Summary: A super short for Edgar and Terra. 5,000 word count limit! Current count is 4, 636!
Three years after the game, the Returners decide to meet up and spend Christmas together (midwinter) and enjoy themselves. After the feast the king of Figaro attempts to teach a lonely Terra how to ice skate in the hills of Narshe. This story/theme is a request of some EdgarxTerra fans—enjoy!
Chapter: The Evening Dance
It was the eve of the midwinter and the little group of Returners had made their way to the mountains of Narshe three days prior so they could spend the holiday together with Celes and Locke, who had taken it upon themselves to restore the town to its former glory alongside a few survivors from the town, including Mog and Umaro. The house they all stuffed themselves into wasn't a very big house or even very beautiful, but it was toasty and homey, and that was more than enough for the group of heros.
Three people had slaved away in the kitchen nearly all day to get the meal to their friends in time—Terra, Strago and Relm—and were left with the dishes and mess to cleanup as well. Luckily for them Mog, Cyan and Gau helped decorate their little, green tree and the doorway with wooden carvings and painted, wooden bulbs and little dried herbs. Relm was soon tucked away into bed by Strago and then it was only them washing the dishes. Terra washed and he dried and put them away. There was very little conversation, but when there was it was short and sweet. She asked of Relm and he was kind enough to reply and not bring up her children.
"The pies were amazing tonight, Terra." he said gently before he turned back to drying the dishes. "In fact, the bread and potatoes were amazing as well. You should consider a professional role in culinary arts."
It was sweet of him to say so, but she knew it wasn't that good. She gave a smile. "Oh, I think I'd rather save the mastery roles to Sabin and Cyan. I'm content as I am."
He laughed. "Such a simple girl you are," he muttered, shaking his head. "It is nice." he finished putting the dried dishes away and looked over at from the cabinets. "Say, dear girl, what of you? How have you been? I know it...it must be hard with all this change."
She paused just as she started to scrub the giant cooking pan. She knew what he meant, yet she couldn't bring herself to talk about it. At least not before. But now she was spending the midwinter away from her babies and it hurt. She knew it was best with how it was now, that they each had been given a new blessing of people who were willing to adopt them and give them a better life than she could have ever given them. Her last few children were adopted several months ago by her own pleading. She first went to Cyan and when the old king of Doma could not get his newly instated nobles to try and adopt a few, she went to Edgar and Sabin. After months of "begging" people, the children slowly started to disappear to new homes. Though she promised her heart would remain with them until the ends of days, she was glad they could be given to sustainable families and houses. Perhaps their midwinter now was glorious and they received mountains of toys and clothes, and food to keep them warm.
"I'm fine," she whispered, though he heard the pain in her voice. "It is better this way. They will have nice lives now."
He frowned. "They had good lives then, too, you know. Don't be so hard on yourself Terra. You are their mother still no matter what family takes them. They will always remember you and love you." and then he sat the last cup away into the cabinet, walked over and patted her shoulder gently, "you need to take some time for yourself Terra. Find something that makes you happy or someone. Take chances, my girl, and you will not regret it." and then wished her a good night before he went to his own room.
Soon after the old mage's leave and a failed attempt to sleep, she filled a mug of hot tea and went to stand by the large windows, to watch the gentle snow fall. It reminded her of the winters of Mobliz when it was gentle like this. Through the faintly frozen window she could see smears of orange light shining dimly through the winter fall and wondered just how many others were up with similar feelings as her own. Even surrounded by her friends her heart still felt weak, and it made her feel as if she would never rid herself of it.
"It is late, m'lady. Should you not be abed by now?"
She turned quickly to face the Figaro king with a disconnected expression. "I couldn't sleep." he hmm'd her and joined her by the window, crossing his arms over his chest even as he stared intensively out the window at the snowfall. A moment passed before she asked why he was awake. He gently smiled, but said nothing on the matter. She took that as a clue and looked away from him, out toward the snow once again. She could feel that something was bothering him just as there was something bothering her and it drove her into sadden curiosity.
