[C7]Dance Lessons

Continuation of Lyle's POV:

It didn't take me long to find Everest, directing some maids in the dining room. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow before he sighed. "Lemme guess, the gardens?" He asked me and then put his hands on his hips. "I was planning on having a small private ball out there, but okay, I can get the musicians to move their equipment to the actual ballroom."

"Whichever works for you," I told him and smirked. "Milo wants to go out into the gardens though." Everest glanced me over and then looked at Milo in consideration.

"Well... if we had them dance in the gardens, they might accidentally injure themselves and ruin it.... I'll send out the new orders. We can get this done," he told me, his eyes flickering back to me. "We should probably start it off outside rather than end it outside. It's safer inside the house, and if the dancing was to last longer than expected, the sun might catch us or cause a panic. It'll be safer and more controlled this way. It'll also give Milo the chance to enjoy the garden peacefully rather than worry about dancing. After all, I heard from a little bird that Esther was going to ask for a dance tonight." He smirked and looked at the maids. "Get some help from the butlers to move this outside to the gardens, okay? After that, take a break and enjoy some tea."

"Where are the others?" I asked and looked around for our siblings.

"Well, Esther is prettying herself up and dressing up, Sylar is doing Sylar things, and Silas is planting bugs around the house," he growled that last part, crossing his arms. "He's getting out of hand, and us talking to him yesterday didn't help. I managed to stop him from getting into your study already."

"Where have you last found him?" I asked and sighed. I need to go deal with him before the guests arrive.

"Headed for the night room, but I think he was muttering something about your room being next," he muttered and then walked back to the maids. Milo shrunk against me and then looked up at me before he started to tug me towards the door a little, holding my hand. "Oh, and if you want to leave Milo with me, you can," my brother suggested, glancing over at us. "So you can deal with Silas without staining your image in Milo's eyes." Milo tensed up, looking at him with wide eyes then up at me, fear sparking in them of being abandoned. I looked him over and gave a small pout.

"Milo I won't be long," I whispered to him. "Stay with my brother and if you need anything ask him until I get back. I promise I'll be back before you know it." I grabbed his face and looked him in the eyes. "Stay a good boy." He whimpered a little but nodded.

"Yes sir," he whispered to me, gently touching one of my hands before he looked away from me.

"I promise," I whispered to him and then pulled back. "Everest, don't let my fledgling out of your sight until I get back." Everest walked up.

"Of course not," he purred to me. "I wouldn't dream of letting your fledgling get away from me if you entrusted him to me like this. He's in good hands." He grabbed Milo's hand and purred to him. "Don't be so upset. He's not abandoning you Milo. He just needs to take care of something that is very sensitive. When you're older, he might take you with him, but for now, stay his innocent little fledgling, okay? When you live forever, you want to keep your innocence as long as possible," he purred to him then started to tug him over towards the table. "So what flower should I use as the main part of the centerpiece Milo? Should it be this pretty silver rose or maybe it should be this violet?" He asked, distracting my fledgling with rows of flowers to pick from and tons of bows already tied up for the vases. I watched them for a few seconds before I used his distraction to make my way out. I started for the night room first to see if Silas was there. I caught him just as he was exiting, pausing as he saw me and then frowned.

"What do you want?" He asked me, giving me an irritated look.

"I'm having guests over from the council," I told him quickly. "Try to behave. I don't want them thinking this family is weak and can't handle their insane brother's tantrums." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"I'm not insane," he hissed, exposing his fangs at me. "I'm going to reveal you if it's the last thing I do. I'm not going to live in your shadow, especially if you're not even blood related!" He jabbed my chest then and growled. "I'm going to prove it too. We'll see who is insane!"

"You sound insane now," I told him. "You're jabbing about me not being blood related but my blood has been tested and it rung up that I am in fact a son of the Rosario family. You're being dramatic because you didn't get the throne. You're making this family look bad." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"All I need is one other person to believe me," he growled. "You're no son of my father's." He started to walk off, muttering things under his breath as he stalked away. "Throw the damned party without me if you're so fucking worried about your goddamn image. I'm busy."

"I had a witch spell my room so you can't enter it," I warned him. "If you try to you'll end up paralyzed until I come into your view. So stay away from my bedroom. I want you to come to the dinner though brother. Even if you're jealous I still love you. Let's have a normal family dinner for once with guests." I watched him with a playful smirk on my lips. I know he's got this place bugged. He's not going to get me to own up to anything.

