Deception

  • So many newbies lately! Here is a very important PSA about one of our most vital content policies! Read it even if you are an ancient member!
Hope could take a joke from the children easily. They often made little jokes about her ears, or how her nose twitched cutely when she giggled. Hell, they made jokes about her height, given Ally was growing and would overtake her at some point in the near future, but she didn't mind any of that. She could laugh it all off and even join in with them. However, the pudgy comment did make her freeze, her eyes wide in horror. She wasn't normally this emotional, but now she was, tears arriving faster than she expected.

"Do you... r-really think that? I... I'm not... I mean, I... thought this dress was getting tight, but I thought maybe I used too much soap when washing it so it shrunk," she whispered, pressing her hands to the fabric of the dress, and immediately gasped when finally noticing the 'pudginess' Felix seemed to pick up on. While it wasn't extremely noticeable, her midriff definitely did bulge out a tad, developing a small, but evident, bump. As far as she was concerned, it was from eating way too much cake.

"Oh god. I... I'm such a pig," she whined, pouting for emphasis in her highly emotional state. "I mean, the cooks g-give me the cake they didn't end up serving and I eat it 'cos I'm hungry and... and I... hate myself r-right now."
 
"See Felix, look at what you did!" Hissed Alfred, before hugging Hope tightly. "Don't cry, please? It's okay! It's not even noticeable!" He grinned, nuzzling her chin with a coo.

"Yeah babe, it's cute, and it's healthy weight I assure you. You aren't a pig, you're still a cute little bunny~ Don't you cry." Trevor told her, moving to wipe the few tears that fell to her cheeks. This was strange, Hope was never one to randomly burst into tears. So seeing her so...Wound up did make him worried. She must really hate getting a little pudge. But it wasn't so bad!

"Oh dear...Now, what is going on here?" A woman stated, walking to the park. Supposedly this new woman, Bella, was the mother of Alfred's fiance. Now this marriage was strictly business if Apophis were honest. Bella was the Queen of Escaflowne. A Kingdom of cat hybrids and they were pretty damn strong and wealthy. So it was a good move for two strong Kingdoms to come together. She only had one child, so her child would be marrying Alfred when Alfred turned thirteen. She was only here to settle the papers, but she came across such a funny scene she had to stop.

Trevor instantly bowed, showing respect. "Your majesty, hello. It's an honor to have you here."

"Well, it's been a pleasant visit. Now, what's going on here? A rabbit hybrid...And she appears to be crying."aa4cb887a982ddaa8837818a6c1f1a54.jpg
 
Hope wasn't educated on all the rulers of all the kingdoms. She knew her royal family, she obviously knew Apophis, and there were one or two others she could name. However, while she'd heard of Escaflowne, she had no idea who its rulers were, or even the species of the populations that called the kingdom their home. Hearing Trevor call the woman by a title, though, instinctively made her bow. Whoever she was, she was royal, and therefore ought to be respected... even if Hope had no idea who she was.

"I'm... f-fine, your majesty. Just a little... emotional," the rabbit began, sniffling as she forcibly wiped her heavy tears away. She shocked herself by the emotional display, because she really never cried. Not even in private. She'd grown up having to be tough, so crying wasn't an easy feat. To cry over something as stupid as a little weight gain shocked her and embarrassed her in equal measure. "I... Excuse me, I... didn't mean to be such a baby, honestly. I'm fine-- Felix, I'm fine. There's... nothing wrong with a little extra weight, it's... nothing to be ashamed about. I shouldn't cry, that's silly of me."
 
Glancing at her stomach, then back to her, she gave her a knowing look. "Ahh, don't be embarrassed love. When I first started showing, I cried too. But I have to admit, didn't cry this early on, I cried maybe when I was about four months?"

"...Showing? Oh, your majesty, she isn't pregnant, she just put on a little weight." Trevor quickly stated, smiling a bit. He knew Hope couldn't be pregnant. They hadn't had sex yet, so it was impossible.

Bella arched her brow, before shrugging it off. "Oh, well I'm sorry for the assumption. Well, I take it this one is Prince Alfred. Oh, are you just purrrfect."

Alfred blinked at the woman, bowing a bit. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I can't wait for you to meet my son. You two are going to be powerful leaders."
 
