A short little side fic on how Mari and Leopold would spend their holiday season :)
POV: Mari
Time: 9:37am
Day 1
I wake to the sound of someone knocking on my door. Rubbing my eyes, I throw on a bathrobe and hastily comb through my hair. I open up the door to find Leopold standing there with a bouquet and an envelope in his hands.
"Wha–"
He tackles me before I can even get a single word out, hugging me tight and giving me a kiss on my cheek.
We're both sprawled on the ground, and I'm too dazed to say anything before he goes, "Mari, will you go to the Hearth Ball with me?"
"The Hearth Ball?" I ask.
"It's the annual festival hosted by the Golden Lions Squad every winter."
"Of course!" I sit up and pinch his cheek. "I'm your girlfriend! Why would I say no?!"
"Ouch! Sorry, it's just tradition to ask." He gives me his endearing grin.
I chuckle and take the bouquet from him, breathing in the smell of the roses. "So, when is this ball?"
"A week from today. I already got us tickets." He unseals the envelope and hands me a golden, shiny slip of paper. "So, I'll pick you up at 6:00?"
I smile. "You got it."
***
Time: 6:00pm
Day 8
I grab my purse, smooth over my dress one last time, and open the door for Leopold.
"Mari... wow. You look great!" He strokes my hair and I smile, blushing.
"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself," I tease. And he really does look stunning, in his black vest suit on top of a dark red shirt. His tie has a little jewel in the center of the tip; a ruby, maybe? "Hey, you actually combed your hair this time."
"Hey, what do you mean by that?!"
"Just teasing. You look great, Leo." I lean against him and wrap my fingers in his.
He leads me down the hallway towards the Great Hall. Two guards stand in front, along with a ticket collector. We give him two golden slips and he lets us through.
Immediately, loud music blares in my ears, along with the chatter of hundreds of people. The inside of the Great Hall has been completely transformed into a winter-themed wonderland. Icy blue lights hang from the ceiling and bedazzle the chandeliers. The floor has been renovated to resemble a frozen-over pond. I look up and see that an illusion has been cast so that snowflakes seem to fall down every few minutes or so.
"Look, over there." Leopold points towards one of the walls of the Great Hall.
I immediately notice the huge hearth, lined with pine leaves, bells, and ornaments. Even from here, I can feel the blaze and warmth of its fire.
"Wow," I breathe. "It's like I'm in a fairy tale!"
He chuckles and starts to lead me to the dance floor.
"I never knew you nobles had a penchant for dancing," I remark as he puts his hand on my waist and spins me around.
"Of course we do. We're all trained at a very young age."
I snort. "Of course."
"Hey! I think it's pretty fun."
He leads me through the basic steps, like where to put my hands and how to stop stepping on his feet. Soon, I'm spinning along to the beat of the music, laughing joyously in his arms. The world becomes a blur of gold and red and blue as we dance the night away.
And then the sound of an explosion rips through the party. Frightened screams go up as smoke billows in the air. I whip my head around to find a hole in the wall of the Great Hall. Five figures come leaping through, and I curl my lip. "Moon Shade."
Sebastian steps forward. "We are Moon Shade, the party-crashing organization! We are here to stop your party and make you repent for all your sins!"
Party... crashing... organization? I look around and see the other nobles having doubts as well; some are outright giggling at the ridiculousness. Then, a woman's shriek pierces the crowd, and I draw my blade out of instinct. Vivaldius holds a crying guest by her hair, a blade to her throat.
"Marian Helloran, correct?" Sebastian bends down and pinches her face between his fingers. "The oldest daughter of the Helloran family, from a lineage with great respect and wealth. I wonder what would happen if she were to be disposed of."
"Give my daughter back!" A man comes charging out of the crowd. He swings at Sebastian, but the latter simply teleports away. The man's fist meets empty air, and he is violently kicked back by Briar.
"We have to do something!" I hiss, dragging Leopold to the front of the crowd.
"Give her back, Sebastian!" I cry, brandishing my sword. "I know all about your petty little organization."
