Ashe sat on her throne as the guests started to enter the Main Hall. It started out slowly, a few nobles coming in pairs before the common townsfolk began to come in. The idea of having normal people attend was both Ashe and Larsa's idea, believing Vaan would blend in more, making it easier for him to enter. Not only that, but security was low inside the castle itself, in fact, there were only four guards in the Main Hall, two at the door and one on either side of the Queen's throne.
The sun was already down when Larsa took a seat next to her, a smile could be seen on the young Emperor's face as he looked at the Queen. "Everything's all set, Your Majesty. Now, we wait."
As the hours went by, Ashe would wander the main hall, the need to get her limbs moving again put her nervousness at ease, if only a little bit. More than once she had been asked to dance, mostly by members of the Council, and she had refused every one of them. Larsa would often follow her around, along with Basch, trying to make her less nervous. His words made her a little better, but he also gave her some words of caution, otherwise the guests might get worried.
The last thing I need is people getting suspicious of why I am acting this way, Ashe thought, twiddling her fingers together. She walked out onto a balcony outside the main door, taking a deep breath to relieve her anxiety.
Security was lacking, and Vaan snuck easily into the main hall without being seen. Having climbed from an alley next to the castle, he considered himself lucky that he hadn't been seen. If anyone had seen him anyway, they probably would not have recognized him. The costume he wore was like his ordinary outfit, but he wore a black cape with red fabric on the inside.
"Best I can do on such short notice," the sky pirate thought, having stolen the items from a small shop in the city.
Vaan tried to act like he was just an ordinary commoner and not draw attention to himself. The hall was nearly full, except for the dance floor, which had at least ten couples dancing to the music of the orchestra.
The outside of the dance floor was extremely crowded as he made his way through it. He kept an eye out for Ashe or even Larsa, hoping then he could get a moment alone with her at the least. Even if it were just for a few minutes, he'd like to speak to her again.
After getting some fresh air, Ashe left the balcony, intending to head back to her throne. If Vaan was at the ball, he must be waiting to show himself, waiting for the right time.
If that's the case, then I better be somewhere he can see me clearly, the Queen thought to herself. She was calm as she tried to go through the crowd, many of whom kindly stepped aside to let her through.
As she went on, she accidentally bumped into someone, but she didn't have time to apologize when she ran into someone else. Cursing herself for that, she first said sorry to the first person, and when she turned to the other, she found herself looking up into Vaan's eyes. And he was smiling.
Vaan had originally been heading to the outside balcony to wait to look for Ashe, the last thing he expected was to run into her enroute, but he was glad he did. He took her appearance in first, wearing a dress similar to the one he remembered seeing her wear at her coronation, simple light blue in color, shoulders bare to show her flawless skin.
Remembering his original plan (to be a stranger), Vaan bowed to his Queen, an act of courtesy he rarely showed her (she requested that he would not do such things, as it embarrassed her).
Even though his gaze was lowered, he had a slight feeling that she was as red as a Galbana Lily right now.
Standing up straight again, Vaan saw a little bit of red in Ashe's face as he spoke, "Queen Ashelia, I'd be honored if you would dance with me."
Ashe put a hand to her heart, somewhat flabbergasted as Vaan offered his hand to her.
Struggling to maintain her sense of composure, which it took a great deal to do so, she took his right hand with her own, "I would love to, V- sir."
She saw a smile creep across Vaan's face when she had to correct herself on calling him by his name.
The two walked onto the dance floor hand and hand amidst the other pairs of dancers already there. Most of them left within seconds of the Queen's entrance, as she had never been on the floor since the night began. A sign of courtesy, and one Ashe wished had not happened. She was already nervous, she wasn't a dancer, though she had danced once before, at her wedding with Rasler, but that seemed like another lifetime compared to now. Now, she was on the dance floor with a wanted fugitive and her lover, and not exactly one with her body. Her heart and mind were somewhere else at the moment.
