*Ana*
"Finally," I snap my eyes and sit as Maddie closes the door. It felt like she would never go. Not that I would ever wish her to leave; usually, I love Maddie's company.
But tonight, things are different.
Tonight, I have plans. I look up in time to catch a line of light under the tapestry. That must be Nicoli.
He is quick. I think and push off the covers. What good timing.
Or was he already waiting? I wonder as I hear a faint click of the hidden door open. The light of a lantern soon spills over the room. I squint my eyes before I can see the holder.
"Brother Nicoli," I greet with a skip in my heart. It is him, after all.
"Is it safe?" Nicoli looks around. He pushes the tapestry higher to reveal the dark and deep hallway behind him.
"Yes, I think so," I whisper, and to make sure, cock an ear up to listen.
Yes, Maddie is gone, but I find it odd. Her footsteps are quicker than usual. Wherever she is going, she must be in a hurry.
Maybe she wants to get to bed? It is pretty late. Most humans don't like to be out at this hour. Besides Nicoli and I, but that's different.
"Thank god!" Nicoli huffs as he reaches the side of the bed. "I was waiting forever."
"Not forever. Maddie wasn't that long." I feel a need to defend Maddie. It wasn't like she did it on purpose. However, Maddie had been acting rather strangely just before.
She asks such strange questions. I think, but shrug it off. It must be Maddie just being Maddie again. And I quickly dismiss it as I turn back to Nicoli.
"I'm sorry you had to wait so long."
"It's not your fault, but-." Nicoli shoves a hand out to me. "Come on. We gotta get going."
"Going?" I look at his hand strangely. "What do you mean? We aren't staying in the room?"
"No, of course not!" Nicoli laughs as if I suggested the strangest question."Why would we want to stay here?"
"Then," I look past him to the hall. "Are we going back to your room?"
"Why are you obsessed with going to bedrooms?" Nicoli puffs up. "We aren't going there either."
"Then, where?" If not here or in Nicoli's room, what else is there? "Where else would we go?"
"To somewhere really cool!" Nicoli grins with all his teeth.
"Cool? Do you mean cold?" I blink, looking over to the window. Are we going back outside?
"Nicoli, we can't go outside- not when-" I look to see that I am underdressed, and so is Nicoli. We are both just in nightgowns.
We wouldn't last a moment in the cold. I can already imagine the icy snow biting my toes and curling up. I'm already shrinking at the idea.
"No, Nicoli, not outside. We will freeze-" I begin to plead, but Nicoli cuts over.
"Not there, silly." Nicoli goes to take my hand to yank me up. "It's better. I promise. It's a surprise."
"A surprise?" I barely manage to find my feet as I meet the floor.
"You're going to love it." Nicoli goes, taking up the lantern. "But we must hurry. Night's already half over." Nicole turns back for the Hall.
"But Brother-oh?" I looked over and noticed Nicoli's nightgown was the same cut and color as mine.
We match. I think before having to smile. It oddly makes me happy.
"What's got you smiling?" Nicoli looks back at me.
"Oh, it's- it's nothing." I feel my cheeks grow warm. I breathe out to calm myself.
My sickness must be very stubborn. I quickly dismiss it as something else comes to mind. It's Nicoli's hands. They feel nice and warm in my cold hands.
How nice it is to hold hands. I again feel the warmth tickle my cheeks. It makes me not want to let go.
I wish we could stay like this.
"Ana?" Nicoli pipes up. "Pick up your feet."
"Oh, sorry." I move to catch up as we head back to the hall.
-x-
How many times has Nicoli used these halls? I find myself having to wonder. Nicole is leading the way. Periodically, he lifts the lantern to check a gallery before we turn in the other direction.
He seems pretty confident about where to go. I see how focused Nicoli is as he struggles between the lantern and the darkness. Nicoli can not see into the dark like I can, yet he knows better than I do. I still find the place rather strange.
But it hasn't changed since I last came. I notice the same bottles and covered furniture are where I last saw them. No one has come through here since.
Save for perhaps Nicoli. I think when I spy the floor. I can see small footprints. Are they Nicoli's?
Or could it be from before? I move my foot to cover one to see if it is the same size. Are they mine from way back then? We are moving too fast for me to tell.
"Nicoli?" I call, but Nicoli is too focused on trying to guide us. He seems pretty determined wherever we are going.
I shouldn't disturb him. I think and decide that would be best. So, I will not try again. Instead, I turn to look around as we cut into another hall.
Where are we going? I try to imagine where in the castle this would be. But alas, my memory is not that good. It could be anyone's guess.
At least, let it be warm. I can only hope as I flex my fingers. Underneath my palm, I can feel a pulse. It is Nicoli's. His is quick but steady.
