Chapter 1:

Bash POV~

She had said her heart was open. I have a chance to make her forget Francis, and be happy, truly happy, in our marriage. I have a chance at the woman I have loved since I first laid eyes on her upon her arrival at court all those months ago. She was beautiful. Standing there, looking up at court like she was a bit afraid of how everything was going to happen, full of hope, which had been ripped from her not long after her arrival.

Now I'm in a position I never thought I would be in. I have a chance at the beautiful, strong woman I had left after an amazing kiss, to let her wash the stress of the day away. I have a chance to be happy with her for the rest of my life. I have been wandering the halls for the last hour that last thought on repeat in my head and then I heard the commotion, and saw the guard's feverishly knocking on the washroom door, and fear ripped through me, Mary was in there, and from the look on the guard's faces, they heard something they didn't like. I was right behind them when the broke through the door, and my heart dropped when my eyes found Mary clinging to the side of the tub, slipping and coughing. I was running to her, not heading any warnings of poison, my only thought was to get to her, and make her safe. "Mary, Mary are you okay?"

"Catherine tried…to kill. Me!" She sounded terrified, and she was shaking. I paid no attention to the fact that there was only a towel between the two of us and pulled her closer and shouting at the guard's to lock the Queen up. As they hauled Catherine out, she told Mary I would be her ruin. "I know who he is! And I have made the perfect choice, because together we have killed you!" I froze, she was defending me, even as she possibly was fighting poison. This strong, incredible woman was defending me, a bastard. She was incredible.

As the guard's got the struggling woman out, I looked down at Mary and spoke softly so as to keep her calm, no matter the fear still coursing through me. "Are you alright, I am going to take you to Nostradamus, he will hopefully be able to get rid of the rest of the poison out of your system before it does to much damage. Do you feel alright?"

"I'm tired, so tired, and I feel weak. I'm sorry Bash…I got us into this mess. That…could have easily been you with a knife to your throat…"

"Shh, it's all over now, but I need you to stay awake Mary alright, and I know that's going to be hard, but I need you to okay?" I whispered into her hair as I swept her up bridal style and headed for Nostradamus's chamber, hoping to God that she was alright, and that we got to her in time. Halfway there, Alec found me and immediately took up protection behind me. I pushed through Nostradamus's door, calling out to him as I did so. He was at my side in seconds, assessing a barely conscious Mary.

"Poison, how did she inhale it? Put her down here." I placed her on the same bed I had laid in mere months ago.

"Her majesty, the queen, tried to kill her. Can you stop the poison?" The cold tone in my voice not missed by either man in the room. "Bash... Bash" I was on my knees next to her again in seconds. "I'm right here Mary, everything is okay. You're safe now."

"I'm tired Bash, can I sleep now?"

"No Your Grace, I'm sorry but I need you to fight sleep for a few moments while I counteract the poison. You were not exposed long enough to be killed but we need to make sure you are alright." He turned to me, and I followed him to his table at his beckon. "Where did you find her, where was the poison?"

"We found her in the washroom, the tub was full of poison and Mary was in it, are you sure she will be alright?" He put a hand on my shoulder, "I will do my best, and I'm sure she didn't inhale enough to die. I will do my best to take care of the rest, but I'm going to need space." He was sitting next to her and I knew he was telling me to keep Mary's ladies away from here right now, and I was hoping he wouldn't make me leave as well, but Mary answered the question for him. "Bash please, stay." I sat on her other side and took her hand, hoping she would be okay soon. "Alec stand guard, tell them Nostradamus is working and doesn't wish to be disturbed."

2 Hours Later~

"She is alright, she just needs rest, hence the sleeping draught I gave her. She will sleep through the night. I suggest taking her back to her rooms so she will rest comfortably." I let out a relieved breath, she would live. That is all that matters in this moment, "Thank you, yes I will." I turned back to Mary, who was now sleeping after struggling to stay awake while Nostradamus worked to counteract the poison. Her hair had dried out in the heat of the room, and was still pinned up. She was beautiful, she was so strong and I was glad I hadn't lost her tonight. I swept her up into my arms, and I headed for her chambers.

Alec had kept her ladies at bay, but as soon as I swept out with Mary in my arms, still only wrapped in a blanket, that had replaced the towel to keep her warm, they followed me to her chamber, and immediately got to work, while I turned my back and stood outside to talk safety with Alec. "No one besides her ladies and I are allowed in, and I don't trust any of the guard, to many could be on her payroll, and I don't trust that Henry won't let her free again, regardless of what she just did to Mary tonight, so I want you to protect her for the next few days, until I convince my father that Catherine is too dangerous to be allowed to wander freely. No arguments Alec, I can defend myself better than they can." He nodded, and stood guard, while I went back to Mary and her ladies. "I am going to go inform the King of the goings on tonight, and I am going to push hard for Catherine to be locked up, alone again. I don't trust her to not try something again. If she wakes and asks for me tell her I will be back as soon as I finish with Henry. And Alec is to be her guard for the next few days. Stay close to her and Alec and he will take care of you as well."

