a/n; Woah I have never written for this genre before, but I hope it worked out okay! Here's a medieval fantasy thingy with LilyBlaise for you Virgo! Also some Faelyn randomly appearing ahha. (also random cole and summer because)
Also - this somewhat follows roleplay canon, it's a strange mix of the cat rp, the human rp, and me fiddling with the timeline to make things work.
A WINTER'S BALL
...Of dances past…
Lily prodded at the frozen ground with a finger, and watched as a singular violet flower blossomed.
She smiled, content, and withdrew her hand, almost stroking the flower as she pulled away. It was perfect, really, sitting there atop the dew-dusted grass, illuminated by the wintry sun.
She paused, and moved her hand forward again, delicately tracing the flower, and willing more to bloom.
And bloom they did. A bouquet of flowers burst from the earth, and she finally fully removed her hand, moving it to the pocket of her dress to withdraw a pocket knife. She cut the flowers loose, and held them in her grasp, admiring them in the light of the early morning sun.
She'd always been able to do that. To have the power to pull flowers and plants from seemingly nowhere, and grow them. It was especially useful during the winter, when the days were short and cold, and the nights were bitter and hungry. It was useful when her siblings had fallen sick, and the only things she'd been able to do to help was pray, and press her hands to the swell of the earth, dreg up healing herbs, chop them away from the dirt, and give them to her parents. Watch her mother anxiously from the doorway as she boiled the plants into hot tea, coax the drinks down the throats of her sickly siblings.
It hadn't done them any good, in the end, but they'd passed on the leftover leaves to another family, and her gift had saved the life of another child.
It wasn't like a gift like hers was unusual. Most people in the kingdom had the power to do something, however small and unspectacular. Her best friend, for example, had the power to create tiny sparks of fire at his fingertips. It was rather ineffective, and only served as a party trick, something to show off to the other knights, but it was his. And it had earned him his nickname, the name that Lily called him.
'Sir Sparks.'
She'd thought it was quite clever, when she'd first came up with it. They'd had many a conversation about how their gifts suited them - Lily, with her pretty, floral name, and her power to summon flowers from the bare earth, and him, with his surname, and the ability to create fire from the tips of his fingers.
Carefully, she pulled a ribbon from her hair, a delicate blue coloured length of fabric, and wrapped it around the stems of the flowers, tying a knot. These flowers were for Blaise. They were going to the Winter Ball together, like they did every year, only this year… something seemed different. She'd skipped going with him the previous year, instead going with Stanley Clowd, the Court Jester. He'd quietly disapproved, but said nothing, standing to the side as she danced with Stanley.
Her and Stanley were through now, anyways. He'd broken her heart, shoving her to the side like a crushed flower, and ran off with Luna Feng. Truthfully, Lily did think they suited each other more - Luna worked within the Court, so they were able to see each other much more than Stanley and Lily ever did, and Luna was kept up with Stanley easier. They matched, almost, Luna's wit and fire to Stanley's humour and loud merriment.
Still, she'd been utterly broken when she'd found out. It had been humiliating, she remembered that much - Luna's brother Parker had told her, accidentally confessing that he'd seen Luna and Stanley kissing. And less than a week after they'd broken up, even. He'd seemed awfully regretful as he'd told her, hands balling into fists, disappointment etched on his face as he'd spoken about what Luna had done.
She was over it, now, or at least, that was what she told herself. She didn't need Stanley in her life anymore. She had her solid, dependable best friend, Blaise, and that was all she needed.
Speaking of him… she got up from the ground, and dusted off her dress. She was due to meet him soon, and travel up to the ball together. She was lucky to be invited, really, she'd only gotten in because of Blaise's job as a knight. She wasn't rich enough, or high up enough in the careful hierarchy of the kingdom to get an invite herself, so she'd had to ride on Blaise's coattails.
She felt like she should resent that. But she didn't, not really. She just felt lucky to be there, to feel seen.
She made her way to where Blaise had arranged to pick her up. Usually, he spent the day inside the walls of the castle, training with the other knights, but he'd slipped away to collect her for the dance.
Lily was already dressed for the dance, wearing a pretty, pale blue dress, the hem falling down to her knees. She frowned, before plucking a single flower from the bunch she'd collected, and pressing in into her hair.
She caught sight of her face in an almost-frozen puddle, and smiled. She looked… looked ready for the dance. And now, as she walked quickly, gracefully over to the main part of the town marketplace, she began to feel aphension, and excitement bubbling in her stomach. She'd always loved the winter ball. It was her chance to be seen, to put on a show, to display her dancing skills that she'd worked so hard to perfect. It was her dream to be swept up by some dancer's troupe, and taken far away from the Kingdom, be let out into the world to show off her skills. To be independent. To make a name for herself.
It was nothing more than a dream, she knew that. She'd live the same life as her parents, tending over the same spot of land, growing the same vegetables, working the same life.
The marketplace was buzzing, the air full of a party-like atmosphere. She spotted a few familiar faces, and smiled to herself, though her stomach twisted with fear at the sight of one of them. Bridgette, Luna and Parker's half-sister, was rumoured to be a witch. Not that that was a bad thing, but… it still scared Lily, a little, that she had that power. Much more power than she could ever dream of. It put her silly little blossoms to shame.
Still, she looked distinctly less frightening in the light of day, dressed for the dance - Parker worked in the castle, taking care of the books, so she must have been able to snag an invite - and with a smaller woman on her arm. She seemed softer, almost, gesturing as she told a story.
Lily chuckled to herself, and continued on her way. Witch or no witch, Bridgette wasn't a threat. She was no more scary than one of the squires that she knew through Blaise, who had been overcome by some soul-magic during the year, and had been locked inside a different body. He'd only recently been freed, but had seemed rather shaken by the whole ordeal. She'd seen him having to be helped by a taller, dark-haired boy, though the other boy seemed rather scornful as he'd helped him perfect his sword-fighting.