Is it because of me? I warm up at the thought. Again, I try to breathe. I don't like this strange sickness. I can't wait for it to be over.
No, It's because we are walking so quickly. I think more reasonably.
Either way, I am happy to be with Nicoli right now. I don't know where we are going, but this is quite the change. And it makes it all the better that we are together.
I don't care where we go as long as we are together. I think before I feel a pull in my chest.
We should have done this much sooner.
"Nicoli? I'm sorry I-"
"This was once the servant's hall." Nicoli cuts me off as we both speak at the same time.
"Ah- sorry." I am quick to apologize. "Go ahead. What were you saying?" I look up, ready to listen.
"No, I- what were you saying?" Nicoli stops to look back at me. He seems just as eager as I am to listen to what I have to say.
"Oh, I-" I can't help but be pleasantly surprised. I didn't think it would feel this nice. I never knew how nice the feeling of having someone want to hear what you had to say could be. It makes me feel warm all over again.
"I- I'm sorry we couldn't be together before." I start. "At dinner. My cousin, he, well-" he was very drunk, but I don't think it's right to lousy mouth Mykhol, so I hold back.
"And I'm sorry for having made you wait so long." I apologize for Maddie. "But, truly, I did want to see you too."
"Well, I think I'm getting used to it now." Nicoli shrugs and turns. He begins to speed up and pull me closer. "At least you weren't asleep this time."
"I was asleep?" When was this?
"You were asleep that first time, too."I watch Nicoli suddenly smile as if remembering something.
"What?" I blink in confusion as Nicoli leads me down another hall. This one looks much taller than the rest. The ceiling must be domed.
"What do you mean?" I ask, still not understanding the strange things he is saying, But Nicoli is more focused on our surroundings. He is looking about as if trying to find something in particular.
This hall is different from the ones I've seen so far. It's not just the ceiling but the things kept within. We are passing half-covered statues. And this hall is cleaner. There are no empty bottles, and the dust is not thick.
"Did you...did you come to see me before?" I ask while still working out the strange puzzle. But when could that be? I recall only seeing him use the hall this morning.
Unless- I gasp.
"You don't mean when I was first here? Do you? But that's- I was-"
"Shh," Nicoli stops me with a finger on my lips.
"The guards might hear," Nicoli whispers, and I nod.
'Sorry,' I mouth to see him grin.
'It's okay,' Nicoli mouths and squeezes my hand before leading on.
Nicoli stops before a doorway carved in what looks like rose-colored marble. It is intricate compared to the other doors I have seen in the hall. It seems to be significant compared to the further storage rooms.
"We're here," Nicoli sets the lantern down. It gives a slight clunk as Nicoli shifts to open the door knob.
"What's here?" I whisper, but Nicoli is already pushing the door. It slowly creaks open to allow the lantern light to shine through. However, the room is much bigger than the light and can only reach halfway. Nicoli pouts as if disappointed.
"I should have brought two," Nicoli grumbles. "You can't see it all."
"Yes, I can." I step up. "I can see everything." Thanks to my nocturnal eyes, I can see it all. But I don't know what I'm looking at even if I see it.
The room is massive. Chandeliers hang from the muralled ceiling. Mirrors line the walls between jutting statues of half-naked women. And in the center, three beautiful naked women encircle a crowned man. Their hair is frozen in a weightless motion as if they are still going around the man.
"What is this place?" I breathe, looking back to find Nicoli lifting the lantern. He moves to my side to look at the room.
"It's the ballroom." Nicoli steps forward, pulling me along. I step gingerly in to follow him and stop at the center. Again, my eyes lift to look over the room.
"I've never been here," I whisper. In all my memories, I have never once seen such a place. "Was this always here?"
"Mama says I'll have parties here when I'm older." Nicoli lowers the lantern at the feet of the statue. "It'll be full of people dancing."
"Dancing?" I return to see Nicoli nod.
"Yeah, for a ball. Mama says that's how I'll pick my wife. I'll dance with her." Nicoli voices, looking up at the naked woman. He stares over them before turning to find me.
"What's that look for?" Nicoli asks, a little taken aback. "You look at me like I have two heads or something?"
"I just...it sounds so strange, is all."
"What's strange?" Nicoli frowns.
"Dances," I reply.
"Dances?" Nicoli raises a brow. "What's strange about a dance?"
"Well, in Nochten, we don't do balls," I lift my eyes to the ceiling to see it is also domed.!"We don't dance. Either." I can hear my voice still echo despite how low I whisper.
"You don't dance? Come on." Nicoli scuffs. "Stop lying. Everyone dances."
"No. We don't."
"Really?" Nicoli is now the one to look at me like I've grown an extra head. "Why?"
