After the superb meal the party slowly trickled into a massive ballroom filled with the golden glow of Lorule's marvelous electric lights.
Wars wasted no time in asking the winsome Danielle to dance, and she took his elbow with a wide smile. She missed the ever so slightly dejected look on Hyrule's face as he stood nearby shuffling his feet. He'd only just gotten the gumption up to ask her for a dance himself. Seeing this, Winona excused herself from the conversation that she was having with Time and Sky and took the matter into her own hands. She strode right up to Hyrule and asked if he might dance with her. He smiled and nodded, taking her hand, and the two walked to the edge of the crowd and began to dance.
"I-I'm afraid I'm not very good at this sort of thing…dancing I mean." He said with a sheepish expression as he fumbled with where to put his hands.
"That's alright." Winona smiled. "I'll lead." She placed his hand at her waist and took his other and the two began a slow easy waltz, different from what the Lorulian gentry were dancing but smooth and lovely nonetheless. Winona laughed and made faces at Hyrule all the while and soon he was laughing too.
Legend watched all of this from his spot leaning against a pillar. He huffed heavily through his nose and looked at his boots as he tried to untangle the mess of emotions roiling through his mind.
"You're not jealous, are you?" Wild sidled up to him with a pair of fancy-looking fluted glasses of something pink and fizzing. He offered one to his friend.
"Of course not!" Legend snapped and snatched the glass. He didn't make eye contact.
"Uhhuh…sure." Said Wild lightly as he sipped his drink delicately.
"I DON'T dance." Legend said flatly. "and even if I did why would I care who my friends dance with? Hm?" A high strained laugh escaped his throat. "Ridiculous!"
Wild looked at his friend for a long moment. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something.
"Well.. suit yourself then." Was all he said in the end. They stood for a while on the edge of the dancefloor watching until a tall, beautiful woman with a sheet of Jet colored hair in an ornate orange saree came up and asked Wild for a dance. He smiled at her and obliged and the two took to the floor in a smooth gliding waltz leaving Legend alone. Again. He frowned momentarily, giving up for the time being on figuring out exactly what he was supposed to be feeling, and decided that he needed some air.
He stepped out onto the large balcony adjacent to the ballroom savoring the chilly Lorulian air. A stiff cold breeze ruffled his hair and tunic. He expected to be alone out here, but there was one other solitary figure standing at the railing. His deep blue velvet cloak billowed in the wind making him look imposing and even more regal than he apparently already was. It was Ravio.
Ravio turned when he felt someone watching him, leaning heavily on his cane, and smiled when he was that it was his old friend.
"Link." He inclined his head and made a beckoning gesture with his free hand.
Legend obliged. The pair looked out over the massive expanse that was Lorule, taking in the vibrant glittering city below. Feeling a vague sense of locational deja vu he turned behind him and looked up. Just above where the ballroom was on the next level of the castle was a wide rooftop courtyard where he had once battled a man named Yuga, who had tried and failed to take over the kingdom with the aid of Hyrule's Triforce…and Ganon. He had tricked a desperate young princess into doing unspeakable things to try to save her crumbling world. Legend shuddered involuntarily at the memory. Ravio followed his gaze and frowned, no doubt remembering the same events. He opened his mouth as if to speak but then closed it again. Legend returned his attention to the city below.
Ravio smiled at him and then did the same. "Just LOOK at her Link… this beautiful thriving city." He said with pride and a small almost sad smile. "This is because of you…you know?"
Legend watched as a glowing silver dirigible glided through the night below them, off to some unknown destination. Many other smaller airships sailed to and fro around the city, bringing mobility, and goods to its cliff-side dwellers.
"I had hoped that the land would heal after we restored the Triforce," Legend murmured, looking down into the impossible depths below and beyond the castle walls.
"We did too.." Ravio said softly. "So much of what once was is now lost to the depths.. crumbled away." He looked sad for a moment then brightened a little. "But…at least we will lose no more and we've developed significant technological advancements to compensate…. The people of Lorule live well…. And at peace. The Empress has a steady hand." He smiled softly.
"Yes. I'm sure.." Legend said. Eyes returning to his old friend. "And she has you to lean on…"
Ravio met his eyes but said nothing.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Legend asked him outright with a smirk before it was replaced with a softer look. He took a somber knee. "My Liege…"
"Oh stop that!" Ravio grumbled. "I'm not your 'Liege' anyway… I'm the Empresses' consort but to you, I'm just a friend." He grinned "And I wouldn't have it any other way.. Besides.. I thought for sure that after all that you and Zelda would have hit it off. "I figured we'd be bosom buddies in that."
"I'm… no one." Legend's smile faded, remembering that old stinging crush from his youth "Zelda is a princess.. destined to be married off to some prince."
Ravio scoffed. "You're a Hero!" he countered "And besides.. I too was 'no one' once… But then we began to rebuild, and well… life just took a good direction, I suppose." He gestured around him, to the castle before them and the city below.
Legend leaned heavily on the balcony and felt the cold wind begin numbing his face. He relished it. "Rebuild being the key word there my friend... You had a unique chance to start on a near-even footing with your princess. You were at her side through it all. Zelda was always beyond my reach." He sighed wistfully and then shook his head with a smile. "Besides, that was years ago, I've had my heart broken by a couple of beauties since then."
"Oh?" Ravio gushed, leaning forward. His eyes sparkled mischievously and he all at once seemed to return to the gangly youth he once was. "Do tell?"
Legend laughed, finding that he'd very much missed these little talks with his friend. "Well… Let's start with the tree…"