9 October 1769

She was in the middle of a Latin lesson when the carriage pulled up. Normally, they were her favourite time of day, and Monsieur Gagné was someone she both liked and respected, but today she was barely paying attention, listening for the sound of horses' hooves, not to the lecture like she was supposed to.

Genevieve turned when she heard a neigh, looking out the window and seeing the Du Châtillon lynx just under the Palladian flag on the royal carriage. She nearly jumped out of her seat but refrained when she saw Monsieur Gagné raise a greying eyebrow.

"Doleo, domine," she said, bowing her head and trying to focus on translating the sentence he'd given her. She looked up when he tapped a finger on the desk.

"Ire videre sororem Tuam," Gagné winked, gesturing out the window.

"Gratias Tibi!" she exclaimed, leaping up and curtseying quickly before running out of the room.

She climbed on the railing, sliding down so that she need not waste time walking down the stairs. Rosella would be so proud of her, she had been teasing Genevieve for ages about being too scared to slide down the bannister.

When Genevieve ran outside, it was as though the sunny day had suddenly become very chilly. It had been warm this morning, had it not? Her parents were staring at one another, saying nothing. Maman looked paler than Genevieve had ever seen her, and Papa looked as though he'd been to war. And where was Rosella? She walked over to her mother, tugging on her skirts to get her attention.

"Maman, where's Rosy?"

For the first time in her life, her mother looked as though she did not know the answer to a question Genevieve asked her. She looked to her father to ask him the same thing before she heard Maman's voice saying,

"No. . .no. She cannot be. . .she isn't. . ."

"It's my fault, Anneliese. I couldn't save her, I couldn't. . ."

Then came the most agonising sound Genevieve had ever heard: her mother was crying. No, her mother was screaming, shoved to the ground by the gravity of her sobs. Genevieve had never seen her mother cry. What could possibly have happened to make a grown woman bawl like a baby?

She was just about to ask Maman this, when Papa took her by the hand and led her into the foyer, Pierre on his other side. Genevieve watched Derek's eyes flicker with dread. She watched him look to their father as he asked,

"Papa? What is it? Is Rosy outside?"

She grabbed Pierre's hand and shook her head, saying nothing, understanding nothing.

"Rosella and I were in a shipwreck. And, I couldn't save her. She drowned. I'm so sorry, children."

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

Her ears rang, she barely heard Derek scream helplessly,

"You're lying! She's alive! She can't be dead! Maman! Tell Papa he's lying! Rosy's alive! Please Maman!"

Dead. Drowned. Rosella had drowned. Rosella was dead. How could she have died when just five minutes ago, Genevieve was in a Latin lesson, like any other day?

She was going to have all of her lessons alone now.

Blindly, she allowed her mother to fold her into her arms, wondering why Maman was not saying anything before she realised. Realised that all her mother and father could do was hold her as she cried for something they had no power to change.

Before today, she had seen her parents as gods, as people who knew everything and could keep them safe from anything. But if Papa couldn't save Rosella from drowning, then perhaps he too was just a person. Perhaps grown-ups were just as vulnerable as children.

She squeezed Derek's hand as they were crushed under the weight of something they were both too young to understand.

24 June 1781

Genevieve stared at her reflection in the mirror as Colette applied what felt like too much rouge onto her cheeks. It didn't matter, she supposed. Antonio would not fall in love with her regardless of what her face looked like.

"Is my family here yet?" she asked Colette, trying to keep her face as still as possible.

"Their ship arrived this morning, miss. I believe they wanted to change into fresh clothing before seeing you."

Genevieve nodded, sick with anticipation. What was she going to do when she saw her mother? What was she going to say?

I suppose I'll find out soon, she thought as she heard a knock on the door.

When Colette answered the door, the entirety of her family came through the door, her siblings all talking over one another.

"Gen! They're here!" Isabella announced, as though Genevieve couldn't also see them.

"I see that," she responded, smiling wide and standing up to embrace her siblings.

"Did you ask about the ships?" asked Dominick eagerly as he dodged her hug.

"Of course she didn't, stupid! She's getting married!" Isabella scoffed.

"Isabella! Don't call your brother stupid," chastised Anneliese.

"Sorry, Maman," Isabella said with a bow of her head.

"It's not me you need to apologise to," she said with a pointed look.

Isabella sighed, turning to her brother. "Sorry, Nicky."

Genevieve bit back a laugh. She had missed their bickering. She would miss it, once they went back home.

She moved to hug Pierre and Henri, who both seemed to misunderstand the concept of rouge, and they were both very offended when she dodged their respective cheek kisses.

Erika was careful of her hair and makeup as they hugged, the picture of all things ladylike until she turned to her brothers with a haughty lift of her nose and said,

"Like that, boys."

Henri ducked his head and laughed, while Pierre gave Erika a mocking curtsy.

"Genevieve." her father said simply, holding his arms out wide as she half ran into them. She was struck by the realisation that Rosella had not been hugged by their father like this in years, and yet Gen was breaking down after only six weeks of being away from home. He released her only so that she could hug Anneliese tightly.

Genevieve allowed her mother to cradle the back of her head, careful not to ruffle her elaborate hairstyle.

"Look at you," she said in a choked voice as she pulled back, "my baby."

