Space Cadets

While there were more pressing matters on his mind, Colin felt terrible that Eliza was having a bad time. Big, fancy events weren't really Colin's thing either, but she looked beautiful despite what she might have thought. He stood off to the side with the other guards while they chatted up some girls who wanted to know more about the badges on their uniforms. Even in formalwear, they were in uniform. After a few days of wearing comfortable home clothes, Colin felt like the clean and pressed getup was suffocating him.

He didn't pay much attention to the girls and kept his eye on Eliza, who was slumped quietly in a corner. He noticed she was toying with something around her neck and cracked a smile at the realization that it was the Sigil he had given her. Sneaky.

"Colin, aren't you coming?"

He had completely zoned out of the conversation, seeing James and Kieran being tugged off by some eager looking girls.

"Coming where?" he asked.

"To dance," James said.

"We're not allowed to dance," Colin frowned. "We're on duty."

"Nah, the Queen gave us permission to relax tonight," Kieran grinned. "Her personal military is keeping an eye on the party."

"You all go ahead, I think I'll just keep a look out for now," Colin said.

James rolled his eyes, but they didn't press the matter. Instead, Colin slipped away to the other side of the ballroom where Eliza was leaning against a wall in the corner. She seemed anxious, hardly peeling her eyes away from the swirling skirts on the dance floor to look at him.

"Seems fun out there," Colin suggested.

"Not really," she mumbled. "It may as well be a choreographed show."

"You might still have a good time."

"If it's such a good time, then maybe you should go out there," she told him. "Gabrielle Fortuna has been eyeing you all night."

"I don't know who that is," Colin said. "Even if I did, why would I bother spending any time with Gabrielle Fortuna?"

"She's the one with the bouncy curls," Eliza pointed out. "She's a wonderful singer. And she always has the best table manners."

"Do I really strike you as a man that cares about something like table manners?"

"Guess not," she said, looking down at her feet to hide a small smile that broke through. "I just thought you might like her."

"I have a better idea," Colin said.

They quietly passed by the refreshments table, loading up a couple plates with appetizers when no one was looking. Colin led her out a back door and down some stairs. When they made it outside, they were in the gardens. He knew there was a secluded area in the back and they settled on some benches under an elegant pergola. Wisteria hung delicately from the beams and tiny firebugs flit lazily around, giving a little bit of dim light to the area. From where they sat, they could still hear the lively music from the ball.

"This is so nice," Eliza said. "How did you know it was here?"

"Part of my job is to have the layout of this palace completely memorized," he explained. "Including the areas that no one seems to know about."

Thankfully, she seemed pleased and a lot more relaxed now. They chatted over snacks for a while, leaving all decorum back at the ball. They slouched and laughed as loudly as they wanted, not caring if they were being "improper". It almost felt like it did when they were back on Corran.

Colin suddenly came to the realization that he thought back on those five days more than he realized. Not to worry about his family, but to think about how warm it felt when he and Eliza were together. Not as a guard and a noble, but just as two normal people having a nice time. He didn't realize he was staring at her until she pointed it out to him.

"Do I have whipped cream on my face or something?" she asked.

"No," Colin said. "I was just thinking, that's all."

"About your dad?" she asked.

Colin shook his head, quickly changing the subject. He didn't want to keep Eliza worried, too.

"No, I'm sure they're doing fine," Colin said. "They always make it somehow. Actually, I was thinking that it was a shame you're not dancing. You look really nice tonight. I'm sure you would've been a treat for all those guests to look at."

Eliza nearly choked on the cream puff she was eating. Colin frowned and offered her some water, but she waved it away.

"Sorry," she said. "I just- Never mind."

"I guess it was out of line for me to say that," Colin admitted. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"Did you really mean it?" she asked. "Or are you humoring me?"

"Humoring you?" he chuckled. "No, I mean it. You don't need me to tell you that you're a smoke show. You just need a mirror. Those Zenian boys up there would be lucky to be seen on the floor with you."

Eliza was about as red as her hair, but she quickly looked away.

"No," she said. "I don't think they'd want to dance with me."

