Aftermath (A series of ELOD one-shots)

XXXVI. Sister Nanny

The little princess of Taichen Palace, from a third person POV.

OC warning (of sorts). Also, a peek into the "second honeymoon" that DH and FJ were speaking of in Chapter 26.

A/N: So I was working on a spin-off from Back to Chaos (something angsty, because I live for that, lol), when this not-so-little one-shot reared its head while I'm in the midst of a particularly bad writer's block. Lo and behold, this piece was born.

Hope you enjoy!

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The first time Hudie saw the little girl, it was in the heart of the capital city, amidst the crowd of people waiting to watch the performance of her elder sister's dance troupe.

She was but a youngling -- six or seven years younger than Hudie's ten-- but her tiny face held the promise of beauty that could ruin kingdoms. There was a glimmer of something mischievous in her dark, almond-shaped eyes, and her small body held an abundance of interminable energy that manifested in every skipped step she took. Her silken robes, pink and purple and embellished with hand-embroidered peonies, spoke of wealth and nobility, as did the cute jade hairpins that adorned the two buns piled on each side of her head.

Hudie, from her perch atop a nearby tree, watched as the little girl scampered between the legs of the adults crowding about, attempting to catch a glimpse of the performance on stage. Taking pity on the little creature (and a little bit worried that she might get trampled on), she waited until the girl was beneath the tree she was on and called out, "over here!"

The girl looked up, and Hudie was gifted with a smile that could have melted tundras with its warmth. Without ado, the little ball of sunshine gathered her skirts around her and scampered up the tree with the grace of someone who had been taught to do it from the day she could walk.

"Thank you, jiejie!" the girl piped in her tiny little voice, as she settled on a branch beside where Hudie sat. "Wow! This is the best seat in the house!"

It should be; Hudie had scanned the entire area for a day and a half before their dance troupe's performance, and especially chose this spot so that she won't be in the way of the performers yet still able to see and learn everything as her elder sister told her to. "Indeed it is. Is this your first time to see a Scarf Dance*?"

To Hudie's surprise, the girl shook her head. "I saw mother do it once, but she didn't get to finish it because father's qin broke midway and they have to go fix it."

"Are your parents performers, too?"

"No, silly!" The little girl looked offended. "Mother said dancing in public is unbecoming of a monarch."

A monarch? Is this girl of royal blood? Hudie had many questions, but she was beginning to like this little girl and didn't want to annoy her, so she let the topic go and asked instead, "Okay. But how come you're here by yourself? Did you get separated with your nanny?"

"I came with my gege, but he was being too slow so I left him behind." Then, with a curiosity typical of children, the girl asked in return, "what is a nanny?"