Finally some free time to continue on this chapter! It had been sitting on my phone for at least a month before I can finally finish this chapter. Some parts have been removed from the original chapter, but they aren't important enough so you guys aren't missing anything. Here's the new chapter along with some more Tales of references!
Wishes, Dreams, and Memories
Chapter 14 – The Memorable Evening
The sky had turned dark as nighttime had finally come. The castle halls were lit by small torches set on the pillars, illuminating dark and empty halls. The lamps of the guest rooms were mostly turned off as the rooms' habitants had left towards the ballroom for the royal party, leaving a certain couple still in their room.
The hazel-haired Earthmate was sitting on the huge bed and had already dressed in the nobleman outfit he was lent. He was waiting patiently for his wife to finish changing, until the ghost girl's giggling had caught his attention. Pico was hovering back and forth in front of the bathroom door impatiently while having a sly grin on her face.
Lest noticed the ghost's behavior and called out to her, "Is there anything I should know, Pico?"
Pico was wearing her usual outfit as Dolce and Pico made a deal that Pico wouldn't give anyone a heart attack from appearing suddenly in the ballroom. Lest was aware of the deal between the two girls, knowing that Pico would say things to embarrass Dolce. It was a common thing between the two that Lest had grown used to.
Pico stopped going back and forth and turned to Lest with her grin still on her face, "Milady has been looking forward to show-"
The ghost's words were cut off by the talisman landing on her face, coming from the now-opened bathroom door. The female Guardian came out hesitantly, revealing the dress she was wearing. The hazel-haired Earthmate rose to his feet while looking at his wife in awe.
Dolce was wearing a black sleeveless dress with frills in pink color at the bottom. The parts over her shoulders were white in color, the same color as the gloves reaching up to her upper arms. Her back and the area between her breasts were left bare and a diamond-shaped hole revealed a bit of her belly. She was wearing a pair of dark purple pumps and her wavy pink hair was left in a single ponytail instead of her usual twin tails.
"S-Sweetie," The female Guardian spoke up nervously, "W-What do you think… about my dress?"
"U-Uh… well…" Lest rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Great! I-I mean, you look great! Beautiful, even!"
"O-Oh…" A flush of red appeared on the Guardian's face.
"It's just like I told you, milady," Pico, who had already recovered from the talisman attack, hovered back to Dolce's side, "Aren't you glad to get a compliment from him?"
"Huh?" Lest turned away from Pico and looked at his wife in confusion, "Wait, are you worried that I'd think the dress won't suit you?"
"But that's not what you think, right?" Pico asked with a grin.
Lest gave Pico a nod, before turning to Dolce with a warm smile, "Yes, I really think it suits you well, Dolly. You look absolutely stunning."
Dolce's face became redder and redder as she stared at her husband in shock before turning away in embarrassment, "L-Liar… stop teasing me…"
Pico watched her best friend with a smile as Lest let out a chuckle before he extended a hand to Dolce, "Well, shall we be on our way?"
"O-Okay," The female Guardian took his hand before heading out of the room with the barely-visible Pico following closely behind them.
It was quite a long walk towards the ballroom where the party was held. The two slowly made their way as the female Guardian wasn't used to the type of shoes she was wearing. Lucky for her, Lest was there to watch over her in case she fell while following her slow walking pace. Dolce was too occupied with her walking to notice the giggling ghost behind her as she stumbled on a tile.
Lest quickly caught her before she hit the floor face first and saved her from much more embarrassment. Lest slowly helped her get back to her feet as Dolce watched him quietly. The blue lights coming from the garden lights were reflected on a part of his face and his eyes as he turned to look at her, much to her surprise. He had saved her from embarrassment for falling, but being caught watching was almost as embarrassing for her.
Lest knew that he had caught her watching him, but teasing her further might not be the best idea. He had always loved her especially when she was embarrassed, but he had saved the teasing to Pico, who was having a hard time stopping herself from laughing. It was Dolce's light smack on the ghost's head which had stopped the laughing before they continued their way towards the ballroom.
