Chapter 13: As the Snow Falls

Alphinaud paced around the room, wringing his hands together anxiously as he waited for Claire to arrive. He knew she was avoiding him and it was driving him mad not knowing why. He couldn't remember saying anything offensive or otherwise rude to her, which leads him to fear that it was his father's influence that was causing such a change in her behavior. It was as if she was doing all in her power not to be left alone with him.

She wasn't even trying to be subtle anymore. At first, she had been offering polite excuses by insisting that he spend time with his father and sister since it had been so long since he saw them… but just this morning when he woke up, he saw her fully dressed and where they certainly had eye contact—she all but ran from the room without any attempt at an excuse.

To say that it hurt would be an understatement; and that bothered him more than he cared to admit.

So he enlisted Tataru's aid, who seemed amused by his worries, but didn't press him about it as she came up with a simple plan to give the two of them some alone time to talk. She told him to go and wait inside one of the rooms she uses for her crafts. It was like a small study hall that was filled with all manner of crafting equipment and supplies—for when it came to her friends, she wanted to make sure that they always looked their best.

She even was the one who had taken charge of making both Claire's and Ryne's dresses for the upcoming ball and she was going to send Claire to this room to pick up her favorite sewing needle to do some of the 'finishing touches' for her.

Alphinaud knew that Claire, unable to resist doing someone a kind turn, especially Tataru, would soon be here—and he was fighting the urge to pace around the room as he waited impatiently for her to arrive.

Eventually, he heard footsteps echoing slightly in the hallway and he braced himself as he stood back against the wall, waiting…?

The door opened up like he thought and he watched her enter, looking around to try and find the needle that Tataru spoke of and Alphinaud remained hidden behind the door so that she would not notice him. When she spotted the needle upon the table, she went over to retrieve it, leaving him to close the door behind her as to not let her escape this time.

She spun around, her eyes flashing dangerously at the trap—but the battle-mode faded to be replaced with incredulousness as she was met with a bouquet of flowers being held out to her.

"I, uh…had trouble deciding which you would like best," Alphinaud rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he looked at her, "So, I… sort of chose… a little bit of… everything."

It certainly seemed that way, for he must have had one of every kind of flower that he was able to find. It hadn't been easy to find any kind of blooms in this cold weather, but he was able to bribe a couple of the servants to be able to track down various gardeners in the city below and the result was a colorful arrangement of flowers of various sizes and shapes—he had been hoping that he could butter her up with this.

"They're beautiful," she whispered, taking them all and staring at them happily before breathing in their sent. "And you got these for me? I do not know what to say but… thank you."

He smiled back at that, feeling a little of happiness blossom in his chest at how she truly did seem to be touched by this gesture. Yet that faded when she seemed to freeze when he asked, "I… I didn't mean to surprise you like this but… I just wanted to ask… why… why have you been avoiding me? Did I do something to upset you? If so then, I'm sorry."

Her face twisted slightly as if the question had left a bad taste in her mouth, her eyes were focused upon the flowers instead of him as she answered, "No, you did nothing wrong. I just thought that you would like to spend some time alone with your family. I know you missed them and I didn't wish to step on anyone's toes."

He had a feeling that she wasn't lying, or at least, that part of it was truthful. But a feeling in his gut was telling him that there was a lot more to this, and he was willing to bet on that.

"I know that you spoke to my father," he said flatly, getting straight to the heart of the matter and she looked back at him in surprise as he explained, "My sister overheard you both arguing in the hallway. She said that father said something to you that appeared to be very offensive but she couldn't hear what it was. And so, I'm almost afraid to ask but…?"

"Then don't ask," she said softly as he rolled his eyes at how reluctant she was to tell him what was bothering her.

"Why?" he asked. "If my father said something terrible to you, then I want to know."

"It's not important," she countered, "I know that he was just saying such cruel things to me out of concern for you. I don't begrudge him for it."

"Then why can't you tell me? Is what he said that terrible?" he asked, moving closer, grasping her hands around the flowers with his own. "Please…?"

"I'm afraid that it would ruin your relationship with your father. I don't want that," she muttered, going back to speaking to the flowers directly than to him. "I can handle it. I've been insulted before…?"

"That doesn't make it right," he refuted, now growing upset that she was dancing around it and now it was his turn to look away, his eyes unable to meet hers as he felt himself embarrassed by his father's behavior. He then reminded her, "It's not often that you get mad, but apparently what he said was enough to do so. Alisaie couldn't hear what his words but she made it clear that you were deeply upset by whatever he accused you of. So… what I'm trying to say… is please… what did he say to upset you so much?"

Claire bit her lower lip before shaking her head, reassuring him that it didn't matter as she turned towards the door, but he gripped her wrists tightly to prevent her from walking away.

"It does matter," he insisted in a firm voice. "I can't stand the thought of my own father being so rude to you. Even if he doesn't agree with the situation, which I can admit is far from ideal, it doesn't mean that he should be allowed to get away with saying anything offensive to you. Please, just tell me… what did he say?"

She sighed and she looked at him worriedly before requesting, "You won't let me go unless I tell you, correct? Well, then I will tell you, but only if you promise you won't let this tear you and your father apart?"

Now he was deeply worried as she told him everything.

*Half an Hour Later*

Alphinaud was fuming when he went off to the room that his father was using. He couldn't believe what he just heard and he needed to know the answer before his father left. He soon arrived at the door and just walked right in without bothering to knock. He found his father in the lavish room, writing what looked like a letter with what he looked like very expensive writing tools. Fourchenault's head jerked up in surprise when Alphinaud barged in and he asked, "Alphinaud? What is it? I don't have time before the ship leaves and…?"

