New York Royalty

By: PrinceOfNewYork

Chapter Four: I Want To Help

Summary: In the world people are viewed in several different ways. Some are leaders, some are followers, some are somewhere in the middle, and some just get power through possessions. The concept of royalty can take on more than just one form.

Disclaimer: Most of these guys are mine, except for the few that ain't. And, if ya don't know which ones those are then you better go watch Newsies again.

A/N: Alright, this is my first shot at a Newsie fic, but I've been messin' with this character for over a year now, and it's about time she had her story put down (before I completely forget it all!) Thanks a bunch to all of ya who read this! I'm updating it today because I'm going to be gone on Friday, and I figured it would just work easier if I did it today instead. (Though... I could have done it thursday, but... I wanted to do it today, and a friend convinced me. .) I'm really proud of this chapter, I hope you like it! Remember that little button on the lower left hand side of the screen is there for a reason! Just kidding! Enjoy!

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After that night it became a basic schedule for Nigel to leave on Sunday after church and not come home until Saturday evening. Amanda said nothing about it during the week, and the Princess didn't address the issue either. Both of them were quiet, but tried to go on as though life wasn't strange or different at all. But everything would go haywire on Saturdays.

Saturday was the day that Amanda would rant and rave nearly all day long about Nigel not coming home all week. But only the cook: Julia, or the carriage driver: Adam would be around to listen because the Princess would spend the whole day up in her room. Eventually Julia would bring her meals up to her so the poor child didn't starve. She wouldn't come out all day. This was partly because she didn't want to listen to her mother, partly because she didn't want to see them fighting which became routine after dinner. The young Princess hated Saturday, which was unfortunately today.

It was the second Saturday in June, 1896. The young Princess absolutely refused to come out of her room. Especially since her mother was trying to convince her to come out. Though Amanda Snyder was still a very gentle woman she knew that once her father arrived she wouldn't appear gentle anymore.

"Come along Princess, please come out," Amanda said sitting next to her daughter on the bed.

"No," she said refusing again, holding a pillow hostage in her arms. "I'm not coming out, I'm staying here."

"Why do you shut yourself up in here?" Amanda asked.

"Because every time father comes you fight, and yell, and scream, and I won't listen to it anymore," she said angrily.

Amanda knew this was true, which is why she had no come back for her daughter. "Then… just come out for the afternoon? You know as well as I do your father won't be home until evening."

The young Princess had no reason to protest, or say anything against it. Her mother spoke the truth. "Alright, but just for a little while," she agreed.

"Wonderful," Amanda said smiling. Mrs. Snyder stood and so did the Princess. Amanda took the pillow from her daughter's arms, and placed it back on the bed. The two of them walked down the stairs, and into the kitchen. They sent Julia, the cook, away for a few minutes. They were going to bake some cookies, and have some fun together for a change, instead of the usual dread of Saturday.

The Princess and Amanda must have cooked every last cookie, browned every last brownie, and frosted every last cake they could have made. They spent the entire day in the kitchen, and had a wonderful time. By the time they had finished they were both covered in flour, had sugar in their hair, and there was cocoa all over the floor. It was a mess, but they didn't care, because they'd had a great time.

Their fun was interrupted when Julia came back into the kitchen. "Mrs. Snyder, I would like to tell you that your husband has come home." He was home earlier than expected. The young Princess' face fell, and Amanda's stiffened instantly.All her fun, and the conversation she'd had with her daughter earlier that day forgotten, as though they had never happened.

"Thank you Julia," she said coldly. "I'll go and speak with him. Would you get started on dinner please?"

Julia looked around at the absolute mess her kitchen was in and nodded in dismay to Mrs. Snyder. She walked over to a closet to get a broom. The young Princess walked up to her. "Would you like some help?" she asked. She'd never really cleaned before. Her mother and Julia did most of the cleaning, and she was in charge of keeping her toys off the floor of her room. But a broom and dustpan was a foreign concept to her.

Julia looked at the young Princess in shock. "Thank you Miss Snyder, but I think I can manage."

"But…" the Princess said, "I want to help. Please?" she said before glancing at the door. Knowing her parents, she would hear screams and shouts in a mere minute.

"Well, if you would like to help, who am I to turn down an able bodied girl such as yourself?" she said with a smile. "Take a broom from the closet Miss Snyder, then start over there and sweep towards the center of the room."

