Chapter Text
Sereda pushed herself as fast as her five year old feet would let her. She turned the corner and caught a glimpse of the two dwarves she was pursuing.
“Guys, Wait up!” Sereda called out as she tried to ignore the pounding of her heart. The breath in her lungs had turned painful. She had to catch up. It wasn’t fair! Why wouldn’t they just slow down?
Several of the dwarves she passed in the hall stopped to turn to look at her. One had even called out to her to slow down, but she hadn’t a second to lose. If she were to pause for even a moment, she would lose them and this would all be for nothing.
But it was no use. No matter how hard she pushed herself, her little legs were no match for her targets. She watched her big brother and his friend laugh as they turned the corner, and by the time she get there they had disappeared.
She placed her hands on her knees and leaned over gasping for air.
Hot tears welled in her eyes. Trian hadn’t wanted her around. He never wanted her around. She was too small. She was always in the way. She couldn’t keep up with the boys. She should just find someone else to bother.
But if her own brother didn’t want her around, who would? Why didn’t he want her around? Weren’t they family? Shouldn’t he love her? Shouldn’t he want to play with her? What was so wrong with her?
Angrily wiping back the tears, she reluctantly, decided to go back to her room. She would just go and play by herself. Like always.
The adults were always too busy concerning themselves with boring stuff. The only time she ever seemed to have their attention was when she was doing something wrong, which seemed to be often. But how else did you get someone’s attention?
Trian was now too old to want to play with her. It seemed now he spent more and more time with stuffy advisors and boring teachers which only seemed to make him too boring or mature to play with her.
There weren’t many other kids in the palace. And the ones outside? Well apparently, they were… classless? Lower class? Something like that. Sereda just know it meant that she wasn’t allowed to play with them.
As she headed toward her room, she was distracted by the sound of a baby crying. She paused, before turning to the open door. She peaked in. In it, one of the servants held a baby in her arms. Sereda approached quietly, although with the noise the baby was providing, she need not have bothered.
“Can I hold him?” She asked as she tugged on the lady’s skirt.
The lady looked down in surprise, clearly not expecting a visit from the little princess.
She hesitated before responding, “I don’t know if that is such a good idea…. He’s a bit fussy right now.”
“Please?”
The lady glanced between her and the door for a few moments longer before nodding.
“Go over by the couch and sit down.”
Eagerly, Sereda scrambled to the couch. She sat on it and held out her hands.
The lady showed her how to hold him and placed the baby in her arms.
The baby, startled by this new person, stopped wailing. He stared up at her with wide unblinking eyes before erupting into giggles.
Sereda felt her heart lurch. This is what she wanted. This is what she had been wanting all along. Trian might be too grown for her. Maybe he didn’t like her anymore and didn’t want to be her friend.
Fine. She couldn’t catch him. And she couldn’t make him play with her. But as she stared at the cooing little one in front of her, she made a promise to herself that she would be there for him. She would make time for him, and play with him, and be the best big sister she could be.