"No fucking way," he growled over his shoulder. "I refuse. You shouldn't be hanging around that damned council anyways. I'm pretty sure they killed my father."

"I know, but what did our parents teach us?" I asked him. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. If they did kill our parents... It's best to follow his advice." I followed Silas quickly. Of course it was the council that killed them.

"And is that what you're doing right now?" He hissed at me, glancing over his shoulder at me. "Following me around? Where's that stupid little fledgling of yours? Be careful. I'd hate to see him blood binge. You'd get your fangs ripped right out of your thick skull," he spat at me and then smirked. "Heh. That'd be a sight."

"He's in good hands right now. I'm dealing with you and I don't want him to see us fight if it comes down to it. Silas, you're going to make me look bad if you don't come to the dinner. You'll make yourself look bad too."

"I'll make you look worse if you force me," he hissed at me, narrowing his eyes. "I swear I will. I don't need to suck up to the council to get my way. Besides, you've got something a lot more precious to protect at that table. I wouldn't push me if I were you."

"Silas," I sighed. "Don't come to the party. I'll just make up some excuse for you and that'll be it. Too bad I won't get to see you dance with our sister at the ball. I guess I'll have to do that instead." I stopped walking as I watched him. "Have fun bugging the castle." He tensed up then looked at me in pure hatred.

"How the hell did you- Everest," he muttered then balled up his hand. "That snitch." He looked pissed then.

"I am king after all, he wasn't snitching. He was being loyal to his king and making sure I knew you were trying to set me up. You're never going to find evidence to something that doesn't exist though." He watched me for a few seconds before he relaxed.

"Fine, whatever you say," he told me and then smiled. "I'll go to your stupid party," he purred, ruffling my hair before he started to walk away towards his room. I smiled softly as I watched him.

"Please be on your best behavior!" I called to him. "This means a lot, Silas." I started down the hall to get back to my fledgling.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he called back to me, disappearing around a corner quickly. When I got back to the dining room, Everest was nowhere to be found along with my sweet little fledgling. I frowned and went over to a window.

"Everest, I want my fledgling back!" I called. I couldn't see them out there in the gardens though as the maids were setting up. "Where'd they go..." I grumbled and looked towards the maids expectantly. One of the maids looked towards me from the gardens and walked up to the window, holding a vase in her hand.

"I believe your brother went to the ballroom, King Lyle," she said respectively of me and bowed her head before she walked back to the others to set up the table out there. I smirked and used my power to run to the ball room and get there quicker then it would have been for a human. I could hear Everest laughing.

"No, step with this foot first kiddo," I heard him purr. "You're going to step all over my sister's feet tonight if you can't get this part right." I walked in and saw Everest teaching my fledgling ballroom dancing as he led him around the dance floor as the musicians were setting up in here.

"Teaching my fledgling without me?" I asked playfully. He looked at me and smirked.

"About time you got here," he purred at me then gave me a wink before he spun my fledgling out, making him yelp as he was pulled back into Everest's arms and then dipped down. Milo's face turned a deep red as he looked up at Everest and he went to shove him away quickly, but Everest kept a tight grip and smirked.

"Silas decided he would be present tonight," I told them.

"Oh? Good job, you got him," Everest told me and then pulled Milo back up, starting to dance with him again to get him used to the steps. "That is great news! Maybe we won't send him to that insane asylum after all."

"This will be his only chance to prove himself not crazy. I hope he takes tonight wisely." I muttered. Everest sighed and nodded.

"Hopefully," he muttered back.

"Is he really insane?" I heard Milo ask Everest softly, catching his attention quickly.

"Oh yes, yes he is. He thinks that your maker is a fake and that he isn't the rightful king and that he isn't my brother which is all lies," Everest told him and smiled. "He's been trying to expose him for years."

"He's not going to expose something that's not true though. I just wish he would see that. He's had this crazy idea for years I'm not actually family. We've already had his theory tested. I am the rightful king. He's just jealous he didn't become king and he's trying to find a way to get me kicked off the throne. I still love my brother though." I purred. Milo nodded and then looked down at their feet, making my brother tsk. He moved his hand to Milo's chin, tilting it up to make him look at me.