Kenna stepped forward, "Thank you Bash, for saving her. She is all that is standing between Scotland and chaos. We need our queen." Kenna wasn't my biggest fan right now, and I get that, but for this to come from her, I knew how much Mary meant to them. I nodded and headed off for Henry's study to explain to him exactly what role his wife had in tonight's events, and how she had almost cost him England. I knew that taunting Henry with the loss of England would enrage him enough to keep Catherine locked away, or at least I was hoping.

I knocked on the door of the king's study. "Enter."

"Father, I'm here to talk about tonight and Catherine." I stood tall in front of him, and was praying my plan was going to work.

"Yes, I'm curious as to how Mary is. And how Catherine got to her in the first place. Tell me your part son, so I can decide how to proceed with my wife, Mary and you." A thinly vailed threat, but I took a deep breath and started m side of the events.

"After Mary and I left the throne room, she told me she wanted to take a bath, and that she would see me tomorrow. I was walking to clear my head after everything we heard tonight, and I heard the guard's outside the washroom start to knock, having heard something. I went to their aide because I knew Mary was in there. When we got the door open Mary was in the tub, trying not to slip under the water, because it was poisoned. Catherine was on the ground close by with a knife next to her, and they both were coughing and struggling to breathe. I got Mary out of the tub and warm in a towel, and she told me Catherine had tried to kill her. She was upset that she was going to lose all her power, and that her sons were going to be behind me in the line and she was angry. Angry that Mary gets three kingdoms and she loses her head, so she tried to kill Mary, take England away from her, and put Francis back in the front of the line."

"I see. And how is Mary?" I couldn't gage his reaction yet but I was hoping he was going to decide to put Catherine to her death or get rid of her, something.

"Mary is alright, Nostradamus was able to counteract the poison and gave her a sleeping draught to help her sleep tonight. She is with her ladies and Alec. I don't trust the guard's, to many loyal to Catherine and her family."

"Smart, you have always been smart Sebastian. Maybe you will do well as Dauphin." As close to a compliment as I have gotten in a while.

"What are you going to do with Catherine?"

"She is trying to go behind my back, and undermine my decisions, she tried to kill my way to the English crown as well, and I am going to do what I should have done years ago." He was going to rid this court of Catherine and her Medic money. I could only hope he went through with it this time. I bowed and began to make my way out of the study and back to Mary.

"Bash, I plan on returning your mother to court, and I plan on crowning her queen when the annulment, your legitimization, and Mary's fate come back from the Vatican." Wow, mother as queen, my parents married. I nodded and left. I couldn't believe it. This was my fate now. No Catherine, my mother and father married, and Mary married to me, the Dauphin of France. Wow.

I made it back to Mary's chambers and greeted Alec on my way through to Mary. I was greeted by Lola, Kenna and Greer all waiting for me. "Please tell me that the king is going to do something about her." Lola was the one who spoke. "We have proof of her trying to hurt you, and now this, she should be dealt with as a traitor." I smiled, this girl was strong, as strong as her Queen, they all were, had to be if they were going to be here in French Court. "He will deal with Catherine the way he sees fit." I decided not to tell anyone what Henry had told me, not yet. "How is she? She wake up at all or is the draught still working?"

"It is still working. She has come close to waking up a few times though so I think it is starting to wear off. She's getting restless so she is probably dreaming about…" Greer dropped off, we didn't need her to finish. "Why don't you girls get some rest, here of course so you can be here when she wakes, and I will stand guard in here?" They all nodded and spread out. Lola laid next to Mary, Greer took one couch and Kenna the other and all but Lola were asleep in minutes. "I can't believe that after everything Mary has been through lately, there was still more she had to be put through. She has been forced to endure so much and we haven't been at her side but for parts of it and it is so hard to imagine what she must feel sometimes. She never shows anything but courage and strength, not fear or loneliness, nothing. I wish I could help her more, she has been my best friend for so long…" She dropped off. I knew she felt terrified for her friend, and I was worried as well. "Lola, she is strong. She will be okay." I put as much conviction in my answer as possible for both of us. We were quiet after that, both watching the young Queen sleep, hoping and praying she wouldn't be to hurt over this in the morning.

Morning~

I had stayed vigilant all night at Mary's bedside and I had held her hand for the last few hours as she stirred in her sleep. She would stutter in her sleep and she mumbled often, but never anything I could understand. It had been a long night. Now I just wanted to see her eyes open and hear her voice, and as if someone read my mind she started to stir, for real this time. "Mary, Mary are you alright?"

