Deception

Glancing at her brothers, Avery let another rare smile form on her face at the sight. Dax had always been a cause of concern for her. Until Anders came along, he would just sit out by himself, refuse to even utter a word to anyone. Now, he always had a smile n his face and was always clearly happy. Even if he never spoke to anyone but Anders, at least he was speaking to someone.

"Nobody's lovesick, we were just kidding around," the older sister smiled, showing her protectiveness of them when she smoothed Dax's blonde hair and played with Anders' rabbit-like ears. "You two should be with Mama, you know? We'll be right back down in a minute."
 
"I don't wanna eat that dinner though, it has nasty sprouts." Grimaced Anders, as he tugged his older brother in the room. "And we wanted to see if Azula was okay..."

"I'm fine." Smiled the dragon as he pulled her brothers into her arms, smiling at how adorable they were. She adored both of them. They were so cute and so sweet~ And she too was happy that Dax had someone to talk to.

"Dax and I were wondering who the pointy-eared guy was? He's ugly...." Huffed the little boy, crossing his arms as his nose angrily twitched.
 
"Hey, don't you know it's mean to make fun of someone's outward appearance? You shouldn't judge like that He's... going to be around a lot when I'm older, that's all. He and I are friends now and--"

"Friends. Does she think we're stupid? Daddy wouldn't let a 16 year old be friends with her unless he was here for a reason," whispered Dax into his brother's ear, giggling to himself as he usually tended to do after his sentences. "We're not idiots, you know? I bet he's gonna marry her. What if Daddy wants to marry you to someone? I-I wouldn't let that happen to you, promise~!"
 
"Marrying people is icky, and yucky. Don't worry, I won't marry anyone. Besides, I have you." Whispered the bunny hybrid back, smiling at his brother. He and Dax were close. Mostly because Dax only ever spoke to Anders. It didn't bother Anders, made him feel special. He was the only one Dax spoke to, and it was cool to him.

"Hey, what are you two whispering about?" Asked Azul, knowing most likely Anders wouldn't tell. He only told them when Dax wanted them to know.

"Nothing~" He giggled happily.
 
"Right, let's get you two back downstairs now. Felix is the oldest brother here now, he should be the one heralding you along, but... well, Felix is always busy with something these days. He spends too much time training with all the soldiers and Daddy. If he just sat down and read a book, just once, he'd be much more rounded, I think--"

Sighing quietly as his sister rambled on, Dax tugged at his brother to leave the room, comforted by the fact his sisters were following behind. He and Anders may be the youngest, but sometimes he felt like they were the ones who were meant to be in charge. Ally was the heir, but he was too besotted with his husband to care about anything else. Felix was going to be a strong soldier, but he lacked the other side of things; the intelligence. Avery possessed that, but she had no desire for anything other than her books. Azula was sociable and lovable and utterly personable, but too easily upset and too... sensitive.

Nobody knew what went on in Dax's head most the time. He was silent, observant and analytical, and he grew annoyed constantly by the fact his siblings, all much older than him, never seemed to take things as seriously as he wanted them to. Thus, he wanted to be King. Of course he did, who wouldn't? He wanted to be sat on that throne one day, sharing the power and responsibility with his dear Anders who was the only sibling he felt could take it all seriously. They were children, they giggled and played games, but they had serious little chats too. Just, nobody saw that side of them.

"...It's silly that Avery is going to marry that man and have power. She's always got her head in books. She doesn't... know how to use power properly," the young dragon whined, appealing to his brother with his golden eyes wide in horror. "And... And we're never going to get a chance because we... were born so late. It sucks!"
 
"Don't worry about that Dax. I told you were going to have a chance. We'll prove to Daddy when we're older. Listen, Ally is going to rule Escaflowne with his husband. And Avery is going to rule that Elf Kingdom, whatever it's called when they get married. That only leaves Felix and Azula as our competitors. We can show Daddy that we're more fit for ruling Valien when we're older. We just have to get bigger.We'll be smarter than Avery, stronger than Felix, more lovable then Azula and Alfred. We're going to be the best and rule." He promised his brother like he often did, moving to hug him tightly.'

