Ok, here's my second fic. I was inspired to write this when I was...afraid to be asked out to the prom. Yeah, I won't go into details, but...I, like Florina, feel like I would die if I went to something like that. Anyway...I'll comment on it at the end. Please review...I love reviews, especially when they help me improve!
I think this story could be considered kind of...'fluffy' or 'drabble'...but I don't know the precise meanings of this fanfic lingo, so don't hurt me...
Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem. I don't own these characters. Woohoo.
Wish of the Wallflower
"Florina! Florina, are you in there?"
The question was followed by a series of knocks on the wooden door. "Y-yes, Lyn…I am here," was the weak reply. "You may come in."
The door opened quickly, all to reveal a beautiful Lyn clothed in a silky teal dress, which was slightly out of character for her. Her dark green ponytail bounced as she approached her friend. Florina was meekly sitting at the end of her fluffy bed, knowing exactly what her best friend had come for. "Florina, I thought you were coming to the ball! Why are you dressed in your night gown?"
"Well, I…," Florina paused, sheepishly looking down at her clothes. "Lyn, I can't go…I…"
"You are scared again, aren't you?" Lyn asked, reading the nervous facial expressions of her friend.
Florina nodded, though she knew that was not the only reason she could not go. Suddenly, Lyn took on a much graver tone. "Florina, you will never recover from your fears if you do not face them. Please come, Florina! You don't have to dance or anything…please?"
At first, Florina was speechless, but her usual submissive nature finally caused her to give in. "I will go."
"Thanks, Florina," Lyn said, a warm smile lighting up her face. "It has been a few weeks since Nergal's defeat; I think we all should celebrate now that things are returning to normal. Anyway, I am very proud of you, Florina. I can tell that you have grown much stronger."
"I suppose…but…," Her voice abruptly trailed off as her mind began to swirl with thoughts.
"Yes?"
"Nevermind…"
"Well, I believe this is our last chance to see some of our friends. Most will leave tomorrow…including us. Lord Hector has been so kind, supplying these rooms for all of us," she stopped with a thoughtful look upon her face. "I should be going now. I'll wait for you at the ballroom entrance."
As Lyn left the room, she turned around once more, saying, "If anyone bothers you" (Her eyes narrowed.) "especially Sain, tell me immediately. I won't allow anyone to disturb you, ok?"
Florina nodded again.
The door closed. Florina released a quiet moan. "Oh, why…why did I just agree to go?" She angrily gripped her hair, briefly furious at her decision. Anger was always short-lived for her, and eventually, she returned to sadness. "I'll…I'll simply die if I go…There are just too many people and…and I do not have anyone to dance with……and…"
Tears wanted to form in her eyes as she invented all the embarrassing and awkward situations that could possibly occur. "But I…I'll never see him again if I do not go. I will never see Lord Hector again…"
She frowned, pondering herself for a moment. "What am I saying? H-he doesn't even know I exist! Why should he even care?"
Emitting a heavy sigh, her azure eyes glanced at the pale blue dress and matching gloves that Fiora and Farina had selected for her. She only saw fear and loneliness embedded on its smooth surface. "But I told Lyn I would go…" she reasoned with herself.
She stood and approached the wall where the dress was hung, her bare feet lightly pressing against the cold stone floor. Her eyes fixated upon the slender dress as if there were some hidden message written on it. "I guess…," she said softly as her nimble fingers traveled down its surface,"…it might not be so bad…"
One foot at a time, the slim girl descended the curling stairway. Her eyes were glued to the floor, and her cheeks darkened with each step. At one point, she nearly turned around, trying to coax herself out of the situation. When the grand ballroom came into view, she closed her eyes and prayed that this was only a terrible nightmare.
"There you are, Florina!" said Lyn cheerfully. "You look wonderful!"
"Oh….yes…thank you," she said quietly, innocently looking up at her friend.
Leading Florina a few feet into the room, she said, "Well, the food is set up over there, and after dinner, the dancing will be held over there." She pointed her finger in accordance to the location. "Don't look so glum! We have to make the best of this last reunion with our friends."
Florina trailed after her best friend until her breath was taken by the extravagant room. The walls were decorated with garnet draperies and golden ornaments. Menacing stone columns, standing parallel to the left and right walls, held the wide roof, which seemed as tall as the sky. Musicians played their songs in the right corner, gracing the room with the sound of the harp, lute, tambourine, and other interesting instruments.
Though some of her comrades had left after the battle, such as Raven and Karel, most of them attended the ball. Many of the fighters, all formally and ornately dressed, communed with one another at the dinner tables. Most were anxious to dance, especially Serra, though Erk loathed the very thought. In fact, Lord Pent and Lady Louise playfully waltzed around the room, eyes lovingly locked on one another, though the dance had not begun.
During her admiration of the gigantic room, Florina did not realize that Lyn had stealthily disappeared. Fear immediately plagued her thoughts as she frantically searched for her protector. She advanced closer to the crowd of people, which now appeared larger and more terrifying than before, most likely because her anxiety increased. "Lyn…where did you go—"
"Eep!" she squealed as she slammed into a thick figure.
"No…oh, please don't be him…please, just be a big pillar!" she thought, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Whoa, you ok, Florina?" the man asked.
She timidly raised her head, seeing a formally dressed Hector. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire. "Eh…I-I…," she tried to mouth more words, but no sound would come out.
On the verge of a mental and emotional breakdown, Florina started to tremble violently, her body wanting to collapse from the intense fear. "What do I do now? He must be angry with me…," she sobbed in her head. "What do I do?"