She made it to the edge of the marketplace, away from the main centre of the hustle and bustle. She looked around, clear blue eyes looking for a bench, a place to sit. She found one, but it was blanketed with snow, and she was unable to sit on it.
With a sigh, she leaned up against a tree, the coolness of the bark pressing into the small of her back. It was the best resting place she'd find, and she had a good view of the path that led up to the castle. She could stand here and wait, at least for a little bit.
As she waited, she mulled over who she'd see at the dance. The Feng siblings would be in attendance, she figured, seeing as both Luna and Parker worked in the castle, and their older brother, Hawk, was a knight. She had to admit… she didn't really like Luna, finding her selfish nature unpleasant, but she wasn't foolish. She knew part of that dislike stemmed from what had happened between Luna and Stanley, and it would be stupid to think that that wouldn't impact her judgement. However, she quite liked Parker. He was a sweet boy, if not too trusting. They'd grown up together, even if it had been from afar, their paths rarely crossing.
She assumed that quite a few of Blaise's fellow knights would be there. The head of the Guard, at the least, she guessed. Blaise had fallen out with the other man a few times, as he'd disappeared to a neighbouring Kingdom to visit family, leaving the Kingdom's defence weakened. Since, however, they'd made up, and she knew that Blaise now held nothing more than a somewhat begrudging respect for him.
She vaguely knew of Tristan, the squire who'd been struck by the soul-magic, and his companion, Brent, and his sister, Riley. Riley was a rare thing, a girl training to be a knight. She'd been blessed with an unusually strong bout of the power, and it was universally agreed that it would be a real waste if she didn't use it to protect the Kingdom.
There were a few more people that she knew that she felt like would be in attendance, the Light siblings were sure to be, and as were Blossom and Cinder, the Songe twins. She'd helped out Blossom with her apprenticeship, upon occasion, helping her to remember the exact temperature she needed to heat iron to in order to create a perfect sword. Lily had always had a good memory for facts, and information. Cinder also worked in the blacksmith business, Lily believed it ran in the family.
She also guessed that the young man that Cinder was courting would be there, and most likely Blossom's best friend, Crystal. (She'd never really been one for gossip, but Crystal certainly was, and she'd always been round whenever she'd headed over to the blacksmiths to help Blossom. She'd picked up a lot about the people around the town.) She also assumed that Connor Light's friend, Otis, would be there. He was a traveller, a wanderer of the lands, who'd arrived in the Kingdom just over two years ago, and hadn't left yet. She also guessed that Parker's friend - though she'd heard from Crystal that there was much more to it - would also be there, a young knight that Blaise knew called Kacey.
She'd heard that the refugees would also be attending, there as guests. They'd escaped from a rather vicious local Kingdom, one that had vastly different stances than the one she lived in. They were sweet, if not dazed by the situation they'd found themselves in. And Cherry would also be there, she hoped, the gentle girl always managing to brighten her day. She followed one of the refugees around like a loyal dog, the pair of them running off for adventures after Cherry's work as a maid in the castle was over. She didn't even need to work there, her now deceased parents having been barons, but slave away in the castle she did all the same.
She turned her gaze upwards, holding out a petite hand to shield her eyes from the sun. It was approaching noon, now, the sun high in the sky. From the marketplace, she could smell the enticing scents of cinnamon and spices, the fresh smell of hot bread, and something strong, and meaty. She had half a mind to make her way back to the marketplace - she had a few coins in her purse, just enough to perhaps scrape herself some steaming dough - but she saw something on the horizon.
An orange horse, galloping along. She stepped away from the tree, wincing when she noticed that her back was damp, and saw the figure riding the horse. Her face broke out into a wide grin, and she raised her other hand, waving in greeting.
Blaise forced his steed into a slow trot, and pulled up alongside her, hopping off easily. She lowered her hand, and he took it, pressing his lips to it.
She blushed, despite herself. He'd always been like this - gentlemanly, and kind. It really shouldn't cause butterflies to flutter around her stomach, and for her face to glow red.
She managed to convince herself that it was just because of the chill, and took her hand away. "Morning, Blaise." She smiled softly at him, moving to link arms as they made their way back to the horse.
"Good morning, Lady Lily." His voice was quieter than she was used to, strung with nerves, but she put it down to the usual apprehension of the ball. It was quite the event, afterall, and even she felt nervous, pulling at her dress. She felt ready for the dance, at the least. That was the one thing she was prepared for, really, her sprained ankle of a few months ago a long distant memory.
She gave his horse a friendly pat, the beast letting out a huff of appreciation. "You ready for the dance?" She asked, a teasing lilt in her voice. "I'm still holding you to that waltz, luv." She remarked, fondly remembering their conversation of a day or two ago, where he'd promised her a waltz.
He still looked anxious, but cracked a smile. He was dressed for the ball, a smarter tunic replacing his usually worn one that he wore for training. Though even his older clothing still looked smart to Lily, Blaise had been born into a lordship. He could just sit back, and relax, letting his wealth build as peasants farmed his land, if he wanted, but he'd chosen to take the knighthood. Make a name for himself.
It was what Lily admired him for, really.
"More than ready." He replied, reaching for the reigns of the horse. He brushed against her as he did so, which sent shivers down her spine, and made a gentle blush rise to her cheeks.
She scolded herself. She couldn't do this. She couldn't. Not after last year. She couldn't ruin the ball. She wondered briefly if she was feverish, perhaps, or sick.
She tensed, but didn't move away, waiting until Blaise had done whatever he was doing, hands folded in front of her. She'd worn some jewelry - she was almost twenty, afterall, she should start dressing up - a single silver ring that her mother had gifted her. She'd dusted her cheeks with rouge, the colour made up out of crushed berries, and done the same with her lips.
