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Deception

The wise option to many in her situation seemed to be the choice of taking her old role as Nanny. She got to live, interact with the children she had taken a liking to (besides Alfred, anyway) and she didn't have to sully her species' name. They were already lowly considered, so if the news broke out that she had planned to kill the King, her species would be seen even lower. Him promising to keep her acts a secret if she chose to become the Nanny again would surely help not just her, but her kingdom--

But she didn't want to do that. It may be selfish of her, but she didn't want to walk around the castle, pretending everything was fine. Her friends were dead, all the hope and optimism she had for her future when she had a plan to work on was now in tatters-- and surely people would think there was something odd about the King dropping his favourite lover and refusing to be in her company, whereas nobody would bat an eyelid if she died. Nobody would even acknowledge it, and at least in death she didn't have to continue to walk around, pretending things were okay.

"You shouldn't have given me that option. I'd rather die than be in this place," she shrugged, glancing to the balcony and heading across to it-- before paling at just how high up she was. She thought it'd be easy, to get up and drop, feeling nothing but the wind in her hair and a final moment of ultimate peace before she hit the ground, but it wasn't easy. It was fucking terrifying. Nevertheless, she managed to clamber up, like a child trying to get on a bed. And still she couldn't take the plunge, gripping on fearfully to the pillar. "I-I'll jump, just... just gimme a fucking second."
 
Apophis watched her, feeling his heart break. He hated her. He hated this woman more than anything. She's a disgusting little rodent, and she fooled him in order to kill him. "Go on and do it." He hissed before walking over. "Do it. Go join your little makeshift family. Go burn in Hell with them. I mean...No one would care. Your family back home probably forgotten about you. They probably have more than enough kids and probably few other girls that are the spit of you. So, they wouldn't notice that your dead. My kids will forget all about you the moment I buy them a new toy to play with. I mean...That's all you were to them, a little plaything. You have no one that would care if you left. It would make no difference if you were gone." He bitterly whispered, moving to sit up on the balcony, looking down at the incredible height. Of course, it didn't matter to him. He could fly.

"Just think, you'll be at peace, right? It'll all be over. Your suffering will be over, you won't have to ever see me again. Just do it, who is her holding you back? No one here cares if you were to go. No one but me. That must make you want to jump more huh? Knowing that I am the only one who would care if you were to die. The one person you hate the most in life is the only one who cares if you kill yourself. That's so pathetic. Go on and get it over with. I'd like you to do it before the gardeners retire to their chambers. It'll be a hassle to fo and fetch them to kill your body off the pavement."
 
"...And you think I don't know what'll happen? We both know what happens if I jump, don't pretend that you don't know. I'll jump, you'll sit here, then you'll groan and come save me because you like me. That's pathetic. I'm a disgusting rodent with dozens of girls who probably look like me, and yet you like me and would save me if I did jump. So you can call me what you want, but a great King like you liking me? Dude, that's hilarious," she taunted right back at him, suddenly filled with a newfound confidence as she glanced down at the ground. It was a huge risk, assuming he'd jump after her and save her. He could quite easily just let her hit the ground and splatter everywhere until a zillion pieces-- but she was going to take that risk.

Either she died and ended this whole nightmare, or she was saved and was able to taunt him over how pathetic he was. It was a win-win, and it eventually left her offering the King a smirk before allowing herself to tilt fully over the ledge, hurtling down towards the ground at a growing pace.
 
It's crazy that she trusted a man who killed his own family when he was still a child to come and rescue her. Apophis wasn't a sweet man,but as expected Apophis went after her, scooping her up before she hit the ground. He growled lightly, before flying up back to the balcony and dropping her on the floor. Glaring at her, he scoffed before walking past her. "...So is that it? Do you really want to kill yourself? Fine. I'll allow you to be publically executed if you seek death so damn bad." He hissed.
 
"I don't... want to... die... I just... goddamn, falling to your death really takes the breath out of you," she laughed, lying with her back to the ground and her hands to her chest, trying to gulp in as much air to her lungs as was possible. The fall hadn't been frightening or scary whatsoever. She knew he'd come to save her, however ridiculous it might be to place her trust in him, so she could just... absorb the experience of falling freely through the air. It had definitely been a good adrenaline rush.

