"Nanny, this is ridiculous," Allura said with a groan.
Allura stood in the middle of the ballroom floor staring at the immovable Nanny sitting at the grand piano at the far end of the room. She tried to reason out with her, hands moving emphatically. "I don't need to practice dancing! I happen to know how to dance... I've been dancing since I was a little girl, and you know I can be using this time to practice flying the Blue Lion instead," she argued, frowning.
Nanny scowled back at her, her fingers poised above the piano keys. "You were a princess first before you were a pilot, and a princess must know how to dance the waltz perfectly, not just whirl around and sway to music, which is the dancing that you are used to doing." At Allura’s indignant gasp, Nanny scowled even more fiercely. "It's true, you know - and when time comes for us to hold a ball or a dance for a visiting dignitary or prince, you will be a shame - a princess who doesn't know how to dance, only step on her poor partner's toes!" And Nanny smacked a fist unto her palm for emphasis.
Allura flushed angrily at that because Nanny had a point; she didn't really know how to dance the waltz and had put off learning how to as long as she could. When she was younger, she had preferred learning new languages, diplomatic theories, and about things she knew she would need to do for her people, but she had always hated lessons on dancing, curtsying, and behaving like a lady. As far as she was concerned, there were some things one had to learn to be a good princess, but "being a lady" wasn't learned, it was just something you were. Of course, though, Nanny had always thought otherwise and was constantly forcing her into situations like these.
"But, Nanny, I feel foolish holding up my arms around the ballroom all alone, pretending I'm holding on to a partner. The waltz is always danced with a partner, remember?" Allura wailed, resisting the urge to stamp her foot, then suddenly feeling ashamed for entertaining the thought of doing so. Nanny always had a way of making her feel - and act - like a little girl again.
Thinking she had hit on the perfect excuse, Allura continued. "And because it's not good trying to practice the waltz without a partner, I simply refuse to waste my time and continue doing this! I'm leaving." At that Allura lifted the skirts of her gown, gracefully whirled around, and headed for the ballroom doors. Unfortunately, she had to pass by the grand piano to get there, and Nanny, moving surprisingly quickly, had already stood from the piano and was waiting for her at the door.
"Now wait just one second, young lady," Nanny snapped sternly, glowering up at her, every inch the governess and making Allura feel like she was all of six years old again. "You have neglected your training as a princess long enough. You are going to practice waltzing, and if it's lack of a partner that's stopping you, I'm going to find you one." She shook her finger up at Allura’s pouting face. "You think that you've found an excuse to get yourself out of this one, but I'll make you a lady and a true princess even if it kills me, just you wait."
"But, Nanny..."
Nanny held up one hand to Allura, one hand resting on her ample hip. "No buts. You stay in here and wait for me. I'll be back with a partner for you, and you will spend the rest of the afternoon learning how to waltz, is that understood?"
With that Nanny marched past the irate princess
and quickly made her way out the ballroom doors.
Keith was taking his afternoon break and was lying on a couch in the rec room alone, reading a book on the history of Arus. The rest of the team was in town teaching the town's children to play soccer, as they did every week, but he had stayed behind because it was his turn to man the fort. He was just about to take a huge bite out of an apple he held in his other hand when Nanny burst into the room in a flurry of skirts and arms.
"Where is that Coran when you need him?" muttered Nanny to herself, marching straight up to Keith. "Do you happen to know where he is, Captain?"
Keith was on his feet in a flash, book and apple put aside and forgotten. Nanny, he knew, was very particular about that sort of thing, and he tried to stay on her good side so that she would be less particular about allowing Allura to undergo much-needed training under his supervision. It was no secret to any of them that Nanny heartily disapproved of Allura’s becoming a member of the team, not only because it was dangerous and beneath the princess' station, but also because she thought that he and the rest of the boys were a bad influence on her.
"Good afternoon, Nanny," he said with a small grin, nodding his head towards her and rubbing the back of his neck with his hand awkwardly. Keith always felt like a child when he was talking to Nanny. She was just so... Nanny-like. "Coran's somewhere in the lower laboratories supervising maintenance work being done on the Princess’ Blue Lion, and the rest of the team is in town for their weekly soccer session with the kids."
Nanny scowled. "Drat that man, never around when you need him," Nanny mumbled, lifting her skirts and heading for the door. Keith was just about to heave a sigh of relief and sit back down on the couch when she suddenly turned around and gave him a look-over. Keith fought the urge to run his hands through his hair in an effort to put some order into it - and were his cuffs unbuttoned? He couldn't remember, and he felt like squirming under Nanny's scrutiny.
"Um, is there anything I can do for you?" he ventured uncertainly as she finished her inspection, noting the thoughtful look in her eyes and hoping that he passed muster.
