Forest of Fireflies

Chapter 11

(Daniella's POV)

My mother explained the whole situation to me, regarding my grandmother and the fact that she musn't know that I existed. Turns out, Cora did leave the palace and return to wonderland after mother drank the potion that made her unable to have children. I guess I'll be her only child then. 

Ever since then, weeks of the cold winter passed and there hasn't been any progress in terms of finding Snow White. However, there is a more important event upcoming; my mother's birthday. Mama decided that she would officially announce me as her daughter and heir tomorrow in the birthday celebrations. The ball would be the first that I attended so in preparation, I've received dance lessons every day. Surprisingly, I've enjoyed them more than I anticipated. The only catch was that I would have to dance with princes from our alliance kingdoms. 

On a more positive note, mother commissioned three new dresses to be made for me. Just this morning, I've received my final fitting to see which one I would like to wear for tomorrow's ball. I've also managed to gain a little sneak peak into the dress that Mama would wear. Her dress is a very beautiful crimson red gown, draped with a layer of sparkling black lace. There were no sleeves but rather, the dress would sculpt itself over one shoulder and blossom into an array of feathers. Considering that Mama would be wearing red and black, I've decided to wear a midnight blue dress instead. The dress has a sparkly ice blue bodice with mesh sleeves that hung from around my elbows. I really love this gown so I cannot wait to wear it tomorrow. 

Throughout the day, I've walked around the palace to see the servants put up decorations for the ball. Despite my enthusiasm for the celebrations, I've noticed that my mother was particularly quiet. She kept on frowning, even during the funny remarks that grandfather had managed to make at the dinner table. I hope that my birthday gift will cheer her up tomorrow. I've commissioned the royal jeweller to create a tiara that depicted fireflies in the night sky. The tiara is composed out of small diamonds in the colours of dark blue, white and gold. The dainty jewels are all strung on an intricately woven metal frame that creates the curve of the crown's base. Right now, this tiara is sitting in a wrapped box, in the drawer of my dresser. I was surprised that it had managed to fit given the shallow space. I've kept the drawer locked, just in case my mother opened it for whatever reason. I'll have to wait for tomorrow, to see her reaction to my gift.

...........................

(Early the next morning, still in Daniella's POV)

After the maids had finished plaiting my hair into a single loose braid, I rushed to my mother's room with the present in my hand. It was still very early in the morning since the sky was still a hue of orange, pink and blue. I didn't want to wake my mother up by the creak of the door so I teleported myself into her bed chambers. Then, I crept across the soft fuzzy rug  to the edge of her large bed. Underneath the thick blankets of silk and wool, my mother's sleeping form moved up and down. I hope Mama won't get mad at me if I wake her up now. Anyway, she normally wakes up at this time....right?

Taking a deep breath, I jumped on top of my mother as I whispered rather loudly, "Happy birthday Mama!"

There was a little moan and a grunt before my mother opened her eyes slightly and looked at me. Then, she smiled and muttered, "Thank you, dear. What are you doing here so early?"

"I wanna give you your present..." I said as I grinned. 

Mother turned her body towards me as she uttered, "present?"

"Of course!" Then, I reached over to grab the box that contained the tiara, "Here! I hope you like it...I didn't make it of course but I came up with the idea and theme."