The giant red doors heading into the ballroom was wide open with two guards standing on each side of the door. As the three approached the door, the guards crossed the spears they were holding.
"Please state your name and the region you are representing for," The guard on the right said sternly.
"Lest and Dolce, from Selphia," Lest answered shortly before the two guards unblocked the entrance.
The guard on the left slammed his spear to the ground, surprising the three, "Sir Lest and Lady Dolce from Selphia!"
The three recovered from the sudden shock before heading into the ballroom and down the stairs. The stairs were shaped into a slight curve, covered with a red carpet which had golden edges. A big chandelier was hanging high up on the ceiling, right above the people who were dancing waltz in the middle of the huge ballroom. Various types of food were lined up on the tables on the left and right sides of the room with many nobles dressed in formal clothes standing in the room while talking in groups or pairs. An older man with a golden crown was sitting on a big lone chair at the other end of the room while talking to a younger man who was carrying a tray of drinks.
Lest slowly helped Dolce walk down the stairs before they admired the festive but formal atmosphere in the room. As they walked away from the stairs, a familiar voice called out to them.
"Hey, you two!" The green-haired young woman approached the couple, greeting them with a smile.
Frey was wearing a turquoise top and a light green undershirt which left her shoulders and her upper chest bare. Her hands were covered with white gloves which reached her upper arms and had lacy turquoise ends. Her legs were covered with thin white stockings reaching down into her white and turquoise heels.
Frey took the ends of her top before slightly lowering her body to bow at the confused couple, "Your presence within this ballroom pleases me, Sir."
"What… are you doing?" Lest responded in confusion, getting an elbow from his wife.
"Stupid… We should bow in respect!" It was Dolce's turn to bow towards the female Earthmate, "My apologies for his inappropriate behavior."
A slight chuckle came from the bowing Earthmate, "That's okay," Frey looked up at the two with a smile, "I'm just kidding, I'm not here as a noblewoman."
"Yeah, sure…" The male Earthmate shrugged before he continued looking around the ballroom, "So… what should we be doing here in these kinds of events anyways? We don't have these kinds of things back home."
Frey moved to his side, showing the dancing couples in the middle of the room, "Ballroom dancing is one thing, like I told you yesterday. Guys will be the one asking the girls to dance in these events," Frey raised her arm to point at the tables with food served on them, "Or, you can enjoy some food and drinks served by the royal chefs."
Frey noticed that the female Guardian had started eyeing the sweets prepared on the tables, but the figure behind the couple who had just arrived had caught her attention before she could comment on Dolce's behavior, "Sorry, I need to be somewhere else tonight. I hope you lovebirds enjoy your time together here and I'll see you later!"
Frey quickly left the scene, leaving the two newlyweds to themselves. Lest turned back to Dolce and noticed the smaller figure hiding behind her. Pico was looking straight at him as if she was giving him a message to do something. Lest saw that Dolce had her attention to the sweets before leaving him and Pico to go to the table of desserts.
"What is it, Pico?" Lest asked in a whisper before she flew behind him, but high enough for her to reach his ears.
"Don't you want to ask Dolly for a dance?" Pico asked nonchalantly.
"W-Well…" Lest watched his wife as she looked at the served desserts before slightly turning his head towards Pico, "I can't really dance, you know…"
"But Dolly is the queen of ballroom dancing, so it's okay! Come on, let's go get her!" Pico flew from Lest's shoulder excitedly, hovering towards Dolce by the table, "Dolly!"
Dolce responded to the sudden call and turned around to grab Pico as she launched herself at her face, "You're going to scare the guests in the ballroom, you know."
Lest approached the two with a chuckle as Pico tried to break free from Dolce's grip on her face, "I was just telling Lest your little secret," Pico gave her a wink, "Your secret that involves ballroom parties," The sly grin on the ghost's face had brought red color to the Guardian's face.