"It is beautiful, is it not?" he asked all of the sudden, never turning to look at her. "The snows are worse now...I suppose that is Kefka's fault." At least it was pretty. She didn't know if she should say that or not, so she decided to keep quiet. "Ah, I forgot myself." he laughed, stiffly, before he glanced over at her. "The supper was superb, m'lady."
"Thank you, Edgar." and then it went silent again. It was so unbearable silent.
He shifted. "Hmm, I have an idea. Would you like to hear it?" his eyes found her again.
"An idea? For what?"
"To use our time—since we cannot sleep, of course." he walked away from the windows to the door, where they had their coats hung up. Terra followed, slowly.
"What are you doing?"
He handed Terra her coat and smiled as he put his on. "Have you ever ice skated before, Terra?"
Luckily for the king the local shop keeps were happy to open the doors for two more shoppers before the morning, and actually had ice skates in their sizes. He purchased a pair of brown leather skates trimmed in silver for Terra and a black, boring pair for himself and then bought a sharpening cube just in case. The shop keep smiled gently at them as he led them to the door.
"Do not stay out too long, you two. The nights here are very chilling. And be careful."
"Thank you for your worries, my friend, but I will be sure we are plenty safe." As soon as they were out in the cold Terra asked where they were going. "Our course is due west, just a bit out of town." She realized he meant to take them into the flatter grounds of Narshe.
—
Not so far out of Narshe could the flatter ground of the village be seen glittering like diamonds under the silver moonlight, reflecting off the snow all around in brilliant sparkles and shines. A wide pool of water spread out before them and disappeared in the horizon under the darkness, only to have its gleaming edges revealed when clouds drifted out of the way.
Edgar stopped her before the frozen shore of the water and cleared the snow off of a log so they could sit and prepare for the skating. He helped her up to her feet when she was in her skates and slowly walked her over to the surface. "What if the ice breaks?"
"It is too cold for that, I assure you." he whispered gently. "Give me your trust, m'dear, and I will not let you down." Once he finally led her out onto the beautiful, icy stage he helped her to stay atop her feet while he explained how to skate. Unsure, she asked for him to 'show' her and he chuckled.
"For you I will." and then he skated a foot or so away and turned towards her. "First, hold your arms out like so for balance." he stretched open his arms in both directions, swiftly but carefully. "Next, until you get the hang of it, slowly bend your knees halfway like this." he did as he directed. "Once you are halfway bent in the knees, straightened them up again and push yourself forward. I will demonstrate." and he did as he said he would, unaware of the young woman's giggle. Once he finished, he appeared by her side the next second and told her to try.
"Now?" she asked, astonished. But she was just shown how to do it once! "I don't think I'm ready, Edgar..."
"Nonsense," he whispered, his breath a cold cloud in the air even as he lifted her arms up to balance herself. "You are ready, moreso than most."
"For ice skating?"
He laughed and straightened her arms out so they were pointing left and right. "For anything, m'dear." and then he took a few paces back. "Now, practice lowering and higher your arms." after a few moments swinging her arms up and down in the cold, he announced she should try the next step. "Bend your knees and push forward—almost like you were walking. Except keep your feet on the ice at all times. If you want a speed boost, well, then you can learn the 'lifting' trick. Now, you try."
"Okay then." and then she bowed her legs and pushed forward, only to slide off her feet and onto her back in a loud thump. Edgar offered no laughter, but when she looked up at him, humiliated, his lips were up in a faint smile. "Don't laugh at me..."
"I shan't object you to that, I promise. But do not let this defeat you. Up to your feet and try it again." with a struggle or two, she was on her feet again, wobbling. "Now, once again; bend at your knees with one leg slightly ahead of the other...yes, yes! Like that! Now, press forward." She moved a foot before she lost her balance and fell again. "That was much better, m'dear, truly. You will be a professional in no time. What say you to another attempt?" when she agreed he helped her up. "Do not worry; once you have the hang of it balance will be so easy you will not have to remember it."
