Title: Flight Simulation
Fandom: Baten Kaitos
Rating: G
Length: 868
Content notes: Set after the ending of 'Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean.'
Author notes: I assume that Lyude took up the position as Alfard's leader after the game.
Summary: A grand ball is held in celebration of Alfard's restoration at the nation's capital, Mintaka, with leaders gathered from around the world. With so many decisions to make and so many people counting on him, Lyude doesn't think he can handle the stress of monarchy, so he turns to the one person he always has for comfort.

Shaking hands with people and smiling shouldn't be this exhausting.

Lyude slumps against the marble column with a sigh and tilts his head back, staring up at the ceiling. A brief moment of respite is what he needs now more than ever, but with people clamoring to meet and congratulate him, it won't last long. It's even more difficult to enjoy said respite when ghosts of the past occasionally wander through his mind and drag him down.

He can just see their faces, Vallye's scowl, Skeed's sneer, and his mother's disappointed expression. His shoulders slump froward a little and he shakes his head, trying his best to dispel the images. They're all dead now, he reminds himself, so there's nothing to do but forgive and move on.

"Lyude?"

Catching his breath, the young emperor spins around and comes face-to-face with a man who showed him the first glimmer of worth within himself. King Ladekhan stands half-obscured by a column and with two glasses of mulled wine in hand.

"I-I'm sorry for disappearing like that, Your Majesty," sputters Lyude in apology. "I just needed a moment to..."

Ladekhan chuckles and passes a glass to the younger man. "To hear yourself think?" He takes a sip of his own wine and smiles. "A sentiment I understand all too well, so there's no need for apologies."

"I..."

"I also recall asking you not to be so formal," adds Diadem's king with a clap on Lyude's shoulder. "We're both of the same status now, and besides, you're my friend; I prefer that you call me by my given name."

Lyude warms at his touch and his shoulders relax. "An old habit that I need to break, then...Ladekhan." He raises his glass a little and takes a drink, eyes widening. A familiar burn sears his throat and he almost drops his glass, staggering back against the column in a coughing fit. "N-Nashiran wine?"

"Indeed it is." Diadem's king smiles again and pats his back this time. "A gift from Gibari and the rest of the village, no doubt."

That Gibari, thinks Lyude with a wry grin himself, always trying to toughen him up in one way or another. 'If you can't hold your liquor then you'll be a laughing stock' he recalls his friend telling him during the start of the ball. Now he understands the significance behind his wink after.

"I'm certain that Gibari meant no harm, though. It's just an attempt of his to strengthen you," Ladekhan explains after Lyude composes himself. "So when next you meet, take smaller sips of wine."

Lyude nods and holds the glass an arm's length away. "I'll try to remember that, Your Ma...Ahh, Ladekhan!" He laughs a little after his recovery. Silence passes between them as they sit in the shadows of the hall and watch the waltz. Their dream dances before them, people of every status and nation communing in harmony. Both know they should be at the center of their triumph for all of the blood and sleepless nights they poured into the battles with Malpercio, but they're content to watch from afar.

"Diadem has a certain custom," pipes up Ladekhan suddenly, pulling Lyude's interest away from the dance floor. "It may seem a bit strange in this situation, but I'd like to keep to tradition." He sets his wine glass aside on a decorative table and turns to face Lyude. "If you'll hear my ridiculous proposal, that is."

Curious and with his heart thumping in his chest, Lyude also sets his glass aside. "Of course."

Ladekhan's line of sight flicks between the dance floor and Alfard's young leader, his lips twitching. "It is customary for Diadem's king to offer the first dance of the eve to a treating nation's Regis...In most cases, it's meant only for rulers of the feminine persuasion, but..." He takes a deep bow and presses his gauntlet against his chest, over his heart. "I would be honored if you would grant me the first dance."

Instinctively, Lyude second guesses himself and the reason as to why Ladekhan would want to ask him such a thing, but a smaller, bolder piece of himself already knows the answer. It swells within him and he fights the uncertainty with a shaky step forward, taking Ladekhan's outstretched hand. "The honor is all mine."

The expression on Ladekhan's face as he straightens from his bow is a rush of fresh air, all bright and unexpected. His blue eyes soften as he moves into a proper position, hand on Lyude's waist and the other taking Lyude's hand also. The music is soft behind them, and the voices of their friends and subjects seem so far away as they start to move. Lyude feels the weight of his demons lift away and their claws slip from his sides. Ladekhan guides his steps around the hall until they are no longer shaky, but light and elegant instead.

"I've...never had wings," Lyude comments out of the blue, daring a glance up into Ladekhan's eyes. "You have, though. Is this...what it feels like to fly?"

Ladekhan's heart leaps and he laughs again, smiling. "It's much better than that."