"What do you think Anne? Does she look as beautiful as we did on our wedding day?" said a sarcastic voice from the doorway. Her mother turned and smiled widely as Auntie Erika moved into the room, her smile just as wide and lovely as Anneliese's.

"Best wishes, Genevieve," Uncle Dominick said as he wrapped his wife's arm around his own.

"Oh of course! Congratulations, Geny," Erika said with a look at Genevieve that said: I know what you're not telling your mother.

Genevieve swallowed thickly.

Anneliese then turned towards Julien, saying,

"That feels like it was yesterday, does it not? When we got married?"

"Best day of my life," he responded with a gentle smile that made him look years younger. Then, looking at his children, he quickly amended, "Aside from when all of you were born, of course."

She watched as her mother beamed and moved to him as though drawn by a magnet, kissing him softly.

"Oh, that's horrid," said Isabella, looking at them with a roll of her eyes.

Aunt Erika smiled, hugging Isabella from behind. "You won't find it so horrid when it happens to you, pet."

Isabella wrinkled her nose in Genevieve's direction. And despite her fears, Genevieve found herself smiling at this wonderful collection of people she loved. But she found herself looking for the person she most needed to talk to right then.

"Where's Derek?"

"He and Johannes should be right behind us," Uncle Dominick answered, looking towards the door with a furrowed brow.

She felt the smile slip from her face. "Johannes is here?"

"Of course he is, darling!" said her aunt, still holding Isabella's shoulders, "You're getting married! Brigitta, Anna, and Leopold are here too. The little ones can't travel yet, so we had to leave them, but they send their love."

As though on cue, Johannes and Derek burst through the door, the latter looking as though he'd been shoved by the former, and sending a scowl in Johannes' direction. Derek took a deep breath, seeming to restrain himself from shoving Johannes right back, before he turned and walked over to Genevieve, hugging her tightly.

"Missed you," he said as he pulled away.

"Missed you too."

As her brother walked over towards Pierre and Henri, she met Johannes' eyes as he regarded her earnestly.

"Gratulationes, Gen," he said with a smile. Genevieve smiled back, comforted by the fact that some things would never change. She, Derek, Johannes, Brigitta, and at one point Rosella, exclusively communicated in Latin, to be fair to both families' native languages.

She nodded. "Gratias Tibi."

He held her gaze for a moment longer, before moving over to greet her parents, allowing Anneliese to kiss his cheek and marvel at how much he'd grown since she'd seen him last, as the friends of one's parents are bound to do.

As she watched Papa lean down and laugh at something Maman whispered in his ear, and her gaze moved to Auntie Erika, who was looking at her husband with perhaps the most disgustingly adoring expression imaginable, she realised that true love was -like a childhood with one's family- something everyone deserved.

And although Rosella had been robbed of one, Genevieve would not steal the other from her.

"I have to go."

All eyes in the room turned to her in confusion. She caught Uncle Dominick's eyes, who grinned in understanding.

"I have to go get Rosella."

And as the sounds of chaotic bewilderment erupted in the room, Genevieve hiked up the skirts of her wedding dress and ran down the hallway, looking left and right wildly in search of Ro. Finally, she saw her at the end of the hallway, skidding to a stop as she turned a corner. Ro smiled with relief when she saw Genevieve, pausing for a moment to catch her breath before they both ran at each other with equal speed, holding their skirts high and Genevieve's wedding veil flying behind her.

They both stopped suddenly, catching one another's arms for balance as they met in the middle of the hallway, breathless.

"You can't -"

"You have to -"

"You first," Rosella said, squeezing Genevieve's arms.

"I can't marry Antonio, Rosy. Not when the two of you love each other so much. I can't do that to you."

Ro laughed joyfully, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet and saying, "I wanted to tell you that I love Antonio and need you to let me marry him!"

Genevieve let out a rather unladylike squeal and embraced her sister giddily.

"You're the greatest, did you know that?" Rosella squealed back, wrapping her arms around Genevieve tighter.

She wasn't sure how long she stood there, hugging Rosella as they both jumped up and down, giggling like children, until Genevieve gasped, pulling away.

"What's wrong, Gen?"

"We need to switch gowns!"

"Is that all? I thought you were having a heart attack!" Ro said, swatting her arm gently.

Genevieve ignored her, grabbing Ro by the hand and pulling her down the hall, holding her veil with her free hand so it didn't drag on the floor, both of them laughing breathlessly as they flew down the hallway.

Genevieve was planning a mile a minute as they ran. "And Colette needs to style your hair, and we need to put rouge on your cheeks and lips, there's only an hour before the ceremony has to start, and- Rosy?"

Genevieve felt Ro pull her to a stop, and was staring at the doorway where Genevieve had run out moments before. She turned around to see what had caught Ro's attention, and she immediately let go of her hand and stepped to the side, watching Ro carefully to see what she would say.

Ro opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again. "Erm. . . good afternoon," she said shyly to the woman who stood in front of the door.

Their mother looked to Genevieve, then back at Ro, eyes wide.

"Rosella?"

I did directly base the part where Ro and Gen are running at each other off of the last scene of Season 1 of Gilmore Girls lol

Here are the translations for the Latin I used:

Doleo, domine= I'm sorry sir
Ire videre sororem tuam= go see your sister
Gratias Tibi (used twice lol)= thank you
Gratulationes= congratulations