The music was too loud for her, too much fuel to her dizzy mind. She was now feeling light-headed and carefree. The melody was infectious, filling the air with joy and merriment. Nilana couldn't resist the temptation, and without warning, she grabbed Ian's hand, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling.
"Come on!" She exclaimed.
As they strolled through the bustling square, they stumbled upon a small stage where a skilled folk musician was playing a lively tune on his fiddle.
Ian hesitated at first, but the contagious energy of the crowd and Nilana's radiant smile soon got the better of him. With a sigh of disbelief, he joined her on the dance floor, and Nilana danced as if there were no tomorrow. Her laughter blended with the joyful music, and for the moment, the world around Ian ceased to exist.
All he saw was her.
With an unbridled spirit, Nilana swayed and spun around, her carefree essence infusing life into the dance. Her strawberry-blonde hair was a tousled waterfall of radiant strands, following her graceful movements. As she twirled on her tip-toes, she captured Ian's hands and placed them gently on her waist, inviting him to partake in the mesmerizing dance.
The lights above them sparkled in her eyes as her eyes fell on his. Ian was lost to them.
He had stopped questioning his life decisions a long time ago.
The music came to its climax when Nilana yelled. "Hold my waists now! And lift me up! Up! Up!!"
Ian found himself caught in the whirlwind of the moment, completely surrendered to the intoxicating dance and Nilana's infectious energy. His hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her close, and with an effortless strength, he lifted her gracefully into the air, initiating a euphoric spin. As he twirled her around, her cascading hair painted a mesmerizing image of flowing silk, her eyes dancing with a mixture of laughter and giddiness. The world around them blurred, leaving only the two of them in the enchanting embrace of the dance, lost in the magic of the night.
"I'm flaaaaaa-yingggg!" She shouted while extending both of her arms in the opposite directions.
It still dazed Ian when the music stopped. He gently placed Nilana down and looked at her. A few feet away was Sylvia, tipsy as she was a moment before. She was applauding to their performance before tease whistled them.
"I- I am flyingg" Nilana wobbly stood in front of Ian as she smiled sloppily at him. Suddenly, she pointed a finger at him and booped his nose with her index finger. "And you, mister, is the best."
And almost immediately, she fell. Her laughter turned into a gentle sigh, her body swaying in Ian's arms. Just in the nick of time, Ian's reflexes took over, and he caught her before she could crumple to the ground. She lay in his arms, her breathing steady but shallow, her cheeks flushed with the remnants of exhilaration as she drifted into unconsciousness.
"You're going to be the death of me," Ian muttered under his breath as he shook his head and, in a swift move, he picked her up. He headed towards to the place he hitched his horse.
Sylvia, although drunk, witnessed the entire scene and felt a bit void inside of her. Even though she knew they weren't a thing... yet. But their dance, the way he looked at her, all the touching...it reminded her of him. A distant past of her, which again she relived in her disoriented, dizzy state.
In a unsteady manner, she took out two gold coins out of the hidden pocket of her gown and smiled at the liquor vendor.
The vendor, however, had his jaw dropped, seeing gold coins for the first time in his life.
"Keepp the changee." She spluttered out as she wobbly took steps to the exit of the festival.
It didn't take her that much time to find her chauffeur lounging around her carriage. Upon seeing her, the chauffeur stood straight and bowed.
"Hurry up, quickly open the door."
So did the chauffeur. In an instant, the door was swung open. Sylvia plopped inside of the carriage and, before the chauffeur could close the door, she stuck her head out.
"Take me to the capital." She tried her best to sound sober. "To the- foreign royalty residential-" With that, the chauffeur nodded firmly and shut the door close.
.
.
.
Bringing Nilana home with him while riding his horse would have been way easier if she wasn't dead drunk.
Nilana had fainted close to his embrace as Ian held the reins of the stallion. He let out a breath of relief as the view of his gigantic forest manor came into view.
He gently stepped down while carrying her. With a quick move using his feet, he nailed the reins of his horse down to the ground.
