Torn Shadows Part 1

The following was inspired by the writings of Scoops on Desktop Muse.

Dresses all the colors of the rainbow swirl and darted among the black suits creating and whirlwind of color and darkness. The high ceiling ed chamber was filled with the chatter and meaningless small talk of those that had never known life outside of the protection of money. They had no true desire to speak with one another, they merely did so out of courtesy for the rules of such gatherings. For despite the seeming chaos, their was a strict structure to this "party" as some would call it.
Lydia thought of it as a prison. Sure she enjoyed seeing all the lovely women in their lavish gowns move between the smitten men in uniform with confident poise, but she rarely contributed to the festivities herself. Of course, this occasion was special. Tonight was the night that her father, a general in the army, would be receiving The Gold Cross for Valor. Few men ever received this award while still living, and it was the source of her father's endless joy the past few days. So she smiled and waved at passer-byers for her father's sake. She was happy for him.
At the other end of the ballroom, two young men entered. One was looking rather excited, while his partner was composed and not overly excited about the evening to come. The more excited of the pair turned to his friend,
"So I'll see you when the speech starts!"
"Yes, by the pillar. Stop being so giddy. You look like a fool." replied his friend with some humor in his voice.
With that the pair went their separate ways. The calmer of the two moved toward the front where there were less people. He did not feel like talking. As he pushed through the crowd of people, he kept his hands glued to his pant legs. He took a seat along the side as the orchestra struck up a merry waltz and couples began filtering to the center of the dance floor. He glanced to his left and his eyes fell upon a lady, about his age sitting all alone, watching the couples dance with a gleam in her eyes much like that of a child watching butterflies flutter through a garden of wildflowers. Before he knew what was happening, he was standing in front of this girl. Why was he here? He had not commanded his legs to come over here. She was looking at him, waiting for him to say something. What should he say? He began to panic. He mustered all of his courage and spoke,
"Would you like to dance?"
Lydia's heart lept in her chest. Here was this young man, about her age, asking her to dance. She found him quite handsome and mysterious for she had never seen him before. " Yes, I would like that."
So she took the man's hand and they walked to the center of the dance floor. She took his shoulder and him, her waist and they began to dance. She was surprised for he danced very well, better than anyone she had ever met. Also, unlike many other men, he did not stare at his feet, but rather straight into her eyes. His gaze made her uncomfortable and at the same time feel perfectly safe, as if his gaze could hold back a thousand armies from laying a finger on her.
"You dance well." she commented trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
"Thank you, so do you."
Her curiosity got the best of her. "Judging by your uniform, I can see you are in the army?"
"Yes, I am here on behalf of Captain Dellam. I am his lieutenant."
A pause as the song changed to a slower, more flowing tune.
"So are you here with one of the soldiers?" The man asked.
She smiled at his straight forward manner, "No I am here with my father."
Yet another pause.
Lydia spoke,"Here we have been talking and dancing for all this time and I have yet to have your name."
He looked into her eyes again. This time with more intensity, as if he were searching the very depths of her being. "Aiden" he replied after a while.
The song was over. They bowed and he kissed her hand. This sent a thrill up her arm. Then he turned and walked away and disappeared into the crowd. She stood motionless for a moment and then turned to go back to her seat.
"Hello!" It was her father, standing on the stage with another man with a wooden box in his hand.
Aiden hurried to the pillar near the front corner, and there his friend stood his excitement had turned into fidgety anxiety.
"Ready?" asked Aiden with a look of concern.
"Yeah, I'm ready." replied his friend steadying himself. He began a brisk walk toward the other side of the stage. Once there the two men nodded at each other and then entered into the backstage area. Aiden reached into his pockets and pulled out...

To Be Continued