Once the two made it near the center, which was completely empty by then, . Ashe had wished it wasn't as so, the feeling of being the center of the room made her shake. When she felt Vaan's hands get into place, she felt a little more secure. His hands were placed on the small of her back, gently holding her as close to him as possible, the tips of her chest lightly touching his chest. Ashe's hands were on his sides, not where she originally wanted them, but she had to remember to act like this was the first time they had met. But that was more than impossible to Ashe, yet she tried her damnedest. It was taking a lot for her to hold herself together, since there were things she wanted to do.
In fact, she desperately wanted to kiss him.
Vaan danced with Ashe at a slow pace, wanting to savor the moment he had. Dancing with the Queen was something he had not expected. His original plan involved talking to Ashe and escaping from the castle before the guards caught onto him. This was not part of that plan, but he decided to take advantage of the situation, and it was satisfying for him.
"You know, I was beginning to think you weren't going to show," Ashe whispered in Vaan's ear.
The sky pirate smiled, "It was too good an opportunity to pass up."
"I am glad you came," the Queen replied. Even though he had made her shake with eagerness, anticipation, and her nerves were shot on top of it, Ashe was over-joyed to finally be with him again. Unconsciously, Ashe laid her head against Vaan's right shoulder, breathing slowly, taking in the sweet air between them.
This act of affection made Vaan smile, but he suddenly had an idea. "Ashe, would you like to talk somewhere a little more…private?"
Ashe didn't move, as it seemed she liked where she currently was, but she agreed and spoke nonetheless, "Thought you'd never ask." They stopped dancing, and Vaan led her through the crowd, and back onto the balcony Vaan had entered the castle from. The two went into a far corner, blackened by shadows, with only the blue moon for light. After making sure no one was around, Vaan decided that now was a good time to 'break the code'.
"Well, seems we're finally alone—"
As soon as he finished that sentence, and fully turned to face her, Ashe had pressed her lips to his. She had a hand on each side of his head, holding him in place as her lips assaulted his. Ashe pressed Vaan up against the cold stonewall behind him, leaning her body against his. The only reaction Vaan could give is put his hands on her hips.
Ashe had to eventually pull away to replace the breath she had lost, but her face remained merely inches away from Vaan's. Vaan smiled, feeling Ashe's heart beat rapidly against his chest, "Feel better now?"
Ashe finally began to breathe calmly and smiled, "You don't know how long I've waited to do that…"
As Ashe's hands traveled to Vaan's chest, the man spoke, "Three days, right?"
"You never gave me a proper farewell."
"Yeah well, I had to hit the road before I got caught again."
Ashe nodded, "I can understand that, but you could have woke me nonetheless."
"Why wake a sleeping angel?", Vaan said with a smile. Ashe had never heard him describe her as an angel, but then again, he probably kept knowledge of their relationship to a strict minimum. Nevertheless, Ashe felt heat rush to her cheeks at his words.
Gently placing his right cheek against her left, whispering in her ear, "I missed you."
Ashe placed her hand gently to his cheek, "I suffer when you're away." She pulled away, looking into his eyes, "Were I not born royalty…"
"Fate is cruel to us all, Ashelia."
"It's never fair," she said, laying her head against his shoulder again, "I just want to stay with you…"
That's when Vaan got an idea, "Well, I have a proposal for you."
The Queen looked up at him, puzzled, "What's that?"
That is when Vaan smiled.
Larsa had seen Ashe walk away with someone, but had not seen his face. Maybe she had run into an old friend…or she had finally ran off with Vaan. Either one was possible, but Larsa went to check it out, but by the time he went to the balcony, both Ashe and the stranger were gone.
As he was looking around for her, Basch came to the Emperor's side, "M'Lord?"
And that's when the low rumbling of an engine was heard. A small airship was seen going into the distance, and Larsa figured it out.
Basch must have as well, "What should I tell the council, Lord Larsa?"
The young Emperor simply smiled, "We'll say nothing that we shouldn't."
A/N: This is NOT the end! I plan on continuing this for at least two more chapters! However, due to National Novel Writing Month taking place in November, I will not be able to get the next chapter done until December