"Hmmmm... well, I suppose you'll have to do," she suddenly said in resignation, nodding her head curtly. "I don't suppose, Captain, that you know how to dance the waltz?"
Keith frowned in bewilderment. "Well... a little bit, but -"
Nanny quirked an eyebrow at him. "Let's go then.
Follow me." Without another word, she marched out of the rec room, a puzzled
Keith looking longingly back at his book and his apple, then scratching
his head and following in her trail.
Allura was sitting at the grand piano, passionately playing a sonata and working off her indignation at being treated like a child through the furious motion of banging her fingers on the keys.
"It's not like we'll be throwing a party any time soon," she fumed, running her fingers on the keys and building up to an explosive crescendo. "I need to be practicing how to fly, not dance. Ooooh, this is just so unfair! Why do I let her do this to me?" The powerful music filled the ballroom and hid the sound of the doors swishing open and admitting a purposeful Nanny and a thoroughly bemused Keith into the room.
"She can't treat me this way," she continued angrily to herself, muttering furiously under her breath. "I'm princess of this planet, and I'll do as I see fit when I -"
A sound of a throat clearing caused her to stop playing in mid-measure, and the sudden silence in the ballroom became deafening as she slowly looked up at Nanny's smug face, one eyebrow raised at her speaking volumes more than anything she could have said.
Suddenly, Allura felt like she had been caught in a temper tantrum, and she grit her teeth against the impulse to bow her head meekly and apologize. The last time she had thrown a temper tantrum was when she was ten, and she was the wronged one here, dammit! She opened her mouth to give Nanny a piece of her mind.
Nanny cut her off before she could even begin. "Princess, I told you I’d find you a partner, and I have - now do you have any other excuses to give me before you finally begin practice?" Nanny asked, practically challenging her to come up with a plausible excuse.
Allura shut her mouth and stood up from the stool with a resigned sigh, striding around her rotund little governess. She threw up her hands in frustration. "All right, Nanny, I give up. Although I don't see a partner for me anywhere -"
Allura trailed off as she caught sight of a familiar dark-haired figure in a red uniform standing in the middle of the dance floor wearing an endearingly lost expression on his face and staring at her with a what-in-the-world-is-going-on expression in his dark eyes. Allura just had to smile at the sight he made, her irritation banished by the sight of him, and all of a sudden she had an idea of how he must have looked as a little boy.
She slowly walked towards him, a sympathetic grin lighting up her face. He bowed to her solemnly, and Allura fought the urge to chuckle in amusement. Keith was the only one of the boys who observed stiff formality with her when Nanny was around - the others didn't really bother. For some reason that pleased her more than she cared to analyze. She saw that despite the reassuring smile that she gave him the uncertain look was still in his eyes, and she decided she enjoyed seeing him this way sometimes. The Keith she knew was always so serious... and distant... and strong... and so very unreachable.
"Captain," she greeted him, stopping before him with a grin before curtsying deeply to him in the way Nanny had taught her was proper right before a dance. "I see that my darling Nanny has managed to rope you into yet another scheme of hers."
She rose from her curtsy to find him gazing at her curiously. "To be perfectly honest, Princess, I have no idea what exactly it is that she's roped me into," Keith replied, the puzzled expression still on his face. "She just told me to follow her and -"
"Allura, move into position," Nanny barked from the piano. Keith and Allura both started and turned towards the piano, watching Nanny arrange her skirts as she found a comfortable position on the piano stool. Her hands were poised over the keys, and she was looking at the couple on the dance floor impatiently. "Well, Captain? What are you waiting for?" she asked him with a frown. "You did say that you knew how to dance."
Allura turned back to Keith, looking up at him with a surprised smile on her face. "They taught you how to dance the waltz at the Academy?" she asked.
Keith shook his head stiffly, finally understanding the reason he had been dragged all the way into the ballroom. "No, my mother taught me when I was a boy," he replied, refusing to meet her eyes as he opened his arms to her awkwardly. "It was sort of a game of ours."
Just as awkwardly, the Princess moved into his arms, stopping at a little less than an arm's length away and placing her left hand on her shoulder. He took her extended right hand in his own much larger one, closed his around it, and hesitantly placed his other hand at her narrow waist.
From the piano the first slow strains of a waltz began.
The two of them stood there for several moments, faces flushed in embarrassment, hardly being able to meet each other's gazes and not quite sure of what to do next. The music washed over them in waves, the sweet strains of the waltz filling the ballroom. Finally, Keith led her into the dance, gently but stiffly guiding her into finding the rhythm of the music.
