A/N: may 12th 2011; lol this chapter is bad, especially compared to later chapters, don't let it fool you

A/N: This idea randomly popped into my head. I wanted to challenge myself with something, and this was the first thing that came to me. I like the idea.

The concept is this: I have made a (long) list of every possible pairing that can be made with the Eternal Sonata characters. Every pairing has a number, and I will let someone randomly say a number, which will be the next oneshot I will write.

I plan on writing a oneshot of every pairing, and I want to try as many possible variations of genres/subjects/themes.

In total I have 171 different pairings, homosexual included xD

So challenge me, and put in a review with a random number you like.

I may consider doing a specific pairing if someone requests it, but I can't make any promises.

Oh, and I'm making a list of the pairings I already did on my profile, otherwise people will start calling numbers of pairings I already did…

Disclaimer: I don't own Eternal Sonata and its characters. (I do have a copy of the game though xD)

Eternal Sonata Random Pairing Project

# 42: Viola x Waltz

I was just about to let my goats graze when I knight of Forte delivered me a letter. The sender was no one else than Count Waltz himself. It was an invitation to a dinner party at the castle scheduled for next week. He wanted to dine with the people living in his nation and get to know them. To me it sounded fishy, he had just started producing mineral powder and not taxing it just made it downright suspicious. But going probably wouldn't hurt.

So the next week I got into my fanciest dress and set out towards Forte City, but before I could even leave the area where my house stood. Another knight came dashing toward me on a tamed Angel Goat. He told me that he was sent to escort me to the castle safely and helped me get onto the Angel Goat.

We went over Casaba Bridge and through Fort Fermata. The fort was unmanned and clearly neglected. After the fort we went through Hanon Hills and reached Forte City. The city was small, but dressed festive, as if there was something big going on. The castle gate was overloaded with lights which gave it a spectacular view.

The knight helped me off the Angel Goat and led me to the other guests. Then he excused himself and left me alone. I mended myself between the other guests and had a chat with various people. None of them I had ever seen before. Some came even all the way from Rittardando or even Tenuto.

We hung around in the huge hallway until a few butlers came to get us. We were led into an even larger hall in which stood two extremely long dining tables filled with the most exotic dishes. The room itself was decorated in red and gold and there stood various lanterns here and there in the room. Altogether it gave of a cosy atmosphere which calmed most people.

The butlers told us to sit down at the place that had our nameplate and helped us find our seats. I was seated at the other end of the room, one seat away from a seat that was left to be empty. There was no doubt about who would be seated there.

The young woman next to me asked if I wanted to switch seats with her so she would be closer to the count. I told her that she should be happy with the current seat arrangement and that we shouldn't offend the people who broke their heads over thinking up this seat arrangement, by simply switching seats.

She clearly wasn't happy with my response and mumbled something about stinking like goats. I didn't pay any further attention to her and went back to looking around the room.

The elderly woman who was sitting on the other side next to me, poked me in the side and smirked at me.

"Don't pay attention to a snobby bitch like her girl, I bet her only reason for being here, is so she can try to catch the counts attention."

I smiled at her and we started a conversation. She told me she lived in a little house a bit off the path in Agogo Forest, and had been a widow for almost 7 years now. We both wondered why the count would invite us, plain people, into his castle and laughed about the jokes she remembered from the time her husband was still alive.

We talked until one of the butlers asked everyone to be quiet.

Then the count himself made an entry. He wore a huge crown of which I wondered how he was able to keep it on his head without breaking his neck. His clothes were tinted various shades of purple and gold. The count himself looked no older than 20 and had a handsome angelic face, the blonde hair really finished the look.

He smiled and took place in front of the seat I had guessed he would.

"Dear people." He spoke. "I am sincerely glad that all of you were able to make it to the castle. I hope that my knights have treated you well and that you were able to arrive here safely without any complications. I invited you all to the castle to dine with me. As you all know, we've recently started the production of mineral powder. A most effective medicine that cures most illnesses. This feast is to celebrate the introduction of this wonderful medicine, and I do hope it suits all of your tastes. Later on this evening there will be music and the opportunity to dace, but for now, please enjoy the food."

He sat down in the chair and threw several glances around the table. His eyes kept still at me for a minor moment, but it was enough for me to see the look in his eyes which send a chill down my spine.

I quickly shook of the feeling and picked up the conversation I was having earlier with the elderly woman next to me. We talked about little every day things, and shared our opinions about many subjects. We both avoided the subject mineral powder, and I tried not to look past her. I knew the count kept glancing over at me as he pretended to have a cheerful conversation with the man sitting next to him.

