Chapter 11

Nightly Activities

Irvine ran through the halls in a panic frenzy as he searched for Squall. He had been flirting with one of the maids when he realized that the Crown Prince of Esthar was missing…once again. "S…Sq…Squall!!!!!" he wailed, running all around the castle, searching for his best friend. "DON'T DO THIS TO ME!!!!! SQUALL!!! LAGUNA'S GONNA KILL ME IF HE FINDS OUT I LOST YOU!!!!! SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!!!!!!!"

"Lost him again?"

Irvine whirled around immediately to the sound of the familiar voice and sighed. "Ugh! It's you!" he groaned in disappointment. "Why does it always have to be you?"

Rinoa, arms crossed over her chest, gave Irvine a skeptical look. "Oh don't give me that, Kinneas. Just because we're stranded here doesn't mean you should ignore your duties," she said, walking up towards him, an evil smirk playing across her lips.

"Oh shut up. I don't need to be reminded by you of all people," the sharpshooter grumbled, watching as Rinoa approached him. "Look, I don't have time for this right now. Have you seen him or not? If he's decided to wander about the whole area unsupervised, his father's going to use me for his next target practice when he finds out!"

Rinoa shot the sharpshooter a skeptical look. "Slow down, Kinneas. There is no possibility that Laguna's going to arrive here. For one thing, transportation's been cut off. According to this whole 'Trepe Thing,' all transportation's been cut off from Balamb. There's no way anyone can get in here or get out of here," she explained, slightly irked. She gave a disappointed noise. "Ugh! Caraway will be so displeased."

Irvine let out a sigh of relief. "Well, in that case, Squall shouldn't have wandered too far…I hope." He tipped his hat towards Rinoa, giving his usual smirk. "Thanks a lot, cos," he said before jogging out of the hallway.

*

"What? A Spirit Creature? Here?!" Edea exclaimed, her voice filled with shock and disbelief. Her pale face was twisted into a serious scowl as her lips tightened firmly.

Seifer held up a heavily bandaged hand and waved it around in front of his mother. His mother's worried voice hurt his ears. "Relax, Matron. We took care of it," he replied reassuringly.

Edea chewed the bottom of her lip nervously. She rushed to her son's aid and felt his forehead quickly. "You're hurt! Your wounds should be treated immediately. You might be infected with something," she fussed briskly, unwrapping the bandages around Seifer's wounds.

"Ouch! Matron – ouch! I'm fine! They're just small flesh wounds. That's all. Raijin took care of them," Seifer protested, wincing slightly from the touch of his mother's hand. Edea's cool fingers were no comfort to his newly made scars.

Edea clicked her tongue in disapproval but pulled away slowly. "Very well," she replied, moving to sit on a chair next to Seifer's bed. Her gaze shifted towards the open window as she absent-mindedly brushed Seifer's hair with her hand.

Seifer sighed, annoyed that his mother still continued to fuss over him. "…Maybe I'm trying too hard," he mumbled, resting his head against his pillow. His eyes studied the ceiling carefully, as if in deep thought.

"Too hard? On what, dear?"

"My duties. The GFs. Galbadia…" Seifer paused for a moment, trying to think of what to say next. It wasn't very easy to speak out his mind. Yet, Seifer's deepest secrets were always confided in Edea. "…Love, perhaps…"

Edea smiled and turned back to look at her son. Her emerald eyes lit up into a curious gaze. "Oh?" An eyebrow rose up to an inquiring look. "And pray tell, to whom? The Lady Trepe, perhaps?"

The blonde nobleman didn't reply at first. Although he had found the heir to Balamb's throne breathtaking, he was still unsure of his feelings towards her. Seifer did take a small liking to her; after all, she was to be his future wife. Yet, there was also someone else he had favored as well.

Noticing the odd silence from Seifer, Edea decided to study her son's expression carefully. "Yes…I deem the Lady Trepe would make an excellent bride for you. From what I've seen of her, she's intelligent, calm, beautiful…powerful." Edea paused in order to smile at Seifer. "A perfect match, I suppose. She is completely opposite of you…She will truly calm your fiery spirit…"

Seifer remained silent. He didn't want his attitude "tamed."

"Of course…" Edea added, removing her hand away from Seifer's hair. "Knowing you, there's something also troubling you about this subject. You have your eyes set on someone else, don't you?"

At this, Seifer smiled ruefully. "You know me too well, Matron."

*

Quistis continued to stare out the window, a blank expression playing across her face. Although most of the inhabitants of the palace were already asleep, slumber was far from her mind. Earlier on, Fujin had told Quistis the situation dealing the GFs.

"GFs. UNAPPROACHING. BASK," Fujin had said in her monotone voice when Quistis had been in the tower.

