From Colds to Waltzes
Ch3: A Dance for Two
In the Rolling Hills of the Summerlands, Prince Marcassin was crouched by a river collecting spring water. Carefully collecting the crystal clear water into a fifth canteen, he then stood up. His long black hair danced behind his pretty face as the wind blew past him. The air was so much cleaner than the smoggy collection of smoke and steam he was so used to breathing to back home.
He inhaled deeply, savoring the pureness of the air here. "I wish we could have air this clean back in Hamelin. Not just for me, but I bet everybody would enjoy it." The prince began to walk alongside the river bed, still lost in thought. "I wonder if we could somehow harness magic and our machinery to create a device to filter the air…That could work. Once we've defeated Shadar, I'll start the research immedien-"
"Whoa!" The prince had slipped on a stone and nearly fell in the cold, wet river, but was saved as something caught him, protectively clamping his jacket sleeve.
He looked up to see Tengri, the purple dragon, gently pulling him away from the near wet accident. "Kyah? Kya!"
"Why, thank you, Tengri. Esther wasn't kidding when she said you were a friendly dragon." Tengri then began to nuzzle his head next to the prince's body affectionately. "Haha, okay, be careful, you may push me into the river!"
Climbing onto the purple reptile's back with the canteens and placing them into a sack, he called out to the dragon, "Okay, Tengri, we now have everything, so let's head back to help your master!"
"Kyaah!" Tengri stretched his majestic wings and took to the skies to the east, to Hamelin.
"I wonder how Oliver and the others are doing…I hope everything's okay…"
"Aha! I found them!" Al-Khemi struggled to pull out two pieces of fabric from his cauldron that appeared to be stuck, "Hurg, huurg! C'mon!"
Esthrer tilted her head to the side in confusion, "What are you planning, Al?"
"Oh, you'll…see…just as …soon…as I…get…these…OUT!" With a final tug, the clothes he was trying to pull out were finally free.
Both Esther and Swaine stared in shock at the two outfits the genie held.
In one hand he held a classy black tux with a pale green vest and a darker green tie. The other hand held up a poofy pink gown with frilly layers and golden ribbons around the waist and fluffy sleeves that sparkled in the light.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. You want us to wear those things?!" Swaine's voice was layered in disbelief and a slight panic.
"No, not just that my thieving friend," Swaine appeared unamused at this nickname, "For making the fairy and I worry for you and for losing to me in battle, the two of you must do one command from me; and that is…" he paused for emphasis, "To dance out here in the streets, in these!" He proudly and mischievously held up the elaborate outfits for all to see.
The couple's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates-and Esther dropped her groceries yet again- before crying out, "…WHAAT?!"
"There's no way I'm dancing with him!" Esther stomped her foot on the ground.
"Oh no, I'm not getting into that tux. Nope, not in a million years. No way." Swaine waved his arms out in front of him in his attempt to make his statement clear.
The genie draped the dress over his shoulder, "Oh, don't worry, the tux isn't for you."
Swaine raised an eyebrow at this, not sure to be relieved or worried. "Eh?"
Al placed the tuxedo into his pot before briskly but carefully grabbing Esther-who responded with a yelp-and placing her into the pot, too. He placed the lid back on tight and began to shake it as if he was mixing a drink. After a minute of shaking, he popped open the lid and out tumbled Esther; but now clad in the handsome black and green tuxedo.
The girl slowly got to her bearings and examined her body. "Huh…? I'm in the tuxedo…?"
"Wait a second…" Swaine shifted his gaze between the ridiculous dress and Esther's current attire, "If she's in the tux, then…oh no."
His eyes grew wide in realization of what this meant. He began to make a mad sprint out of there to avoid his embarrassing fate but it was too late. Al-Khemi scooped him up into his pot with the pink dress and began to shake it in a similar manner to Esther's. The man's protests could be heard in muffled shouts from the container.