"We need talk, father," Alphinaud interrupted firmly and without any hesitation, making it abundantly clear that this was not something that he was going to let go.

"We will be able to talk once we head down to the docks," father said absent-mindedly, shuffling the papers in his hands and was placing them within a thick envelope. "We will be able to take a carriage down towards Gatetown and…?"

"No, we are going to talk now," Alphinaud stated, closing the door behind him, and standing in front of it to prevent his father from going anywhere.

Fourchenault clearly looked surprised at this tone, not understanding what was going on.

"Alphinaud what is the meaning of this?" his father demanded in concern as Alphinaud glared back.

"I know what you said to Claire," he hissed, absolutely livid with his father. "How could you say such a thing to her?"

His father blinked before became cold and he asked, "So she came to you and whine about it?"

"No, she didn't, I had to plead with her to tell me what was going on!" he demanded. "Did you think I wouldn't notice how she had barely looked me in the eye the last couple days? Alisaie told me she overheard you both arguing and that you said something to her to really make her upset. The only reason she didn't tell me because she didn't want to ruin our relationship! But what you said…?"

He shook his head as his father turned away and there was a slight dusting of pink on his high cheekbones as he said, "How was I supposed to know that something like that wasn't happening?"

"You came out and accused her of only wishing to get into bed with me and that once she had her fun then she lost interest in me!" he snapped at him, still horrified at what his father would say to a woman. "And then you had the gall to suggest that she was going around and sleeping with others while being married to me like some tavern wench?! How do you expect me not to be upset with that? No wonder she was so offended!"

"I admit that I may have lost my temper with her, and for that, I do apologize, but you must understand that she wasn't making things easy," he reasoned in a calm tone that only infuriated Alphinaud further.

"She was just trying to help us and you go around and insult her in such a way? Not only that, you all but threatened her to not speak to us during your time here! I was thinking that I had made her angry at me for nothing!" Alphinaud barked back. "No wonder she didn't talk to me at all since you arrived!"

"Why do you care so much about her all of a sudden?!" his father demanded, getting to the root of the matter, "You speak as if you're in love with her?!"

"Oh, I think that it's quite obvious he's infatuated with her," said Alisaie's voice as his entire body went stiff as a board as he heard the door open, "And she's pretty cute, I'll give her that."

"Alisaie?" Alphinaud asked as he looked to see his sister smiling coyly when she stuck her head in the door.

"You make it too easy to make fun of you, brother," she informed him, "I saw you all but running up the hallway and I could hear your voice from outside?"

"S-Shut up! That's not the issue here!" he snapped as his father's eyes widened and he was staring down at his son as Alphinaud glared at his sister, who just shut the door behind her so that they could have some privacy. He turned back to their father and added angrily, "I want to know why you would say such things to Claire."

"First of all, I do not need explain myself to my son," his father said. "I do not know what that woman is planning, but I don't think that what she has in store means good news for us. I know that, in the eyes of the law, she is your wife. But that doesn't mean that I must treat her like she's family."

"Even if you don't see her as family, you should treat her with respect," Alphinaud countered.

"She makes that hard when it's clear that there's more to her than meets the eye," father stated coldly, which took Alphinaud by surprise.

"What do you mean?" he asked, some of his anger faded to be replaced with incredulousness.

Father turned and began to pace up and down the room, as if trying to figure out the best way to explain what was nagging at his mind before he answered, "I can't explain it, but I have a bad feeling that she's hiding something from everyone. I can't help but feel like she's got more than a few secrets she's keeping from us."

Alphinaud glared at him, but didn't dare say a word to that. Was it possible that his father already suspected that she was the Warrior of Darkness?

"And what do you think that she's hiding?" he asked slowly.

"I don't know, and that's what is bothering me," father spoke angrily. "The way she looked at me…? Like she could see right through me. She clearly knows a lot more about what is going on in these lands than she was letting on. It wouldn't surprise me if she is aware of what is going on around this castle more than Vauthry."

"Well, I don't think you're wrong," Alisaie shrugged. "I mean, I saw her in the training yard speaking with some of the guards… she certainly seems to be kept abreast of everything happening around here. By the way, have you seen Krile? I wanted to talk to her about something I found out and…?"

"Krile is probably in the library," Alphinaud said, vaguely recalling how his old mentor had expressed interest in the books there. But he brushed that aside as he turned his full attention back to his father as if they hadn't be interrupted and went on speaking.

"Even if what you say is true, again, that doesn't excuse what you said," Alphinaud glowered once again. "But you know the worst part of it? She still respected your wishes because you're my father. Despite how you treated her, she did what you wished and refrained from being around me as to not make matters worse between us."

"Alphy," Alisaie said, looking at him in surprise, "You know you really do sound like you're in love with her?"

He didn't dare bring himself to look at her, but he didn't deny or admit to it. He just lowered his head as his father stared at him, clear horror on his face when he didn't immediately shoot such a thought down. Alphinaud sighed as he walked to the nearby window and stared out it where he could clearly see the ocean, remembering the night that they almost drowned in those very same waters. He had given it a lot of thought over the last day or so…? Trying to make sense of the emotions that were a storm inside his heart, trying to put how he was feeling into words.

He couldn't say that he was in love… but he couldn't say that he wasn't either…?

"Is this true?" his father demanded, his temper rising as he became pale in the face at the complications of what this could mean. "You love her? You barely know her! And you expect me to accept that without question? For all we know she is just like how I said and all she's after is…?!"

Anger coursed through Alphinaud at the implications and he took a step forward, glaring at his father.

