Chapter 30: Sadie's First Birthday

On Wednesday morning, Shelby and Sebastian woke before either Lucinda or Joan arrived to their room. After taking a minute to wake up, they got Sadie out of her crib to tend to her needs first.

While Sadie still slept in their room, one of the changes that was coming with her first birthday was getting her own room. She had begun sleeping through the night and rarely ever woke Shelby and Sebastian during the night anymore. The room she'd be moving to was right next to their room in case she did need them. In addition, those who patrolled the castle halls at night would check in on her during their patrol to ensure she was okay.

Shelby sighed while looking out the window after getting Sadie up. "Does your family really have to spend over a week here?" she questioned. "Or mostly your mom? She's the stereotypical rude mother-in-law I always hoped my husband's mom wouldn't be."

Sebastian couldn't help letting out a light laugh as he nodded his agreement to Shelby's assessment of his mother. "I've realized that last few times how rude she acts sometimes. I know she's always been like that, and I'm only realizing that behavior isn't right now. Hopefully she'll be more civil this time. If not, I'll remind her that she's not the queen of this castle," he replied, offering a smile to Shelby.

"I'd like that," Shelby replied. The two shared a quick kiss before Sebastian went to get dressed. Rather than putting Sadie back into her crib, Shelby continued holding her daughter, then passed her to Sebastian a few minutes later so she could begin getting dressed. Sadie was briefly set back into her crib when Sebastian went to help Shelby get the ties of her dress. However, by the time her parents returned to her, Sadie was standing in her crib and holding onto the railing.

"Look at you," Sebastian said to Sadie, going and picking her up once again. He held her hands and set her feet on his to help her practice walking as Shelby went to do her hair. "Mommy's all ready now, so why don't we practice talking, Sade," Sebastian said a few minutes later. Sadie giggled and made babbling noises. Mama and Dada were coming along well enough, but they were also working to get her to add other words to her vocabulary.

When Lucinda arrived a few minutes later, she was surprised to see that the three were already up and ready. "Shall I go inform the kitchen staff that you are ready for breakfast?" she asked.

"That would be great. Thanks Lucinda," Shelby replied. Her face fell a little after Lucinda left.

"Even though my mother may put a damper on the day later, at least it's a beautiful day," Sebastian spoke, noticing the way Shelby's expression fell.

"Yeah," Shelby nodded her agreement as her eyes drifted out the window.

"William and Forest are going to join us to meet everyone when they arrive."

"What about Angus and Rosalinda?"

Sebastian was silent and while her parents weren't talking, Sadie babbled to fill the silence while possibly trying to say Rosalinda. "I'm actually not sure if they'll be joining us. I know William and Forest will be, but it wouldn't really make sense for them to not join us."

"I guess we could see if Lucinda knows or could find out for us," Shelby suggested. When Lucinda returned a few minutes later, they discovered that she did not know if Angus and Rosalinda would be joining them, but she would find out and let them know. Shelby nodded her thanks and a minute later she, Sebastian, and Sadie made their way to the dining room for breakfast.

Breakfast was an uneventful meal and by the time the three finished eating, Lucinda returned with the answer to confirm that Angus and Rosalinda would be joining them when the rest of the family arrived which would be shortly before lunch so everyone could eat together.

"I know Mother can be overbearing like we talked about earlier, so I'll make sure she doesn't bother you about another baby," Sebastian spoke, almost reading Shelby's mind. "Whenever it happens, they'll know before the rest of the kingdom. Everything else is our business," Sebastian concluded, punctuating his sentence with a wink.

"I liked the first part of that statement, but I'm curious about the suggestive wink."

"Well, would you prefer to tell the whole kingdom about our life in the bedroom?" Sebastian joked.

"Nope."

"Exactly."

Shelby rolled her eyes in response. However, with their morning free until they needed to meet Sebastian's family, they once again decided to spend the day in the gardens. It was a perfect day to enjoy time outside in the early summer sun.

While they walked through the gardens, Sebastian carried Sadie with one arm and on his hip and reached for Shelby's hand with the other. When she didn't pull her hand away and gave it a light squeeze, meeting his eye and offering him a smile, he shifted how he held her hand to intertwine their fingers. He recalled Shelby mentioning how it was something couples in her time did and he wanted to do it as well. The more he learned about her time, the more he wanted to do whatever he could to give her the things he could and help her feel at home.

