I do not own Legend of Dragoon or any of the characters.


Celebration

Cade smiled as he watched the girls all walk away. The trip back to Fletz had been peaceful. On the ship, he and Rose had spent the time in the Crow's Nest, and then on the trip from Donau back to Fletz, monsters apparently decided they didn't look very appetizing, for a change, and stayed away from them. Once they'd arrived, they'd seen Princess Emille leave the castle to publicly apologize for the horrible behavior Lenus displayed while posing as her, as well as give names for the unborn child of the same pregnant woman as Lenus had rejected. Albert was so lovestruck by Emille, that not only had he been mumbling to himself and thanking God for leading him to Tiberoa to meet her, but he had also not noticed her leave and actually asked where she was nearly a minute after she was gone when they asked him if he was okay.

Once they were in the castle, they were summoned to the Chamber of the Sun where the king brushed off the fact that they lost the Moon Dagger, in favor of praising them for defeating the Gehrich Gang, Lenus, and the Sea Dragon. Then, they were practically ordered to enjoy themselves at a banquet in their honor, which Meru was all for once she had clarified that a banquet was, in fact, a type of party. Once they were told to relax until the banquet was almost ready, he and Rose headed to the room they had stayed in, where they were out of the way. Cade didn't pressure Rose into talking to him, as he hadn't in the Crow's Nest, he was simply there. On the ship, it had been quiet yet nice. However, once they were there, Rose seemed to feel the need to talk to him. She found it funny, and also a tad ironic, that she was being hailed as a hero. Cade had reassured her that she was a hero, and had done his best to make her believe it, along with throwing in a healthy dose of flirting for fun. Then, Dart had finally arrived and told them that the party was starting soon, and Rose and the other girls had all been told by Libria that they were supposed to go and get measured for dresses for the banquet. Rose had tried to refuse, but after some urging from Cade, Meru, and Shana, and some vaguely questionable input from Haschel, she had relented and agreed. Meru had declined in favor of being able to wear her dancer's bikini, though.

"I think Rose is starting to warm up," Dart said as he and the others walked toward the room they slept in.

"I agree," Haschel nodded. "I think it might have to do with someone else's influence."

"I'm not so sure," Cade said, pulling off his poncho, scarf, and cuirass, hiding the poncho and cuirass under one of the beds, then wrapping the scarf around his neck again, though in a way that looked a bit more dignified then having it just looped around his neck a couple times and the ends hanging behind himself. "If anything, it's probably just because she's getting used to travelling in a group. She was traveling along for a long before, so she never had to worry about anyone else's feelings."

"Oh I'm sure somebody else's feelings have something to do with it," Albert said.

Cade rolled his eyes. "I promise you, it's not that."

"I don't know," Meru said. "I'm pretty sure it is."

Cade rolled his eyes, lying on the bed he'd hidden his things under. "Whatever you think."

He closed his eyes, though he didn't let himself fall asleep, so the others all found a place to sit and drifted into their own thoughts as well. Finally, after several more hours, Libria came to fetch them, taking them to the Chamber of the Sun. There were tables of food lining the walls, decorations hung everywhere, and there were many, many guests already mingling and waiting for the king to officially begin the banquet.

"This banquet is to honor the eight heroes who saved Tiberoa!" the king announced to all of the guests. "Enjoy yourselves!"

Cade looked around, not seeing Rose anywhere, and he could tell from Dart's face that Dart was having a similar problem trying to find Shana. However, as they were trying to find them, Meru suddenly appeared out of the sea of dancing guests, grabbing Cade's hand and shoulder and tugging him into a dance. Cade couldn't help but laugh for a moment before falling into step with her.

"I don't suppose you've seen Rose or Shana?" Cade asked.

"How rude, asking me about another girl in the middle of our dance," Meru pouted, though her knowing smile broke through within seconds. "I haven't seen her."

"Kongol said the same thing," Cade said.

"Well, she is wearing a dress," Meru said. "Maybe she just looks totally different."

"Maybe," Cade shrugged. "Well, as much fun as it is to dance with you, I'm going to keep looking."

Meru sighed. "Fine. I'll find someone else to abduct."

