“Sisters, as you know, also have a unique relationship. This is the person who has known you your entire life, who should love you and stand by you no matter what, and yet it's your sister who knows exactly where to drive the knife to hurt you the most.” Lisa See

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Chapter Seven

Elena felt the bile rise in her throat as she pushed the door open. When she entered the room, she saw Gabriela standing in the middle of her four attendants. The ladies were helping her out of her travelling clothes. On the bed was a new, beautiful gown for her to wear to luncheon.

Without looking at her, Gabriela asked, “¿Eres mi traductor?”

Elena gulped. “Sí, la princesa Gabriela,” she replied.

Gabriela’s pale eyes flashed to Elena in an almost violent manner. She pushed her ladies out of the way so that she could see the woman who had just spoken. Her eyes were wide and her jaw dropped. She shook her head in pure disbelief. “Elena?” gasped Gabriela. Gabriela cradled her head in her hands and cried, “¡Fuera de aquí!” She looked up at her bewildered ladies. “¡Fuera de aquí!” she shouted again.

“The Princess is asking you all to leave,” Elena told the ladies. Gabriela’s four ladies seemed to understand English. They silently departed the room with confused expressions on their faces.

Elena was prepared for screaming. She was prepared for accusations and even violence. She was not prepared for what Gabriela did next.

As soon as the ladies were away and the door was closed, Gabriela flew into Elena’s arms and hugged her tightly, so tight that Elena could not breathe. “Elena, thank God!” Gabriela burst into tears and kissed Elena’s cheeks and her forehead. “Are you alright?” she asked desperately. “Are you hurt?”

“I am fine,” Elena assured her.

Gabriela cupped Elena’s face. “Elena, I cannot believe it! Thank God! Thank God!”

Elena had not expected this. Elena had expected her sister to berate her.

Gabriela inspected every inch of Elena just as soon she pulled away. She paid close attention to her stomach. She felt for any protrusions and breathed a sigh of relief. “No child,” she whispered to herself.

“Of course there is no child!” Elena exclaimed, pushing Gabriela away.

“Then what was your reason for running away? If you were not carrying a bastard child, then why?” she asked sharply.

“I could not marry a stranger, Gabriela!” Elena cried. “He is twenty years older than me!”

“Christian is twenty years older than me!” retorted Gabriela. “But I married him because it was my responsibility!”

“I could not be a pawn,” Elena continued. “I did not want to be used. I did not want to lose my identity like Mama has.”

Gabriela sarcastically laughed. “You do not get to want, Elena,” she snapped. “You are royal. Your responsibilities come before your desires.”

Tears ran down Elena’s cheeks as she went over to Gabriela’s bed. She sat down on the edge of the bed and buried her face in her hands. “I could not do it,” she sobbed. “I could not marry him. I want to love my husband. I want my husband to love me.” Was that really such a ridiculous hope? Elena wanted to be loved. She wanted to be cherished. She wanted a husband who would want her above anyone else. She did not want to be trapped in a royal palace while he husband kept mistresses and bastard children.

Gabriela scoffed. “You are a coward,” she said darkly. “You betrayed your country for a pathetic, childish dream. We do not have the luxury of love, Elena,” Gabriela said forcefully. “Your country comes before your heart. You have known this your whole life.” Gabriela took several deep breaths before coming to sit next to Elena on the bed, pushing her dress out of the way. “Elena,” she said calmly, “marriage had nothing to do with love. My husband does not understand me. He looks at me as if I am stupid when I speak. If he could speak our language then he would know that I am not stupid. But I married him anyway because that was my responsibility. That was the only task our parents ever gave me, just as marrying Portugal was the only task they ever gave you.” Gabriela awkwardly wrapped an arm around Elena.

“I do not want my husband to look at me like I am stupid,” whispered Elena. “I want my husband to look at me like he cannot fathom spending a minute away from me.”

“You are so naïve, Elena,” sighed Gabriela. She seized Elena’s hand and pulled her up from the bed. “Come now,” she said firmly. “We need to purchase you passage back to Spain. You need to go home now. You need to marry Prince Carlos. So long as a marriage is made in Spain’s favour, our father will not punish you.”

She pulled her towards the door but Elena dug her heels in, crying hysterically and shaking her head. “No, no, please Gabriela!” Elena begged. “Please do not give me away!”

Gabriela’s blue eyes narrowed. “Grow up, Elena!” she snapped. “You are no longer a child. You are no longer allowed to get away with whatever you want!”

Elena gasped. She did not get away with anything as a child. She was lashed! And when she was not being punished by her father, she was being tortured by Gabriela, Javier and Jorge! “You tortured me!” Elena shouted accusingly, no longer caring if anyone heard them if she was to be revealed.

Gabriela rolled her eyes. “We were all tortured, Elena,” she said fiercely. Gabriela was dressed in her underclothes and chemise. She shrugged out of her underclothes, exposing her shoulder blades to Elena. Gabriela’s fair skin bore the same lashing scars as Elena’s. There were more scars, though. More lashes.

Elena gasped. She did not know that Gabriela had been lashed as well. It must have happened when Elena was very young as she could not remember it.

“You had an easy childhood, Elena,” Gabriela said quietly. “I was a disappointment from birth. I was the first born, I was supposed to be a son. As a daughter, I was ignored. Mama ignored me as she tried to bear a son. Padre disliked me. So I did things to get attention, things that as I got older were punishable by a sound whipping. When the sons came, things got better. Mama even started to love me, I think. And then you were born. There was not the same disappointment with you as there was with me, Elena,” Gabriela said bitterly. “They did not ignore you, they did not particularly like you, but they did not ignore you. I was jealous.”

