Dancing by the flames at night
Disclaimer: I don't own the Golden Sun series nor any of it's idea's or characters.
Felix and the gang had just defeated the Great Serpent of Mikage, and returned to see Lady Uzume and say goodbye before they departed for the Champa Ruins. Lady Uzume had other ideas and decided to invite the adepts to a festival that the village was holding to celebrate the end of the terror that the serpent had caused. Felix agreed, but only because of how determined his sister was to stay and dance the night away, and she threatened him with if he didn't agree to stay another night.
"I can't wait to go dancing!" Sheba said excitedly. "This is going to be so much fun."
"I have to agree. This will be interesting. I've haven't danced in a long time." Piers said.
"I'm sure that you'll have an enjoyable evening Piers. Susa said that Izumo is famous for its festivals." Kraden pointed out.
"True. And we'll be here to help you have a fun night." Jenna said.
"Thank you Jenna." Piers said with a smile. Sheba faced Felix and smiled shyly at him.
"Felix, will you be dancing with us tonight?" Sheba asked. Felix looked uneasy.
"…"
"Felix? What's wrong?" Sheba asked.
"I don't think I'll be coming along to the festival tonight." Felix said. Jenna sighed.
"Felix, why don't you want to come dancing with us?" Jenna asked.
"I'm… not comfortable with dancing. I haven't danced since before I got taken away to Prox." Felix said. "It brings back bad memories."
"That's no excuse!" Jenna said stubbornly. "Piers hasn't danced in a long time either and he's still going to give it a go, so why can't you?"
"She's right Felix!" Sheba said. "We'll teach you to dance and we'll help you have a fun time tonight!"
"Felix, I'm sure that taking this evening to dance the night away and have a lot of fun will do you a world of good." Kraden added.
"Exactly. You have no excuse to go and mope on your own." Jenna said triumphantly. "You're coming with us tonight and that's final!" With that Jenna dragged off Piers to help her find a dress suitable for the occasion. Felix shook his head in annoyance while Sheba couldn't help herself as she started giggling at Felix.
"Don't laugh at me." Felix said. "It's not funny."
"Don't be so shy Felix. Dancing isn't that bad you know." Sheba said.
"I'm not shy!" Felix said defensively. "I just don't like parties that much."
"I know, you've told me that." Sheba said with a laugh. "But I think that it will do you good to enjoy some time in public with your friends, and you'll make a few more friends if you're lucky. So won't you please come and dance with us?"
"Fine, I'll come along and dance tonight. Are you sure about this?" Felix said. Sheba grinned and hugged Felix excitedly. Felix felt how energetic Sheba was and felt a smile growing on his face.
"Oh thank you Felix! You'll have fun, I'm sure of it! I'll do my best to help you enjoy yourself. I'm going to find Jenna so I'll see you tonight." Sheba said before she dashed after Jenna. Felix secretly laughed at himself. Something about her smile just brightened his day up every time he saw it.
Later that night Felix had got ready to go out and dance. He wore a simple green tunic with brown pants. Not a big change, but it suited Felix so he was happy with it. As he reluctantly walked towards the crowd, Piers noticed him and walked towards him in greeting.
"Felix, I'm glad that you turned up tonight!" Piers said. "Jenna was complaining about what she'd do if you didn't turn up. None of it was pleasant."
"That's Jenna for you, she's never happy unless she gets her way." Felix said with a sigh.
"What did you say?" Jenna called out angrily. "If you're thinking of backing out, you're going to be sorry!"
"I said that I hope that you have a fun time tonight and feel happy afterwards." Felix said.
"Thank you Felix, you're so considerate." Jenna said with a smile. The tension in the room dropped considerably.
"Jenna, would you like to come and dance with me?" Piers said as he bowed and offered a hand. "I'm no Isaac, but I'm sure that my Lemurian dancing will keep you entertained for quite some time." Felix sighed in relief. Piers was stepping in to keep an angry Jenna way from him. Piers would likely collect on the favour sometime later in their quest, and that was fine by him.
"Thanks Piers, that's really kind of you." Jenna said. "I appreciate it. Let's go." With that she took Piers hand and walked off towards the dancing crowd.
Felix grabbed a drink for himself, and then he sat down by the fires that lit the area and watched everyone dance. He felt comfortable now. His group still had to save Weyard, but for this one night he felt that he could be himself and not worry about his parents, or Isaac, or worry about Jenna and Sheba. He soon felt a presence approaching him. He turned and saw Lady Uzume walking confidently towards him.
"Felix, I thought that I might find you here." Lady Uzume said as she sat down next to Felix.
