Alice Windsor | BRF Story

1.

The week-old princess had changed a lot on her older brother's eyes. Her eyes, dark blue when he first met her, were becoming lighter by the day, while the little hair she had on head was becoming a light shade of almost gold, which incredibly amused the young prince. 

William didn't remember much of when Harry was a baby, he would notice late in life, but he remembered much of his little sister's first days with him. He remembered when he first held her (sitting beside his mother in the hospital bed), when he first kissed her goodnight (the day she came home, before going to bed himself) and his first photo with her in his arms (the day after she came home). He remembered it all. His little sister was a sweet angel, and a very quiet one as well. 

The princess' first night at home was a rather quiet one, under the circumstances at the time of course. She cried only when she needed something, and even after the nanny was promised she would take care from there on, the Prince and Princess of Wales united forces to take care of their little girl that first week; the first time they had done united forces since the day after little girl was conceived, on Christmas Eve. Charles took most of the tasks during the day, leaving the princess to spend time with their sons and rest, while Diana took care of the baby at night, only waking Charles when she truly needed his help. 

And it was during those nights that Diana was the most happy. She had her young girl all to herself, she could just sit there, looking at that human embodiment of perfection that she had carried nine months, and that was now looking more and more like the angel she had been dreaming since before she found out she was expecting. Dreams, of course, only her would ever know. 

Those nights had also served as her moments of reflection. Diana knew her marriage to Charles was broken, and she had already tried to fix it and make it work, from the moment they both said "I will" at St Paul's Cathedral until after the birth of their second son. And during her third pregnancy Diana hoped this baby, which she always knew would be a girl, was going to fix and make everything better, wishful thinking really. But Diana wasn't a little girl anymore, and she was now a mother of three beautiful children, she had to be realistic. If she tried to make her marriage work, it would be for their children's sake, but if it didn't... then well, it didn't. 

"You're my will to make it all better, little birdie." The Princess caressed her daughter's round cheek, with her little one sleeping softly. "You're my will to keep going. You're my everything."

Names for their daughter had been selected long before she found out if they were having a boy or a girl, and when her fifth month came around and her doctor said they could already see what it was, Diana didn't think twice. 

Charles had accompanied her for her second ultrasound of that month, he was happy, as any future parent of three would be, but Diana had known, from the moment she sat him down and announced, with a sad smile on her face, that they were having a third child, that the Prince of Wales wasn't the most enthusiastic. Although that would be half a lie, the Prince of Wales wasn't enthusiastic with the 50% possibility of having a third son. Diana knew Charles was a devoted father, in his own way, and that he loved their boys deeply, but she also knew, from the beginning, that the Prince of Wales had always wished for a daughter, a little princess to call his own. 

The normal part of the check up went how you'd expect, and soon enough the doctor turned to her and Charles, who was sitting in a stool beside the examination bed, with a small glimmer in her eyes, asking if they wanted to know the gender. This same thing had happened during Wills pregnancy, but after her doctor let it slip out to Diana during Harrys pregnancy that it would be another boy, Diana was able to convince Charles to wait until the birth. The Princess of Wales had expected to hear another "We want to wait." from her husband's mouth, but instead there was silence, and when she looked her husband was shaking his head up and down while the doctor was moving the transducer (a name Diana never thought she would actually learn in her lifetime) over her protuberant bump. 

"It's a girl." 

That was of course many months ago now, but Diana could still remember how her husband acted and reacted even a month after finding out. He was so excited he even told his mother and grandmother, two people who were strictly against finding out the gender before the baby was born. And although they had once again become close over their children, their arranged sleeping situation didn't change; Diana had her bedroom, while Charles had his own. 

"What do you think about Elizabeth?" 

The Prince asked during one particular late night for the both of them. Little birdie had been throwing a party inside Diana's belly, while Charles' couldn't sleep until all his paperwork for the day was done. 

"Three? It would be a little crowded don't you think?" 

"Maybe, but it would be lovely." 

Maybe for him, Diana thought. 

"For a second name then. We shouldn't discard it so soon."

"Indeed we shouldn't." 

A few nights later, during another late night this time with the family spending their first week of the summer break at Highgrove, and before they went up to Scotland for a few days, the name had been decided upon, with both parents happy and their wishes satisfied.