The Princess is a Spitfire

Prologue

The King sighed with relief as he heard the cries of his new babe pierce his ears, after the long hours his beloved had finally given birth. He peered into the bright green eyes of his Queen, Morna, and kissed her sweaty forehead in relief that her pain had finally ended. She was clammy and exhausted, but she had eyes for only one at the moment, her eyes were locked on their new babe. "It's a girl!!!" the midwife joyously cried, "It's a girl?"Morna all but whispered, breathless in shock. "Well it looks as though our prayers have been answered" He paused, chuckling softly, "though you'd better pray she inherited your looks, because we both know our boys are going to insist on teaching our princess the art of warfare, so if you have any hope for her being a lady pray she at least has your beauty." the King joked, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Archly!!" she scolded, she softened when her daughter was placed in her arms. "You had better pray she has neither of our personalities, it was difficult enough for me trying to find a man who wouldn't be terrified by an educated woman, lord if she has to suffer through the same nonsense." 

King Archibald wrapped his arms around his wife and daughter, grateful for her being absolutely nothing like so many women he'd seen, and silently praying for their daughter to be blessed with all the amazing qualities of his beloved Queen.

After sitting together quietly Archibald eased off the bed softly, "I had better go bring the boys in they have been driving the servants half-mad with their impatience to see their new sibling. I'll have them in in a bit; assuming they haven't completely destroyed the kitchen."

Morna smiled cheeks still aglow with the stress of birth, "Make sure they are quiet when they come in she has been relatively good thus far."

Archibald came back holding Tristian under his left arm and holding Cadell's hand in his right. Griffith, their eldest, walked in front the King walking to his mother's side to see the newest member of their family. Queen Morna helped Griffith onto the bed beside her as the rest of the family joined her on the bed.

"Why she's so tiny mama?" Cadell inquired, peering at his sister resting on his mother's lap. She brushed his hair back from his face, "Because she's a baby Cadell, once your were this small too." His face scrunched up in confusion, "No I wasn't."

"Mama can I hold her?" Griffith asked as he reached out for her. Morna smiled at her eldest "Of course sweetheart, be very careful. Hold your arms like me and keep her head cradled, alright." Griffith holds his baby sister exactly like his mother had instructed, his index finger stroking her tightly coiled fist. Instinctively, the young princess grasped her brother's finger tightly and he smiled at her action. "What's her name mama?"

"Adaira."  

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Six year old Adaira ran down the hallway crying, until she ran into her

mother. Queen Morna was shocked to see her usually cheerful and sweet

daughter weeping so violently. "Tristian won't let me play swords with him!!!"

she sobbed some more until she took another deep breath "They let me try

archery, why can't I sword fight?!?" Morna's thumbs wiped her daughter's tears away from her eyes with a gentle touch.

 "Ada look at me, I understand you're upset but crying never solved anything, so you

know what we're going to do instead?" Ada shook her head "We're going to go

out there and ask Tristian to explain precisely why he thinks his younger sister ought not

to be taught how to fight,; when he's come to the same conclusion I know,