Chapter 1

Hi guys! I recently just binge-watched Reign and fell in love with it, so naturally I HAD to write a fanfiction on it! I do not own any of the characters. Feel free to leave me constructive criticism and feedback! Happy reading! :)

"Libby, slow down! You are going to trip!" Claudia shouted, her steps pounding behind mine.

I felt the moist earth mold around my toes as I ran through the tall wildflowers around the castle. The sun's rays warmed my porcelain skin and the soft summer breeze blew through my golden waves.

"Come on, don't you both wish to just dance and run and laugh as you please? No heavy dresses restricting your limbs or tutors forcing you to learn?" I laughed, stopping to twirl.

"Well if you have not already noticed, Claudia nor I are wearing such a light gown," Chrissy said, pausing. "That is if you can even call it that."

I plopped down on the bed of silky blossoms, letting the white cotton spread out across the ground. "It is perfectly suitable considering the circumstances. Why wear heavy, stiff garments when running in the fields?"

"Well we do not have anything else," Chrissy replied, brushing the yellow petals off her gown's baby blue satin.

Grinning, I said, "Well I had this custom-made by a tailor in Paris. I am sure I can have another two made for you both. Perhaps then you will be able to keep up with my pace next time we go exploring."

Gasping, Chrissy and Claudia sprung to their feet and began chasing me through the castle grounds. We raced through the endless flowers, twirling and running in the warmth of late summer. I felt the thin stalks of weeds and flowers alike brushing against my calves, as I picked dozens of wildflowers. I weaved them through my waves and clutched a healthy bouquet in my fist.

Just as we were about to lay back in the tall grass and read a couple chapters of King Arthur's tales, a familiar voice came from behind me. "A beautiful day isn't it?"

The invigorating sunlight suddenly excited me less and dread overcame my body. I spun around to see my father and mother standing before me, arm in arm.

I bowed my head slightly. "Yes, it is."

"If I recall correctly, are you not supposed to be studying your latin right now?" Father asked, glancing at the castle.

"Yes, Father," I answered quietly.

"Christine, Claudia, I believe your father was searching for you two. He is back from the Blood Wood," Mother stated, smiling kindly as they stood submissively behind me.

Squealing, they hastily curtsied, before sprinting toward the castle where their father was waiting. I did not protest their absence for I knew that Uncle Bash was rarely home. There always seemed to be some outrageous injustice or supernatural occurrence happening somewhere, and as the King's deputy, it was his job to solve such issues.

I bit my lip, tempted to follow them and see my favorite uncle and godfather, but unfortunately I was in the presence of the King and Queen of France and Scotland; even worse, my parents.

"Mary-Elizabeth, you know you cannot skip lessons as you please even though it is a nice day. I should not have to tell you this," Father scolded.

"I know, and I am truly sorry for skipping my lessons today. I just tire of court, Father. There are so many lies and backstabbing and-"

"You do not have to tell us that, darling. court is not for the faint of heart, but it is our life. It is your life, Mary-Elizabeth," Mother replied.

I nodded. "Of course, Mother. I must learn to adjust to the ways of court life."

With an amused smirk, Father looked me up and down, chuckling, "Well court will be quite intrigued to see their princess in a mere shift with no shoes and unkempt hair."

I grinned. "It is not a shift. It is a shorter gown so that I may run without cumbersome petticoats. I promise I will not wear it outside the confines of the castle. I would not want to offend the masses with my calves," I laughed.

Father shook his head but continued smiling. "Go on and get cleaned up for dinner. I do not want to see any trace of your excursions today besides flowers."

"Of course, Father," I said, curtsying.

"I am your father, Libby. You may approach me more intimately," Father said, opening his arms.

I fell into his warm embrace as I did many times when I was younger, and I felt his lips press against the top of my head.

"Je t'aime, Papa," I murmured into his satin garments.

I felt a smile grace his lips through my hair as he whispered back, "Moi aussi, je t'aime, ma petite."

I pulled away and moved to hug Mother. "Je t'aime, Mére."

