“Shall we end this?”

Morgan was still leaning against the pillar when Seth found her.

He leaned against the pillar on the other side and said, "Why aren't you dancing with everyone else?"

"Because someone has to keep an eye on things. Why aren't you dancing?"

"Because you aren't. Isn't that what guards are though? You have bodyguards and all your sisters have them too."

Morgan rolled her eyes to look up at him. "You can never be too cautious when your sister is constantly under threat of assassination."

Seth scoffed. "I suppose but that doesn't mean you should never relax. Would you like to start now?"

"Relaxing by dancing with the captain guard of an enemy kingdom? Sounds perfect." Morgan shook her head and settled her gaze back on the dance floor. "No thank you. I am happy right here."

Seth straightened up and held out a hand to her. "Come on. This whole event is supposed to be about forming a community and coming together as one kingdom. Who's going to believe the sentiment is genuine if the first princess of Focaveh won't join the festivities?"

Morgan sighed and took his hand. "Fine one dance."

*****

Astraea ate a pastry off of her approved plate of food. Morgan and the captain of Drystann's guard had been dancing for almost five songs in a row and showed no signs of slowing. The song was nearing its end which meant two more before the finale. Drystann was standing on the opposite side of the room watching her. She could feel his eyes burning a hole into her face. Part of her wanted to ask him to dance now and end the whole thing so she could back and sleep.

The other part of her saw Morgan and others dancing and having fun and knew she couldn't cut that short. The extreme security measures back home prevented them from ever really being carefree and happy. Anyone and everyone couldn't wait for the standoff to be over which was one common factor uniting the people tonight.

She stood and walked to the edge of the dancefloor after the two songs were over. Ranking dictated that she go to him because her ranking was higher but she wanted to see what would happen if she waited just long enough.

Turned out he was just as impatient to be done with it as she was because he barely waited a minute before coming over.

Drystann reached out a hand and bowed low over it. "May I have this dance?"

Astraea curtsied to him and accepted his hand.

They glided to the center of the floor, everyone stopping around them much like they had at the opening banquet. The music started and as the lilting melody reached their ears they began to dance. Unlike the first night, this dance was to be extravagant and breathtaking. The spins and lifts left little to think about the knives she was supposed to be loosening to stab into his back.

Her mind was entirely focused on not tripping, she didn't see the flash of his knife until it was slicing through a sleeve. Just like that, a bucket of ice water was thrown over Astraea's happy thoughts and she spun out of his reach, her skirts flaring around her.

Before they settled, she had her own knives out and ready. One had a hole straight through the center and she caught Drystann's knife in the hole before swiftly snapping her wrist down and making him drop it. His knife clattered to the ground and she brought the one in her left hand up to stab him while he focused on the knife in her right. Her uncut sleeve concealed part of the blade and must have made a pretty picture because someone gasped near the edge of the dancefloor. Momentarily distracted, she glanced toward the noise allowing him to catch her wrist.

He lightly pushed her waist with his other hand and spun her around to improvise on the dance. She launched an elbow backward toward him and he sidestepped to let her slide past him. He snagged her waist and back into the dance, knives still in her hands.

No one had joined them on the dancefloor so they had full range as Drystann led the dance. He dipped her twice before launching her into the final spins.

Astraea flicked a knife at him and it stabbed into his arm as he pulled her back against him for a deep dip. Her head brushed the floor as he bent her over his arm. She reached up to brush his face and then twisted the knife in his arm deeper. He hissed and straightened them both up before grabbing her wrists. He twisted the one still holding a knife until she dropped both.

Smirking, they both backed up before curtsying and bowing off the floor. Astraea flicked her hand towards him as she flipped her hair back, sending one of the tiny needles to embed itself in his back. She walked towards Morgan who waited near the side with a glass of water. Sensing movement behind her, she snatched a knife out of the air and used its motion to redirect it into the floor at her feet. If the poison on the knife she'd stabbed him with didn't get him, the poisoned needle no one would find in his back would.

Astraea accepted the glass from Morgan and took a sip before linking arms with her sister. Smiling and arm in arm, they walked back to their tent.