Chapter 19: Celebration
The large banqueting hall had been fully decorated and the men of the group had all arrived. The place also started to fill with attendants as the two long tables were set out in the room: one for the men and one for the women.
Lucius was sat next to Raven, watching in awe as the attendants meticulously placed each fork, knife, spoon and plate in perfect parallel form.
"I hope you're hungry" Raven said, turning to Lucius during their chat. "Looks like Lord Eliwood went out of his way to prepare this for us"
Lucius chuckled, also admiring the symmetry of the silverware.
"You needn't worry, Lord Raymond" he chuckled. "I've been building an appetite"
A large door at one end of the hall opened up, suddenly revealing an influx of people consisting of the women of the convoy, all dressed in fancy, elegant (a few extravagant) dresses, their faces made up to suit their appearance. Some of the single men at the table looked in a childish fascination towards the single women of the convoy as they filled the room with a tone of voice that was drastically absent.
Through the influx, Lucius spotted Florina walking in with Fiora and Lyn. She seemed to be dressed the simplest out of everyone in the group, wearing a long silk dress that just covered her feet. Her almost ceramic smooth arms were bare, unscathed and beautiful in their simplicity. Her hair was curled, her face un-protesting and not hidden within the barriers of make up. She was as she appeared, and it sent a shiver right up to Lucius's neck.
He watched as Florina looked about the hall nervously. Her eyes scanned the room erratically, before they happened across Lucius, who was looking right back at her. Even from the distance, their eye contact brought a closeness neither expected, and as if struck by lighting, their eyes swiftly recoiled. Quickly, she searched for her seat and settled herself down, just out of reach of Lucius's eyesight, much to his chagrin.
As the food was brought out to the tables, the guests all started to dine. The array of meats was extraordinary, there was the finest pork, lamb, beef, venison, chicken, any form of animal they could name and it would be there in some form or another, cooked to perfection. Not only was there meat, but there was also a wide array of fish that accompanied. All varieties of vegetables were served accordingly, accompanying sauces, every little inventive decoration, it was a feast for the eyes and, as soon to be discovered, the mouth.
And who could forget the alcohol? The best casks and bottles of wines and ales where brought out along with the food to quench the almost dire thirst of every member. The alcohol served to moisten the slightly tense atmosphere between everyone after a weeks' absence and as gradual as it was consumed, so were the smiles that appeared in the room.
About an hour and a half passed as the great feast was slowly coming to an end. Spirits were high (both human spirits and liquor spirits) and everybody was having a great time. The women were indulged in their orderly conversations whilst the men were louder, yet still civilized. Lucius, who had always abstained from alcohol, was having a good time contributing to the conversation between him, Marcus, Raven and Hawkeye, who for the first time, was wearing a robe across his usually bare chest, finally accepting the laws of decency. Their conversation was a light, yet immersive, mainly about their journey together and their future plans. But the highlight of the evening was about to begin.
Almost as if by surprise, a door opened by the side of the stage, where a group of men and women dressed in the same red and blue robes carrying an assortment of instruments walked through and made their way to the stage, settling down into an arrangement. In military fashion, they followed each other in single row as they ascended the stage steps. The conversation slowly begun to vanish as their attentions slowly turned to the assembling band. Was there going to be music?
As the final member of the band emerged through the door and made his way to the stage, settling down with his violin, the military precision suddenly melted as they broke into a soothing slow song. Everybody looked about the hall as some of the lanterns were extinguished to dim the lighting of the room. It screamed romance, and every eye in the room fell upon Pent as he stood, offering his hand to Louise, who took it. They then proceeded to the dance floor and assumed their position before slowly dancing in time to the music. The idea of the music had become apparently clear to everyone, and Lucius felt his heart start to race as the gap caused by Pent's absence gave him a clear sight of Florina, who was peeking towards him coyly, almost in expectation.
"She's looking at you, Lucius"
Lucius jumped in his skin as Raven's voice caught him in surprise. He watched as a grin appeared on Raven's face, revealing a mischievous nature.
"Lord Raymond…please, I know she's looking at me" Lucius whispered frustratingly.
"Well, you're either going to dance with her or I will" he joked, giggling a little. "I…oh, hello Rebecca!"
Lucius quickly looked behind Raven to see Rebecca standing, looking down to Raven.
"Hi, Raven" she said coyly. Raven got the message instantly and turned to Lucius.
"Heh…you're on your own" he said quietly, standing up to take Rebecca's hand and lead her to the dance floor. Lucius had never cursed publicly in his life before, but the one person he needed for confidence, the rock he could hold onto in the ravaging seas of his nerves, had just been taken away. The time was appropriate.
"…Crap" he uttered, looking down towards his near empty glass of water. Looking back up towards Florina, he noticed the depleting number of sitting people, finding their well needed presences migrating towards the dance floor. He saw the slightly disappointed expression building in Florina's face as she noticed the empty seats growing around her. He felt his lungs shrink inside him as his legs turned into a shivering wreck beneath the table.
