River and Wood, A Minecraft Tale

Chapter Eight, Dance with Destiny

It had been a good three days after the damage was done. Of course, by now the villagers had come back and rebuilt most of what they had lost. Luckily there was a lot less damage than what had been anticipated. The only places that were truly demolished were where the ravagers had crashed through. The Acacia illagers didn't cause too much damage even though he knew they could have done much worse. Wood knew he shouldn't have stayed for longer than he was supposed to, but at the same time, he felt like he had to. The villagers were surprisingly thankful to him once they all learned what he had done for them. It felt odd, really. He had killed so many of their kind, looted so many of their homes for the sake of the tribe, yet here he was, in the center of town, having a drink with them around a bonfire in celebration. Although the iron golem gave him deadly glances every now and again, the gentle giant hadn't laid a finger on him. As for River, she was completely healed by now. You couldn't even tell that she had been injured in the first place. The night sky was glimmering with stars above them as they moved around the fire's light. Since the village was alit with lanterns and guarded by their rusty-iron companion, the monsters did well to stay away. Wood took a gulp of his drink, which tasted like a mixture of fruity wine and stinging whiskey over the smell of food that hovered in the air. River, on the other hand, couldn't stay away from the dancing. Her figure was just as light and agile as it was in battle, only this time a little more carefree. His green eyes followed her every movement whilst his lips couldn't help but form a gentle smile.

"Why don't you join her instead of being a scared ocelot?" An older voice interrupted his thoughts. The old villager, Harvey, decided to stand next to him, waiting for Wood to reply in a rude pillager-like way. Instead, Wood merely shrugged, "Where I come from, we don't dance." That's when Harvey's face contorted into a smirk, "Ah. Well, what to ye do?" the old man asked. Wood returned the smile, "We do target practice on plucky villagers such as yourself." He laughed. As for Harvey, he puffed up with a small laugh of his own before returning to his usual grumpy frown. Before he could say anything else, a female laugh echoed from a little ways away. "I saw that smile, Harv! And you said you couldn't laugh! HA!" River said loudly, causing the old man to turn away back to his beer with a half grin half frown. Wood looked over just in time to see her approach. He loved her smile and how it seemed to glimmer brighter than sunlight when she looked at him. "You look happy." He said with a charm she couldn't describe. "I can't say the same about you, care to join me? If you're worried about my friends, I assure you that they'll come around." She took his hand with a hopeful gaze. He couldn't resist those beautiful blue eyes of hers. "Alright, but I warn you: I've never danced in my life." Wood chuckled, setting down his drink on top of a nearby barrel. "Oh, it's easy! Anyone can do it!" She said eagerly. He followed her into the crowd of villagers, who all cheered once they saw her again. Wood felt he should've been nervous, but it felt impossible to feel any negativity now that they were together. For a moment, he seemed to forget that he was ever alone. The music that they played blocked out every fear, any monstrous sounds that rang in the distance, and every ounce of loneliness. It was the happiest they had both been in a long time, and completely unplanned since they were fighting to survive not even two days ago!

Bringing him to the center of the action, she took one of his hands in hers while the other rested on his shoulder. He didn't know what came over him, but he reached out and placed his extra hand on her waist. Since she seemed to be happy with that, he assumed it was the right move. That's when the music began at a fast pace. She began to lead with her movements, feet instructing him to move with her. He did so as best as he could, looking up at her for approval. River giggled at his adorable reaction. Together they twirled and locked arms, dancing in a way that would've looked similar to square dancing. As the music rose and fell, they laughed. Other villagers joined them, flowing to the rhythm of the melody. The more they pranced in circles and the more they held one another's warmth, the more the dance seemed to engulf them. Wood felt he was getting the hang of it, so when the music slowed slightly, he decided to take a risk. River tossed her hat aside, not caring where it landed. Zen, the wandering trader's son, ended up catching it before placing the much larger hat on his tiny head. When the song finally came to an end, their chests were pressed against one another. Their hands held one another, resting in the air that was equivalent to the tips of their shoulders. The quick song seemed to end soon, as it later switched to a slower tune. However, neither of them moved. Instead the two breathed deeply, as if tired, but then Wood decided to act. Hands in hers, he slowly lowered them, bringing them down beside her waist before wrapping around her slightly in an attempt to embrace her. River's heartbeat quickened, but she saw no reason to reject his touch. His face was only a few centimeters away from hers when their lips finally connected into a deep kiss.