Disclaimer: I wish.
A/N: Short and sweet~ This takes place after the final battle, when they return to Mysidia from the moon. Enjoy!
It started with the musicians.
In the midst of the impromptu celebrations, a white mage brought out a pipe and began to play a cheerful, joyous little tune. She was quickly joined by a fiddler, somebody wielding some sort of hand drum, and Edward, whose harp added a lovely thrum to the mix. Despite the fact that the music was spontaneous and completely unrehearsed, it was clear that each of the players knew their stuff. Within moments, they were weaving a simple tune that set feet tapping.
Giggles erupted from a group of children as they grabbed each others' hands and started to skip about in a circle. Without any inhibitions at all, two of them broke from the circle and twirled each other about until, dizzy, they fell down in a heap of laughter. Porom, grinning widely, helped pull the excited children back on their feet. She and her twin began a second circle of skipping with the two – and that was all it took to get the adults in on the fun.
All sorts of dances were taking place. Playful children not part of skipping groups, and a few that had broken away in order to join in the fun of their peers, darted around the feet of the couples that had begun to dance. King Giott danced with his daughter, Palom and Porom had broken off from the children's group to do some sort of twisting, jumping dance, and even Cecil and Rosa spun to the music.
As the song changed, Edward's harp vanished, replaced by his trusty lute, and an equally compelling song for dancing melded into the ending of the previous one. The new piece features much more complex rhythms and melodies than before, and Rydia bounced on her toes, excited. The last time she'd seen dancing like this had been at a festival about a year before Mist had been destroyed, and she didn't remember it very well. She'd danced with her mother, giggling and bouncing about the entire time.
Now, however, though the song filled her from her toes to her fingertips with joy and the desire to show that joy through movement, Rydia stayed put. She didn't want to dance alone, and she wasn't comfortable with the idea of barging in on someone else's dance, even though she knew that they'd welcome her with open arms. Despite her cheer, the summoner sighed, gazing wistfully at the dancers.
Without warning, Edge appeared in front of her, his smile masked but shining through his eyes. Without a word, he held out his hand to her, and Rydia, smiling so much her cheeks hurt, accepted his hand and allowed him to pull her out into the fray, laughing as they danced.