The food was wonderful. There were many dishes of which I didn't even know they existed. Like various fruits from overseas, monster guts from monsters that only lived in the Sharp Mountains near Baroque City, and edible flowers with tastes that seemed to change as I chewed on them.

As the time passed, the chatting got less, people had eaten so much that it had made them drowsy. A few men had drunk too much and were having a loud conversation in drunken language that no one was able to understand. A guard asked them to be a bit quieter and when they didn't listen they were escorted out of the dining room.

The conversations died down and everyone quietly enjoyed the food. I unintentionally looked the counts way by accident and found him staring at me. I immediately turned my head the other way, and regretted doing so the moment I did. I might have imagined it, but I was sure I heard a chuckle.

Not daring to turn around again I desperately tried to blend into the conversation the young woman next to me was having. At first she looked at me like I was crazy, but as soon as I dropped the word love, she started chatting away. All I had to do was nod and agree with her, which was easily to combine with eating. She talked about the guys she had dates, the guys who had broken her heart, idols, kidding and many more subjects.

I almost chocked when she asked if I had someone I loved. After a while of awkward coughing, I smiled and shook my head. I told her that there had been someone a few years ago, but the man was a traveller and after a few months he left me for the world.

Her face showed sympathy, and she looked like she wanted to cry with me. I had no intention of crying in the middle of a fancy party and quickly added that I was already over it. She smiled and hugged me. She now acted like we had been best friends for ages, while she had been agonizing me just a little while ago. It was quite awkward but it had been a while since I had been hugged by another human, so it was also quite pleasant.

As I was being hugged by this fake friend, I looked around the room. Some people had fallen asleep face right into their food. Which was quite strange, who would fall asleep into their food at a fancy party like this. But before I could wonder more about it, I was interrupted in my thoughts by the counts voice. The young woman, whose name I never caught, let go of me and I turned around to look at the count.

"Dear people." he started again. "The feast is coming to an end. Let us all go to the ball room to dance. The people who have fallen asleep will be woken by my servants and will be brought home safely. Now follow me." He said as he stood up and walked towards the big door behind him.

The guards standing there opened the door and we followed the count through it. We ended up in a beautiful decorated room. It was decorated with lights everywhere, which threw light onto the red, gold and green decorations that were painted onto the walls.

We stood there for a moment, gaping at the room. I heard the count chuckle before he spoke again.

"I see the room is to your liking, now if you would be so kind to follow me into the room. So the guards will be able to close the doors."

We started walking again and music started playing. Some men asked woman to dance, but I didn't quite feel like dancing.

I walked around the room, looking for the elderly woman I had been talking to during dinner, but wasn't able to find her. I wondered if she also might have fallen asleep, and hadn't joined us into the ballroom. I guessed that was the case and went looking for a quiet place where no one would find me and ask me to dance.

It was not that I didn't like dancing, I just didn't want to dance with strangers whom I would not ever see again. But of course, before I could find a decent hiding spot, one of the courageous men tapped me on the shoulder.

He stuttered, mumbled and stumbled over his words while asking me to dance with him.

At first I wanted to decline, but then I felt it. Someone was staring at me so intensely I could feel the stare bore into my back.

I accepted the guys dance and used the opportunity to look around the room. The guy talked to me, but I didn't pay him much attention. After all, he wasn't the one that sent an icy chill down my spine.

When the music ended, the guy stopped dancing. He sincerely thanked me for my time and said that I was a wonderful dancer. I nodded at him and game him a half-hearted smile. I was already gone before I could see him turn bright red, what I also didn't see was that one of the guards asked him to go back to the dining room for a moment. He never returned.

I went back to looking for a hiding place, while knowing I would be interrupted in my search again. And I was right, again some random guy tapped me on the shoulder and nervously asked me to dance. And I again I felt that stare, so again I accepted the dance of a random stranger. While dancing I again searched the room looking for the person whose stare made me shiver.

I tried to lead the guy to every corner of the room so I would be able to see many people, but he didn't really want to cooperate. Instead of following my lead, he led me to some abandoned corner of the room. There was a door, and before I realized what he was planning on doing, it was already too late.

I was pushed into the room and fell onto the ground. As I saw the guy coming closer I desperately tried to get up.

I had no intention of doing anything of the sorts which something like him. I was able to get up before he could throw himself on top of me and dodged his arms that were trying to close me in a too close for comfort hug.

As I backed away from him, I bumped into something, or rather, someone. I turned around and found myself face to face with the young count.

He was not much taller than me, but his crown made him look like he was inches longer.

