Corym raised a brow at her comment but tried to follow her advice, lowering his shoulders slightly. “What's wrong with how I drink? I thought that I was drinking casually.” he said in confusion again, unsure if that was actually a thing.
He couldn't help but smirk briefly at the obvious statement. “Actually, I wasn't sure. On one hand, I can see that about you, being the Thrice crowned Queen and all. But at the same time, your reputation tends to say the opposite.” he reminded her, though he wasn't saying that last part to be mean.
Corym nearly choked on his drink at the proposition. “What?” he asked reflexively with no sign of his usual demeanor for a few moments as he processed… everything. “Uhh, yes? Yes, you may.” he nodded, still obviously shocked but a bit more composed than when she asked.
Cleopatra snickered, the gave him a brief up-and-down look. “You’re way too tense to be drinking casually. Shift your weight around until you find a comfortable way to hold yourself. Bend your knees a bit, and- good goddess, you’re stiff.” The words came out unexpectedly and a bit louder than her intended mutter.
“And hold onto your drink like this.” She demonstrated with her own flask, letting it sit lazily between her fingers and holding it tighter only when she chose to drink from it.
Her eyes sharpened slightly at his words, but instead of retorting with something vulgar enough to cause an immediate war declaration, Cleopatra merely rolled her eyes. “I know my own reputation,” she quipped. “And I’ll tell you right now that my partners in bed have nothing to do with my choosing to not set foot on a dance floor. I bet if given the choice, most of them would love to dance with me.”
As petrified for this dance as she was, Cleopatra let nothing show. In fact, she’d asked so abruptly to create the guise of confidence and catch Corym off guard. But it was all she could do not to breathe a sigh of relief when he accepted. If he had rejected her in front of the entire room, she would have skinned him in his sleep - peace agreement be damned.
A cool smile slid across her face as her fingers flexed. “It’s customary to take my hand, Corym darling. Let’s go shall we. I wouldn’t want to miss the next song." No matter that the musicians seemed to also have been listening to her ask and were waiting for the respective queen and king to begin their next song.
“I am holding myself comfortably.” he replied, indignantly, his ear twitching at the sudden attention her tone brought them. Though he raised a brow at the way she was holding the drink unsure if he could do it and look natural.
Corym shook his head. “I didn't mean it like that. I’m sure there are several who would love to dance with you. The words must have come out wrong and for that, I apologize.”
The king sighed and set his drink down before accepting her hand and walking out onto the dance floor. He tried to ignore the fact that the other dancers parted, letting them make it all the way to the center of the floor.
Cleopatra noticed the twitch of his ear and said nothing. A doubtful smirk appeared on her face as she looked away from him and back at her drink. Playing the games of politics and siege was her life. She knew how to appear relaxed when in reality, she was seconds away from an emotional explosion. The casual effortlessness of the way she held her drink was a testament to that. Let the other women see how relaxed and easy she was around him. Let them envy her. Cleopatra loved a good fit of jealousy on display.
She turned her attention back to Corym as he apologized. Her eyebrows arched in disbelief. When was the last time he'd apologized to her for a dig at her unsavory reputation, intentional or not? Never. She simply hummed in response and offered a brief nod.
The second Corym's fingers settled in hers, Cleopatra felt a jolt, just like she had at dinner when they'd made eye contact for the briefest moment. She forced herself not to show it as she walked confidently to the middle of the dance floor with her chin held high. Unlike her partner, she made sure to mark with her eyes that she hadn't missed the other dancers moving out of the way. Out of her way.
Once they stopped in the middle of the room and all eyes were on them, Cleopatra leaned a bit closer to him and whispered, "This had better be worth it."
Corym also knew how to hide his emotions and appear collected, though he wouldn't deny that he had a natural rigidness to his… technique, if it could be called that.
He raised a brow at the feeling in his fingers but didn't draw attention to it. “You let me know after the dance.” he smirked faintly. “Just put your hand on my shoulder and follow my lead… If you can handle that.” he quipped as the music started.
Cleopatra scoffed just as quietly. "I certainly will," she muttered. Her hand lifted up and rest almost begrudgingly on his shoulder. But his little quip made her eyes narrow slightly. Her fingertips dug into his shoulder more than she probably should've, but he'd pissed her off.
"You're lucky we're in public," she hissed before listening to the opening notes of whatever song was about to be played next. Not many people dared to speak to her that way. Corym was in limited company.