"Don't you dare say another word about that! Fine! The truth is that we never slept together, if that's what you want to know so badly," he finally confessed, his face red with embarrassment for having blurted this out to them. Both blinked, looking taken aback by his honesty as Alphinaud turned away, humiliated for saying this but added, "The wedding night… I just… we couldn't do it. Neither of us were happy with the idea… I was miserable for being all but imprisoned here… she was clearly unhappy as well… so… nothing happened. We didn't even share the same bed that night. So if you want to know the truth, then congratulations! You have it."

He had never been so mortified than he had been right here and now, he couldn't bring himself to even look at his father or sister.

He took a deep breath as he then added, "But ever since then, we got to know each other and I came to realize that she is someone that I do care about and admire. She made me see things from different points of view, and changed how I think about things and people. Helped me to realize just what is important in this life."

"Alphy?" Alisaie asked slowly, using the old nickname from when they were still children.

"I don't know how I feel about her!" he confessed to them both. "Yes, I've grown fond of her company, but that doesn't mean anything other than that I see her as a good friend! I want to see her happy and free from this place. To see the look on her face if we can get these collars off us…? It makes me smile just thinking about it. I care about her happiness… but I cannot say that I love her in that sense. Perhaps it is more like a familiar love or between good friends? Or it could be something more? I don't… I don't know."

He finally turned back to them and explained, "I care a lot about her, but whether or not that translates to actual love. I just… don't know how to answer in a way that I can understand." He slowly raised his head and looked at them with a lost expression. "I want time to figure this out by myself. That is all.

"I feel that she is the cause for this entire deception," his father answered back, "If Vauthry felt that the only way that he could control her was to force her to get married then…?"

"That doesn't matter," Alphinaud cut him off firmly. "You can hate Vauthry all you want, you aren't the only one who does… but Claire isn't anything like him. She didn't deserve to be spoken to in such a manner. And I would have thought that you, of all people, could see that."

It seemed that getting a scolding from his own son hit him hard for Fourchenault just turned away.

"Either way, before you return home, I insist that you owe her an apology at the very least, father," he scolded, not going to let this go. "I don't care what you think of her personally, but the decent thing to do is to be polite, especially since she isn't at fault for any of this."

There was silence as the two glared back at the other, neither backing down. It is possible that Fourchenault thought that his son would give up on the matter but no, this time he did not yield and dug his heels in as he thought it all over. In the end, Fourchenault came to the realization that his son was right. Even if he didn't like the young woman, whether he agreed to it or not, the two were still married and he had gone and insulted his son's wife, his own daughter-in-law, in such a way. He knew that if Ameliance were to learn of this, she would have given him the same type of scolding and he sighed.

"Very well," he said softly. "You are right in that I owe her an apology for my rude behavior when she simply wished to help. Very well, before I leave, I will speak with her and this time, I will keep my temper under control. I shall meet you at the gates anon."

Alisaie, who had been staring between her father and brother all that time, felt her jaw drop when her father admitted that he had been wrong. She couldn't believe it… so rare was it that he would ever admit that he had made a mistake and apologized for it. But here he was, after receiving a proper scolding, left the room—most likely to look for Claire to apologize to her in person.

Now it was just the two of them in the room and she stared at her brother, who was taking several deep breaths.

"Wow, she really did change you," Alisaie said as Alphinaud raised his eyebrows at her in confusion before she elaborated, "There was a time that I never would have thought that you would have stood up to father in disagreement. Particularly that way… one would think that you were the parent reprimanding a child for misbehaving."

Alphinaud's eyes widened as he realized what she said and he felt himself growing red once more as she laughed.

"Don't take it like a bad thing," she told him with a playful grin. "I thought that it was the right thing to do. You're right in that she didn't deserve that. But… wow… I like this change in you. Before you would have just accepted whatever father said and maybe even have agreed with him. But you stood up to him to defend your woman's honor. Nice to see that chivalry hasn't died out."

"She's not my…?"

"Well, whatever the two of you have, I think that it's sweet," Alisaie grinned.

"I agree."

The sudden voice caused them both to jump and they looked around to find Thancred sitting in a chair in the corner, looking at them with great interest.

"Thancred?!" Alphinaud gasped, stunned to see the man there—knowing that he hadn't been a second ago, "How… when did you get here?!"

"Quite a while," he admitted lightly as he leaned back in the comfortable-looking armchair, his feet up on the table where his father had been writing the letter just a moment before, and took a sip from his flask. There was fresh mud on his boots, which were left upon the envelope before Thancred tucked his flask away and spoke up, "I did try to make my presence known, but you were arguing so much that I don't think you heard me."

"I didn't see you when I stepped in the room?!" Alisaie countered, looking around as she tried to figure out where he came from.

"That's because I came through the door after you got here, isn't that what gentlemen are supposed to do?" Thancred asked. "Oh, though I suppose I did forget to knock though? I do apologize for that."

Alisaie turned to Alphinaud and asked, "Who is this guy?"

"He lives here at the palace," Alphinaud explained. "Though I thought that he was away for a time…?"

"I was away for a time, I returned when I heard that our very own bookworm had guests in terms of his family and decided to step in should my friend need someone to back her up," Thancred said with a shrug. "You know how it can get so messy with in-laws? But it seems that I wasn't needed."

He then surprised them both by clapping his hands lightly together, looking at Alphinaud with a bit more respect than he last saw him as he praised, "Nicely done. Perhaps I was a bit too hasty in judging you back then, but it seems our little boy has become a man. I mean, a man who defends a woman's honor like that?"

Alphinaud's face turned even redder at this when he realized that Thancred must have heard everything and covered his face with his hands as Thancred laughed.

"Now, now… I was aware that you didn't try to force anything on your wedding night, which is the only reason I didn't kill you the next morning," he confessed. "But I'm sure that it will make her happy to hear you spoke so highly of her like that, though I don't think that she would be pleased to know that you and your father fought because of her. She's complicated like that, you know?"

