Disclaimer: I do not own House of Anubis, Cinder or the show Once Upon a Time. If I did, would I really be writing this?

"W-What?" And just like that the famous stutter that the Rutter's are known for came into play. Dexter's heart immediately sunk. He shook his head in disbelief. It couldn't be true, it just can't. He didn't want to believe it. He refused to believe it.

He knew it was true.

Before Fabian could even get another word out, Dexter dashed out of the room. Not sure where he was going, the fourteen year old just ran and ran. Guards tried to stop him and Androids blocked all passageways out of the castle. This didn't stop Dexter, but made him angrier. He tried to force himself through the androids but the titanium made this hard, he was a pretty small guy and wasn't at all very athletic. Clumsy actually. Both he and Fabian seemed not to get the gene that makes them strong or brave. Somehow they ended up dorky and awkward instead.

Somehow he managed to escape, leaving castle grounds he found himself wondering the streets of New London. Roads were full of hovers and buildings were cramped together. The beauty that was once London had disappeared after the fourth world war. Very few historical sights remained while others gone forever. People walking wore masks. With the plague just hitting England, people took extra precautions. Not to mention the population levels, with all the bombs set free during the third world war its shocking how they even manage to survive long enough for a fourth.

Dexter took halt when he spotted his brother, Fabian. How had he found me so fast? He wondered to himself before going into hiding. He went into the nearest shop, being greeted by the bell he quickly ducked into the nearest aisle. It was a computer shop. There were printers and chargers and so much more stacked up in front of him.

Most people would have really needed to look in order to recognize Prince Fabian but not him. Dexter was close enough to Fabian to know that when he wore a hoodie, more specifically grey hoodie, Fabian was sneaking around or out of castle grounds.

He could hear footsteps nearing. Then a voice spoke.

"Hello, anyone here?" It was soft and friendly. A female voice. He kept low but the steps kept coming. Closer and closer until another body was right in front of him. He didn't look up, his eyes kept at her shoes. They were converse, a little dirty actually in black and white. Similar to the ones he wore, but his were cleaner.

"Are you okay?" The voice asked. No. He wasn't okay. He wanted to scream and shout and flood into a million tears because he hated his life. He hated that he was always locked in the castle and how he never had anyone his age to talk to. He hated all the twelve year old fan girls that never left him alone. He hated how the evil queen, Queen Patricia of Anubis, knew about his own fathers passing before he even got the chance too. He hated how Fabian was his only living family and yet, she knew before he did. And after what her people did to his mother, it made him sick.

The body sat in front of him, cross legged. She wore blue jeans. He didn't look up still, he refused to. The girl didn't say anything, she just sat with him. With back to the aisle across from his. It was almost peaceful.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked breaking the silence.

"About what?" he tried to sound okay, but his voice was shaking. It practically sold him out.

"I know a sad face when I see it, I mean my name is Joy, and that is not joy I see in your eyes" She told him, his eyes met hers. She offered a smile. Her hair was dark and in a ponytail, she wore a simple dark long sleeved t-shirt. Dexter took a breath. The two held a staring contest until Dexter gave up in a sigh.

"M-My fa-father d-died…" He croaked, even saying those words hurt.

"T-The plague-" he didn't go on, he couldn't. Saying it allowed made it real, it was like a slap to the face. It's not fair he thought. And it wasn't, a cure still needed to be found but by the looks of it this weren't going to happen anytime soon.

The girl, Joy, didn't say anything. She just moved to sit right next to Dexter. Their knees touched. She was a small girl, only a couple inches taller than Dex really. She breathed.

"I'm sorry for your loss" a pause took place "Emperor Henry Rutter was certainly a good man" Joy spoke the same words Dexter knows everyone will be speaking once the press conference starts and the word of his late father is out. It made him mad, of course he was a good man. Everyone knew that, he knew that but there was so much more to his father. Why couldn't anyone see that?

"My parents" Joy started "They left me too, Dexter" she finished. My dad didn't leave me, he died! Dexter desperately wanted to yell, but he felt bad for her because he knew how bad it felt when his mother died, and now with his father. Well, he wasn't sure if he were ever going to get through it.

Most fourteen year olds were more worried about what pranks they were going to pull next, or what video game is coming out next but not Dexter. He lived in the building of set rules and the future of England. He lived in the world of Politics. Forced out of childhood at the age of five because he needed to sit and be a behaved, well-mannered boy. Why? Because God forbid him laughing while the press are nearby. Now with his father's passing, the press would be on him more. It's a miracle he even escaped the castle without them running him over in questions. Jaspar and even Fabian are going to keep him indoors at all time now, he will have to be extra mannered when anyone outside of the castle see him. And Dexter hated it.

The bell ringed. A brown haired boy appeared down the aisle from where him and Joy sat. It was Fabian, he took off his hood and marched straight to Dex who eyes immediately fell to the floor not wanting to deal with him. He didn't want to deal with any of it.

Joy stood when Fabian joined them, she gave him a slight smile "Prince Fabian."

"I see you found my brother" He looked at Dex, flashed him the look that said 'Where were you? I was worried sick!' in which Dex stood, dusted himself off and looked down in shame.

"I apologise for my brother, is there possibly anything I could do to make it up?" Fabian asked. Joy just shook her head.

"He wasn't any trouble, really." Her eyes were beaming, she liked him. It was obvious but every fair maiden in England liked him but Joy was average, nothing special. Her heart remained beating at the speed of light with the only thought in her head being "Prince Fabian stands in front of me!"

The prince Fabian smiled at her before putting a hand of the shoulders of his brother and walking out only to be stopped by Joy who whispered words of the wiser in Dexter's ear "Things may seem bad, but it gets better. I promise"

Dexter waved bye leaving Joy to stand there in awe.

Nina Martin laid on the twin sized bed that matched her cousins, Joy. Who walked in a few moments ago, she had been smiling at the ceiling ever since. Her hands placed on her stomach, she was in a completely different mood than she was before going down for her shift at the shop. The shop had belonged to Joy's father, Nina's uncle. Joy was great at all the mechanical stuff, so when her father left and her grandmother Evelyn took over she was glad to help out. She basically ran the shop now, it was just under Evelyn's name.

Nina sat up, pulling the thin duvet covers off her. She took a good look at Joy who was still smiling at the ceiling. Nina had only been here a few days, Joy and she weren't close or anything. She didn't even remember Joy existed. It was a complete surprise. Like that part of her childhood memory had been wiped out though she knew that weren't possible.

She decided to speak.

"Joy?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay? You've been smiling at the ceiling for a while now."

Joy sat up, still smiling. "I met Prince Fabian."

"Fabian?" Her voice was low so Joy couldn't hear. She did a quick search on him, downloading facts and the latest articles on him. Having able to do this was one of the only plus on being cyborg.

PRINCE FABIAN, CROWN PRINCE OF ENGLAND

ID#0082719071

BORN 11 SEPT 2131

FF 88,687 MEDIA HITS, REVERSE VHORN

POSTED 7 AUG 2148: A PRESS CONFERNCE IS TO BE HOSTED BY CROWN PRINCE FABIAN ON 8 AUG 2148. TOPIC UNKNOWN.

There was a photo, and no kidding he was handsome with his sea blue eyes and kind smile. No wonder why Joy was smiling like crazy.

"..And it's true what they say about him. He is kind like his smile and his eyes are bluer than sea." Nina was so wrapped up in her searches she forget Joy was still speaking. She was head over heels for this guy, and according to social media so was every other girl in England but why? Nina wondered. Not realizing that soon enough she'd find out.