Winter Evenings Together
Note: Happy International Women's Day!
I decided to celebrate this occasion by posting a short piece about my favorite Aston ladies. And since the theme for the month is Minor/Background Characters, I chose to write about Therese Aston's relationship with her daughters.
We know so little about her so we're pretty much free to imagine what she was like. This isn't a very in-depth look at her character, but a mere glimpse. I know this reads more like an extended headcanon than a proper one-shot but it was an interesting exercise and I might write about her again someday. Anyway, enjoy!
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Therese Aston would brook no argument on this point: Royal duties were all well and good but winter evenings were devoted to spending time with her daughters.
This was not to exclude the other seasons of the year, of course, but the queen knew enough about the Asturian royal calendar that winter was a particularly less hectic period for the family and she was determined to dedicate as much time as she could to her three girls.
As members of the royal family, the queen knew they would very rarely be left alone. They would always be surrounded by crowds of courtiers, ladies-in-waiting, tutors, governesses and other members of the nobility. But she needed space and time to truly get to know he children. So, she insisted on keeping these evenings exclusively for herself and Marlene, Eries, and Millerna. No one else.
And anyone who knew the queen knew better than to question her. She was by no means domineering or stern. But behind her meek and gentle demeanor was a will of iron and a cleverness which her husband had always admired. He respected her wish to be alone with her daughters and so the winters passed in relative tranquility.
Most evenings were spent in constant conversation, with the queen sharing stories to the young princesses and then, when they were older, it became her turn to listen to theirs. Sometimes, they would discuss the books they were reading or even read aloud to each other while someone did her needlework. And there were nights of music, with the queen teaching her girls her favorite songs which Marlene would learn to sing while Eries played the melody on the pianoforte. Millerna had been too young to participate but she had always enjoyed listening to such rare performances. All those evenings were among the princesses' most precious memories.
Therese tried her best to teach her daughters all that they would need to lead happy lives. And she saw how different they were and found ways to love them all in her own way.
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Marlene was a dreamer. Therese knew this from the very beginning and as she watched her eldest daughter grow, she saw that not much changed over the years. The queen was proud of the gentle, kindhearted, and intelligent woman the princess was becoming but she also worried about the way Marlene felt things too keenly and so was prone to heartbreak.
And so the queen truly valued those evenings spent with her daughter, talking to Marlene about her duties and listening to all the princess's concerns about the future. Therese spoke gently to her and gave her as much encouragement as she could but being careful enough not to spoil her. Not that someone as generous in spirit as Marlene could ever be spoilt.
"I don't want to sound ungrateful," Marlene asked carefully one night, "Since my circumstances are very fortunate indeed. But would it be too much to ask to be happy in a marriage?"
"That is a reasonable request, my dear," Therese reassured her, "But not one so easily fulfilled."
"Would it be possible, for instance, to be as happy as you and father?"
Therese laughed at this. "We are content enough, I suppose," the queen replied with amusement, "But you can set the bar higher, my dear Marlene. I would wager it is possible to be even happier."
Marlene seemed comforted by this though slightly alarmed at her mother's flippant reference to her own conjugal felicity. Her parents always seemed to be completely happy.
"My advice to you is this," Therese continued, "Open your heart to all possibilities. And I assure you, people will surprise you in pleasant ways."
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Eries was very much her father's daughter. Therese recognized that at once and accepted it. The princess was a quiet, serious girl who chose her words with care and approached every situation with composure and reason. The queen had no trouble instilling the importance of duty and propriety in her second daughter, and she admired Eries for being so mature even at such a young age. Eries was comfortable with solitude and silence and she seemed the most content to sit still.
But Therese also made sure that she did not neglect her younger daughter. As independent and sensible as Eries was, she was still in need of guidance and encouragement and the queen always showed her the attention she deserved. They spoke openly to each other and the queen discovered that Eries, for all the veneer of reserve and calm, harbored emotions almost as strongly as her older sister. She had a profound capacity for love but her heart would not be so easily touched. She guarded it too carefully. And the queen hoped that one day, her second daughter would someone truly deserving of it.
And while she was confident that Eries had strength enough to take care of their family in a time of crisis, Therese also worried that the princess might take on too much, if only because she could. But she knew that some burdens would fall on her daughter's shoulders that only Eries would be capable of bearing. She would care for both her sisters and she would keep the family together.
"Someday, you will find your own path," Therese had told her, "And I know that you will have the strength to see it through."
"But so much is uncertain in this world," Eries had said hesitantly, "I do not wish to leave things to chance."
"You will soon learn that some rewards are worth the risks," the queen said gently.
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Millerna had a lively and inquisitive mind, one that Therese was only too happy to encourage. While the queen saw the resemblance to herself and to Marlene, even at a young age, Millerna already did much to distinguish herself from her mother and sisters. But she also shared certain traits that made her a unique combination of all the Astons.
The youngest princess had Marlene's cheerful disposition but less of her meekness. She had Eries' determination but none of the older sister's reserve. She showed hints of her father's domineering nature but also her mother's fairness and authority. Like her sister Eries, Millerna was an avid reader, though their fields of interests varied greatly. But like her sister Marlene, the youngest princess also smiled more easily and felt things deeply.
She was the most playful of the sisters and Therese suspected that she would be the most daring. There was a fearlessness about her, even as a child, that neither of her elder sisters displayed. Marlene was always too meek while Eries was too cautious. The youngest daughter would turn out quite differently from her sisters and Therese was excited to see what kind of woman she would become.
"There will be time enough to watch my daughters grow," the queen had thought with a smile on the winter that, unbeknownst to her, was to be her last.