"I just wanted to confirm to myself that you liked me, that's all. The fact you do is hilarious. But-- But no, I'll take the Nanny job," she eventually decided. Death wasn't something she wanted. She could be a Nanny, work away from him, and then, one day, find a way out to go back to her family and her kingdom. She couldn't do that if she just gave up and died. She'd gone through too much to just cowardly choose death. "I'm amazed you'd want me around your children. I'm so disgusting, after all."
 
'Get the fuck out of my room." He hissed bitterly. "You're dirtying my marble floor." He called the servants in to direct her to a lesser, and not nearly as lavish room. Two months later, Hope had been living in the servant quarters. The servants quarters weren't nearly as nice as the King's chamber, but it was still way better than her living out on the street. She has a single bed, with a dresser, and what not. She did have her own bathroom, but it was small. The wives no longer had to worry about her, since Apophis seemed to no longer care for her.

Like was pretty simple for Hope. She was fed three times a day, she looked after the children, and she had two days off a week. It was a pretty good job to have. Her and Alfred had...Yet to really get along. He didn't bitterly snap at her anymore, but he had said his slick comments here and there. But it wasn't so bad.

Currently, Alfred was in the garden with his siblings. He was helping little Dax walk. Dax was a little over one, so he was learning how to walk. Alfred was really sweet with his siblings and loved all of them. He was actually a sweet kid...When he wanted to be. "Good job, Dax! You took twelve whole steps without falling that time!" Giggled the ten-year-old boy.

Felix clapped happily, cheering on his baby brother. He was sitting in Hope's lap happily cuddling into her.
 
Two months living and working as the Nanny wasn't nearly as horrible as Hope had thought it would be. She didn't like what she'd become, but she had to constantly remind herself that this wasn't going to be forever. It was just until she saw an avenue for escape. Until then, she had to blend in, fly under the radar, not bring attention to herself and, eventually, there'd be a chance to leave. That was her plan now, her only motivation for not just ending it all. If she did that, she'd never know if there was just a small chance to leave. She just needed patience.

Besides, the children weren't terrible to be around. They made the time go quickly, and she did love caring for them-- especially Felix. She loved all the children (besides Alfred - she really didn't like him, even now), but she had a soft spot for little Felix, which was why he was often the one cuddled up to her like this. It infuriated her that his mother cared more about going to get her hair done than care for him, which was why she tried to pamper him with love so he didn't grow up not feeling it. He was a strong, adorable kid and he deserved to know that. They all did-- though Alfred, she couldn't care less about. It was harsh on a child to hate him like that, but she wasn't prepared to shower him with affection like she did his siblings. She gave him what he asked for, did what he wanted, but she never smiled at him or talked to him if she could help it. She didn't have the best life, and she wasn't going to make it worse by interacting with a spoilt brat.

"Your brother's so clever, isn't he?" She gushed, her eyes sparkling as she watched Dax sit on the grass, exhausted from his attempts at walking. "You should be the one teaching him, Felix. You're so smart."
 
"Ally's smarter. Ally's the best~!" Grinned Felix as he grinned at his older brother. Out of all the children, Alfred looked the most like his father and acted like him as well. But...He was still a ten-year-old child. So the cold stares and harsh snapping did hurt his feelings. Not that he would let it show, that was for weaklings like Hope.

"Thank you, Felix." Smiled the older boy, before he helped his baby brother stand up again. "Come on Dax, let's walk again, you can do it~" He cooed. He then glanced at Hope. "...I'm perfectly capable of teaching my baby brother. I taught all my siblings to walk." He mumbled, before focusing back on Dax.

"That's true~! When are the girls gonna get out of their stupid dance lessons? I want them to play too." Whined Felix, crossing his arms. Azula and Avery were the only Princesses. And so they had different training than the boys. While they did learn the sword and what not, they also had to learn dance lessons, as well as other wifely studies on how to be a perfect Princess.

"They should be here unless their mom takes them again. You know their mom still doesn't want Hope touching the princesses." Mumbled Alfred.
 