"Really?" she asked, skeptical. He gave a firm nod and to show her he was serious, turned from her and skated with his eyes close into two circles and then quickly pulled to a stop with his arms crossed over his chest. She exclaimed, ecstatic, and then held her arms open just as the king made it back to her side. "Okay, okay..." she whispered.
"Now Terra, love, be sure you—"
"—I can do it..." she interrupted him with a frown and he laughed. With each attempt that ended each with a fall, she grew better, and soon he had to skate beside her slowly to keep up the distance between them. She smiled at the slow but steady pace she managed.
"You have got it, m'dear. Now, how about we take it one step further? Skate along side me and we can put you to the test."
"What if I fall? I've only just started..." she sounded too worried over something that was meant for fun. He did not like that so he stopped her.
"Terra...just as falling is apart of life, picking yourself up is as well. Choosing defeat is something you will regret—never give up." when she still showed her reluctance, he smiled. "What if I told you that I fell more than you when I first started?"
"No you didn't..."
"I did too. You can ask Cole. He is the bloody fool who taught me to be as I am now. I used to dread ice skating." She giggled. That didn't seem like something Locke would know, or even know enough to teach others. But there were many surprising things about her friend so she knew it was possible. "Now, will you continue?" she nodded. "Alright, I shall join you."
The minutes soon drifted into hours and with it Terra's skating skills improved. Edgar had her skating circles almost without any fault by two hours and soon after skating alongside him with a brilliant smile on. The moon was high above them, casting them in a shiny hue that made Terra's green hair appear pale and her skin a creamy white. The only part of her face that remained full of color was her cheeks and nose. "My, my," he said when they took a pause, to rest their legs and catch their breath. "You are certainly a talented young lady. It took me days to get better at this."
She beamed at the praise. "Locke must have taught you well, then."
"Aye, that he did." in fact, the thief took him here with a blindfold and refused to tell him how to get back to the village unless he tried. He shivered. That was something he would not share with the green haired woman—better left unsaid. He casted his eyes to the moon and puffed out a disappointed breath. "T'is later than I thought it was. Perhaps we should head home?"
"Now? But I'm just having fun...!"
"Is that so?" he rubbed at his chin thoughtfully and then snapped his fingers. "Then might be we can fit in one more round of skating."
"Will we be moving onto more advance stuff?"
"That will have to be taught later, m'dear, but for now, how about we enjoy a simple skating round together?" he held his hand out to her and she reluctantly took it. She asked what it was they would be doing and that earned a warm smile from him. "A dance." If her cheeks had not already been turned red, she was sure his words would have done so. She's never danced before...well, at least not what others would call dancing. Sometimes she would 'dance' with the little ones back in Mobliz when the festive musicians appeared during the spring season, but that was just to please her babies.
"Edgar," she said through a whisper, releasing his hand. "I don't know how to dance. Let alone on skates..."
"Fear not, m'lady, we will not be dancing as traditionally as you might think. It will be like ice skating, only together." she still wasn't sure how that would be achieved. "Now, keep a hold of my hand and you will see what I mean." she placed her hand in his hands again and let him led her off into the ice slowly. He skated around her in gentle strokes all the while smiling at her, trying to encourage her to 'dance' with him, but she would not budge over gentle steps. "Now, do not be afraid of the ice Terra."
"I'm not," she called out, almost indignantly. Just of falling on it...
"Then dance with me, do not waddle behind me. Just chase after me and have fun."
"Easy for you to say...you have been doing this for a while." his answer was a tug on her arms and then he zoomed away to the edges where he collected fist sized balls of snow. Before she could retreat, he was back.
"Then I suppose my target will be one that does not move."
"You wouldn't..." A devilish smile spread across his face and he lifted one of the snowballs. "Edgar...don't you dare!"
"Will you move, m'lady?"
