The carriage bumps along the road in direction to the coast, its three occupants certainly less excited than expected for such an eventful journey. It's not every day that royals manage to leave behind every responsibility at court. Yet here they are, Mary, Queen of Scotland and France, the dauphin James, and Princess Anne, all headed for a day of tranquility at the seaside. There are two pouts on the little one's faces though, and there seems to be nothing that can be done about that.
"Where's Papa?" The little girl asks for the third time in a row, turning to look at her mother as she sits in her lap, her big brown eyes pleading for the answer to change.
"He is discussing some very important matters for the people of France," Mary says, tenderly pushing back some hair from her daughter's forehead that the wind outside has ruffled, "I'm sorry, darling."
The girl just hides again between her mother's hair, sucking her thumb into her mouth, a habit her tutors agree she should have dropped at nearly 4 years of age, but that Mary doesn't have the heart to chastise her for.
"He's always busy. You're both always so busy." Comments James, his gaze stuck to the floor, his legs swinging by as the carriage rushes on, as he still can't quite reach the bottom.
"James?" Mary asks gently. The boy's bright blue eye look up to his mother, and the look on his face nearly breaks her heart. Being both King and Queen and parents it's certainly harder than either of them thought, but they have always made an effort to spend a few hours each day with their children. This trip however, was planned and put off for weeks, and Francis still couldn't manage to come.
"Your father was really excited to come with us, but he's the King, my sweet. He can't abandon his duty, you know that. You'll be King yourself someday." She tells him sweetly.
"I know…but I wish…" James just shakes his head and looks out of the window. Her heart aches, but she promised Francis they would enjoy this day, and she's determined to keep that promise.
"Come here." She says, sounding excited for their babies' benefit. "We're almost there." James immediately climbs down his seat and under his mother's arm, where she points to him and his sister the beauty of the sand and the water that washes upon it, far in the distance.
.
The wind blows as if fighting against them, and Mary and James had to collect rocks to keep their blanket down so it didn't fly away. The children's favorite pastries are spread out on the blanket, and their smell and the sea and the weather make the day almost perfect.
"Your father and I have a present for you." She says, out of nowhere, while James is distracted by a crab crawling in the distance.
He looks up right away, his eyes big in the prospect of a surprise, which makes her want to laugh. They're not spoiled by any means, royal or not.
"What is it? What is it?" Anne begins jumping up and down, the cookie in her hands now forgotten. Mary takes two beautifully crafted boats out of a basket and gives one to each of her children.
"Pretty." It's her daughter's response, as she admires the bright colors of her smaller boat, the swirls of all her favorite ones hypnotizing the little girl.
"Thank you, Maman." James says, admiring the sails. "Where did you bought us boats?" He asks quizzically.
"Made you boats." She corrects him, feeling all at once like she's been here before, and she has, only this is a happiness a hundred times better.
"You made this? For us?" He asks, his eyes huge and surprised, and she nods. Francis spent a night awake carving them and she painted them and sewed the sails.
"Thank you, Mama, really. Will Papa be with us early so I can thank him?" James asks her, as sometimes Francis is in late meetings and the children fall asleep waiting for him to kiss them goodnight, and sometimes it is her who can't read them a story because her advisor keep her until too late.
"I hope so." She tells him, sad that it's the only answer she can offer him. "But if not, you can tell him in the morning."
"And can we sail them on the lake when we're back at the chateau?"
"Yes, of course." She nods, smiling. Anne climbs on her lap then, her boat held on one hand, and she welcomes her daughter with open arms.
And then, far away, a certain lean figure walks towards them. The children don't notice, James too busy with his new toy and Anne nibbling on a pastry, the crumbs falling on her dress, but she does. The sun glints of his hair, seemingly turning it to gold, yet she's more blinded by the fact that somehow, he's here.
James studies his boat with a smile when suddenly two strong arms hoist him up in the air. He shrieks and Anne looks up, fast as lightning.
"Papa!" The girls springs up from Mary's lap and runs the short distance to his father's arms. Francis grunts with the weight of both of his children, laughing.
"Francis." She says, conveying in his name all the love she has for him. "How did you get here?" She asks, knowing full well that his day was as busy as it could get, but oh so very glad he managed to escape the lot of them.
"I rode." He says simply, and she can see it clearly now in his –more than usual- unruly curls, and his riding clothes.
"All right, down, both of you." He says. "I haven't said hello to your mother yet." His blue eyes look deep into hers, and she's no longer surprised that he always manages to make her heart beat faster every single time.
"Hello." She says, as his arms encircle her waist.
"Hello yourself." He answers, before his lips touch hers gently, only for a moment for their little one's benefit. Giggles are heard nevertheless.