Corym allowed a faint smirk to pull at his lips as she whispered her warning. He wasn't scared of Cleopatra though he knew he had been pushing it with his challenge. “Consider it payback.” he informed since she had challenged him first, before moving elegantly with the music. It may have been a bit arrogant of him but he was proud of his footwork. Both in dance and in combat.
Cleopatra's eyes flashed dangerously, but before she could respond, they were moving and dancing to the music. And it wasn't a slow song either.
The thrice-crowned queen swore obscenely under her breath as she balanced herself with Corym's body and let him guide her through the steps. Her own footwork was just as smooth as his, and finally, she fell into a state of being propelled by the music. She'd die before she said it out loud, but Corym was a good leading dance partner. It was easy to move with him, and all the eyes of the room fell away as she twirled and spun in his arms.
Corym bit his tongue to keep from laughing at seeing Cleopatra caught off guard by the dance. But he had to admit, once she adjusted to the rhythm, she was doing quite well. He easily ignored everyone else who was either watching or dancing around them. They didn't matter. It was just the music, the motions… and Cleopatra. That last part surprised him a bit, even though she had been the one to initiate this. Now he wasn't sure if the dance was meant to be a challenge to him or for her.
Cleopatra leaned into the music, even daring to close her eyes for a second. She quickly opened them again, and the room was spiraling around her. Only Corym's face was in focus, and it was the only thing she could look at. Her eyes focused intently on him as her feet moved of their own accord. He'd been right – the correlation between swordplay footwork and dancing footwork was remarkably similar.
A coy smile played across her lips as she pressed herself closer to his chest and cooed, "Dip me?"
Corym was almost smiling as he danced. He still couldn't believe that he was dancing with Cleopatra of all people and how well they were dancing together. It was surprisingly nice.
He let himself smirk again at her request and gave a nod. After waiting a moment so she would be ready, he dipped her, keeping his hold on her firm enough that she wouldn't fall.
Cleopatra noted the smirk, and even if she didn't see his nod, the smirk was telling enough. She held her breath, waiting, then he did it. His arms supported her as she went down, and she was surprised by the simultaneous grace and power of the movement.
As Corym showed off his firmness and strength, Cleopatra showed off her flexibility and elegance. She let herself bend back at an incredible angle and even lifted one of her legs into the air. The stares at the couple's display practically seared into her skin, but the queen couldn't care less. She was grinning wildly as she straightened herself back up and continued dancing.
"Impressive," she breathed.
Corym actually smiled as he pulled her back up and went back to dancing. “So were you.” he said, returning the compliment. Though he was more impressed by the amount of trust Cleopatra showed in him just now. “How would you feel about a lift?” he asked.
Cleopatra grinned. Few knew how flexible she was. Her own training included relentless stretching and bending her body to near-contortion levels of flexibility. “Thank you, Corym darling,” she purred.
Her eyes sparkled at his ask. “How do you think they would feel?” she asked, subtly glancing at the crowd around them, which was apparently gathering to watch. She winked knowingly, signaling she was ready.
“Let them stare.” Corym chuckled softly, for once actually looking like he didn't care about the crowd, and just focusing on her and the dance. He gently slid his hand from hers, down her arm, then her side until he had a good grip on her waist. He nodded at her wink and lifted her clean off her feet and spun her around in the air before carefully bringing her back down.
“Obviously,” Cleopatra purred in response. As Corym trailed his touch down her arm and her body, Cleopatra fed into the movement. She arched herself backwards and let her head roll back before straightening with Corym’s hands on either side of her waist.
She then forced herself to hold a breath as he lifted her up, and when he set her back down, the queen gave a twirl that flared her golden gown out around her. It was quite obvious why this woman was the object of so many people’s desires. She was stunning, but for this moment, she was Corym’s.
Cleopatra twirled around again, imagining a sharpened blade in her hands, before reuniting with Corym and clinging to him as they spun together.
Corym couldn't help but stare himself as she spun out her skirt before catching her back in his arms and twirled with her. “Remind me why you hate dancing?” he asked with a raised brow, not missing a step.
Cleopatra tossed her head back and laughed as Corym send her into another dizzying twirl, this time with him holding her. “Because,” she began, but she stopped as the music did, bringing herself and Corym to a halt. Quieter, she said, “Because I have never danced like that before.”
It wasn’t until Cleopatra took a step back and headed for the door that she realized she and Corym were the only pair remaining on the dance floor. She pushed the door open at the end of the ballroom and left, Charmion hurrying behind her at a respectful distance.