Cade chuckled and nodded, stepping back and giving her a quick bow, which she returned a mock curtsy to, then turned, looking around. He walked toward the balcony and looked around carefully. However, when he finally found her, he had to stop himself from laughing over how right Meru was, as well as picking his eyes up off the ground, along with his jaw. She was leaning back against the wall with her arms crossed and a deep frown on her face, which was why his brain picked her out from the crowd at all, and had removed her horned tiara. She still wore her choker, but otherwise looked so different he had almost not recognized her. Her dress was black, with a slim, sheath design, the dress very simple, yet somehow looking perfect on her. It was a smooth, shiny fabric with a pair of thin straps over her shoulders, the fabric of the dress extending up to just below her choker, making it look like a part of the dress, then had a diamond window cut into it to expose a bit of cleavage. The dress hugged her figure tightly, particularly around her waist, and the skirt fell loosely from her hips with a split up the left side to high on her hip, the material tailored to hang a little bit more tot he right in order to expose her leg more. Along with the dress, she wore a pair of low black heels and a pair of bicep-length sleeves matching the dress.

She looked up at him just as he recovered from his surprise at how beautiful she looked and he could swear he saw a hint of color fill her cheeks. He smiled, walking over to her.

"You look beautiful," Cade said honestly, not a hint of flirtatiousness in his tone.

"Thank you," Rose said, actually blushing slightly.

"Will you dance with me?" He asked, holding out his hand.

Rose looked off to the side uncomfortably. "I can't. I don't know how. I've...never done it before."

"That's alright," Cade said, taking her hand. "I'm not very good, so people will be laughing at me." Before she could stop him, he turned, quickly guiding her to a fairly open spot on the dance floor, taking her right hand in his left, lifting her left hand to his right shoulder before setting his right on her hip. "Just follow my lead, alright? And don't look at your feet."

Rose nodded, cheeks a slightly darker shade of pink than before, before he began to lead her slowly. After a couple repetitions of the simple steps of the dance, Rose began to get the hang of it so he began to speed up until they were dancing at a normal speed. They danced and twirled around the dance floor together for a long while as the calming music drifted through the air. Rose looked at him after a moment, seeing him watching her happily and her cheeks darkened slightly, but she relaxed into the dance the rest of the way, allowing him to lead her easily. After a couple of minutes, he raised her hand over her and told her to spin, so she stepped away from him, turning around once before he tugged her hand, Rose twirling back into him, a small smile gracing her lips, though her eyes gained an accusatory look.

"Not very good at dancing my ass," Rose said. "You know exactly what you're doing."

"You're right," Cade smiled. "I do know what I'm doing. I'm enjoying a dance with the more beautiful woman in the world."

Rose dropped her head, but he could still see the smile. It wasn't the small one he sometimes managed to coax out of her. This time, it was a real, full smile, and it took his breath away.

"Oh my God," Cade gasped, eyes wide.

"What?" Rose asked, smile falling away and worry replacing it.

"I was right," Cade grinned. "You have the most beautiful smile I've ever seen."

The smile returned, despite her best efforts, her cheeks flushing, and she rolled her eyes. "You are unbelievable."

"And you're more beautiful than words can express," Cade grinned.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll try anyway," Rose said as the music began to slow.

Cade slowed their dance in accordance, shifting his hand to the small of her back, finding the back of her dress was open to about her waist, and as a result, Rose ended up standing flush against him as they did little more than sway to the music, turning slowly, the other pairs around them doing the same. Rose shifted the arm he was holding out to the side and he smiled, pulling it to his shoulder so that she wouldn't have to hold it out, then rested his own just above his right on her back. Rose looked at him, and he smiled warmly, Rose's own smile growing slightly in response. He took a moment to admire her beauty. Now that he was so close, he realized she didn't have any makeup on, even having removed the red usually adorning her lips, which were a soft pink, barely any more colorful than her skin. He swallowed hard as he felt an overwhelming urge to kiss her. He may have gotten her to smile, but if he tried something like that, she'd probably decide to use him for sword practice. He tore his eyes away from her face to make it easier to refrain from making a mistake, and instead looked out at the balcony and seeing Dart and Shana kissing. It was about time. He was happy for them. But seeing it made him wish that Rose felt the same way he did even more. He glanced at her and his eyes flicked to her lips again, unbidden. He needed to excuse himself, or else he wouldn't be able to stop himself much longer. Not as beautiful as she looked right now.

Finally, the song began to wind down, and Cade stepped back, bowing slightly and smiling at Rose. "Thank you for the dance, beautiful."

He turned, walking away quickly as a pit formed in his stomach. He swallowed a lump in his throat and left the Chamber of the Sun, then headed out to the roof of the castle and up to the bridge between the two Princesses' towers. The guard standing guard there glanced over at him and walked away to give him some privacy. Cade smiled gratefully, looking up at the stars above them, just in time to catch a glimpse of Albert and Emille walking up the stairs of her tower together. He smiled. That didn't take long.

