Grand winner entry for the New Years' Fiesta '22 contest,
written by EchoStoriesMB 

The night seemed to linger on forever, slowly ticking by with each given second. Music poured out from within the never ending grove of trees, echoing into silence before reaching the forest's edge. Laughter mingled with the celebratory tunes that filled the chilling night air. However, those within the forest didn't seem as if they were touched by the wintry air that flitted around them. Instead, they danced around a torch lit clearing that radiated an immensely festive aura. Anyone would feel rightly overwhelmed by it, but ultimately pulled in and fall captive to the feeling.

Torches lit up the clearing atop their high poles giving a faint orange glow to everything the flame's light touched. Music was played upon handmade instruments, decorated in their festive colors. Tables lined in white lace were filled with foods of every kind, catering to everyone's unique tastes and palette. Other empty tables speckled the outer ring of the clearing to give people a chance to sit and rest, but few chose to do so. Those that didn't sit, celebrated in dance, circling around one another near the center of the clearing where a heated bonfire stood burning.

A whirl of white, dark blues and blacks mixed together upon the dance floor. Small human figures with pointed ears mingled with that of large beastly creatures with red skin and large horns.

The elvish people, small and ethereal in appearance, strive for peace and serenity within their small forest realm of Wysteria. With pointed ears and flowing golden locks of hair, they nearly mimicked the appearance of the angels. Their festive attires made of fine white silk, flowing off their bodies like a gentle stream of water rushing down the curves of a mountain. They appeared far different than their horned counterparts.

Deep red skin upon a muscular framed, over seven foot tall body, these demons were menacing in appearance. Sharp curved horns adorned the heads of each beastly creature, some cracked or broken in half from past battles. Their dark eyes sat upon a nearly human face, where as their dark black and blue robes hid their crimson bodies from the world. They too mingled with the elves, dancing and singing the night away in strange celebration. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

All but one person.

Sitting at a lonesome table near the outskirts of the clearing was a beautiful young elf. She wore a gown of white and silver silk, her long golden hair styled in soft wavy curls. Her eyes watched everyone celebrating the coming of the new year, celebrating together without a care in the world. Their dancing filled her gaze while the music filled her ears, but she still remained as uninterested about the festivities as the moment she arrived.

"Not enjoying yourself, Agrafina?"

Agrafina's bright blue eyes shifted from the celebratory party goers and fell upon the tall crimson skinned demon now standing at her side. She was greeted with an amused grin tugging at the male's lips and a twinkle within his black eyes.

Meanwhile, Agrafina was shooting the crimson demon with a warning glare of her own.

"I should not have to remind you to not use my full first name. You know how much I hate it."

"Right, Fina. I'm sorry."

The amusement never left the horned demon, a chuckle bubbling out of him from deep within his chest.

Agrafina let her facial features soften, her scowl turning into the gentlest of smiles. Sitting straighter, the waves in her golden hair bounced with each minute movement she made. Her blue orbs never left the horned demon, curiosity glinting within the depths of her eyes.

"Is there something you needed Jaromir?"

Agrafina's curiosity only grew as the demon looked away from her. The way he scratched at his left temple with his index finger and fiddled with the long braid of raven hair situated down his back, it was as if he was nervous. The actions only turned Agrafina's curiosity to a sudden confused state.

In all the time she had known him, never had he acted so nervous. . . anxious even.

"Jaromir?"

"Hm?"

Jaromir's head turned so fast in her direction, Agrafina thought it would spin right off if turned any faster.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. . . yeah. Why do you ask?"

With a roll of her eyes, Agrafina sighed heavily while tucking a strand of wavy golden hair behind a pointed ear. It was then that she pinned him with a knowing look. One that had Jaromir averting his dark gaze ever so slightly to the side.

"You're avoiding my question."

"Am I now? What did you ask again?"

A soft giggle slipped from Agrafina's lips, trying to hide it behind the cover of her hand.

"Did you need something? I would have assumed you'd be celebrating with everyone else. Not standing here bugging me."

While waiting for Jaromir to answer, Agrafina couldn't help but think about why she wasn't in much of a celebratory mood. She was not looking forward to the events to take place during the turning into the new year.

"Well. . . um, you know, this is a celebration and. . ."