But the genie continued to shake and mix the contents of his pot …
Drippy's lantern tilted to the side as the little fairy pondered the situation. Oliver was fast asleep in bed again while Al had been gone for about half an hour; not that long but long enough to make the fairy think. The noises had stopped but Drippy still couldn't shake the feeling he was missing out on something important-or big at least.
"Knickers…what's a Lord High Lord of the Fairies to do?" He jumped down from the window to pace on the floor of the clinic room. "I really want to see what the flipping fuss was about and how ol' Al's doing, but somebody's gotta watch over Ollie-boy in case he gets up. The lad's asleep now, sure, but what if he wakes up while I'm away and tries to get out of bed? Oi, that wouldn't be tidy at all…" He shook his lantern side to side, "But I'm still worried about Esther and Swaine…mun, those two bicker so much they make oil and water look like best friends! How would they fare without me or Ollie-boy with 'em to break it up?"
Just then Dr. Bushystache came in. "Oi, doc, it's you!" Drippy jumped a bit, startled from his thoughts. The doctor's gaze met Drippy's, "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you jump…literally."
Drippy wrapped his tiny arms behind his head, "Oi, it's alright mun, no biggie."
"So, how's the young boy? It was...Oliver, was it?"
"Yep, Ollie-boy seems to be 'bout the same. He came to 'bout half an hour ago but I convinced him to stay in bed."
"Hm, that's good. Did the prince return with the ingredients yet? And where did the others go?"
"Nope, princey-boy isn't here yet. As for the others, well, Esther, the blond lass, left a while ago to get some groceries, then Swaine left to stretch his legs, and after playing some Go Fish with Al, that red fella, he left to check on what all that flippin' racket was earlier."
The doctor nodded, "I see. I heard that racket was two people fighting in Main Street with these strange creatures…A blonde and a brown haired man, I think…wait." The doctor stopped what he was doing and stared at the fairy; his gaze was mirrored by Drippy's.
"…Did you hear anything else 'bout these fighters, mun?"
"Um…yes, a patient said one fought with a plump, purple bird while the other had…a blue muscular animal, I think."
"Crikey!" That was enough for Drippy, "It's Esther and Swaine, I know it! I feel it in me lantern, I do! Doc, keep an eye on Ollie-boy, I gotta go!" With that, Drippy ran out at a lightning speed and before the doctor could respond, the fairy was already outside, running up the streets.
"Hey, lemme out of here!" Swaine's muffled shouts continued as the genie shook the pot.
"Not yet! Just hang on a little longer…" Al-Khemi's tongue stuck out the side of his mouth as he concentrated on his task. After a little more shaking, he asked "Okay, are you ready?"
"Wha-?! Wait, no, NO, DON'T! I CAN'T BE SEEN IN TH-"The thief's frantic cries were ignored as Al-Khemi dumped him out on the hard road-and in his new outfit.
What a ridiculous sight it was! A lanky old man-now blushing furiously-in a pink pretty dress in the middle of the street. Laughter was heard from every direction. Even Esther could hardly contain her laugh as she struggled to hide her grin and giggling behind her hands.
"Al! Give me back my clothes right now! I can't be seen in this!" The man's angry face and tight fist only added to the comicalness of his appearance.
"I will, but only after you dance!" The genie's scheming grin never ceased to show. "Just consider this payback for stealing my cauldron back in Castaway Cove." He then began to start searching the contents of his pot yet again.
"For Pete's sake, I was broken-hearted! And that-"
Whoosh! A grey coffee cup whizzed by his head, missing by inches. Al-Khemi continued to throw stuff out as he dug even deeper into the pot, sending some pens, a bobble head, and his parasol flying out with other random objects.
Swaine's face still showed clear signs of his anger and embarrassment as he marched up to the pot. "Look, there is ABSOLUTLY no way I'm going to dance in this thwoAH!" Tripping on the pink garment, he landed face first again on the road.
"Grr…dammit," He tried to stand back up, gathering the fluffy material in his arms, "How the hell do women walk in these?"
"H-hey, just be happy he didn't make you wear high heels too! HahaHAHA!" Esther couldn't hold back her laughter anymore and was now bent over holding her stomach from all the laughing.
