Title: Camille

Summary: This is the second deleted scene. Anna teaches the King to dance.

Disclaimer: I own NADA!!Or this would be canon!!

Scene Two: Two to Tango

It was a bright and warm Tuesday morning at about ten o'clock when Anna was getting dressed for the day. She did not have to report to school to teach however because the King demanded to be taught how to dance in the English manner. Beebe was assisting her in putting on a pale ivory lightweight gown, one she had kept from her time in Bombay. It was made of silk and airy chiffon, thus allowing much more comfort and breathing room compared to her other cotton gowns.

Besides the fact that it was relatively sheer fabric, the dress required no hoopskirt, so her entire person felt extraordinarily lighter. Anna arranged her hair in a comfortable chignon and allowed some of her curls to hang loose around her face.

"You look quite lovely, memsahib." Beebe admitted when she was finished with her.

"Thank you, I only hope the King is a fast learner. We have so much ground to cover and so little time! The party is in six days and he hasn't had a free day until today."

The both of them fell silent as they heard Moonshee's cries from downstairs about the King's entourage approaching. Anna shot up from her seat and hurried down to greet the monarch at her door.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," She said pleasantly upon seeing him in her foyer. He had brought with him a myriad of servants of both sexes, as well as a slew of court officials presumably so that they may also learn to dance during the anniversary dinner.

"Ma'am," Mongkut said in his usual warm but not overly zealous tone, "I am ready to begin at once. We have no time to waste."

The look on his face suggested a definite apprehension, as if he had been taught before and decided that he was a far better fighter than a dancer. She almost laughed, but she swallowed her chuckles for fear of offending the poor man.

She graciously led them into her parlor, which had been cleared of most furniture and transformed into a pseudo-ballroom.

"Alright, now, everyone. Gather 'round where you can see me, please and we shall start."

She waited patiently in the center of the room as everyone-servant and noble alike- surrounded her with curious and intent eyes.

King Mongkut stood directly in front of her, looking like a schoolboy who was participating in his very first lesson.

"I believe we shall start with learning the waltz today. Now, the waltz is a fairly common dance in England, and it is usually danced after dinner in European custom. It is an elegant, graceful movement that in theory seems difficult but in practice is quite the opposite."

She positioned her arms as if she were being held by a partner and drew her back straight in perfect poise.

"I shall demonstrate first, and then you all will try it."

Anna began slowly and slightly exaggerated the movement of her legs so that all of them might observe the best they could. She counted aloud for them "One, two, three…one, two, three… one, two, three… See? Not so hard, is it?"

She stopped and instructed them all to pair up. Anna walked about the room making sure everyone had a partner and then with a jolt, saw that His Majesty stood alone with an expectant look on his face. Surely, he did not want to pair himself up with her?

She found her assumption quite wrong when he stepped up and slid one hand over her side and took her hand with his other. She slowly placed her free hand on his broad shoulder, afraid of offending him somehow.

When she had regained her composure, she called out, "And one, two, three…one, two, three…one, two…OUCH!"

She stopped abruptly and pulled away from the king when he had accidentally clobbered her slipper clad foot with his large one. He immediately apologized (quite unexpected of him) and helped her up. The other couples did not know whether to stop and laugh or to keep dancing.

When Anna insisted that she was fine and resumed dancing with him, she found herself quite flustered by the King's strange behavior. Of late, he had been tense and cranky in public but today he treated her with sincere kindness. She tried to focus on counting the steps instead of his handsome face, only inches away from hers…

This time it was the king who shouted in pain and jumped backward.

She had kicked his bare shin in her carelessness. Anna cursed herself with every nasty word she knew as she watched him grasp his leg.

"Oh Your Majesty! I apologize sincerely, I thought I would lead, and-"

"You thought King does not know how to lead? I may not know much about English dances, but king knows how to lead woman such as yourself in most movement." He huffed defensively.

She nearly balked at the audacity of his words. Memories of what they had done the night before made her cheeks flush red. By the look on his face, he had realized what she was thinking of and was equally sheepish.

"I thought I'd make it easier for you, Your Majesty. Very well, you shall lead from now on."

He nodded aggressively, as if he were truly eager to prove himself capable this time, grabbing her a little more roughly than before. She could not stifle the little gasp as he yanked her flush against his lean body.

When he did so, she looked up into his eyes and could have sworn there was a glimpse of fire in the darkened irises. Whatever it was, it was gone in the next moment and she dismissed it as a product of her hypersensitive imagination and wishful thinking.

A/N: Cute, huh? I like this scene much. PLEASEEEEE tell me what you think of it!