Hello everyone! Here is the first chapter of my new story for Reign! I hope you all enjoy it! See you at the bottom of the page! :)
"Race you to the waters edge!" Abigail prided herself in her ability to beat me in running races. I never much cared for them, especially since my legs were considered particularly skinny for a girl of my age. "I win again! Charlotte, I must say you are quite out of practice." She said.
"You know I lack agility when it comes to running. I had thought we were just going for a simple walk." I replied as I took a seat on the rock beside me. All of a sudden, an assortment of various horns and horses could be heard from over the horizon. Abigail and I raced back into the village to catch a glimpse of the commotion. The entire town was in attendance, though not one uttered a word as the carriages came into sight. I pushed my way through the crowds of heated bodies until I found my mother.
"What is all of this, some sort of party?" I asked as I took my place beside her. She motioned for me to speak softer as to not throw off the silence of the crowd.
"Have you not heard, child? The King's son, Jean-Phillipe, has passed away from some sort of fever. The poor lad. The royals are following his body to the cemetery. It is customary for us to pay our respects." She explained to me. I leaned forward to catch a better glimpse of the silent parade. Abigail soon joined me in the viewing.
"Is that Queen Mary?" I asked Abigail as I pointed to the woman standing to the left of what seemed to be King Francis.
"No, that is Lady Lola. She was the mother of Jean-Phillipe. Queen Mary is to the right of King Francis." She explained.
"Wait, the prince was an illegitimate?" I said softly.
"Why, yes. In fact, I suppose that would not make him a prince at all. I do hear that the King was quite fond of him though. It is a shame that he was destined to die so young." Everyone curtsied as each member of the royal family approached. I thought it respectable to act in the same manner. No sooner had the procession left had the village returned back to its normal hustle and bustle. "Are you coming back to the creek? Rose and Edith decided they would like to come as well."
"You three go on. I should be returning home. I must check on the chickens and horses before supper anyway." I replied. The three girls skipped off down the hill until there was nothing left to be seen of them. My mother, father, and I lived in a small cottage just outside of the village. Nothing to be too overly fond of. We owned several varieties of livestock; enough for us to make a living off of at least.
"Good evening everyone. I hope you are ready for a snack." I said to the animals as I tied my apron and grabbed the bucket of food. I watched as each of the animals pushed one another to gain their helping of food. It reminded me of our town during the plague. People were fighting each other for food and medicine just to keep themselves alive for as long as possible. My family was fortunate. We ate only the food provided by our livestock, and our cottage was far enough away from the village that we did not catch the sickness. It was not long before the sweet smell of bread made its way through my nostrils and pushed the terrible memories from my brain. I took a deep breath as I entered the house and slowly shut the door.
"Charlotte, I thought you were going to the creek with Abigail, Rose, and Edith?" My mother said as she stirred her pot of stew.
"I considered it, but Rose and Edith do not particularly like me very much. I thought it best to stay out of the way. Besides, I had some things to take care of here before supper." I replied as I hung up my apron and sat down at the table.
"Is this about our social status again?" She asked.
"Rose, Edith, and Abigail all have something in common, mother. They have highly valued dowries and beautiful dresses and wonderful appearances. Abigail may be my best friend, but Rose and Edith are only interested in socializing with girls of their own rank. They have very little tolerance for me. Really, it is quite alright. It's not worth the trouble." I replied. This was not the only thing that made me different from the other girls, though. My parents, were, well, not my real parents. I was told to have been found as an infant in the middle of a field, alone and abandonned. My mother and father rescued me when they were returning home from a picnic one afternoon. I had no idea to whom I rightfully belonged, and as far as I knew I was not going to find out. Certainly if I had been desired, fifteen years would have been plenty of time to seek me out.
I had very little intention to find out who my birth parents were. I had a good life with a loving family. What more could I want? I'm sure that others had it a lot worse than myself. Yes I only had one ragged dress, and maybe I had very little posessions to call my own, but I was content...right? On the opposite spectrum, Abigail had more dresses than I could count, all stored in a large closet in her already large bedchamber. She had a sizeable dowry, so she was sure to marry well when the time would come. I enjoyed being her friend, not just because of her wealth, but because it gave me a life to fantasize about, something happy to imagine when my mind was turned to haunting thoughts. I went over to Abigail's dwelling as soon as supper was finished, by then, Rose and Edith were sure to already be half way home.
"What do you think of this shade?" Abigail spent most of my evening visit testing new shades of lipstick, while I enjoyed the comfort of her soft bed.
"They all look very much the same to me, Abigail. I know very litte of such luxuries." I replied as I picked up the book sitting on her nightstand. I couldn't help but brush my hand over the leather cover that binded the pages together.
"Sometimes I forget that. Which, I suppose, can be a good thing. When I am with you I don't always have to life in reality." She said. Abigail was very fickle when it came to her feelings. Sometimes she would have feelings for one guy, and the next day another. Perhaps she would love her life one day, and despise it another. It sometimes became too tedious to bother myself with.
"Charlotte, I have a curiosity that I believe you can answer for me." She smiled and came to sit on the bed beside me.
"Alright, I am listening." I replied.
"Do you enjoy your simple life?" She asked. Abigail was asking a serious question, which actually took me aback.
"At times, yes I do. Though we have but little, sometimes it can be comfortable. Sometimes, when I am bored, I will imagine what my biological parents' lives are like. Are they richer than I or are they poorer than even my own lifestyle...do they even know I exist. If I had stayed with them, my life could be very different. Good or bad, there is no way to tell, but still, to imagine myself as anything but me is unfathomable." I replied. I left Abigail's house that evening contemplating her question. What made her ask such a thing? It was for sure unlike her character. Little did I know that I would soon have bigger problems to face. As I came upon my house, I noticed the front window slightly ajar, and my parents' shadows by the fire. They seemed to be discussing something rather important.
"It is the only way, Thomas." My mother said.
"Edna, there is nothing to be done about it! Why can't we just leave life as it stands?" My father argued back.
"The prince...is dead. May God bless his soul. Charlotte is their only other option!" My mother pleaded.
What could they possibly mean 'only option'?
"They know nothing of the child! As far as any are concerned, King Francis and Queen Mary are barren." My father replied.
"There are three people in this universe who know that that is a lie, Thomas, and that is you, me, and the servant girl. If they find out about Charlotte, what makes you think they will not come after her? We may lose our daughter and be punished for keeping her from them!"
What in heavens name are they speaking of? Why would I be taken away?
"And we may lose our daughter if we give he over to them. We will be nothing but a passing memory if she is to be integrated into that dreadful society. She cannot know."
This cannot really be happening. Turn me over to the royals? I cannot see of what use a peasant girl would be to their high society.
My breathing was heightening as I listened to their conversation. None of this was making any sense in my head.
"The prince is dead. The King and Queen, as far as they know, are barren. Do you not realize what this means for us? For France? For Charlotte? We may be keeping the future Queen of France from her destiny.
The...the what?!
The shock must have gone to my brain, because all I remember is seeing the Earth start to spin as I blacked out.