In any normal circumstance, Hope would have interrogated Alfred a little about what the woman meant, asking him if he was going to get married and discussed with him how he felt about it. His mother barely asked him any sorts of questions like that, whereas Hope genuinely cared for the boy and wanted to see him happy.

However, it was tad hard to do that when the 'p' word had been uttered, a word she hated with a passion. Pregnant. God, that word haunted her. It was always a word she heard growing up from her mother announcing that she was introducing new babies to the family; it was a word she'd heard constantly when dining with the King's wives a few months back, and now she was hearing it again. Although, this time, it was said with a new seriousness to Hope, because she knew that this time, it wasn't something she could roll her eyes over. This time, she was fairly concerned that the 'p' word had come to grace her with its presence.

Simply put, she was pretty damn sure she was pregnant, and there was only one man she'd had sex with in the last few months who could possibly the father. Apophis.

"I... need to go and lie down, I think I'm just sick," she explained, if only to excuse the fact she took off running into the castle, dashing past several servants and almost knocking the wine they were carrying out of their hands. Locking herself in her bedroom, she tugged her garments up a little to inspect herself properly-- which is when she noticed the firmness to her stomach. It wasn't just some weight gain. She'd gained weight before and lost it again; she knew her body.

So she knew this wasn't some weight she could diet and lose. This was the feeling and the look of a two month or so pregnancy, and that recognition immediately made her throw up in the nearest trash can. This was not good. Not at all.
 
And how could things get worst? By a visit from the very man she hated. The King didn't knock of course before he entered. Grimaced when he saw her throwing up, he rolled his golden eyes, before speaking. "I hope you aren't coming down with anything. Next week is a big week. The Prince of Escaflowne, my son's fiance, will be coming here to meet him. I need you to be there guide for that day. Make sure they don't fight and make sure they get along. They don't have to love each other, love can come later, but they will be getting married and...Okay, are you alright, you look like utter shit." Grimaced the King.
 
Hope knew it was best to stay on the man's good side. It was why she smiled politely when he talked to her in the past, mostly just to bark a demand at her. If she talked back to him, she knew his patience with her would end and her life would be over, and she didn't want that. Not now she had things to live for. She had Trevor and she had Apophis' children, who she adored. Hell, she was more of a mother to them than their own mothers were-- at least, that's what it felt like.

But he caught her at a bad time. She was throwing up into the trash, her clothes were dishevelled, and her hair wild. She was in no mood to be insulted, even if she was well aware she looked like shit. Probably worse than that.

"What the fuck are you talking about? Seriously, you mumble, I can't understand you," she grumbled, trying her best to adjust herself with some dignity, but recovering dignity after throwing up like that wasn't easy. "I don't think you have the right to ask me if I'm alright-- besides, I think it's obvious I'm not. How many people do you see throwing up who feel fine and dandy, huh? I'm... I just have a bug. I'll take the day off. I don't want Ally getting sick before he meets that Prince or whatever-- I'll be a guide, don't worry. I don't think you realise how much I adore your son. I love him. I'd die for him, easily. I won't fuck it up-- now can you fuck off? I'm g-gonna throw up again--"
 
Apophis had had four wives and five children in result. So he's seen some pregnancies, and he recognized some signs of pregnancy. And this was definitely one of them. That and Hope's face was a little chubbier, as well as the small bump on her stomach. Also, she was having morning sickness, but Apophis did notice that she had been looking sick the last few days. It wasn't like Apophis was watching her closely. But when he did past her in the halls, he's noticed how she looks paler and had dark circles under her eyes. Silence fell over the King with the sickening speed of a guillotine.

The baby had to have been his. Sure she had a boyfriend, but had they even had sex? He was almost sure it was his, but didn't she say she was going to visit the witch those two months ago? To make sure she didn't get pregnant? What did she fucking change her mind? Oh, this was just brilliant timing! "....Get rid of it. And get rid of it quickly. I can't have the Queen of Escaflowne finding out some servant is pregnant with my child or children your kind always has kids by the bunches. She'd probably cancel the engagement between the Princes, so hurry and get rid of it." Hissed the man quietly, before gripping her up by her arm, and looking at her stomach.

