The royal baby

Bonding

*Allison's P.O.V*

I was still kind of numb from the nightmare when I feel the queen take my hand, leading me out of the lounging room. I automatically cling to her, not wanting to get lost in the big castle. I wonder where we are going but I don't really feel comfortable enough to ask.

"You're such a sweet girl," Annabelle murmurs. I blush darkly as I whine in protest at the sudden and unexpected compliment. "Oh don't get fussy now," she says softly as she squeezes my hand reassuringly.

This felt so..so different from what I was used to. I was used to being short, I was fine with that but they made me feel small. It almost felt like I needed their assurance and praise, craved it actually. I knew I didn't need it to survive but I wanted it more than anything.

Every time they could have yelled at me they didn't. Every time I thought they'd be mad, they weren't. They were so sincere and understanding and it was strange. The idea of being a regressor, their regressor, made my heart flutter. I hadn't felt this safe in almost all of my life.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Annabelle asks as she cups my face, drawing me out of my thoughts. I shake my head, stepping closer so that I can hide my face by tilting my head down. She steps back so that she can see my face. "There's your pretty little face," she coos, making me blush.

"No," I whine softly as I tried to hide my face again, huffing when she blocks me from doing so. I didn't know why I was feeling like this but I couldn't stop it now. She just makes me feel so safe, more safe than I had ever felt before.

"Is Annabelle being mean to you?" Maxon asks. I jump, surprised to see him walking behind us. I simply nod my head, earning a chuckle when I nod my head.

"No laughin'," I murmur shyly as I decide that since the queen wasn't going to let me hide against her, I'd hide my face with my hands. I cover my face whining when either of them tried to move my hands away. I may have had to give up holding Annabelle's hand, I can still press Dusk against my face for comfort. Annabelle ends up grabbing my uninjured elbow and leading me after her.

"Little missy, look. It's time to color," Annabelle hums softly, making me lower my hands. I am surprised to see that the room was definitely modeled to be a playroom that a child would have. The room has light purple walls and has white trim along the edge.

In the corner was a pile of stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes. Along the wall was a toy box that was probably full of toys, judging by the fact the lid was lifted up slightly. There was even a bed that was shaped into a castle with a ladder to get up to the top. Close to the door was a small table that was close to the ground full of coloring books.

I squirm to get away from Annabelle, noticing Annabelle's reluctancy to let me run off on my own. I smile when she lets me go and I head to the coloring books. "We should play the question game," I say as I sit down.

"Alright. How about you start?" Annabelle suggests, making me nod as I look through a coloring book. There were a lot of pictures in there that I could color in.

"Favorite color?" I ask as I pick out a puppy picture and open a box of crayons, picking out a green to color the grass.

"Hmm I'd have to say I'm partial to a nice silver," Annabelle replies. "What's your favorite color?" She asks.

"I like blue and purple," I shrug as I concentrate on coloring. There was no way I was going to color out of the lines, no way at all. I hadn't noticed but my tongue was peeking out of the corner of my mouth as I focused.

"Those are pretty colors," Annabelle says as she watches me color. "What's your full name?" She asks. I freeze for a second before going back to coloring.

"Allison Lee Swan," I say softly, ignoring how bitter the name feels on my tongue. "What's yours?" I ask looking up.

"Annabelle Rae Rinehart Capell, formerly Annabelle Rae Rinehart Holfin," she states.

"That's a long name," I murmur as I glance up at her. "What's your favorite animal?" I ask.

"Yes it is," she chuckles as she reaches over and rubs my back. "I'd have to say a horse. What's yours?" She asks softly.

"Dog. Horses scare me," I state as I look down at my lap.

"Can I tell you a secret?" She questions. I nod my head. "They used to scare me too for a long, long time," she informs me.

"Really?" I ask suspiciously as I study her face, looking for any sign of her lying.

"Really," she smiles down at me as she kisses my forehead. "Now though, I love them. Maybe I could introduce you to some one day," she offers.

"Maybe," I agreed reluctantly, not wanting to outright reject her offer right away. "As long as you promise to stay real close," I add, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"I pinkie promise," she says, holding her pinkie out. I hesitantly nod my head as I link our pinkies together

"So..why are you scary to a lot of people? You're really nice," I ask softly as I lean into her. Her perfume smells nice and she was very comfortable to lay against.

"Because I need to be scary for my job," she states as she pulls me onto her lap gently. I hum in thought as I rest my head on her shoulder.

"Why?" I question softly as I tilt my head.

"Because I just need to be scary," she murmurs as she traces light circles on my stomach when I lean against her fully. I certainly don't mind and sink down into her hold, resting my head on her chest. I smile softly as I lay there, listening to her heartbeat. It was so soothing, the rhythm and flow of it staying the same. I felt something inside of my mind crack a little allowing me to enjoy this once in a lifetime moment.