Disclaimer:
I do not own the cover image nor any of the characters mentioned in this story
The image belongs to Eliyora
Characters belong to the Brony D&D crew
R&R!

background summary/Prologue

The group had just finished fighting a large horde of demons (no balors this time, thankfully!), and are recovering from their wounds. Unfortunately, during the fight one of the demons managed to strike at Ivan and broke one of his legs. All of the spellcasters had spent their major healing spells during the fight, so while he won't die from it, they won't be able to heal it fully until morning. Faerthurin cast her new mansion spell and the group was about to head in when the cursed merchant shows up. Oin, Rose, Ravvas, and Amber (carrying Ivan) went inside to rest, and Faerthurin went to see what the merchant has in stock this time. And Jalerom...

Jalerom looks between the portal and the merchant trying to decide on where to go. Choosing not to get in the way of a worried dragon, he heads over to Fae and the merchant. "Anything good today?" Fae looks over at him and shrugs. "Not really. Unless you want to become deaf, paralyzed, or see hallucinations all day." She gives him a kiss on the cheek then starts walking towards the portal. "You can see if your luck is any better, I'm heading inside." Jae gazes at her retreating figure until she disappears into the portal and sighs. Gods above I love that woman!

Turning back, Jalerom notices the merchant staring at him with a contemplative expression. "What? Is there something on my face?" The merchant starts digging through the pockets of his cloak. "I think I have something you might like, and it's curse is a very mild one. Ah! Here it is!" He pulls out what looks to be a small music box. Taking a closer look, Jalerom notices it looks well worn, but underneath the small scratches and dust there's a beautifully painted design of people dancing. "What can it do?" The merchant smiles. "It will play any song you want, but it is almost at its limit. It can only play one or two, possibly three, songs before it becomes useless, so you'll want to pick your song choice carefully." Jalerom raises an eyebrow. "And its curse?" The merchant's grin only grows wider. "Of course! As I said, this item's curse is a very mild one. The one who uses this must dance to it, but if you try to resist it will cause you to lose some dexterity."

Jae nods and reaches for his coin pouch. "How much?" The merchant shakes his head. "No charge, consider it a gift!" Jae gives him a questioning look. "Why? What's the catch?" The merchant shakes his head again. "No catch. It's just that..." The merchant's gaze becomes slightly unfocused and his face looks very somber, as if remembering a sad memory. "Everyone deserves to be happy, to spend time with the one they love. Even if it's just one dance, they will remember that moment forever." He gives a sad smile and hands the box to Jalerom. "So take this gift, and use it to dance with that pretty elf woman you stare at!" Jalerom's face turns bright red, but he takes the music box. "Thank you." And with that, Jalerom heads into the portal, which disappears afterward. Staring at the spot the portal was, the merchant gives a small smile and leaves. "Use it well, my old friend."

...

Jalerom stares down at the tiny box in his hands, thinking through all the songs he knows, which turns out to be a very short list. After all, he's a rogue, not a bard. But he does know a bard that would definitely be willing to help! Now he just has to get past the fierce, fire-breathing dragon that's guarding the little gnome. Heading to Ivan's room, Jalerom knocks on his door. "Hey Ivan, it's Jae. Can I come in?" After hearing a cheerful little "sure!", Jalerom enters the room and sees Ivan on his bed laying against what seems to be a giant gold pillow. That is, until the 'pillow' lifts her head to glance at him. "Hey Amber." The she-dragon just gives him a small nod before returning to her position curled around her treasure.

"So Ivan, how's the leg?" The small bard gives him a sunny smile. "It's good. Oin and Rose used the last of their minor healing spells to set the bone, and Rose used woodshape to make this neat splint for me!" He points to a wooden thing strapped to his leg. "I think she used a couple of wood spoons to make it. Anyways, they said I need to rest and try not to move it until they can heal it tomorrow." Jalerom smiles. "That sounds great buddy! You'll be good as new in no time!"

Jalerom gives a nervous glance towards Amber. "Umm, Amber? Would you mind if I had a minute to speak to Ivan alone?" Amber glares at him and blows some smoke in his face. "I'll take that as a no then." Ivan reaches up to pet her head. "It's okay amby, I'll be fine for a minute or two. Why don't you go see if Oin has enough spellpower to whip up some food?" She gives him a long look, obviously struggling with her desire to stay with him and her stomach. Finally, food wins as she gives a long sigh, then slowly climbs off the bed, being very careful not to jostle the little gnome.

As soon as she disappears from sight, Jalerom drops into a chair by the bed with a small sigh. Ivan instantly becomes concerned. "Is something wrong Jae?" Jalerom shakes his head. "No, nothings wrong." A faint blush appears on his cheeks. "It's about Fae. Could I ask you for some advice on something?" Ivan grins brightly. "Ohhh, about Fae huh? Sure, how can I help?" Jalerom shows him the music box. "The merchant gave me this, it can play any song I want. The problem is that I don't know many songs, so I was wondering if you could recommend a good song for Fae and I to dance to."

Ivan thinks through all the songs he has ever played or heard for the perfect song for his two friends. "Ah! I know just the one!" He begins to play a few bars, and Jalerom recalls hearing the song when he was young. "I remember that one! They sometimes played it during an annual festival in Gatless Town. The whole town would be decorated in pink and white, couples would exchange gifts, and people would gather in the square to dance with loved ones." Jalerom gets up to leave. "Thanks buddy, it's perfect! I'd give ya a hug, but I don't want to risk hurting your leg. Then Amber would definitely have my head!" Ivan gives him a thumbs up. "No problem Jae, now go dance with your lady!"

To be continued...

Author's notes:

(Please don't hate me for having Ivan hurt, I feel bad enough for putting the little cinnamon roll through it.)

Sorry to leave it hanging like that, but it was getting a bit too long. So I decided to split this chapter into two parts!
I would have uploaded this sooner, but I hit a massive writer's block midway through!
To make up for it, I will be adding a bonus at the end of part two!
I'll try to have part two up within a week, I hope. But on Nov.12 I will be auditioning for America's Got Talent (wish me luck!), so if I get through I may be busy.

Oh! If you're wondering why I didn't mention Hana or Arkoth in this, I started writing before they appeared in the show. I promise they mill be mentioned in a future chapter. Also, if you can figure out the holiday the festival is referencing, you get a cookie!

Now, I won't be able to improve as a writer if I don't get feedback, so feel free to leave a review! Let me know what you think of the story, what I can improve on, or if you want to ask me something.

see you next time!