Chapter Text
"How long will I love you?
As long as stars are above you
And longer if I may"
"How Long Will I Love You"
Ellie Goulding
Vorkosigan Residence, Hassadar
Selig is 9, Aral is 5
“Aral, we shouldn’t be down here,” whispers his brother in his ear. “Father will have us switched if he sees us!”
Selig, Lord Vorkosigan, tries to drag young Lord Aral away from the doors to the residence ballroom. The Count and Countess Vorkosigan are having a much belated ball to celebrate the end of the war and the opening of the new District Capital Residence. Selig and Aral are meant to be in the nursery, with their baby sister. Aral's attendant - a former camp follower who Mother has pressed into temporary childminding services - had turned her attention to preparing him a bath, allowing Aral to slip out.
"I just want to see the dancing," he whispers back, peeking through a crack in the door.
A footstep behind them makes his brother gasp and Aral look up. Fortunately, it is his mother, Princess and Countess Olivia Vorbarra Vorkosigan, who smiles at them indulgently. Selig begins to babble apologies but their mother takes them each by a hand and leads them silently into the ballroom. She finds a quiet corner to sit them down in and the boys watch in silence as the men in their dress uniforms lead the Vor women in their peacock array of dresses onto the dance floor.
Count Piotr Vorkosigan's gaze falls on them with a deep frown and both boys quail, but their mother gives their father such a radiant smile that he, eventually, cannot help but return it. He sighs dramatically, shakes his head, but makes no attempt to cross the room to evict his sons. He returns to talking with a small group of older men, focusing on more important things.
Selig grows bored quickly, but Aral is fascinated by the graceful movements of the dancers and the glorious, to him at least, music. But it is very late for a young boy, even one with Aral's outstanding stamina, and he grows sleepy at last. Mother takes them up the stairs to the nursery. She kisses him on the forehead and hands him over to the apologetic young woman.
In the morning, she comes to the nursery while one of the Armsmen is setting up their breakfast table. She slides a music disk into the little comconsole in the school room and shows them a few steps of a simple dance. Aral is thrilled. Selig is pleased, too, but trying hard not to show it, because he is already always imitating Father - Father's control, Father's interests, Father's words. Aral is far more interested in his mother's world of charcoal and paints, musical instruments and soft, colorful clothing.
Mother dances with them both for half an hour, all she can spare that morning before she has to go attend to her myriad duties as Countess Vorkosigan. For many years, this remains a part of their morning routine, adding their baby sister when she is finally walking and continuing even after the heir eventually goes off to military prep school.
Until...
After they are all gone, Mother, Selig and his little sister all cut down in Mad Yuri's massacre, when he has the luxury of privacy, Aral still occasionally puts on music in the morning and dances by himself, remembering.