"How about you stop talking to me, little boy? I don't want to speak to you. Do stop talking to me, or I'm not going to get you your favourite juice. I really don't want to continue having to tell you this, child. I don't like you and I don't want to talk to you." Hope coldly began, all the enjoyment fading from her face the moment Alfred even looked in her direction. Maybe it was because he was so much like his father that she disliked him. Whatever it was, the poor boy wasn't going to benefit from Hope's hugs or her genuinely infectious personality anytime soon.

Quietly sitting back on the grass, watching Dax toddle about with happy gurgles, she only let her attention drift from the children when a few soldiers walked by, taking a shortcut to the training field. Of them, a certain dragon trailing behind the others clearly made an effort to glance in Hope's direction, a curt nod and a smile leaking through his sternness before he caught up to his fellow soldiers. A blush then spread across Hope's face, smiling down at her lap.

There was another reason things hadn't been that bad. She'd found herself a boyfriend; a young soldier in the army who she'd met a month ago. She hadn't expected to like a dragon as much as she did, but he was gentle and timid and not at all the brute she expected all dragons to be. He was sweet, and she... well, she liked him a lot. It helped make her completely forget about her time with Apophis, anyway.

"...I'd love to see the twins, but your step-mother Raven hates me. I'm sure they won't be around me unless it's necessary. Thankfully, your mothers are all okay with me. Well, your mother and Dax's mother, anyway," she laughed, playing with Felix's hair as she then went on to affectionately kiss his forehead. When Dax saw that, he immediately crawled over, eager to join in with the cuddles. He was the one child whose mother really did love him dearly, but that didn't mean he shouldn't accept hugs when Hope offered them. He did love Hope. Given he barely remembered the Nanny before her, she was all he'd known in his short life, and he made his appreciation and his love for her clear by cutely curling up in her lap.
 
Alfred watched his little brother waddle to the woman, and he grimaced a bit. Hope was so cruel to him. She said cruel words and she was so cold. However, Alfred had to simply get used to this treatment. His mother treated him the same way, and his father didn't speak to him so much so...He was used to adults being mean to him. But he was only ten. It still hurt his feelings. And...He did want someone to hold him, and tell him that they loved him. But he didn't have that.

Sighing, he glanced down at himself, before making his way out of the garden. "Ally, hey Ally where you going?" Felix whined, squirming from Hope's lap to go stop his brother.

"...Dunno, I was just gonna go watch the soldiers train or something. I don't have anything else to do."

"Really? But later Daddy said we could have lunch with him."

"What? When...When did he say that?" Alfred asked this obvious news to him.

"He said since I won my tournament I could eat with him. I bet he won't mind if you come along."

Alfred stared at his brother surprised. Alfred had won plenty of tournaments, far more than Felix's and his were way harder. He went against people who were sixteen and won. But...Apophis never rewarded him. Of course, Apophis would say he was trying to make his heir a tough man, so he shouldn't be spoiled but. A fucking pat on the back sometimes would be nice. Alfred forced a smile, before shaking his head no. "I don't think Father would want that. He'd probably get angry if I'm there."
 
It wasn't easy for Hope to ignore Alfred. She wasn't a bad person. Had she tried murdering his father? Sure-- but that didn't make her a bad person. Apophis was a bad King. His death would have been celebrated and Hope would have been hailed as a saviour. Things didn't work out that way, but she was still a loving person who liked these children. They weren't given love or affection from anyone but her most the time, and excluding Alfred from that was... tough. But he had followed his mother in calling her some names she couldn't forgive easily. She wanted him to at least realise that following his mother, who barely even liked him, wasn't smart.

But he was just a kid who was going to do what his mother wanted, she knew that. Seeing Felix get invited to lunch while Alfred was left out of that finally made Hope crack.

"...We'll have lunch instead, me and you. Just us," she decided, dusting herself off as she got up from the ground. "Dax needs a nap anyway. We'll go and make some sandwiches and eat them out here. Unless you're too cool to be eating lunch with a 'disgusting rodent', Alfred. That's what you called me, isn't it? Do I get an apology, or are you also too stubborn to apologise to me? Nanny or not, I'm still a person, and... I dunno, it'd be nice to get a sorry from you. Maybe then I'd be nicer and you could get a hug from me."
 
