Forever And Ever

● Chapter 10 ●

They woke up early again as usual. Bonnie still insisted on sleeping at the very end of the bed, but Freddy respected his space.

Freddy was beginning to run out of coins, and Bonnie was flat-out broke, but they still did not know when the search team would find him again. Affording food and rooms had been challenging.

They've been at large for around two weeks now. Most of the days were spent finding a new place to stay or more food.

He managed to find a relatively cheap tavern for them today. It was further across the town, and they had not stayed in it yet.

By the time he paid for the room, it was evening. The two of them sat outside on the steps watching the villagers pass by. Everyone gave Freddy odd or fearful looks, and he did not realize why until he remembered he was wearing a uniform again. As he was taking it off, Bonnie pointed across the pavement.

"Look! They're preparing for a ball tonight." He smiled.

Freddy turned and saw a few of them setting up what looked to be a festival in the center clearing of town.

"A Ball...? Is that not only for aristocrats?" Freddy asked curiously. He's been to his fair share of celebrations in the past. All of which were held in manors and were very prestigious. Bonnie leaned back on his paws and stretched his legs out.

"Most villages have a manor. Either the estate owner controls them, or they look over them. Whenever the owner is going to host a ball, the village celebrate their own party." He gestured towards the top of a large hill. Freddy glanced up and saw a rather large and wealthy mansion overlooking the village.

"And... how is this different from any of the ballrooms I've been to?" He asked.

Bonnie chuckled. "You'll see. We should stop by later. I want you to experience it yourself."

Freddy was not sure how to feel about that, but he trusted the bunny's judgment. They had grown quite close over the days they had been here.

Freddy learned so many more amazing things about Bonnie, as well as some frustrations. He was very stubborn and brazen.

Bonnie had his own critique about Freddy, too. They had nothing better to do all day but talk and ended up learning a lot more about each other.

But even then, Bonnie was very standoffish when it came to talking about his past or the crew he came from. He still refused to tell Freddy anything about the man who hurt him.

.

When night came around, the streets were buslting for the celebration. There was loud music playing and shops set up around the pathways of the town. It looked like nothing he had ever seen before. Bonnie brought him closer to the center. There was a stage with singing and instruments and dancing below them. It was not the scripted and prestigious dancing he would see from the upper class. It was lively and exciting. It was full of energy and life. He was in awe how this was kept from him so long.

He never liked balls very much, but this looked so fun.

Bonnie nudged his arm with a knowing smile. "You like it?"

Freddy nodded without taking his eyes off the crowd.

"Do you like dancing?" Bonnie suggested. Freddy was quick to back away again and keep his pride.

"N-no. I'm not a dancer." He lied.

He loved dancing. Not ballroom dancing, but he enjoyed the dances performers would do. The energy, the personality.

But that made him sound soft. It made him sound like less of a man. That was how he was raised, after all. He felt ashamed for wanting to join in.

Thankfully, Bonnie did not push him, and judt nodded. He guided him through the crowd to find something else to do.