If she hadn't plotted to kill him, if everything was the same as it was when they first met, he would have been thrilled. He would go out of his way to have fake documents made, stating that she came from royalty, and then he would have married her. Their child or children would have lived life as royalty, but no...She tried to kill him, so he didn't love her as dearly as he once had. So this was just a sticky mess for him. "I thought you said you would see a witch two months ago so you wouldn't have to get pregnant. This looks like a fucking pregnancy to me...Maybe it's not mine right, you have a boyfriend, correct? Yes, this...This is your lover's child, not mine." He mumbled letting her go, trying to calm himself down.
 
Hope initially didn't really know what to say. She'd only just realised her condition, and barely had enough time to even absorb the fact that she had a child, or potential children, growing inside her. She didn't plan it, and she ever would have planned to have any children whatsoever, but abortion? That... didn't seem like a viable option. Yes, they were Apophis', but she didn't have to say they were. She could say she slept with someone else, someone who wasn't Trevor. It would get Apophis off her back, at least, and she wouldn't have to undergo the traumatic experience of aborting children she didn't... want to abort.

Motherhood wasn't for her, but she wasn't going to get rid of them either. She had to suck it up and realise that she was responsible for not... taking precautions.

"Your wives suggested the witch. Funnily enough, they weren't that eager to help me out with that the moment you dropped me like a stone. They didn't want to help me out with anything then. Funny, huh?" She snapped, straightening up and trying to pull herself together with some dignity, even if she was aware how sick she looked-- and no matter how much she wanted to deny it, her small bump was becoming more obvious to her by the second. Once she noticed it, she barely was able to ignore it again.

"You weren't special to me. I was sleeping with another guy. It's his. Can't remember his name, it barely matters. It's not Trevor's. It's definitely not yours, so fuck out of my life. You wanted us to be separate and you wanted to stay out of my life. Stop involving yourself in it. My... pregnancy is nothing to do with you."
 
Apophis was honestly relieved. The tension that had kept his body rigid in that moment melted away as quickly as it came.Thankfully that thing in her wasn't his. Or least, that's what he thought. But the moment it was born, he would know. All of the children born into the Royal Drakon family had golden eyes. It was like a trademark. They all were born with the golden eyes, and no other dragon had them. So when her child would be born, it would be obvious that they would have those pretty golden eyes. But for now, she was safe and so was Apophis. "Well, congrats. I'm not raising your pay. So hopefully you can afford whatever you need with your child with the pay you get now." Stated the man in his usual cold manner. "back to the Queen of Escaflowne, her son will be here. He and Alfred will need to get along. This marriage won't work if they hate each other, so make sure they become friends." And with that, Apophis left as quickly as he came, not speaking another word of her pregnancy.

And so, the week flew by in a rush. Queen Bella and her son would be coming to the castle. Everything had to be perfect. If these two powerful Kingdoms really came together, the world would really be there's for the taken. So sure it might not be good for other countries but...In Apophis eyes? It was marvelous. The day for the Prince of Escaflowne to visit was here, and little Alfred was dreading it. He sat in his bedroom, looking down at his lap sullenly. He was dressed in a gorgeous expensive kimono, and his hair was delicately styled to perfection. He didn't want to marry some stupid stinky boy. He never met the Prince, but he was sure he'd hate him. It was as if the Heavens didn't want him and Hope to get together. Oh yes, he still had his little crush on Hope. He wasn't aware she was pregnant. Well...No one was really. Only a week went by, and it was a hectic week, so not even Trevor knew his girlfriend was pregnant. Trevor, being the sweetheart he was, would probably help raise the child...If it wasn't Apophis's. But Alfred wouldn't be as forgiving. He swore he was in love with Hope, and he already had to deal with her idiot boyfriend, but now he himself was getting married. The world was being so cruel to small Ally.

"Alfred." Seraphina, his mother, called obviously angry. "You need to go down to the ballroom. You and the Prince will be dining there, and he's almost here. Do not ruin this for me, for the Kingdom! You ungrateful child...This is your moment to make your father proud, by becoming friends with your fiance."

