Erin felt her breath catch in her throat. She understood how bad this must look, her sitting here with Captain Halstead, much too close for Sergeant Voight's liking. Voight probably felt uneasy about them being in the same room together, let alone sitting on the same bench, breathing the same breath. She could tell by the stern set of his mouth and the tenseness of his jaw that he was not impressed.

"Sir, I—" Halstead began, but Voight cut him off before the Captain could even form a sentence.

"Shouldn't you be inside at the ball? You know, doing your job?" Erin felt that Voight's voice was deeper and sterner than usual. She stared down at her feet, her cheeks reddening involuntarily. How embarrassing, she thought, but she felt worried, too. As good as Voight had been to her, he had specific rules that she had no choice but to follow. Erin often wondered if the source of the rules was because of the fact that she lived in the castle, or simply because of Voight.

Beside her, Jay smoothed out his uniform anxiously and said, "I'm sorry, sir. I was just heading there."

He rose from the bench and walked toward the closest entrance to the main hall of the castle. As he walked by, Voight muttered, "I'll deal with you, later," under his breath. Erin knew it wasn't the wisest choice, but she couldn't help but peek up and watch Jay go from the corner of her eye. He looked so handsome in his uniform, and when he had looked at her so intently before they had been interrupted, Erin couldn't help the eruption of butterflies in her stomach.

Except now the butterflies had been replaced with a deep-rooted feeling of dread, caused by the angry man standing in front of her.

"What exactly were you doing with him?" Voight asked, eyeing her with a hard gaze. There was an angry set to his jaw that made him look even more intimidating than usual. Even though he was typically kind to Erin, she couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit afraid of him at times.

"We were just talking," Erin replied as she fiddled with the hem of her dress. It was the truth, after all. They had only been talking. Of course, any time they got the chance to spend time together, all they ever did was talk. Usually it was typical palace small-talk, but every now and then they would share a real conversation, much like the one they had been having before Voight had appeared. Erin treasured those moments, because they were few and far between. Halstead was busy with his duties as Captain of the Guard, and she was usually under somebody's watchful eye, particularly Sergeant Voight's.

"I wasn't particularly fond of the topic of conversation," Voight pressed. He towered over Erin in the fading sunlight, looking down on her. Despite how grateful she was for everything Voight had done for her, Erin couldn't help but feel frustrated. She was almost twenty and definitely old enough to think for herself and to live a life of her own, but Voight didn't seem to think so. Literally or figuratively, he was always looking down on her.

Erin's eyes narrowed and she felt the heat rise to her cheeks again. "I don't know what you're talking about." She folded her arms across her chest and stood up from the bench so that she could meet Voight eye-to-eye.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to return to the ball." Erin gathered the billowing skirt of her gown in her hands and made for the entrance, but Voight grabbed her arm.

"Erin…" he said, and though his deep tone still had an edge to it, it was much calmer than it had been before. "You're happy here, right?"

She didn't answer. She didn't know how to. Was she truly happy here? It was a simple question with a complicated answer. In comparison to living on the streets, life in the palace was a dream come true and a complete blessing that she had never even thought to be possible. She had beautiful clothes, a comfortable bed, a wonderful home, and more money than she had ever had before in her life. Erin knew that she was incredibly lucky. But was she happy?

Voight didn't seem to notice her lack of a response.

"This is a good life, Erin. And you'll always have a place here." His voice was warm, comforting. This was the Voight who had saved her. This was the Voight she knew and loved.

But she couldn't ignore the fact that he had been the overbearing, condescending Voight only moments before.

Erin took a deep breath and locked her eyes with the Sergeant's. "I understand, and you know that I'm thankful for that." She knew what she wanted to say, but it took all the courage within her to say it. Voight looked at her expectantly, patient. "But…what if here just isn't my place?"

"Are you saying you don't want to live here anymore?" The warmth in Voight's voice was slipping away into coldness.

Erin shook her head violently, her heart racing. A few pieces of her hair fell out of her golden headband into a disarray around her face. "No, no! That's not what I'm saying at all." But deep in her heart, she knew that it was. There was no denying how trapped she felt within the confines of the palace grounds and the palace rules.

"Then enlighten me, please, Erin. What are you saying?" Voight had released her arm by this point, but Erin felt as though the hold he had on her was stronger than ever.

Erin heaved a long breath and met the Sergeant's eyes with a stern expression herself.

"I want to be able to live my life, Voight," she said firmly. She was lucky to not have to refer to him as 'Sergeant' or any other formal title, but she could never bring herself to speak to him on a first-name basis. It wasn't so much out of respect as it was out of intimidation, no matter how bold she tried to be on her own. "I want to see the world," Erin continued passionately. "I want to go on an adventure and be able to spend time with whoever I want, and—" but Voight was two steps ahead of her.

"Whoever you want, huh? Like Captain Halstead, for instance? Is he the one who put all these ridiculous thoughts in your head?" Sergeant Voight was fuming, now.

"No, he…he just…we were just talking." She couldn't think of anything better to say. "And it's not ridiculous," she murmured quietly.

"Erin, listen to me," Voight urged. "This is the best life for you, and this is the best life that I can give you. It's safe here, and you'll never have to worry about any danger as long as you abide by my rules. I just want what's best for you."

"But what if this isn't what's best for me?" she pleaded.

"No exceptions," Voight snapped suddenly. "Unless I say otherwise, you are not to leave the palace grounds, not even with any of the maids or the guards. And until you understand that this is the only kind of life you are going to live, you are not to speak to Captain Halstead whatsoever. Have I made myself clear?"

"But—"

"Have I made myself clear?!" Voight growled, the veins in his neck straining.

Erin nodded solemnly. "Perfectly," she muttered, blinking away the tears that had begun to prick at her eyes.

"Excellent. Now run along back inside and enjoy the party. There are lots of admirable guests that I'm sure would love to make your acquaintance. In the meantime, it appears I have to give my Captain a talking to."

Voight stormed past her angrily towards the closest entrance to the castle, leaving Erin alone on the balcony with nothing but her thoughts, her tears, and the coldness of the nighttime air.

She couldn't believe how angry Voight had gotten with her over such a stupid argument. Was it really so wrong for her to want to be independent and to live without all of these rules? Erin didn't think so, but that was where she and Voight clearly did not see eye-to-eye. He expected her to live in the castle, hopefully meet a wealthy suitor, and end up continuing the progression of palace life in some other realm laden with riches. As appealing as that sounds, it was not what she wanted, or who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The only man that she could ever imagine herself with was Captain Jay Halstead, who had captivated her in a way that had no escape. Except now she was forbidden to speak to him, and Erin knew that Voight would make sure he understood that perfectly clear, as well. It wasn't fair.

Erin knew that she couldn't stand not talking to Jay. So she decided that the only solution was to find a way around it.