It was a beautiful morning in the Dark Kingdom. The sun was shining, there were no clouds in the sky and the village was in full swing because today is the wedding anniversary of the King and Queen. But this anniversary is very special, because it would have been the first with little Prince Horace.
At the castle, Edmund and Selena were still in their bed asleep, until a ray of sunlight entered the room and woke the King, who turned to his wife and kissed her softly on the head, waking her up.
"Good morning honey." Edmund greeted Selena, smiling. "*yawn* Good morning dear. Happy Anniversary." "You too, my moonlight." Edmund and Selena sat on the bed and kissed. Shortly thereafter, they heard the cooing of their little awakened son. Edmund got up, went over to the cradle, and picked up his three-month-old son.
"Hey, kiddo. Good morning. Let's go to mommy." Edmund came back to bed and gave Horace to Selena. "Hello, little one." Selena smiled at the baby as she started bouncing him and Horace began to coo happily. Meanwhile, Edmund got up and went behind a booth to change.
"Look, Selena, why don't you go for a ride today? It's such a beautiful day." "Oh, okay, sure, I'll ask one of the handmaids to look after Horace and..." Selena started, but Edmund interrupted her. "No, we'll look after him." Edmund said as he came out of the booth fully clothed and approached the bed and sat on it. "Us? You mean you, Quirin, Adira and Hector? Are you sure about that?" Selena asked. "Yeah, don't worry. Besides, you're always here at the castle. Go relax, Horace is in good hands." Her husband reassured her. "Okay, Ed. You're right." Said the Queen.
Later in the afternoon, Selena was in the stable preparing her horse Tambourine and after a while she started riding towards the forest. After seeing that she had left, Edmund could easily organize the party.
"Okay guys. While Selena is out, we have to plan the best anniversary party ever. Understood?" Edmund explained to his three knights. "Understood!" The three said in unison. "Okay." Edmund walked over to them and reached out to the center and the other three did the same. "So, come on… get to work." All four said in chorus as they raised their hands from the center to the air.
So, Edmund, the Brotherhood trio and the castle staff began to fill the ballroom with decorations and festoons. "Everything's going great, guys. Oh, Selena's gonna be so happy." Edmund said as he was arranging a festoon. "Sure, but if Selena comes back early, what do we do, Edmund?" Adira asked as she approached the King. "This is where you come in, Adira. If she comes back early, you're in charge of keeping Selena busy." Edmund said. "All right, I'll figure something out. But besides this party, you gave her a gift?" "Sure." Edmund pulled out of his bag a necklace with an amethyst hanging. "Wow, this necklace is cute." Adira commented. "Yeah, it is. After you finish putting these two festoons together, could you go outside and see if Selena comes back early?" "Sure." Adira said. After finishing the work, Adira left the room and went out of the castle, waiting outside the door for Selena.
After an hour or two, in fact, Selena returned to the castle. "Selena, you're back. So how was the ride?" Adira asked her. "It went well. What are you doing out here?" "Um… I was just stretching my legs. Look, you should help me get some things." Adira handed her a list with various things. "Uh, okay." Selena said hesitantly and then seconds after her Adira tugged at her arm, carrying her around.
After a few hours of shopping, Adira and Selena returned to the castle. "So, let's see: a toy monkey, check. A chessboard, check..." Adira was checking that everything was there while Selena was bringing everything they had taken. As they approached the ballroom, the door opened slightly and Hector came out and made a gesture to Adira with his hands, with a sign that he had to stop. Adira noticed and stopped Selena. "A pair of dancing shoes, check... wait we have to see if the shoes are of good quality." She said for hoping to stall. "Will you knock it off? Since when are you so thorough about everything?" Selena complained. "Selena. Your husband entrusted me with a task." As she continued to speak, Hector went out again making a sign that now Selena can enter. "You're suggesting I don't do everything in my power to- Oh sure, come on Selena." Adira took Selena by the arm, pulling her. "Hey, you're hurting me." Adira opened the door and pushed the Queen into the room. "All right, I'm coming in I'm-"
"SURPRISE!" Edmund with Horace in his arms, Hector, Quirin, the castle staff and the people of the kingdom jumped out of tables, leaving Selena surprised and happy. Edmund, Quirin and Hector approached the two women. "Were you all involved in this?" The Queen asked grinning. Her husband and the knights nodded. Then Edmund pulled out of the bag the gift for Selena. "This is for you." He gave her the package, Selena opened it and found the necklace. "Aw, Edmund. It's beautiful." Selena smiled and put the necklace around her neck.
The rest of the evening continued with various dances, music, and joy. When the party was over, everyone returned home while the three knights, the King and Queen went to their rooms to get ready to sleep.
Edmund and Selena, with Horace in her arms, entered their room. Selena sat on the bed, with Horace in her arms. "Wow Ed, it was a beautiful party. And the necklace is gorgeous." She took the gem of the necklace and looked at it happy. "Yeah, but the surprises aren't over." Edmund walked up to the dresser and pulled something out. "What do you mean? What else did you get me." She asked curiously. Edmund came back to her with another box. He sat down and put the box on the bed. Selena opened the box and was amazed by the gift: it was a rectangular music box of purple color, with shades of blue wave, the silver edges and the lid was a little raised and there was a portrait of her and Edmund. Selena turned the music box crank and opened. When it opened, three miniature figures of Selena and Edmund appeared holding Horace in their arms as they turned around while playing sweet music. (A/N the song is Shining Moon, the lullaby of the first chapter). Selena looked at the gift happily, while Horace cooed delighted by the music of the music box.
Selena looked happily at her husband. "I love you." "I love you too." Edmund replied. Then he closed the music box and put it on the bedside table next to the bed and gently kissed Horace's little head and then Selena.