"Ah, Lady Uzume. What brings you here, and how did you know that I might be here?" Felix asked.
"Jenna and Sheba told me that you tend to stay out of your way when it comes to parties, and this is a good spot to keep yourself warm by the fire. So why aren't you dancing or celebrating with us Felix?" Uzume asked.
"To be honest, I don't like social outings that much. I'd rather sit here and relax rather than try to dance. I haven't danced in years… and it's hard to be cheerful when your parents are being held hostage." Felix said. Uzume nodded sagely.
"Yes, Jenna told me about that a short while ago." Uzume said. "Sheba also commented that you were unlikely to come and celebrate with us tonight." Felix looked at Uzume in surprise. Uzume smiled at him. "They're both worried about you Felix. Sheba said that you were 'one who would worry and look after everyone around him, but not spare a moment for himself to be happy' while Jenna said that 'Grumpy Felix never stays around to have fun when it comes to parties.' So I thought that I'd come find you, and ask you to dance with me."
"Are you sure about this?" Felix asked. "I'm not that much of a dancer…" Uzume laughed.
"It would be my honour. If it makes it any easier, consider this my thank you for saving our village." Uzume said graciously.
"Well if you put it that way, it can't hurt to try to dance." Felix said.
"That's the spirit Felix. Come, I'll show you how we dance here in Izumo" Uzume said as they walked into the crowd.
"Felix, take a look at the people around you, and pay attention to how they are dancing." Uzume said. "Once you understand what I'm telling you here, we'll do a little bit of dancing."
"Okay." Felix said as he looked around and noticed how everyone was dancing. While he could feel the beat of the drums in the ground and the flutes playing in the wind, he noticed that everyone around was dancing to their own beat. He smiled in his newfound revelation.
"Everyone dances differently." Felix said. "Some move quickly, while others prefer a slower pace. While they may use the song as a guide, how they dance is slightly different for everyone." Uzume smiled as she nodded.
"Now you understand how we celebrate and dance here. We go at our own pace, and we don't force anyone to move at our own beat. Now, shall we dance?" Uzume said. Felix nodded and started to move to the music that he heard. It was slow and a bit awkward, but he soon got the hang of it and he matched Uzume's own dancing style.
"This isn't too bad!" Felix said while he was dancing.
"I told you that you could do it." Uzume said. "All you needed was a little encouragement, and now you can dance and enjoy yourself."
"I guess that I have been a little too hard on myself lately." Felix admitted.
"A little? You've been pushing yourself way too hard ever since we started our journey." Jenna said. Felix groaned.
"Jenna, what are you doing here? I thought that you were dancing with Piers tonight." Felix said. Jenna simply laughed at Felix.
"I was, but he's gone off to our ship. He's had enough for tonight." Jenna said. "I was also thinking about you and how you were handing being here tonight."
"Well, I'm actually enjoying myself here. I feel that I can relax, and be myself." Felix said. "You've got nothing to worry about Jenna."
"That's a relief. I'm happy that you actually came out to dance tonight Felix." Jenna said.
"It feels good to relax and not worry about the world, or our friends and family for one night." Felix said. "Speaking of friends, where is Sheba? I haven't seen her at all tonight."
"Well, she's been waiting for a chance to dance with you Felix. Take a look behind you." Felix did turn, and he was surprised by what he saw.
Sheba stood in front of him. Her hair was a little bit longer than usual and it curled around her shoulders, and her piercing green eyes shone brightly. She wore a simple white dress with a gold trim that flowed as the wind moved it this way and that. She smiled as she made her way towards Felix.
"Hi Felix." Sheba said.
"Hello Sheba. I'm surprised that I haven't seen you sooner. Where have you been all this time?" Felix asked. "You were so excited about dancing tonight."
"I've been talking with Susa and Kushinada for a while now, and I wanted to come and dance with you. If you'd want to that is." Sheba said.
"I'd be glad to Sheba." Felix said. They made their way towards a corner of the crowd and started to dance. It was a simple dance, one that told of their friendship and how they connected to each other. It spoke of their times of captivity, and the trials that they were going through. The wind and earth around them moved as if in time with their dancing.
"It isn't so bad to dance now, is it Felix?" Sheba asked. Felix smirked.
"No, it's ok. It's more fun than I thought it would be." Felix said.
"Well I'm happy with that. You're not the social outcast that you think you are." Sheba said teasingly. Felix simply picked up the pace of their dancing. Jenna and Uzume stood by the fire, watching them dance for a while.
"They're quite close, aren't they?" Uzume said.
"They are. Look at the way Felix is dancing with Sheba." Jenna said.
"Yes, he's quite caring and protective of her." Uzume said. "And she loves being around him. And yet they don't realise it themselves." Jenna giggled at the implication.