He sighed, returning his gaze to the stars, naming the constellations his mother had taught him. That had been one of their favorite things to do together was stargaze. it was calming and peaceful, and it always managed to make him feel small and insignificant. While that wasn't always a good thing, in this case, it was. It made him feel secure, somehow.

He glanced over as Rose stepped up to his right, leaning on the low wall beside him. He shifted his gaze back to the sky after a moment, and they stood in silence for a long while.

"They really are beautiful," Rose said finally. "The stars."

"I know something infinitely more beautiful," he smiled over at her.

Rose smiled, not even bothering to try to hide it now, but shook her head. "You really don't ever give up."

"So long as I can see you smile like this, I'll do whatever it takes," Cade said. "I'll never give up until you can't stop smiling."

Rose's smile grew and her gaze fell to the ground. "I had fun. It was...really nice, dancing with you."

Cade smiled just as a breeze blew, making Rose's hair on the right side, brush against her face. She frowned, scrunching up her knows adorably, and reached up, brushing it back quickly, only for it to instantly fall back in her face. She tried again, but the hair was just short enough not to stay behind her ear. Cade chuckled, and she looked up at him irritably, only for him to reach his left hand up, gently sweeping her hair back, brushing it underneath a longer strand to hold it in place.

"There," Cade said, thumb brushing over her cheek, hand resting on the side of her neck lightly. "Better?"

"Yeah," Rose said. "Thanks. And for teaching me to dance, too."

He smiled. "You don't need to thank me. I had a good time too. After all, I got to spend it with you."

Rose's smile faded as her eyes softened suddenly, flitting over his face, as though she were searching for something. She opened her mouth to speak but her voice died. Finally, she took a small breath and blinked, her eyes watering slightly. "Don't ever give up."

"Never," Cade promised, steeling himself to be slapped, but leaning in regardless.

He moved slowly, giving her time to push him away, or slap him, but instead, she remained still as if frozen. However, at the last second, he felt her pull away and stopped himself, pulling away as well and swallowing. He opened his mouth to apologize, only for her to lean in, capturing his lips. He let out a short sigh of relief, returning the kiss in kind. It wasn't earth-shattering, and he didn't suddenly feel like she was the only thing that existed, the way his mother had once described what a first kiss should feel like while he was still young. The kiss was slow and hesitant, yet passionate and firm. Innocent yet addicting. Her lips were softer than he'd expected, and every time he breathed in through his nose so as to avoid having to pull away, the air was stained with her intoxicating perfume. After a moment, he felt the fingers of her left hand slip timidly into his right hand and he smiled into the kiss, taking her hand in his, holding it firmly. She sighed, the kiss growing a little more deliberate. However, after a few more seconds, she pulled away. She didn't go far, just far enough to break contact and let out a shaky breath as she smiled. His mouth opened to speak, but he caught himself, swallowing the words that had tried to come out. It wasn't the right time for that. Not yet. After a moment, Rose rested her forehead against his, smiling and keeping her eyes closed, her free hand sliding up to rest on the back of his neck, Cade dropping his left hand to her hip. After a moment, he slipped his hand into his pocket, retrieving the ring he'd bought for her, then reached up to her right hand, lifting it off his neck long enough to slip the ring onto it.

Rose gasped, lifting her head and staring at her hand, eyes wide with surprise. Her eyes shifted to Cade, and he simply smiled. Her eyes watered before she smiled, capturing his lips again, both of her hands moving to the back of his neck, holding him tightly as his arms looped around her waist, holding her against him. This time, the kiss was faster, and felt a little more needy than before. He could feel a certain hunger in the way her hangs clung to him, the way her lips moved against his, the way her tongue swept out of her mouth to search for his, which met it halfway. Rose let out a shaky breath as their tongues swirled together, hands clenching slightly. He felt his head beginning to feel light, like he was getting drunk off of her presence. However, before it could progress far, she pulled back, breathing heavily and resting her forehead against his again, Cade struggling to catch his breath as much as she was.

"Please don't ever give up," Rose said softly.

"I won't," Cade said. "No matter what happens, I give you my word, I will always be right here."

Rose nodded, one of her thumbs brushing over his cheek absently. They stayed like that for a long while, periodically trading kisses, but just happy to hold each other. Finally, they headed back into the castle and to bed, Rose stealing one last kiss before turning in for the night when she saw the room was empty.


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