She thought she looked nice. She'd dazzle the dance floor, that was the plan.
"Are we taking your steed?" She asked, gesturing towards the horse. Blaise nodded, and moved to stand in front of her. She rolled her eyes. He always tried to help her up on the horse, everytime, and each time, she reminded him that she didn't need the help. She was perfectly capable. Though, she really should have thought about how they'd be getting to the ball, because she was clad in a dress…
She could make it work.
She clambered onto the disused bench, tensing as she felt the cold of the snow against her feet, and waited for Blaise to lead the horse over to her. When he'd done so, she hopped easily on, slotting into the saddle. He chuckled, and got up himself, just in front of her.
He waited for a second, making sure he had a firm hold of the reigns, before glancing back at her. His cheeks were also pink, tinged red with the cold of the day. "Should we be off then, dear?" He inquired, nodding towards the dusty path ahead.
She hesitated for a moment, before wrapping her arms around his torso, holding on as tight as she dared. "Lead the way, Sir Sparky." She said, grinning.
Her eyes were kept tightly screwed shut for the whole ride. The only things she could feel was the wind whipping against her face, and her best friend's shirt, wrapped securely in her grasp. She prayed that her hair wouldn't come undone, she'd spent hours that previous night curling it, putting her long brown hair into twists and curls so she'd wake up with wavy hair for the dance.
Opening her eyes briefly, she took in the sight of the imposing castle up ahead. It looked beautiful. It wasn't lit up, not yet, but she knew that when night fell, it would shine with lights from candles, chandeliers, even the glowing, almost sinister lights that those with the power to do so could summon. She could remember a year, quite a while ago, when Blaise was still a squire, and her siblings were still alive, when the castle had glowed a frosty blue.
She heard the loud clatter as the horse strode over the drawbridge, and slowly, slowly opened her eyes, sensing that they were almost there.
Sure enough, when she opened them, she found that they were standing in the courtyard, dozens of other people streaming into the wide open gate of the castle. Everybody was dressed in some kind of finery, even the guards standing in the entranceway seemed to have polished their metal helmets.
Blaise extended a hand, having already hopped down from the horse, and she gratefully took it, climbing carefully down, letting out a sigh of relief when her feet finally touched down on the rough cobbles of the floor.
She blinked up at Blaise, trembling slightly. The horse ride had left her slightly winded, feeling off kilter. He flashed her a reassuring smile, and held out his arm, which she took.
"Shall we, my lady?" He asked, gesturing towards the well-lit entrance way.
She beamed at him, nerves dissipating. "Come on." She said, and skipped towards the entranceway.
The hall of the castle was already bursting as they entered, couples dancing on the dance-floor already. Her eyebrows rose with surprise as she took in the decoration - whatever powerful being that had been allocated to decorate the hall had done a spectacular job. The large room had been filled with imposing ice sculptures, depicting scenes of great victory, and of winter's past.
"Oh, my…" She murmured, looking around at the hall. "It's…"
Blaise, who had most likely helped lift some of the ice statues in, seemed joyful still, eyebrows knit together with surprise as he took in the sight of the dance hall. "It's wonderful, isn't it?" He said, looking around.
"It really is." She replied softly. "I think this might be the best year yet…" She remarked, raising a hand to delicately trace a carved goblet, made entirely out of ice.
"Silvia would be pleased to hear that." He said, gaze drifting to where the queen was seated, looking regal in a blue gown, seated in her throne. "Between you and me-" Lily couldn't help but think that everything they shared was just between her and him, and felt a quiet kind of satisfaction at that fact - "This took an absolute age to prepare. And this isn't even the whole thing, dear."
"Oh, really?" She inquired, placing the goblet back down gently. "C'mon, you couldn't tell me what else is in store, could you?" She asked.
He shook his head, tapping his nose. "Sorry, my lady. No can do. It's a knight's honour, you see."
She shook her head in mock-disappointment. "And I thought we were friends?" She asked, turning away to look at another one of the statues.
(If she'd looked back, she would have seen the flash of uttermost dejection pass over Blaise's freckled features, shoulders sagging, and eyes round with pain.)
She couldn't hold back her joy as she tugged Blaise over to examine one of the statues more closely. As she poured over the craftsmanship, she felt her best friend tense, and glanced up, eyes narrowing when she saw who he was looking at.
Luna and Stanley.
She swallowed, hard, taking the pair in. Luna clung to Stanley's hand, dressed in a simple black dress. Stanley smiled at her, his usual friendly smile, a smile that the Lily of a year ago would have simpered and blushed at.
Instead, she just nodded at the pair, before returning her gaze to the ice statue. What the couple didn't see was her grip on Blaise's arm tightening, and a frown settling on her face.
She admired it for a few more moments before hearing voices from behind, chattering loudly, approaching Luna and Stanley. She turned around again, and was thankful to see that it was just Parker, and his friends. The curly-haired boy gave her a wide smile, but he seemed rather preoccupied with the green-eyed boy he was standing next to, only giving Lily his attention for a few moments before his gaze flitted away again.
She chuckled softly to herself, raising her hand in greeting. "Good morning." She said, smiling at the little group that had just assembled. It was easier to manage Luna and Stanley now that the couple were flanked with several other people. Even if Bridgette - Lily was sure her eyes looked red, but it could have easily just been the lighting - was present, it was still a group of people she could feel comfortable with. Connor was a nice boy, and Otis was pleasant, even if sometimes he did get a certain look in his eye, like he just wanted to up and leave. Lily was fairly certain that Connor was the only reason he was still here, and that he hadn't moved on yet.
"Hey!" Connor beamed at her, and she tried to match his enthusiasm. She couldn't remember seeing him here at ball's past - maybe it was his first time at the dance?