At the first step, Allura began to count under her breath, her turn to feel uncertain and just a bit apprehensive about the possibility of her humiliating herself in front of Keith, who evidently knew what he was doing. He continued to lead her, his guiding hand tightening at her waist and subtly moving her in time, but he was making an obvious effort not to touch her more than necessary and was standing as far away from her as possible.
For some reason, this irritated Allura, who looked up at his expressionless face and felt some of the anger she felt towards Nanny spill over onto him. She suddenly forgot all about counting and raised her chin up at him haughtily. "If you find dancing with me so distasteful, you could have just told Nanny you didn't want to," she said stiffly, a regal glare fixed in place on her face. "I would have been perfectly happy to spend the afternoon in practice flying the Blue Lion instead of learning how to waltz."
Instead of answering her, she heard him wince, and she belatedly realized that she had stepped one of his feet when they suddenly lost their rhythm - a fact that keen-sighted Nanny, meters away, did not fail to note.
"You aren't dancing with the beat," she barked from her position on the stool without stopping her playing for a moment. "And, Captain, you're standing too far away from the Princess... how do you expect to lead her into a turn if you hold her away like that? Allura, take a half-step closer, you're still too far."
Allura lost all pretense of haughtiness and ducked her head in embarrassment after stepping on Keith's toes. "I'm sorry for stepping on your toes," she muttered to him, staring intensely at her feet and making sure his were out of the way before she took a step. "Nanny was obviously right about my needing to practice this, but you didn't have to be my par-"
Keith hushed her by stepping closer and leading her into a turn so sudden that she almost lost her balance. Luckily, the guiding hand on her waist kept her from falling out of the beat or on her face on the ballroom floor. He was holding her a little bit closer now, their bodies much less than an arm's length away, and the stiffness in the way he held her was somewhat less than it had been in the beginning. Allura couldn't see the expression on his face because she was studiously keeping her gaze on their feet, but an odd shaking of his shoulders made her look up at him.
He was looking down at her and silently laughing.
"I'm glad you find it amusing that a princess wouldn't know how to dance the waltz," she said coolly, trying to inject dignity into her voice to disguise the fact that her feelings were hurt by his laughter. Why should I care what he thinks anyway? she fumed furiously. They weren't in battle, where what he thought of her skills mattered - at this moment, she was the princess and he was just...
He guided her around the room, working with the vast expanse of the ballroom, never losing step or beat for a moment. She had to admit, it was a pleasant surprise that he did this so very well... that the lights of the overhead chandelier showed off the dark chocolate highlights of his hair... that he had the sleek grace of a jungle cat... and that it felt good to have him holding her... suddenly shaking her head at the turn of her thoughts, she gave herself a mental reprimand, frowning angrily to herself as she did so.
Keith must have noted her fierce expression. "I wasn't laughing at you," he clarified softly, leading her into another turn before he continued. "I was just thinking about how Nanny reminds me of one of my instructors at the Academy."
She relaxed a little at that, forced her scowl away, and resumed counting under her breath now that she couldn't look at her feet because she was looking up at him. "What subject did she teach?" she asked.
"He taught us hand-to-hand military combat," he answered, a chuckle in his voice at Allura’s wide-eyed shock. "Your governess is absolutely terrifying, Princess. And she doesn't miss a single thing." Keith shook his head. "I think she could make it to general if she went into the service."
Allura giggled at his awed tone. It was refreshing to find that under his aloofness, he had a sense of humor as good as Lance’s. "She is horrifying, isn't she?" she replied, fondness for her governess seeping into her voice. "Nanny always has the ability to make me feel like a foolish little girl again."
Keith incredulously raised one of his dark brows at her. "How about that? She has the same effect on me, too," he said on an exaggerated gasp, causing her to laugh even more and chuckling with her as she did.
He suddenly sobered and slowed the pace of their steps, still making sure that they were in time to the music. He gazed down at her intently, obviously wanting to say something but reluctant to do so. After a thoughtful pause, he began. "Princess, I didn't mean to give you the idea that I didn't want to dance with you -"
"Captain, lead her into a dip, if you please," Nanny interrupted over the sound of the piano, her commanding voice carrying all the way to the couple now dancing in the far corner of the ballroom. "Allura, prepare to turn when he lets you go - now!"
Keith spun Allura outwards, and she made another turn and a deep curtsy away from him in time to the music, then stepped back into the circle of his arms. She was flushed with laughter and awe at her accomplishment - she didn't even lose the beat, and she had only learned the step today. "I can't believe I did that!" she exclaimed in delight, then winced in dismay when she felt one of her feet land on Keith's for the second time. "Oh my, I'm so sorry!"
Keith shook his head dismissively, grinning. "Don't worry, it was a different foot," he consoled her, making her groan in embarrassment. "At least they'll still be evenly sized tomorrow."