His gaze then shifted to Alisaie, who just stared at him, unable to really decide how she felt about him, before he shook his head, muttering to himself, "Oh, great… two of you now. Like one of you isn't enough of a handful."

"I'm right here!" Alisaie snapped, "If you got something to say, then say it to my face!"

Thancred seemed surprised by her biting remark and Alphinaud feared for a moment that he was going to snap. But to his surprise, the man chuckled and mentioned, "I think that you and I are gonna get along just fine."

Alphinaud blinked, shocked at that, before he shook his head in defeat.

He honestly couldn't win here, could he?

*A week later*

Alphinaud couldn't believe that they were holding yet another celebration? He was even more surprised to see that the nobles weren't already sick of such parties by now. Truly, he didn't know how they could host such grand balls night after night, but he had a feeling that there was bound to be something even more special about this one.

He had be measured and fitted with yet another new suit in preparations for this celebration, which he found to be tedious at best. While they did agree to let him dress in his favorite shade of blue, that was the only decision he had been allowed to make, and now here he was as he tugged at the stiff collar while waiting for his date to arrive. He looked around the near empty hall; almost trying to justify the near absurd amount of flowers that he saw. Holly and mistletoe were strung up on garlands hung from the lofty ceiling and wrapped around marble pillars. There were rose petals all over, even enchanted snow falling from the ceiling, looking as gaudy as ever as he felt the usual pang of annoyance rising inside him at the sight of this overuse of extravagance.

He envied his sister and Krile at the moment, who were not required to attend this ball, but it was expected that the princesses would be—as was him. He couldn't say that he was looking forward to this whole thing as he and Thancred waited for the girls to join them. Alphinaud looked out the nearby window where he had a clear view of the distant mountains and cliffs that stood off far, feeling as distant as the moon at this point. The snow had covered everything with a gleaming silver beneath the glow of a full moon that was surprisingly not obscured by thick clouds of snow and instead offered a sight of twinkling stars.

"What is so special about tonight? What is this festival for?" Alphinaud asked Thancred, who was dressed in his usual garments, not caring how others looked at him.

"There are only a few exceptions that the common folk are allowed beyond the gates to the city itself," he explained in bored way. "The Starlight Ball is one of those few instances, so there will be many more people here tonight than usual to feast, drink, and be merry."

That made sense. While getting ready he could hear the noises coming from the city below and Alphinaud had thought that the crowd down in the city seemed a bit more lively than normal. He supposed that many had been looking forward to this night for a long time—especially now that the common folk had an excuse to eat as much as they wanted to this evening.

He pulled at the collar of his suit again, feeling constricted, before asking, "And so how long is this going to last?"

"Hard to say," Thancred shrugged, "Last year it went on until noon the next day. And I see no reason why it shouldn't take that long as well. The only upside to this whole thing is that everyone may be too tired to party for the next couple days so we should be getting some peace and quiet for a change."

That was one good thing, at least.

"And what of G'raha? I thought that he would be joining us tonight as well?" he asked, having noticed that the Exarch hadn't been seen since the day before and had been wondering where he disappeared to.

At that, Thancred did a quick glance around the room, making sure they were alone, before commenting, "Well, he had been here for a week already and had to return to the Crystarium to oversee matters." He then paused before adding in a whisper, "And also, he want4ed to get to work on building a device to take care of that jewelry around your neck."

He had almost forgotten about that plan. Alphinaud unconsciously reached up and brushed his fingers against the metal and could feel both excitement and worry sinking in at the thought of pulling this off. They all decided that they had to play this off as normally as possible as to not draw any attention to the upcoming future visits with the Exarch.

He remembered how G'raha promised that he would be back to visit as soon as they finished with the device and they would have to be ready should they be successful.

"More than anything I'm surprised our Warrior friend is feeling up to a party right now, she got in late last night, didn't she?" Thancred whispered and Alphinaud nodded back. Claire had been slowly going crazy being locked up inside for so long; so when she finally got the clear from Y'shtola, she had started to slip back outside at night. Alphinaud knew he was nowhere near ready to join her and play the role of savior, but he had improved his healing spells by leaps and bounds since he started his studies. Instead, he waits for her to return to take care of her wounds—which she usually returned with all manner of ailments that were in need of treatment.

Just yesterday evening, she returned with having suffered clear traces of poison from something, she refused to say from what though, only that she ventured off north to the Greatwood. He didn't try to push her for information but instead spent the better part of an hour slowly cleaning the wound and using Esuna to purify the toxins. He had to give her credit for being so resilient, though he couldn't help but worry if she would be strong enough to continue on with the party without drawing attention.

"Do we really have to appear?" he asked, "We were never forced to attend such parties after the wedding?"

"Sadly, yes," Thancred confirmed for him. "It would look suspicious if the members of the royal family weren't here for this occasion at the very least. And that includes you, whether you like it or not."

"I can't say I'm looking forward to this," he sighed, dreading how much more excessive that things were about to becoming.

"I hear ya," Thancred confirmed with a dour look, "I'm only going so as I can keep an eye on Ryne. I mean, she'll be busy dancing with her date so I don't see why…?"

"Ryne has a date?" he interrupted in surprise as Thancred looked both amused and annoyed at once.

"In a sense," he admitted as if it was the last thing he wanted to do, "She doesn't want anything to do with any of the would-be suitors trying for her hand, and instead is insisting on going with her friend Gaia. I'll be escorting her down until we meet up with her though, and letting them enjoy themsleves. I do feel safer knowing that Gaia will be with her. But I will be watching from the shadows in case she needs me."

He truly was devoted to her safety. Alphinaud admired that about him, but there seemed to be something more to the matter. This dedication he had seemed to go beyond that of protector and protected. He wanted to ask, but was afraid that he would be accidently insulting him—which he wasn't keen on doing since he only now was able to earn the man's respect.

