Chapter 5 - Dance Lessons

Ripto awoke the next morning with a splitting headache, figuring it from the pain he felt yesterday. They aren't kidding when they say, "You'll feel that in the morning." He slowly got out of bed, slipped on his cape and made sure to grab his scepter before going on a search for Esther. If she could sooth his pain once, there was no reason why she couldn't do it again.

But the wizard looked all over the castle, and couldn't find any trace of the dragoness. She wasn't even in her room, yet it was still really early in the morning. He supposed that she might be an early bird.

After searching all over the castle, Ripto headed outside into the peeking sunlight and cool morning breeze. He checked any nearby flower patches to see if Esther was picking flowers again, but she was still nowhere to be found. Ripto decided to check the other side of the yard, but did a double take when he caught a glimpse of something over by the bridge.

It was the bridge he shattered in hopes of keeping anyone, especially that meddling purple dragon and his friends, away from him. Obviously, the plan didn't work since Esther mentioned seeing Spyro around the castle just the day before, but Ripto remained determined in case his enemy got anymore ideas.

He approached the bridge that once stretched over a small cove, and he blinked when he saw that his suspicions were correct. Esther was sitting at the edge of the bridge, and stared at the other side.

Ripto tried not to scare her by gently tapping her shoulder, but Esther still jumped ever so slightly with a little gasp. But she sighed when she realized it was just Ripto, and went back to staring at the other side of the bridge.

"Oh, it's just you. You kinda startled me," she stated sheepishly.

"I tried not to," Ripto mustered, "What're you doing out here?"

"If I tell you, will you promise not to get upset?"

"That depends."

"Well, I—I realized that the only way Spyro could've gotten across was if he-if he flew. And it reminded me of when I could fly."

The sorrow and longing in Esther's tone was painfully obvious, and it tugged harshly at Ripto's guilty conscious. But he quickly blinked and shook his head.

"You miss flying that much?" he deadpanned.

"Y-Yeah…"

"Look, if it makes you feel any better…" Ripto paused and pinched his temples, struggling to find the right words without sounding too sympathetic. "…I'm not keeping you grounded forever, just for a little while. I need to make sure you don't escape or that someone doesn't try to take you from me before…"

Esther cocked a brow in confusion, "Before what?"

"D-Don't worry about it," Ripto denied with a stutter.

There was another awkward silence between the two, and Esther eventually glanced down at the lush cove beneath the broken bridge.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" she asked with a sigh.

"What, that little mud hole down there?" he grumbled and took a look for himself, but only grimaced at the soft piece of land.

Esther couldn't help but giggle, "It's not a mud hole! Come on, I'll show you!"

"I'd rather not-!" Before Ripto could finish his protest, Esther had already began trotting down the pieces of the bridge that had conveniently fallen to form a staircase. He growled and rolled his eyes in defeat before begrudgingly following her down.

Esther laughed and marveled as she playfully ran through the soft grass, for it was much softer and greener than the grass in the castle courtyard. Ripto could only quirk a brow at how spry she was acting, especially when she stopped at the small waterfall on the other side of the cove and splashed her paws in it.

"If you don't stop, you're going to fall in," Ripto informed with a grumble.

"No, I won't! It's perfectly safe, and it's only a couple feet deep, anyway!" Esther argued while continuing to put her paws into the waterfall. She even began splashing the cool water onto her face, which caused Ripto's eyes to widen.

He wasn't just surprised, but he was more focused on how the sun glimmered off of her scales and horns when covered with water. He never really had the chance to stop and take in her true beauty before.

Beauty?! Are you crazy?! She's not beautiful, she's naïve! Ripto mentally scolded himself, only to be pulled from his mental argument when he heard a yelp. Just as he predicted, Esther somehow managed to slip and fall into the shallow stream. She quickly emerged, water dripping from her horns, and blushed madly when she realized her mistake.

"Uh, heh-heh…will you look at that? I did fall in," Esther laughed meekly, but soon submerged a little into the water, "But the water does feel really nice."

"You'd better not catch pneumonia," Ripto simply stated.

"I won't! And why don't you come in? The water's great!"

"I don't wish to get my cape wet, let alone partake in such a childish activity."

"What's so childish about swimming? And you can just take your cape off, can't you?"

"Yes, but there's no point. I'm just not into swimming, and the water isn't even deep enough to swim in, anyway."

Esther's eyes widened at that, "Ripto, you're right!"

Ripto once again cocked a brow, but didn't have time to register Esther's next reaction when she suddenly jumped out of the stream and sprinted up and out of the cove. She hadn't explained what she was doing, so Ripto followed her a bit quicker than last time. He just barely got to the top when he saw Esther make a big leap and dive into one of the lakes outside of the castle.