"S-So? Shouldn't it be the man to ask the woman to dance instead of the other way around?" Dolce asked nervously as she turned her face away from Lest.
"Good luck with the rest, Lest!" Pico left for her previous spot behind Dolce, leaving the Earthmate to watch his nervous wife.
Lest rubbed the back of his head nervously, "I can't really dance, actually," Lest offered a hand to Dolce, "But if you're fine with it, shall we dance?"
Dolce looked nervously at Lest, turned to look at his offered hand, and then back to him with a smile, "Yes…"
The couple went to dance on the dance floor, surrounded by the other dancing couples. Despite not being a dancer, Lest found himself in sync with his wife as they danced. Even with the other people dancing, the two of them felt like it was only the two of them who were dancing. Or rather, it felt like they were enjoying themselves as if they were the only ones living in their own little world.
The party soon came into the end at midnight and the guests started leaving the ballroom towards their own guestrooms or back to their homeland. The Earthmate-Guardian couple was walking back to their room together along with the ghost girl hovering in front of them. The hallways were empty and Pico was free to fly around without worrying that her presence might shock anyone in the castle.
The couple walked quietly with smiles on their faces, but the smile on Dolce's face faded as she turned to her left and looked at the sky. The both of them came to a stop in their walking as they had reached their door, but Dolce's attention was still on the sky. She was looking at the full moon shining bright in the sky and the sight of the moon and the starry sky had brought her past memories to the surface.
"Pico," Dolce called out to the ghost, but her eyes never left the moon in the sky, "Do you still remember that day?"
Pico looked at her friend in silence before flying to her other side, "Of course. The sky that night was just like this, wasn't it?"
Lest looked at the two in confusion, "If you don't mind me asking, what day do you two mean anyway?"
"Ah, I haven't told you yet, have I?" Dolce turned to the Earthmate with a sad smile on her face, "The last night before I became a Guardian."
"Oh, I see…" Lest and Dolce turned to look back at the full moon, "Do you want to talk to me about it?"
Dolce slowly nodded, "Yes. There's no reason for me to keep it from you."
-Flashback-
It was a night that would be different for Dolce, Pico, and their family, knowing that it would be their last night together. Even so, Dolce and Pico felt that it was just any other nights and any other family dinners they had all the time. Dolce's father was a magician who would jokingly praise himself or his magic tricks, but either his mother or herself would strike his praises as being a regular thing. In the end, Pico would comment on how similar Dolce was to her mother but hardly like her father and the whole family would laugh together.
Their family dinner was more or less just like any other dinner they always had for many years. It felt like nothing big was going to happen and things would go just like any other regular days for many days, months, or even years ahead. Nobody dared to bring up the topic of Ventuswill and Dolce being a Guardian. It was just a regular family dinner, although a certain young adult was expecting a little more for her last day with her family. Yet she never actually showed it to anyone, not to Pico and definitely not to her parents.
When the family had finished dinner, Dolce found herself looking up at the sky while leaning on the wooden fence of her small balcony. Pico was watching her from inside the house, but didn't dare to come closer as she needed some time on her own. Her own connection to Dolce had revealed a bit of her sadness, even though Dolce wouldn't admit it herself.
The sound of footsteps got louder before stopping by the door where Pico was staying. The ghost girl noticed the figure, who had kept her in silence before the figure continued towards Dolce's side and called out to her.
"You're going to catch a cold, my little bunny," The sudden voice had slightly surprised Dolce, who then turned around to see her father standing behind her, "You should put on a coat before going outside around this time of the year."
Dolce let out a sigh before letting out a small smile, "I'm fine Dad, you worry too much."
The man let out a chuckle, "It should be normal for a father to be worried about their children's health, correct?" Dolce's father went to her side and looked at her as he slightly leaned on the fence, "Is there anything in your mind, Dolce? Is it about tomorrow?"
Dolce didn't respond to her father's question and turned away from her father, but her silence was the answer he had expected.
