French Court
She felt hopeful for the first time since she arrived at court. Grasping the pebbles in her hand, she skipped through the halls toward Francis's rooms. Mary felt the hope rise within her when she found Francis working with his swords. Despite knowing their relationship was still in its infancy, Mary still believed they could make it work. And she believed Francis felt the same.
Arriving at his door, Mary slowed her step and tried to control her breathing. Once it had slowed she knocked twice on the door. She waited anxiously as she heard footsteps come towards the door and heard the bolt click as Francis opened the door. "Mary," he exclaimed a little breathless. "What are you doing here?"
"Well," Mary began, butterflies filling her stomach with nerves. "I… I brought these for you. For your swords." She offered him the handful of pebbles and took a step forward trying to get closer to him. Francis suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "What is it?" Mary asked, noting the change on his face. "Are… are you not alone?" she took in his appearance: an undershirt, his hair tangled and a shine glistening across his forehead, his cheeks and lips flushed. "Oh. How could you?" she whispered without a second thought. "We are engaged!"
"Mary," Francis's voice went cold. "There is one thing you must learn about this court. And that is that I don't have to answer to you. Kings do not answer to their wives." He then slammed the door in her face. She stood processing the moment, listening to his footsteps fade away and a female laugh filter through the room. The hope that once filled her dissipated, deflating her heart. Tears filled her eyes as she backed away from the door. She rolled her hands into fists, the pebbles bruising her palms as she ran from his chambers.
Mary followed the same path out of the palace, flying down the stairs, her long skirts flowing behind her. She only stopped when she reached the edge of the pond, her toes inches away from the cool water. In her frustration she threw the handful of pebbles into the clear waters. Mary collapsed to the sand, sinking to her knees and cradling her head in her hands. She was shocked to feel one of her hands bare, the ring she had always worn missing. Looking over the water, she was struck with the realization that it must have gone with the rocks to the bottom of the pond. "No, no, no!" she cried in frustration. That emerald ring had been in her family for generations and had been with Mary since she had left Scotland. It was one of her only ties to her home. Her previously sad, hopeless tears turned quickly into hot, angry ones. Kicking off her shoes and peeling off her stockings, Mary gathered her skirts in her arms as she waded into the chilled water. Her feet sank into the sand as she searched the bottom of the pond for a hint of sparkle, anything that could resemble her ring.
"Is it custom for Scottish queens to go wading about through a pond?" a voice cut through the air. Startled, Mary looked up to see Sebastian, hands on his hips, laughing at her.
"I lost something," Mary snapped, returning her gaze to the water.
"Perhaps I can be of some assistance," Sebastian offered, already pulling his boots off.
"I am sure you have better things to do than help me," Mary replied.
"Haven't you heard? As a bastard I am free to do what I wish, when I wish," Sebastian said chuckled as he stepped in the water. "Now what are we looking for?" Mary looked up from the water to meet his piercing green blue eyes.
"My emerald ring," Mary explained quietly, suddenly ashamed to be a queen standing in the middle of pond with clear evidence of her tears on her face. But Bash thankfully asked no questions. He simply began scanning the water for the ring as well.
After a long while of searching, Mary dropped her skirts in frustration. The cool water immediately soaked up into the heavy fabrics. "This is hopeless," she pouted.
"Nothing is hopeless," Sebastian replied. "I must ask though, how did your ring end up in here?"
"I threw a handful of rocks into the water," Mary sighed. "And the ring flew off with them."
"Now that is quite the predicament," Sebastian chuckled before turning rather serious. "Though it seems to me, you are upset over more than just a ring." Mary merely looked over to him, shocked that he had read her so well. "Are you already tired of French court?"
"No, just your brother," Mary admitted, wading over to Sebastian. "Is he always so temperamental?" Bash just laughed as he nodded his head.
"I'm afraid so" he grinned. "But you will find that I am quite the opposite, your grace."
"Please, call me Mary," Mary insisted, enjoying how at ease she felt around him.
"Mary," he said simply, her name sounding heavenly coming from him. They stood for a moment, their gazes locked on one another.
Mary was broken from her reverie as a breeze picked up, sending shivers down her spine. As the sun was beginning to set, the temperature was dropping slightly making the young queen with her soaked skirts shiver. "I should go change before I catch cold," Mary said, dropping her gaze. She began to step towards the shore but tripped over a rock she hadn't noticed. Two warm hands grabbed her waist, pulling her into Sebastian.