Alfred looked at his bedroom door. He locked himself in, but he knew he'd have to go down to the ballroom sooner or later. He rather move before his father got word of him being so immature. But could they blame him? He was ten years old, his heart was being broken because he couldn't be with Hope, and now he was going to have to marry some dumb boy.
 
That week had probably been Hope's hardest week in her living memory, without being hyperbolic in any way. She'd suffered agonising hunger cramps and, when she first moved to this kingdom, she was homeless for a little while, and that hadn't been fun at all for her. Simply put, she'd experienced hardship in her life, it really wasn't anything new-- but the past week had been one from hell.

Morning sickness wasn't something she dealt with very well, and nor was the fact that, despite only being two or three months pregnant, her body seemed to change practically overnight. She went from being able to disguise her stomach easily, or pretending like she had put on weight and laugh about losing it, to undeniably being pregnant. It horrified her, but she didn't know why she had allowed it to shock her. She was tiny compared to Apophis and his wives, so carrying his child (or children) was going to be a difficult feat for her-- and it was going to show up more on her smaller body.

All she really wanted to do was cry. Well, her first instinct was to go home and be with her parents, but that was impossible-- so she'd stayed curled up in bed most the week, taking a few days off work. She was entitled to do so, but it meant she wouldn't get paid. She needed the money, especially in her predicament... but a few coins wasn't worth getting more sick.

Now, though, she practically had to drag herself out of bed, knowing today was the day she was supposed to chaperone Alfred and his future husband-- and however ill she felt, and however anxious she was about heading outside the safety of her bedroom walls visibly pregnant, she wasn't going to let Alfred down. He was practically her son at this point. All the children were. Their mothers weren't... loving. Not like Hope was to them.

Breathing through her nose and in through her mouth in an attempt to calm herself down, she smoothed her dress down over her swollen stomach, breathlessly smiling to herself. It had taken a whole twenty minutes trying to tug the dress on, and eventually she managed it - she felt she was entitled to smile proudly a moment or two. That smugness ended when she saw Seraphina, snapping at the door she assumed Alfred was behind. All at once, her anxiety about people seeing her pregnant ended - Alfred needed her right now.

"Ally, hon? Are you in there?" She began quietly, frowning to herself. "...Come on, open up and head downstairs to meet this Prince. I'll be right alongside you-- and I'm as nervous as you are. I'm not... great at meeting royals. I get flustered. I'll probably do something dumb and you can have a giggle at me, huh?"
 
Seraphina looked at Hope shocked. Instantly, her old fears about Hope had come back. She was pregnant. But how?! It...It couldn't be Apophis child, right? He would force her to get rid of it, there was no way that whatever was in her stomach was Apophis child...Besides this little whore could have slept with anyone. Her blue eyes burned with disgust and hatred at the small rabbit hybrid before smoothing her own dress down. "....Make sure he's down there in ten minutes. He can't ruin this because he feels like being an immature, naive, selfish brat." And with that, the Queen headed off, her heels clacking against the floor all the while.

Alfred waited until his mother's steps were far enough before cracking his door open and looking at Hope. Instantly, his eyes filled with dread before he opened it more and looked at her belly. Alfred was a child sure but he's seen all of the wives pregnant. He knew what it looked like, and he knew Hope was pregnant. Grimacing at her belly, he childishly crossed his arms and looked down at the floor. "....That stupid, smelly boyfriend of yours did that to you?" Without waiting for an answer he walked out of his bedroom blinking away his tears. He was pretty emotional today, he was being forced into a marriage and now the love of his life was pregnant by another man...Okay, Hope wasn't really the love of his life, but to the child, he swore what he felt for her was real. In all actuality, he loved Hope like family, but he didn't know that.

"....I guess I should go down to the ballroom before Father finds out about how I was acting...I don't want to upset him or get him angry or anything. Just...Promise to be there the entire day? What if this stupid Prince is ugly and mean. I don't want to marry an ugly mean person. I don't want to get married yet..."
 