"Ah, Princess," he croons. "But what would you do if we had your beloved in our hands?"
Leopold lets out a startled shout, and then he is yanked towards them. In an instant, Briar is holding a syringe to his neck. My breath catches in my throat as my vision starts to shake; the glint of the needle, Briar's thumb poised to press down any moment, it's all too much. I meet Leo's eyes, and he gives an almost imperceptible shake of his head. Prioritize the guests. Swallowing, I shakily ask, "What do you want?"
"Why, for you to play our game!" He snaps his fingers, and Mithras launches thousands of items into the air from a sack. When they land, they plant themselves into the ground and start to beep. Bombs. "Only you can disable the bombs, Mari. Don't let anyone try, or there will be consequences."
I'm already racing towards the first one and gently pushing people back. I take my sword and shorten it to a knife before prying out the bomb. The beeping warbles to a stop, as if it has died. I race towards the next one, getting down on my knees and working as fast as I can.
"Don't let Bellona catch you!" Sebastian calls out from behind me.
Shit! The shapeshifter! I disable the second bomb and stand up, desperately searching for the third. To my dismay, I see a thousand blinking dots staring back at me, all interspersed throughout the crowd.
"Everyone, move!" I yell, preparing to cast a spell. The nobles nervously shuffle away, and I concentrate on the places that I want to hit. "Dark Magic: Murky Grip!" Tendrils explode from where I stand, grabbing hundreds of bombs and smothering them with my magic. But there are still more, spread out all around the Great Hall. Just as I try to run towards a better position, someone pops up in front of me.
They shift into Bellona right before my eyes. She leans towards me, wearing reindeer antlers and an outrageously red clown nose for some reason. "Boo."
Sebastian starts to cackle wildly. "You've been caught! And now it's game over!"
I turn and see him press down on the bomb detonator. "No!"
I expect the world to be engulfed in flames, for me to be blown left and right as the force of the bombs tears my body to shreds. But instead, a popping noise goes off. I look around and see the bombs dispensing loads of green confetti.
"It totally ruins your color scheme! Have fun cleaning it up and not tripping over your own feet!" Sebastian cackles again. Vivaldius drops Marian to the ground, and Briar releases Leopold. "Your party has been crashed! We, Moon Shade, who–"
Leopold cuts him off. He unleashes a blast of flame, and the Moon Shade members dissolve into panicked screams. The sail through the air, bodies charred, crying, "We're blasting off again!" Then they disappear into a twinkle in the sky.
I rush over to Leopold, checking him for wounds. "Are you alright?" I frantically ask.
"I'm fine, Mari. But it looks like Sebastian did his work. This confetti is so slippery~"
I look down at the confetti-covered floor. Nobles left and right start to fall over, groaning as they try and make their way out. The sight of these usually graceful, poised nobles slipping and tripping and waddling on shaky legs sends me into a fit of laughter.
"I take it nobles never learn how to ice skate?"
"Ice skate? What's that?"
"You're about to find out." I flash Leopold a mischievous smile and drag him towards the confetti.
"Hey! Mari! What are you doing?! Oh noooooo!"
I glide gracefully across the confetti, remembering those cold winter days I spent in the Forsaken Realm, skating on icy ponds. Leopold flails behind me, and I slow down so that I can face him and grab both of his hands.
"Just take it easy! I've got you!" I laugh, my hair whipping around me as I start skating in a circle.
"Mari, I don't think this is a good- woah!" He tilts forward and crashes into me. We topple over in a pile of confetti and flailing limbs. His arms cushion my fall, stopping my head from hitting the floor.
"Ugh... you okay?" I ask, sitting up. He pops up, eyes bright and glowing, and starts laughing. I join in, falling against him into a hug. Near us, the hearth blazes bright and warm.
Hope you all enjoyed this oneshot!
And as a bonus: a little game below! :)
Comment who you think you are!
Guide (if you need it):
fiery boyo = Leopold
vivlvlallsuus = Vivaldius
marmar = Mari
brie cheese = Briar