I apologize for how cheesy this is. I actually wrote it waaaaaay before I even finished playing Tales of Vesperia with FlowerChild777. In fact, I started writing it immediately after getting Estelle back in the party. So it wasn't quite consistent with what happened in the end credits. But you know what? This is fanfiction and I don't feel like trying to rework an already cheesy story. So I hope you brought some nacho chips and tissues.
I do not own Tales of Vesperia. I mean, I did go out and buy a copy, but I don't own any of the legally complicated things like trademarks. Support Namco Bandai!
Yuri took a deep breath, halting in his tracks and turning his face toward the sky. He closed his eyes as he felt the warm sunshine on his face. A gentle breeze kicked up, rustling his hair and cooling his cheeks.
Their journey had ended only a few weeks ago, and already things were so different. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so relaxed. Though he had moved to Dahngrest, Karol was giving him a three day "vacation" from the duties of Brave Vesperia in order to visit Halure. Though he didn't find guild work overly stressful, he found that the short reprieve was welcome, even if he did have one errand to run on behalf of the guild before his vacation technically started.
He looked back over his shoulder at the city. The field that he was currently standing in was partly obscured from the town by a few trees, but the blossoms of the Great Tree were still easily visible from his vantage point.
"Yuri," a familiar voice called to him softly, and he looked down from the blossoms into the smiling face of one beautiful princess. As she walked away from the shade of the trees to join him in the sunlight, she added, "I was so surprised when Flynn told me you were here! Aren't you busy helping Karol set up Brave Vesperia in Dahngrest?" she asked, confusion coloring her tone.
He returned her smile, silently thanking Flynn for his cooperation in letting Princess Estelle come to Halure's blossom viewing festival. "Actually, I do have one piece of official business to take care of, but Karol's letting me have a few days off once my task is accomplished," he explained. "I think I should actually get that out of the way first, since it concerns you."
"Oh?" Estelle looked really confused now. Yuri had to resist the urge to smile even more widely at her expression. "What could it be? I haven't heard about any requests sent by the Empire."
"Actually, I'm a little ahead of schedule, but I figured since you and I knew each other, it wouldn't be a big problem," Yuri explained. "I assume you know about the new arrangement between the Empire and the guilds."
Estelle nodded. "Of course. The top guilds are supposed to send ambassadors to live in Zaphias, and the Empire is supposed to send their own ambassadors to Dahngrest."
"Exactly. And since Brave Vesperia has proven their mettle in the face of certain defeat, we were chosen as one of the guilds to send a representative."
Estelle's mouth opened in surprise before widening into an excited grin. "Oh, Yuri! You're the representative, aren't you? That's wonderful!" she exclaimed, closing her eyes and bringing her hands to her chest in a show of joy.
The smile was rather contagious, as Yuri felt the emotion welling up inside of him as well. He was about to ruin his whole plan by giving into impulse and kissing her right there, but Estelle unintentionally put a damper on that idea. "But wait, won't Brave Vesperia be at a loss without you, Yuri? Karol has become a good leader, but doesn't the guild need your skill?"
Yuri shook his head, feeling a little calmer. "Nah. A lot of skilled people wanted to join. The ambassador swap isn't supposed to happen for another few months anyway, so I'll be heading back to Dahngrest to help sort through the potential recruits and help Karol get settled before I go. Besides, since the Empire is more amicable toward the guilds, Karol eventually wants me to set up a branch of Brave Vesperia in Zaphias, the same as how Fortune's Market is operating there now."
"Wow, Brave Vesperia is growing pretty quickly. I'm so happy for you," Estelle congratulated.
"I'll be sure to pass that along to Karol, Judy, and Repede when I head back. But now that the boring stuff is out of the way, how have you been?"
The Princess looked a little taken aback by the abrupt change in topic. "Me? I've been doing well. Though things are a little dull. Not that I want something to happen!" she amended.
This time the young man couldn't help but chuckle. While a little chaos would keep things exciting, he knew Estelle would never wish for something disruptive to people's lives. Before her could reassure the princess he heard music coming from the direction of the town. As Estelle looked over her shoulder in the direction of the sound, the swordsman rolled his eyes, knowing his best friend was responsible for the incredibly cheesily romantic music. He'd asked for privacy, not ambiance, for heaven's sake!
Still, when the young woman looked back to him, blushing slightly, he knew he was going to owe Flynn big time. Well, bigger than he owed him already, anyway. He held out his hand, palm up. "Care to dance?" he asked. It was almost a pointless question, as she had already started reaching for him before he even finished asking.
They came together slowly, and Yuri held her gently. She was far from fragile, and had endured more pain than such a sweethearted girl ever should. Yet he kept his grip gentle, as though she was one of the petals falling from the Halure tree. They moved in a slow dance, not quite in time with the melody, but happy with their own pace.
The swordsman kept his eyes on the young woman's the entire time. At first, she reciprocated the gesture, but as her blush worsened she would glance away every now and again. Yuri didn't mind. She was in his arms, and that was his main concern at the moment.
After rescuing her from Alexei, they barely had so much as a semi-romantic moment. Hence why Yuri had even begged for Flynn's help in organizing their meeting today. Admittedly, it had taken more than a little effort to swallow his pride, but he knew it was worth having Flynn berate him as he enjoyed the moment. He hummed to himself as he spun her out and then brought her back into his chest, closer than before.
Slowly, slowly, he brought them to a halt as the last of the music faded. However, he refused to let the woman in his arms go even after they stopped moving.
"Yuri?" she asked, looking up at him.
He smiled at her softly and reassuringly, hoping to quell some of the tension that he had felt creep up her spine when they had stopped dancing. He'd thought this through very carefully. Estelle had already seen him at his best and his worst, and yet he still knew he held a spot in her heart. He hadn't bothered to buy a ring; Estelle had plenty of jewelry, so he wanted to take her with him so that she could pick out something she would want more than what she already had. There would be opposition, of course, because of their vastly different social standings. But, heck, they had already saved the world; he figured they could handle a few uptight nobles.
After all, if he had managed to convince Flynn then the rest of the court would be a piece of cake.
"Estellise," he replied lowly, earning the deepest blush he had ever seen on the girl's face. "Will you marry me?"
At first Estelle only looked at him. But then she leapt up, throwing her arms around his neck. He could have easily caught her, but preferred to let them fall back into the soft grass of the field. "Yes, yes, a million times yes," she finally said shakily. She lifted her head to show Yuri her teary-eyed smile.
He cupped her cheek and used his thumb to wipe away some of the tears that had already fallen. A few drops fell from her face and landed on his own cheek as he lifted his head and pulled her down into a kiss.