(AN: Redone chappie! ^^)
Royal Blunders
Chapter Four: Waist? Are You Sure It's the Waist?
"I want you to be uneased
I want you to remember
I want you to believe in me
I want you on my side
Come on
Lay it down
I've always been with you
Here and now
Give all that's within you
Be my savior
And I'll be your downfall"
~ Downfall, Matchbox Twenty
"Oooh, lookin' good, Zel!" whistled Lina when he came down the carpeted steps in a tuxedo. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Like you haven't seen me in a tux before?"
Lina shrugged, making her slim pink dress rustle. "It's worthwhile to tease you. Besides, I just love watching you squirm whenever you're embarrassed."
Zel raised the other eyebrow. "...Why would I be embarrassed?"
Lina looked around nonchalantly. "Because Amelia is coming down the stairs behind you in an absolutely stunning ball gown." Zel turned around and took a few steps back.
Amelia was again wearing a ball gown-this one, though much simpler, may have been the most gorgeous one yet. It was a light, sky blue made of flowing satin, and the sleeves covered just her shoulders. Her hair wasn't up, and she wore no jewelry, but somehow this made Zelgadis catch his breath for a second before speaking. "Why are you all....dressed up?" He knew he sounded like an idiot-he was dressed up too. Of course she would be.
Amelia laughed, her white, gloved hands covering the giggles. "We're taking dancing lessons, Zelgadis-san! We have to be dressed at least a little formal." Zelgadis scratched the back of his neck.
"We knew how to dance...we were dancing at the ceremony."
Amelia folded her arms. "Well, that was more informal, actually."
Zelgadis felt his cheeks heat up just a little. "....What do you mean, that was informal?"
Before she could answer, there was a sound of two quick claps at the other side of the room. Sir Recburg was standing there, mustache ever quivering.
In the two weeks they had been there, Lina and Gourry disliked Sir Recburg to a bitter point. Or rather, Lina hated his guts, Gourry just followed along with what she did, Zel stood by shaking his head, and Amelia worried herself sick that they would be punished in some way.
Sir Recburg seemed to hate them, but, given his prudent upbringing and mannerly ways, he proceeded to correct possibly everything they did wrong. This was usually followed by him shooting disproving glances at them every now and then, as though they were filth upon his overly polished shoe that he couldn't get rid of.
Nevertheless, he tried everything in his power to instruct them. Zelgadis was obedient enough; he did what he was told with a nonchalant shrug and a sigh that he could be doing something better with his time, but for Amelia's sake, he obeyed. He didn't seem to mind; it was nice to have some peace and quiet, but even he was beginning to feel the pang of boredom.
Gourry was Lina's shadow; whatever she did, he did as well. He had simply decided to let Lina handle situations like this, and he didn't really care at the moment as long as he could feast upon Seyrunn's luxurious dinners. He was still, however, anxious to get back on the road as soon as possible.
Lina was another story. She was finding that being royal wasn't all it was cracked up to be; sure, she still enjoyed her new financial freedom, and there was no doubt that her appetite was being temporarily satisfied at dinners. She wasn't, however, used to being so stiff and upright during some occasions, and she took every opportunity to aggravate Sir Recburg that she could. She was becoming a bit cynical of the situation; she felt just a little deprived of adventure, now that everything was brought to her quite literally on a silver platter.
But for now, she was willing to comply with the Palace's wishes. She couldn't ignore the lure of food and wealth for very long.
Sir Recburg made a little motion with his neck, as though a bug had just wriggled it's way into his pressed suit. He walked towards them and bowed shortly before straightening his board-like back. "This is your dancing lesson. We will be doing some formal routines, ones that will most surely-"
He looked over at Gourry, who, due to stuffing his mouth with a nearby platter of delicacies, had been silent the whole time. He cleared his throat loudly.
Gourry went on eating. Lina folded her arms, smirking at the frustrated Sir Recburg, and Zel quickly tapped Gourry's shoulder. "Huh, what??" Gourry said, bits of cheese crumbling from his mouth.
"In the future, I would advise you to refrain, once again, from dirtying our Seyrunn staple of etiquette at a dining occasion, and it is not even time for the main course." Sir Recburg looked pleased with himself when Gourry stopped eating to stare at him.
"...What?"
Lina proceeded to drag Gourry from his chair across the floor, then gave him a good bop. "He meant stop eating, idiot."
Sir Recburg's infamous mustache was beginning to become thin from twitching so many times. Zelgadis edged over to Amelia and whispered, "If Lina and Gourry stay around much longer, he's gonna be bald."
Amelia giggled as a new attendant, a woman with long, graying hair, walked into the room, wearing a dark blue dress down to her ankles. She didn't look as prim as Sir Recburg, who bowed to her and walked out of the room, muttering something to himself.
Zelgadis saw Lina mouth, "Yes!" and Gourry gave her a look. The new instructor looked around the room and smiled kindly at them. "Right. I'm Lady Adara, and I'm the instructor of dance. Let's pair you off.."
She looked at Gourry, with a lump on his head, and paired him up with Lina. When she looked at Zelgadis, however, she stroked her chin thoughtfully.
"Who shall we pair you up with? My second assistant is sick today. She was supposed to be your partner….ah, well." She turned to Amelia and said, "Would you mind pairing with Sir Greywords, Princess?"
Amelia looked at Zelgadis, then back to Adara. "Yes...sure." Zelgadis looked a bit taken aback, but nodded too.
Lady Adara, who smiled and clapped her hands lightly. "Now! First. Bow to your partner."
