I only found this recently (on an occasional skim through the Vorkosigan tag on AO3) and I love the AU -- particularly how partway through it really seems like it's going to be OK, and then, oh no, Barrayar. There are so many great lines here, too.

Padma understands. Aral has protected him all his life. It's Padma's turn now to protect Aral. It's interesting how the pressures of his position have changed Padma from the glimpses we get in canon -- the sudden weight of responsibility and the pressure to save everyone, not just Aral but eventually his children as well. I really did like this AU version of Aral, and the way the story focused on the relationship between Padma and Aral also shows the way Padma grows as a politican, from needing favors to granting them. I also love the glimpses into other figures, like Vordarian when Gregor is arranging Aral's marriage to his sister: An advantageous marriage for his sister will either settle him or will force him into outright treason. Padma will accept either option.. Poor Padma.

One thing I do really love about this is that Kareen gets a much happier life. Not perfectly happy, but so much better than it might have been. I especially love the scene where she tries to persuade Padma to take a lover (and Padma is distinctly uninterested -- I also appreciated the way you worked in different experiences of sex and gender, like Padma's here, or Sonia's boyfriend/husband.)

The other element that story brings out -- that and the one about Aral -- is Padma's ruthlessness, and the ruthlessness of the system that he's both trapped in and controlling. So that in a later story when Alexander is assassinated it's a shock, but not an unexpected one: Padma's children don't have to be assassins, but that isn't true of everyone on Barrayar.

I also loved Kareen's thoughts on her daughters -- it reminded me a bit of Cordelia and her desire for children but also for children who could be free from Barrayar -- which is a separate and more difficult thing.

OK, I am meandering on and this comment is getting super long -- so let me just say again how much I enjoyed this series and the different ways in which things are better and worse than in canon! Barrayar still eats it's young, but differently here.