ROYAL ⥇ N. ROMANOFF

1.9

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

"The Princess wants to learn the language of the 'criminals from those James Bond movies?'"

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The Barton Family Ranch was familiar, the fields that seemed to stretch for miles reminding her of the fields back home. But instead of hundreds of workers milling around and getting work done, there was no one but the Avengers and the Barton family, who were all-too welcoming of strangers in their home.

Once they had touched down, Clint had brought them all inside to meet his secret family. His kids, two small ones that couldn't have been older than ten, rushed to meet him as his pregnant wife waddled behind them. Eloise could feel the love between them as they all clamored for Clint's attention and despite there only being four of them, this family felt as big as hers was.

Eloise was shown a shower as soon as they finally settled down, Natasha explaining that this was her room when she stayed with them. Peter had gone off elsewhere in the house, leaving the two alone.

The hot water felt nice on her skin, washing away any and all grime that he settled on her skin from their day. When she stepped out, Natasha handed her some clothes that were probably hers before disappearing to take a shower herself.

Now, the two found themselves sitting in silence as their thoughts consumed them. It was nice, to be able to just sit around another person without the expectation of a conversation. Eloise loved Peter but he never could really just shut up. Words always seemed to be on the tip of that man's tongue and while she understood his worries, she didn't want to have to be the one to put them to rest.

But when Natasha and she finally did come around to talking, it was about anything but the horrifying visions Wanda had made them see.

"You didn't actually climb the tree in your dressing gown, did you?" Natasha asked with light amusement dancing across her features. "I mean, you would have been more modest as a royal, wouldn't you have?"

Eloise chuckled as she relaxed into the pillows on the bed. "You would have thought so but I was stupid and impressionable. My sister wanted to make a fool of me so what better way was there than to tell me that a mythical tree lived atop the willow in our yard?"

"Your sister seems terrible."

"She was," Eloise hummed thoughtfully, "but I would not trade her or any of the others for anything."

Natasha looked deep in thought before shifting so that she was more comfortable on the bed. "You miss them, don't you?"

"I do," Eloise nodded. "I miss them a lot but the bad outweighs the good, I'm afraid. It is what it is."

"You do that a lot."

"Do what?"

"Switch to Konstantinian when you talk," Natasha elaborated. "I mean I get it, Russian was my first language but never have I felt compelled to switch mid-conversation."

"Maybe it's because Russian is an ugly language," Eloise teased. "Konstantinian is more sophisticated. Our language was borrowed from the Greeks with French roots that go back centuries while yours reminds people of the criminals from those James Bond movies."

Natasha moved to sit up, her position on the bed now closer to where Eloise sat. She crossed her legs before perching her elbows on her knees. "Will you teach me? Kontantinian, that is."