A Winter Tale
By Fade Into Darkness
Rating: G
Genre: Romance
Summary: Picard is wandering through a wintry Vale at night… who will he meet under the moonlight?
It wasn't enough.
No, it certainly was not enough, to have battled a force strong enough to shake all of Weyard singlehandedly and have won, and then go to a beautiful town at the foot of the great Mt. Aleph, and live the rest of his life peacefully, without worries of food or housing because of the benefits that he got for being a hero, and then the high pay for simple work, and then the free food, and then the…
The point was, he should have been completely ecstatic with his life. However, like most Lemurian men, he longed for romance. And excitement. And freedom.
He opened the door to his house, a beautiful little cottage nestled in the woods, near Kraden and Mia's houses. He liked it because it was far off. He could socialize if he wanted to; it wasn't necessary to talk to a neighbor every time you stepped outside.
They say those who have had much violence in their lives before, are like drug addicts, and can't sleep because they are wondering where they'll get their next high.
This was not the case. Really.
"Why hello, Picard." A pleasant voice almost materialized. He looked down the path to his home to find Mia, a silvery blue bundle, walking towards him. He smiled, and bowed.
"Lady Mia, good to see you." He prayed to Mercury that he sounded happy, and not depressed. There she was, smiling up at him, snowflakes dazzling her cerulean hair.
"I was just going to take a walk, I thought you might like to come."
And just how could he refuse such big blue eyes?
They started off together, slowly, the moonlight never waning, remaining a glorious diamond with many smaller diamonds surrounding it. The air was cold and silent.
"Tonight would be a wonderful night to die." Picard heard himself saying. Wonderful, now I've scared her…
"I know what you mean. Everything is so… silent. And the sky is like a giant blanket to cover you up, right before you lay down to rest."
Picard's breath caught in his throat, and he marveled at how well they knew each other, though it seemed as if they had only just met.
They reached the top of a hill, where the snow was iced over, and when they climbed it their footprints did not show. It was surrounded by dark trees, silent and unmoving in this magical place. Picard had a flashback to lights, a ballroom, music, gowns, a banquet, and… the dancing. Yes, the moon overhead was the delicate silver chandelier, frosted with diamonds. The snow was the white marble floor, and the trees were the people, who melted into a background, and though they were in reality quite animate at they danced, to Picard he had always felt they stopped moving.
And Mia was just another lady of the court, more beautiful in her simple gown and plain hair, than all of the ladies with their elaborate ballgowns and sparkling jewelry.
"You look beautiful." He blurted out, but somehow he knew Mia would understand.
"And you look handsome." She replied, gazing off at the trees in their glorified stillness. She was somnambulant, her eyes glazed over.
And then they started to dance. It was all so simple, all so perfect. They danced to their own song, something so secret and so perfect.