"Ah, there we are," Thancred said, his eyes lighting up and he pushed himself off the wall as his gaze was focused upon the stairs.

Alphinaud followed his gaze and the first thing he saw was Ryne running down the stairs in a long, flowing dress of a pearly white and pink ribbons laced through. She was smiling brightly as Thancred met her halfway down the stairs and then gave a little bow before offering his hand to her, which she laughed and took hold off, looking like a picture perfect display of a lady and gentleman. Y'shtola was next and was dressed in a deep, black evening gown that was not unlike her usual attire, though seemed to be more in a much more formal style. And instead of her usual staff, she carried a small branch-like wand tucked into her belt, which added a spot of color to her attire and made her look very regal in his opinion.

But his gaze was drawn immediately towards Claire and he felt as if everything else around him had faded away. He had seen her in dresses all the time, with the memory of her wedding dress still an image of beauty in his mind. But now she was in a stunning strapless, merlot dress of a dark red that flowed like petals on a poinsettia that fell to her ankles. Her hair had also been done up in an elegant bun at the back of her head while two locks framed her face, with only the slightest bit of make up to enhance her natural attractiveness. Even the choker looked beautiful as it twinkled in the low glow of the chandelier from directly above, making one forget how dangerous it was.

Apparently his dumbstruck face was obvious to Thancred, who gave him a little nudge in the side and asked teasingly, "She's pretty, isn't she? You'd never guess it from the black and tattered armor she wears when she goes out in normally, huh?"

Alphinaud didn't answer, in fact he wasn't paying any attention to him, so utterly captivated by her. He snapped out of it once she reached the bottom step and immediately made her way to them with the other two flaking her on either side.

"Hey, Alphinaud… pick up your jaw," Thancred whispered as he finally gave himself a shake to break the spell he had been under. Only thing was, he didn't want to be caught staring at her, so he tried to be casual about it, pretending to mess with the cuff of his sleeve. But when he did risk a glimpse up, he noticed that she didn't look happy.

He didn't comment on it as she took his arm and Thancred held his own out for both Y'shtola and Ryne to take hold of before they set off on their own. Ryne did most of the talking for them as they headed out into the cold night, telling them how excited she was for Gaia to be joining them and she couldn't wait to see some of their many other friends this evening.

Alphinaud was only half listening as he kept glancing towards Claire, wondering what was wrong. As they walked, he asked quietly, "Are you alright? You seem… upset?"

She took a few minutes to answer and he slowed their pace down so they fell behind the other three by a few steps so that she could speak without fear of being heard.

"I… I'm sorry, it just doesn't feel right," she confessed before pausing.

"What do you mean?"

"My hair… this dress…? It's all beautiful but… it doesn't feel right," she mumbled, and not really able to give more of an explanation than that. He took this time to study her, wondering how she could be upset over her appearance? She was absolutely stunning and he knew she would be causing the heads to be turning all night. He was able to use this time to really appreciate her though as his eyes glancing over her shoulders and how the creamy, smooth skin that were exposed and were flushed from the chilly air. He gulped down as his gaze found her lips and realized how soft they looked and he felt the urge to kiss her right here and now. It was driving him crazy and he had to bite down the inside of his cheek to control himself from thinking any more thoughts.

Thankfully he was able to control himself long enough to make it down into the city proper and he was distracted by the bright lights and floral arrangements around them while more enchanted snow fell from directly above where the center of the town. There were music and games being played for the common folk, with stalls set up handing out all manner of food and drink as everyone was dressed in their best clothes.

He was right in that many heads were turning when they passed by, and more than a few men seemed to be just as star-struck as he had been when they laid eyes upon her. He responded to that by wrapping his arm around her shoulders, pulling him closer and shooting a few warning looks at the more hopeful expressions that he passed.

They continued on towards the center of town where the highest nobles and members of the royal family were gifted seats of honor directly above the many other seats, he found himself directed to the high table where Claire was dragged off a few seats down from him. He wasn't happy about this but didn't try to make a fuss since it seemed that men and women were sitting upon opposite sides of each other as many different shows and entertainment were provided along with countless trays of food. He sat in silence, listening to the many nobles around him talk about how expensive everything was and he just tried to eat, his mind wondering just how Vauthry would be paying for all this? Surely all this food and money had to come from somewhere?

He gulped down some of the richest foods he had ever have and was taking a few sips of wine when Ryne stood up excited from besides Claire and went running off, merrily waiving at someone. He followed her gaze to see that she was running straight into the arms of another woman, who looked only about a year or two older than her, dressed all in black and thick lipstick on as well as ridiculously high heels. How she was able to walk in those things without killing herself, he didn't know—before realizing that it was Gaia, whom he had met during some of their outings to the other villages. The two were talking, but soon enough Ryne dragged her friend over onto the dance floor where the dancing was finally beginning.

A large space had been cleared and a band was beginning to play, causing everyone to look over at the same time, still eating and drinking while a few brave souls joined Ryne and Gaia for the upbeat tune. Many others were standing on the outskirts of the dance floor, wondering if they should join in as well.

He chuckled at the thought before he noticed something odd. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a tall, dark-haired man making a beeline directly to the high table. Alphinaud didn't think much of it, but from the angle of where he was heading…?

Of course.

He groaned out when he saw the man's face, clearly red from alcohol, stopped right in front of Claire, who had set down her own wine glass and observed him as he spoke. He was clearly saying something to her, but he could tell that it wasn't going like how the man wanted. She gave him a polite smile and it looked to him that she was giving some kind of refusal. Yet it didn't seem like he was getting the hint for he looked to becoming pushier as he tried to direct her to the dance floor with him. A surge of protectiveness rose up inside Alphinaud at the sight as he stood up at once, startling some of the others seated around him, before he made a direct beeline towards them.