"Can't imagine anyone wants to dance those boring waltzes," Colin shrugged. "It's a lot more fast paced on Corran, but the highborns consider it to be a little too rowdy and vulgar."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's not as choreographed, like you said," he explained. "There's a lot more contact, a lot of spinning. It's hard to explain."

He brushed off his hands and stood up, offering a hand to her. Eliza seemed a little confused at first, but she took his hand and gasped softly when he pulled her in close and placed a hand on her back.

"I don't know-"

"It just takes a good partner" Colin told her. "Lucky for you, I'm a great partner. Just follow my lead. Front, back, front, back."

She still seemed unsure, but soon their slow steps sped up to the upbeat music in the distance. As Eliza got the hang of it, Colin started to spin her, turn her in and out, and twirl her all over the gazebo. Soon, she was laughing. By the end of the song, she was so dizzy that she had to hold on to him while she caught her breath.

"You're right, that is more fun," she said.

"And I am?" Colin questioned.

"A great partner," she said, words dripping with sarcasm but grinning from ear to ear.

They quietly gazed at each other for a moment, but Eliza seemed to realize how close they were and how Colin was still holding her. She stepped back, red in the face again.

"We should go back before they notice we're gone," she said.

Colin just nodded, helping her clean up the plates before they headed back to the ball. The rest of the night was fairly uneventful, but at least Colin could see that Eliza was in a better mood.

She was still in high spirits the next morning, so much that she didn't even seem bothered by the mindless chatter at the table. She just nibbled at her eggs and nodded occasionally to pretend like she was listening. Colin stayed in the back with the other guards, until he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. The General's secretary waved him off to the side.

"General Hannon needs to speak to you, urgently," she said.

Colin frowned, but followed her out. Shit, this had to be about sneaking off with Eliza. He shouldn't have taken her away from the party. If they saw the two of them dancing like that, it was easy to get the wrong idea.

Colin walked into the office ready to explain himself, but he found a more solemn atmosphere in the room. General Hannon was a stern, older man. Colin had only been reporting to him while he was in Zenia, and he often found it difficult to report to a leader that stayed in a polished palace and had a rank bought for him by title rather than experience, but he knew to bite his tongue.

"Sir, you wanted to see me?" Colin asked.

"Yes," Hannon said, awkwardly clearing his throat. "We received a message from your family, in Carron."

Colin felt his blood go cold.

"It would seem," Hannon continued, "That your father passed away last night."

"That's not- how?" Colin asked, voice cracking.

"The cause of death was reported to be a sudden heart attack," Hannon explained. "Sometimes it happens to victims of the factory radiation poisoning. The effects on the heart can be sneaky, but fatal. Your family has requested that you come for the funeral, but..."

"But what?" Colin said, dreading the answer he knew was coming.

"I'm afraid we can't allow it," Hannon said with a sigh. "The Queen has requested not to have any substitute guards, as she trusts the ones she has in place. However, you have all of our sincerest condolences."

"Can I call my family?"

"It's not on the approved call list."

Colin was speechless. His father was dead, his family was struggling, and he couldn't do anything about it because protocol didn't allow it. Would his mother be next if she overworked herself? Was Becca destined to leave school? And George... poor George was going to have his innocence snatched out from right under his feet. Colin was truly unsure of what to say.

"Thank you," Colin said dully. "May I be excused?"

General Hannon gave him a brief nod, and Colin left the office. He forced a neutral look on his face as he returned to the dining room, though he felt like his heart was about to burst. As the diners dispersed and Eliza returned, she could see that something was wrong. When she asked, Colin just shook his head.

"Now isn't the time," he said. "The Queen has a walk through the garden after breakfast. I'll tell you after that. Just... please get through the walk without incident."

Normally Eliza would have been snarky or rolled her eyes, but it seemed like she understood that Colin wasn't asking her to do this for her family. He was asking this for his own sake, because he couldn't fit any more on his plate at the moment. As she followed her family out, she kept glancing over her shoulder at him with concern. He just forced a smile on his face to reassure her that it was okay. At least, for the time being.