Around the Maypole

Chapter One

The Meeting

Clorith

It was the May festival. Everybody in town was outside enjoying the fresh sunshine together. All the businesses were closed so that no one was left out of the festivities that day. Streamers and ribbons were flowing in the gentle wind outside of every building. Flowers were all in bloom to celebrate the day. Because that's what the festival was, a celebration of life.

As it was May, the temperature was beginning to get hotter and hotter everyday, but thankfully the wind kept everyone cool that day. People came to meet each other at the center of town, where the maypole stood.

There was a legend in that town about maypoles. It said that if two young people happen to come across each other while dancing around the pole and tangle their two ribbons together, it was a sign that a marriage between the two was soon to come after.

Naturally, this didn't apply to young children who always had trouble tangling up their ribbons. That's why for the very sake of the legend, they held a special dance at nightfall for the unmarried adults of that town to dance if they so wish for the possibility of intertwining their fate with someone else symbolically by intertwining their ribbons.

For the most part, the dance become a chance for confessions of love for the townsfolk. Just by participating that dance, the object of their affections would automatically know what it meant if they intertwined with their own ribbon. And so, by their own choice they could become a couple through that ceremony.

However, the legend still applied for those who, quite by fate, intertwine with someone else unintentionally.

“Zack, are you really making me go?” A blonde haired man asked his companion as they were walking into the town together where the festivities were already taking place. The black haired man known as Zack sighed and shook his head sadly.

“Cloud, Cloud. How many times do I have to tell you? We are here to enjoy ourselves. Not all our lives have to focused on defending this land. Even soldiers need to take breaks.” Zack explained to him, but Cloud remained unconvinced.

“Why couldn't I have just stayed home then? Why are you making me come with you? This is going to be more tiring than what we usually do.” Cloud sign unhappily, clearly wanting nothing else than to go to the festival that night.

“Because, Cloudy,” Zack used a nicknamed which he knew always bothered Cloud when he was serious. It just too much fun to pester him sometimes. “You need to realize there's more to living than just fighting.”

“What do you mean by that?” Cloud asked curiously, though couldn't help but feel that Zack was about to say something very sappy.

“Like, love Cloud. That's something worth living for too right?” Zack asked with a wink and Cloud remained silent. He couldn't help but feel like it was completely besides the point. Their job was to keep the land safe. What did any girl have to do with that anyway?

Cloud just sighed out loud, but kept following Zack anyway. If he just went to this festival, then Zack would just lay off him. Almost immediately upon entering the town, young maidens rushed towards Zack and Cloud. Zack was well known in that land for being kind, funny, and also very handsome so all the ladies wanted to be with him during the few times he came into town..

The ladies also wanted to be with Cloud, but with his cold demander they immediately found Zack more appealing and drug him off to dance. Thus, Cloud was left to himself to stay in town waiting on a wooden bench awkwardly and wait for Zack to return.

The maypole dances were underway. With a band in the middle playing the fiddle, the flute and the tambourine, the music played away for the dancers around them. For the first dance, couples, or just friends grouped together to do a dance facing circularly around the maypole.

After they did a few dances that way, everybody each took at ribbon that was connected to the maypole. This process sometimes took some time, for while they were dancing, the ribbons were tangled up from the wind's breeze. Once everyone had a ribbon in hand, they danced in a circle around the maypole. Each person had to weave in and out of each other's ribbons so that a beautiful pattern could be made onto the pole itself.

Little kids naturally had some trouble with this task, so all of the adults around stood by to help. Once they got the hang of it, the children usually began to skip and enjoy themselves as much as they could. It was an enjoyable event for everybody. Almost.

Cloud couldn't help but sigh in irritation. Of course Zack had to just leave him here with nothing to do. He didn't know these people, nor did he care to know them. He just wanted to leave.

That was, until something caught his eyes. A flash of pink. A girl, no a young woman was taking part in the maypole dance. She were a dress of pink, and was holding onto a ribbon that was as pink as her dress. She had flowers in her hair tied together in a pink ribbon which kept her hair in beautiful braid. Green, Cloud also saw green.

The young woman was laughing and giggling just as any child would do. Cloud began to feel embarrassed that she was enjoying such a childish event. The longer he eyes stared at her, though, he realized that there was no need for embarrassment. She was beautiful.

It wasn't until the dance with done that Cloud realized what exactly he saw that was green. It was her eyes, and he only knew this because her green eyes stared directly at him. Cloud felt heat cover his face in embarrassment. To be caught staring, that was not like him. The strong, stoic Cloud. But then again, feeling this way towards someone was not like him either. Cloud felt even more heat as she began to walk towards him.

“I've never seen you before. My name is Aerith.” She quickly introduced herself with no explanations needed at all. She smiled at him, catching him off guard leaving him flustered in a way. That was not him, though. He had to be himself.

“Cloud.” Was all that he said. One word was all that he felt obligated to say. That was more like him now, with his cold demander. He avoided eye contact now, but that didn't seem to faze the woman named Aerith one bit.

“Do you want to dance?”