"I will at my own pace!" he threw a snowball at her and it exploded across her left shoulder. "Edgar!" she reached out to entangle him with her arms but he slipped free, skating effortless circles around her with a booming laughter that reminder her too much of his twin brother. "Get back here!" she shouted helplessly, still unable to move as freely as he could without falling. She took a few steps out of her spot, wobbled and then stopped. "Edgar!" he threw another, a smaller one.
"Revenge, m'dear, is best served cold. And it is a good thing, is it not? At your current pace that is all you could afford to deal back to me." another snowball was thrown as he completed another lap around her. He had five snowballs left.
"Edgar, not another one!"
He paused in front of her, gestured to his collection of snowballs and then said, "Nay, my dear Terra, I do believe I have five more."
"I swear it Edgar, if you throw another"—she took a few steps toward him, shaking on unsteady legs—"I will be sure to find a far worse punishment!"
"You would have to catch me first, Terra." her face redden in a tinge of gentle anger. "For now it appears you are completely helpless." he decided to show off her inability by circling around her so closely that if she was fast enough, she could grab his arm and pull him down—but he knew she could not, or probably would not—do it. She rested her fists on her hips and looked away from him, to ignore his attempts to persuade her into following. "Ah, the soul who destroyed godly monsters in the name of her children is too afraid to try and catch me? Hmm..."
Faster than she thought she could manage she reached out to snatch his arm and make him loose his collection of snowballs but he gasped and skated backwards away from her searching claws and nearly toppled over. She's had years of practice chasing naughty children, so she was sure she could handle a naughty king on midwinter's eve. Though she had these blasted things on her feet...no matter. She adapted to chasing children that climbed trees like monkeys, swam water like fish, hid like camouflage animals and raced like Chocobos, so she could handle shoes with blades on them to catch this king! She took a puff of cold air and then a step and another and another until Edgar's lips drew into a smirk.
He clicked his tongue, as if disappointed. "Is that all, m'lady? I have naught to fear, then!" the next instance surprised him. She took three steps before she started half-running toward him. He laughed and retreated once more, forcing her to follow. "The night draws near the end. I am not so sure you can catch me tonight."
She charged after him, slipped just a bit, and then rebalanced herself to continue her pursuit of Edgar across the icy lake. He was always just out of reach, always commenting with a "almost" or a "you were just about there" whenever she'd get close to enough to him. Three times she was the nearest she'd ever been—touching the fabric of his coat's sleeve. That made him laugh, but otherwise he gave words of support. "At this rate I will have to just give up to you, m'dear." he slide to a stop before her, waiting for her shallow breathing to level so they could continue. "Or do you wish to try again tomorrow night?"
She shook her head, heaved a tired breath and then looked up at him. "I'll do it tonight, not later."
"Are you sure?" she nodded once again and he started to skate circles around her again, this time gentler than their race. "Alright then. Just say the word when you have had enough." she charged him without warning and he left her again. A moment later he glanced over his shoulder to see if she was lost too far behind and chuckled to himself when he saw that she was gaining on him, with more even strokes and with steady legs. Time to pick up the pace. He thought even as he twirled to the right to pass back behind the novice skater and fled the other way, faster than before.
He heard her groan in irritation and took another glance to find her. She was behind again, her face strained with extreme concentration and determination. Her ponytail followed behind her in a wave of mint green sprinkled gently with the snow that had fallen beforehand. She was certainly determined to catch him, and it gladdened him. He turned his attention back to the front of him, swore and turned to avoid the end of the small lake and did another lap around her, in which she turned to follow almost flawlessly. That surprised him, and worried him. Perhaps she could catch him if he wasn't careful. He swirled again and again, to try and trick her feet, but she showed she was getting better by the second for she twirled to follow him as well.
The look she had now was if she was ready to collapse, but he knew she would never give up now that he had said his earlier words and dared her. What could he do but throw the catch game? He knew she'd know whether or not she did, so that was obviously out of the question. Perhaps I can slow down... He turned once again when his skating range ran out of space and she never stopped her chance. Again his space ran out so he attempted to turn to the right, but his ankle twisted to the right and his body threw him over. He tried to walk across the surface, desperately trying to rebalance himself on his feet before it was too late, so he was not paying attention.
