Author's Note: Hello everybody! This is our first story, yes our. Me and my co-author xodefygravityox, have been working on this one for a while. We really hope you guys like it, but give us a little slack if some of the stuff wouldn't be consistent with the 19th century, we didn't really know what French customs were back then, seeing how we didn't live back then…lol. Anyways, if you like, please review, it will let us know to continue or not
Disclaimer: We own nothing but our plot. If we owned Mediator you'd be watching a TV series every Monday on some channel, or be watching the Trilogy of the books, oh, and there would be many many more books, Hehe
Chapter 1
Jesse's POV
The day I was brought to Princess Susannah of Aquitaine was the day my life began. I, being a lowly slave boy from Spain, serving various royalty throughout the world and her...a goddess. The most beautiful woman I have ever seen.
I guess it would be stretching it a bit to say I'm a boy, I mean, my 16th birthday just passed, so I'm old enough to be considered a man, but my heart is still that of a child; pure, hopeful, and there is the fact that I have never been loved by another, besides my Mama.
I speak nearly all Spanish, except for three words. As you wish. But when I speak them to Princess Susannah...it really means I love you.
Shall I start at the beginning of this tale, though? I'm sure you're all confused as to how I was brought here, how I even met the Princess.
It all began the day I was brought to her palace in France...
Susannah's POV
I sit in front of my mirror as my lady in waiting, Michelle, brushes my hair over and over again. I have to look "nice". Nice for a slave.
"Are you ready, your Highness?" Michelle asks me and I sigh, standing. "I guess," I reply. They're giving me a slave from Spain. Let me ask you, what do I need with a slave? I' perfectly capable of getting things myself.
Sometimes, though, when I'm having the cramps, or when I'm too lazy to do anything, a slave sounds nice though. I mean, I have more than enough servants, but they come and go, the slave boy will be there for my specific purposes.
I guess it is wrong...I mean, he isn't getting paid for all of this but I guess that's not my problem.
I grab my fan and walk out to the throne room, a throng of my ladies in waiting following me. I stop in front of the secret entrance and a squire opens it for me before I go to sit next to my mother, sitting as straight as possible so that I will actually be able to breathe.
"Good afternoon, Susie," my mother says to me and I smile, feeling unable to breathe. I hate corsets. No, hate isn't strong enough...I loathe them.
"Fine, mother, I just can't wait for this, and supper to be over, so I can take this blasted thing off and be able to breathe," I say, holding my stomach.
"It isn't that bad, Susie," she says to me, about to continue but at that moment, three men walk in. Well, two men walk...they're dragging the other one.
I perk up in my seat a little, craning my neck until my mother pushes me back, frowning, "It's not proper, Susannah, to crane your neck so," she hisses.
I hate that word...proper. Everything has to be proper around here. I roll my eyes at my mother (which so isn't proper...but who cares?), letting out a soft gasp as they literally throw the boy at my feet.
Andy, well King Andrew, my mother's second husband, after my father died from a heart attack when I was 6, clears his throat and starts talking to the man who brought in the boy...man, whatever.
My eyes, however, are on the boy. Well, ok, he isn't a boy...he's gotta be at least 16. His eyes flicker up toward me before he is told to keep his gaze to the floor.
I catch my breath, my grip tightening on my throne a little as those eyes looked up at me, and I noticed he blushed soon after.
They tell me that he will be mine, specifically here to do my bidding. But all I can think of are his big, brown eyes and how captivating they were, even if I only saw them for a second.
Finally he is dismissed by Andy and I let out a sigh, standing up and making my way back to my quarters to freshen up for supper, which is always a big event in the palace.
I stop suddenly, realizing I do not know his name. "Andy, what's his name?" I ask him.
Everyone in the room freezes as my voice rings our through the vast hall, I swear you could hear a pin drop.
I have no sooner done my hair into a braid and pinned it to my head, than the slave's master, that is the one that keeps them in check, knocks on my door and it opens a moment later.
"Your highness," he says, bowing to me. I notice he's brought Jesse with him who's been clothed in a white billowy shirt and tight black pants. Yum. Hey, don't look at me like that, only a blind person wouldn't be able to tell how undeniably hot my slave is.
"Claude," I reply, nodding my head. He pushes Jesse forward before bowing 2 or 3 more times and closing the door.
"Hello, Jesse," I say, smiling lightly at him. He looks up at me and nods as I sigh. Doesn't he speak English?
"Parlez-vous Français, si pas Anglais?" I ask him in French, wondering if maybe he just didn't speak English.
He says something to me in Spanish and I let out a groan of frustration. They give me someone who can't even understand me?
I frown and tap my chin with my finger, "Can you at least understand English, ou Français?" I ask.
"Si...English," he says, smiling a little. I smile and nod. "Good, I'm glad," I say, sitting down and sighing.
