*I don't own the Princess Diaries or its characters!
*Words in italics are "in the past or memories".
*English is not my first language, so I apologize if there are mistakes or you can't understand something.
*This is my first fiction, I hope you will like it! Sorry if it's too short, I promise next chapters will be longer.
The Rise of a Kingdom: Chapter 1
~ J&C ~
"Did you hear that the king of Spain is thoroughly ill?" Prime Minister Motaz said one afternoon over tea with the Queen.
"No", she gasped, "What happened? He was alright when I visited him last week!" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. If the king dies with no heir to the throne, Spain, and all allied states will go to ruin. She didn't even want to imagine what would happen. It would be chaos. Not to mention the succession of a previously unknown king. And here she was thinking of retirement after a few years when her granddaughter was ready to take over the throne. Now she can only dream about it.
She was sitting on the bench in the garden a few hours after Prime Minister left. She was so worried about the future of her country that she didn't even notice it was already dark outside. She should be going to bed soon. Tomorrow will be a long day due to Mia's arrival at the palace for the first time. Oh, she's so excited. When not being able to be a part of Mia's life until a year ago, she was trying to make up for all those lost years (14 to be exact). And then, Mia reminds her of a daughter she lost 16 years ago. She misses her so much, especially now when her birthday is tomorrow. She still remembers the day she gave birth to her little girl like it was yesterday, it was the happiest moment of her life.
"So, how do you feel? Your due date is approaching." Rupert said while they were heading out into the gardens after a busy day.
"Well, I can't complain. I haven't had those false contractions for a while now, so, I'm very happy and can't wait until I take my baby into my arms. What do you think: it's a boy or a girl? What would you like the most?" Clarisse asked watching him smile slightly.
"Well, you know I don't have preferences. I will be happy with both. We already have two heirs so we don't have to worry about that. Can you believe it? It's a dream come true. Who would've thought we would have a child in our age?" He said, turning to her and leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek.
This child was really a surprise to a whole family, including palace staff. They all believed the King and Queen's marriage wasn't the real one. Of course, they loved each other very much, though it wasn't a romantic kind of love, but the one shared between friends. What they didn't know is the fact that the Royal spouses were having a lot of problems in their marriage. First of all, he cheated almost from the day they got married, but Clarisse decided she didn't want the others to know it, for the sake of her boys, Pierre and Philippe. They deserved to have a normal life and she was going to afford them at least that.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty. Your Majesty?" Charlotte repeated worriedly, "Are you alright, Your Majesty?" She asked.
"Oh, Charlotte!" Clarisse exclaimed while coming from her daydream, "I'm sorry. Is there anything you needed?" She asked, trying to compose herself.
Charlotte was still concerned about her monarch, but continued anyway, "Yes, Your Majesty, His Highness, Prince Pierre just called and…um…"
"Is everything alright, Charlotte? Is HE alright?" Clarisse interrupted.
"Yes, he just called to tell he's coming tomorrow to Genovia, Your Majesty," Charlotte said quickly.
"Oh, he didn't mention it last time we talked over the phone," Clarisse answered, surprised by his sudden visit. She didn't see him very often since his father and brother passed away. Guess he couldn't come back to the palace knowing his brother Philippe isn't there anymore. And now he's coming and Clarisse couldn't be happier. She had to prepare everything for the arrival of her son and granddaughter tomorrow, but being too late already she said "Good night" to Charlotte and went to her suite to take a bath and prepare for bed. She stayed awake for a couple of hours more reading her favorite book and when the sleep claimed her she gave in. Closing her eyes she drifted off.
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Love,
Sylvia