"Bash, Bash! Is Catherine…?"

"Shhh, its fine, she's locked away and you are safe."

"And what about me, am I going to be okay?"

"The poison has been countered by Nostradamus and you just need rest."

"You saved me, thank you Bash. I was slipping and swore I was going to die and then you were there pulling me out. I was praying someone, anyone would come through the door before I died."

"Mary I told you last night, I would protect you from any threat, and then not but an hour after that you almost died."

"Bash it wasn't your fault, this whole legitimization idea was mine, and I made her angry. She blames me for losing her power, and her crown, as she should. I took it from both of them. Her and Francis."

"Mary this is not your fault. You are just trying to keep Francis and Scotland safe."

"I put myself on the line Bash, and she almost made me pay for that."

"Mary I promise I won't let anything else happen to you. But I need you to remain calm. My father will want to talk to you, to make sure your story and mine are the same. He will want to be certain before he kills her so that the Medici don't come after him like the last count from Italy. I promise I won't let anything happen to you." I had kept hold of her hand the whole time and I gave it a reassuring squeeze and I kissed her knuckles.

"I know you will Bash, I trust you. I feel safe with you."

The rest of her ladies began to wake up. As they did they flocked to her side. Lola was the first to stir on the other side of Mary. "Mary! Are you alright! How are you feeling this morning?" Mary smiled and pulled Lola into a hug. They were a giggling mess on the bed and Kenna and Greer soon hoped up and joined in all clustered around Mary. I smiled and stepped away, she was in good hands.

"Where are you going Bash?" It was Mary, and it sounded like she didn't want me to leave. "Going to tell my father and Nostradamus you are awake. They will both want to know that you're awake. Alec will stay outside. Don't worry."

She nodded, "I guess I should get dressed if the King is coming. Girls help me get dressed and then to clean yourselves up. Bash will you come back after I talk to your father?" She wanted me to come back... "Of course Mary."

I went into my father's study, and told him Mary was awake, and then headed to tell Nostradamus the same. I was thinking about all the good that came out of last night before Catherine ruined it.

You don't have to be Francis.

Are you sure? Because there is no turning back.

You asked me what would happen if I came to you with an open heart. She kisses me so sweetly and then says the best thing I've heard in days.

My heart is open.

And then she kissed me. Kissed me better than I have ever been kissed before. I held her close and I got to kiss her, kiss her like I haven't ever been able to kiss her before, and she wants me to come back to her and stay with her. She trusts me to keep her safe, and that is what I will always try to do, no matter how this all turns out.

After telling both father and Nostradamus she was safe, I went back to her chambers and found Alec. "Has my father been here?" "No, no one has come yet. Her ladies left a little while ago, she's still inside though. Seems to be waiting for something." I smile, because I know what she's waiting for and head into her room.

She's standing at the window, staring off outside of the castle, and humming and in that moment she's beautiful, and the sun bringing out the gleam in her eyes and the red in her dark hair. "Mary, how are you feeling? Should you really be standing right now?"

She turned and smiled at me, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, she's thinking about last night. "I'm okay, I just wanted some air before I had to talk to Henry, really Bash I'm fine."

"Are you ready to talk about last night? I can tell your thinking about it. Your smile didn't light your eyes as it usually does. You can tell me you know. If you want."

"I'm scared that one day she is finally going to get to me Bash. I'm afraid that she is going to succeed in killing me, and going to leave Scotland in turmoil. I'm the only thing standing between my country and chaos Bash, and I'm not even helping all that much right now."

"You are doing everything you can, and I swear on my word, as soon as we are married we will solidify Scotland, and we will deal with my father. And as for Catherine she won't be getting anywhere near you. I will see to it. We will just have to spend more time together now your majesty."

"Bash, I don't even know how she got to me last night and I have no idea how she turned Colin against me and Lola, he was in love with Lola. He came to France because she did. I have so much to deal with. I have to figure out how to keep myself and my ladies safe. I already lost Aylee. I can't lose Kenna or Greer or Lola. They swore their lives to me and I told myself a long time ago that I would keep them safe!"

"Mary I won't let anything happen to them! Alec and I will keep them safe. Trust me Mary. I swear on my word that I will keep you all safe! Catherine will get her punishment soon and this will all be over. And soon we will get news from the Vatican and then we will get married and we will solve your problems in Scotland. And then we will deal with England and anything else that needs dealing with. Do you trust me?"

Her eyes had softened during my speech. She took a step towards me, and she put a hand on my chest. "Bash…I do trust you, you have become the only person in this whole court. I just… I can't lose now Bash. I have so much on the line now. Not just me and my ladies but your life as well. I put you in this mess, and the minuet something happens to me, you die."

She was scared yes, but not scared for her life. Scared for others' lives, scared about the land and people she swore to protect. She is amazing. Every time she does something like this, I fall more in love with her than I was before.