"And you know what's better? We won't have to get married. We'll have help from each other when we rule..." He cooed, before pulling away and taking his hand. It was true that Anders and Dax spoke like this often. They plotted on ways to be able to rule and they were determined to show Apophis just how capable they were to rule. Ally was far too besotted and worried about his own life to want to rule Valien. Besides he had already agreed to rule Escaflowne with his husband. And sure he and Dax were born too late, but he believed they had plenty of time to make their father see why they were the perfect fit for the throne.
 
"And... And that'll be easy 'cos Azula is too sensitive and focused on girly things, and... and Felix is strong, but he's not, like... he's not us. We'd be great, and we wouldn't have to marry. I wouldn't let anyone marry you, 'cos... 'cos you're mine, you know? And... And I'm yours, and that's the way it's gonna stay," the dragon beamed, becoming quite talkative now he was alone with the rabbit, walking ahead of his sisters.

"You look so much like Mama. I wish I did," he sighed, poking his own cheeks in annoyance. He was only 1 when his birth mother was divorced and sent away - to him, his mother was Hope. He knew no different. "I want her dimples a-and... and I wanna be like you guys! You're so small and cute and... and look how tall I'm getting! You're still so t-tiny and I'm getting all big and I don't like it."
 
"I wish I were tall like you!" Anders complained, pulling on his snow white bunny ears, huffing a bit. "It isn't fair for me, everyone is tall, but me. Being tall is part of the look to be King. Daddy's tall. So I wanna be tall to...Maybe I'll wear those tall shoes Sandra wears all the time." He mumbled, referring to the heels Sandra wore almost all the time. Taking his brother's hand, he pulled him to start walking a bit. "Let's see if we can sneak some snacks. Dinner was nasty and I'm still hungry. Sweets should feel me up." Grinned the boy as he pulled him to the kitchen.

Since it was after dinner the kitchen was empty. It had already been cleaned up. "...Alright, it's clear in here...Fly up to the top cabinet and get the snacks." He grinned. "I'll keep a look out."
 
"You should wear them, you'd look even cuter a-and... and then you'd at least be taller. Maybe we can see if Mama has any in her closet? After some snacks, anyway. Maybe we could even find some of Mama's jewellery~" He suggested cutely, pressing a quick kiss to the top of his brother's head. He was just a year older than him, so the height difference shouldn't be as extreme was it was, but the differences in their species led to it. It clearly made them both as self-conscious as the other.

"I'll climb," he murmured, not wanting to show off the fact he was a Dragon. He knew his brother wanted to fit in, and it didn't seem fair to show off something he couldn't do, hence why he grabbed a stool and began to scramble. "We have cookies? Oh, and some chips! Are there any juice boxes in the fridge?"
 
"I'll check." He told his brother, before hurrying to the fridge opening it. Seeing the juice boxes, he grinned before grabbing four of them. Two of each of them. Anders was greedy when it came to sweets. Once getting the juice, he called, "I got them~ Come on down before-"

"And what are you two doing?" Asked Apophis as he entered the kitchen. He had heard the noises and came to investigate. Only to find his two youngest sneaking and getting snacks. But he wasn't upset. That much was clear from the smile on his face. "You know how your mother feels about you two eating sweets late. Something about causing cavities?" He mumbled to himself, trying to remember why Hope said they couldn't have sweets after a certain hour.
 
Dax awkwardly stared at his father, avoiding eye-contact as best as he could as he made his way down from the counter. Of course, he wasn't going to suddenly start talking to his father after 7 years of silence, so he hurriedly pressed his mouth close to his brother's ear to communicate with him.

