When the two Eliades boys had come to invite Dion on a game of catch, Nike was hard pressed to deny the young prince. Growing up with no one else his age in the royal mansion, the young prince's pleading eyes had the Commander nodding in allowance, after a cautioning word for him to not wander far, and always check if his family was within distance, before he left running after the two Eliades twins. With her young charge away from her, the commander's eyes roamed again, falling upon the figure of Athanasia as she was dragged on to the dance floor by the Lady Imeeya.

Nike smiled, fading into the shadows to watch the two as the music turned boisterous while the night turned deeper. Ever watchful as she was trained to, she did not join the celebrations - she simply was not one who felt the need to. Her feet tapped to the music, a small, rare smile played on her lips. She was of Taengean birth after all, and festivals and music had been a large part of her life. Nike remembered a faint memory of watching her parents enjoying one of the Dionysus festivals as a child, sitting with her nursemaid while they danced, a memory of a life she could've had, had her father not turned to the greatest vice in mankind.

But her life growing up in the military had disabused her of any notion that fun was something one had. Duty and responsibility came first, and for the night, Nike was on duty.

Instinctively, her eyes left Athanasia and Imeeya once Lazaros joined them, and instead sought out her charge and general. Her chest simultaneously tightened and loosened once she found his figure in the crowd, emerging from what she knew was his usual task of checking with the stalls and vendors of Midas - Nike was proud of her best friend, and she knew without a doubt that he would make a fine King some day. She'd support him every step of the way.

Until the day she could no longer play that role for him. Until the day when someone else fit that role better then she did, anyway.

As she noticed him calling Asia to his side, and the princess moving, the Commander too, knew that it was her turn. With a side step to avoid her sword from hitting anyone, Nike weaved through the crowds, getting to the side of the royal family just as Dion and the Eliades twins came to a crashing halt in front of them. The woman hid a chuckle at the stricken look of both twins - she had never been able to tell who is who when they were side by side - and stepped dutifully back as Vangelis herded the rest of his family back through the crowds. With a wave of her hand, the men she had left in charge of guarding the carriage, brought the vehicle with the royal crest emblazoned on its side forward, assisting each member of the royal family upon it.

Once she had ensured all of them were on, along with the other carriage that carried the princess Evras and her husband, Nike's quick wrist flick had all her men in place, both astride and on foot. Taking her place at the rear of the troop, the carriages rumbled to a move back to the royal mansion of the Kotas family, bringing an end to their night of celebrations.