Enchanting Eyes.

The moon blessed the earth with its light. And standing in the midst of that slivery glow, was a Man who was holding on tightly to his wife. "Are you alright?" Diego inquired, as he spoke to the woman he was holding. Diane opened her eyes slowly, she had not opened then even when she felt a pair of strong hands grabbing her firmly. She nodded. "Ah, you can put Me down now." Diane said, the fact that she was being cradled like a little child made her slightly embarrassed. "Right. My apologies." Diego said, as he gently placed her on the ground. As he did so, he heard a soft crack, the sound of a dried tree branch being stepped on. "Who goes there?" A gruff voice instantly inquired, accompanied by heavy footsteps. "It is just me, so you can relax." Diane heard Diego say. She opened her eyes again-she had subconsciously closed them out of reflex, only to witness a tall man with a well built frame striding towards them. The man really resembled a descendant of a titan underneath the moonlight. "Please forgive my intrusion, my lord, my lady." The knight said as he bowed. "It seems like I interrupted a rather intimate moment." He said. Diane who realized that she was still in Diego's embrace, broke away instantly, distancing herself from him. "No, you have the wrong idea." She told him. "I know that I may be crossing my boundaries, but I wanted to ask, where my lord and lady are headed at this uneventful hour?" He inquired, when he saw how formally dressed the both of them were. "For a bit of sight seeing." Diego stated simply. "Is that so? Should I send a knight to accompany you both?" He asked. "No need." Diego said, as he grabbed her hand. "Are you certain, my lord?" He inquired. "Yes, yes." Diego began, impatiently as he grabbed a hold of Diane's hand as he walked away. "I will be alright, so there is no need for you to worry." He stated. As Diego continued to pull her away, Diane couldn't help but subconsciously glance back at the man who stood in solitude.

 "Who is he?" Diane inquired, her slender legs nearly breaking into a run due to the ferocity at which he pulled her. "That is Douen, the chief commander of our calvary." Diego explained, as he pulled her on. "Hold on a second, I need to catch my breath." Diane said, when she noticed that she was nearly falling over. Diego heeded, as he paused for a while. "Why are you walking away so quickly? You are not scared of him, are you?" She inquired, as she gazed up at him. "You really know how to ask impossible questions." Diego said, not even bothering to reply her. "He was really tall though." Diane mused. Diego ignored her, and proceeded to where a magnificent stable stood, which was adorned In a combination of both black and white. Diane followed suit, as Diego pushed the door open, before stepping inside. Most of the horses were asleep though, some in standing positions, while some laid, tucking their legs between them. Diane soon found, Sapphire, who was sleeping at the far end of her stable. "You could stoke her If you want to, you know." Diego said. "Apart from our hunting session, you haven't had a chance to ride her, right?" Diane nodded. "I will just let her sleep for the now." She stated, until she saw a beautiful brown and white colt slumbering away quietly at the corner. "Whose pony is this?" She asked Diego, as she beckoned towards the pony. "That's Leonia's." Diego promptly responded, denying her the privilege to admire the lovely creature. "I didn't know Leonia could ride, I would really like to see her do so one day." Diane commented, as she skipped behind the man who just went further into the stables. "What is its name?" She inquired, as she trodded aside alongside him. "She called him, Marshmellow." Diego replied, nearly cringing at his sister's choice of names. "Your stable is quite large, and you seem to have a lot of horses too." Diane observed. "Does everyone, in the family have a horse, or are they all yours?" She inquired. "I wish." Diego stated, with a slight scoff. "Most of the horses in here are actually, Theodore's. He just has this wild obsession for horses that can be contained." He stated, before pausing In front of the stable, where a huge light brown horse stood, asleep. He stroked it gently. "Hey, bud, it is time to wake up." He said. The horse, recognizing Diego's voice, opened its eyes instantly and gave a soft neigh. Diane was still mesmerized by this scene, only to feel warm air on her back. She turnedaround, only to see a huge black horse gazing at her with gentle eyes. "Orion." She called out, as she caressed it. The horse also pressed its huge head into her palm. "Is he to go with us?" She inquired, as she turned to Diego. "No. I haven't tamed him yet, he still tends to go wild among the slightest number of people, not to mention a carnival." Diego explained, as he brought the other horse out. "Who is this?" She inquired, as she gazed at the light brown horse. "This is clave, you would have remembered him if you were conscious when we first met." He said, as he stroked the horse's mane. "Let's go." Diego began, as he led the horse out slowly.