He put a hand on Dolce's shoulder before letting out a smile, "There's no need to worry about Pico, your mother, and myself. We will always be waiting for your safe return once things have settled down regarding Lady Ventuswill's condition."
There was still no response from Dolce, who kept her face hidden away from her father. Her father never knew about the details about being a Guardian as Dolce had never told her parents much about it. Her decision of becoming a Guardian to save her dragon best friend wasn't an easy one and it took her some time before Pico and her parents finally let her do it. Even without being told the whole story, Dolce's parents knew that they might never see their daughter again in their lifetime.
With no response coming from Dolce, her father let out a light chuckle before taking a flat round object from his black coat. He pushed the center of the object slightly, turning the unrecognized object into a black top hat before he put it on his daughter's head. Dolce turned to her father in surprise as he looked at her with a loving smile, "D-Dad…?" Dolce looked up at the hat he had her wear, "But isn't this your favorite hat?"
The man nodded in response, "Yes," He pulled Dolce into a hug, much to her surprise, "That's why you must treasure it and return it to me when you come back."
"Yes…" Dolce returned the hug before noticing that her mother was also watching by the door along with Pico before the older woman approached them as well.
"Dolly," Her mother's voice came as a whisper before handing out a single flower she was holding in her hands, "Here, hold this moondrop flower when you go tomorrow. As long as you have that flower, your mom and dad will always be there with you and we will always be waiting for your return."
"Mom…" Dolce took the flower and looked at it as she held in in her hands, "Mom… Dad… but I…"
"It's fine, dear," It was her mother's turn to give her a hug, "We will look after Pico and the house until you come home. No matter how long it takes, we will always be by your side."
A single tear escaped from her eyes as she buried her face on her mother's neck. Her father pulled both women into a hug before Dolce finally broke down crying. It was the first time in her life she had cried so openly in front of her whole family as the whole pain and sadness finally caught up to her. She would want to lock herself in her room and left Pico out to cry on her own, but she couldn't keep everything bottled up anymore.
Pico watched the family group hug on the balcony, but she couldn't bring herself closer to them. She might have stayed with them for many years, but there were times when she would feel left out as if she was just a random stranger in the family. But every time that sort of thoughts came into her mind, Dolce would look at her and asked her to join in with them as a family.
It was just as the ghost had expected, Dolce had turned to look at her with slightly teary eyes, asking her to join them as they spent their last night together as a family and watched the moon and the stars. The cool weather of autumn didn't bother them as they watched the full moon surrounded by the stars in the night sky.
-End of Flashback-
"I can never forget that night," Dolce ended her story in a whisper.
"Dolly," Lest turned to Dolce and took both of her hands in his in front of them, "I'm sure they're always watching over you. I don't remember how it's like to have a parent, but I can feel your family's warmth from what you told me."
"Yes, I know," Lest released her hands as he noticed a single tear sliding off her cheek and gently wiped it with his gloved hands, "Sweetie, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to tell you a sad story tonight…"
"It's not a sad story, you know," Lest replied with a comforting smile, "But if you want to cry, I'll hold and comfort you until you feel better. I promise I'll be there for you no matter what," Lest put a hand on Dolce's cheek, "Because I love you, Dolly"
Dolce let out a small smile, "And I love you too, sweetie…"
They closed the distance between them as they lips met, sharing a kiss under the light of the full moon. It was another moment in the night in which they felt like they were the only ones in the world. They were lost in their own world, completely ignorant to the fact that a certain ghost had silently left to give the couple some privacy.
The costume for Dolce is actually Judith's costume title from the PS3 version of Tales of Vesperia, translated on wiki as "Invitation into the Gorgeous Night". The costume for Frey is Natalia's Beloved Princess costume title (from Tales of the Abyss). The next chapters might come a bit later once I've got some RL issues after the presentation sorted out, though I really, really want to start soon... And action scenes might start on the next chapter, so look forward to it!