"It all happened so fast! And I was so scared...," she reflected, now hiding in the royal garden. "I can't believe I j-just…ran right past him. Now he'll think I'm a coward…he'll never like me."
She wiped the tears from her downcast eyes. It was sunset; the dance had probably started by now.
The beautiful garden was glowing with an orange light as the sun descended deeper into the horizon. The gentle winds filled the air with an intoxicating floral scent. The shrubs and bushes swayed with the breeze, as well as the few surrounding trees. All was tranquil, silent…a place where Florina's mind could meet repose for a while. Or rather, that is what she hoped.
"I am so weak. Why can't I be normal? I…I always completely fall apart when I am around a guy, especially Lord Hector; I can't help it. I have told myself before…I know that he will never return my feelings, no matter how much I wish. The fairy tales I want to believe are lies. I want to give up on him…but…b-but I can't."
Just as cold tears traveled down her pale cheeks, her azure eyes examined a nearby flowerbed. A small lavender flower stood, barely visible under the shade of the flourishing, white daisies. A bitter smile grew on her face. "Just like me…," she whispered, plucking the delicate plant from the ground. "Unwanted…a wallflower…"
Tears burst from her eyes once more, her hand crushing the stem as if it would prevent her sobs. As she mentally tortured herself, Florina heard a loud voice call to her.
"Florina! Where did you go?"
Florina winced and quickly dried her eyes with her gloved hand. She peeked behind the nearby apple tree, getting a glimpse of Lord Hector. "I have to find somewhere to hide, or else Lord Hector will--"
"Florina!"
She gulped. He was getting closer. Impulsively, she left her post by the tree, revealing her form to the lord. "There you are!" he boomed, approaching her. "Why did you run off like that?"
"I…"
"Florina, say something!" she demanded herself.
"I don't…don't quite know," Florina mumbled, studying the grassy ground.
"Florina, you know, we're missing the ball," He looked at the sky, a strange distant look clouding his face. "It's getting dark, too. Ostian nights can be pretty cold."
Florina looked at the dimmed sky, which was sprinkled with a couple of glistening stars. Hector returned his eyes to the pretty girl as wind fluttered against his scarlet cape. "So, Florina…what do you think of Ostia?"
"O-Ostia? Uhm…well…it's… a very beautiful land…but….uhm…"
Hector smiled.
She looked up at him, turning red at his expression. "Lord Hector…you're not…ummm…mad at me?" she asked innocently.
"For what? Bumping into me?" he asked plainly. "Nah."
"Oh…"
"C'mon, we need to get inside. You are going to dance with me, right?" he questioned, his smile broadening.
"Ahh…?" Her face must have been glowing red.
"What? Dance with him…no, this isn't how it should be. He…"
From the depths of her chaotic mind, she hastily blurted an answer. "I suppose I could…"
"Well, let's go then!"
He enthusiastically linked his strong arm through her arm and led her to the door. As the garden passed from their view, she dropped the lonely lavender flower, discarding the connection she had with it.
The music began. Multiple couples slowly swirled about the massive room. An unknown magic must have been at work; everything seemed so perfect.
At first, Florina felt very awkward. Neither of them was well coordinated for dancing. Hector was much bigger than she was; she sensed that she was being dragged around rather than dancing, not to forget that she was nervously trembling. She had every right to be scared now; one of his hands was holding hers, and the other was gently wrapped around her waist.
Her thoughts still tried to solve the strange mystery. "Why would Lord Hector, of all people, dance with me?"
However, she adjusted as her confidence grew. Instead of tripping, she felt as if she were floating as they waltzed upon the marble floor. Her fears slowly melted as the other dancers faded into nothing. Her gaze was seemingly lost in his, a rare thing. Somehow, she had been hypnotized.
They continued as long as the music permitted, though they did not realize that the time had slipped away so quickly, cruelly stealing the dreamlike moment from the couple. The elegant music eventually ceased. As the two froze with the music, Florina instantly noticed how close they were to each other. Her face blazed with a ruby hue. Retreating with a graceful step, she ripped her gaze from him. "Ah! I went too far…I got too carried away…"
Silence fell upon them. Florina's mind bubbled with urgent questions once again.
"L-Lord Hector…why…"
"Hm? What's wrong?" he asked, afraid he had hurt her in some unknown fashion.
"W-why…did you…want to dance with me?" she choked, obviously about to explode with tears. The things that she feared would never occur were now happening, and she did not understand why or how. It was only an hour before that she had "confirmed" his feelings for her. "I do not u-understand…"
"What? Florina…"
His sentence broke off as he stretched his masculine hand to smudge the tears from her face. Suddenly, everything became clear to him. "C'mere, you," he mumbled, scooping her light body into his protective embrace. "You don't have to cry, Florina; you're going to stay with me now…"
She nodded in agreement to this sudden proposal, laying her head against his broad chest. Kissing her forehead, Hector continued to hold the girl, assured that she loved him back. "You're going to stay with me now," he repeated, even softer than before.
Those words, in addition to the mystical night, fulfilled the wish of the Wallflower.
Ok...so, first question! Did this seem a little out of character? (At least for Hector and Lyn...umm...yeah...) I do realize this is a typical Hector/Florina story...but I wanted to post something new, and I was scared of the prom, so...y'know...I also LOVE this pairing; it's my favorite. (especially when I can relate...) Also, was the dancing part a little too short? It kind of bothered me...but I didn't see anything more to add. Ah, well...I forgot the other comments I wanted to make. Well...please review.