Daddy's Home

Pepper was a very intelligent little girl. Her mama always said so, as had the guards outside the room, ordered to not let Daddy in. They had no such orders against letting her out, however. In fact, Mama had said that she could wander, as long as at least two of the guards went with her, and she was back in bed by the end of the night.

Finding that running was faster - and much easier to do since you didn't have to worry about the whole balance thing - Pepper streaked down the hallway, a happy giggle following behind her. She fell silent as she got to the steps, wobbling to a stop and sitting on the topmost step. There, she bumped her way down each step, stopping only on the bottom most one. Her guards followed at a comfortable distance, but she didn't mind. She knew where she was going.

The throne room was the only room in the palace - not counting her own and her mother's - that she knew how to get to from anywhere. Running along the carpet, she wobbled into the door before she could stop herself, most surprised when she found it closed. Falling back onto her bottom, Pepper gave an indignant huff, completely missing the amused chuckle from her guards. Placing her feet beneath her took a few moments and a bit of maneuvering, but soon she was upright again, standing on lacy socks and glaring up at the door. How dare they close the door to her favorite room?

Placing both hands on the door, she pushed, using all the strength in her little body to do so. Her socks slipped over smooth stone, and she was so focused on her task that the slipping forward of her headguard and the slight added pressure to the door as the door swung open under her palms. Stumbling forward, she paused slightly, eyes sweeping the dark interior of the familiar room. Silently her guards flanked her and faded into the shadows, but she took no notice of them once more.

"Appa?" She called, her young voice more like a squeal than an actual word. "Appa?"

Spoiler:

Everything was sore. He had tried sleeping on his throne to maintain at least some of his dignity but after having slept on mattresses that were both soft and supportive it was hard to get comfortable in the throne, no matter how wide or spacious it was. It was almost as bad as falling asleep in his office at the school and that was what had landed him in this mess in the first place. Between political affairs and running the school it was hard just to make time for the one thing that mattered most. His family. He could have just slept in his rooms at the school but he wanted to be close if Pepper or Theran needed him. Though they were more likely to want their mother than him.

After trying and failing to fall asleep in the throne he had eventually moved to the lowered area in the middle of the room, where children that got wished away were kept safely and happily while they were tried to be won back. Sprawled on his back sleeping restlessly among the strewn blankets, pillows, and the occasional stuffed toy, Basil sat up with a muffled moan of confusion as he heard the door open.

"Who's there," he mumbled just before the voice of his daughter reached his ears. Merlin, he never realized she was that loud before, especially to his sleep hindered hearing.

Moving to the edge of the pit the Goblin King rested his chin on the cold stone, arms crossed in front of his face. "I'm right here, princess. Why aren't you in bed with your hippogryff stuffie, sweetie pie? It's past beddy time."

"Appa!" Her beeline for the throne stopped at his voice, detoured to the little nest for the other children. Stooping low, the small blond child smiled widely at her father, quite happy to see him. She had not seen him much lately, because he had been away and at work. Blinking down at him she made a face, displeased to find him in the bed-pit without her.

"Appa sweep no." She said quite decidedly. "Purr and Ear-Ran ad Addy. Amma ad." Moving again, she carefully maneuvered herself to sit on the floor, scooting forward on her bottom to put her legs over the side. "Purr sweep ere." Raising her arms to be picked up, the princess nodded. "Purr n Appa sweep ere."

Having realized that she had not grabbed her very best stuffed friend, Pepper's face crumpled, a small whine growing in her throat. "Andy." She whined. "Andy ishin Ear-Ran rib." She informed him quite miserably. "Weft 'im."

Smiling tenderly at his baby girl and her declaration Basil picked her up off the side of the pit and brought her to his broad chest, poking her little belly. "So long as mama doesn't mind you can sleep here, my angel. We'll keep each other nice and warm."

"Oh dear. Did you leave Andy with Theran. Well we have to fix that, don't we." Lifting his left hand the King made an almost beckoning motion and within two minutes a stuffed hippogryff was flying through the air and straight to Pepper's arms.

"There we go, sweetie. Now you, me, and Andy can all sleep together." With a practiced flick of his wrist Basil conjured some more warm blankets and made both him and Pepper a sort of nest in the pit. "What else do we need for sleepy time, princess?"

There was absolutely no other place the little girl could think of that she liked as much as her daddy's arms. Wrapping her small arms around his neck, she gurgled and squealed quite happily, expressing just how good this all was for her. Snuggling into his chest, she nodded, bright blue eyes following her father's summons.

After a moment, she gave a happy "Andy!" and caught the flying toy in her arms. Snuggling it to her chest, she smiled up at her daddy, eyes - just like one of his - sparkling. "Ankoo Appa."

Sticking one of the hippogriff's wings in her mouth, she nommed on it, looking around the throne room as she did so. Pausing, she blinked up at Basi, smiling happily. "Wrice cweem." She decided happily. "Wrice cweem!"

"You're welcome, angel," Basil rumbled running a hand through her silken hair. He never could bear to see her upset. She was his little princess and he loved her more than anything.

He kissed her forehead and looked at her with an arched eyebrow. "Ice cream before bed? I don't know if mommy would like that." Catching site of her smile he felt himself melt and give in.

"Very well then," he chuckled. "Just this one time." In a twinkling he had them from the pit to the kitchen, a small coating of gold dust covering the blankets in the pit.

Stepping up to the freezer with Pepper on his hip the King bounced her gently up and down, opening the waist high deep freezer with his free hand. "So what shall we have, my pretty girl?"

Holding the hippogriff to her chest, Pepper clapped at their reappearance in the kitchen, it now being her favorite way to travel. There was a pause, and then she was gone from Basi's arms, now sitting on the kitchen table. A giggle, and she was gone again, sitting on the freezer. "Appa!" She cried happily, holding Andy up to her mouth and laughing. Clapping her hands again, she was gone once more, but this time she did not reappear.

Nothing but a smattering of glitter was left on the table, on the fridge, and in her father's arms.

Minutes ticked by, and then she reappeared once more, mouth covered in vanilla ice cream, sound asleep in the pit her father promised they could sleep in.

His eyes flickered to each place as his daughter disappeared and reappeared. It seemed like his job as a parent had just gotten that much more difficult. She did seem happy though as she appeared and disappeared, calling his name in happiness, and if there was anything Basil wanted most it was for his family to be happy.

He blinked as he realized his daughter had not reappeared. Shutting the freezer he began to look around the room, calling her name softly. "Pepper. Where'd you go, angel?" All he could find was the gold glitter of where she had been.

Growing slightly worried the King thought of all the places she might have gone off to. His first thought was her and Theran's chambers with their cribs. He appeared there without a second thought and looked around, gently smoothing back the hair on his son's sleeping head tenderly and fading away when he could not find Pepper.

His second thought was his and Etta's room but apparently he was forbidden from even approaching his own room. It was then that he recalled what Pepper had said. They were going to sleep together in the throne room. Basil smiled gently as he appeared back in the pit and took in the sight of his slumbering baby girl. Wiping the ice cream from her face gently with a conjured cloth he wrapped his arms around her and held her to his chest as he stretched out in the little nest of blankets.

"Good night, little princess," he murmured draping a blanket over the both of them and closing his eyes with a soft smile on his face.