"...Ask him about who's heir to the kingdom. If he hasn't decided, we have a chance," he whispered, his smile growing at the thought that his father might not yet have decided who was best to take over. "I... He might even say us~"
 
"Daddy who's the heir of the Kingdom?" Asked Anders has he held the juices close to his chest

Obviously, the question caught him off guard. These were his youngest children, and their main concerns should be trying to color in the lines, not the heir to the Kingdom. "The heir? Well...I haven't actually decided. The default would be Alfred because he's the oldest-"

"No! Don't pick him, Daddy. Give...Give me and Dax a chance when we're older. We're smarter than he is. All he does is train, and train and train. He's never cared about the Kingdom." Anders huffed, before looking down at his feet. "Dax...We're smarter and better. We can run the Kingdom, so...So don't just cast us out!"

Apophis stared at his children completely stunned. They wanted to inherit the Kingdom? Well, that was certainly surprising. "...Well when you're older, I'll look into matters more. But you can't run the Kingdom right now, you're far too young. Take my advice and enjoy being a child. But if you two are serious, I'll have you to enroll in classes with Felix to learn the countries history and learn more about being able to run a Kingdom.
 
To learn that Apophis would at least consider them and was prepared to place them in lessons to help was a cause for optimism for the little boy. It showed that he was at least prepared to choose them, assuming their studies went well and they developed into good Princes in their teenage years, rather than head down any troubled path.

However, it still annoyed Dax that they had to go through classes and training. He was pretty sure that he and his brother were born to rule. Why did they need stupid classes to teach them what they were born to do?!

"Agree, but... but I'm annoyed with him, it's not fair that we have to study something we know we're good at," the boy whispered into his brother's ear, holding onto him and pressing closer for the support. "...But we're so going to g-get it, I... I promise. And we'll... have a huge ceremony and you can wear one of Mama's cute dresses, 'cos you'd look good in that."
 
"But girls wear dresses." He huffed slightly, before saying, "Only if you want me to, I'll dress up like that, okay?" He whispered, before looking up at his Daddy. "We'll take the classes!" He beamed. He wasn't as annoyed with Dax, in the classes, they could prove to Apophis just how smart they were. If they aced everything and got amazing grades Apophis would pick them, no doubt! "Alright, we have to get to our room Daddy, before Mommy catches us with the snacks. C'mon Dax~" He giggled, tugging him to run with him.
 
Hope was far from oblivious when it came to her sons. She had perfect hearing, so the giggles and fast running wasn't lost on her - she knew exactly what the boys were up to, but she failed to really mind. Her eldest son was off across the world, and one of her daughters, technically, was engaged. She had promised herself not to let any of her children lose their childhood, but now Avery was being thrust into marriage... and it didn't make Hope happy.

But she knew she ought to get over it. Avery was mature enough to deal with it, and her other children didn't need her moping about - they needed Hope to be a mother. She still had kids to raise into young adults, after all.

"You realise that they'll be up all night now with all that sugar in them," she began, leaning against the door to the kitchen with a smile to Apophis. "...We're doing a good job, right? Raising the kids, I mean. They're all good and respectful, aren't they?"
 
"Ah, that's it! They'd stay up all night because of the snacks!" He grinned, finally remembering the reason why Hope didn't want them eating treats after a certain hour. Looking at his wife, he smiled at her before wandering over and taking her waist close. "Love we are doing a marvelous job~. All of our children are brilliant in their own ways~ In fact, Dax and Anders want to be put in the running to being the heir to the throne. Incredible right? They looked so determined. So I decided to give them a shot." Smiled the man.

He played with her soft white ear, smiling at how adorable she was. No matter how many years went by he continued to think his wife was just adorable. "Don't you worry about the kids, they're fine. And we're doing fine. I was thinking. We should go to your parents home next weekend. Maybe talk with them and all your siblings. Have the kids come to. It'll be a little family vacation~ Or should we go to the Orc Kingdom to watch some wrestling. Orc wrestling is pretty intense, but man is it fun~" He chuckled.
 