"I didn't think that they would ever have something going on between them. I guess that they just need a bit more time to grow together." Jenna said. "They'll be dancing for quite some time tonight." Jenna said.
"I agree. We should go and leave the two of them alone for the night." Uzume said. They walked off back to Uzume's home while Felix and Sheba kept dancing together.
A few hours later Felix and Sheba were dancing slowly together, but then the music stopped and another song started playing. Felix stopped for a moment and wiped a bit of sweat off of his brow.
"Phew, I've had enough dancing for now." Felix said.
"I've had enough dancing to last me for a month." Sheba said. They both laughed.
"Well the fires are still going, so why don't we take a breather by the fire?" Felix asked.
"That's fine by me." Sheba said. They found a comfortable spot and sat by the fire looking at the villagers that were still dancing.
"So, what did you think of tonight?" Sheba asked.
"I had a wonderful time. Dancing with you and Lady Uzume was a lot more fun than what I thought it would be." Felix said. Sheba grinned victoriously.
"I had a lot of fun too." Sheba said. "I told you that I'd help you have a fun time tonight. Getting Lady Uzume to help you learn to dance was a good idea after all."
"Uzume told me that you and Jenna talked to her about it." Felix said. "She told me that you said I'd always worry and take care of everyone around me, but never gives myself a chance to be happy."
"And you know I'm right." Sheba said firmly. "I just wanted you to be happy and have a fun night, you deserve to be happy Felix. Look at what you're doing. You're out to save Weyard and your parents, you're protecting Jenna and me, and you even risked your life to save my own. I still haven't forgotten everything that you've done for me." Felix hesitated before speaking again.
"Sheba, I just don't want anyone involved getting hurt. For a while now I felt that I couldn't allow myself…" Felix said before Sheba interrupted him by laying a finger on his mouth.
"You're a hero in the making Felix. I believe in you, but… I hope that you can believe in yourself." Sheba said.
"Sheba…" Felix said softly. "That means a lot to me. Thank you."
"You're welcome Felix." Sheba said with a smile. "You're pushing yourself really hard so just take it easy and relax for tonight ok?"
"Ok. I'll relax just this once until my parents are free." Felix said.
"Good. Now just lay back and relax." Sheba said. Felix laid back and put his arms behind his head and looked at the stars. Sheba got closer to Felix and sat with him.
"I can see the Venus beacon off in the distance." Felix said. He pointed to the sky. "Have a look at where I'm pointing at." Sheba took a moment before seeing it herself.
"I see it now! It looks like it's shining brighter than the other stars." Sheba said.
"Apparently Venus has been shining brighter than when the beacon was first lit. I wonder what the sky will look once all the beacons are lit." Felix said.
"Well, I guess that the sky would look more beautiful than ever." Sheba said. They simply sat next to each other and enjoyed the silence between them.
Felix thought about what being emotionally close to Sheba would be like. After a couple of moments thought, he realised that he liked the idea, as well as how much he liked her. They stayed there for a while, before Sheba got up and looked at where the party was. Hardly anyone was left to be seen.
"It's getting late. We should be getting back to Piers' boat." Sheba said with a yawn.
"Good Idea. Let's hurry on back." Felix said. They walked by Lady Uzume's house, past the inn, and they soon got back to Piers' boat. They climbed up and stood outside of the cabin door.
"I wouldn't mind if we could do this again sometime." Sheba said.
"I'd really like that Sheba. You helped me more than you could imagine. I felt that everything was ok with the world, just because you were there with me." Felix said.
"That's really sweet of you to say Felix." Sheba said as she fought the blush that was coming onto her face. "I don't know what to say…"
"Well when we get the chance, we'll dance together sometime." Felix said. "So, is it a promise?" Sheba smiled.
"Ok, it's a promise." Sheba said. Felix smiled, and took one of Sheba's hands and kissed it. Sheba's face turned red.
"I like you a bit by the way." Felix said uncertainly. "If you'd be willing, I'd like to… you know." Sheba looked at Felix before a moment, before she threw her arms around Felix and she stood on her toes to give Felix a joyful kiss on the lips.
"There's my answer Felix." Sheba said mischievously. "We should get some sleep, we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow. This is the best night I've ever had. Goodnight Felix."
"Goodnight Sheba." Felix said as Sheba walked off to her bunk room, and Jenna was using another bunk in the same room. Felix knew he was going to get a mouthful the next morning. But still, it wasn't so bad. He managed to have a fun night, and he found a connection with Sheba that he didn't expect to happen.
He was looking forward to his next dance with Sheba.
Fin