Ever After
Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls or the movie Ever After
"Mother, Mother" (Prologue)
Paris, France, 1601A seven-year-old with long brunette hair and excited blue eyes looked in the mirror, thrilled about her father's eagerly, long-awaited homecoming today. Jane and Emilia had made an attempt to make her look more like the proper young lady-in-training that she was supposed to be, rather than the tomboy that she had evolved into under her father's wing. She began to jump up and down from the strange feeling in her stomach.
"Jane," she complained to the old woman who was neatly putting little white rosebuds in her hair, "I'm not feeling very well. My stomach's being strange, like I have some butterflies in there." Jane chuckled in reply.
"I believe that one would call that nerves, Mistress Lorelei," she said in reply, fastening the last rose on her head. Rory frowned, wondering why she would have a reason to be nervous.
"But, Jane – I'm getting a new family today. I'm going to have a mother. Can you imagine it? And sisters! I'll be able to teach them to climb trees, and skip stones, and run proper! Why would I be nervous? I'm excited, more like it," Rory said confidently. "As much as I think I will enjoy having sisters, I will absolutely love having a mother. I can't remember what my real mother was like. Do you think Daddy's new wife will be anything like her?" she inquired, as Emilia pulled opened the window to allow some fresh air into the room, and was met with a shower of rocks and dirt in the face.
"William Cassard," she shouted. "When I get my hands on you…" she trailed off, muttering under her breath what she would do once she got her hands on Rory's best friend. Rory giggled as she heard the phrases 'skin you alive,' and 'stick you in the cooking pot for dinner,' before running over to the window to talk to the pixie-ish, blonde seven-year-old whom she been friends with since the age of three.
"Hello, Will! Papa's coming home today! And can you imagine? He's bringing a mother and sisters for me, as well!" she cried out gaily. Will nose wrinkled as he took in her appearance.
"Does his arrival mean you have to dress like a girl? Are you going to act like one too?" Will replied, unsure what to say in front of this strange, new Rory.
"I have to look like a proper young lady for my stepmother," Rory reprimanded him, "so I'm not going to play chase with you today."
"Why, because it's dirty outside?" Will asked, scowling. Rory narrowed her eyes at him.
"Just you wait, William Cassard! Tomorrow I'm going to make you regret ever saying those words!" she shouted angrily, slamming the window shut. Emilia glanced over at the young girl.
"It's nice to see you have some restraint," she told her, holding out some polished black boots for Rory to wear. Rory grudgingly took the boots and put them on, waiting patiently for Emilia to buckle them up. Only the sound of clopping horseshoes made Rory cheer up over her inability to put William in his place.
"Papa's home!" she shouted, pushing herself off the bed and flying down the staircase and out the front door. She came to a breathless halt beside the servants and waited for her father to appear.
"Papa!" she shouted gleefully and leaping into his arms. "Do I look lady-like enough?" she demanded fervently, wriggling out of his arms and landing on the ground, waiting for him to inspect her outfit.
"Very," Christopher Hayden replied, laughing at his daughter's over-zealous behaviour. "Now, come and meet your new step-family," he added, putting his hand on the small of her back and guiding her over to where two small girls stood on either side of their mother. Suddenly, Rory felt intimidated by their perfectly arranged hair and fancy dresses. Not to mention the tall, regal figure standing in between the girls, her nose wrinkled and expression incredibly unimpressed by what most would call an 'imposing manor.' She turned and faced Rory with a smile.
"Hello, Lorelei," she greeted her, a slightly haughty tone in her soft, nearly inaudible voice. "I've heard very much about you, and I've looked forward to meeting you, as have my daughters."
"Hello," Rory responded in a voice almost as soft as her stepmother's, and cursed herself silently from being so afraid. "It's very nice to meet you, although most people call me Rory," she added with a little curtsy. Sarah Olsen couldn't help but feel impressed by her new stepdaughter's manners, and raised an eyebrow at Christopher.
"I believe you said she was like a little tomboy, with no manners at all?" she asked, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "This is one of the most well mannered seven-year-olds I have ever had the pleasure and fortune to meet." Rory flushed with pleasure at Sarah's comment, but was unsure whether to take it as an insult or a compliment.
'It can't hurt; being told I act like a lady. As fun as it is acting as a boy would, it is enjoyable acting as I should.'Christopher shrugged. "I can't explain it. Normally she's covered in mud and dirt and begging me to allow her to be taught how to fight with a sword," he grinned, bending down and kissing his daughter on the top of her head. "It's unusual for her to act in this manner."
"I do too act like a lady sometimes!" Rory protested, and when her father archly raised an eyebrow, she followed through with, "I read sometimes, don't I? Boys normally don't read, they usually hunt, or swordfight, or… or… take care of their family's property!" Sarah pressed her lips together, turning them white, and folded her arms, but said nothing for a few moments, before -
"Come meet your new sisters, Lorelei," she said. "This is Elizabeth-" she said, pointing a hand at the taller of the two girls, blonde hair, green eyes, and incredibly pretty. Elizabeth curtsied when her name was said, but paid no further attention to either her mother or Rory. "And that is Jacinta," Sarah added, her tone sounding as if her younger daughter was simply an inconvenience in her life. "She is seven years old, and a few months younger than you. I'm sure she'll be a very good playmate for you." Jacinta curtsied, similar to Elizabeth, but she smiled at Rory. She was very different to her sister, with copper red hair and chocolate brown eyes that had a wicked spark in them. Rory got the feeling she was going to like Jacinta very much. As Sarah began to delegate tasks and order her daughters about, Rory's feeling of hope was suddenly quashed and replaced by one of loneliness and fear as the girls were filed indoors out of the sun.
"Well, this is nice," Sarah breathed, a false smile on her face as dinner was served. Rory looked down at the chicken, eggs and salad, feeling ravenous.
"It's brilliant," Rory agreed, not catching on to the sarcasm in Sarah's voice. Christopher shook his head at his daughter's obliviousness and his wife's rudeness. "Can I say grace, Papi?"
"Of course," Christopher said readily, and they all bowed their heads and clasped their hands as Rory began to recite the Lord's Prayer in a loud, clear voice that filled the room easily.
"Amen," they all murmured, and began to eat quietly, the silence occasionally punctuated by the sound of a pouring drink or a fork scraping against the plate accidentally. Suddenly, Christopher bent over in pain, clutching at his chest.
"Papi!" Rory shrieked, pushing her chair back and running over to Christopher's seat at the other end of the table, clutching onto his arm. Christopher keeled over, and Sarah raced over to his other side, pushing him back against the chair. Jacinta and Elizabeth both looked frightened by the turn of the events, but Rory paid them no attention. Christopher glanced at Sarah, before turning his thought to Rory, and he gently stroked her hair. By this time, Jane and Emilia had called for help and a number of staff surrounded the top end of the table, arguing over what to do with the Baron Hayden. Rory cried as Christopher's eyes fluttered closed, but not before he'd whispered four words to Rory.
"I'll always love you."