The Ereri Project!

Prince

Petra yawns and then sneezes again. Eren wipes her nose while Levi tries to look for a book he hasn't already read to her today.

"You don't need a book Daddy," she says. "Just tell me any story."

This is day number two of her fever but it's gone down a bit since yesterday so Levi would rather not take her to the doctor unless something serious happens.

It's better that little kids get sick, he knows, it means their immune system will be better when they're older.

He just doesn't like the idea that his baby has to be hurting like this.

He sits at Petra's feet, Eren is kneeling on the floor beside her bed.

"Once upon a time," Eren begins. "A great, jovial King and a slightly hyperactive if well-meaning queen, adopted a little boy, and shortly after, a little girl who became brother and sister and were the greatest prince and princess the king and queen could have asked for."

Levi smiles. "The prince and the princess were very fond of each other, the princess was the only person who knew how uncomfortable the prince was around too many people, and the prince knew how much the princess wanted a little bit more freedom."

Eren continues. "They grew up mostly happy, with a few bumps caused by their parents' loving them so much; you see the prince had a very reserved personality and the princess just wanted to get out of the house sometimes so they didn't always like doing all of the things their parents had planned for them."

Levi adds, "When the prince grew old enough to live on his own, he and his friends began planning a trip abroad. Naturally, the princess wanted to join in as well but what the prince didn't know what that she had not received permission from the king and queen to go."

"Oh no," Petra says. "What did they do?"

"When the prince and princess came home the king and queen kicked her out so she went to live with the prince. The princess had considered going to live with her boyfriend, the prince of a neighboring kingdom, but she thought she would be comfortable with her brother instead. They were quite happy, the prince and princess, best friends in fact, so the prince was a little sad when his sister moved out a few years later."

Eren continues, "However, one day the prince was reunited with a boy he'd met as a child and they fell in love."

Levi smiles. "Everyone was happy for several years; the princess discovered she was with child and the prince married the boy."

"What does "with child" mean?" Petra asks.

"It means she found out she was going to have a baby," Eren replies.

"So what happened next?"

Levi sighs but tries to keep his spirits up. "The princess's lover died soon after the prince was married. Stricken though she was, she tried to stay happy for at least she still had her child to look forward to meeting and she had many friends to help her through such a sad time."

Levi stopped so Eren picked up for him. "Shortly before the child was to be born, there was a terrible accident and the princess was hurt. Her baby was saved, a little girl, but everyone was still very sad about the princess' passing."

"She died?" Petra asks, her voice sad. "This is not a very good story."

"Sorry hazelnut, it gets better, I promise," Levi says, ruffling her hair.

"When the prince met the baby," Eren says. "He fell in love with her right away. He knew immediately that he had to take care of that little girl since her parents couldn't. He'd been adopted as well so he knew the importance of a good family in the absence of your real one."

Levi chuckles and adds, "The prince's husband was not very happy about such an abrupt decision, of course. However, when he saw how passionate the prince was about adopting the princess baby, he couldn't say no. So the prince named the baby after the princess and they became their own happy family."

"What happened next?" Petra asks.

"Well," Eren drawls, smiling at her. "The little girl didn't have a mommy so she called her parents Daddy and Papa."

"And her Daddy always called her hazelnut but never told her why."

"And she was very sweet, even when she had a cold."

"And she wanted her hair very long like Rapunzel's."

Petra gasps, her face lighting up. "The little girl is me!"

Eren chuckles and kisses her forehead. "Was that a good enough story?"

"That was a great story!" she says, hugging her teddy bear.

Levi smiles. "Will you go to sleep now?"

"Hmm," she thinks, tapping her chin with her index finger. "One more story!"