His nerves were overcoming him. He never felt so nervous in his life…
But as he looked towards Raven, who was busy dancing with Rebecca, he saw his smile. Lucius vividly remembered the time when seeing Raven smile was such a rarity that such moments needed to be treasured. The pain that Raven had to deal with when Priscilla died had changed him.
Why should cower any further, he thought? He thought heavily about Florina's kiss, her slightly chapped lips against his own. The sweet sensitivity of the moment, the complete indulgence and expectancy of it. Why should dancing be any worse? Florina had been brave enough to seize her chance at his heart, and now he knew that he had to repay that moment to her. The week had been long, but he had begun to think of that kiss as wonderful.
Looking wistfully towards the dance floor, Florina received the shock of her life as she heard the familiar voice calling next to her.
"Florina"
She turned around to see Lucius standing next to her, looking down with a partially nervous, yet controlled expression. His hand was resting on the back of her chair.
"L-Lucius!" she said in surprise, her disappointment vanishing at once. Lucius saw the opportunity and wasted little time in making his move.
"W-would you like to dance?" he asked, gulping straight after his proposition. He watched as Florina's face was stuck in a pause. Oh no, he thought, it was all over. He tried to salvage it: "I thought you were looking a little lonely, that's all…"
Then, before he could continue his attempts to explain his proposition, Florina stood up, her head tilted coyly downwards and a smile just managing to escape from her lips. Lucius could feel himself blushing as he detected the smile. Reaching a hand out, he felt the tingling sensation of elation slowly proceed from his fingers to the rest of his body as Florina took the hand. He couldn't hide his own smile; it was like the effects of a hallucinatory drug at the beginning of its effect. Proudly donning his feelings onto his face, he led his Florina to the dance floor. Before they took their hold, Lucius found the time to warn Florina of something important.
"I have to tell you…" he said quietly as the song was coming to an end. "…I can't dance"
Florina giggled a little.
"Do you know how to hold me?" she asked. Nervously, Lucius nodded before placing one hand around her waist and taking her other hand. It didn't feel right, but Florina's giggling was always there to reassure him.
"L-Like this?" he asked.
"Hee hee…it's close enough, I guess" she said. And as the music played, they started to dance.
It was nothing short of comical to begin with. The role of the man leading the lady had been wholly reversed, with Florina guiding the direction around the dance floor in order to avoid being sandwiched by other dancers. Every song they played had an appropriate dance to it, the band was playing an eclectic selection of music. As the night went through, the mistakes in the dancing numbered less and less. Lucius was able to avoid stepping on Florina's feet and his hold was getting stronger.
As was his bond. The dances became more intimate as the night went onwards, progressing steadily from the professional hold and occasional stumble to fast, detached, often hilarious dancing, before slowing down to the most romantic numbers. Lucius had hardly noticed by the final song that he was holding Florina to his chest, a hand in her hair, her head rested against his shoulder, her hand upon his other shoulder. Their movement consisted of a mere, slow step from left to right, like a pair of slow swaying trees. All of his nerves had vanished through the hours, his library of inhibitions burnt to the ground and replaced by an unbridled satisfaction. He felt a sense of obligation and service to Florina; he felt the need to make her world a better place.
Those deeply hidden emotions were turning their head. As the final song came to an end, both Lucius and Florina felt naught but sheer sadness that their time together in the indulgence of all senses was coming to an end. Claiming the need for the lavatory, she excused herself, mustering the effort to part her contact from Lucius. Lucius watched as the long skirt of her dress waved naturally in syncopation with her steps. The swelling feeling in his chest was returning to him. Flushed, he released a longing sigh, slumping his shoulders. She was truly beautiful, even with her back turned.
Minutes passed as Lucius went to sit back down to chat with Eliwood and Hector. He thanked them for the splendid night and complimented the exquisite food and atmosphere before they started to reflect on the adventure. Though unbeknownst to Lucius, the conversation would only last five minutes.
"Well, if it wasn't for you, Lucius, we wouldn't be here. I'm personally glad I didn't have to lay a hand on that fiend, Nergal" Eliwood said, tipsy from the ale. "The way you struck him down in one shot, let's toast that moment"
"To a truly killer moment!" Hector joked, clearly drunk. Lucius laughed and lifted his water, toasting with the two before sipping. A hand fell on his shoulder as he placed his glass down, startling him. As he turned, he wiped the small speck of water that had tipped onto his sleeve before recognizing the face that stood before him. It was Lyn.
"Hello Lyn" Lucius greeted. "Have you had a nice night?"
"Very much so, thank you" she replied. She then cast a gaze to the entrance of the hall. "Um…Florina wants to speak to you"
Lucius slowly stood from his chair.
"Really?" he asked, his face once more glowing. It only took the mention of her name now to flush his face red. "Where might she be?"
"She's waiting for you outside" Lyn mentioned, then directing her gaze towards the curtains at the end of one side of the room. Lucius noticed that there were large glass doors well hidden behind the curtains, leading to the dark of the night and the illumination of starlight.
"Thank you…" Lucius said quietly. As he started to walk, he heard a drunken Hector yell "Go get her, tiger!"
Little did Lucius know, what was to happen as soon as he walked out of the door and to the outside would once again change his life. A change that signaled a new start on his life.