He arrived in time to hear her say, "I told you, I'm not interested so please leave me alone."

But the unwanted suitor didn't seem to want to take no for an answer, alcoholic bravery be damned. Alphinaud felt himself growing angry when he heard a slightly slurred voice ask, "But my lady, it just pains me to see such a beautiful flower like you be stuck away from the dancing? I would be honored if you would join me for a danc…?"

"Ah, there you are, dearest," Alphinaud said smoothly, sliding in and placing a hand upon her shoulder as she looked up at him in surprise.

"Where did you come from?" she asked him.

"To fulfill my promise and be the first one to dance with you tonight," he lied as she blinked in confusion before she understood what he was talking about and nodded once before Alphinaud looked to the man bothering her as he added, "Please forgive me, my lord, but my wife was actually about to grace me with a dance. Perhaps another time?"

He knew that it was a blatant lie, but he couldn't think of a better excuse to get this man to leave her alone. Perhaps he was laying it on a bit thick, but at this moment, he couldn't care less. And he could not deny that he felt a surge of glee upon seeing the look of annoyance flit across unwanted suitor's face for a brief moment. But the disapproval was quickly shoved down beneath a pleasant smile as he gave a little bow and added, "Of course. Little… prince."

The last word came out cold and biting, as if it were some disgusting word, but he ignored that as he offered Claire his arm again and she took it with no hesitation so that he could led her away from the noble, feeling glad to have gotten her away from such hungry-looking eyes.

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself there," she informed him as he smirked.

"Mayhaps a little," he admitted. "But I thought that you could use a hand. It looked to me like his advanced were very much unwelcomed."

"This was going well, until he came over," said Claire with a huff.

"Well, if you would like a distraction, would you like to dance with me?" asked Alphinaud, extending his hand to her with a wide smile.

Claire tilted her face up to look at him, confused and surprised, to say the least. Her face clearly did the talking, as she hissed to him, "I didn't think that you planned for us to actually dance."

"Oh, I was very much serious," he confirmed for her, wondering where this surge of confidence came from all of a sudden.

"Y… no thanks, Alphinaud. I don't dance. I told you that before," Alphinaud was almost certain that 'yes' was on the tip of her tongue, but with all the music and voices talking around him he couldn't be sure.

"Don't worry, just let me lead and you follow," he promised her.

"I still can't dance," she warned him as the song had just died down and another was about to play, leaving him enough time to pull her out with him onto a spot on the floor that was free from the other dancers.

"Nonsense, just remember the garden and I'm sure that it will all come back to you with ease," he grinned. Almost at once, their audience started to whisper how the princess had appeared with her 'husband' and he could feel the stares upon him. He held his head up though as the other dancers parted for them and he turned to face her.

Her face still looked uncertain as he pulled her into position, Alphinaud took her left hand, intertwining his fingers with her own, and then placed his other hand on her hip; trying to ignore how it felt way too good to hold her like this. She was uncharacteristically nervous and he really wondered how much she would hate this—or worse, hate him, for drawing the attention onto him.

"I promise you'll be alright. You're in good hands, ok?" said Alphinaud, while giving her the most reassuring smile he could as the song started up, slower and softer than the previous song, and he slowly led her around the dance floor. He could tell she was doing her best to follow his movements, but it was still difficult for her movements were stiff and almost awkward as if she was having a hard time trying to remember where to put her feet.

"Claire," he asked worriedly, when she accidently stepped on his toes for the fourth time in a minute, "What's wrong?"

"I told you," she began in an embarrassed whisper.

"No, I've seen you fight before," he reminded her, "Seeing you fight was the most graceful thing I've ever seen. And remember how we danced in the garden before? What happened? Are you that anxious?"

It seemed that he hit the nail on the head for she was turned bright red and looked away in shame as he thought randomly, 'She's so cute when she's shy like this.'

He quickly waved that thought away before saying softly to her, "Just relax. Trust me."

She glanced back slightly before she gave a soft nod and he could feel her trying to calm her tense muscles down. This was a woman who would face death on a daily basis… and yet she was intimidated by a dance in front of these people? He didn't believe in something like that and he would not let up as he continued to take control of the dancing. She went where he led her and if she stumbled, he was there to help right herself until she could push on her own. After a short time, her movements became much smoother and more natural—causing him to smile as he realized that the graceful woman he knew was coming back.

She was a far better dancer than she gave herself credit for, and after a fair amount of time, her movements were near perfect besides the occasional stumble. She even started to smile as they talked about things as they spun about, enjoying themselves truly for the first time while moving across the floor—and he did his best not to pay attention to how close they were right now.

He shoved that sudden desire down as far as he could before he confessed, "It feel strange…?"

"Strange how?" she asked in confusion.

"That, I was thinking about what you said before. And now, seeing you unadorned by your armor," he confessed, staring at her face, not aware of how nervous it was suddenly making. "I can't help but feel that you don't seem that happy wearing this dress right now?"

She smiled and moved even closer to rest her head upon his shoulder and he felt himself all but melt with pleasure at the sensation. For a moment he wasn't sure if the music had stopped or if he stopped paying attention.

He wasn't sure how long they remained like that, but certainly long enough that the party continued on well into the night and everyone was growing tired as the hours went on. Soon enough, only drinks were being served, everyone have long had their fill, and many were leaving the party in exhaustion. Soon, it was only a few couples still dancing, with the two of them at the center, both starting to feel the weight of the night hitting them.

At last, Claire looked over his shoulder and commented, "Looks like this will be the last dance. The others look ready to go."