She smiled, and nodded at him, tilting her head to the side. She tangled a section of hair between her fingers, noticing with a jolt of disappointment that her carefully worked-in curls had become dislodged. "How are you enjoying the ball so far?" She asked, pointedly ignoring the searching look that she could see out of the corner of her eye, etched onto Stanley's pale face.
"Well, we've only just got here." Connor replied, looking somewhat puzzled. "But… yeah, it's been good. The ice… ice thingies are cool." He looked away again, gaze settling on one of the ice statues. (Connor had always been easily distracted.)
Parker stepped in for Connor, nudging his half-brother in the side as he did so. "I've heard there's quite the evening planned." He commented. Lily guessed that he'd heard a fair bit from where he worked, right in the heart of the castle. "I mean… I dunno why I'm saying I heard, I helped with most of the planning, but… yeah. I'm just saying, stay for the whole thing."
Lily laughed. "I'll be sure to do that."
Parker grinned at her. "I'm telling ya, you don't want to miss it. Like... " He looked over towards where the queen was seated, and looked back at her, holding a finger to his lips in a clear shhh signal. "Just… stay."
The boy standing next to Parker - Lily assumed that this was Kacey, who Crystal had gossiped about to her - gave him a look. "Y'know, if you give away state secrets, I technically have to arrest you." He said.
Parker widened his eyes dramatically, mouth falling open in a gasp. "You wouldn't dare." He whispered, and yeah, Lily could instantly see why Crystal had seemed so exasperated. "Besides, it's not like it's some massive secret. They were literally walking the-"
He was cut off by Kacey's hand smothering his mouth, only a muffled sound emerging. "That's quite enough, thank you." Kacey released his hand from Parker's mouth, and Lily let out a loud laugh.
"I wasn't going to say." The tawny skinned boy said, frowning. He seemed slightly thrown, though, cheeks painted with a strong rouge, and eyes still wide, pupils blown.
"You two are…" Connor trailed off, clicking his tongue, and turning back to Lily, rolling his eyes. "Honestly."
"What?" Parker asked. He seemed utterly oblivious as to why Connor seemed so exasperated. "What are we?"
Connor opened his mouth to answer, but Lily coughed, interrupting him. She decided that it was time to make their leave, and she could rescue Parker from something that would be undoubtedly embarrassing in the meantime.
She glanced over to Blaise, and decided that it was time that they made their way to the dance floor. She had a waltz to perform, afterall. "Catch you later, okay?" She said, directing her statement to Parker. She didn't really feel like catching Luna later, for instance.
With that, she tugged Blaise to the dance floor, pulling them both away to a much more secluded area of the hall. Only a few couples danced around them, swaying from side to side, moving to the rhythm of the band. Or what would be a band - Lily couldn't see a single instrument in sight, but still music played, sweet and soaring.
"I haven't quite perfected my steps." She admitted, by way of explanation. "Couldn't have people seeing that, I don't think."
He still looked nervous. Everything was exactly like they'd planned it, how she'd planned it, to fix the mess that was last year, and he still looked unimaginably anxious.
She didn't know how to fix it. Didn't know if it could be fixed. "Blaise?" She asked quietly. "Are you alright?"
Blaise looked up, and shakily nodded. "Of course, Lily." He murmured. "I'm fine."
She shook her head, and grabbed at his arm. "I don't think you are…" She said, eyes round with concern. "Look, please, Blaise… you can talk about it to me, you know. Tell me what's wrong."
Blaise looked away, and when he looked up, the hurt etched onto his expression made her heart pang with pain. "I can't tell you." He whispered. "I really can't."
Lily paused. This was… they told each other everything. Everything. They always had. "Yes, you can." She said, so softly that she barely heard it.
"I can't." He said, his voice coming out in a hiss. "I can't, because I… I love you."
Lily's heart stopped.
He couldn't- she couldn't- this couldn't be happening. She didn't want this to happen. She'd spent so long making sure this couldn't happen, pulling up boundaries, boundaries between herself and Blaise, pulling up a wall around her heart.
She couldn't let herself love him. Because if she loved him, and he loved her back, and they had something, it would… it would hurt all the more when it all fell apart. And it would fall apart. It always did. Every single relationship she'd ever had had fallen apart eventually, with her being left behind in the dust. Left behind to scrape together the last shreds of her broken heart, piece the already fractured sections back together.
As she let her thoughts run wildly through her head, frozen in place, Blaise had pulled away, loosening her tight grip on his arm.
"Forget I said anything." He muttered, turning away. She gasped at him, and cautiously grabbed for his shoulder.
"I… Blaise, please." She whispered desperately, resisting the urge to shake him, to do something other than stand there, helplessly, as the bond she'd always had with her best friend broke in front of her. "I just… I don't know what to do…" She didn't know where her thoughts were, could barely even place the rush of emotions swelling within her, but she had to at least try and explain it to Blaise. She owed him that much. "I'm just… I'm scared, because I care about you, I care about you so much, it's just…" She heaved in a deep breath. "I'm scared to love you."
Blaise roughly shoved her hand off his shoulder, his expression closed. Guarded. Unreadable. "I'm sorry, Lily." He said.
"Blaise, please." She pleaded. She could practically feel their friendship slipping away, running away like water down a drainpipe. "I… I never meant to hurt you, just… please, look at me."
He glanced at her, clearly fighting to keep as stoic as he'd been trained to be. "Let's… let's just try and have a fun night." He murmured, a clear sign to drop it.
She swallowed, and nodded, but the entire waltz felt dead. It was missing any energy it might have had, any fire, any passion.
She pulled away from him. "I don't… I don't feel so well." She choked out. She didn't, that was the truth, but she felt so unimaginably guilty that she couldn't stand to be in this place of merriment any longer.