"Don't take your eyes off your partner Milo. Don't even look down at your feet," he warned. "Especially with royalty, and you'll be dancing with my sister tonight, so you might offend her if you don't look her in the eyes."

"You're a great teacher," I told Everest. "Probably because you've been a maker before."

"That's part of it," he purred to me. "I'll have your fledgling dancing like he's been doing it all his life before the party. He's the king's first fledgling after all. He'll need this tonight if one of the council members want to dance or watch him dance. He can't be a wallflower either. It'll make you look bad. I taught each and everyone of my fledglings how to dance simple ballroom dances before they left me." Milo bit his bottom lip then yelped as he accidentally didn't move his foot out of the way in time and got stepped on by Everest, making my brother sigh. "So close Milo... so close to getting this. You just need to feel it... when to step and when to turn...."

"Milo, can I have this dance?" I reached out for him. Everest looked at me and smirked.

"Nuh uh, technically it's cutsies," he teased me. "I'm his dance partner, and I say.... no." He smirked playfully at me and then pulled Milo a bit closer, making him tense up a little out of nervousness.

"Well if you don't mind I want to dance with my fledgling. You got his first dance... now let me finish up teaching him his footing." I started after them. Everest laughed a little and purred at Milo.

"Do you want to dance with him or me?" He asked Milo. Milo bit his bottom lip then quickly slipped from Everest's arms while he wasn't expecting it, escaping. I laughed and reached out for Milo. He looked towards me and then blushed a little before he gently took my hand, accepting it. "Aww, you're ditching me?" Everest asked him and frowned. "After all my hard work."

"Sorry Everest," Milo told him and then looked up at me sweetly.

"Now," I purred and started to guide him to dancing. "Let's focus on your footing." He nodded and started to concentrate, taking it a little slower than he was with Everest. I felt him almost step on my foot after a few minutes and he blushed, looking embarrassed and nervous to get it wrong with me. "It's okay," I whispered. "It's not about where your going.... it's how you get there. One step at a time. All within your bones." I pulled him closer and swayed with him for a minute before guiding him across the floor. He followed me, starting to calm down as he did his best and after ten more minutes, his footing was starting to improve and I wasn't getting stepped on by him much anymore. "You're getting better," I purred. He blushed and nodded, looking up into my eyes.

"I'm really trying not to step on you," he admitted and laughed a little. "It is getting a little easier for me...."

"Stop focusing on your feet," I tsked. He frowned.

"Isn't that why we're doing this?" He asked me and then sighed. "I can try," he mumbled and then watched me, letting me lead him. I suddenly heard music start, my brother playing a violin for us as we danced.

"Listen to the music and forget about your feet. Soon enough you won't have to even worry about stepping on my feet." He blushed and then nodded.

"Yes sir," he whispered as he glanced towards my brother then back at me before he gave a soft smile. "This is kind of nice," he mumbled to me.

"Being a fledgling to a king.... you'll have to dance often at balls." I purred as I looked him over. He nodded.

"At least I like it though," he told me and then laughed. "It'd be bad if I didn't and had to...."

"I'll tell you a secret... I do things I don't like sometimes." I whispered to him. He blushed and nodded.

"Well... I'd imagine you don't like all that paperwork on your desk," he purred to me and then smiled. "Plus all that stress in your back I worked out yesterday."

"Thank you for doing that, it was really nice.... where'd you learn to do it?" I asked curiously.

"My sister did it for me when she used to stay with me... and I'd have to stay up late writing my books to meet the deadlines. It was a little trick she used on me to make me work harder and better," he told me and smiled innocently. "I thought you'd like it.... She taught me how to work it out after I asked her what exactly she did."

"You had a family?" I asked curiously. "Sister and parents?" He bit his bottom lip then nodded.

"Yeah... my sister lived with me for a little bit.... My parents though..." His eyes darkened a little and he looked away from me. "They um... they... didn't make it back home one night...." I could barely hear him say it, but I was pretty sure that's what he said as he started to tremble and his voice shook. I frowned and pulled him closer to me.

"It's okay," I whispered. "You're no longer apart of that world.... yes? You've got this family now and we're not going to leave you." He looked up at me and I saw tears in his eyes, but he quickly buried his face into my chest, stopping us as he hugged me.

"I-I know," he whimpered and I could hear him breathing shakily as he tried not to cry, gripping the back of my shirt tightly as he held onto me. "I-I'm sorry," he whispered as I began to feel my shirt getting wet from him crying. Everest stopped playing and frowned, looking at me then at him.

