I Followed Fires

XIV. Adèle

It was their gleeful squeals that filled her with joy the most.

It was the way the pitter-patter of their small legs approaching her, as they struggled to run whilst avoiding a tumble. It was the wide grins on the faces that seemed to gleam brighter than the sun. Adèle welcomed her little brothers with a hug, as she kneeled on to the floor. She showered them with kisses on their foreheads and on their cheeks, as they spoke of how much they missed her, when truly she had only been away for no more than three days. Little Theo wrapped his little arms around her arm, whilst Cyril snuggled up next to her, telling of the various games he played the past few days with his brother. 

Theo, with his curly locks of deep-brown colour, almost nearing to black, showed a shyness that Cyril did not possess, and Adèle empathized with him most, for his personality was almost an exact copy of hers. Cyril was the energetic one, and had the same curly hair as Theo. He never grew weary, and was always the hardest one to put to sleep at nights, which was something that stressed both the servants and Adèle. 

"I've brought back gifts for you," said Adèle. "Here you go," In her hand; she held two of the perfectly wrapped presents given by Mary and Francis. They gasped loudly and immediately snatched the gifts off her hand, but Adèle refused to give it to them so quickly. Theo and Cyril's facial expressions soon turned to sadness. 

"We want presents!" Cyril exclaimed, almost nearing to tears. 

"Promise me you'll be good, and when he have dinner tonight you will not run around the dining room and you will sleep soundly tonight as the servants tell you to," Adèle scolded them, appearing like a wise mother. They nodded, even though she knew that they had not heeded her request. Adèle handed them the gifts and watched them as they torn the wrapping paper apart. For Theo, Mary had given him an expensive doll of a bear, complete with furs and dressed in a bright red coat. When he accepted his gift, Theo snuggled his little bear, for which he affectionately nicknamed Rouge, due to his red coat. For Cyril, on the other hand, Mary gave him a wooden sword with a blunt edge. Cyril quickly accepted his gift with joy, and poked his brother in the stomach with the sword and then hitting Rouge. 

Theo, in response, was angered by the sudden attack on his new doll, and ran to Adèle. She seemed furious at Cyril at first, but approached him gently and spoke, "Cyril, come now, don't hurt your brother and his bear like that. You promised me that you would be good," 

Cyril, with an apparent feeling of guilt in his face, quickly apologized to his little brother and they both ran off to their personal maids for it was time for them to prepare themselves for dinner. Adèle smiled as she saw her two little brothers hold on their servant's hands; their childish laughter filling the almost soundless hallways of their home.

Adèle often wondered what is was like to have children of her own, but after years of looking after her little brothers along with their own maids and servants, she soon realized the pain a mother had to endure. But there was something in the laughter of children that evoked a feeling in her that was not just happiness, but another feeling as well. Perhaps it was a maternal instinct that was soon to bloom, she thought. The thought of children soon reverted to the thought of Bash, her betrothed. Adèle had barely known him, apart from the tales told to her by Mary's friends and ladies-in-waiting. She could scarcely imagine what their marriage would look like. Were they to have children? Were they to grow old together with one another? Were they to live the traditional married life, as others do? Or were they to constantly be in battle against one another, like her parents? These were questions that were best left unanswered. 

"Sister," said a voice behind her. Adèle turned her head and stood before his brother. She expected him to greet her sudden arrival with warmth, but his face hinted a sense of vexation. "Why have you returned to soon?" 

"Jean, I can explain," Before Adèle could finish her sentence; Jean-Michel was already red with anger. 

"I told you to stay in French court," he said, almost yelling. "I ordered you to do one thing for me and for our family, and yet you disobeyed. I told you that I would take care of things between our parents, and yet you decide to come back home without notifying me first. Why, Adèle?" 

"There is a reason behind my return that you would not expect," 

"I know perfectly well why you have returned," Jean-Michel continued. "You miss Theo and Cyril, you grew homesick, and you became tired of French court. I know you may be painfully shy at times and you need my company but you too have duties to attend you, Adèle. I cannot stand how childish you are. Your shyness has to stop. It does not bring good for me, and for you as well. Adèle, I cannot be beside you at all times, and you cannot expect me to do so," 

"Don't speak of my shyness, Jean. You are well aware that I cannot help it," 

"Yes, I am perfectly aware of that, but I still cannot comprehend why you have returned so soon. You have ruined the chances of befriending the king and queen and becoming closer to French court, so that our family will not just be another aloof noble family that does not show respect to their king and queen."

"I'm engaged," Adèle finally admitted. 

"Engaged?" her brother said, gasping. "No, you cannot be. We were only a few days apart.. You went two days apart from me and you became engaged. How? To who?" 

"You did not know?" asked Adèle.

"Know what?" 

"King Henry proposed that Sebastian, his son, and me marry, so that he is able to unite the two most powerful families in all of France," 

"His bastard son?" Jean-Michel asked.

"Yes," Adèle uttered shyly. "I've agreed to the engagement, but we are to be apart for a few months, or a few weeks, hopefully."

"Why have you not said anything to me?" 

"I felt insulted, Jean, and you know that. You still think of me the child that I was before, but I am no longer one. I am able to create my own decisions based on my own personal opinions and my own judgment. You tell yourself you protect me but a minute ago you were spitting harmful words out of your mouth and telling me that I am childish, but I have grown, Jean-Michel, or it seems that you were to blind to see that," said Adèle. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. Jean-Michel soon realized what he had done to his little sister, and calmed himself before replying to her. 

"Forgive me, dear sister," he apologized. "I know that you are a grown woman, but that is what pains me every day. That you will soon become a married woman and I will lose the little sister I once had. But that is nothing to worry of," 

"I'm sorry," Adèle apologized too. "Let us forget this and not increase the amount of problems in our family right now," 

"Perhaps you're right. Come, let us eat and celebrate your return, and maybe you can tell me a story or two of your new betrothed," 

Adèle smiled, as she realized that she had no truer friend than her brother.