"I never asked." My eyes scan the ceiling. "It just is." like any other thing in Nochten. I accept them as they are.
I stopped to study a chubby angel. His face looks pinched in a funny way that I find myself giving a startled laugh. He looks like he wants to puke.
"Look at one, brother." I point up to laugh again.
*Nicoli*
They don't dance? Nicoli couldn't help but feel at odds with the idea. Dancing was so commonplace in Dawny. Dancing seemed natural.
But they don't in Nochten? Again, the thought felt so unreal to Nicoli. But somehow, he couldn't think Ana would lie.
"Oh, yeah." Nicoli looked up to see the angel. He also liked to make fun of that one, but today, he felt at odds.
Instead, Nicoli became more intrigued by something next to him. At that moment, the lantern's light was shining over Ana. It made Ana's silver hair shine now that the strange red shawl didn't cover it.
It's grown longer since last time. Nicoli could remember. The length now reached past the back of her bottom.
It looks like spider webs. Nicoli realized. But that added to Ana's unique beauty; she seemed utterly unworldly, like a dream.
How pretty it would look when dancing. Nicoli could only imagine what Ana's hair would look like. Maybe she would be like the statues? Beautiful and unreal.
Dancing, huh? Nicoli suddenly brightened with the thought.
Yes, that's what he should do. And with that, Nicoli moved to hold up their joined hand. His free one moved to take up the other.
"What?" Ana turned to see Nicoli step closer."Nicoli?"
"May I have the first dance, sister Ana?" Nicoli asked with a slight bow.
"I, what?" Ana blinked, but Nicoli only grinned.
"Then, let's dance.!" Nicoli pulled her hands up as he walked backward. He made her spin. And then he took another step to swing her around.
Ana must be so impressed! Nicoli beamed as he finished circling the entire room. He was so proud of himself that he didn't step on her feet once.
I'm such a good dancer! Nicole smiled. He didn't need any stupid dance lessons. He could dance just fine without them.
Take that you, you silly teachers. Nicoli thought himself a natural.
"Tada!" Nicoli threw up his head to get ready to be praised. "How was I?" Nicoli waited for Ana to compliment him.
"Well?" Nicoli looked down, still waiting. "How did you like my dance?"
"Oh, my," Ana suddenly giggled.
"What?" Nicoli sank on the spot. She wasn't going to compliment him? "But I- What do you-"
"You can't just spin someone around the room, Nicoli." Ana moved to correct Nicoli's hands. "Here, let me."Ana moved one hand to her waist before stepping forward to take the lead.
"See?" Ana smiled, gliding Nicoli along effortlessly as she moved. "Just like this," Their nightgowns flowed as their bare feet grazed the marble floor. i
"Heh?" Nicoli, at first, was too shocked and couldn't protest. But eventually, he became aware of himself.
"Hey! I thought you said you don't dance." Nicoli snapped as Ana glided them past the statue smoothly.
She makes it all look so easy. Nicole pouted.
"So, how do you know how to?"
"I never said I didn't know how." Ana went, still leading them both. " it's not a Nochten custom, but as Empress, I still know how to dance-"
"But you're so much better than me!" Nicoli whined, feeling ticked off. "No fair!"
"Well, if you paid more attention to your lessons, then you would be too- Ah!" Ana yelped as Nicoli pulled Ana forward to throw her off balance.
"Nicoli-ah!" Ana cried again as Nicoli barely missed stepping on her feet.
"No fair! You tricked me!" Nicoli laughed, trying to attack her feet again.
"Nicoli-Ah!" Ana cried again as Nicoli almost fell on her feet.
"I'm gonna step on your feet for tricking me." Nicoli seemed determined.
"No!" Ana quickly pulled free and started to run. She yelped as Nicoli leaped forward. "Nicoli, stop!"
"You're gonna get it!" Nicoli lunged for her.
"No," Ana laughed as she took to running again. But this just made Nicoli want to chase her.
"You can't outrun me!" Nicoli vowed to go after her.
"No, Ah!" Ana cried as they both zoomed around the whole room. Her laughter was infectious, and Nicoli was soon laughing just as hard.
"I'm gonna get you!"
"Go away!"
"Never!" Nicoli was giggling as he almost grabbed Ana by the waist.
So close! But Nicoli wasn't going to stop. It was the most fun he had all day. And it was all made better that Ana was now here.
I can't stop! Nicoli soon forgot to stay quiet altogether. Their laughter began to fill the space and make it loud enough to be heard through the doors.
But the fear of being discovered was far from both of their minds. Both were too busy in their little world of chase. At the moment, it was only the two of them. The rest of the world and their problems were elsewhere. The only thing they could see was the night turning to dusk amidst their laughter and childish joy.