"Is he alright?" He whispered to me, walking up with a worried look. I sighed. I guess I chose the wrong words.

"No, he's not." I muttered. "I'm sorry for what I said about your human life," I whispered to my fledgling. "You're still there because you're still turning. It'll take you five years. Emotions will also be mixed up throughout the period. I forgot that detail." I leaned in and kissed his cheek then started to wipe away his tears. He sniffled and looked up at me as he tried to stop crying before he got closer to me and hid his face back in my chest.

"I-It's fine," he told me as his body was still shaking. "I-it wasn't that. I just... I'm happy to be here... but I do miss my parents," he explained to me, gripping the front of my shirt tightly as he tried to calm down for me. Everest's eyes softened as he watched him and he looked up towards me with a smile.

"We lost our parents as well," I whispered to him. "I know it hurts, but you're going to live for eternity."

"Yeah cutie, as the King's very own first fledgling," Everest whispered to him. "Other fledglings would kill to be you. You got very lucky to have such a good maker." Milo nodded and I felt him start to relax as he breathed in my scent then moved his face into the crook of my neck, still gripping my shirt. "It's going to be alright. That's it...." Everest purred, walking up and rubbing Milo's back gently to sooth him as I held him. "You've got everything to look forward to."

"Not to mention I'm going to spoil you," I purred with amusement. Everest laughed a little and looked up at me then at Milo.

"So don't cry. If you need a family, you've got your maker and his family as your own," he whispered to him then kissed Milo's head before he rubbed between Milo's shoulder blades. Milo's grip loosened on my shirt and he nodded slightly, keeping his face in my neck.

"O-okay," he whispered, his voice quiet, almost unable to be heard. He sounded like he was doing better though, and he wasn't trembling as bad. I heard feet rushing to the room and a maid appeared in the door way.

"They're here," she huffed out and tried to catch her breath. Everest looked towards her and nodded.

"Yes, thank you. Make sure that they're taken to the night room while I get the rest to join," he purred her way then pulled back, walking towards her and the door. "See to it that they're well attended while I make sure everything is perfect before we take them outside to dinner. Lyle, sweet brother, I don't know if you want to dress your fledgling up more that that simple dress shirt and jeans, but if you do, you better hurry." He looked over at me over his shoulder and smiled before he walked out, taking the maid with him.

"Everest just hinted you're underdressed. Let's go get you something else," I whispered and used my powers to get us to my room quickly. I rushed us over to the closet and stepped inside, getting him a better outfit to put on. Milo bit his bottom lip as he watched me and rubbed his arm.

"I know they're really important... but... does it really matter if I'm dressed in something more than this?" He asked me, looking himself over. "I think I look okay like this...."

"You're a king's fledgling. The first one. It matters, so put this on and don't make me look bad in front of council members. It's bad enough you were in the room during the meeting dressed with coffee stains on your shirt. They were staring you down all night and I could feel them judging me. The worst part is you were human." He blushed and nodded, looking slightly embarrassed before he took the clothes from me and looked away.

"Yes sir," he whispered and then walked past me quickly for the bathroom door. He went in and I heard the door lock behind him as he started to do as I told him, changing. I let out a small sigh of relief as I waited for my fledgling to return. He walked back out after a few minutes and bit his bottom lip as he adjusted the shirt on him and looked up at me. It definitely suited him.... He just needed a trim to pull it off the highest expectations, but it definitely showed him off, the best thing I've seen on him yet. He looked a little slimmer too and he had combed his hair out, making it look neater rather than the little messy human writer I met on the streets with coffee all over him. I laughed as I looked him over.

"I'm impressed," I purred and reached out for him. He smiled and quickly was in my arms, purring to me sweetly.

"You are?" He asked me, sounding excited to hear that from me.

"Yeah, you clean up nicely. The first time I ever met you, there was coffee staining your shirt and ink all over your body." I purred and kissed his cheek. I pulled him closer to me and ran us down to the night room, stopping right outside of it. He smiled sweetly at me and leaned his head against my chest, staying in my arms as he purred.

"Thank you King Lyle," he said sweetly to me as he looked up at me in adoration, his eyes shining happily. "I'm glad it makes you happy."

"Let's go meet my guests," I whispered and wrapped my arm around his waist and guided him into the night room.