Blaise glanced at her, concern written into his features. That hurt most of all. That he was still worried about her, still, after she'd broken his heart into two, and stomped on the shattered pieces. "Do you need me to take you home?" He asked.
She shook her head. She didn't want to trouble him, not any more, not after everything she'd done. "I'll be fine." She said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "You have a good rest of your dance, S-Sparky…" His nickname came out in a sob, and she all but bolted away.
As she hurried towards the exit, she bumped into a boy, vision impared by the tears running down her face. "S-sorry…" She apologised quickly. The boy just glared at her, and she recognized him as Brent, one of the squires that Blaise helped train.
"Watch where you're going." He shot her another pointed look, and turned back to his dance partner, the boy that she'd seen him around town with. Funny. She'd never have seen them as friends, much more bordering on the verge of being enemies.
As she headed away again, she caught the tail end of their whispered conversation. "Brent, p-please." The shorter boy begged. "You could s-stand to be a little nicer."
"She bumped into me!" Brent spluttered, sounding outraged.
That was the last Lily heard as she arrived at the exit. She took one last fleeting look at the great hall, swallowing another sob as she spotted Blaise, standing in the corner, looking lost, and completely alone.
She threaded her fingers through her hair, wincing as her fingers caught on the flower she'd braided in earlier. She had a brace of flowers in her pockets, a gift she'd intended to give to Blaise when the dance came to its end. She wouldn't give that gift now.
She couldn't help but feel that this would be her last dance. She'd never be invited by Blaise again, not after she treated him like that. She'd been doomed to spend her winter nights tucked away in her house, forced to watch the bright lights of the castle from afar.
And she knew she deserved it.
...Of dances present…
Lily had always loved how the castle looked in the winter.
Dusted with snow. Strung up with lights.
The place held mainly fond memories for her. Every winter dance since the disastrous one of eight years previously had been nothing but perfect. Every day stretched before her, long, and endless, and dream-like.
She gave a little twirl in her dress, admiring herself in the mirror. She felt like she'd spent too long today standing in front of the polished glass already, but she'd spent a lot on the dress, and well… she looked nice. It was the same colour dress as the one she'd worn all those years ago, but the sleeves were fuller, and it was bejewelled around the neckline.
She did well for herself now. She'd set up her own apothecary business, using her gift as best she could. And her gift had more than flourished, now that she could fully tend to it. She could grow plants all year round, cause herbs to spring forth from the earth every month of the year.
She could always have the ability to save a life.
She wasn't the sole reason that her life was going swimmingly. Her husband brought back plenty of money, having been promoted to a senior captain the previous year.
Blaise had been so proud of himself. Lily could remember the day he'd come home with the shiny new badge pressed to his uniform vividly.
Life had never seemed so good. She only cringed back when she looked back on that winter ball of so long ago, thinking back to how distraught she'd been, leaving Blaise, walking home alone. She'd thought then that she'd never speak to him again.
But she did. She'd returned to the castle the next day, and ran into Cherry, and she'd just… talked. Talked for hours. About her feelings, about why she had them, about how she couldn't work out if what she was feeling was platonic or romantic.
After that talk, everything had seemed so much clearer. She'd still felt like a mess, walking home from the castle, wearing the previous day's dress, with unkempt hair and wild eyes, but… but she had some kind of understanding. Of herself. Of what she was feeling, and why she was feeling it.
It was still a while before she felt like she could face Blaise. Part of that had been because she knew how raw the wound was, the stinging cut of rejection must have still hurt him with every footstep. And he'd been busy, anyways, their Kingdom suddenly targeted by a string of random attacks from a neighbouring Kingdom.
Luna and Parker's brother Hawk had died in one of the attacks.
Lily realised after that happened how little time she had. She could be taken away at any moment. She felt like she had to make the most of her time.
So she'd finally seen Blaise. Dropped off a letter, detailing how she felt, like Cherry had suggested. How she didn't want to lose him, how she knew that he'd fall out of love with her like every other partner she'd ever had had done. How he was the best friend she'd ever had, and she just couldn't stand to have him for a few brief months, only for him to slip away again.
He'd read her letter. He'd read it, and he'd… he'd actually understood. Told her that he felt the same way about her, and that if she didn't want to lose what they had, he'd be happy remaining just friends, despite their shared feelings.
They hadn't stayed 'just' friends, but they were still each other's best friends. They both just wore the same silver band around their fingers, crafted carefully by Blossom, having taken full control of the Blacksmith's. They both were just utterly in love with each other.
Somehow, Lily thought the only thing that had changed was the ring.
Life wasn't completely perfect. She wished it could be, but outside forces still pushed at their little community. Luna and Stanley had ended up married as well, and had had a large brood of children. They'd had seven, in total, but their first born had died of whooping cough when she was just two years old. The rest had lived, the two oldest - twins girls, named Diana and Faelyn - almost seven.
Lily felt horrible for Faelyn. She'd been taken, along with some other members of the Kingdom, by the vicious neighbouring Kingdom. She'd managed to escape, but for the entirety of the previous year, she'd been little more than a shell of the joyful young girl Lily used to know, shy, and desperately afraid.
Lily was glad that she had her family. Parker had also been taken, and had fought free, but he also seemed… changed by the encounter. Lily could remember him using his power daily, using his ability to create tiny, flickering lights that hung firefly-like in the air to entertain his many nieces and nieces.
He'd only used it once since the encounter. Lily had spotted him conjuring them to show Faelyn, offering her a small smile as he'd done so.
She'd heard on the grapevine that they didn't approve of the… of the power. Which was foolish, anybody with half a pinch of sense knew that the power was a gift. Not something to be feared. Still, the other Kingdom had tried to beat the power out of their captives all the same. Leaving those who had escaped terrified, hardly daring to use it.