Jaromir's voice quickly pulled Agrafina from her thoughts and forced her to focus on the broken mutterings. Curiosity once more rose into her bright blue eyes, her head tilting to the side ever so slightly to prove just how curious she was.

". . . you know. . . you celebrate at celebrations and I was just thinking-"

"Are you trying to ask me to dance?"

Agrafina's question had silenced Jaromir's sputtering explanations. A smile threatened to break across her face while the horned demon stared at her in absolute silence. She had begun to wonder if she broke the poor man, or if he was just processing what she had asked him.

"Jaro-"

"Yes, I am. I am asking, I mean. . ."

Taking a breath to calm himself down, Jaromir smiled softly and extended his hand like the gentleman he was.

"Agrafina Greenwood, will you honor me with this dance?"

It was now her turn to be stunned. A soft blush dusting her pale cheeks pink and her mouth hanging open while her brain searched the right words to speak.

Thankfully, she wasn't stunned for but a second.

Agrafina slowly reached out her own hand and placed it delicately within Jaromir's. It seemed to be dwarfed within his large palm, but at the same time, it was as if it fit perfectly within his.

"I'd be delighted to."

She had barely managed to finish her answer before Jaromir pulled her into his arms and spun them away from the table. As dizzying as it was, Agrafina found the surprise twirl quite inviting as they worked their way into the crowd of other dancers around the bonfire.

A surprised yelp escaped from Agrafina's lips, quickly being replaced by the laughter that was bubbling out of the small elf woman. She held tightly onto the muscular demon's robes so she wouldn't trip or fall over their feet, not that Jaromir would have let her fall anyways. The pair weaved through the people, making up their own dance moves to the upbeat folk music playing in the background. It was as if the world around them faded, vanishing before them and leaving them to celebrate the oncoming New Year on their own.

Laughter broke out between the two of them, time seeming to slow down for the happy couple. However, it was just the opposite of that. The more fun they had, the faster time seemed to have gone by.

GONG!!

The sound of the large bells ringing over the music forced Agrafina back into reality, reminding her of the current time.

GONG!! GONG!!

Her head tilted back, eyes shooting up towards the sky above them. When she caught sight of the moon, it's light being revealed from under its dark cover, her heart nearly dropped into the pit of her stomach. Just as quickly, her panicked eyes dropped to stare at the horned demon who was now staring down her with a sad smile. A smile she wished she would have never had to see.

"No, not now. I'm not ready."

Agrafina's panicked words were nothing more than a whisper on the wind. However, her words had not gone unnoticed by Jaromir.

"We knew this moment was coming."

"No, it's not fair. This is as much your world as it is ours."

Agrafina shook her head quickly, not wanting to allow Jaromir's words to linger. She wanted to turn back time and go back to twirling around the bonfire with the crimson demon in front of her. She didn't want to worry about him disappearing from her world forever.

"You can stay here, there is always a place for someone in Wysteria. We ca-"

"Shh. . ."

Jaromir quickly silenced Agrafina with a finger gently pressed to her lips. He kept the sad smile upon his face when he saw the tears forming in the blue eyes that had captured him time and time again. Tears he wished he could wipe away forever and never have to see again.

"Let's not make this any harder than it already is. Let me go home knowing you're starting the new year with a smile."

"But. . ."

The protest about to leave Agrafina's lips was silenced when Jaromir's lips covered hers. He had to lean down quite a bit, but the kiss remained gentle and loving.

Agrafina's heart jumped in her chest while tears slid down her cheeks. Before she could even react to the kiss, Jaromir was standing back up once more and walking away towards the portal. Her eyes followed him, her feet unable to move, feeling like they were cemented to the ground. Her chest tightened more when the crimson man stopped and turned to face her once more, a bright smile upon his face. That very smile only becoming more amplified by the snow suddenly falling around them for the first time that winter.

That night she would never forget any second of. She would never forget their joking and teasing at the table. She wouldn't forget the way Jaromir sputtered his words when asking her to dance or the very dance they shared under the shadow of the moon. Even his chaste kiss would be remembered. However, there was one thing that would never be forgotten no matter how old she got and how bad her memory would end up.

His silent words that only she would be able to understand despite the distance between them. The final words that Jaromir had left her with as he walked through the portal and out of her life the night their shadowed moon uncovered and lit up the world once more.

"Forget me not."