"Hmph. That may be so, but it's nothing to be happy about," Quistis grumbled to herself, closing her eyes. Restlessly, she slumped against the window and propped her chin against the windowsill. She knew she would only have six days left to figure out a plan. But what could she possibly do?

"SQUAAAAAAAAALL!!!!" came the high-pitched scream. It sounded desperate and exhausted.

Quistis sighed and opened her eyes, glancing at her shut door. Not even her own room could block out Irvine's high-pitched wailings. "Looks like Kinneas hasn't found Squall yet," she muttered to herself, turning back to look out her window.

Staring at the view before her, Quistis noticed Balamb Town was well lit with many lights. Distant music could be heard from afar, and there seemed to be much celebration.

The princess smiled slightly. Even with the dangers ahead, the people of Balamb were still in a celebrating mood. It made Quistis envious. As a child, she was never given an opportunity to do what she pleased. Her childhood was filled with strict duties, limiting her freedom to occasional playtime with Zell and Selphie. Even then, Quistis never experienced many childhood memories.

Sighing once again, Quistis turned her gaze back to the festive town. Yet instead of staring at the flashing lights, she caught site of a cloaked figure sneaking away from the palace. The figure seemed to be in a hurry and often looked around to make sure no one was present. This made Quistis curious.

A suspicious look rising to her face, she rushed to her wardrobe and picked out a casual dress made for travel. A grateful gypsy gave it to her as thanks for Quistis's assistance. It was an orange dress that was made simply. The hem of it was slanted so that one side of the skirt would reach Quistis' knee, while the other side would only reach her thigh. Although sleeveless, it covered her neck efficiently.

Hastily, the princess fumbled for a large hair clip, and clipped her hair back casually. She knew her father would disapprove of her informal attires, but she was in too much of a hurry to worry about her hair. Slipping on a pair of shoes, Quistis rushed out the door, throwing a cloak around her as she slipped out of the castle. She made sure to keep quiet, knowing that Irvine was lurking around the hallways.

The small clinking of heels could be heard occasionally as Quistis made her way out of the palace grounds. Guessing that the mysterious figure would have headed to the town, she jogged towards it, trying to make as little noise as possible.

Arriving to the small town, Quistis realized that most of the villagers were at the town square, celebrating. The festive music played on cheerfully, its tune bouncy and jovial. Laughter could be heard and children could be seen playing with one another.

~Hmm…Where could he be?~ Quistis thought to herself, looking at her surroundings cautiously. Making her way deeper into the town, she came upon a small child huddled against a wall. Curiously, she bent over to the small child and looked her over. "What's the matter, little girl?" she asked, crouching down to the child's level.

The little girl looked up from her sobbing. Her tears glistened down her cheeks as she stared up at Quistis. "M…m…my d…doll," she wailed through sniffles. "G…G…Gustav…h…he…" Her voice trailed off as more sobs erupted. Finding difficulty in talking, she merely pointed to something resting on the ground.

Quistis turned her gaze to where the little girl had been pointing to and found a ragged doll. The doll appeared to be worn and dirty, and its head was severed off almost completely. "Oh, don't cry. There's no need to mourn over it. Here," she said, picking up the doll with one hand while reaching out for a handkerchief with the other hand. Pressing the handkerchief gently on the little girl's cheeks, she added comfortingly, "I'll repair the doll for you."

The child stopped sobbing immediately and peered at the princess once again. "Y…you mean it?" she whispered, sniffling loudly.

The princess nodded. "I give you my word. Now, dry these tears of yours and join your friends over there. It would be a shame to cry so much and waste celebration time." With that, she sent the little girl off to the festival. Surprisingly, a smile touched the corners of her lips as she watched the child go off into the distance.

"You have a way with children."

Quistis whirled around quickly and found the Prince of Esthar leaning against a wall behind her. It appeared that he had been observing Quistis for a long time. "Oh, so this is where you've been. Kinneas has been looking for you," she said, trying hard not to sound surprised.

Squall's eyes remained expressionless. "Has he, now?"

"Don't give me that. He was worried about you," Quistis snapped, beginning to scowl. Why did Squall always irritate her so?

Squall met Quistis's cool, blue eyes calmly. Strangely, unlike Seifer's piercing glare, Squall's eyes held a soft glow to them, although it was encrusted in a frosty stare. "I needed time to think. That's all," he mumbled tartly. "I can't concentrate inside the palace walls. I needed to get out."

Quistis sighed. How she longed to tell Squall about how she really felt with her duties. But, not wanting to trouble him, she remained silent and pretended to be listening to the music.

Suddenly, the princess felt a shy tug on her cloak and looked around. It was the little girl she had met a few moments ago. "Oh? What is it?" Quistis asked, bending slightly to the child's level.