Al-Khemi finally found what he was looking for and struggled to pull it out-not because it was stuck, but due to its weight. It was a mammoth sized record player, taller than the buildings around the street.
"Hmph, so what are you gonna make us dance to, Caramelldansen?" Swaine sarcastically asked with a roll of his eyes. This only made Esther laugh harder; she was now rolling on the cold hard ground but she didn't mind. The image of Swaine doing that ridiculous dance-and in that dress-resulted in even more laughter.
"Actually…this." Al-Khemi held up a huge record-big enough for the mammoth record player.
Swaine squinted his eyes and read aloud the cover, "…The Hamelin Waltz…?"
Al-Khemi nodded, "Yes, but I may have some other songs too…I think I might have some disco albums in here somewhe-"
"Um, no thanks, we're good." Swaine interrupted the genie, shuddering at the thought of having to disco dance.
Al-Khemi placed the record on the player and after a few seconds of silence, graceful music filled the air of Hamelin with its waltz.
"Sigh… there's no way out of this one, is there?"Swaine asked aloud. Reluctantly, he extended his hand towards the tuxedo clad blonde. Wiping a tear from her eye from all the laughing, she looks up to see Swaine's face; not looking at her in the eye. "Let's get this over with, I guess." Swaine continued to look away as he talked with discomfort in his voice.
"But…I"ve never waltzed before. I don't have any idea how to waltz."
The man glanced in the girl's direction, discovering her eyes were pointed to her feet, blushing. "I-I may be a dancer…but…I don't know how to waltz…" Embarrassment was seen in her eyes as she shifted her body, ashamed.
She was then surprised to feel Swaine's calloused hand taking hers and holding it up as his other arm went to her waist. "Just…Just follow my lead…I know how to waltz, and…I'm sure you'll catch on."
Esther stared at him for a moment before laughing again. "W-what's so funny?" Swaine seemed to get more embarrassed by the minute.
"Hahah…I'm going to have to follow you, of all people, and while you're in a dress, haha!" Esther got her laugh out of her system before making eye contact with him. "But okay. I'll trust you on this."
In the rust colored streets of Hamelin, a tiny fairy darted across in search of his friends. "Ooooooiiiiiiiiiiiii! Esther! Swaine! Al-Khemi! Where the flipping heck are ya?" Drippy hollered out, but his answer was only the hiss of steam and clanking echo of machinery.
"Blimey, where could they be?"
"Drippy?"
Drippy bounced around to see a familiar young man with long black hair carrying a sack walk towards him. "Crikey, it's you Marcassin! You're back in one piece, mun!"
"Yes, and I brought all the ingredients for Oliver's cold medicine. Tengri was very fast…and friendly." He held up the sack containing some fogdrops, booster shoots, and five canteens full of water.
"Oi, that's good to hear," the fairy jumped on a nearby post box to be at eye level with the pretty boy before continuing, "But we've got another problem on our hands now."
"What is it? Did a monster attack while I was away?" The prince's worry was evident in his green eyes as well as his voice.
"Nah, mun, it's Esther and Swaine. I think the two of them were duking it out and Al went to go check it out but they haven't been back for a while…not that long, but long enough for me to get a bad feeling in my lantern."
"Where are they?"
"If I did, everything would be all tidy by now, but no, mun, I haven't the fog-"Suddenly, graceful music was echoing though the air. This music made its way to the fairy's and prince's ears, halting the conversation.
"That's…" Marcassin closed his eyes to concentrate on the tune,"…The Hamelin Waltz."
"What, you've got your own waltz? Blimey, I knew this place had a lot of things, but I never expected a waltz." The fairy then turned his lantern skyward as his tiny hand scratched his head, "But why's it playing? There a ball or some tidy dance going on?"
"No, at least not one I was informed on…"
"Hmm, well, maybe we should investigate!" Drippy bounced down from his perch, "Maybe Al and the others are there! Yeah, I bet they are, I can feel it in my lantern! My lantern's got a tidy feeling about this!"
