Emily Jane sat cross legged on the balcony just outside of her bedroom, a pale crème colored balcony shade stopping the drizzling rain from touching her raven colored hair. Her elbows were pressed against her knees and her head rested in her palms. She puffed up her cheeks like a chipmunk then breathed out and groaned. Emily Jane wanted to go outside and play but her mother, of course, insisted she stay inside because it was raining and she didn't want her to get sick. Making the groaning noise again, the six year old flopped onto her back, her limbs spread out; causing her pink bow to be lopsided and her new pretty pink dress to wrinkle.

"Emily Jane, get up and stop moping about. If you're so bored you can help me with the chores"

Emily's eyes flickered upwards, tilting her head back just a few inches, seeing her mother, the Lady Pitchiner, looking down at her. She crossed her arms and pouted, making a frustrated sound, clearly not liking the idea of helping her mother wash dishes and clean the mansion. Lady Pitchiner folded her arms and made the sound back at her daughter, which upset her a bit, causing her to make it back, just louder. Lady Pitchiner sighed, but a timer went off downstairs. She had to rush to go check on the pie she was making; she left Emily to her moping.

Once her mother was gone, she rolled onto her stomach, getting her new dress dirty, since she was still just lying there on the balcony. She kicked her legs and banged her tiny fists on the ground in frustration. She froze after hearing a bigger voice, and slowly looked up.

"Seraphina Emily Jane Pitchiner, get up and stop acting like a baby. You're a big girl now. Act like it."

Emily Jane blinked, staying silent for a moment before slowly pulling herself off of the ground. She was a daddy's girl who would never disobey him; especially since he was rarely home because of his job as a General. She walked back into her room and hit her head against the wall, her father trailing close behind her, shutting the double doors to her balcony once they were inside.

"There's nothing to do! I wanna go play outside!"

"Well you can't. It's pouring out there and we don't need you sick. There are plenty of things you can do indoors, butterfly."

Emily Jane removed herself from the wall and turned around; giving her father a look that said that she didn't believe there was anything to do indoors. But unlike with her mother, she did not throw a fit, and instead tried to stand up straight and act like a big girl. She was daddy's big girl.

"But I wanna play pretend! The animals always play with me."

"You can play pretend indoors, butterfly. I'll even play with you."

Emily Jane's eyes lit up like fireworks when her daddy said that he would play with her. She grew very excited and she started bouncing around squealing 'yay'. She clapped her hands together and beamed up at him.

"Let's play rescue the princess!"

Kozmotis nodded enthusiastically. He wasn't surprised that his daughter wanted to do something along those lines. He grabbed some pillows so that he could build a fort to be the castle for her.

"Alright your highness, I shall build you a castle."

"Nooo! You are the princess! I'M the soldier!"

Emily Jane stomped her foot and folded her arms. Kozmotis dropped the pillows he was holding to make the fort and just stared at her for a moment. Wait, she didn't want to be the princess? That was unexpected. She wanted to be...? He couldn't help but smile a bit. She wanted to be just like him, brave warrior like he was; a General of the Golden Army. That made him proud. At least through pretend she wouldn't get hurt.

He smiled at her then, and she ran to her closet and pulled out a pretty crystal tiara that she had gotten as a birthday gift. She handed it to her father and he placed it on his head. She pulled him to sit on the bed and she ran into her mother's room and got her makeup, so she could do her father's. Kozmotis knew perhaps his wife wouldn't be so happy about her getting into her makeup, but if it kept Emily Jane from throwing a fit, perhaps she'd appreciate it.

"How about blue and silver? Pink really isn't my color."

"Nooo! Princesses wear pink!"

"Alright, alright. You're the expert."

Kozmotis sat still has his daughter did his makeup. He tried not to laugh at how ridiculous he was going to look. Especially since at six years old, Emily Jane had no idea how to apply makeup. She clapped excitedly when she was done and pulled on her father's hand so he would stand back up. She pulled him over to the spot where Kozmotis had originally been building a castle out of pillows. He sat down on the chair that was placed there.

"You stay here. There are scary shadows guarding you. I'll be the soldier who saves you!"

Kozmotis simply nodded, knowing that by shadows she meant fearlings. Thankfully he had managed to keep most of them far away from the Pitchiner Mansion so she hadn't actually seen one up close. But she had seen things in the shadows which he took care of. Emily Jane skipped over to the other side of the room and picked up a few dolls, setting them up along the way back to her father. She went back and grabbed her toy sword and stood on top of her toy chest.

"Fear not princess! I will save you!"

"Oh thank heavens! A brave soldier will save me! Protect me from these shadows!"

Emily Jane giggled because her father was using his best falsetto to talk to her. She jumped off her toy chest and started swinging her sword around the room, knocking down the dolls she had set up to represent the shadows. Kozmotis watched her, noticing that she was trying out some of the techniques that she had seen him practice. Obviously they weren't executed nicely, but the fact she was trying impressed him. She finally reached him, knocking down the last doll and flung her arms around him, tossing the sword to the side.

"Yay! I did it! You're save now, princess."

"Good job, noble soldier! I must repay you…with kisses!"

Within moments of talking, Kozmotis snuggled his daughter and kissed her cheek and the top of her head as she squirmed and giggled in his arms. Pink lipstick stained her pudgy little cheeks. Just then there was a knock at the bedroom door and it opened to reveal Lady Pitchiner. She put a hand to her mouth, looking at the two. She tried not to laugh, instead just grinning. She shook her head and Emily Jane waved to her, Kozmotis offered a half wave.

"Well, I just wanted to inform you two the pie is ready if you want a slice."

As soon as Lady Pitchiner said the pie was ready, Emily Jane jumped out of her father's arms and dashed down the stairs screaming about pie being ready. Kozmotis chuckled and shook his head, standing back up. He smiled at his wife who was still looking at him curiously.

"Yes?"

Lady Pitchiner finally laughed.

"Pink is not really your color."

"Ah, yes but…"

Kozmotis smirked and planted a kiss on his wife's cheek, staining hers pink as well.

"Princesses wear pink."

He winked at her, adjusting his tiara on his head and swiftly walked out the bedroom door to join his daughter for a slice of pie.