"Come with me! Come with me!" the girl said, tugging on Quistis' cloak eagerly. She ran over to the direction of the festival and signaled for the princess to come follow.

Quistis stood up straight and glanced at Squall. "Shall we proceed? Or shall I leave you in your solitude?" she asked coolly. Not waiting for a reply, she hurried over to the little girl, guessing that Squall would just ignore her. Squall was always the type who disliked everyone and kept to himself. It was clear that he would not pursue.

But Quistis guessed wrong.

Squall watched the princess walk ahead and followed silently. He kept his face still, but watched intently was Quistis was brought into the crowd of dancers. He observed how she was thrown into the cheerful dance the moment she had been spotted.

Quistis, surprised at first was tossed from one partner to the next as the music played on jovially. To her shock, she began to giggle slightly, her head spinning around and around the never-ending dance. "Stop, please, I don't think I can dance another step!" she exclaimed through a fit of laughter. Releasing herself from her partner, she walked over to where Squall had been standing.

There was a strange look in Squall's eyes this time. Something had changed slightly in them, although Quistis couldn't point out what it was.

For a long moment, the two nobles found nothing to say to one another. They both stood in silence, watching the cheerful dance continue on. It wasn't until the music had stopped did the townspeople take their notice. Eyes suddenly turned to gaze upon Quistis and Squall in a curious manner. Many of the people smiled, while others held apprehensive looks.

Quistis squirmed slightly, suddenly aware that all eyes were focused on her and Squall. "W…What is it?" she stammered nervously, beginning to blush.

An old woman smiled and walked up to Squall, patting his shoulders. "Ah, so you're the one with the pretty lady. We thought it awful strange that someone as pretty as her could be wandering around all alone," she said kindly.

Squall held a shocked look on his face as he turned a small shade of pink.

"Oh, we're not really a couple, if that's what you mean," Quistis mumbled, continuing to blush. She could feel more stares turn her way, making her more uncomfortable. Oddly, she noticed that Squall was silent.

The old woman laughed in amusement. "Nonsense! Look at the two of you. Picture perfect if you ask me!" she said heartily. Noticing the puzzled look on Quistis's face, she waved her hand in reassurance. "Oh don't worry, dear, we're not going to eat you! We would just like a dance with the two of you as the lead. Every year we celebrate the Crop Feast, praising the world for a wonderful year. And in every celebration we had, we would have a nice couple leading the Autumnal Dance," she explained slowly and carefully. "You two were so adorable together, we decided to have you two lead us in the dance."

Squall looked as if he was going to be sick. Quistis's eyes bulged out. "Y…you can't be serious. I'm sure there's someone else to…"

"Please, we insist. One dance, please," the townspeople pleaded, pushing Squall and Quistis to the center of the celebration.

Before any of the two nobles could protest, they were facing each other in a dancing position. Quistis was staring wide-eyed at the prince, while Squall in the meantime, was turning an even darker shade of pink. Biting her lip, Quistis removed her cloak and tossed it aside for the dance.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Squall mumbled silently to Quistis.

"I don't," came the soft reply. Taking a deep breath, Quistis readied herself for the dance. She knew it was not going to be like the ones back at the palace.

The music then began to play. It was a bright and cheery tone, unlike the waltzes in the castle. It had a certain bounce to it, as if it were a jig. Quistis jumped at the start of the tune, but decided to improvise. Her hands met with Squall's warm grip in an instant.

Squall nothing of Quistis's improvising steps and skillfully followed.

Quistis thanked quietly to herself that Squall was a fast learner. It was also good that the beat was bouncy, giving no time for chatter while dancing. Quistis and Squall found themselves sweeping around the large fire the villagers had made, perfect in step.

For a brief moment, Quistis separated with Squall and found her arm entwining with another dancer–villagers had risen to join Squall and Quistis in their dance. She smiled broadly as she was swept from one dancer to the next, eventually sweeping gracefully back to Squall.

Squall caught Quistis as she whirled to him and whisked her way, spinning her slightly away from him and then drawing her back. He and Quistis gave a final whirl, and the music slowly died into silence.

Panting slowly for breath, Quistis and Squall remained frozen in their positions, both very close to each other. Squall had an intense look in his eyes, and Quistis fought to look away.

Applause interrupted the princess's small discomfort, and she pulled away from Squall, a large smile on her lips. Squall pulled away as well, his knuckles quickly brushing against his dry mouth.

Quistis looked slightly alarmed as she watched Squall. ~Had he smiled?~ She was sure the corners of Squall's mouth rose slightly from their usual pout before they were quickly hidden by Squall's hand. The thought puzzled her. ~Did I make him smile? Did he smile?~

Author's note: Welcome to Mushville. I'm ready to kill myself with this kind of mush. ::shiver:: I woder how I'll be taking it when this fic is over? LOL. Tell me what you think!