Hearing he could have lunch with someone obviously made him happy. But...He was too cool to admit it. Instead, he looked away with flushed cheeks. "...I'm sorry." He mumbled before looking over at her with those big golden eyes. "But, let's get something to eat. I'm starving." Smiled the boy, eagerly heading over to Honey with a sweet and adorable smile.

Felix grinned, hugging his brother happily. "Aw, I wish I could join ya~! But Mama would kill me if I messed out on this lunch."
 
"No, no. You listen to me, mister. You go to lunch with your Daddy, you tell him about how strong you are-- and you make sure to tell him that Alfred is super strong too. He needs to be reminded that he has another son just as great as you. Now, take Dax inside for me and tell a maid he needs to be put to bed. Alfred and I are going to take a little walk before lunch."

Waiting for the boy to walk off, with Dax deciding to try walking alongside him, the rabbit quietly turned to the eldest Prince with a grin. It was what the children seemed to like the most about her. She was herself, and she lightly teased them and played with them like no maid or servant seemed to do. She may hate their father, but nobody could deny how great a Nanny she was. And Alfred deserved some of that loving treatment now he'd apologised.

"Come here, silly bones. Honestly, you and I are too similar. You're as stubborn as I am, aren't you?" She snorted, her nose cutely twitching as she brought the boy in close to her chest, holding him in the hug for a few seconds before peeling away, his hand now in hers as she began to head to the middle of the gardens on their walk. "...I do care for you, Ally. You and your siblings are... important to me, actually. Your mother dislikes me, your father does too, but none of that means you have to hate me. You have your own mind, hm? And I have my own mind, and I've decided that you're too cute to ignore. So I'm gonna make sure you get as much attention as the others, as long as you quit being mean to me. Deal?"
 
Blinking, he blushed a bit from the hug, before grinning happily. "Deal~!" He didn't have to be mean to her anymore anyway. His mother didn't care for Hope anymore since she wasn't Apophis favorite anymore. So he was more than happy to be nice to her. She was sweet, and she seemed like fun. Holding her hand tightly, he eagerly tagged along with her. And after just three short days. The ten-year-old developed his first crush. Yup, Hope was his first crush. It was innocent of course, and he didn't realize that he didn't really love her romantically, but loved her as a sister. But he was only a boy.

So, one afternoon, they were on the playground, of course, the royal playground that was built for he and his siblings. He and his siblings were playing with Hope, throwing a ball to one another happily. And that when Hope's soldier boyfriend had come over. Today he was free from training. The soldier, named Trevor, had come over to her. He had brown wavy hair that was cut short and light green eyes. He was a dragon, so of course, he was taller than Hope. Smiling down at her, he leaned down, pecking her cheek. "Hey love~" He cooed, before bowing to the Princes and Princesses. "And a good day to you, your highnesses."

Alfred looked at the man, instantly burning with jealousy. Who the hell was he? Why did he kiss Hope? Why was he so ugly? Glaring at him Alfred threw the ball at his head before giving him an innocent look. "Oh, pardon me, my good man, my aim is terrible." If no one knew how well his aim really was, anyone would believe it was an accident. But Alfred's aim was impeccable. Everyone knew that. And he was just marvelous with a bow and arrow.

Trevor winced from the ball, rubbing the spot where it hit him. "...No problem your majesty. So you guys playing catch, mind if I play along."

"We already have enough players." Alfred quickly stated, hurrying to Hope's side, grabbing her hand. "Come on Hope, let's play~!" He giggled happily.
 
All Hope wanted was to be liked by Alfred. Deep down, she wanted them all to like her. It was upsetting that the only dragons that really accepted her were children, but it gave her some hope that, when they grew up, they'd defend her if she was ever targeted by their parents. They were young and had learnt that just because Hope was different, it didn't make her any less of a person. If Alfred could learn that, there was hope for everyone.

Of course, she had learnt that not all dragons hated her. She'd once been a prostitute, of course, but even then the dragons spat at her afterwards and showed hatred. But then she'd met Trevor. He wasn't paying to be with her, and nor did he had any hidden agenda. He seemed to like her for who she was.