Hope physically froze at the idea of her youngest children wanting to be the rules. Anything her husband said after that didn't sink in, even the mention of going to see her family, which she adored to do - mostly because every time she visited, she had a new sibling or a new niece or nephew to gush over. But she had her own children to worry about right now, pushing herself from Apophis to glare up at him accusingly.

"You're giving them a shot? Our babies? No. I don't want them ever having that responsibility. I told you, Felix is perfect. He's strong and he's smart and he's the second eldest. It's the fairest way to do it, by age. Alfred isn't here, so Felix should be next in line. I... I don't want Dax or Anders... involved," she whispered, frowning deeper by the second. She had separate reasons to be protective of them both. Dax had always been sickly and he still wasn't even speaking to anyone but Anders - that was worrying. Anders, meanwhile, had been a triplet. The other two died, so she was naturally overprotective of her surviving baby.

"Apophis, they aren't to be considered, I... I don't think it's right or fair on Felix, for a start. He knows he's the one to success you, now Alfred's gone. I... It'd anger him."
 
"I believe in fair chances Hope. And they wanted this. If they're serious about it and are sure they can do it, then it's nothing wrong with giving them a chance. In order to be King, they'd have to pass a lot of things. It's a hard task, but they wanted to try. So I'm allowing it." Apophis wanted to give his children whatever they wanted, and the look in Dax and Anders eyes meant they had really wanted it. So why not give them a chance?

"Don't be so old school. Besides, it'll be years and years until the actual decision is made, who says Dax and Anders won't lose interest? Anyway, let's discuss a family vacation trip, I think..." Apophis went on and on about a vacation, not really lingering on the fact his youngest wanted the Kingdom. He believed in all of his children, so he'd give them all an equal shot at it.
 
The idea still didn't sit well with her, regardless how long it would take before a decision would have to be made. She didn't want to be called old school, especially when she saw herself as progressive and up for change-- but allowing her two youngest children to run the kingdom one day horrified her. She wanted to protect them, and it was difficult to do that if they were rulers one day.

But her husband was right - they might lose desire one day. All she could do was cross her fingers and hope that they found other hobbies one day.

"...We're going to Kehsia, Apophis. We'll visit my family, then go and watch Orcs wrestling in their kingdom. That's clearly what you want the most, and... maybe the boys will like it. Maybe they'll pick wrestling up as a hobby instead of... this desire to rule."
 
Chuckling at his wife, he ruffled her white hair. "Oh aren't you the cutest. Could you imagine Anders fighting? He would be so small, but he'd be quick and have quick jabs. Oh, it'll be just adorable~" He laughed taking his wife by the hand so they could head to their chambers. "Visiting your family first huh? Hopefully, your mom doesn't pinch my cheeks again. Why does she do that each time?" He grimaced, rubbing his cheek as he felt a ghost of the pain.

Time flowed so quickly in the castle, it felt like everything was a breeze so Apophis wanted to make as many memories as he could with his children before they were adults. Some days he honestly wished he could just freeze time, and have his children young forever, but time still went on, and their childhoods were gone. Now ten years later, Anders was a man. Dax was seventeen, Felix was twenty one the twins were twenty-two and Ally was twenty-six. All of them were adults. And Anders and Dax were still in the running for the throne.

When Felix first heard he'd be going up against his younger brother for the throne he thought it was a simple joke. But he realized later that it wasn't. They were passing each test with flying colors, and boy did it make him angry. He didn't actually want the throne if he was honest, but the fact his little brothers thought they could take it from him was irritating as hell.

Anders, at sixteen, was still planning on running Valien with his brother. He loved his brother and was still as close to him as they were when children. Hell, they were probably closer now. They not only shared a room but a bed as well. And Anders promised to never marry or date anyone because he was his brother's. As well as Dax not date or marry anyone. The two were inseparable. Currently, Anders was in swords practice. While he was tiny, only being 5'4, he was a master swordsman. His speed is what helped him the most. Panting a bit after he took some dragon out, he went to get a towel, dabbing it dry.e68968b4269db71e105856cb1cfd1cef.jpg
 
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