He turned his head to look to where she was looking and saw their small group all looking tired and content where they stood. Thancred was fanning himself while his face was red from some manner of alcohol that he consumed as Y'shtola was shaking her head in exasperation at him. All the while Ryne was looking like she was about to drop where she stood as she rubbed her eyes, yawning widely even as she seemed to be forcing herself to talk to her dark-haired friend without dozing off.

Y'shtola noticed them looking and when she knew she had their attention, she pointed to the three of them before pointing to the door and then holding up one finger in their direction. He didn't understand at first until Claire explained, "She's going to be taking Thancred and Ryne with her back to the castle ahead of us. She doesn't want us to stay up for that much longer and we are to follow as soon as we finish one more dance."

"How did you get all that from a few points?" he asked incredulously and she shrugged.

"I've known them for a long time," was her simple answer before she nodded her head at Y'sthola, signally that she understood before the mage waved and turned back to the others, getting them ready to go.

"I would have thought that they would have waited for us," Alphinaud commented.

"Yes, I wonder why she would let us remain behind for a bit longer," Claire said as the song was coming to an end, not aware that their friends were taking about them just this second.

"Seriously, how dense are those two?" Thancred asked, his mind feeling a little buzzed. He had known Claire for a long time, and with all those years he had never seen her enjoy a party once. She had always done her best to avoid them when possible and the few times that she was required to attend, she would stubbornly refuse each and every suitor that came up to ask for her to dance with them. Yet here she was… twirling about and actually looking like she was enjoying herself.

"I don't know if I like this change with her," he commented slowly to Y'shtola, watching the two. "But I won't say that I dislike it either."

"Thancred, you promised you wouldn't drink, you say the strangest things when you do," Y'shtola reminded him disapprovingly.

"I only had a couple glasses," he brushed off. "This stuff doesn't even count as alcohol. Back during my time on the streets I could drink anyone under the table."

"Yes, but you do know that some of these wines are from Ishgard, right? Ishgardian wines do have almost twice the amount of alcohol as a normal bottle?" she reminded him.

"Of course I know that," as he pulled back his coat slightly to see one such bottle tucked safely inside as he informed her, "You didn't think that I would just take one glass here when I can enjoy a full one for a special occasion did you?"

"You are such a bad influence," she sighed in both disapproval and amusement, "It's a miracle that Ryne hasn't picked up on some of your worse habits by now."

"I make sure she does what I say, not as I do," he countered. "Besides, such a wine is best savored with a lovely lady to share it with…?"

"No," she countered before he could finish.

"Just one glass, I swear, nothing more than that," he promised. "It would be terrible to share it in my room with myself."

"Fine, one glass, but don't you dare try to get me into bed with you," she pointed out, "I know all about the times that you promised one drink and you wake up the next morning with regret. I would have thought that you learned your lesson after what happened last time…?"

"Alright, fine, you made your point! But that was years ago," he countered with a roll of his eyes. "I have lived a very chaste life since then."

"Well, I suppose so," Y'shtola said amusedly, "But my, look at our little princesses. They grow up so fast don't they?"

"Yeah," he agreed, looking first to Ryne, who was happily discussing when she could next see Gaia before looking to the couple dancing, and he had to wonder just how lovey-dovey the two of them look just right now. In fact, he had been hearing the whispers of the two of them from all the other guests all evening—not that he blamed them—they were looking like the ideal couple out there right now.

Y'shtola seemed to notice this as she leaned up against the wall next to him, also enjoying this moment before speaking with conviction, "You know it's going to happen soon. It's only a matter of time before he tells her that he's in love with her."

"I'm still not sure how I feel about this whole thing," Thancred commented. "I do plan to look more into Ran'jit's motives for arranging this whole wedding to begin with. But… I guess that there are far worst people that could have been chosen for her."

"Not the most ideal way to meet someone and fall in love," she agreed, "And while I wouldn't recommend it, I am starting to wonder if this was all meant to be?"

"Good thing that Urianger isn't here," Thancred spoke up with a laugh, "He'd be all too happy to discuss the whole notion of destiny vs. free will. But there is no doubt that there is something there between them. Though, to be honest, I am a bit surprised that their relationship has gone as well as it has. You would think that he would have been scared off after knowing the truth?"

"What? That she runs around in the dark every night, trying to save the people and fix what's wrong with this world?" she whispered with a grin, "I don't know… I got the feeling that he's into that."

"Eh, don't say it like that," he muttered back. "I know some girls that were into some freaky things and I don't need that mental image. Still, they are a bit clueless, don't you think?"

"Oh, of course," she agreed, "But I don't think that it will be much longer. Let us let them figure it all out on their own. You got your own hands full anyway."

"What do you mean?" he demanded before she jerked her head towards the second princess and when he looked, he saw that she was giggling and holding hands with Gaia. It seems that the couple on the dance floor weren't the only clueless ones here.

"Again, it will only be a matter of time before one of them confesses their feelings," Y'shtola reminded him gently as she noticed him watching the two. "Are you ok with that?"

"Well, I know Gaia, so it's not like I'm handing her off to someone I don't trust," he confessed, "They are so very opposite, but at the same time, I think that it… it works for them."

"Awww, is a certain mama bird feeling like her chick is getting ready to fly from the nest?" Y'shtola teased as Ryne and Gaia were continuing to share goodbyes.

"I prefer papa bird, thank you," he countered, but his face was very soft when he looked to the two girls and he smiled sadly as he confessed, "Not to say… you're wrong?"

Y'shtola smiled at that before it faded slightly and she asked, "Does she know the truth yet? The truth about Minfilia?"

His own smile faded at the question and he looked down and shook his head.

"No, she doesn't," he sighed. "I have tried to tell her. Believe me, I have tried. I've planned out what to say a hundred times, but nothing ever feels right."

