Present Francis
Francis threw open the doors to Mary's chambers without being announced. He strode into the center and accessed the situation. The faces of four tear streaked
girls shot up at the slamming of the door but they quickly turned back to the center of their attention. An elderly physician stood in a corner instructing a page on the materials he required. In the otherwise perfectly tidy room a foreign object strewn across the floor caught the prince's eye. It was beautifully wrapped box of chocolates. Francis crouched to examine it closer. The box was upside down and ornately decorated truffles lay scattered around it. It was obvious that the box had been dropped and with a growing sense of dread Francis knew what had happened.
Flashback Francis
As heir to the kingdom of France Francis had been well educated on etiquette. Sitting at the formal table used for state banquets with your father, mother, and half brother in complete and awkward silence, however, was not ideal. Francis could barely sit still as he glanced at the empty chair to his right. Mary's presence was what made family meals bearable and her absence was unsettling. Meals could not be started until every quest was seated and due to Mary's tardiness the royal family was forced to delay breaking their fast.
Francis sighed and opened his mouth to speak when a page burst thought the door. "My lord, she, that is Mary." A sharp cough halted his hurried words. Henry laughed. "Calm yourself man! She has overslept I assume? Not matter . Tell her to take her time, we shall wait for her." The page bent down to put his hands on his knees and collect his breath. " No my lord, she hasn't overslept. That's the problem, she can't be woken."
Francis was out of his chair before another word was spoken and sprinted as hard as he could for Mary's room. His blood ran cold as the possibilities of what he would encounter in Mary's room flooded through his mind.