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“Have you ever learned to dance?”
Alistair glanced up at his wife - his wife, how in the world had he gotten so lucky? - with wide eyes and a quirked brow. “Whyyy do you ask?”
Regan shrugged nonchalantly as she leaned against the desk he was seated at. “You avoided it at the coronation. And again at the wedding.”
He let out a sheepish laugh. “Did…ah, did that offend you?”
“Not really. I’m genuinely just curious.”
Alistair sighed a little in relief. “Then the honest answer is that I never learned. There was never a reason I needed it. No one wanted to see the bastard prince at Redcliffe balls, and it’s not like Templars are known for their dancing skills.”
“Would you like me to teach you?” Regan asked softly.
Alistair did not answer right away. Regan did not have a very expressive face, so it was rare that he got to see genuine emotion upon her features. In that moment, there was an almost childlike excitement laid bare. He could not refuse such a face.
“We can certainly try. I apologize in advance for my two left feet.”
A wide grin split her face and she took him by the hand. “We’ll start slow, then. No need to scare you off with complicated court dances.”
“Wait, we’re doing this now?”
“I can’t think of a better time,” Regan laughed and pulled Alistair out of his chair, drawing her close to her. “Now, the easiest way to do this if you put this hand here, at the small of my back…And then I put this one up on your shoulder…And finally, we’ll clasp our free hands together.” She glanced up at him. “With me so far?”
He smiled faintly. “So far, so good.”
“Now, typically, you would have to lead, but I’ll go ahead and do that for now. We’ll need to get you used to the steps before we move on.” Regan met his gaze for a few moments before she led him into a very simple waltz, speaking the steps aloud as they went.
After a few moments, when she asked if he had gotten the hang of it and he replied that he thought so, the two fell into comfortable silence and continued to step lightly together.
“This is…nice,” Alistair murmured after a while.
“Mhmm,” she replied, and lay her head against his chest. “It’s moments like these that I can forget about everything for a little while.” After a few more moments, Regan stopped and looked up at her husband, smiling a little. “Thank you for indulging me.”
“Well, maybe the next time there’s a dinner we have to host or attend, we can at least surprise the bannorn with my newfound footwork.”
She snorted and pressed a light kiss to his lips. “Certainly.”