Over the course of the months following Angus and Rosalinda's wedding, Sebastian had become acutely aware of how much he loved Shelby. Because he realized how much he loved Shelby, he wanted to make sure she was as comfortable as she could be. If he had to go to the end of the world for Shelby or Sadie, he knew he would.

One thing Sebastian also became aware of in the time since he began falling for Shelby was her intelligence. He could trust her on things more than he could his own advisors in some cases. He was sure her intelligence far surpassed theirs as well. Though he trusted his siblings—especially William—and Angus as his best friends, he trusted Shelby more than he trusted anyone else.

Most of their morning was spent walking aimlessly through the gardens. Despite the fact that they spent the day before in the gardens, rather than boring, the morning was relaxing and enjoyable and anything but dull. Sadie especially enjoyed getting to be outside again. She constantly reached out towards the plants for their leaves and flowers as the trio walked through the garden. On the few occasions she was able to pull something from a plant, she giggled and got her parents laughing as well. It wasn't harmful to let her pull things off the plants, they let her play with the leaves and flowers. Around the time it was mid-morning, they made their way back towards the castle and the West Gate where they were joined by William, Forest, Rosalinda, and Angus.

They waited only a few minutes before they saw two carriages approaching the castle. Elinor and Edward exited the first carriage that pulled up and began greeting the six waiting for them. As Elinor and Edward greeted those who lived at the castle, the seconds carriage pulled up and Jane, Corinna, Adeline, and Davy exited.

As Elinor greeted them, Shelby was glad she focused first on Rosalinda. The woman hadn't seen her oldest daughter since the wedding and was clearly excited at the prospect of catching up with her. Davy, always, was especially exited to see Shelby, Sadie, and Sebastian. Since Shelby held Sadie, Sebastian picked Davy up so he could better greet Shelby.

"I love visiting the castle," Davy declared after greeting the three. "Happy birthday, Sadie. I know it's not your birthday yet, but you deserve to be celebrated."

"Why do you say that?" Sebastian asked.

"Because she is special. And she's special because you're special. The best biggest brother and sister-in-law."

"Thank you, Davy. That's kind of you to say."

"Its' true," the little boy smiled. "Shelby's always been really nice to me and you've been nice to me too. I like spending time here."

"And once you're old enough, you'll get to spend more time here when you train to be a knight," Shelby added.

A large smile graced Davy's face as Elinor and Edward stepped over to greet Shelby and Sebastian. They only stayed at the West Gate a few more minutes before making their way to the dinning hall to eat.

The meal was enjoyable and Elinor gushed about spending time at the castle. "Home just isn't the same without everyone there. Especially when only half of you kids are home now."

"I'm sure grandma and grandpa felt that way when you moved out," Rosalinda voiced.

"Very true," Edward nodded. He relayed a story to everyone about how he was the youngest in his family and thus watched his three older siblings move out before he left home. Judging by the look on Sebastian's face, and despite the fact that he listened intently to his dad's story, it was one he'd heard before.

When Edward finished his story, Elinor added on that she'd had the opposite experience as the oldest child. Although she had younger brothers who would often be gone to train to be knights, she was the first to permanently leave the house when she and Edward got married. It was clearly another story Sebastian and his siblings had heard before, it was interesting for Shelby to learn about Sebastian's parents.

When the meal finished, everyone retired to the great room for the afternoon. The conversation started by centering around the plans for celebrating Sadie's birthday. There was excitement within the family that they got to celebrate the princesses first birthday and the ball at the castle. While not everyone in the kingdom would be at the castle or near it for the celebrations, it was likely that many towns and villages were having their own celebrations.

The afternoon passed with normal flow in the conversation until Elinor spoke up. "Now that Sadie is nearly a year old, I am beginning to wonder if there might be another baby on the way," she spoke with a slight smile as she looked at Shelby and Sebastian.

Shelby rolled her eyes and met Sebastian's. She could tell from the annoyed look he wore that he was thinking something similar to what she was. "Mother, that's a very personal thing to deal with and as we have said before, it will be our decision when that happens," Sebastian voiced.

"You may have had William and I when Sebastian was a year old, Mother, but not everyone wants their kids to be that close in age."

"And you don't need to know whether or not Sebastian and I are trying to have another baby anyway. Would you go around asking anyone if they were trying to have kids?"

"Well, no," Elinor admitted.

"Then don't ask us either. We'll announce it at the appropriate time," Sebastian replied.