"My what do we have here?" He said as he looked at me. I felt a familiar chill go down my spine and realised something I had rather not.

"Guests aren't supposed to leave the ballroom, unless they are instructed too. So what are a fine young women and an average young man like you two doing in the castle hallway?" He sounded like he didn't really care that we were here, but there was an underlying question or rather demand, into his words which I could not lay my finger on.

I heard that the guy behind me stumbled and fell down. When I turned around to look, I saw he had fallen onto his knees and was bowing face down into the carped onto the floor.

"I am extremely sorry my lord, this dreadful woman seduced me and I followed her unknowingly into here, I have had no impure intentions. It is her I say, she is the one you have to arrest for trespassing your castle!" I heard the count chuckle, but the man didn't notice.

"No one is going to be arrested, I am sure that this all is just a misunderstanding. I simply do not believe that this wonderful young woman has had any bad intentions when accepting your pathetic request to dance with you."

I looked back at him in surprise. Did he just say 'pathetic' in a way that made it sound like he was complimenting the guy? Was I the only one to notice he was actually insulting the man rather than comforting him.

"As you might know." He continued. "I have not been attending the dance since the beginning, instead I have been watching over it from the balcony. So I believe you now already know that I know you have been lying from the very beginning. So if you would be so kind to follow this guard, he will escort you to the gate and kindly ask you to leave this party immediately."

The man had turned white and silently nodded. The count gave a nod to the guard. On this signal the guard walked over to the man and started leading the way through the hallway.

As they left, the count and I were left behind. He turned to me.

"I am incredibly sorry dear lady, I did not expect that some people would behave like this. How can I make this up to you?"

I shook my head, all I wanted was just to go home already. My feet were killing me and I was getting tired.

He smiled at me but didn't seem quite satisfied. "How about we go back into the ballroom?"

I saw there was no way I could change his mind and nodded. He opened the door and led me back to the room. There were still a few couples dancing. The music was nice and peaceful, and most people were sitting or standing along the sides, chatting about this or that.

I thanked the count and wanted to walk over to the young woman I had been sitting next to during dinner, but before I could take one step, the count grabbed my arm.

"If I may be so bold, would you like to dance with me?" I was shocked at his question and looked at him like he was crazy.

Why would someone as noble as him want to dance with someone as plain as me? Hadn't he gone to the balcony because he didn't want to have to dance with anyone?

He took my silence as a yes, grabbed my hands and led me to the middle of the floor. The music changed and we started to dance. I was so shocked that I did not notice the glares I was receiving from all the young woman in the room.

The count kept staring in my eyes as he led me in our dance. I noticed how his eyes were a lavender color, they gave hints of enjoyment, hatred and craving. I didn't want to know what was going on in his head. He was obviously not the person he pretended to be here at this party.

I didn't feel quite comfortable in his arms. Though he was a noble and probably someone evil, he did seem to enjoy himself honestly. I was afraid of what he might be capable of doing if I declined his dance, so I tried to enjoy it as much as possible.

The music changed again and the count fluently went from one dance to another. It didn't quite seem like he wanted to stop dancing anytime soon. I now started to feel a bit more comfortable, only to have that snatched away again as I started to feel the dozens of glares I was receiving.

After the third dance, someone was courageous enough to walk up to us. The count paused his dance for a moment when she started to speak.

"My lord, wouldn't you like to dance with someone else now?"

I was ready to let go of his hands and step back, but he kept my hands in a firm grim. He gave the woman a glare and signalled to a guard. The guard came rushing over and the count gave him instructions with a single nod. The guard asked the woman to come with him, and she was led back to the side.

The count had already started dancing again, so I did not see how the woman was escorted through the door and never returned. I noticed how the glares got less and started to relax again. The count was a good dancer, and it had been a while since a male person had held me like this. He hold me tightly but gentle in his strong arms while he led me around the dance floor.

Slowly a conversation started to develop between us, and I enjoyed talking with him. He looked around 20, but he told me his actual age was 23. He asked me about various things, but never asked for my name or where I lived.

We danced on and on and I lost track of time.

When he stopped dancing I noticed that most people were gone. Only a few more were still chatting along the sides of the room. We were the only ones still dancing and while realizing that, a blush crept onto my cheeks. I heard him chuckle again.

"It seems we lost track of time while we danced." He said as he led me to a table. "It was a very pleasant dance, and I really enjoyed myself. I hope you don't mind that I took up so much of your time."

I shook my head. Though I had been afraid at first, later on I had started to enjoy dancing with him. I had almost forgotten that he had a hidden side in him.