"Oi, my boyfriend is really smart and smells of peppermint, actually-- but no, he didn't... we didn't... he's got nothing to do with this. I'm going to be all by myself, I promise. It'll just be... me from now on, I guess. No Trevor, no boys hanging around me. Just me, you, your siblings and... the new baby. I promise. You're my baby, Ally. Practically my baby, anyway. I know you're not mine, but you may as well be. This baby isn't going to change anything. I'm still going to snuggle up with you and kiss your nose to make you giggle. I'll do that when you're 30 years old, married to that adorable Prince downstairs," she murmured, scooping his had up with a smile down at him. This wasn't what she wanted for him, either. She didn't think it was at all healthy for a child to be thrust into a life of marriage and adulthood... but she wasn't his mother, however much she wanted to be. She was just a peasant; a commoner who ought to have no opinion on how the royals lived their lives, or what they subjected their children to. She was just there to help Alfred today, and keep her opinions to herself.

"From what I heard about him, he's really nice," she began, hoping to at least calm him down before they made it downstairs. "His mother seems lovely too, for a Queen. I'm sure you'll like this boy and... your parents seem keen on this idea. Your father's already made it clear to me that I can't mess this up or I'm out of here, so... try and be good? Or I'll be fired and you won't see me. Now, you don't want that, huh?"
 
"...No, I don't." Mumble the boy, looking down at his feet as he followed. So of course now he would have to be on his best behavior. He didn't want Hope being fired, so he would have to be nice to this stupid, stinky, dumb Prince. His entire Kingdom was supposedly counting on it. Ally sighed, and tucked his dark black hair behind his ear, following his nanny to the ballroom where everyone was waiting. A table was there only for two, and the Prince had yet to arrive.

King Apophis looked at the duo, his eyes lingering on Hope's belly a bit, before looking at his son. "Great, you're here. The Prince will be here very soon. Now you remember what I told you about cat hybrids right? They love compliments and attention. So just give him your full attention and compliments. He's your fiance, so get to know him." Whispered the man, before hearing that the Queen had arrived. Straightening up, he smiled as Queen Bella came into the ballroom, his son in hand.

Bella, the gorgeous woman, held her son's hand, her dark black ears twitching a bit. "Mhmm, smells like they've made fish for us. Smells delicious right son?" She cooed to her son, before looking at Apophis and Alfred. "Ahh, King Apophis, thank you for inviting us. This is my son. Prince Innocencio. However, he likes to be called Incy for short. Introduce yourself son~" She cooed to her son.
 
Like Alfred, Innocencio had spent that whole morning trying his best to convince his mother that the whole idea was dreadful; just dreadful. However, unlike the dragon, he didn't have the luxury of locking himself in his bedroom. He had to stubbornly sit in some carriage, arms folded while his mother fussed about smoothing his hair into place so he looked as cute as he possibly could. He didn't want this at all, it wasn't something he strove for in life. He didn't want to marry; he just wanted to laze out in the sun and have a few afternoon naps.

Was that really so difficult?

But, he was a Prince and, unlike Alfred, he'd been raised with his mother's love. He knew better than to embarrass her with moody tantrums, so when he came into the ballroom and locked eyes with Alfred, he put on his best display. It was all false, of course. All the cute smiles, and adorable little bows; all the little purrs that left his mouth as he shook hands with Alfred... all it was fake. He'd just gotten great at acting over the years.

"Hello, Prince Alfred," he greeted, his head tilted a little as he observed the other child. "...Your home is delightful. I adore it ever so much. Mama says that your castle is even bigger than ours. That's super amazing!"

Untitled.png
 
Hope who? The minute Alfred laid eyes on Incy, he felt as though he fell in love. How fickle a child's heart can be. Blinking his wide golden eyes, he bowed as well. "You...You can call me Ally, it's what my brothers and sisters call me. It's nice to meet you." Smiled the Prince with soft pink cheeks.

Bella smiled, before giving her son's shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "Well, why don't you two run off and play. I believe Alfred's Nanny is showing you two around?" She grinned.

"I'm ten so I can like show you around on my own. I'm pretty mature." Mumbled the kid trying to seem like a big kid, and what not. "But...Hope's pretty cool, this is Hope, my Nanny. She's a rabbit hybrid. The only kind in our land, have you ever seen one?" He asked eagerly. "She's pretty, but like...Not as pretty as you."
 
