Prompt- dream Characters: Imprius, father to my main gal Prudence, and Saraceli, her mom The midsummer ball, in Neverwinter. He remembered this night as clearly as if it was yesterday. The air in the ballroom was heavy and humid, thick with the scents of the summer flowers that bloomed in the gardens around them. Glasses clinked from corners of the room, and laughter peeled from the guests; tonight was a night for celebration, and the court was dressed as such. Courtiers dressed in pastels mingled and danced, candlelight bouncing off the facets of the many pale stones worn by the attendees. Imprius Aix Nyctea stood out among these guests. At nearly seven feet tall, he towered over many of them. His blue-black hair was cropped short ,and a delicate silver circlet adorned with sapphires and blue topaz sitting atop his head. He'd decided to stick with the silver theme with the rest of his jewelry as well, switching out his regular gold nose ring for a silver and sapphire one, and his earrings from plain gold rings to silver, drenched with blue gems. His suit was a delicate blue grey, covered with silver embroidery- a gift from his friend, Prince Rainen As the song ended, and the pairs of dancers bowed to each other, he spotted a flash of a rich green skirt, covered in copper embroidery, from the other side of the room - a girl with copper skin, her wild curls tamed with pins and plaited... The musicians started up a new song, and he slipped through the crowd, following the flashes of green. She had positioned herself neatly in a corner, mostly out of sight, when he finally got a clear sight of her. A gold spattering of freckles covered her copper cheeks and collar bone. Knowing her, she had a thin dagger tucked into the loose, belled sleeves of her dress. She looked calm and collected, this elf. Her ears dripped with delicate copper chains, set with tiny diamonds. Her deep green eyes, glowing in the candle light, were the thing that gave away her nerves. Her name was Saraceli Goldenrod, and he was deeply, madly in love with her. He patted his pocket to make sure it's contents hadn't fallen out, and inhaled deeply, trying to calm his nerves. He exhaled, and headed towards her. He slipped through the courtiers, entering into her line of sight. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, ears perking up as he approached. “Imp! I've been looking for you everywhere, you said we would dance -” she grabbed his hands and pulled him close, her head tilting back she she could look at his face. He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face, and he leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead. He could see the slight swell of her stomach under her dress, and he wondered, for a brief, anxious moment, if she would come to the conclusion that he was asking for her hand simply because of that. “You look absolutely gorgeous, my love.” He murmured, and hugged her carefully. She hid her face against him for a moment, then smiled brightly up at him. The music came to a stop, and he pulled her out into the center of the floor. As they reached their places, Imprius saw Rainen and Corrypta smiling at him from the sidelines, cheering him on. The music started. ( https://youtu.be/fqZ_pcRlAcc ) He bowed to her, and pulled her into the dance, stepping carefully to match her smaller stride. They danced in comfortable silence, until the music swelled. This was his chance. “Sara,” he said, his voice hitching in his throat. She looked up at him, attentive, one brow raised. “There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about. But, with everything that's been going on… with Rainer and Corry’s engagement and all of that, and us finding out about your pregnancy, I haven't had the chance, the time hasn't been right-” “Spit it out, Imp.” Sara said, with a quiet laugh. She could tell he was nervous, he knew. She could always tell what he was feeling, and so he'd had to hide from her for the two weeks, rushing to her house one night to insist she come to the ball with him, and to apologize for his absence. “Well- it's just -” he cleared his throat nervously, and pulled her tighter. “Gods, Sara, it's so hard to put into words. I love you, you know that. And I need you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He let go of her, sinking down onto a knee. The music stopped, right on cue, and the other dancers stopped to watch. Her eyes widened, hands covering her mouth, as he pulled a small black box from his pocket “Saraceli Goldenrod, I will go to the ends of the earth for you, do anything want, be anything you need, all I ask…” - he popped open the box, revealing the ring inside - “is that you be my wife.” Tears were running down her cheeks, and she nodded, unable to speak, then threw herself onto him- And he woke up, with a start. Next to him, a small body stirred. His daughter, Prudence, looked up at him sleepily. “Papa?” “It's alright, darling. Go back to sleep.”