"This is Trevor, my... boyfriend. I guess we're dating, huh?" The rabbit smirked, that mischievous expression being something she only really shared with Apophis. Now it was all for Trevor. "Let him play with us, Ally. The more, the merrier~! And besides, if you don't let him, he'll just whine like a baby and I'll be the one dealing with it later on."
 
Boyfriend?! Hope did have a boyfriend?! Why didn't she tell him, and why was it someone so stupid and ugly. Alfred growled crossing his arms as he glared at him. "No, we already have enough players Hope. I don't wanna play with a smelly soldier."

Trevor glanced down at the Prince, figuring out what was wrong by the intense glare. The little man was jealous. Holding back a chuckle, he looked at Hope with a small smile. "Hey, I don't have to play, I can watch this time around, huh? We can always talk later, love."

Ally beamed happily when he said he wouldn't play before he tugged Hope again. "Come, let's play~ Right Felix, you wanna play, right?"

"Yup~!" Giggled the curly hair blonde boy, holding the ball in his hand.
 
Seeing Trevor neglect to play was a little bewildering, but he seemed to have his reasons, and it definitely cheered Alfred right back up. Assuming that was why he did it, Hope shot her boyfriend a smile and returned to the game, at least not before giving the swing a little push to please Dax, the baby securely sat on his sister's lap.

"Right, let's play then. We can't play too long, though. I'm not feeling too great. Unless you want me to vomit all over your nice playground, it's probably best to play a quick game then sit down for some biscuits and juice," the rabbit laughed, though upon mentioning her sick she felt, it was clear that she was under the weather. Dark rings cushioned her eyes and her usually tanned complexion was sickly pale.

"...You shouldn't play with them. Hope's sick, Ally. You shouldn't play." Avery whispered from the swing, her chocolate brown eyes wide in worry. "...I don't wanna get ill too, Mama will stop me seeing you, Hope."
 
"....Why are you sick? Did that smelly man make you sick? His smell makes me sick too." He whimpered, moving to hug Hope, shooting a glare at Trevor. He looked up at her, his golden eyes were drowning in concern. "You have dark bags under your eyes too..."

Azula, who was on the swing next to her sister stood up, hurrying over to look up at Hope. "Oh Hope, don't get sick, then you'll be in bed and we'll never see you again!" Whined the little girl dramatically. "I'll miss you tons and tons!"

"When I get sick, witches come and give me a potion and I feel better," Felix mumbled as went to hug Hope too. It was obvious the children loved Hope. They all loved her and saw her as one of their own.

"Hope's fine, don't you guys worry. She's a trooper, right, honey?" Stated the dragon, moving to hold his girlfriend's hand earning a nasty glare from the eldest Prince.
 
"Are you all that worried about me? I once threw myself off the very top of this castle and survived. A little sickness bug isn't going to do much," smiled Hope, her eyes twinkling as she relived the memory of that day on Apophis' balcony. She'd told the children about how she'd jumped off-- but had amended the events a little. She cut out the part where Apophis taunted her into doing that, and how he'd saved her. Of course, it made the story then sound unbelievable, but none of the kids believed the story anyway. They knew it was just to amuse them.

"Listen, I'm a tough cookie. I'm the only rabbit in your kingdom. Do you know how much crap I put up with from big dragons thinking they can push me around? A lot. But I know how to defend myself. A little cold isn't going to stop me, I promise. Hell, if I was sick, who else would watch you all?" She countered, plucking Ally's nose with a faint smile at how concerned he was. In just three days, they'd become incredibly close - it made her smile the more she thought about how far they'd come.

"I do feel rotten though, not gonna lie. I think I ate too much carrot cake again. Honestly, they need to hide it from me, I'm so greedy sometimes~"
 
"Is that why you got pudgy?" Asked Felix with a giggle. He was just a kid, and he didn't know that telling a lady she gained a little weight was extremely rude. But Alfred knew because his mother once smacked him across the face for saying that.

"Hey Felix, you can't say that about a lady." Huffed Alfred. "That's rude. Sorry, Hope. You're not pudgy, don't listen to him."

"Sure she is, look- ouch! Why'd you pluck me!" Whined Felix, holding his nose that Alfred just plucked.

"Shut up, doofus." Hiss the Prince.
 
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