Rosalinda nodded her agreement. "Please don't ask us," she stressed. "We'll tell you when it happens and when we're ready to share the news. Alternatively, you wouldn't have wanted people to ask you whether or not you were having more kids, would you?"

Elinor sighed. Her children had become good at asking rhetorical questions and doing so especially to get their points across. "I would not have wanted that," she confirmed what Rosalinda already knew. "I will truly try to do my best at keeping those questions out of our conversations."

"Thank you," Sebastian spoke on behalf of Shelby and Rosalinda especially, but also for himself and Angus.

While relaxing with the family for the rest of the afternoon, Shelby hoped that this time, the conversation would actually stick with Elinor permanently. Every other time she'd promised, she hadn't kept her word. Shelby was beyond tired of Elinor's questions even though she and Sebastian were on good terms and were trying. She knew that Sebastian had also reached his limit on hearing Elinor ask those questions. Although Elinor didn't seem to respect Shelby's wishes about dropping those questions, hopefully she'd respect her children's wishes.

Much to Shelby's delight, over the days following the arrival of Sebastian's family, Elinor didn't bring up her wish for more grandchildren. Her focus was instead on Sadie, the grandchild she did have.

In the blink of an eye, Saturday morning arrived and the final preparations took place.

Morning baths were drawn for everyone in the family and ready after they ate breakfast together. They ate a little earlier than normal so they would be ready for Sadie's presentation to the kingdom in celebration of her first birthday when it took place in the middle of the morning. Although getting up earlier than normal left everyone feeling a little more tired than normal, they decided it was worth it for Sadie.

That morning, the whole castle—and likely the whole kingdom—was buzzing with joy. Soon, the celebration of their princess' first birthday would commence. As Daisy was the only child her parents had, celebrating an heir to the throne turning one had been a long time in coming. Though the day was not yet Sadie's birthday, the celebration would continue through the next week and until after her birthday.

XXX

"Is Sadie's dress in here?" Lucinda asked as she and Joan entered Shelby and Sebastian's room to help Shelby get ready.

"I believe it should be in here along with what was brought for Shelby and I to wear."

Joan nodded and went to check if Sadie's dress was hanging with Shelby and Sebastian's clothes for the day. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found it and turned to Shelby. "Will you please join me here?"

Soon, the three members of the royal family were dressed and ready for the special occasion.

Sebastian, Shelby, and Sadie were led to the balcony as they were the year before while Sebastian's family was brought to the courtyard below. The royal family waited behind closed doors as a man went out ahead of them.

"We are all here as citizens of North Upswich to celebrate the first birthday of our young princess, Princess Sadie. We ask that while we celebrate, everyone remain somewhat reserved due to the princess' young age." The crowd began to cheer, but the yelling wasn't as loud as it was on other occasions such as Shelby and Sebastian's coronation. The man quieted the crowd before speaking again. "I present to you, King Sebastian, Queen Shelby, and Princess Sadie!"

Two knights opened the doors to the balcony so the trio could exit. They made their way across the balcony to the edge so the crowd below could see Sadie. As was requested, the crowd did their best to cheer in a more reserved manner.

"Thank you," Sebastian said. "We are very pleased and blessed that were are able to celebrate Sadie's first birthday tonight and this week with you and everyone in the kingdom."

Shelby continued where Sebastian left off. "We will teach Sadie to be a proper leader whether she chooses to remain Queen of North Upswich or another country through marriage."

Respectfully, the crowd cheered that Sadie would be taught how to be a leader. However, many expected her to have a younger brother who would become King. Despite that, they also knew it was possible for her to be an only child or to only have younger sisters. Their former King Leofrick and Queen Lavinia suffered the loss of young children before and even after Daisy was born. Much of their traveling had been to get away from the loss they'd suffered.

There were only a few more words spoken to the crowd gathered below. The presentation to the kingdom was meant to be a short affair. While there was a ball planned in the castle, many villages and towns had their own parties planned to celebrate the good health of their princess and look forward to many more years of good health for her.

When the presentation concluded, the small family headed back into the castle to wait for Sebastian's family to join them. Once everyone was together again, they headed to the dining hall to have an early lunch before the final preparations for the ball that night were made.

To make sure everything in the Grand Ballroom was how Shelby and Sebastian wanted it, they were taken there following lunch. Elinor offered to look after Saide who was beginning to look like she was about to fall asleep. Shelby made sure Elinor had noticed, and the woman said that she was fine watching Sadie even if she needed to take a nap.