Parker seemed to have recovered some more, at least in the previous year, starting up a family with his husband, and even leading a patrol to help stamp out the last remnants of the other Kingdom.
The entire Kingdom had seemed shaken by the string of kidnaps, and patrol after patrol of knights had been sent out to attempt to dispatch the cruel ruler of the Kingdom. They called themselves the Children of Purity, which Lily privately thought was a stupid name for a Kingdom. The one that she lived in, the one that her husband would die for was just called Fallen. She'd heard that there was some greater root to the name, some backstory that had become lost over the years.
She could remember sitting on a bench, overcome with nerves, biting her nails. Waiting for the patrol to return, waiting to see if Blaise had returned with them, or if he'd just become another death, another statistic for Parker to mark down in his heavy, leather-bound book that recorded the births and deaths of everyone in the Kingdom.
He always returned. He always returned, looking more and more dishevelled each time, growing angrier and angrier as they returned without the Children of Purity's leader's head on a spike, but he'd always come back alive.
In the end, it wasn't even someone born in Fallen who killed the leader, known only as Saviour. It was one of the refugees, one of the people who'd fled from the Kingdom all those years ago.
That had only been in the early spring months of this year. Since then, everything had seemed… relatively peaceful. There'd been the usual food shortages, the usual squabbles in the marketplace, but… it had been starting to look up.
She turned in the mirror, rubbing her hand lightly over the growing swell of her belly. That had been why her and Blaise had finally decided to make the move they'd been waiting for. Whilst all of their friends had been having children, they'd waited. Waited until they could bring their offspring up into a safe world. A world that they'd be able to grow up in.
She smiled softly to herself, and withdrew her hand, smoothing down her skirt. Blaise had worked overnight in the castle, like he did most weekdays, but he'd promised to come pick her up in something special. He'd promised her that every year for the past five years. One year, it had been an enchanted broom, made to fly by someone with the gift to do so. The next, it had been a unicorn. She'd felt saddened by that. That ball of eight years ago, the grand finale had been the appearance of a unicorn, and she'd missed it.
She couldn't dwell on the past. She could only get ready for the present.
She made her way down the stairs, and opened the door, pushing the heavy oak wood out of the way, and stepping out onto the porch. She kept her gaze trained to the road, waiting to see what Blaise would appear in. She secretly hoped it was just his horse, again, though that orange stallion was now dead, and buried.
She paused, and her eyes shot wide with surprise as she saw what was making its way down the road. Her hand flew to her mouth, and she gasped loudly, scrambling down the porch to get a closer look.
The carriage pulled up alongside her, and a freckled face poked out, the man's green eyes sparkling.
"Is this for me?" Lily asked, sounding utterly bemused.
Blaise clambered out of the carriage, and took her hand, kissing it lightly. "Of course it is." He murmured gently. "Nothing but the best for my lovely lady Lily." He helped her up into the carriage, which she welcomed. She'd felt weakened, as of late, unable to do simple tasks. She'd still attempted it, at the least, but she'd felt winded even by climbing down the stairs.
"How much did it cost?" She inquired, marvelling at the inside of the carriage, the golden-hued ceiling, the plush couch that she'd seated herself on.
Blaise shook her off, climbing into the carriage himself. He put his hand out of the window, and waved to the driver, a signal to start up. "That doesn't matter." He said simply, taking her hand. She was grateful for that, the gentle movements of the carriage were already upsetting her stomach, and making her feel dizzy.
She swallowed, and tried to relax. "Are you looking forward to the dance?" She asked, wanting to change the subject.
Blaise smiled, and nodded. "Of course. I've been working at my waltz." He said, and she giggled.
"You say that every year, and yet each time you still fall over." She remarked, giving him a teasing smirk. "I think we'll have to start practicing more, luv."
"Alas, we've waited too long to perfect our moves." Blaise replied, rolling his eyes. "Unless you propose we dance in the carriage, but I feel that may not be the… the wisest move."
Lily chucked. "I'd have to agree with that." She said, casting a glance outside of the carriage. "Gosh, I don't think I could stand up…"
Blaise immediately looked concerned, his grip on her hand tightening. "Do you want me to ask him to slow down?" He inquired, already standing up to beckon to the driver again.
She shook her head firmly. "I'll be alright." She answered, pulling him back down again. "I just won't get up for a waltz." She joked, though her stomach churned.
The rest of the ride went smoothly, and fairly quickly, they were at the castle, trundling over the drawbridge, and entering the courtyard. The carriage circled the courtyard once, before grinding to a halt. Blaise immediately got out, offering Lily his hand, and helping her down the steps.
She planted her feet into the ground, grateful to feel solid earth beneath her toes again.
"Enjoy your ride?" He asked, giving her a mock-bow, and taking her arm again.
She laughed softly, and dipped, bending into a graceful curtsey. "Absolutely. Couldn't have been better, Sir Sparks." She smiled to herself. Technically, she could be called Lady Sparks now, but her husband still persisted with the nicknames they'd had since childhood.
She was still utterly enamored with him.
He held his hand forward, nodding at the guards - Lily vaguely recognized one of them as being Cinder's husband - and turned back to her. "You ready for the dance?" He said, and she couldn't help but shiver, feeling an echo back to all those years ago.
"As I'll ever be." She replied breezily, and stepped forward, skipping into the hall.
It looked as wonderful as it always did, this year decked out in golds, and brash bronzes, even the tablecloth rimmed with gold. She felt a quiet thrill as she looked to the ceiling, and saw the scattering of firefly-like lights, hovering, bathing the hall in a warm glow.
"What's the big secret this year?" She asked Blaise as the hall swallowed them up, the couple sinking into the throngs of people. "Promise you I'll keep it a secret."
Blaise touched her arm, rolling his eyes. "And I promise you that I really can't tell you." He said, weaving his way through the crowd. "You'll find out eventually, dear."