And there it was. The reason for why Gabriela had been so horrible to Elena for so many years. She was jealous.

“You were jealous?” repeated Elena.

Gabriela nodded. “I thought that they liked you more than me. I did not want them near you. It was not fair. How was it fair that you were allowed to be a little girl and I was not?” Gabriela slumped down on the floor and Elena joined her.

“Gabriela, please,” Elena whispered, “I am begging you. If you ever liked me at all, then please do not give me away.”

Gabriela looked up at Elena and furrowed her eyebrows. “Of course I like you, Elena. I love you. I am so relieved that you are safe.”

Gabriela had never told Elena that she loved her before. Elena liked hearing it. Elena had always felt as if Gabriela hated her.

Gabriela played with Elena’s apron and smiled slightly. “And I suppose this is a part of your plan?”

“I am a housemaid,” replied Elena.

“A servant?” remarked Gabriela, an amused smile on her lips. “A princess masquerading as a servant,” she mused. “You are very brave, Elena.”

Elena pursed her lips. “I thought I was a coward,” she murmured.

“You are a coward for abandoning your responsibility, I do not regret saying that,” Gabriela replied, “but you are brave for doing what I have wanted to do since I was betrothed myself. Were I not already with child I would insist on running from this house with you. You are braver than I am, Elena, and I am proud of you.”

Elena felt as though she had her sister’s respect. Elena knew that running from her responsibilities was not a valiant action, but it was the action that was right for her. Elena had not missed Gabriela’s news, though. Gabriela was expecting. “Do I congratulate you?”

Gabriela nodded sadly. “It is what is meant to happen, Elena,” replied Gabriela, “but like you, I do not want to lose my identity. This child will be Danish. This child will be raised Danish. This child will speak Danish. Spain will be forgotten with this child.” She placed a hand on her flat stomach and rubbed absently.

“Do not let it!” exclaimed Elena. “Teach the child Spanish. Teach the child about our country. Let them know their mother’s country. Let them love their heritage like we do.”

Gabriela smiled. “Do you know what I thought when I learned I was with child?”

Elena nodded.

“I was glad that I would have someone to talk to.” She rolled her eyes and laughed at herself. “I plan on teaching my child Spanish no matter what. Do you know what else?”

“What?”

“I will love her even if she is a daughter,” Gabriela said proudly.

Elena smiled. She would do the same if she ever had a daughter as well.

“Gabriela, please,” Elena said calmly. “I know that as a princess I have different obligations. I know that I have duties and responsibilities. I know that this betrothal to Portugal was what I had to do. But do you not see? I have not made a single choice for myself. This was my very first decision. I learned English and I ran away. I may be a servant, but it is the first ounce of freedom I have ever had. Please.”

Gabriela was quiet for a moment as she thought about what Elena had said. What she said next was music to Elena’s ears. “I will not give you away, Elena,” promised Gabriela.

Elena breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Gabriela.”

“You must write home, though,” Gabriela insisted. “You must write to Joaquín. As soon as we realised you had disappeared he believed you had been snatched. He led the search party. He instructed the guards to search every corner of Spain for you. It was not until we learned that maids uniforms and a large quantity of food were missing that we realised you had run away. Our brother was devastated. You were always his favourite.”

Elena felt terribly guilty for causing her brother pain and anguish. She hoped one day he would understand. Perhaps she should write him to promise him that she was safe.

“Is Padre very angry?” Elena asked fearfully. Elena already knew the answer to that. Of course Juan was angry. He would be furious. “Is he searching for me?”

“Yes, he is angry,” confirmed Gabriela, “and he is most definitely searching for you.”

“I am safe here,” Elena said confidently. “He would not look past the Royal Court, would he?”

“He will send word across the nation if he ever comes to England. Your portrait will be printed in every paper and a handsome reward will be offered for your return.” Gabriela rubbed Elena’s back comfortingly. “I can only think of one way you will remain safe, Elena.”

“How?”

“You will come to Denmark with me,” she replied. “You will be my lady’s maid and companion. Padre will not look in the Danish Court as he would expect word from me if you were there. You must come with me.”

Elena knew that Gabriela’s idea was a very sensible one and it was one that might indeed work. If she wanted to remain concealed, she could hide at the Danish Court.

“What is it, Elena?” asked Gabriela. “What is tying you here?”

Elena did not know. No, of course she knew, it was just impossible. Elena did not have a right to love as a royal, and she did not have a right to love as a liar, either.

“Ask me again when you leave,” whispered Elena.

Gabriela nodded and climbed to her feet. “I do not want those ladies dressing me. They chat amongst themselves as they help me and I do not like not knowing what they are saying. Will you help me, Elena?”

Elena nodded as she climbed to her feet. She fetched Gabriela’s beautiful gown and smiled at the feeling of the silk gown. She jumped when she felt a sudden weight on her head. She turned to look in the dressing table mirror to see that Gabriela had placed her tiara on Elena’s head. Elena smiled slightly. She had abandoned her tiaras and jewels in Madrid. She had missed feeling feminine.

“This is who you are, Elena,” Gabriela said quietly as she took her gown from Elena. “You can run and I will hide you, but sooner or later the truth will come out. It always does.”

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So Gabriela's keeping her mouth shut ... for now ;) Two uploads in 14 hours! Go me! I felt bad for leaving you with the cliffhanger before. 

I was talking about my plan for this chapter in the previous author's note. I'll put a bit in here lol. "As soon as Gab sees it's Elena she totally freaks. She flips out and send the Danish chicks away and then throws herself at Elena which is totes weird because Elena thinks she hates her." Lol, that's what my plans look like and then I have to make them historical :P 

Anyways, I'm hungry, see ya later ;) Vote and comment!