Prologue:
Even at ten years of age, young Theodosia Burr was one of the brightest and smartest people her father, Aaron Burr had ever met. She was wise, open-minded, and educated. Aaron and his wife, who shared a name with their daughter, made sure of that. Aaron Burr loved both his wife and daughter dearly. They were the people that motivated him to work hard, even after being constantly beat by Alexander Hamilton.
Theodosia Burr took much pride in being married to the Aaron Burr. She had never felt more loved than when she was with him. She also took pride in being the mother of her bright young daughter, Theodosia. She loved that her daughter shared her husband's beautiful, dark eyes and her very own name. She wanted her daughter to grow up educated, like her father, and confident like herself.
Alexander Hamilton adored his son more than anything, beside his wife, Eliza. He took pride in the fact that his son was intelligent, confident, and that Philip Hamilton wanted to grow up to be just like him. He tried day after day do something that his son would be proud of. He believed that his son was the greatest child ever born and he was not afraid to share it with everyone, especially Aaron Burr.
Eliza Hamilton was well aware of how similar her son was to his father. He was confident and wasn't afraid to share his ideas with the world. Eliza also knew how similar her son was to herself. He was very trusting and incredibly kind. She just hoped that his father's traits wouldn't overpower hers.
—————
Once a week, Mrs. Eliza Hamilton and Mrs. Theodosia Burr would meet at each other's home and spend an afternoon chatting and drinking tea. This week, Eliza was hosting tea. After meeting her friend's daughter, Eliza invited young Theo to come along. She may only had been ten years old, but her age didn't reflect on the young lady's maturity. She was mature and wise beyond her age and felt incredibly honored that Mrs. Hamilton invited her to tea.
Theodosia allowed her daughter to knock on the door, earning an excited expression from the young girl. She stood on her toes, knocking on the door three times and the Burr women waited. A few moments later, Eliza opened the door and appeared in front of her guests. "Theodosia, Theo. Please, come in." The woman stepped out of the doorframe, allowing the ladies to enter her home. "I'm very pleased you both could attend, especially you, Theo." Eliza looked at the young girl sweet, causing a smile to form on Theo's lips.
"Thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Hamilton. I truly appreciate the invitation." Theo told the woman as she followed the hostess to her living room. The living room was large, clean room with plenty of seating. The Hamilton's were no strangers to hosting people at their home. The two Burr's took a seat on the sofa as Eliza returned with the tea.
"Theo is very flattered that you invited her to tea. She hasn't stopped talking about it since we received the invitation last week." Theodosia said as she placed her hand gently on her daughter's shoulder. Theo looked back at her mother, her cheeks a deep pink.
"Mother, you're embarrassing me!" Theo exclaimed. Eliza placed her tea cup back on its saucer, letting a laugh slip from between her lips. Theo looked back at the hostess.
"Don't be embarrassed, Theo. It's very sweet that you were so excited to come over." Eliza smiled warmly at the girl. Footsteps broke the small moment of silence. Suddenly, a young boy appeared around the corner.
"Mother— oh, I didn't realize that you had company over." The boy stood in the doorway, gazing over at the two Burr ladies. "I'm sorry I'm intruding."
"Philip, it's alright. You know Mrs. Burr." Eliza nodded her head in her friend's direction. Philip nodded and walked over to the women.
"I do, it's wonderful to see you again, Mrs. Burr." He looked over at the young girl that looked just like Theodosia. "I've never seen you at tea before. I'm Philip, welcome to our home." He met the girl's dark eyes and smiled warmly.
Theo hesitated before replying to the young man of the household. "It's a pleasure to be here, and a pleasure to meet you. I'm Theodosia, but many call me Theo." She bowed her head as a sign of respect.
Philip smiled and shook his head. "There's no need for that, Theo." She raised her head back to it's normal position, returning his warm smile.
Eliza placed her hand on her son's arm. "Philip, you should play a song for our guests." She suggested, looking over at the piano in the room. "Philip is quite the pianist." Eliza said proudly. "Go on, Philip."
Theodosia nodded. "You know, Philip, Theo plays the piano too. Maybe you two could play together. I bet your mother would enjoy it and I know I would too." Theodosia gently pushed her daughter up and off the sofa. "Go ahead, Theo."
The two children made their way over to the piano that was positioned against the wall. Once they arrived there, Theo noticed something different. "Where's your book?"
Philip looked back at the girl with a confused expression plastered on his face. "My book? What book?"
She took her seat on the piano stool and looked back at the boy. "You know, your book. It's filled with music that you play on the piano. Where is it?"
The boy took his place next to Theo. "I don't have a book. I just play what my mother teaches me, but I like to change the cords. It annoys her." Theo let out a small laugh before placing her fingers onto the piano keys. She always felt comfortable on the piano, but for some reason, she felt nervous this time around. Performing in front of an audience wasn't difficult for her, but being in Philip's presence caused her to grow anxious. Philip placed his fingers a few chords higher than his guest. "What songs do you know?"
"Just start playing, I'll join in soon enough." Philip nodded and began to play a soft, soothing melody. Theo chimed in a minute later, when she recognized the melody. The two were both talented alone, but together, they played beautifully. Eliza and Theodosia looked at each other happily as they listened to their children play. Theo focused on her playing while Philip couldn't help but watch Theo play. He had never met such a talented person in his life.
As they played, Theodosia spoke softly to her friend. "I must be going, I'm feeling faint." Eliza placed her hand on Theodosia's comfortingly. She knew that her friend was falling ill, which she caused her to lose sleep some nights. The worry she felt for her was unexplainable. "Theo, darling. We should hurry home. Father must be expecting us soon." Theo turned around to see her mother. She didn't look good. Theo had been seeing this for weeks now. Her mother convinced her that she was just getting older and she got tired quicker.
The young girl stood up and took her mother's hand. "Thank you for having us, Mrs. Hamilton. I enjoyed being here." Theo looked over at the boy she had just been playing the piano with. "Thank you for playing with me, Philip. Your mother was right, you are quiet the pianist."
Philip nodded and smiled at the girl. "Thank you for joining me. I didn't know that anyone could match my talent, let alone exceed it. We'll have to get together again to play more."
"That would be nice, thank you." Theo and her mother made their way to the door. "Don't be afraid to write me." Philip nodded. "Goodbye." And just like that, Theo and her mother were gone.
—————
A year later, Philip Hamilton was accepted into Kings High Boarding School. He was very excited and was overjoyed. At the same time, just five minutes down the road, Theo's heart was breaking. She had just found out how serious her mother's condition was. Cancer had consumed her. Philip kept his promise and wrote to Theo, unaware of what was happening in her life. The two had grown to be good friends.
Dearest, Theodosia,
I have great news. I was accepted into Kings High School! I'm very excited, and I know how much you value education, so I thought I'd share the news with you. I just wish you had the same opportunities as I do. I promise to teach you when I return. I don't know when I'll see you again, hopefully sooner rather than later. I'll keep writing to you, as long as you write me back. Until we meet again, Theo.
Yours truly,
Philip Hamilton
A day after the letter was received, Theodosia slipped away in her sleep, leaving Aaron and Theo heartbroken. Theo couldn't bring herself to write back to Philip's many letters. Eventually, the letters stopped coming and the two fell out. Until five years later...
—————
IT'S MY VERY FIRST HAMILTON STORY AND I'M PUMPED! I'm sorry if this prologue was rushed or sloppy. I'm not good at writing children, but I hope for it to get better. Please leave your thoughts, that would be fantastic. I'd love to hear what you think!