"Moi aussi, je t'aime, ma chérie," she answered, kissing me on the cheek.

With one last curtsy, I began the short trek back to the castle to prepare myself for dinner.

XXX

I walked through the corridors, my feet padding across the cold stone. The halls were unusually empty, no doubt because of the intense summer heat we were "blessed" with the past few months. The nobles only came to court if they had to for business or for pleasure. Only a few still milled around to share pleasantries with each other.

In two days time, however, the castle would be filled with guests and merriment as my eldest sister returned from her honeymoon tour. Unfortunately, I would not be attending as Father and Mother believed I was still too young to attend balls or accept suitors.

Yet, they wondered why I got so restless in court.

Rooted in my thoughts, I wandered through the halls until I suddenly hit a solid form head-on. Recognizing the mysterious object as a person, I scrambled to gather myself and muttered numerous apologies. It is only when I took the time to glance up that I noticed that the person I ran into was no other than my Uncle Bash.

"Someone is deep in thought I see," he said with a good-natured grin.

"Uncle Bash!" I exclaimed, embracing him tightly. "It does me good to see you. It is a rather rare occurrence to see you sauntering around the castle."

"While being away from Blair and the children for such extended periods of time is difficult, I must confess that I do not miss court while I am away. However, I do miss my favorite niece too," he replied, pulling away to look at me.

"You say that to all your nieces," I argued with a smirk, daring him to challenge my notion.

He nodded. "I do, but as my only godchild, you do hold a slight advantage over my other nieces and nephews." Pausing, he admitted, "And your distaste for court life also plays a significant role in my affection for you."

"Not distaste per se, but I do not enjoy all the aspects of life that it offers me. The gossip, the propriety, the corruption-"

"So in essence, court?"

I laughed, biting my lip. "I suppose."

Clearing his throat, Uncled Bash motioned to my dirt-crusted toes and fingers. "Well, it appears that you have some preparation to do before dinner. I will not keep you any longer," he stated, failing to suppress his chuckle. He bowed his head slightly before continuing down the corridor in the other direction.

XXX

The past few hours were brutal as I sat in the tub filled with scalding water, sloughing off the multiple layers of grime and dirt that festered on my skin. I washed my hair thoroughly until it no longer smelled of soil masked by the scent of perfume.

My maids helped me into my light pink gown, pulling the corset as tight as possible. The dress was beautifully adorned with lace straps that hugged the edge of my shoulders and long pieces of blush lace that toppled down in thin ruffles from the diamond accented sash across my waist.

I peered at myself in the mirror, smoothing out the slight creases in the blush dress. The color complimented my blonde waves and porcelain skin, bringing a subtle but healthy pink to my cheeks.

I applied a natural pink rouge to my lips, giving me an older and more sophisticated look than I usually donned. I toyed with the few loose waves around my face while the middle two sections of hair were pinned up in the back, eventually cascading down my back.

Satisfied with the work of my maids, I smiled at myself and spun around to look at myself in full. I could never be mistaken as anything but the youngest princess of France and Scotland; the aquamarine eyes, the sandy blonde hair, even the facial structure was extremely similar if not the same..

The truth of the matter was, I looked exactly like my father. The only physical traits I inherited from my mother were her full, plump lips and her womanly figure. While I was not the most beautiful girl in court and so far below the beauty standards of my older sister, Catherine, I was fairly pretty. I never said this aloud, however, for fear of receiving another one of my parents' numerous lectures.

"Why do you compare yourself to your sister?" They would say. "You are uniquely beautiful and obtain your own extraordinary talents. You must not look to anyone else to decide your worth." They would continue.

I walked down the corridors, recalling all the lectures I had received in the past when comparing myself to Catherine. I could not help feeling inferior to her as she was the most graceful and beautiful girl at court.

She had my mother's dark wavy tresses and full lips, sharp features like my father, and sapphire blue eyes that neither of my parents possessed.