"Oi, I'm still here, mister. But yes, the one and only rabbit hybrid--"

"I don't like rabbits. They're weird. And so small. You're almost the same height as us," the other Prince drawled, letting his false bravado immediately drop. He wasn't too worried about Alfred seeing that he wasn't a total goody-two-shoes - that was only in place to make sure his mother didn't get mad at him, and to please the other royal couple. He wasn't going to continue acting in front of another child and a nanny. As much as Hope meant to Alfred, she was just a Nanny. She didn't mean anything to anyone, as sad as that was.

"I'm not pretty. Girls are pretty. Are you saying I'm a girl?" He challenged suddenly, turning to stare at the other Prince rather harshly. "I don't think that's very nice, do you? I'd tell my Dad about you, if he was alive. He's dead. He fell and broke his neck. It was rather hilarious, if it wasn't so fatal. My mother rules alone. Your father has to rule with four wives. That's... so ridiculous. My mother's clearly a better ruler. She doesn't need four husbands."
 
Blinking a bit, he looked at his fiance and the way he changed his personality so quickly. He so wasn't that cute anymore, he was so rude! And...And...okay he was still cute, but he was so rude! "The Queens don't really rule anything here, silly. They're just for show, duh. Daddy rules alone." That much was true. The Queens were just there for show, just to show off his beautiful wives. They didn't actually have a say in anything really. "And rabbits aren't so stupid. I thought she was dumb when I first met her too, but she's pretty smart. And yes you are pretty. Just like an adorable girl." He smirked, crossing his arms.

"What are you going to tell your mom I think you're pretty. You should be honored I am willing to marry outside of my race and to think you are pretty. I mean, I am a dragon, and dragons are the strongest, and most amazing race. Everyone knows that even you, my cute kitten. Anyway, I'll show you to my clubhouse kitten, we can play there." It was odd...It was obvious Ally liked him, but he was trying to show dominance as well. Like hell would he be bossed around by this kitten. But he was so freaking cute that Ally couldn't help but be nice in hopes that Incy would return his feelings.
 
"That is... that's so unbelievably rude and arrogant and-- and I could so beat you up if I wanted to. My kind are agile and nimble and-- and I could break your nose if I wanted. You're not all that. S-Stop calling me your 'kitten'. That's offensive and rude and I dislike it immensely--"

"Okay. Okay boys, calm it down or I'm going to get in serious trouble. Both of you are cute right now, that's not disputable. When you're 16 and both strong and tough, then I won't call you cute. Until then, both of you need to hush up with all this silly bickering," tutted the rabbit as she observed both boys. The bickering was -hopefully- an indication of their growing crush on one another. When people liked one another, sometimes they argued and fought--

That's what she was doing with Apophis. Granted, she'd tried to kill him, but she was wise enough to know that her fighting with him was simply because... well, she liked him. Even after everything, she still liked him. That realisation hit her harder than she thought, shakily wiping away tears-- but she blamed the hormones. She was way too emotional in recent days. Hell, just the sight of the two boys was enough for her to pout and want to bawl over how cute they both were.

"Hey, what about a stroll in Alfred's personal sector of the garden? He has a lovely pond, I like going there with him, don't I? I just want to sit down, really. You boys need to stop bickering though--"

"But he's being a total... total... ass!" Grimaced the other Prince, folding his arms and smirking at the choice of cuss word. "I can swear because I can do what I like and not get told off. I bet if you swore, you'd be hit or yelled at by your Mother. My Mom loves me lots, she'd never yell."
 
Alfred's smile dropped at that. His mother yelled at him for breathing, so it did hurt knowing his own mother didn't really care for him. Grimacing, he crossed his arms, looking away. "...I don't care. I...I don't need my mom, because I'm a man, and I can handle myself. Real men take care of themselves. But don't worry kitten, I can take care of you too." He smirked, happy with how he was able to manipulate the situation back in his favor. "Now come on, I have a great garden~ It's really nice with a bunch of pretty flowers and stuff."

He took his fiance's hand, pulling him to walk to his part of the garden, which is where his clubhouse was located as well. "You cn climb right? Well, of course, you can. Anyway, You'll have to climb to get to my clubhouse, it's in a tree. If you have trouble, I could morph into a dragon and fly you up. I'm pretty strong, I could carry you."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back