Tampered Beauty

Dynasty

The door opened quietly. A quiet squeak was followed by a gentle 'clunk'. Tiny feet 'pitter' 'pattered' over the fire warmed rugs and towards an impressive gold crib. The small body stopped next to the ornate cradle, little hands and fingers wrapping themselves around the thin, substantial golden embellishments. Hanging over it, held up by strong twisted gold, a long ivory bed curtain made of the finest ivory lace, tiny embellishments fine and having Gaelic origin.

The large room was well lit, a roaring fire held back by a blackened iron guard, the windows clamped shut, torches alight, giving the room a comforting golden glow. Long curtains fell languidly along the floor on different parts of the room. A chandelier hung in the middle of the ceiling, long and shimmering. In a corner, a toy box full of little trinkets, near it, a rocking horse. Close to the crib, a large, overstuffed rocking chair was reclined backwards, a small towel embellished in gold thread folded over the back. 

At the other end of the room, a lowered down tea party set. The table was dark oak, the chairs matching, the little blanket red and gold. Tiny tea plates and teacups were made of fine china. Toys and teddies and trinkets and ribbons fell childishly around the room. Standing proud against a wall, a large bookshelf complete with books for children. Little dollies were strewn upon the shelves and in a toy box of their own.

On the other side of the room, a trifecta of bassinets standing side by side. Cotton and oak, pillows and a single toy in each one. Upon bookshelves and cases, little mechanical toys and small wooden skittles set up in a neat pile. A little dolly with dark hair and eyes, covered in purple satin and black lace was stood proudly in the middle. It looked familiar to James, but that was because he instantly knew that this doll was the only gift his grandmother Marie sent to his mother when she was little older than he himself, for her sixth birthday in France. It looked exactly like her, or what she would have looked like when she was little.

He looked back from the dolly and over to his little brother. Laying upon an overstuffed mattress covered by a fine and soft white material, his little head was propped up by a few little pillows, embellished with gold satin at the corners. He was wrapped tightly in a thick blanket. James heard little 'hwoos' coming from his little brothers' nose as he took breaths calmly.

It was late, far too late for he to be awake still. But he couldn't sleep, it still wasn't right. The little crown Prince could only sneak in to see his new brother now. Of course, his mother and father had introduced the two that morning after the Crown Prince had awoken, but it hadn't been the same. So, sneaking in during the guard exchange -and the nanny and servants exchange- young Prince James mischievously snuck in to see little Lucien again at this time. 

Leaning up on his tip toes, James' eyes barely passed over the top of Lucien's cradle. He smiled as he caught sight of the sleeping baby. With a little tuft of golden hair coming over his little hat and the blanket, James stared at his little brother with rapt attention.

He looked like his father, James noticed. The same nose and the same hair. Nothing really seemed defining yet -his little brother was only a day old, James reminded himself-, but he could recognise his mothers' pouted lips on his little brother and his fathers hair. 

"Hello, Lucien." James whispered. "I'm your big brother, James." he smiled. reaching up a little hand to brush it against the baby's cheek. The baby stirred at the contact. The elder smiled again.

"You've been in mama's stomach all this time, haven't you?" he whispered, his words a little mispronounced. "So you haven't seen her much, but she's really pretty. I promise. She's ever so pretty, you'll know it too. The next time you open your eyes, you'll see." he said quietly.

The baby slept on.

"I know mama worries that I'll feel pushed out, because you're here. But I don't. Because I love you already, just like she does. I hope you do. She's ever so kind and nice, she only gets angry at the boring men at court, or papa when he deserves it." he half smiled. "But mama only thinks I'll feel pushed out because our cousin George said that he was jealous that our other cousin, little Rose, took Tante Greer's and Lord Castleroy's time away when she was a baby. But I don't feel that way. Because you made mama happy when our papa could not." The crown Prince nodded to himself. He spoke again.