"How about just coming out and telling her the truth?" Y'shtola asked. "It would be a surprise to her, but I think that she would be happy to know the real reason that you chose to stay by her side all these years."

"She deserves to be happy," he said firmly.

"And you don't think that this would make her happy?" she asked with a tilt of her head, her ears dropping slightly.

"Not today," he sighed. "I will tell her… but… not today."

Y'shtola looked at him sadly, knowing that he didn't want to risk losing what they already had. But this wasn't fair to either of them.

"I can't say that I approve of this. Yet, it is not mine nor anyone else's right to tell her," she reminded him. "You are the only one who can. Just promise me that you will tell her soon. I do think that it would do you both a world of good. I can only imagine how hard this had been for you to keep quiet all these years. I think that once the truth is known, you both will feel so much better. Were Minfilia still here, I know that she would be telling you the same thing."

He sighed and folded his arms, knowing that she was right but still unable to bring himself to fully commit to the idea.

"I'll… I'll tell her the truth… after we free her from Vauthry," he promised. "Hopefully G'raha will come through for us soon enough."

Y'shtola frowned at that, but she nodded in acceptance.

"Very well," she said before she gave him a push in the shoulder, "In that case, we will speak no more about it. Let us go, I want to give our little love doves some time alone. And… I'll have one glass to share with you when we get back. But I don't want to see you taking your pants off, is that clear?"

"You wound me," he commented, a hand over his heart as if she had stabbed him with a knife, "I'll have you know that many would kill to be able to spend a night with me."

Y'shtola just rolled her eyes at him with a smirk before shooing them ahead of her as they headed to the door, realizing just how exhausted they all were.

Meanwhile, back on the dancefloor, Alphinaud was feeling exhaustion weighing down on him as well. But he was very reluctant to leave this happy moment and wished to stay just a little longer. Though she was looking tired, perhaps she felt the same way and asked, "Just… one more. After that, we should go."

"Agreed," he nodded, feeling his eyelids dropping slightly as another song began to play. This time it was soft and soothing, almost like a lullaby—and they moved almost sluggishly at this song. She really had come a long way, she knew his moves very well by now and she was very relaxed at this point even with all the many eyes upon them. They moved together, perfectly in sync, and he felt himself at peace with the world at this moment despite the pain in his feet.

"Well?" he asked her with a grin, "Dancing isn't so bad, is it?"

"Well, maybe…? But only because I had such a patient teacher," she admitted, and he grinned a little wider when he saw that light blush across her cheeks once again—glad to hear that she was enjoying herself.

As the song continued, he found her eyes green eyes staring deeply into his own. He couldn't stop himself from thinking how beautiful they were, how they complimented her and he felt himself so lucky to be able to be here.

"Do you prefer me like this?" she asked and he blinked in confusion before she elaborated, "You've seen me both like this as well as… the Warrior of Darkness. Which do you prefer?"

"Why does it matter?" he asked in confusion.

"Please, just answer me," she said softly. "I was just thinking about what you said… what you said before? How… I didn't seem happy? I think you are right. I don't… feel comfortable like this… so…?"

"Well… I…?" he began, trying to get his thoughts in order.

"You don't need to worry about my feelings if that's what the problem is," she reassured him before looking away, as if she couldn't bear to look him in the eyes anymore before she muttered, "It's so stupid… everyone staring at me like some show Chocobo or rare creature on display. I don't… I don't like dressing up but that doesn't mean that I don't like to look nice. Sure, all of this is a bit much but… I get everyone staring at me like they don't know what to do with me?"

Alphinaud wasn't sure how to really voice how he's feeling, he was chewing his tongue so hard that he was half afraid he would bite it in half.

"That's not true," he finally said, "I mean, that guy you were speaking to before with seemed to be quite smitten with you…?"

She gave a laugh before she confessed, "For his own wellbeing, it was good that you showed up when you did. Another few minutes of listening to his shameless flirtations and he would be on the floor for the rest of the night."

"Claire…?"

"No, it's alright, I thought it through, no one would have thought twice about seeing someone unconscious during a ball, they would think that he drank too much and I would count on the alcohol for not remembering…?" she began but he shook his head. He had been tormenting his thoughts, trying to figure out how he felt about this whole thing…? He unconsciously pulled her a little closer to him as he felt himself confess, "I don't want you to worry about what I think. Or feel that anyone else here is judging you. Because… for whatever it's worth… I think that you are beautiful. Both inside and out."

At his confession, her eyes widen and a faint smile spread as she seemed unable to speak. They stopped just as the music did, not even realizing they weren't moving until they heard the clapping around them. They looked about to see the crowd applauding and that they had been the only ones left dancing—with everyone else watching. Both were startled at this but they gave a quick bow to thank them before heading off at last, making their way to the door.

They breathed in the chill night air, glad to be free of the thick perfume that had been breathing in all night and Alphinaud realized how tired he was when he began to drag his feet back up the hill, thinking longingly of sleep.

Claire stayed close to him and he wrapped his arm around her, hugging her to his side for warmth as they moved up the slope.

But as they neared the castle, Claire stopped for a moment, taking him by surprise, having not been expecting it. She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment as he glanced over at her.

"What is it?" he asked before she gazed up at him.

"There's… there's something I want to show you," she whispered softly. "It won't take long… will you come with me?"

(They are so cute! And so close to admitting their feelings! And if you were wondering about Thancred and Y'shtola? No, there is no romance there, but they are very close so they can go ahead and poke fun at each other and flirt in a harmless way. And yes, there is some feelings there for Ryne and Gaia… as to wondering what this big secret is that Thancred is keeping from Ryne, you will find out soon enough!)