Corym was surprised by her laughter, finding it actually pleasant, but smiled as the song ended. He stood still for a moment as she whispered her answer before she quickly left the room.
It took him a moment to walk off the dance floor, grabbing a drink as he caught his breath. He couldn't believe that that had just happened. He had just danced with Cleopatra in front of… practically everyone and his heart was not slowing back down!
Cleopatra was still trying to catch her breath as she hurried through the halls. Her face was flushed, and her eyes had a new light in them. Damn… that dance had been incredible.
“Your Majesty?” Charmion called, practically sprinting to keep up with Cleopatra’s pace. “To your rooms?”
“No,” Cleopatra called flippantly over her shoulder. “To the courtyard.” She was too wired to think of retiring for the night. That dance… it felt too perfect. Like they had been made for that dance to dance it with each other.
“Well, that was a sight.” Tetra commented as she approached her brother. “And here Cleopatra told me she wasn't going to dance.”
Corym sighed at her presence and shook his head. “Tetra, please. Not now.”
“Are you alright?” the princess asked in concern, taking a step closer.
“Honestly… I don't know.” he all but whispered.
Cleopatra made her way to a blossoming courtyard and immediately fell into a fit of shock and disbelief. The adrenaline that had carried her through the halls began to fade, and as a result, her legs faltered. She would have fallen if Charmion hadn't been there to scoop the queen into her arms and guide her to an intricately carved bench.
"Your Majesty?" she murmured worriedly as Cleopatra sagged against her. "Queen Cleopatra?"
Cleopatra forced herself to sit up without the help of her handmaiden. "Charmion… I don't know what came over me," she moaned, holding her head in her hands.
Charmion frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked tentatively.
"I mean is that I have no idea what just happened," Cleopatra retorted sharply. She sighed and shook her head. "I didn't mean to bite at you. I just don't understand it."
"Your dance with King Corym?" Charmion pressed.
"Yes," Cleopatra mumbled. "It was like… nothing else mattered. He was the only thing I could see."
Charmion's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't say anything back. The handmaiden knew her queen well enough that if she explained what Cleopatra had experienced, she would either laugh it off as nothing or deny it with anger rising. But if Charmion was right, she didn't want Cleopatra doing either.
Tetra raised a brow at her brother’s strange reaction. She knew him better than anyone else, with perhaps the exception of Monroe, and this was very strange. “Cor… What happened?” she asked in an unusually firm tone of voice as she guided him away from the main crowd.
“I don't know. We were just talking, she critiqued how I relax, we talked about dancing… Then she asked me to dance.” he explained, still trying to wrap his head around everything that happened. “It seemed like a challenge or something and…”
“Wow.” Tetra laughed softly. “Cor, she told me that she doesn't dance. The fact that she asked you… I’m proud of you.”
Corym shot her a slight glare. “It doesn't mean anything. That was Cleopatra and that was just a dance. It was not the dance.” he reminded before walking away.
“You could have fooled me, dear brother.”
An unsettling silence fell over the queen and her handmaiden before the latter woman spoke into the cool night air.
"I must ask," Charmion mused innocently. "How did Corym manage to get you on the dance floor? I know your opinions on dancing very well, and I must say I was deeply surprised to see you in his arms."
Cleopatra shook her head. "He didn't ask," she replied plainly. "I did."
That was clearly not the answer Charmion was expecting. The handmaiden's jaw dropped open, and her eyes searched her queen's face for any sign of a lie. She was even more shocked when she didn't find one. "You're… serious?"
"Yes," the queen replied tiredly. Cleopatra rose to her feet and began a journey back down the halls. The adrenaline had worn off, her heart rate was back to normal, and exhaustion was beginning to sink in. "Go back to the party," she said with a dismissing wave of her hand. "Enjoy yourself. I'm turning in for the night."
(Want to time skip to the next morning with Cleopatra and Tetra at the library? Just implying that Monroe left the serum for her, or do you want to do a quick blurb of that? Idrk, it's up to you, my brain is so scattered right now lmao)
(sure, time skip is fine with me)
Tetra was pacing around in the library, still thinking about what happened to her brother and Queen Cleopatra last night. Practically the whole castle was talking about it but she wouldn't be surprised if the surrounding part of the kingdom knew about it too. Though a part of her almost hoped that this meant either a chance for peace between the two or even held a hope for the traditional dance coming up.