She nodded, quickly becoming absorbed in the atmosphere of the hall. Her blue eyes took in the sights, and her mouth upturned into a wide smile as she spotted person after person that she knew. The Captain of the Guard, the man that gave Blaise his orders, stood joking with a smaller man in the corner, seemingly closed off from the rest of the ball. A young girl, a teenager, perhaps a few years younger than Lily had been all those years ago, ran excitedly to and fro from them, excitedly babbling as she pointed to the different attractions in the hall.
She waved to Luna, any animosity between the two of them bled away from the years, and the things they'd both been through. She'd lost a son, and she'd almost lost her daughter in the years between them. Lily would always hold a grudge, always feel a twinge of something when she saw Luna dancing with Stanley, but her feelings went no deeper than wondering what could have been. Wondering what her life might have been like if she'd fallen for the rascal-like court jester, and stayed with him. Wondering if she'd have had the same amount of children that Luna seemed almost lumbered with, the youngest, a pretty young girl named Alice, clinging to her leg. Her other set of twins ran amok, Skylar desperately trying to stop Finn from upsetting a table.
Faelyn and Diana kept to themselves, though as Lily watched, she saw Faelyn separate herself from her twin sister, and wander over to where Parker was standing, a child in his arms. He wasn't on his own, he was standing with Bridgette - who actually was a witch, as Lily had found out, but a 'nice one', as Parker had put it - Connor, Otis, Bridgette's 'friend', Fiona, and Kacey. Lily wasn't surprised to see Otis still here. The lanky man had fled town after being accused of being the culprit to a string of murders, but after his innocence had been proven, he'd returned back.
Lily still couldn't quite work out the relationship between him and Connor.
Parker had been talking to his family, but he broke off the conversation easily as Faelyn grabbed his sleeve to get his attention.
Lily decided to drift over there. She needed to talk to Bridgette, anyways, the russet-haired girl bought off her quite often, using Lily's plants for heaven-knows-what.
She headed over, Blaise following after her. "Hello." She greeted softly, after making sure she wasn't cutting into any conversation. "How's the dance been for you?" She inquired.
Connor shrugged. "S'been good, but I pulled a muscle on the way up, so… so dancing's off the table." He made a show of stretching out his leg, wincing dramatically.
Otis gave him a look. "You used that excuse last year." He commented. "Nobody's going to make you dance."
"Nobody wants to see that." Bridgette cut in dryly. She was met with a slap on the arm from Fiona, which she only laughed at.
Lily laughed quietly, but her gaze drifted to where Parker was standing with Faelyn. He'd deposited the child he'd been holding in Kacey's arms tenderly, so Faelyn could have his full attention.
She really needed to ask what they'd actually wound up calling their child. Mainly so she didn't call her own baby the same name, which would be rather embarrassing. She was fairly certain they'd named her Sparrow, or something like that, but she didn't think she was quite right. She did look rather sparrow-like, though, with tanned skin, and already splotched with freckles.
"You alright?" She caught a burst of whispered conversation. "Faelyn?" She heard Parker prompt.
The girl shifted her feet nervously. "I… Diana asked me to dance with her." She whispered. "And…"
"And you don't want to?" Parker finished her sentence, and Faelyn velmently shook her head.
"No, I do want to, it's just…" She trailed off, her head hanging low.
Parker sighed. "I think I understand. Look, it'll be… it'll be fine, you know that, right?" He told her gently.
She swallowed, and Lily's heart jolted with sympathy. She could guess why Faelyn seemed so nervous of dancing, of being out there on the dance floor. She'd probably been told that the only way for her to survive her time in captivity was to hide away, to try and pretend that she wasn't there. "Yeah, I'll… I'm gonna try to do it now. Thank you."
Parker smiled at her, and his gaze met with Lily's for a moment, bright blue against almost amber brown. "S'no problem." He murmured. "You go have a good dance."
Faelyn managed a small smile, and scuttled off, joining up with Diana again. Parker looked fondly after her, and turned his attention back to Lily.
"Sorry 'bout that." He murmured, looking apologetic. "I just… I wanted to make sure she had a good dance." He said. "And Luna and Stanley are busy with the others, so…" He trailed off, looking anxiously to the side, his gaze drifting back over to Faelyn.
"It's fine." Lily said quickly. "I understand." The pair of them were a little way away from where the rest of the group were, actually. Blaise lingered on the edge of the group, but still engaged with the conversation, hands gesturing wildly as he told a story. "How've you been, anyways?" She asked politely. She had her own motivations for asking the question, wondering how fatherhood had suited her friend. She was… desperately nervous for when her own children would be born.
Nervous about if she'd be a good mother. Nervous about if her suspicions were correct, and she was having twins, if she'd pick a favourite. Put one child on a pedestal above the other one, just like her parents had done. Not that that had been their fault, not really, her siblings had required the extra attention. Still, she'd felt… she'd felt left out all the same. Looking in on a family that she'd never truly felt part of, and didn't feel like she was part of it until her siblings died.
She shook herself out of her thoughts, and looked back up at Parker. The curly-haired man was grinning, widely, looking over at where his own child was being held, the green-eyed baby being fawned over by Bridgette, who was dangling a toy of some kind before her eyes. "I'm… I'm great." He said, sounding surprised at his own words. "Did you… uh, did you see the ceiling?" He asked, looking embarrassed to be asking the question.
She nodded eagerly. "I did. It looks… it looks fantastic." She breathed, her gaze flickering upwards again. "How long did that take you?" She inquired.
He shrugged. "Dunno… maybe a couple of days? Doesn't take too long if you put your mind to it." He explained.
She looked back over at the group, her mouth splitting into a smile. A gentle waltz was starting.
"I'm going to go and see if Blaise had actually been practising, like he promised." She rolled her eyes fondly. "Honestly."