"Were you planning on swimming to shore?" he laughed, his breath warm against her neck. It sent another shive down her spine.
"Are you planning on letting me get to shore?" she countered, putting her hands on top of his for emphasis.
"Am I such bad company that you can't wait to be rid of me?" Sebastian whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her. She relaxed briefly into is grip, her back resting on his chest. She savoured the warmth but quickly reprimanded herself for this behavior. It was not acceptable for an engaged queen to be seen in such close proximity to the king's bastard. Suddenly she grabbed his hands and pulled them away from her waist, pushing back against him and pushing his hands backward. The sudden change in balance caused Sebastian to fall backwards into the water while Mary made her way to the sand. Once she arrived, she turned and giggled at the sight of Sebastian sitting with a frown in the water.
"Thank you for your help, Sebastian," Mary called as she picked up her shoes and stockings.
"Please, it's Bash," he replied, water dripping off him as he stood up.
"Enjoy you swim back to shore, Bash" Mary laughed as she made her way back to the castle.
"Mary!" Lola exclaimed as Mary entered her chambers, soaking wet.
"What on earth happened to you?" Aylee cried, jumping up to fetch a blanket.
"I lost my ring in the pond and I went looking for it," Mary explained as Greer began to unlace her dress.
"You are positively freezing," Greer noted. The girls worked quickly to get Mary into a new dress and seated by the fire. Once they were settled, Kenna looked to Mary with an inquisitive glance.
"Mary," she pressed. "Where you alone at the pond?"
"Why on earth would you ask that?" Mary gasped, her heart beginning to pound at the thought of Sebastian and how it felt to have his hands on her, the brief moment of her back pressed flush against him, his breath on her skin. She tried to hide the inevitable blush that rose to her cheeks.
"Look, you are blushing!" Lola gasped.
"So you weren't alone!" Aylee deducted.
"Was it Francis?" Greer asked. "How romantic!" Mary did not reply, she simply looked down at her hands.
"No," Kenna stated. "If it were Francis you would have told us the moment you got here. And I saw Sebastian walking back to the palace, also soaking wet."
"Bash?!" the ladies exclaimed.
"It must be a strange coincidence" Mary smiled politely, hiding the truth. "Now, will you call the servants to draw me a bath. I can't seem to shake this chill." Her ladies seemed to accept their Queen's statement and left in a flurry of chatter. Except Kenna. She paused on her way out.
"Just be careful, Mary," Kenna said quietly. "Court is a dangerous place and one wrong move could change everything." Then she left without another word.
Royal weddings were always a grand celebration. Everyone was smiling and laughing, dancing and drinking, dressed in their very best. Mary was no different. After her bath earlier, her and her ladies forgot all about the pond and instead focused on their makeup and hair. They were all visions to behold, every head turning when they entered the great hall.
The ceremony was long and traditional as usual but the moment the dancing music started, everyone was having great fun. Mary always found it difficult to pay close attention to everything during such parties like a queen should. All she wanted was to go dance with her friends and not have a care in the world. But she should instead being mingling with members of the privy council and the nobility.
She found herself growing more bored with each man she talked to. And this boredom is what caused her negligence. Mary had failed to realize how Catherine was watching her every move with anticipation of something. Mary had failed to notice that Colin, the young boy the Lola was in love with, was nervously pouring wine from a different pitcher than everyone else's, that he took great care with one glass. So when Mary was handed that glass by Colin, she was more than willing to take a hearty sip of the wine. Just as she was about tip the glass back, a hand swept in and took it away. "Excuse me, your grace, but I need to have a word with you," Bash's voice cut through the music. He grabbed her hand and tugged on it gently. Bored of her present circumstances, Mary willingly agreed. She politely excused herself from her conversation before following him out to a balcony.
"That is good wine!" Mary exclaimed as she watched Bash pour the wine out over the balcony.
"Mary, open your eyes," Bash explained. "You aren't at the convent anymore, not everyone is here to look out for you."
"It was just wine, Bash. How much harm could Colin of all people try to cause?"
"There was something suspicious about him, something is off," Bash tried to convince the queen. She merely rolled her eyes at his accusations. "On the other hand, now I have you on a balcony under the stars and away from the prying eyes of court," Bash's attitude turned from protective to flirty in an instant.
"Bash!" Mary exclaimed at the insinuations. "Do you flirt like this with everyone?"