 He closed the door to the barn gently, while Diane clambered up the horse, albeit with much difficulty. "He is really gentle." Diane stated, as Diego joined her, as usual, sitting behind her. "He didn't even budge at the slightest when I climbed up him." She said, as they began to move slowly. "Do you mind? I may have to speed this journey up a bit." Diego said, as he brought the horse to a run.

 Diane suppressed the tendency to shout out for joy. The moonlight that illuminated their path even made everything seem more surreal, just like a scene from a fairytale. The manner in which the flowers, trees and grasses danced under the moonlight made it seem like for a brief moment, she had been transported into a completely different world. they slowly approached a harbor, where enormous yet magnificent ships could be noticed from the distance. Although at the midst of it, was a large and spacious centre, not too far from the shore, where a large and magnificent fire could be seen burning, red flames swaying wildly to the rhythm of the wind. Even though Diane and Diego were still a great distance, they could still sense the festivity in the air, from the beating of the drums, the unrestrained and wild laughter, to the fireworks which further dazzled the night sky. Diane was already mesmerized even before she went in. As the horse trotted softly under Diego's guidance, she had already fascinated in her head, a scene in which she jumped off the horse and simply joined in the celebration, without having to maroone over monotonous formalities. "Good evening, Sir, Ma'am." A short man wearing a red mask greeted them respectfully, as they arrived, while Diego was assisting Diane to get off her horse. "Welcome to the Durianti Carnival. I really hope that you have a good time, but before you go in, in adherence to protocol, you will have to purchase these first." He explained, as he showed them a couple of masks in his hand. "At what cost may they be?" Diego inquired, as he bounded the horse to a nearby pole. "It depends upon the quality you choose, my good sir." The short man stated, as he bowed humbly. "We have our average, deluxe, and special luxury category." The man said, as he presented three different masks of varying qualities before their eyes. The average seemed to be the most poorly crafted out of the three, one could tell with just a mere glance that it could only be utilized once, after which it might be rendered useless, The deluxe masks however, were intricately crafted, with more precision and concentration than the latter, it was also quite light in weight and comfortable as well, easy to put on and take off as well. And as for the special luxury, well, they were special alright. The most eye-catching of the three varieties, they shone under the moonlight. Some even had the feathers of various colors sewn to them as well, which further enhanced their elegance and uniqueness. "So my lady and gentleman, what Is your choice going to be?" The man inquired, with a smile. "Why don't you pick for the both of us?" Diego told her. Diane didn't even hesitate, there was particular mask that drew her attention before the man even began his explanation. It was an enchanting black and silver mask, with black feathers carefully attached to it whichever further enhanced its beauty. One glance at it and one could instantly tell that it was made with the female folk in mind. And then there was its counterpart, an elaborate black mask which seemed to simple, yet majestic. There were no masks that covered the entire face, they simply just covered partially, the eye to the bridge of the nose. "These two." She said, as she turned to Diego, while holding them up for him to see. Diego nodded, which meant he also approved of her choice. "How much do they cost?" Diego inquired, as he drew out a small sack. "Approximately six gold coins, sir." The man replied, as his eyes sparkled on anticipation. Sure enough, he had captured the fish with the right bait, And two huge ones at that. From their dressing alone, as well as their personage, that they were no ordinary people. And their gold coins were also a testament to that, high ranking aristocrats. "Shall we?" Diego inquired, after the both of them had put their masks on. Diane nodded. "Do you mind watching over My horse for me?" Diego inquired, as he turned to the man. "I will give you an even higher pay if you do. Just rember to give him some water periodically, he is not complicated to look after." Diego explained. "Sir should know that this lowly one won't be able to do it for free." The short man said, as he chuckled. "How much does sir wager? Your beast is quite large, afterall." The man said. "Ten gold coins." Diego stated, without batting an eyelid. The smile on the man's face grew even wider.

