A Vagabond's Tale [COMPLETED]

Chapter 27 - "Look only at me."

Loria pulsed with an energy that ran through Gigi's veins. Lights burned from windows and sent golden shadows dancing in the street. Vibrant streamers crisscrossed overhead, like strips from a stolen rainbow.

Music paraded through the city enticing the world to let go of their struggles. Cheers rang out from open doorways, tangling with laughter and boisterous voices. Words clogged the air like pipe smoke. The constellations peered down, for once the envious ones.

Gigi made her way through the mass of people, her ears leading her. There was a lift in her steps as if her happiness barely kept her from floating off. Thayer walked next to her, his eyes darting every which way, cautious. She was unconcerned, enthralled in a place that felt foreign and familiar all at once.

The edge of her skirt was held in her hand, swishing in time to the music. Heat and the smell of ale hung heavy about them. The hard stone underfoot made Gigi feel as if her cracked heart was starting to mend.

The crowd was like a coursing river, rushing, splitting, colliding. A group of burly men appeared from a tavern, the smell of fish and liquor swimming around them. Their half blurred gazes latched on to Gigi, intrigued by the wild look of her.

Thayer caught the glances and took command of her elbow. The touch startled her. She looked at their joined arms then followed Thayer's hard gaze to the men.

"You will give yourself away with your formality," she teased.

He ended his battle of stares to look at her.

"Either take my hand or my waist," she said.

He hesitated, his arm hovering over her waist then he settled it on her. A warmth spread through her at the contact. The action was enough to break the men's attention.

"This was foolish of us," Thayer breathed out, jaw flexing.

"Maybe," she laughed, "but I have no intention of turning back now. Come on."

Quickening her pace, she dived further into the mayhem. Thayer muttered under his breath and hurried to keep up. The music was a beacon, guiding them to the city's main square. The open space was packed with carts bursting with savory food. Jugglers entertained while magician's entranced. At the center, couples danced and twirled to the high-spirited melody. The scene contrasted the Court's uniformity, dancers moving like sparks from a fire.

Gigi stopped on the edge, her breath catching as excitement choked her. Thayer stood by her side, stiff with uncertainty. Looking up at him, she beamed. He swallowed and she grabbed his hand pulling him into the chaos. Unprepared, he stumbled, for once his composure cracking.

"Take my waist," Gigi said, pulling her arm to her side.

He wrapped his arm around her, as she adjusted their hands.

"Don't worry, feel the rhythm," she said.

His movements were awkward and clumsy, lost in a world he didn't know. Gigi laughed off his mistakes, talking to him, encouraging him to forget what he knew. They stopped, Thayer, shaking his head.

"I have no understanding of this," he said.

"There is nothing to understand," she said. "It is a feeling. It is how you feel when you are happy. You do not think about happiness, you simply feel it."

Thayer stared at her, his eyes showing his bafflement. Taking a step back, Gigi shrugged, her body still swaying to the beat. She had barely given him space when a curly-haired young man approached her. He gave a playful bow and she returned it with a careless curtsy.