The young Princess ran over to the closet and flung it open. She grabbed a broom and ran over to the other side of the room. She put the broom on the floor and quickly swished it back and forth causing the cocoa and flour and sugar to go everywhere. "Pardon me, miss?" Julia said, "If I may demonstrate?" The young Princess nodded, and Julia showed her how to sweep properly. After this the Princess still struggled a little, but it wasn't all that bad. She was rather proud of herself.

In the midst of all her joy came the shouts from the living room. Julia looked at her new helper. "If you'd like you can stay in here and watch me cook dinner."

The young Princess shook her head no at this and said, "No, thank you, but I'm going to go back to my room," she said bravely as though she were going into a battle where certain death was unavoidable. But, in her mind, that was nearly what she was doing. The Princess took a deep breath and opened the door to the kitchen and into the living room.

"It's not my fault that we had things coming in last minute."

"Things have been coming in last minute for weeks now!"

"I've told you before, I'm sorry I haven't been able to be around, but it's because…"

"Stop it…" the young Princess said quietly. She didn't call out to them. She didn't cry for their attention, she said it angrily, and in a low tone. If her parents heard her at all it would have been a miracle.

"You missed our daughter in her class play! You've missed so many of the things she's done because work has gotten so busy…"

"Stop it…" the Princess said in the same tone, but slightly louder this time.

"You're missing her growing up! She only grows up once."

"I KNOW THIS AMANDA!"

"THEN SHOW SOME COMPASSION!"

"GODDAMIT WOMAN IF I COULD BE HERE I WOULD!"

"STOP IT!" the Princess screamed at her parents, which caused both of them to take notice.

Amanda's features softened a bit. "Princess, why don't you go up to your room while your father and I talk?"

"No, I want you to stop fighting," she insisted.

"See what you're doing to our family, to your own daughter?" Amanda said trying to pin this all on her husband.

He rolled his eyes at his wife's statement. Seeing it not as his fault, but more hers, simply because she was around more often, it was her fault. "I do not have time for this," he said as he tried to walk away.

Amanda stopped him "No, you don't have time for us anymore do you? Where are you going? I suppose there are more criminals on the loose? Have you caught that Mr. Derek Sullivan yet?"

"As a matter of fact, we have."

"And?"

"And he's in jail, probably for life. We had to put his son in the refuge."

Amanda stood in shock. "Listen to yourself Nigel! Criminals are spending more time with their families than you are! Doesn't that sound wrong?"

"What are you implying here?"

"I'm implying… no, no I'm going to flat out say it. You are no better than a criminal!"

"Do NOT push me tonight Amanda."

"In fact, you're worse than a criminal! YOUR DOWN RIGHT INSANE!"

The Princess looked away as her father's fist collided with her mother's face this time instead of her own. She'd finally pushed him to his breaking point; he finally hit her, like he had the young Princess the one time before.

Amanda turned to look at her husband, a hand over her eye where he had hit her. She looked at him in disgust before turning on her heel and marching towards their room.

The young Princess watched her mother go, and then looked at her father. He looked at his hand in shock, almost as though it had done it on its own. Nigel Snyder then turned away from his daughter and went into the dinning room to sit at the table.

The young Princess guessed there wasn't going to be any dinner. Her emotions were numb. She silently walked up the stairs, and went into her room. She got herself ready for bed, turned off the light and lay down.

Much to her surprise her mother entered the room not long after. "Shall we say our prayers?" There was a waver in her mother's voice that made it near apparent that she had been crying.

The Princess sat up in her bed, and pressed her hands together, as did her mother. She said her usual prayer, "Bless mama, and papa, and all the people who help papa keep New York safe." She then continued praying for everyone she could think of. "And make papa come home more, and make mama not get so mad. And bless Julia for being such a nice lady, and a good cook. And bless Adam, the man who drives the carriage. And bless me, and bless all my friends at school. And bless the newsies, and their families, if they have any. And bless Mr. Sullivan, and keep him safe, and bless his son, and help become a really important person so that my papa will be wrong one day about how children always grow up to be like their parents, because I'm not going to be like that!" Somewhere it stopped being a prayer, and more of an angry show of emotion. The room was silent for a long time after that. Both of the females innear tears as neither one of them moved."Amen," she said finally.

"Now, it's time for young Princesses to go to bed." Amanda said with a smile as she tucked her daughter in. She leaned over and kissed the girl on her forehead. "Good night Princess, sleep well." With that Mrs. Snyder turned away from her daughter, and closed the door behind her.

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