 After all the formalities were accounted for, the couple proceeded to join in on the fun. The manner they walked in on the celebration, with their dark clothes and even darker masks, made everyone to momentarily pause what they were doing, as they pondered on who the mysterious entities could be. Unfortunately, since the mask did a magnificent job at concealing their identities, all their mind storming was automatically rendered useless. "It is really wonderful that everyone could participate in this together, irrespective of one's class." Diane stated, with a slight smile. She couldn't really identify anyone, but she was able to differentiate between the nobles and the commoners bases on the quality of their clothes. "It is the night where all men become equal, So I am not surprised." Diego commented. "Let's seat over there." He said, as he pulled her by the arm, where a vacated bench was, as though someone knew they were going to come. "Right, I remember reading about this carnival in history books." Diane stated, as soon as She sat down. "But I didn't ever think a day would arrive whereby I will be privileged to attend." Diane said, as she watched people dancing around the bonfire. "Are you happy now? That Is the bonfire you so badly desired to see." Diego stated, when he glanced over at where her eyes kept staring at. Diane nodded her head, her eyes sparkling. "Thank you for taking me out here, irregardless of the odds." She said, as she gazed at him. "The crown could give everyone a chance to be equal, what Is the significance of this carnival when everything is going to return back to the way it usually is by the morning?" Diane inquired, while a father played with his two children happily around the bonfire. "You posed a good question indeed." Diego said, as he observed the family as well. "But It is going to be quite difficult to attain that. So long as people continue to remain talented and outstanding than the average individual, they will be accorded more attention, and receive better living conditions." Diego explained. However, there was still a slight frown on Diane's face. "You can't possibly expect a wealthy and an average family to be under the same living conditions. Especially when the people from the wealthy family tends to look down on those that are striving to survive." Diego broke it down to lay man's language. Diane finally nodded. They got temporarily interrupted, by a brilliant display of fireworks. Some people hollered and Cherred, while some others raised their glasses up, in manner of appreciation. "So beautiful." Diane muttered, as she her eyes sparkled underneath the moonlight. "Indeed." Diego agreed, although he was looking at her. But as she turned to him, he immediately glanced away. "So, you got what you requested for? Can we leave now?" He inquired, unable to look at her in the eye. This time it was even worse, a queasy kind of feeling had settled into the bottom of his stomach. "We just got here. Why are you so eager to leave anyway?" Diane interrogated. "You need to take a break as well. Just try to unwind, and enjoy the fresh air." She commented, while tapping the ground softly with her foot. "Besides, I haven't seen enough of this place just yet." Diane said, as she stood up and walked away. "Diane, Diane!" Diego called out, but the woman just continued to proceed in her journey as though she didn't hear him, her elegant blonde hair swaying from left to right. Diego could only sigh, as he stood up as well.

 Diane went to a stall, where various cuisines were being sold. Of course, most of the stalls here were constructed out of wood, and somewhat shabbily built, just for the sake of this occasion. But people didn't seem to mind, everyone was more than aware that they would be taken down by this same time next week. The food must have been first class, as the place was somewhat packed with both nobles and commoners alike. Diane stood at the front of the corner. "Good evening, miss." The waitress said, as she greeted. "I trust you are enjoying the carnival?" She inquired. "Not quite yet, The party is just getting started for me." Diane said, as Diego just walked into the place. "Well then, what would you like to order, will you have it at your convenience or would you prefer to have your meal at this very place?" The waitress inquired. "I will take it to go." Diane said her eyes shimmering, while Digeo silently stood behind her. "Do you have any sweets, I mean pastries?" She inquired. "All that you could ever think of." She said, as she briefly glanced at the man that stood Behind Diane. But he motioned for her to stay quiet. "Here, why don't you see them for yourself?" She said, as she passed Diane a small red card, which had Durianti Carnival inscribed on it in bold letters. She slightly squinted her eyes, until she got to the Pastries section. "Here. I will have this one." Diane said, as she showed pointed her choice to the waitress. Her eyes immediately curved upwards, which implied that she was smiling. "That is quite a luxuriou alternative you've decided on." She said. "Oh, and could you kindly add some cocktails to it?"

