Pretty Ballerina

Petal moved with a grace that Lu had never seen before. From the way she kicked her legs, to the stretch of her arms as she practiced her art before the sunrise, he had never seen such fluidity before. From what he knew, Petal was trained to fight by her own mother and monks who were part of the Agrinian army. But, Petal didn’t look like a soldier when she fought.

She was beautiful.

The light caught her hair and made it shine like warm obsidian. Her eyes, though purple, were warm with a love and passion for the movements she executed. She treated her training like a dance, and as Petal breathed in and bent her leg, Lu watched in wonder.

Even through the elegance, and the clear love in Petal’s countenance, she still seemed distant from her own thoughts. She seemed as if she pushed something back and brought everything she could forward. Lu could only recognize such a thing because he did the same.

Petal straightened her back, and after one final stretch of her arms high above her head, she blew the whistle on her necklace. Aspen swooped down from the gray skies, landing on Petal’s forearm with practiced ease. Lu was too deep in thought to notice when Petal turned back towards the inn, and too dazed with the memory of Petal’s movements to realize she was looking directly at him. 

“Oh, good morning, Lu,” Petal said, her voice nearly fading into the early morning air. She looked up at him where he stood on the back porch of the inn, and a smile finally came to her lips. “Were you watching me?”

Lu didn’t know if he wanted to admit to something like that, but his head betrayed his mind as he nodded. “Sorry,” he murmured.

“No need to apologize,” she laughed under her breath, and stepped up on the wooden deck. Aspen jumped down, perching herself on the wooden railing. Dillon moved a couple inches away from her, deciding she was too close. “I just didn’t expect you to be up so early,” Petal continued.

“Ah, yeah,” Lu wasn’t sure how to respond, rubbing the back of his neck. His skin was deathly cold. His eyebrows shot up then. “Are you cold?”

Petal rubbed her hands together, and shook her head. Her pale cheeks were pink, and her nose was bright red. She wore a deep purple shawl, and though she had tights on, her dress seemed unsuited for snow. But, she still wore a smile that could melt any winter. “I like the cold!”

Perhaps that’s why she looked so distant in her stretching. She fought through the cold and worked harder. Maybe she was trained like that by her mother.

But that just didn’t seem right.

“What did you do before joining the army?” Lu asked, tapping his fingers along his thigh. When he met her eyes, Petal seemed surprised. Was she not used to talking about herself?

“I danced,” she said.

Lu felt a rush of sadness roll over the both of them. Though, he wasn’t sure if he would call it sadness, disappointment, or resentment. For Petal, it seemed more like a feeling of longing. When Petal moved to sit on the steps of the deck, Lu followed suit. He ignored how he could feel her body heat so immediately.

“I was a ballerina,” Petal added, dragging a hand through her dark locks. Lu could picture it so well: Petal’s beautiful face up on stage, a tutu on her waist and her black hair pulled up in a glorious hairstyle. She moved like a dancer in everything she did. He could imagine it perfectly.

“Why did you stop? Were you made to join the army, or did you choose to?” Lu asked.

The girl shook her head, looking up at their birds on the railing. “I couldn’t sit by and watch as my own mother and the kids I grew up with went to war when I’m perfectly capable of joining them.”

That was utterly upsetting to hear. Petal was so young, and so bold. She could do anything she set her mind to, and yet, she chose to let her dreams be dormant.

Petal continued when Lu didn’t say anything. “I started when I was little. My mom saw how I loved to twirl around and move, and she decided dancing was a great way to let out all that energy,” she admitted, twirling her hair between her fingers, “I won a couple of awards, actually.”

“That’s amazing,” Lu muttered.

“I wanted to continue. I loved dancing. But, I felt like using my talent as a fighter would be more productive. The moment my mother muttered something about a possible war, I told my instructor I was quitting. She begged me to rethink everything, but I already made up my mind.” Petal looked at the other then, and a smile that didn’t meet her eyes settled on her lips. “I have to protect my country and its people.”

Lu had to choke down whatever emotions were brewing in his chest at that comment. Petal was terrified of losing her homeland. She was terrified of doing nothing to help and being a bystander. She was scared of doing the exact thing Lu had so many nightmares about.

After a moment of silence, Lu cleared his throat and spoke, “I hope to see you dance someday.”

Petal looked at him--stared directly into his eyes--and in a moment, she was bawling in his arms. It all happened so quickly that Lu couldn’t even register it was happening until he felt the warm tears hit his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and held her silently as she cried. “I miss it so much,” Petal whimpered against his neck. 

Lu shut his eyes tightly and put a hand on the back of her head, petting her hair gently. It was hard to breathe, and for the first time in a long while, Lu felt as if he would cry, too. “It’ll be over soon,” Lu whispered, even if they both knew it wasn’t true. Even if it wasn’t true, it was a silent promise that he would be there when it truly was all over. It was a promise that Petal wouldn’t be alone in the end. Lu readjusted a bit, putting his chin atop her head. “It’ll be over, and we can dance together.”

His words just made Petal cry harder, but he knew it wasn’t a bad thing. It was her acceptance. It was Petal understanding him, and knowing that he cared. He wanted to be with her when this was all over. That was enough.

It was enough for the both of them to imagine simpler days to come. Lu imagined Petal dancing on stage once again. He imagined her stretching her arms out and kicking her legs, and doing it out of art rather than for survival. She would bow and the audience would applaud, and Lu would stand there and clap. She would collect bouquets from adoring fans, and Lu would be at her side. They would both be happy, warm, and content with life.

Lu hugged Petal tighter.