My Fluffy February 2024 contribution for the prompt : Dance.
I'm sorry for the mistakes, English is not my native language. I hope you like it.
Disclaimer : Frieren : Beyond Journey's End belongs to Yamada Kanehito and Abe Tsukasa.
Can I have this dance ?
Frieren looked at Stark who was asking Fern to dance. Dressed in his beautiful suit and with this attitude, he looked like a real prince. Fern put her hand in his and rose from her chair. They walked to the center of the room, mingled with the other guests and danced. They both moved gracefully and no one could have believed that just a few weeks ago, neither of them knew how to dance.
Frieren could not help smiling at how happy Fern was, even if she tried to hide it. A memory came back to her. It had happened several decades ago, but for Frieren, who did not have the same notion of time, it was as if it had happened yesterday.
Frieren and her companions had helped rebuild a village that had been attacked by bandits. A party was organized in the central square of the village to celebrate the end of the reconstruction. Everyone was eating, drinking, dancing. Everyone was having fun.
Frieren was near the table of the buffet. She had just helped herself to a large slice of cake and was about to eat it when she heard footsteps behind her. She recognized Himmel immediately. She had the ability to recognize each of her companions when they approached her. Especially Himmel. He was the one she felt closest to. It's strange, she said to herself, it was the first time she had become so attached to someone. She looked up from her cake and turned round. Himmel smiled at her.
"Aren't you dancing ?" he asked.
"I prefer to eat this cake."
She stuck her fork into the cake and ate a large piece. It was delicious. Just eating this marvel put her in a good mood. She looked at the different groups of dancers. Everyone seemed to have fun.
"I've never danced," she said.
Himmel looked at her, surprised.
"Never ?"
Frieren shook her head. She wondered why he was so surprised.
"I never saw the point in it."
"To have fun, to have a good time, to share a moment with your friends. When you see them dancing, don't you want to try ?"
Frieren shrugged her shoulders. She had never thought about it and she did not understand why it seemed so important to him. She would never understand humans. Himmel stood in front of her and held out his hand.
"Can I have this dance ?"
Frieren opened her eyes wide, not expecting this kind of request. She looked at his hand for a few seconds and finally accepted. She saw how much he wanted to introduce her to the joys of dancing and she did not want to hurt him by refusing. She put her plate on the buffet table and let Himmel lead her to the middle of the dance floor improvised by the inhabitants.
They danced to fast music, then slower music. Frieren did not know how many dances she had danced, but she had to admit that Himmel was right. She had fun thanks to him and she had even more fun when Heiter and Eisen joined them. It was a beautiful moment that Frieren would remember for the rest of her long life. Like all the moments spent with Himmel. She came out of her memories when Sein, who was sitting in front of her, asked her :
"Shall we dance as well ?" He asked.
"I'm going to eat cake."
She did not look away from her plate. She ate a piece of cake and enjoyed it. Sein did not insist and looked at Fern and Stark who were still dancing.
The only time Frieren had danced in her life was with Himmel. And she did not want to dance with anyone else.
The end