 Diego watched on as Diane gladly stuffed her mouth with slices of cakes which was pale yellow in color. Not even all the children that were jumping around or enjoying themselves in the midst of the fireworks distracted her. "Do you want some?" She inquired, as she licked her fingers. "You know I don't enjoy sweet things." Diego said solemnly. "No wonder you are so serious and bitter." Diane stated. "Can't someone joke with you anymore?" She inquired, when she noticed how grave he looked. "Forget about it." She said, as she gave an exasperated sigh. "If you are not drinking that, Can I have it?" She asked, while eyeing Diego's half empty glass. "No, you can't. You have only had one glass and it seems like you are already getting tipsy." Diego told her sternly. "No, I am not!" Diane said, as she angrily shoved her last cake down her mouth. "Can we leave now?" Diego impatiently inquired. But something else got Diane's attention. She got up and was headed straight for that place. "Diane?" He called out, wanting to go after her. But just as he got up, a lady intercepted him. "Good evening, My fair prince." The lady said seductively. "May I get the honor of knowing your acquaintance?" Diego's left eye twitched.

 Diane joined the group of dancers to choreograph around the bonfire in circles. Their colorful red regalia, moved dynamically, in Accordance with the beating of the drums. When the couple initially joined in the festivity, it was slow and the dancer's Kinetics was slow and graceful. But as they progressed into the heart of it, The tempo of the drums became much wilder, faster and louder. The dancers performed more erratically, their regalia went up in the air wildly, making the bonfire itself to be much more attractive. For a split second, it seems to be more like a ritual dance than a celebration. In no time, the choreography gained quite a large number of spectators- a good number of people found it difficult to take their eyes off the scene. Diane was the odd one that stood out, but she didn't care. She raised her leg when the choreographers did, jumped when they jumped, swayed as they did, while letting the rhythm of the drums to be her guide. Her kneel length black dress went this way and that, but she didn't care. She danced herself to a frenzy, while laughing all the time. She knew she may never get a chance to do this again, so why not savor the moment? She saw Diego standing not far away from the corner of her eye, but he didn't interrupt her, neither did she go to him. She continued to dance on to her heart's delight, hoping that at the End of it all, it wouldn't just be a dream.

 "I hope you have been enjoying yourself so far." Previta said, as she took a sip from her cocktail. "Yes, it the atmosphere has been rather delightful." Viesta replied heartily. "Thank you for bringing me here." She added, while smiling to her benefactor. "There is no need for you to show me gratitude, you silly child." Previta stated. "Besides, you do have to step outdoors for a breath of fresh air periodically, it is essential for your health, afterall." She added. "Yes, indeed." Viesta replied absent mindedly, as her eyes drifted to the bonfire once more. The dancers had already disbanded at that point, and all that came into view was a Man trying desperately to convince a lady to leave that area. "You seem to be rather drawn to them, you have been staring at them all night." Previta said, as she glanced at their direction. "Are they perhaps husband and wife? From their demeanor.." "I am quite sure they are." Viesta promptly replied, with a smile. "Wow, have you become a psychic now? What if they were siblings, lovers, or just friends instead? Won't you feel stupid if your assumption plays out to be false?" Previta inquired. "I am not too sure about them being friends or lovers." Viesta said. "But when I take a look at them, I can't help but be constantly reminded of my husband and myself." She said, her tone a bit melancholic. "It seems like you miss him." Previta observed. "I do." She admitted. "I wish I could hear from him again, but.." She stifled a yawn. "Alright, I believe we should call it a day." Previta said, as she stood up. "I also have to get up by the Crack of dawn as well." She said, as she assisted Viesta to stand up to her feet. "At least, it was worth coming here." Viesta said, of which Previta nodded. Both of them were so engrossed in their occupation, that both failed to notice the blue pendant pulsating faintly.

 "I Wish I could Hear From Him Again."