"Yes," he affirmed. "But I rarely go swimming for just anyone. And even then it must be someone really special for me to dive into a muddy pond to search all afternoon for this." He held out his hand. Curiously, Mary held out hers. Much to her delight, Bash dropped her emerald ring into her outstretched hand.
"Oh Bash!" she breathed. "Thank you," she whispered as she threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into her embrace.
"Anything for you, Mary" Bash replied, pulling her closer to him. "Just be careful here. Not everyone has the best intentions for you."
"And what are your intentions?" Mary challenged, pulling away slightly to look up at him.
"The very best," he smiled. He was about to say more when Greer cleared her throat, announcing her presence. Quickly, Bash stepped back from Mary and nodded to Greer.
"Mary, people have noticed your absence," Greer explained, looking pointedly to Bash. "Especially Francis."
"Oh," Mary replied. She looked to Bash with an apology before turning and following Greer to the great hall. She noticed immediately the eyes of Queen Catherine and Francis on her. She briefly met Francis's gaze before turning to find her ladies. "Come on girls, let's dance" Mary announced, kicking off her shoes and pulling Lola with her onto the dance floor.
All formalities were lost as the girls twirled and giggled across the floor. Their carefree attitude seemed to spread as other ladies joined them in their dance. As Mary spun around the room, she noticed his eyes on her. She locked her gaze with his, refusing to look away first. She was amazed at how quickly he had captured her interest. Mary was so lost in his blue eyes that she failed to notice the music stopping. She still didn't look away until Lola whispered in her ear that it was time for the consummation. Mary then broke her fascination with Bash and turned to her ladies. "I suppose it is time to retire for the night," Mary said.
"Or we could go watch," Kenna suggested, grabbing Mary's hand and pulled her along.
"We really shouldn't be watching this," Aylee whispered once they had arrived to their secret viewing point.
"Don't you want to know what you will be in for someday?" Kenna questioned. "This could be Mary and Francis very soon." Immediately Mary's face flushed. She couldn't think of doing this anytime soon, at least not with Francis. He had been so cold and unwelcoming to her, which was quite the opposite of his brother. Mary quickly tried to rid the thought of Bash from her mind, knowing that it was not proper to think of him in such a way.
The girls continued to watch until Aylee suggested that they go. Very quietly they each left the secret room, then continued their own separate ways to avoid being seen. Mary felt as though she should find Francis, to make things right. Kenna had been right. Her marriage to Francis could be happening any day now and she would at least like to be on good terms with him. Mary began to make her way to the great hall but took a wrong turn. She thought she knew these halls like the back of her hand but it seems like she had forgotten some aspects of the castle. "Are you lost, your grace?" Bash's voice cut through the silence of the dark hallway.
"A queen is never lost," Mary turned to him with a coy smile.
"So it was intentional to go somewhere far away from everyone else," Bash questioned as he stepped closer and closer to the queen.
"Not far enough, apparently, as you are here," Mary grinned. "I want to thank you for finding my ring. You have no idea what it means to me, it's all I have from Scotland."
"I would do anything for you, Mary," Bash replied, stepping closer still.
"Really? Anything?" Mary questioned, her heart hammering as he was just merely inches from her.
"Absolutely anything," He breathed, his face getting closer to her. Mary looked up at him, ready for what was about to happen. She knew she shouldn't but with the combination of feelings coursing through her in the moment, Mary was willing, even excited at the idea of kissing him.
The moment was shattered by a door creaking open farther down the hall, and the murmur of voices coming closer to them.
"I should go," Mary whispered, and then brushed past him. She quickly made her way back to her chambers, her heart hammering in her chest and excitement running through her. She almost had kissed Bash. They were so close.
Then reality crashed over her. Mary could never be with Bash. She was engaged to his brother, the dauphin of France, the man her country relied on. With a sigh Mary, got undressed. She always knew life would be difficult at court but she never would have assumed that so soon into her arrival she would have two men in her life.
As Mary curled up in her bed, her thoughts traveled back to Bash. He was so kind and handsome. He was real with her and seemed genuine. Her last waking thoughts before drifting off to sleep was the imaginings of his lips on hers.
A/N:
I shipped Mary and Bash from the second I saw them together. I always hoped they would find a way to be together so for now in my story they will be. I think Francis was very inconsiderate to Mary in the beginning and never treated her very well so I am using that as motive for Bash and Mary to come together.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and will stick with the story! Cheers!