Alec knocked on the door, before entering. "King Henry and Nostradamus your Majesty. Here to talk to you." My father swept in, Nostradamus not far behind. "Ahh, Mary my dear. How are you this morning?"

She was regal again, the scared seventeen year old gone, and replaced with the queen. "I'm fine thank you, though I would be better had your wife not tried to kill me, again. I do hope you plan on taking some course of action your Majesty, my people may not take to well to hearing that I was almost poisoned in the very place they believe me protected." Thinly veiled threat, yes she is definitely in Queen mode now, and she's amazing. No one has ever stood up to my father this way and she has done it numerous times in the last few months.

"Catherine is going to be dealt with, I assure you. I am working out the details on that right now. Now tell me, what exactly did she say to you?"

"She told me she had no alternative. That we both had to die. She threw poison in the tub, held a knife to my throat and told me she had no alternative. When I said she had nothing to gain from killing me she told me she was a mother and that mothers have a duty to keep their children safe. She said she could give them one last thing before she went. She could kill me. I told her I meant her children no harm and she still held the knife steady. She told me that if she killed me it would rid you of your need for Bash, and then her children would regain the line of succession. She said she could leave them that, their rightful inheritance and assure that Francis was the one to come to the throne after you, not Bash. No England, just France."

"I see, so she still did exactly as I told her not to. Well I guess I must keep my promise then. Mary, I assure you Catherine will not be leaving that tower again until her execution date. She is no longer the queen of France. Now if you will excuse me I have other matters to attend to." With that my father swept from the room, probably to go inform Catherine of her fate. With the King gone Nostradamus felt safe enough to speak. "Your grace, I'm pleased to see the counteractions I took working. How do you feel?"

"I feel fine, thank you Nostradamus. I still am a bit tired though, I may just rest here today."

"That would be a good idea my lady, the poison caused you no great harm, but you lost much energy fighting it, rest and relaxation will help that recovery, as well as food." With that he bowed and left. Mary turned to me, and again I was hit with the powerful feeling of love when her brown eyes found my own. "Please stay Bash. I'm sure my ladies will return shortly, but I would prefer your company if it is not too much to ask."

"Not at all Mary, of course I will stay." And stay I did, until she nodded off once more. I laid her in her bed, placed a kiss on her forehead, and then went to deal with the cause of all her pain, to tell her she failed, and that Mary and I are both fine.

When I reached her tower, I was surprised to see Lola standing outside her door. "I told you we would expose these to the King if any harm was to come to Bash, Mary, or any one of us. You tried to kill Mary. So I'm going to turn this letter over to Henry, along with the poison knife. I think that will push him over the edge, don't you? Looks like I will get my wish. Your power taken away from you, and Mary and Bash still alive." She turned from the door and smiled at me as she passed, and I was once again astounded by the strength of the Scottish women.

Catherine hadn't left the door to her cell, and saw me as soon as Lola moved aside. "Come to taunt me I suppose, now that your whore of a mother will get a crown, and you will gain the power I have persuaded Henry to never give you."

"No. I'm here to tell you that you failed. Mary is fine. Nostradamus saved her actually. Your most trusted advisor saved your enemy. Pity. Mary is strong, and she has made sure, along with her ladies that the last time you step out of this tower, it will be to go to your death."

"You love her, don't you? She's bad luck. If she was going to get my son killed, what makes you so sure you're safe from her curse? Those scots are poison to our court."

"No, that poison was you." With that I left. I had nothing left to say. I knew long ago that she was the reason my father never gave me land and a title as other kings were doing. I know that it was my father that kept me here at court to taunt her, along with my mother. I have no doubt that the fate meant for my brother will not be the same for me. I have faith in Mary and I have faith that this plan we made to keep my brother safe will do exactly that. But I also know that as soon as word reaches him about his mother's execution, he will come rushing back to court. And that worries me greatly but for now I must lay that fear aside.

I made my way back to Mary's chambers to relieve Alec as he has been on her door since late last night and it is long past midday now.

"Alec, go rest. I will stand guard for a while." Before he could answer, someone spoke for him.

"See I knew you would say that. Alec if you could stand here for just a few more hours, while Bash rests, that would be lovely. And do not worry, I have sent word to my mother of the goings on here, and instructed her to send a guard for me. Just one man since that is all we can spare right now, but one will be more than I had before."

"I would be honored your grace, Bash listen to her. You need rest, then you can relieve me if that is what you wish."

I knew better than to fight Mary, so I nodded at my body guard and followed Mary back inside. She pointed at the couch Kenna had slept on last night and told me to sleep and that she wouldn't disturb me as she planned on napping herself a bit more. I once again complied, feeling the exhaustion in my body and laid down.

"Thank you Bash. For everything." The last words I heard before falling asleep.