Angus and William walked with Shelby and Sebastian to the Ballroom. Once there, they all began to walk around and check that everything was in order. Part of the room was filled with tables while the other half was open for dancing.

"I have no complaints," Shelby spoke.

"Neither do I," Sebastian agreed.

"Wonderful," the man in charge of everything, Gregory, spoke. "Is there anything else you want to see?" he asked, looking to Shelby and Sebastian. "If not I should check on the food."

"Nothing," Sebastian confirmed. "You are dismissed."

"Thank you, King Sebastian," he gave a slight bow. "Good day, Queen Shelby," he added another small bow before heading to the kitchens.

After another minute of observing the room, the quartet headed back towards the Great Room where the rest of the family was meant to be. When they arrived, they found everyone talking quietly. Sadie lay with her head in Elinor's lap, asleep or close to it. Davy sat beside her, keeping a watchful eye on Sadie while everyone else did their best not to disturb her.

With nothing else to do for the afternoon, the family spent their time relaxing together and enjoying the time they had together.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye after an enjoyable afternoon together, Lucinda and Joan entered the room to inform the family that it was almost time for the ball to begin. Everyone headed to their own rooms for a little while to make sure they were ready for the night. They joined together again in the Great Room before making their way to the Ballroom together.

"It's beautiful," Elinor breathed as they entered. "Elegant yet simple."

"It looks better than it did when we were here this afternoon," Shelby said.

"Maybe the ambiance is different now that the ball is about to begin," William suggested.

"Maybe," Shelby agreed. As the royal family, and since Sadie was the honored guest, they needed to arrive early. Shelby and Sebastian got a chance to look at the room and greet a few of the earliest guests, but they were soon taken to a different room to make a grand entrance.

The meal began shortly after Sebastian, Shelby, and Sadie made their grand entrance to the ball. Chatter between the guests filled the Ballroom for the entirety of the meal. Once it concluded and the plates were cleared away, Sebastian stood.

"Shelby and I would like to thank you all for joining us today to celebrate Sadie's first birthday. We know the struggles that others have faced before us and that some around the kingdom continue to face in getting to this point. We are grateful for Sadie's good health this past year. In the coming days, we join with you and many others around the kingdom to celebrate Sadie and the future of our beloved kingdom. To a prosperous future!" Sebastian declared, raising his glass.

The guests all followed Sebastian's example and toasted for a bright future.

"That was a nice speech," Shelby whispered to Sebastian over the noise as he sat back down.

"Thank you," he replied, offering her a smile. "I wanted to come across as someone—a King—who's interested and invested in the future of his kingdom and its well being, because I am. Do you think I did that? I should have run the speech by you before today."

"It's fine that you didn't," Shelby laughed. "The speech was perfect and did exactly that."

Sebastian's smile grew broader. He, Shelby, and Sadie began mingling with the guests. Many wanted to personally offer Sadie a happy birthday. At least they claimed they wanted to personally wish Sadie a happy birthday since most of the conversation was with Shelby and Sebastian.

The night's celebration ended earlier than many of the other balls in the castle. The party winded down a few hours later when it was close to Sadie's bedtime. It would have been weird for a party to continue after the guest of honor left.

The next several days passed with a normal routine and with Sebastian's family. Other than the ball, there wasn't much done for Sadie's birthday other than her getting to move into her own room.

On the Wednesday after Sadie's birthday, Sebastian's family who didn't live in the castle returned home. Although she would never admit it, Shelby was glad when Sebastian's family returned home. It also meant that the two of them had more time alone together to continue building their relationship.

A/N: I had every intention of uploading this earlier than now, but didn't hold myself to it. There are some things that I shifted around between this and the next couple chapters, so I'm hoping everything will still be cohesive.

I'll try to update sooner for the next chapter.

As always, thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting and following.

Reviews:

Ansy: I'm glad you enjoyed the moments between Shelby and Sebastian in the last chapter and hope you enjoyed the ones in this chapter as well. Even though there wasn't much to the ball, I hope you enjoyed what was included since I focused more on the family being together in this chapter.

sweetsimplegirl: It's definitely ironic that it took Shelby and Sebastian so long to become a couple when they were already married. I felt that it needed to take time for them to grow to love each other considering their past interactions. My lips are sealed about the future so as not to spoil what may be happening. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.