The Lord High Lord of the Fairies dashed down the street, led by his tiny ears, and was followed by the prince of Hamelin, who hollered "Wait, Mr. Drippy slow down!" as he ran after him.
"…For a thief, you're pretty good at dancing, Swaine."
"…You're not so bad yourself…for a girl in a tux." He smirked, but his mouth was then twisted in discomfort as he felt her heel smash down on his foot. "You think I WANT to be in this thing?"
They continued to sway in motion of the music, Esther following Swaine's footsteps on the brick and iron-railed street. The crowd still watched them as if they're eyes were glued to this sight; a man in a dress and a tuxedo-clad girl waltzing out in the middle of the street. How often do you see that?
"So…where did you learn to waltz?" Esther brought her eyes to Swaine's brown ones. "It's not like one of the skills you'd expect a thief to have."
"Well, I had to take lessons back when…I was still a prince…Gascon…" His eyes averted hers slightly. Talking about his past was usually a pain for the man, but he didn't feel like dodging the question this time, for some reason. "It was a 'requirement' of being a prince…at least that's what my parents always told me and Marcassin when we were little."
"Did you ever have to dance with him?" Esther giggled at this idea. Swaine then gave her a spin as he answered in his sarcastic voice, "Are you kidding? You saw us fifteen years ago; he was barely half my height back then. I'd probably end up walking over him!" They both laughed a bit before another thought entered Swaine's mind.
"Hey…how do you think this dress would look on pretty boy?"
"On Marcassin…? Pfft, on Prince Marcassin-hahaha!" The image of the handsome prince in Swaine's dress had caused her laughter to re-erupt.
"He'd be Princess Marcassin then!" Esther was spun by Swaine once again.
"Or Princess Marcassinette!" He laughed as well, the idea of his younger brother in something even more ridiculous (in his opinion) than his normal, royal clothes.
…What they didn't know was the very same prince was watching them from the crowd and had heard almost every word. Drippy, perched on the pretty boy's head, failed at holding in his laughter. "Hohoho, Princess Marcassinette! Oi, that's a good one mun, hohoho!" His lantern bobbed with his laugh while Marcassin lowered his head in embarrassment, nearly making the fairy roll off. "Oi, seriously, with the right clothes and a bit of make-up, you could-"He gazed down to see for the first time the prince's embarrassment.
"…Oi, sorry, mun, I didn't realize you were taking it so serious like."
Marcassin made eye contact, seeing the fairy didn't mean to make him feel poorly on purpose. "…It's okay, I accept your apology." The duo then continued to watch the couple waltz on the floor, deciding to stay quiet for the time.
"What about Oliver? Or Drippy?"
"Haha, they'd have to grow a bit to be able to wear the dress first!"
After a few more steps, Swaine then said, "Or you? How do ya' think this would look on you?" Esther looked up in surprise at this. "Wh-what, me?" She shook her head, "No, no I doubt I'd look good in that dress."
Swaine raised an eyebrow at this. "…Well, I think you'd look better than me in it, at least."
Esther's eyebrow cocked up, but then added, "…Well, when you put it that way, I think you wouldn't look half bad in this tux."
Swaine's head tilted to the side. "…You think?"
"Yes, if we made it a bit bigger to fit you, that is."
They swayed to the music for a few more moments before the oversized record player reached the end of its song, the needle returning to its original position. There was a pause in the air, and then some applause for the eccentric couple's dancing. Even Al-Khemi clapped his huge hands as he hopped closer to them with his pot.
"See? That wasn't so bad, now was it?" The genie smirked playfully.
The two were still a bit embarrassed. "I completely forgot we had an audience…"Swaine swatted his forehead in shame as Esther tried to hide her blush behind her palms.
"Oi, there's no need to be ashamed of such tidy dancing!"
"What?!" Swaine and Esther jerked their heads up to be greeted by the sight of the loud fairy sitting on the handsome head of a very familiar prince.