They did so...poor Gourry bumped his already lumpy head against Lina's, and she gave him a quick smack on the head. Amelia and Zelgadis stood up and looked at Lady Adara.
"Now, gents, you place your right hand on the lady's waist-"
Gourry didn't seem to mind this very much (though Lina was thoroughly making sure he didn't "try anything") but Zelgadis nearly choked. He looked over at Lady Adara, who was smiling graciously, and sputtered, "I'm sorry, 'waist'?!"
Lady Adara frowned a little, then said, "Yes. Haven't you danced before, Sir Greywords?"
Amelia was trying not to look at Zelgadis, her face turning pink, and Lina piped up, "Yeah, didn't you waltz with Amelia before?"
Zelgadis felt his cheeks heat up again. "Not formally." He looked back at Lady Adara and swallowed. "You sure it's the waist?"
Lady Adara looked Zelgadis over, and then saw Amelia, starting to blush. She grinned a secretive little grin, and nodded firmly. "Yes, absolutely. Don't worry, Sir Greywords, I'm sure the princess won't mind."
This made Amelia go from pink to red, and Zelgadis murmured "Fine," turning red as well and placing his hand on Amelia's waist while Lina snickered. Gourry tried shushing her up to no avail.
Lady Adara smiled at the two and walked between the two couples. "You know what? Why don't we try the Moonlight Serenade Waltz?" She looked at Amelia for a second.
Amelia drew in her breath momentarily. "Do we have to do that one first?" she asked quietly, and Lady Adara nodded, and began walking over to the orchestra. Lina leaned over to Amelia. "What's the Moonlight Serenade Waltz?"
Amelia said something, looking at the floor. Zelgadis looked at her. "...What?"
Amelia looked up, turning her head to the side, but Zelgadis could tell that she was blushing-he could practically feel the heat radiating from her. "Slow dance."
Zelgadis swallowed, watching Lady Adara walk back to them. "Sh-She's purposely doing this..."
A few minutes later, after they learned the waltz (and after Gourry was beat quite a few times for messing up and stepping on Lina's foot) Lady Adara struck up the band, which started playing a soft, slow, gentle tune. Lina and Gourry seemed to be doing fine on their own, as Lady Adara quietly chanted, "One, two, three, one two three…"
Amelia was dancing closer to Zelgadis than she had before, even on the night of the ceremony. She was a bit uncomfortable, but being able to relax while dancing was helpful. She also noticed that Zelgadis's shoulder had a certain scent-it was a nice one, kind of like pine. She wondered if, after all the nights they spent in the forest, camping out, Zelgadis could still have that pine tree scent? It was in his hair, on his shoulders...she found herself being more relaxed, and the music, dimmed atmosphere, and pine smell made her feel sleepy. Her head subconsciously drooped against Zelgadis's shoulder.
Zelgadis stopped for a second, but didn't want Lina to mock him for holding Amelia so close, so he kept dancing. He turned his head slightly to the right and said quietly, "Are you tired?"
He could tell that Amelia was nodding her head. Her arms were resting on his shoulders for support, and despite his being nervous, he smiled at how the princess always seemed to fall asleep during times like these. He let out his breath and whispered, "Maybe you should ask her if you can go to bed. It's been a long week for all of us."
Amelia shook her head softly and clung to Zelgadis's shoulders tightly. "No, no....I like it like this. It's...comfy, really. It's secure."
He was surprised by her answer, and wondered how he could be so "secure" if he was nervous. "That's fine with me. But I think the music is almost over."
It was true, the violins were beginning their slow whine to the end. Amelia sighed. "That's too bad. You're a good dancer, Zelgadis-san. I wish this was a bit longer….it's very comfortable now." She yawned, just as the lights brightened again.
"Well, I'll be sure to remember that." He smiled to himself, still moving slowly in time to the music.
"Hey...Zel! Amelia! Wake up, already!"
Zelgadis turned around, letting go of Amelia, whose eyelids stopped drooping. She was a bit disappointed to lose the pine fresh smell against her cheek.
She began blushing again when she saw Lina, Gourry, and Lady Adara looking at them. Lina was smirking, Gourry was rubbing his head, and Lady Adara was still smiling that secretive smile of hers.
"I see the Princess nearly fell asleep. We'll just stop there for tonight. You all did a wonderful job. Good night." She swept past Lina and Gourry, but when she reached Zelgadis, she slowed down ever so slightly, and whispered, "The Princess is very attached to you, I see. " She smiled, bowed to Amelia, and disappeared into the corridor.
Zelgadis shifted uncomfortably, then watched as Lina and Gourry each headed to their bedrooms.
"Well, seeya later, Zel, Amelia...all this dancing's tired me out." She seemed to be hurrying out, her dress ruffling against the polished floor, and she turned the corner just as Gourry turned the other one, waving to Zelgadis and Amelia, who were now alone.
Amelia yawned, stretching. "That was nice, Zelgadis-san. Slow dancing isn't that bad. Thank you." She turned to go, but first ran back to Zelgadis and sleepily wrapped him in a hug. "'Night." She walked back up the stairs.
Zelgadis was surprised; she'd never hugged him that much before. He sighed and turned to leave, grinning to himself. She was right. Slow dancing wasn't that bad, once you got used to it.
He could definitely get used to it.
(Alright! Redone-ish! I didn't need to do much here, either. I hope you noticed that I've begun using song quotes. Why? Because this is the first chapter where the mood becomes something more than humor, and it's going a bit into depth. So, song quotes, I feel, are a must! ~*~Tams~*~)