He facepalmed and growled while walking out into the courtyard, and waited for Esther to resurface. It wasn't long before she breached the water, and began backstroking across the surface. Crush and Gulp eventually emerged from the castle, and watched in awe as Esther truly smiled for the first time since Ripto took her prisoner.

"C'mon in! The water's great!" Esther called to the two monsters, and they smiled and wasted no time in running in jumping in cannonball style. Both of them caused a big splash that nearly hit Ripto, to which he was mildly annoyed.

But what Ripto soon noticed was that there was no sign of Esther on top of or under the water. He didn't want to, but he began to panic, as he frantically looked around for her.

"Where is she?! Did you idiots land on her?!" Ripto scolded his underlings, failing to notice someone creeping up behind him.

"Ripto." The said tyrant instantly stiffened and turned around, and very surprised to find Esther standing behind him.

"I'm fine. I climbed out of the water before they jumped in," Esther reassured.

"U-Um…yes, that's good! If those imbeciles had hurt you I would've-," Ripto rambled on while glaring daggers at Crush and Gulp, but soon stopped himself mid-sentence, and sent a scowl towards Esther, "Th-That's not what I meant!"

"Calm down, Ripto. I think it's sweet that you were worried about me, and there's nothing wrong with that," Esther giggled with a slight blush.

"Believe me, there are many, many things wrong with that."

"Just like there are too many things wrong with a little swimming?"

"Exactly. And I don't care how petty I sound, I'm not getting in the water."

Esther blinked in surprise, "Ripto, do you not know how to swim?"

Ripto grunted, "Ugh, no! That's not the case! I told you, I just don't like swimming!"

"Why don't you like it?"

"Why do you care so much?"

"Because I just want you to have fun, too."

Ripto's expression softened at that. This dragoness was unbelievable. With everything she's been through ever since he went with him to keep her friends safe, she kept stunning him with her persistent hope and joy.

Quit it! There's nothing stunning about her! Ripto once again found himself mentally scolding his thoughts of Esther.

"But if you don't want to join in the fun, I understand. I can't force you to do something that you don't like," Esther sighed in defeat while slipping back into the water, and slowly paddled to the other side of the lake.

Crush and Gulp both watched Esther and eventually turned towards Ripto. He stared back at them, unsure of what to do. The two monsters motioned towards Esther with expecting expressions, trying to tell their master to suck it up indulge in her attempts at fun.

"Do I have to?" Ripto sighed in annoyance, only for Gulp to give him a deadpan look and for Crush to cross his arms again. It seemed they would always give him that look when trying to remind Ripto of his ultimate goal here.

Ripto eventually gave up and let out a long sigh, and carefully started removing his cape and setting it aside. He made sure to instruct Crush and Gulp to keep a close watch on his scepter as well, as he refused to take it into the water. But he didn't take off the amulet around his neck, for he didn't know what he would do if something happened to it.

He then slowly and reluctantly made his way to the edge of the shore, carefully sitting down and sliding into the water with a small splash. He created small ripples as he quietly swam towards Esther, and the latter quickly noticed the ripples.

She turned around to see who was creating the subtle movement, but gasped in utter surprise when she found that it was none other than Ripto.

"Happy now?" he grumbled and crossed his arms, only to quickly unfold them when he nearly sank below the water.

"Yes, very," Esther chuckled while swimming around him. She realized that he was slightly less intimidating without his daunting cape, but she was also surprised that he left his scepter behind just to amuse her. And then she noticed something else…

"How come you didn't take off your amulet?" she asked while pointing a claw at the crimson jewel.

"That doesn't concern you," he hissed while pulling it away from her.

"I-I was just curious."

"It's really special to me, and that's all I'm saying."

"I can respect that. Let's just enjoy the water."

Esther then dove underwater without warning, taking Ripto and the others by surprise when she performed sharp banking turns and spirals in the water. They were really caught off guard when she leaped out of the water like a dolphin, and flew over Ripto in a perfect arch.

"Show off," Ripto scoffed, but was still impressed by her moves.

"Isn't this fun?" Esther giggled.

"Sure. Why not?" he replied sarcastically.

"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud."

Ripto froze when Esther suddenly took one of his hands in her own, and gently started pulling him with her. He didn't know how to react at first and simply went along with it, but was starting to panic when Esther started spinning him around her.

It was like she pulled him into some aquatic dance, and he was not prepared for it. Gulp and Crush watched from the sidelines, grinning and elbowing each other in high hopes. They should've let Esther take initiative sooner. She clearly knew what she was doing with each push and pull, twist and turn with Ripto, despite his obvious lack of dancing experience.

Ripto tried mimicking her moves to make sure he didn't mess up, and it seemed to be working at first. But Esther was so caught up in the moment, she closed her eyes and twirled while holding hands with Ripto. It wasn't until she came twirling back towards him and was pressed chest-to-chest with him that she seemed come out of it.