"Yes, Gascon, it's been a while since I've seen you waltz…and it looks like you still got it." Marcassin smiled to his brother in exchange for Swaine's shocked face.
Swaine and Esther were deadly silent for an awkward moment before Swaine came to.
He franticly turned to the genie responsible for this mess. "Al! We did as you told us to, so give us back our clothes! NOW!" Swaine sprinted to the pot and jumped right in the pool of light purple smoke. This was then followed by a pained "OWCH!" that obviously belonged to Swaine.
Al-Khemi looked into his home, grimacing. "Oohh…that had to hurt…" Replacing the lid on the container, he began to re-shake it.
Meanwhile, Drippy couldn't contain his curiosity of the events that had been occurring without him. "So, how did you and Swainey start dancing in the first place? And in those tidy costumes? Hahaha!"
"Um…well…it's a long story…"
"Hmm...well, all I flippin' know is you were in a tidy tux, Swaine was in a flipping dress-ho ho!-and the two of you were dancing the night away while lost in each other's eyes!" Drippy fluttered his eyes in a dreamy fashion to illustrate his last part.
"Wh-wha-no, that's not what happened at all! This was Al's idea! And I wasn't lost in his stupid brown eyes!" She ranted to the fairy like a lunatic-and at poor prince Marcassin's expense.
"Oi, brown you say!" Drippy hopped off Marcassin's head to the ground, "And I bet a hundred lanterns he said you're eyes were like blue orbs of magic or somethin' romantic like!"
"No no no no no! You've got it all wrong, that's not it at all, and for your information, he didn't say a word about my eyes, and they're just fine!" The blonde was now blushing so red she looked like she had spilt red paint all over her cheeks.
"Boy, wait 'till Ollie-boy hears this! Oi, this is gonna be good!" The fairy dashed away from the now departing crowd in the direction of the clinic while singing, "Swaine and Esther, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-tidy!"
"What?! No NO IT'S NOT LIKE THAT AT ALL! DRIPPY DON'T YOU DARE!" She ran like a madman-or madwoman in a tuxedo-after the jolly fairy.
"Esther, Drippy, wait please!" Marcassin called out to them as Al-Khemi looked up from his shaking and said, "Hm? Esther wait! I still have your clothes and I need my tuxedo back!"
In the midst of his talking, his grip on the pot loosened, causing Swaine to tumble out-in nothing but his tattered, faded boxers.
"Oof…Huh?" Swaine glanced at his body, blushing so red it was as though his cheeks were painted over in red paint twice, "Wha-?! AL!" He stared accusingly at the genie, rage mixed with his embarrassment.
Al held up his arms defensively, "It was an accident! I promise!"
"Well, you're gonna need more than a promise right now…" he raised his arm, revealing a now fixed pistol, aimed at the genie.
"Huh? You fixed your gun?"
"Yeah, and if there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I never let my gun out of sight!" With a pow the gun fired, missing the genie by mere centimeters as he dodged the bullet.
"Hmph! You want to fight! Fine! To arms!" Al-Khemi pulled out a lamp and a feather duster. "Huh? Arrgh! Where are they?" He dag madly in his pot for his weapons, only finding a sewing machine, a Spanish dictionary, and a Mitey plushie.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Swaine was in no mood for patience and began to fire crazily at Al-Khemi, resulting in his retreat for his search. "Ow ow owch! Hey-" Pow! Pow! Pow!
Al-Khemi, now seeing he was dealing with a madman with a gun that could really smart, hopped away as fast as his pot would allow, fleeing the situation with the gunman hot on his heels-if he had heels.
"Hey, you get back here!"
"Gascon, wait-oh dear…" Marcassin was left in the middle of the street, unsure what to do-or who to follow. Should he go to the clinic to Oliver with the rest of the medicine ingredients, or follow his brother as he chased after the alchemy genie?
The young man stood in the street, no longer in a crowd as the watchers had resumed with their daily activities and the hiss of industry resounded in his kingdom once again.
The Caramelldansen reference does not belong to me. Hope you enjoyed my fanfic! :)