Ashlyn's first memory is of her mother singing. Sitting on her mother's lap, head against the swell of her mother's belly (mother did always seem to be pregnant); she remembers the joyful lilt of her mother singing the Birthday Song. The song would engrave itself in her memory as Ashlyn herself sang it over and over again to the sisters that would come.
She supposes her father is there, Blair in his arms, though the memory is hazy because she was so young. Some might say that she shouldn't be able to remember it at all! Ashlyn is certain it is a memory and not a figment of her imagination. She would bet her life on it.
Ashlyn remembers the first time (or so she thinks) she dances. She'd gotten her mother's favourite story, with a geranium on the cover. She'd eagerly gotten her father to read it and had twirled round and round the room with Courtney, who had been terrified, pretending to be the princess in the story as her father and Blair, perched on his shoulder, laughed and her mother sang a silly song.
"Genevieve has the eyes of a leader but you have the eyes of a queen." Courtney had said one day, as the two miscreants hid in one of the many rooms of the castle. They'd been lazy and didn't want to do their sums. Someone, Edeline most likely, would blab to their father and there would be hell to pay.
"What do you mean?" Ashlyn had asked lazily, the warm sun shining through the open window making her feel as contented as any cat.
"You know when to keep quiet and when to take charge. You know how to utilize talent. You're going to be a great queen." Courtney said the last like a fact, like one would say that the sky is blue or that Blair is out riding horses, all the while her eyes never once leaving her book. Ashlyn was shocked; she'd prided herself on doing a very good job of hiding her insecurity.
"How did you know?" she asked in a small voice, so ashamed and so guilty. Genevieve was a born leader and her sisters always looked to her for guidance, to the point that Ashlyn had, guiltily, felt that she wasn't fit to be the eldest child. She was the heir to the throne and yet, how inept she was!
Courtney looked up in surprise. "Isn't that why you always let Genevieve take charge?"
"No…" Ashlyn replied quietly.
"Oh, Ashlyn…" Courtney swept her up into a hug. "You've been insecure haven't you? Because of how capable Genevieve is." Ashlyn nodded mutely against her sister's shoulder.
"You're fine just the way you are! Did you know? The reason our kingdom is so great is because of Prime Minister Barnaby, you know, from a hundred years ago? And he wouldn't have been able to do anything if King Leonard didn't promote him to such a high post." Good old Courtney, nothing she says doesn't have a random fact of some sort in it.
"So you just have to recognize talent and know when to step back. Like now for instance." Fallon announced, swinging the door wide open, startling her sisters.
"How did you….." they asked as one and Fallon only laughed at the shocked horror on their faces.
"We've been searching all over for you! Blair and Edeline are so angry they plan to kill the both of you themselves before handing you over to father. Especially Blair, she can't believe you'd play truant without her! Delia's trying the best she can to restrain them but with Hadley and Isla fanning their anger, I'd say you're both in deep trouble." Fallon managed to say between laughs. She doesn't think her sister's could ever look more terrified.
"But seriously, don't change Ashlyn. You're the only sane one around here. Genevieve is brave and all but she'd lead us all off a cliff if she gets it into that stubborn head of hers. And we'd all follow her too, if it weren't for you and Courtney here." Fallon continued. Ashlyn looked at her, gratitude written plainly on her face. She was uncharacteristically silly to have even entertained such a thought! But the teenage years were times of uncertainty and angst and they took their toil on practical Ashlyn.
"Now I suggest you run along before Blair and Edeline get their hands on the both of you. Genevieve isn't on your side, you know, and you're running out of time." Fallon cheerfully warned as her sisters dashed out the door. "And say hi for me if you see that cute baron coming in to see father!" she called as she waved at her sisters retreating backs.
Ashlyn's memories are filled with music. Be it from instruments or her sisters' voices. It is filled with dancing, solo performances for Hadley and Isla or together with all her sisters. Her memories are mostly about her family. Her father, her mother, her sisters, their love is the constant in Ashlyn's life. She is as certain of it as that memory of her mother singing to her.
A/N: I love 12 Dancing Princesses and I've always felt that everyone besides Genevieve needs to be fleshed out, because there are just so many possibilities. This may or may not be a one-shot, depending on whether I have inspiration for another sister. Please review since this story is unbetaed and I really need advice. Feel free to tell me what you think of any of the sisters.