Terra had caught him. Or, rather, smashed into him.
Down he went into the ice, chest first and then chin. His vision flickered white and black and he was sure the weight that he felt on his back was Terra, and the weight that pushed painfully into his chest was his hand and arm bunched up beneath him. His ankle felt fine, sore, but fine. He was sure his chin was bleeding though, because he felt a warm wetness dripping down the rest of his chin to his neck.
When the young woman smashed into him he heard her yelp but now she moaned, painfully, and quickly got off of her skating partner, offering apologies and favors to further a form of apologies. She promised to cook pies, turkeys or anything else if he wanted if he would just forgive her. When he was on his knees he laugh, wiped his bloody chin with the back of his gloved hand and smiled at her.
"I am quiet fine, m'dear, but I worry for you. Please put my heart to ease?"
She still was red with worry and embarrassment, but she nodded. "I'm fine..." and then she looked at him apologetically. "I didn't mean to knock you down. I was going too fast to just stop. I'm so sorry Edgar."
"It is fine Terra, do not worry. It is my own fault, anyway, I was not paying attention and twisted my ankle." he brushed the snow off his chest with a clicked of his tongue and then fixed the color of his shirt and coat before he weakly got to his feet. The scrap on his chin returned to a gentle bled. "Though a favor would be splendid. But, I do believe you caught me."
She offered an awkward smile. "I...I suppose I did."
He tapped his lips with his index finger, feigning deep thought. "What will you do with me now that you have caught me, m'lady? I do believe you promised me a terrible punishment for treating so unjustly?"
She giggled. "I'll get you back, don't worry! And I'm sure Locke and the others would love to help!"
He paled and patted his chest softly, worriedly. "A thief? My dear woman, that seems a bit much for my behavior. Bringing in Cole would be quite an insidious alliance to take against me!" at that he placed a hand over his heart and gave her a hurt expression, in which she smiled fondly at him.
"Then what would you have me do? I did promise, you know!"
"I have an idea, m'lady. After mine punishment, I would call upon that favor." when she asked what, he swooped her hand into his and placed a gentle, warm kiss on her knuckles. "But one more dance."
Her ears pinked and her breath caught. Was he serious? Wasn't what they did before 'that' dance? "Edgar, we're still in our skates, and I told you before, I can't dance—"
"—And I heard you, my dear Terra, I heard you. But I would surely enjoy teaching you to dance as I have enjoyed teaching you to ice skate. It warms me to see you smile so brightly, and laugh so happily. If I may use that favor, then it would please me to have it as a date."
A date? He had asked her on dates before, always after empty compliments or chivalrous behavior he and her many friends promised were just harmless compliments, so why ask her 'seriously' now? How could she tell he was serious now? "A date...? Edgar, I—"
"—Of course you can decline as you please." he was still holding her hand, clutching them with his warm hands, and she tried her hardest not to pay attention to just that. She did have a wonderful time with him, and she couldn't deny she felt something during it all, but she wasn't sure what that was. He made her laugh and smile and have fun even when she was grieving over the loss of her children and her loneliness. Before tonight she felt just as empty and alone as she did when their first first started, and she was sure it would go back to that as soon as the day was over and they all went their separate ways.
Strago's earlier words reflected in her mind. Edgar did make her happy today when all she felt was loneliness and pain, and she did have fun with him. If she said no, then she wouldn't be able to have the fun she had today, but she wasn't sure if saying 'yes' would led to more nights like this. The old lore mage did say to take chances...
She smiled. "I would love to Edgar."
Little did she know it would be the start to a very happy life.
The end of the super short. Man, that word limit was really messing with me. Well, this was a request of two EdgarxTerra fans and was helped to be written by Dommy (pen name). :)
Perhaps I'll find some time to make another version of this, longer and without any limits! I hope everyone liked it! Oh, and Merry Christmas everyone! Have a good day/night and remember to have fun!