"What was that? Does my princess want a kiss too?" He turns around and picks a squealing Anne up, kissing her cheek soundly.
"No!" She laughs. "Papa it tickles!"
Mary can't do much but look at them fondly, and cover her mouth as her smile feels so big it could split her face open.
"I'm starving. All those boring advisors didn't even let me take a bite to eat." He tells James almost conspiratorially, and his son right away pulls him down on the blanket, Anne still in his arms, and starts telling him all about his day and thanking him for his new boat while Anne chatters away about every kind of food in her own language.
.
It's a while later while the children are calmer, Anne dozing off wrapped in a blanket, pillowed on her father's thigh and James walking around "exploring", that they get a chance to talk.
"How did you really manage to come?" Mary asks him, her fingers tracing his hand, his signet ring, before intertwining them with his.
"Negotiations went well, we were finished sooner than I expected. I postponed the rest of my less important meetings." He tells her like it's nothing, but to her, it really is. "There will be a few angry Lords, nothing to worry about. I think I'll need you help to get everything finished on time though."
"Of course, my love." She answers him, knowing how much her support means to him.
"I just couldnt stand the thought of not being here with you, and James and Anne." He says like it's unthinkable, and she's never loved him more. Not just for what the gives her and how he loves her, but the kind of man he is. She smiles, leaning over for a kiss, but when her lips are a breath away from his their son's little footsteps come running over. She just pulls back with a smile.
"Mama, Papa, can I go near the water?" James asks. "Please, please." He says, before they even get a chance to answer. "I want to see if there are mermaids!"
At the words Anne wakes from her nap as fast as magic, rubbing her eyes off sleep and sitting up.
"I wants to go! I too!"
Mary and Francis share a look, the kind of look that they've exchanged for years now; that only two partners can truly give each other.
"All right James." Francis says. "You may go."
"But," Mary adds right away, before the boy has a chance to run off. "Take your sister with you, all right?"
James rolls his eyes as if his baby sister was the biggest burden ever placed on his young shoulders.
"Fine." He huffs. "Let's go, Anne." He says, offering his hand to his little sister, who eagerly takes it and there they go.
"Be careful! Don't go in the water!" Mary can't help the advice. "And take care of your sister."
"Yes, Mother!" James screams back.
Mary shakes her head as she scouts back into Francis' arms, soon enough her son won't have need for her at all. She settles on Francis' embrace, his chin dropping to rest on her shoulder. His arms go around her, and she covers them with her own; her thumb rubbing circles on his skin.
"They were so sad you couldn't make it." She tells him. "But you're here. My hero." She takes his palm to her lips and presses a kiss into it, smiling.
"I couldn't miss a perfect day with my family, love." He tells her, kissing her cheek softly, making warmth spread through her chest. "Especially when they're both growing up so fast." He adds, watching Anne chase James with her little legs, even as they both run away from the foam of the washing tide.
"Actually, I heard an interesting story from their nurse about food being used as projectiles…"He mentions to her, a smile pulling at the corner of his lip.
"So you know about the food fight at breakfast?"
"I do." He nods, shaking his head at the vivid image one of the horrified nursemaids told him this afternoon before he left.
"I was packing our presents to them so I didn't get a chance to see, but apparently they made a mess of the library."
"Well, it was a bad idea of the governess to let them break their fast there anyways." He says, smiling, excusing their behavior so readily. "They're children, I don't care about the little messes they might make."
"Well in that case…I hope you don't mind a little more mess soon." She tells him coyly, looking down at ther intertwined hands.
"What do you mean?" He asks, his brow furrowed. She turns her head to look at him intently.
"Well…" She presses his hand to her stomach, a smile blossoming on her lips.
"Are you…?" He asks. "... Again?" His smile grows bigger with each question. She nods, a laugh breaking out from her lips. Francis snatches one quick look at their children to make sure they're not getting into trouble, before pulling her even closer and crushing his mouth to hers.
"I love you." He says between kisses, his hand on her cheek, his fingers tangling on her hair. "I love you." She returns in kind.
"We're going to be parents again!" He says, ecstatic, and she thinks that she's never known happiness quite this vast, as her husband –her confidant, her best friend- pulls her in and hugs her close, and she can hear her children's laughter in the distance.
She pulls back and gazes at him with the same look she did the day they met again, the day they married; and the same love and longing is reflected in his blue eyes. They are as completely in love as they were back then; and now, turning to observe their children laugh happily as they play, and with another one on the way, the King and Queen of France are only faced with the daunting task of telling them.
a/n: For the girls at the Mary&Francis thread over at fanforum!
Thanks for reading. :)