Catherine was witty, yet even-tempered, but obtained intellect far superior to any other lady at court. She was fluent in French, English, Spanish, Danish, and Italian, read and wrote very eloquently, played the lute and harpsichord, and danced the finest at balls.

I was no competition to her.

She had no issue finding a suitor and eventually my parents made her a fine match with Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. He was not the heir to the throne of Denmark, but it created a fine alliance between the French and Danish. Also, should any foreign threats come France's or Scotland's way, Catherine, as Christian's wife, would have sway in Danish court to provide troops to our countries.

I could only hope to gain such a fine husband as Catherine.

I entered the dining room, my skirts swishing against the smooth stone floor. The room was dim with the setting sun and intimate candlelight, while the windows were left open to allow the summer breeze to chill the sweltering castle.

Father sat at the head of the table with Mother to his right and my eldest brother, Francis, to his left. Next to Francis was his darling wife, Princess Eugenia of Portugal. Two seats sat empty, one next to Mother and the other next to Eugenia, while the rest of the long table remained chairless. Those spots were only filled when foreign diplomats or noblemen were invited for dinner, so the room usually felt quite lonely despite my family being close by.

Father smiled as I sat down next to Mother and asked, "Who are you and what have you done with my darling Libby?"

I gave a slight chuckle at his sarcasm. "Father, you give the false impression that I am usually so disorderly."

"No, not at all. I just always wonder where my spirited child disappeared to in that corset and lovely dress; the one that used to explore the hidden passageways and beg others to hide small treasures for them to find," he laughed, taking a sip of wine.

"Perhaps she has not disappeared, but simply knows when to be playful and when to remain the docile lady she was brought up to be," I replied, cocking an eyebrow.

Expecting a mocking quip from my other older brother, James, my eyes automatically travelled to the empty chair next to Eugenia. For the first time, I realized he was not there and asked, "Where is James tonight? He always joins us for dinner."

"He was invited to dinner at Lady Elise's house tonight. Her father is Lord Chauvin, the primary provider of wheat in the realm," said Mother, a hopeful inflection in her tone.

"Yes, I am well acquainted with Lady Elise. I have seen her at court many times," I said, keeping an even tone.

I was not a friend of Lady Elise. I knew of her reputation with various menfolk in court and her insatiable appetite for those that she should not and could not have. No doubt James was just another story to write in her pathetic sex diary. With her devilish charm, it was entirely possible that he was bedding her at that moment.

I would have to speak with him about this pressing matter later.

"Mary-Elizabeth, your Father and I have some rather exciting news for you tonight," said Mother, glancing at Father to continue.

Father pressed his lips together and silently gestured for her to finish the announcement.

Her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes lingered a few moments before saying, "We have jointly agreed that you are of age to begin attending social events and once your brother gets engaged, you may begin to accept suitors."

"Really? I no longer have to stay hidden in my chambers during parties?" I asked, a shrill excitement enveloping my tone.

"No, but we are granting you considerable responsibility that should not be taken lightly. You must exercise all the etiquette of a lady that your tutors have taught you. We cannot have another display like today at a social event that will undoubtedly include powerful royals and noblemen," Mother warned.

Francis, silent up until now, stated, "Somehow that thrilling news turned rather dismal."

An awkward silence commanded the table for a few moments before I mustered up the courage to ask, "Do neither of you have faith in me?"

"Libby, that was not what your mother meant. She simply knows how ruthless court can be and is only trying to protect you from the libel that it is infamous for," Father commented, recognizing the growing hurt in my eyes.

"Or is she insuring that I am not an embarrassment to the great House of Valois?" I questioned, searching Mother's face for any inkling of truth.

"Darling, I would never suggest that-" Mother started, her face filled with confusion and regret for her previous words.

Unwilling to hear another word and fearing that I would dissolve into a puddle of tears, I interrupted, "Let us abandon the subject and talk of lighter things."

The table remained silent as unsaid words and feelings of hurt and anger hung in the air. Resigning myself to the role of conversation savior, I folded my hands and asked with a false smile, "What did the kitchen prepare for dinner?"