He didn't care that much about his steeds before. All of it was a means to an end. He couldn't care less if his horse died in a disease, or went missing before. Because he could buy another one anytime, he wanted to.
But after he saw her efforts in feeding his stable, keeping them warm and fresh. And her care for his horses. Something moved in him. Thus, he had to secure his horse, no matter what.
Reaching the main door, Ian turned the keys while carrying the young lady over the threshold. The first thing that greeted them was the black cat.
"Meow." It welcomed.
Ian ignored it, as he always did.
The cat was a random addition to his life. He met him 2 years back when he moved to Windspire for his task, his plan, his revenge. He only had fed the cat his leftover bones of a chicken once. After that the cat visited him frequently and eventually made his manor its newfound home. Ian tried to shoo it away so many times, but the feline was stubborn and way too loyal to its self proclaimed new owner.
Ian was used to the harmless animal's presence by now. But nowadays, he felt like as if the black cat had invaded his privacy. Not only his privacy, Nilana and his privacy.
As he quietly stepped inside the manor, carrying Nilana in his arms, the cat followed him behind. Even the noiseless paws of the cat made the least amount of sound when it walked, but Ian, he was something else. Not a single ounce of sound was made when he walked.
The whole manor was pin-drop silenced as he reached the living space and put Nilana down. He had just laid her down on a divan when her eyes popped open.
She frightened him greatly.
"Cook." she muttered out in a mechanical manner. Her soberness was still a matter of debate, because of her striking red flushed cheeks.
"I have to cook dinner." She immediately sat up. Sitting upright, she got to her feet before Ian could even react.
"You-" he stammered.
She was on her way to the kitchen while Ian tried to catch up with her.
She moved sloppily but her feet worked fast. She quickly lit the candle of the kitchen. And went towards the stove. That is when Ian grabbed her arm, an attempt to stop her. She turned her head around and screamed,
"An Intruder!!" she yelled so loudly that Ian's ears could bleed.
"What the-"
Before Ian could even finish his sentence, Nilana grabbed the hem of the sack of white flour which sat on the ground beside her, she pulled the sack with all her strength and slapped it onto his face.
Ian was stunned.
She took a run for it and left him standing alone in the kitchen. His jaw was dropped in disbelief. He took big strides in the direction she left.
"Mister Ian!!!" Nilana's shout echoed across the manor. "Where are you?! There is an intruder inside of the manor!!"
Ian shook his head coherently while he followed Nilana around.
This girl will drive him mad any minute soon.
At last he was close enough for her to grab her hand which made Nilana halt and turn her head almost immediately.
She gasped in delight. "Mr. Ian!" She took him in a tight embrace. She was shaking as if she was under the thinking that the manor was an under attack of an intruder.
Flour-faced, Ian was too speechless to reply anything to her.
She broke the hug and looked at him. The manor was still too dark and light-less for her to see clearly, moreover alcohol ran through her veins.
She pointed in the opposite direction. "Th-there was a man. In the kitchen- he... he grabbed my arm!" She sounded like she was on the verge of crying.
"There is no intruder, Nilana." Ian's face, hair, everything was white, but he tried his best to maintain the indifference of his voice.
"No! I saw him! Please believe me."
Sighing, he pulled her close to another embrace and patted her head. "Alright, yes. I took care of him. You're out of danger. Now please calm down."
"Meow." The cat cried as it swirled around their legs.
Nilana's demeanour instantly changed as she removed herself from the embrace and bent down to pick up the cat.
"Shadowpaw. My shadowpaw." She booped on its nose. "So adorable. So, so adorable that you are." She kissed the black cat on its forehead.
Ian, for some unavoidable reasons, felt the sudden urge to rip the cat away from her hands and throw it away.
"And you-" Nilana muttered as she looked right into his silver eyes. "You deserve a kiss too, my big cat."
On a whim of a moment, Nilana tip toed and landed her lips onto him.