Emilie of the Royal Heart

Chapter 57: The Tailor's Dance

 Agatha braided Emilie's hair into an elaborate bun and added little pale blue pins that looked like forget-me-not flowers. She had the necklace from Minnie as well and she clasped it behind Emilie's neck. It was a tiny diamond stud pendant that sat just below her collar bone. Aurora had a necklace like this. Emilie got caught up in wondering if he would be wearing it tonight and Agatha had to pull her up from the chair to get her going. She sent her out of the fitting room with a motherly kiss on the cheek.

When Emilie stumbled out into the hallway, Cedric was waiting for her. He leaned back, pressing his shoulders blades against the wall enough that he could pick up his toes and tap the tops of his shoes together.

"Hello, Cedric," she spoke up as she approached him, "it's Emilie -remember me?"

He rocked onto his feet and chuckled a little as he beckoned her to him. She came up by his side and he offered his hand. Though she hesitated a moment, she latched her fingers into his. They walked through the hallways together and Emilie had been worried about passing all the people with their gossip, but now she was worried about how they were passing no one. The halls were largely empty.

Cedric pushed open the doors into the ballroom. Emilie stepped inside after him. She was right. It was strange that they hadn't come across any courtiers on the way here. There was no one in the dance hall either. No dancers, that is. The musical troop was setting up in their special corner of the room.

"Uhh... Cedric..."

"You know..." he popped his lips, "I might venture a guess and say that you are very early."

"Well, how early am I?"

"How am I supposed to know? I wasn't invited to this party," he snickered.

"I should go back to the fitting room and wait there," Emilie twisted around and headed for the doors.

"Oh, come on, you're going to leave me like this?" Cedric protested. She glanced back at him. He opened his arms out wide and said, "how often do you get a whole ballroom, decorated for a festival to yourself?"

"Well... it wasn't decorated, but I did have it to myself a few days ago."

Cedric rolled his eyes at her. Then he rushed over to the band and asked, "have you warmed up yet?"

"We were about to," said the violinist.

"Would you mind if we stayed? We won't bother you."

The violinist looked to the others and then simply shrugged. Cedric thanked them and then he galloped back to Emilie. She searched his face. There was a new excitement in his features but she wasn't sure why.

Then the musicians tested their notes. At first, it was terrible and chaotic, but it settled into a comprehensible unity. A simper broke over Cedric's face. He bowed to Emilie, then he rose and stepped closer to her. The band began to play a soft, fluttering song. Cedric opened his hand to her.

"Might I have a dance, Emilie?"

"I -I don't know," she panicked, switching her gaze between him and the band, "which one is this? It doesn't sound like the Fox Prowl, the Loom Skip, or the Midnight Lovers."

"None of them," he told her, though he didn't look the slightest bit concerned that she only really knew the three she listed. Cedric closed the distance between them.

"I'm very poor at dancing unless instructed at length," she strove to make him understand.

"Do you want to dance with me or not?"

Emilie went quiet, eyes falling to the side. She murmured gently before looking back up, "yes."

"Alright, then trust me. You can do this one."

Cedric leaned into her and Emilie's heart flittered, thinking for a moment he might kiss her, but then his hands closed around her arms and he guided her arms through the air. He rested her hands over his shoulders, her fingers brushing together behind his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping his hands clasped together at her lower back. Then he started to sway back and forth, his arms pressing against her sides to encourage her to do the same. She did.

"See, isn't that simple?" he mused down at her, his light colored eyelashes hanging low over his eyes as he looked at her.

"I think it would be pretty impressive if I managed to step on your foot like this," she admitted with a giggle. Cedric slowly turned them with the smallest of steps, moving only inch by inch.

"We learn all those other dances, but, back home, this is what the kids fall in love to," he whispered.

"Do they?" she breathed, staring up at him with shaky knees.

Cedric nodded, the usual smile faded from his face, though never gone. It was only highlighted with something a bit more preoccupied with her breaths and the subtle shift of her body. He drew his head down and stopped next to her ear.

He whispered, "it's a shame that won't be us."

"Cedric..." she winced as he leaned back and straightened up.

"It's alright, Emilie. I know that some part of you wants to be with me, and I can be a very stupid Tailor... but I'm smart enough to know that this isn't going to happen."

"You..." she sipped a wobbly breath and confessed with teary eyes, "you are so wonderful. I wish-"

"No wishes, please," he insisted, tearing his face away from her like there was something he didn't want her to see there. After another sway, he regained himself and his eyes settled back down on her again, "just this dance. Just you in my blue dress."

Emilie nodded. She pulled in closer to him and rested her head on his chest as the music swelled and they rocked loosely to the rhythm. She should've been worried about who would see them. She should've been careful to avoid making the rumors worse. But none of that mattered to her right now. She didn't know what the Keepers would do to her tomorrow or the next day. She didn't know where she would be in a week. While they danced, she didn't need to know.

It was just her in a blue dress.

Just a gentle dance.

Just Cedric.

The music faded off into the faintest of notes until the ballroom fell silent. Emilie still clung to Cedric. He still held her. They swayed in the quiet for another minute until they pried themselves off of each other. Emilie gulped back her emotions. Now that Cedric was giving up the mantle of cheering her up, it was hard to hold anything back from this morning with Aurora and the turmoil was doubling because of this.

"Find a nice party," she told him with a friendly pat on the arm, "drink some good wine."

"I will," Cedric chuckled, though there was a sadness in the undertone that cracked the shell of her heart.

He bowed to her again, this time deeply and he took her hand and kissed it before rising. He sucked in a breath and managed a big smile.

"Goodbye, blue dress. You'll take care of it, won't you?"

Emilie nodded, "I will."

"Then I'll be off," Cedric told her. He passed her on his ways to the door. Emilie whirled around to watch him leave. He put a hand on the edge of the door and looked over his shoulder at her. Then he said, "goodbye, Emilie. Maybe I'll find you by my tree again someday."