"That was wonderful, Allura!" Nanny enthusiastically shouted from the piano, continuing to play and the music gradually leading into the final measures of the dance. "I think it was great, that idea of yours for me to find a partner for you."
"I hope you don't regret agreeing to this," she told Keith under her breath, then wished she could swallow her words. She peeked at him from under the curtain of her lashes, breathlessly awaiting his answer. She didn't want to hear him admit that he was practically forced by Nanny into doing this, she just wanted to believe he wanted to -
Keith led her into another turn and caught her deftly in his arms. He was holding her even closer now, their bodies almost touching but not quite. "I didn't mean to give you the idea that I didn't want to dance with you," he said again, looking down at her, his expression solemn. "But I - well, I haven't actually danced the waltz for quite some time, and - it's the first time I've ever danced with a princess..."
"A princess who doesn't know how to dance..." she put in with a grimace.
"And I didn't know how to act properly with -" Keith broke off and looked down at her in surprise. "Don't know how... but you dance really well," he said with a grin. "Are you sure you haven't been doing this for years?" She shook her head, keeping her gratified smile hidden. "Anyway, I'm sorry for - you know."
"I'm sorry, too, for being so sensitive," she said softly, feeling a warm flush spread over her cheeks. She didn't look at him, not wanting to show how good what he had just said made her feel. She often thought he didn't like her very much, because of all the members of the Force he always seemed to be the only one who kept her at a distance, but she was beginning to realize that it could just be because he wasn't very sure about how to treat her.
And she wished that it didn't have to be that way.
She cleared her throat and looked earnestly up at him. "Keith, I wish you would stop constantly thinking of me as ‘the princess,’" she blurted out impulsively, earning another start of surprise from him. "I'm just another member of the team. Just another ordinary girl. You don't have to treat me differently from everyone else."
Her last words fell into the sudden silence as too soon the waltz finally ended, and they halted, dropping their arms and slowly moving away from one another. Allura curtsied to him, watching his expression closely, but his face was hidden when he bowed deeply. As he rose, he met her eyes and smiled. "Thank you," he said simply.
She grinned jauntily at him and winked. "I should be the one thanking you. I think we did so well that Nanny won't subject me to another waltz practice for weeks!" Still, this one had not been half bad, she mused to herself, glancing up at him from under her lashes. Maybe if he would agree to -
Before Allura could complete the thought, Nanny had come rushing to them in a flurry of skirts, her face wreathed in delight, clapping her hands happily. "That was absolutely wonderful, Allura, I didn't realize how much you knew already!" she exclaimed, hugging the princess exuberantly. Allura rolled her eyes at Keith over Nanny's head, and Keith winked at her in conspiracy, stifling a chuckle.
"And she didn't even step on my toes once," Keith quipped casually, causing Allura to stifle a giggle of her own. She felt so absurdly happy to be sharing this moment with him that she was almost afraid to find the reason why.
Nanny turned to him and gave him another one of her head-to-toe inspections. "And you were not so bad yourself, Captain Keith," she admitted grudgingly, releasing Allura and giving him a muted version of the smile she gave Allura. "Since the two of you did so well, I'll bake you both a special strawberry shortcake for dessert tonight!" With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the ballroom, a bright smile on her face, leaving Keith and Allura alone.
" 'She didn't even step on my toes once?' " she asked, raising her eyebrows at him.
He gave her a crooked grin as he put one hand to the back of his neck sheepishly. "You can't say I wasn't telling the truth," he defended himself earnestly. He paused, pinning her skeptical blue gaze. "After all, you did step on my toes twice."
After a moment of tense silence as they stared into each other's eyes, the two of them burst into loud laughter, and the sound so was much sweeter to Allura’s ears than the waltz Nanny had spent the past half-hour playing for them.
That night, as Keith lay on his bed in the darkness of his room, staring up at the ceiling and waiting for sleep to claim him, he remembered the Princess’ words to him that afternoon as they were dancing.
Keith, I'm just another member of the team. Just another ordinary girl.
He sighed softly, also recalling how good it felt to hold her as they danced, how hard it was to keep his distance, not at all proof even to the simple sweetness of her smile.
"That's just the problem, Princess," he muttered softly to himself, passing a hand over his eyes. "You aren't 'just another ordinary girl.'" He closed his eyes and saw a vision of smiling eyes as blue as the summer sky and silken hair the color of spun gold, and he shook his head to clear it.
"And the sooner I put that thought into my stubborn skull, the best it will be for all of us."
He opened his eyes and continued to stare up at the ceiling for a long time. Then turning to his side, he fell into a fitful sleep, pushing away at the worry that, despite his best intentions, it might already be far too late for him to do anything about losing his heart.