Chapter 497 - 498: Two Left Feet.

Chapter 497: Chapter 498: Two Left Feet.

Drogger, despite Rogard’s best efforts, does not join in the drinking games. He does, however, eventually buy a round of drinks for the soldiers to raucous applause, and then gets promptly booed not a moment later when he reminds them not to drink too much because they all have training tomorrow. He takes their boos in stride though, raising his mug to the tavern and signalling for the bards to play on.

" Master ~" Rogard trills, slinging himself down into the seat beside Drogger to lean his weight into him; cheeks red from how big he’s been smiling all evening. "Did you see?? Did you see me and – hic –Xena beat – hic –Montrel and Khobi??"

"I saw," Drogger replies evenly, laying a hand on his head and lightly brushing a thumb through his blonde locks, "...I also saw you trip over your own feet on your way over here –"

Rogard pouts, leans into his touch as the bards strike up; a light, airy beat that has the young women whooping and reaching out for someone to take them out to dance, while those not lucky enough to be chosen banging their hands and mugs on the table to the beat, "You weren’t supposed to see that."

"Well, I did," Drogger chuckles, letting out an affectionately long-suffering sigh as Rogard nuzzles into his shoulder as they watch the crowd take to the floor for a dance. Given the amount of ale that’s been ingested and spilled this evening it’s not a particularly graceful one, but a lack of coordination has never turned away the merry from celebrating, so on they dance. Rogard doesn’t even mind that he’s not even out there among them because he’s got Drogger here at his side instead, hand idly rested on his knee like he hasn’t even realised it’s there. Smiling, too. Drogger’s been doing a surprising amount of that these days.

The first song seems mostly for the ladies present; where they can pick up their skirts and whirl around their partners, and the second with a heavy drum beat for the men to stamp on the tables and clap to the beat. But it’s the third that makes Rogard’s ears really prick up; not because of the song, exactly, but because he can hear Montrel’s obnoxious guffawing rising up over the music. And when Rogard looks up, he knows for certain that he’s in for an absolute treat because not only has a very bold young woman with a death wish whisked Binny away from Vogrid for a dance, but one of her friends has sidled up to Khobi and seems to be doing her best to coax him out onto the dancefloor.

Loac’s just standing by; arms crossed and grin nothing but teeth, like he wants to see how this will play out.

It makes Rogard think of the last time they all danced like this. It was up at the castle, in a ballroom all up in lights. They’d all been dressed up in finery, but in a way it was a night not so different from this one; warm, with a clear sky. He had had a sore ankle, but he’d danced anyways; spent it, wasted it, schmoozing with all the people his father wanted him to schmooze with, and then saved his evening by kissed the man sitting beside him for the first time.

"...Do you remember, master?" Rogard asks suddenly, annoyed that when he goes to lace their fingers Drogger’s hand is already occupied by his drink. Drogger obligingly switches his mug to his other hand without needing to be told, "That night, at the ball. I asked if you would dance with me. Do you remember what you said?"

Drogger takes a measured sip. "I remember."

"...You said you wouldn’t." He’d asked as a joke; testing waters that he knew he shouldn’t test, and then been disappointed with the answer. At the time maybe it had served him right.

"Idiot, you’re remembering wrong," Drogger snorts, shaking his head with incredulity and then giving him a reproachful look, " Someone was dancing on an injured ankle, if I recall."

Okay, so maybe Drogger hadn’t outright rejected the idea, but it had felt like that. Just like he hadn’t outright rejected Rogard but it had felt like it, all the same.

Tonight though, Drogger’s intentions are crystal clear as rises out of his chair and offers him a hand, eyes soft.

"Dance with me, Rogard?"

Rogard thinks it’s very unfair how Drogger Noog always manages to look so cool.

It evens the odds a little when it becomes apparent that he has absolutely no idea what he is doing. That doesn’t stop the soldiers from hooting and clapping as their fearsome Second Captain joins them on the dancefloor with Rogard on his arm.

"Good luck, Rogard," Ynoro teases, spinning a pretty girl in hand, "Noog’s got two left feet! ...Maybe even three."

"Thanks for the warning, Ynoro~" Rogard laughs, giddy with delight, "I’ll watch my toes – ow master was that on purpose!?"

"It really wasn’t," Drogger replies weakly, and promptly steps on his other foot. It’s fine though; he’s danced with plenty of hopeless dancers before and he’s always made them look pretty, and even though Drogger has just stepped on both of his feet at the same time somehow, Rogard’s not afraid of a challenge.

"Looks like we’ll have to practice before our wedding day then~" he teases cheekily, satisfied with the way Drogger’s ears start to redden.

...

For all his technique with a sword, Drogger has always been rather hopeless at dancing. Bongo already knew that –the man takes any opportunity to not dance, so that he is out there at all without a knife to his back is testament to how much he cares for Rogard Spidra. The man’s picked his song well; his men are drunk enough now that hopefully they won’t remember this come morning, and while he does his best, bless him, it very quickly becomes obvious that for all his grace with a sword, all his enemies need do to have him floundering is put on some music.