Parker let out a low chuckle. "Have fun. I'll stay here, think I should be kept as far away from that dance floor as physically possible." He joked.
She laughed at that, and slipped away back to the group, pulling on her husband's arm, breaking him away from his story. He looked irritated, for a heartbeat, before he caught what the music was, and grinned. "I do believe that's the cue for our dance, Lady Lily." He said, waving his hand in a quick farewell to the group.
She nodded, and took his arm, guiding him onto the dance floor. "I think it is too." She replied, waiting for him to move into the correct position.
The music started to swell, and the pair of the glided in unison, starting off slow, before picking up the pace. Lily couldn't help but let out a joy-filled giggle, giving a little twirl in Blaise's arms.
The dance slowed again, turning into something that wasn't quite as furious, and so did Lily, letting herself take in the people around her. There was a young man, nearby, his skin a rich, dusky hue. He twirled a young girl around - his daughter, maybe, but he looked too young to have children - grinning as he did so. Lily overheard a couple of bursts of quiet conversation, and had to stifle a laugh as she did.
"Can we stay till midnight?" The girl asked, blinking up at the man with big, blue eyes. He chuckled, and nodded.
"Why not?" He answered. "It's the ball, afterall."
The girl beamed, and launched forward to wrap her arms around his legs. "Thank you!" Lily heard her squeak, before Blaise whirled her away again.
"This is nice." Lily said softly, letting herself just sway to the gentle rhythm of the music. "Will we be staying till midnight?" She asked.
Blaise nodded. "Of course. There's the surprise to watch yet." He reminded her, lightly tapping the side of his nose.
"Oh, yeah…" Lily looked almost wistful. "Are you still not going to tell me what it is?" She feigned hurt as she asked him, threading her fingers through a section of hair. The curls had stayed in, this year, which she was thankful for.
Blaise shook his head, looking solemn. "No can do, I'm afraid." He said. She tittered, and looked away, watching two boys slowly dance, pressed up against each other. Brent and Tristan. She could remember how stiffly they'd danced all those years ago, like they couldn't stand the sight of each other, and now… now they looked rather enamoured with each other.
Much had changed.
A blonde girl danced past, hand-in-hand with a black-haired girl, a traveller who, like Otis, had came, and decided that she didn't want to leave. Nearby, a small, dark-skinned boy, one of the healers of the castle danced awkwardly with an elegant looking girl.
The dance slowly came to an end, and Lily broke away from Blaise. "I think I'm going to visit the snack table." She told him. "You want anything?"
He paused, before shaking his head. "No, thank you." He declined politely. "I'll get something to eat later, dear. You go eat something." His lips quirked up in a smile. "No more pickles, though."
She laughed. She'd eaten nothing but the pickled vegetable, soaked in brine, for the past month. "I can't make any promises, luv." She replied, heading to the table where the food was.
She loaded up her plate, admiring the silvery finery of the cutlery. When she looked up, she smiled, happy to see a familiar freckled face grinning at her.
"It's wonderful to see you, Cherry." She greeted warmly, not offering her hand, as her plate was so overloaded that she feared she may drop it.
The redhead beamed at her. "S'great to see you too!" She replied enthusiastically. "Where's the hubbie?" She asked, peaking around for Blaise.
Lily pointed over to where she'd left Blaise, and blinked back at Cherry. "He's not hungry." She explained.
Cherry hummed quietly to herself. "This is nice." She said, her voice sounding somewhat distant. She sounded as though she was deep in thought, pondering something over. "It's good to see you happy with him." She commented softly.
Lily paused for a moment, before nodding. "I… I suppose I have you to thank for that." She murmured.
"Oh, yeah." Cherry said, somewhat bluntly. "You owe me… I dunno, something." She chuckled. "Nah, I'm just kidding. See ya later, Lils." She hopped off the stall she'd been sitting on, and skidded away.
Lily returned to Blaise's side, after that, and the pair of them danced for the rest of the evening, utterly enthralled in each other's company. When the clock struck midnight, Lily held her breath, waiting for the surprise.
She wasn't disappointed.
The crowd gasped sharply, their gazes all turning to the sky. Lily followed suit, and her mouth dropped open, jaw slack with surprise.
A dragon.
By the stars, she didn't even think they were real. This one certainly seemed to be though, the scales of the beast a vivid gold colour, eyes a gleaming yellow. It tumbled through the air, wings seeming to creak. Lily watched in awe, her blue eyes widening as she watched the dragon's antics.
It left as soon as it had entered, flying back through the opening that had appeared in the great hall, apparently there especially for the occasion.
She was breathless, and talkative, the entire way home. It was only when they'd returned back to the house that she realised how truly joyful she was. How lucky she was. She had… she had everything she'd ever wanted, all within her grasp.
And she finally, finally thought that it was something she deserved.
fin
mkay if you have a fallenclan character they're probs in here so uhhh credits to everyone
anyways ! happy happy holidays virgo!
also here is note from not me i did not write ;
Hi, Virgo. It's Res.
Your abysmal writing partner.
I didn't write this. I couldn't write the story you just read. Lucy said she had a plan to back me up and...yeah, she did. I just wasn't prepared to be one-upped by...this. 10k words of elegance.
I won't make excuses. I've never struggled with writing a fic more than the one I'm working on. It took weeks to make myself think of an idea that fit what you wanted. The style was completely unique, and I stared at my ceiling trying to come up with a plot. I've never before spent a month doing that before, so it took a while to get inspired.
But my part for your gift isn't just empty promises and tales of woe.
You asked for some kind of horror fic.
Keep an eye on my FallenClan challenges.
I'm going all out.
Because you deserve nothing less.
Merry Christmas, Virgo.
(And thanks a trillion billion Lucy you are a lifesaver ty ty ty ty ty)
Best,
~Res