The Switch

Nursemaid

*Raina's P.O.V*

The King led me to the front of the store, holding my hand the entire time. I noticed that a lot of people were giving us odd looks but I tried to brush them off. I kept my head bowed down, not wanting to look anyone in the eye. The King pulled me closer, clearly trying to shield me from the prying eyes of the people.

I was slightly surprised at how protective he was of me. It was much different than what I was used to although I was not really used to any of this. "Are you alright princess?" the King asked, catching my attention. I realized that he had used princess as a nickname which I imagined could get a little confusing.

"Yeah, I just do not like being stared at by everyone," I said as I shrugged my shoulders slightly. He nodded his head as we finally reached the front of the store. I did not think it was supposed to take so long to get to the front but I imagined I had just gotten lost in my thoughts. The guards, clad in their shiny metal armor, stood around the Queen who had her eyes trained on me. I regretted looking up simply because she did not look pleased.

"Your majesty," one of the guards greeted, his voice having a gravely sound to it. I huddled closer to the King, finding the guard's voice to be unnerving to me for some reason. The King let go of my hand and I was surprised at the feeling of disappointment that filled me. I suppressed it and went to the Queen's side, the King having stopped to talk to the guard. I looked up at the Queen who still looked upset. I did not really care if she was upset as I just wanted her to hold my hand.

She cupped my face gently, her hand touching the tear streaks I imagined were still on my face. "Why were you crying?" she questioned as she crouched down to get to my level.

"The owners of this place were mean to me," I whispered as I looked away, surprised that she had not started scolding me yet. I knew she was not happy with me running off and I could understand that. The Queen frowned deeply, her eyes seeming to darken with anger. I squirmed slightly out of fear, having heard of the Queen's temperament from Anastasia.

"Good to know," the Queen nodded as she stopped cupping my face and let her hands return to her sides, straightening up. I frowned as I reached for the Queen's hand, keeping my eyes trained on the Queen's face. My frown deepened when she didn't immediately grab my hand. I grabbed her hand, making her look down at me with surprise. I smiled nervously up at her as I interlaced our fingers. She smiled back as she squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"Are you ready to go dear?" the King asked as he went to the Queen's other side and interlocked their arms together. I pressed closer to the Queen's side, peeking around her to look at the King. He smiled at me, earning a soft smile from me.

"Yes, I am. I hope to never return to this place after finding out how they treated my daughter," the Queen said loud enough for several people around us to hear. "Let us go darling," she cooed to me, making me blush slightly.

"Why do you get to hold her hand? She clearly would rather be with her papa," the King stated. I giggled softly as the Queen looked down at me.

"Is that true? Would you rather be with your papa?" she asked me. I looked away, not wanting to answer in case it made either of them upset. "She gave no answer so there is no way of you knowing who she would rather be with," she stated.

"She just did not answer because she did not want to hurt your feelings, my love," the King stated. I tried to get closer to the Queen, her hoop skirt managing to still keep us a good distance apart. A sudden thought occurred to me and I tugged on the Queen's hand to get her attention. She turned her attention to me with a small smile.

"Are you mad at me mama?" I questioned as I frowned slightly, not noticing her eyes seemed to soften at the name I called her. "For leaving the castle?" I added after a second of thought.

"No, I am not angry with you. I am disappointed with your actions since you know that you should not leave the castle without an escort," the Queen informed me, making me look down with a small frown. "I realize that may be a fault on my part as if you still had a governess than you would not have been allowed to leave your room until you were deemed better," she stated.

"So does that mean I am getting a governess?" I questioned as I looked up at her. I was not excited at the prospect of having a governess but I figured I could put up with one for a little while.

"No, I will not be hiring a governess," the Queen said. "I will however be hiring a nursemaid to keep an eye on you," she informed me. I stopped walking as I stared at her with wide eyes. She paused walking to look back at me which meant that both the King and the guards had stopped walking as well.

"I am too old for a nursemaid," I said, making her raise an eyebrow. "Girls my age are getting married and you want me to have a nursemaid," I pointed out with a frown. I felt a flair of embarrassment as people around us could hear our conversation which meant that they knew that I was going to get a nursemaid.

"It was not a matter for discussion. It was a decision both your mother and I made before we even left the castle to retrieve you," the King informed me. I frowned at him as I pulled my hand out of the Queen's hold. "Anastasia, you may not like the fact you will be getting a nursemaid but there is nothing you can say or do to change our minds," he warned me.

"I am too old for a nursemaid," I argued as I furrowed my eyebrows in frustration. "It is not fair that for one mistake that I have to have a nursemaid," I said.

"Anastasia, enough of this. You will be getting a nursemaid regardless of how much you argue," the Queen said. She held her hand out to me and I glared at it, stepping away from her and closer to the guard. I ignored the hurt look on her face as I glared at the ground, following behind them as I sulked.

In case you didn't know a nursemaid is basically a nanny.