This is like a theory that when the soldiers seized the castle Mary and her ladies made it out of the passageways and Catherine was left with the men. Also the Italic font means they're either thinking or remembering something. Again rated T for violence.
The dining room was filled with the Count and his men they were drinking expensive wine and the finest foods in the castle. Laughing about how weak France was Catherine was practically biting her tongue to keep from lashing out on them. When she had presented them with the gold she was relieved to see nearly all the men stuff their pockets with it, all except Count Vincent. She watched him out of the corner of her eye praying he would take some yet he did not. As the night drawled on she was becoming restless, had Francis and her boys escaped? Would the poison work and if it did would it be in time?
Mary stood and made her excuse to leave with her ladies and Catherine was careful not to hold her breath, would they let her go? The slightly drunk men agreed and the girls left hastily, leaving Catherine with the soldiers. She tried to act calm but when the girls were gone for nearly fifteen minutes the men started to realize they weren't coming back. The men whispered among themselves, she strained her ears to here what they were talking about but she only caught the occasional word.
The Count sent some men to find them and suddenly everyone was looking at her with accusing eyes. She pretending not to pick up on it but she could feel her heart hammering in her chest. She kept her hands clenched in her lap, praying the girls and her sons were okay. Finally the men came back "They've escaped!" He exclaimed and suddenly there was uproar.
Count Vincent called for silence and the room fell still as all heads turned to look at the Count, who was walking over towards Catherine. She was still as a statue as she felt the Count move behind her she didn't dare turn her head to look at him. All of a sudden two hands gripped her shoulder with such force she had to hold in the whimper, still with a straight face she sat silently. His cold voice issued from behind her "Where did they go?"
She answered indifferently, "I don't know they don't trust me enough to say anything to me."
Sadly the Count wasn't buying it "Don't bother lying we will get an answer one way or another." He slid his dagger in front of her neck, there was no escape now she could only pray that the poison would work. Either way she wouldn't utter a word to give away Mary's and the others location she didn't care if it meant dying. She was ready to die if it meant saving the people she loved, that had always been her weakness. She would sacrifice anything for those she truly cared about, even her own life. "I'll ask again." Vincent grumbled, "Where did they go?"
Lacing her voice with sarcasm she replied, "I'll answer again, I don't know."
"Maybe the loss of one of your precious fingers will change your mind." He grabbed her hand even as she struggled and pressed it to the table, raising his dagger over her index finger. She closed her eyes waiting for the pain but it never came all she heard was someone shout "M'lord!" She opened her eyes to see all the Count's men bleeding uncontrollably, some reaching for water others already falling down in a bloody mess, the poison had worked! Soon all the intruders had fallen down dead, the room was covered in blood and bodies and she was careful not to barf. All she had to do was get out, and they'd all be safe.
She sprang to her feet, the stench of blood not affecting her in the least as she made her way towards the door. Her success was short lived however because in one swift movement the Count had slammed her against the table. Plates crashed around her as wine splashed from the cups spilling onto her dress. She thought she felt a fork stab into her back and the tablecloth bunched around her. She yelped as he clambered on top of her pinning her arms to the table "You did this!" He hissed in her face.
Despite the situation she couldn't help the sarcastic answer that spilled off her lips "Anyone with half a brain and two eyes could see that couldn't they?"
He was fuming as her held the dagger against her neck "How did you do it?"
She couldn't help feeling a little spark of pride as she looked at what she'd done, "The gold was poisoned."
He growled at her "You filthy rat."
She rolled her eyes at him, "One of us is a rat but it isn't me."
"Maybe I'll cut off your tongue first so you'll be quiet." He spat.
He threats didn't scare her, the people she loved were safe the Reign was secured she wasn't needed anymore. She locked eyes with him hers showed no fear just anger and betrayal that haunted her from within. "You don't scare me." She said coldly.
"Perhaps not, but you'll be pleading for death before I'm through with you." He brought his dagger to her wrist tracing the veins on her pale skin, not breaking skin but hard enough to feel the sharpness of the blade. He looked at her pure hatred gleaming from his eyes, "Careful not to bite off your tongue when you scream." He sneered before pressing the tip of his blade into her wrist, he waited for the pain to sink in.
As the blade traced her skin she prepared herself for the pain and when it came she inhaled sharply. Then he moved the blade, he was making some sort of pattern or writing something but she could care less the pain was immense. Then suddenly the blade was removed but not shortly after it was stabbed back into her arm, deeper this time extracting a gasp from her. In, out, more blood running down her arm, head spinning heart pounding she lost track of time. Finally the knife left and didn't renter her blood stained arm, she dared open her eyes to look at the Count.
He was getting extremely annoyed that she hardly had any reaction to the dagger, all she would do is breathe heavily and shut her eyes. Finally he took the blade out of her arm before laughing heartlessly before adding "Time for the other arm."
She didn't know if she would be able to endure much more of this and keep her screams from escaping her lips. He was still sitting atop her and she felt him shift so he could carve into her other arm. Pressing the weapon once again into her skin she felt herself whimper and he chuckled before saying "There's the reaction I was looking for." Once again he began to carve into her arm, sharper and slowly more agonizing on her part. This time around she couldn't hold back and her screams echoed through the dining room. It was torture and she wriggled underneath the Count trying to get free.
He had to torment her, make her pay for what'd happened to his son, they were both drenched in her blood and when she finally screamed it was enough to make even the spirits run for the hills. He halted apparently trying to regain his hearing before continuing. Then he seemed to have an idea "Pain isn't giving me enough pleasure but I know something that will." He sneered taking his knife out of her arm and still sitting on her he began to bunch up her skirts.
Fear jumped inside her chest, and the memories of Florence came screaming back, she didn't mind dying but she hadn't thought of what might happen before her slaughter. She would not let someone conquer her like that, not again. At his stop she took her chance, her eyes flew open in search of any possible weapon, then she saw it a steak knife. Snatching it with her free arm the hourglass fell off the table as she screamed in a pain of using her freshly wounded arm. "Time's up" She growled plunging the knife into the Count's chest.
His eyes widened for a moment before locking on her and with the new realization of his murderer he took his dagger from the table where he'd set it "Time's up for both of us." He stabbed her in the shoulder. He had been aiming for the heart but missed, he fell backwards off her and to the floor. Her ear-shattering scream was the last thing he heard.
As the already blood drenched knife into her shoulder she threw her head back and screamed, panting hard she tried to control herself. She struggled off the table, crawling across the floor which was a sea of blood and bodies. She couldn't go any farther her shoulder was killing her, quite literally as was the loss of blood. She collapsed in a bloody heap next to the rest, a bundle of blood stained beige fabric and copper hair. The dagger was still in her shoulder and she was bleeding nonstop. When she woke next she was in Mary's chambers and she could see three blurry figures standing around her.