Crush and Gulp were bewildered, but Ripto was absolutely frozen and blushed madly. Esther slowly blinked her eyes open, and yelped and backed away when she noticed how close she was to Ripto. They had never had that kind of physical contact, not since that one time when she slipped after mopping the floor and he caught her. But even that was mild compared to this.

"I-I'm so sorry! I d-didn't mean to! I just got so caught up in the moment!" Esther frantically apologized, a dark blush across her own face, as she swam away a few feet and turned away, "I just…I've always loved to dance."

Ripto was still speechless, and struggled to find the right words while looking back at Gulp and Crush for answers again. But the two only shrugged and shook their heads in befuddlement.

"W-Well, I, um…" Ripto fumbled with his words at first, ultimately sighing in defeat, "I thought you were—good."

Esther blinked in surprise and turned back around, only to find Ripto's blush remaining as he scratched the back of his head.

"You really think so?" she questioned meekly.

"I-I mean, it's not the best thing I've ever seen! But I did find it—mildly impressive."

Despite his obvious struggle to give a compliment, Esther's blush darkened and she smiled brightly. She once again grabbed one of his hands gently, which got his attention and ceased his stuttering.

"You're a great dancer, too."

Ripto cleared his throat, and pulled his hand out of Esther's grasp, "Oh, no. I don't dance."

"You sure? You seem pretty good at it. And if you practice, I'm sure you'd be excellent."

"Well, like swimming, I find dancing pointless and a waste of time." Ripto paused and pondered deeply for a moment, figuring he could make some more progress with Esther if he indulged her some more. "But—I might be convinced to let you teach me."

"Really?" Esther gasped, her smile widening and her eyes sparkling.

"I said maybe," Ripto repeated firmly.

"Then I better teach you now while you're feeling up to it. It'll be easier to teach you on land."

With that, the two swam back to shore and climbed out of the water. Ripto grabbed his scepter and used it to conjure up two towels, one for each of them. Ripto did the best he could to dry his clothes, but began to ignore the lingering dampness of the cloth when Esther finished drying herself off.

Esther awkwardly stood up on her hind legs, and grabbed one of Ripto's hands once more.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," Ripto muttered in disbelief.

"No, no! It'll be fine, I promise," Esther quickly protested, "Now, just take your other hand and put it on my back."

"What?!"

"It's a normal waltz position, nothing too awkward or touchy. Then, I take my other hand, and I put it over your shoulder."

Once Esther was finished with her instructions, she and Ripto were once again pressed close together in a waltz position. It was difficult for either of them to make eye contact at first, but then Esther came up with an idea.

"How about this? If I successfully teach you how to dance, I get to tell you my name," Esther suggested.

Ripto mentally facepalmed, Shoot! I can't believe I don't know her name after all this time! Nice going, Moron!

"Fine, but only if you succeed," Ripto reluctantly agreed.

"Challenge accepted. Just follow my lead. Step forward with your left foot, step left with your left foot, and then…" As Esther continued through her waltzing instructions, Ripto paid significantly close attention to every word and step.

Unfortunately, Ripto missed a step and accidentally stepped on Esther's foot, causing him to panic inside.

"Are you ok—I-I mean, I didn't say what you think I said!" Ripto once again struggled with his words, especially when he noticed that he was checking Esther's safety. Most times, he'd rather be caught dead than ask if someone was feeling alright.

"I'm ok, Ripto, really. You're bound to make mistakes if you've never danced before," Esther stated in an attempt to ease his nerves, to which Ripto stared at her in confusion.

"Why aren't you angry?"

"Because it was just an accident."

"What if I had done it on purpose?"

"Don't be silly. I trust you to know you wouldn't do that."

Ripto's eyes widened in shock, "You—trust me?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

I trust you brought back your fair share of game, Ripto? The words echoed in Ripto's head, giving him more flashbacks that he always tried to forget. He grunted and shook his head, which worried Esther.

"Are you ok?" she asked out of great concern.

"I'm fine," he replied flatly while letting go of Esther, "I've had enough with the dance lessons, and you're behind on your chores."

"Ok," Esther sighed before noticing Ripto's cape on the ground, "Would you like me to wash your cape?"

"Yes, whatever. But first…" Ripto paused while grabbing his scepter, and turned to give Esther a side glance. "…tell me your name."

"What? But I thought you said you were done with the lessons," Esther pointed out in surprise.

Ripto chuckled and grinned at her, "I said that I was done, not that they didn't work."

Esther smiled at the fact that someone seemingly as evil as Ripto stayed true to his word. She supposed that he might have a soft side after all.

"It's Esther."

Hoo! This was a big one! In fact, I didn't think this chapter would be this long, so I surprised myself, too.

Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!