"Well, it has gotten this late already. I doubt any of my knights are willing to go outside Forte City at this time, so I offer you the possibility to stay the night at the castle."

I had not seen this coming and was again too shocked to speak. He smiled and signalled a guard to come. Immediately one of them came rushing over.

"I have taken up too much of this ladies time for her to go home safely this evening. I want you to tell the maids to prepare a room for her. I will escort her there myself."

It seemed the guard was still waiting for some sort of sign, but the count shook his head. The guard was obviously taken aback and looked at me for a second. As if he didn't get something.

I didn't really pay it much thought and accepted the counts offer. At this time of the day I'd always rather stay inside, since the monsters coming out at night were far more dangerous than the normal Earth Shakers and Angels Goats that walked around at daytime.

While we waited for the guard to return we had another short chat. It seemed a bit different from the one we had during our dance. He subtly asked for more private information, but I still noticed. It wasn't anything big, so I obediently answered most of his questions. He seemed satisfied and after a while he went back to talking about normal things.

After about 10 minutes, the guard came back with the message that the room had been prepared.

"Well then, I am sure you are extremely tired after such a long night. In your room you will have the opportunity to shower and in the morning you will be escorted back to your home. Shall we?" He stood up and held up his hand.

I took it and also stood up. He escorted me out of the ballroom, through the hallways of the castle. Everything was decorated the same as the dining room and the ballroom. He held still in front of one of the doors in one of the many hallways we had walked through. He opened the door and led me in. The room was quite large and also decorated in reds, gold and greens.

The count stayed in the door opening as he spoke. "It is incredibly late, so I will take my leave from here. I doubt we will see each other again, since a knight will be escorting you on your way back home. So I thank you for the wonderful evening, and wish you a safe trip back home."

I bowed and thanked him for everything he has done. And with that the count closed the door behind him and left me alone in the room. I was too tired to admire the room, or to look at what kind of books where in the shelves.

I got out of my dress and took a quick shower, cooling my feet in the cold water. I wasn't used to so much dancing.

After the shower I plopped onto the bed and noticed how worn out I was. My eyelids started to fall down and I felt the sleep coming over me. Before I knew it I was gone to dreamland.

Later that night I awoke, throat dry with thirst. I went looking for some water, when I noticed I wasn't at home. I slowly remembered I was spending the night at the castle, and found my way to the bathroom.

As I walked back I overheard two people having a conversation at the hallway. I was too tired and didn't pay it much attention. But when I had crawled back into the bed and closed my eyes, the contents of the conversation suddenly sank into me.

What was this party's real purpose? What had they done with the people attending the party? Mineral Powder test subjects…? Army? Mindless soldiers..? What was going on? I really had no idea, but I also knew that I had to get out of here as soon as possible.

As quiet as possible I grabbed my stuff together and tied in on a bunch. I tied the bunch on my back and looked around the room. The door was no option, since I had no idea where I was in the castle, neither did I know if there were any guards around. So the window was the only option.

I opened it and saw I was only at the second floor. Right underneath it was the wall that surrounded the castle. Further away I saw some lights of the very few houses on Hanon Hills. Which meant this was the right direction for running away.

I jumped out of the window, and felt a shiver run down my spine the moment I did. Shaking of the feeling, I jumped down from the wall and started running. The icy chill still lingered on my back as I made my way through the forest.

I heard some shouting, the sounds of armor, and the hoofs of an Angel Goat. Someone was definitely coming after me. Angels Goats were faster, so I decided to look for a place to hide until the person tracking me gave up and went back.

I soon found a large tree, the branches in the top looked strong enough to hold me for a while, so I climbed up and settled myself in the tree.

Looking down I saw a person in armor rushing by on an Angel Goat. A few meters later he stopped the Angel Goat and looked around.

"Dammit..!" he said. The voice seemed similar to the one I heard in the hallway. "She actually got away… Waltz won't be pleased to hear this."

He turned around and set route back to the castle while muttering to himself.

"Why did he let one of the mineral powder test subjects sleep in a room like that anyway? Oh well… must be part of his whole scheme."

As he walked off I wasn't able to make out any more words.

I was glad I did what I did, but now I had to spend the night in a tree. I tried to get as comfortable as possible and tried to sleep a bit more. There was no way I was going back home now, because there were all kinds of monsters out and about. Monsters I'd rather not run into.

A/N: …this turned out a bit long. And it was supposed to have Waltz raping her or something, but I decided to leave that theme for another pairing.

I'm not sure how it turned out, but I guess I'm satisfied.

Please review and make sure to add a number between 1 and 171 so I can write a new oneshot ^^