chapter. And of course, she would get to dance with Artham.
That is, if they could convince her to leave the house.
It took some coaxing on Nia and Emerald’s parts, but finally, she agreed…on two conditions: Artham would stay by her side the whole night, and that the Durgans would be present.
So, now the girls were getting ready for the dance, while Artham and Esben were waiting downstairs.
“I’ll be dancing with Nia. Rudric wants to dance with someone else,” Esben said, rather proudly.
“As long as you two don’t get into another fight, I don’t care who you dance with,” Artham drily replied.
Esben punched his brother in the shoulder. Emerald suddenly came down, looking as bright and pleasant as a little lark in her white dress.
“How do I look?”
“Absolutely lovely, my lady,” Artham smiled.
Esben walked forwards, took her hand, and kissed it with a bow. She laughed.
“Esben, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so clean,” Emerald said.
“It’s only because Wendolyn helped him get ready,” Artham teased.
Nia came downstairs, in a green dress. She smiled. “You both look very royal tonight,” Nia said in regard to Artham and Esben.
“Thanks?” Artham said, with a cockeyed grin on his face. Esben only smiled slightly.
“Where’s Ari, so we can go?” Emmy asked, impatience dancing in her eyes.
“Fixing her hair…again,” Nia said with a smile.
Emerald rolled her eyes. “This makes forty times now.”
Nia laughed. “Close to!”
Finally, footsteps were heard coming down the steps. Arundelle appeared, staring at the ground. She looked lovely in that red dress, with gold linings, and pink flowers and green leaves embroidered in.
She looked up rather shyly at Artham, who blushed immediately upon seeing her.
“You young’uns ready? Podo hollered from outside.
“Yes, Papa!” Nia shouted, going outside, after her mother kissed her cheek.
Emerald and Esben followed. Arundelle then went, and Artham closed the door behind them all.
The sun was beginning to set, and with it came the cool evening breeze everyone needed after the hot day. It was a lovely night for a starlight dance, and everyone could see Nia was glowing with excitement.
When the cart finally stopped, Nia was the first one off.
Everyone else followed suit, and Podo pulled the wagon up to where other adults were. As soon as they got there, the music started, and the dancing began. Esben and Nia started dancing first. They made a nice-looking couple, because, even though Esben was two years younger, he was taller.
I could see her becoming queen…one day, Artham mused.
Next, Rudric danced with Emerald. Artham laughed a bit to himself. There, his tiny sister, with giant Rudric.
Biggin and Jodi were also dancing. So were Clout and Olumphia, though everyone could tell Olumphia was the only pleased one.
Then, Artham took Arundelle’s hand, his heart beating fast, and a shy light in both of their eyes and their dance began.
They were quiet at first, but soon, both of them felt more at ease.
“It’s a beautiful night,” Ari commented. “The whole air smells like flowers.”
“You think so?”
“Yes! Can’t you smell them?”
“No.”
Arundelle laughed. Then her merry eyes took a more serious look. “I never thanked you for the other night.”
“There really isn’t…need to. I did what my job is. Protect the people of Anniera.”
Artham hesitated. “And those I love,” he said, turning a little red, but looking at her intentionally.
Ari looked at him curiously, then gasped slightly, and looked down. Her face was a pretty shade of deep crimson. But then she mustered up the courage to look up. “Well, your people, and those you save, love you too.”
Artham’s heart leapt to his throat, and all he could do was smile, as if in a dream. “I think I smell the flowers now.”
Ari laughed. “That’s because Emmy has flower perfume on and we’re right next to her! Don’t you know the difference between a real flower and a fake one?”
Artham looked at her confusedly. “Should I?”
Ari just laughed again.
The whole rest of the night was filled with laughter and joy, especially for Nia. When the dance broke up, and Nia was sang to again, and everyone’s feet were thoroughly sore, they all climbed back into wagons, and were driven back home.
Esben practically raced upstairs; Nia close behind. Emmy yawned and followed them, but Artham drank a glass of water and told Wendolyn a little about the night. But Wendy could tell from the sparkle in his eyes that he was very pleased about something.
Artham and Ari walked upstairs together, and, as Artham bade Ari goodnight, she quickly kissed his cheek, before slipping into her room. The movement was so swift, and Artham was so shocked that he barely caught the sense of home that it gave him. As he walked back to his room, and lay down for the night, he placed it.
His mother, whose kiss he hadn’t been able to sleep without these past four years. That’s what it reminded him of, wat it felt like. He smiled.
And, amazingly, he was able to fall asleep, for the first time in four years, peacefully. All because of her.
Just in case that wasn't clear, Artham could not sleep for his whole life without his mother kissing his cheek because of the feeling of warmth and home that it gave him again. When Ari kissed his cheek, it gave the same feeling. So, he could sleep again! 😃
Let me know if anything seemed wonky! Hope you all liked!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
applause