Hardly a Lady

XV

A year later

"Happy birthday, your highness!" Fausella cheered, curtsying before her mistress respectfully. As Blair and Allina also swept into Elienna's nursery, they repeated Fausella's words, and Giselle thanked them all with a gracious nod.

Elienna gurgled as Giselle bounced her on her knee, grabbing one of her mother's dark curls and twirling it around her tiny fingers. Giselle kissed Elienna's own blonde curls lovingly, and admired how beautiful her daughter had grown.

Elienna was loved by all - even though she hadn't been the prince they had all wanted. With her beautiful curls now fell softly around her cherubic little face, and her blue eyes sparkled inquisitively as she explored and reached out for everything. Elienna was certainly not shy; even when she had been a few weeks old she would sit with anybody and not make a fuss, although nobody could get her to smile quite like her mother could. She could crawl easily when she reached her 8th month, and by her 11th she was tottering about and able to say "Mama" and "Dada" (although the latter of those two phrases was less frequently used, since Will only visited his daughter a couple of times a week). Giselle was sure that her little girl was the most beautiful princess the kingdom had ever seen.

The day marking Giselle's 20th winter had arrived, and with it the news that it had been almost 2 years since Giselle had left Forest Castle. In that time, she hadn't seen her brother, Jakson, her father or even Adela, nor had she had a letter, though she had sent many. Even Kendra rarely received letters from home, which made Giselle suspicious that something greater was going on. What was her father up to?

Giselle had little time to ponder the possibilities however, what with a baby and the life of a princess to live. Besides, her father was far away, at the other end of the kingdom. Whatever he was doing would have to wait.

Elienna wriggled to be put down, and so Giselle and her ladies watched as the princess tottered over to her many dolls and selected one. She hurriedly returned to her mother, waving the doll like at trophy above her head, and in a shrill pitch she screamed "Mama! Look!"

Giselle scooped Elienna up again and the princess sat happily on her mother's lap as she played with her doll. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and it was opened by Giselle's page boy with a bow and a flourish. "His Royal Highness, Prince Wilson, Madam."

Will stalked into the room, an army of pages carrying gifts following behind him. Giselle's ladies cooed in admiration at the abundance of gifts, looking at Giselle for permission to get a closer look. Giselle smiled at them as she stood up, and then turned her attention to her husband.

"Happy Birthday, Giselle," Will muttered quietly, kissing her cheek politely. "Dada!" Elienna cried out, reaching with her chubby little arms for her father to take her. Will stroked his daughter's head softly, before turning his attention back to his wife.

"I don't have much time now; I have a meeting with my father I must attend, but I will come back later and we can take a walk in the gardens."

Giselle smiled complacently. "Of course, I will look forward to it."

Will kissed Giselle's cheek again and then patted Elienna's head, barely noticing as the little girl cried out "Dada" again. With that, the Prince ran out, and Elienna burst into tears.

The Princess idolised her father; perhaps she loved him more than she even loved her mother. The poor child was too young to understand why Will rebuffed her so, and Will was too ignorant to see the effect his prolonged absences had on his daughter. Yet no matter how many times Will pushed Elienna away, the princess adored him even more. It broke Giselle's heart to see Elienna pine for him, and for him to push her away with nothing more than a pat on the head each time. And so, Giselle tried to make up for it as much as possible; giving her daughter enough love and attention for both parents, but even at her young age Elienna was sharp and intelligent, and she would not forget about her father easily.