"Silly me...why am I sitting down? Supper is going to start any moment and several Vicomte's are attending tonight, Andy will be very sour if I'm late and 'disgrace them all'," I say, realizing that I was partially talking to myself.
"I don't know why he brought you here...I should be getting to dinner," I say to Jesse, giving him an apologetic smile before heading towards the door.
As he doesn't move I turn around, frowning, "Oh...uhm...I guess you could make my bed? Uhm...maybe replace the candles, they're getting low, and...well that's all I can think of," I tell him.
"As you wish," he says before doing what I ask. I sigh softly before hurrying down to dinner.
"I could only wish to have hair as soft as your, Princess," Marie, another of my ladies in waiting, says to me later that night as she combs and French braids my hair for bed.
"Thank you, Marie," I reply, standing up as she finishes.
She stands up and bows. "Good night, your Highness," she says.
"Good night," I say in reply, smiling and waiting for her to leave before wrapping my night robe around me and slipping my feet in my slippers, walking over to the window and opening it, leaning out a bit and sighing wistfully.
The palace garden is so beautiful, especially at night. It's one of my favorite places in the world. Not that I have much to compare it to.
I can only go out there once or twice a week, though. During the day I am too busy with my lessons to go outside. I only get to you out there when I have a few minutes of free time on Sunday after mass.
As I gaze down at the garden, my mind drifts to Jesse. He had done everything I asked him to, and more. He left a single orchid on my bed which was freshly made. How could he have known that orchids are my favorite?
...Well
maybe it wasn't too hard to guess. I had portraits of them hung all
over my walls, and one of the blankets that was strewn across my bed
had an orchid stitched into it, but still!
And the way he said "As you wish"...it...I don't know,
made my heart flutter in my chest.
I knew it was wrong to be feeling these things...I am only 14, and
aside from that fact, he was a slave. He was the lowest of low on the
society ranking scale.
That's what I hate about being a princess. My life is not in my
hands. I can't dress how I want; act how I want...love who I want.
And that's what hurts most of all.
A lone tears silently slips out of my eye, betraying my emotions,
and I quickly wipe it away before bringing my hand to my mouth as I
break down, not able to wipe away all of the tears flooding down my
cheeks now.
Why am I crying, you ask? Well, tonight at dinner, my mother told me
that she had a husband picked out for me. That SHE picked who I am
going to marry.
Well, probably not only her. I'm sure Andy was all too willing to
help her pick someone. A sob escapes my mouth and I continue to wipe
at my tears.
As I continue to cry, I feel a hand on my shoulder that scares me half to death. As I look into those big brown eyes, I just lose myself and fall into Jesse's arms.
He seems startled at first, reluctant to touch this blubbering girl who has thrown herself at him, one that could cost him his life if he was caught touching.
But after a moment he wraps his arms around me as I continue to cry. In this moment, I feel more comfort than I ever have in my life.
I hear him mumbling things in my ear, but I can't understand a word he's saying...it's all in Spanish.
After a while, my tears run dry and I look up at him. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this," I say softly.
He shakes his head, taking my face in his hands and wiping away my remaining tears a confused look on his face as if he was struggling with something internally.
As he rests his hand against my cheek, I know what is going to happen. And I'm not afraid. His comforting eyes gazing into mine wipe all of my fear away.
My heart starts to beat even faster as Jesse leans in closer and closer, his eyes darting from my eyes down to my lips.
The space between us is closed when I feel his soft lips against mine. It feels so wonderful, to be kissed by him.
But yet again...this is my first kiss, so I don't know if this is considered a good kiss or a bad one...but from the way my heart flutters and my stomach does thing weird clenchy thingie...I'm thinking it's good.
I don't want this feeling to end, this feeling of completeness. Is it possible to love a man after just one day?
I lean my head just a tad bit to the side so I can fuse my lips with his more completely, but just then he pulls abruptly back, a look in his eyes that I had never seen before, but it is quickly replaced with fear as he quickly starts rambling in Spanish.
I know he is voicing what I am thinking: It cannot be. I am a princess, he is a slave. It's like we're in two different worlds.
I know he thinks he isn't good enough for me, he's merely a slave but right now I don't care that I'm a princess...I don't care that he isn't some form of nobility, I just want that feeling back, that feeling that someone actually cares about me.
"Jesse," I whisper, reaching forward for his hands. I want to touch him, be near him. He promptly backs away, still rambling in Spanish.
The only thing I pick up is "Querida", and I have no clue what it means, but when he says it, it sounds more beautiful than any other word in any other language in the world.
My hands are still outstretched, my eyes begging him to hold them. He is silent before he does and right then and there, I know that I am lost. Gone. Done for. I have fallen in love.
It seems silly, I know, that someone my age could fall in love after only knowing this boy...man, for less than a day...but it has happened with me. I have fallen in love at first sight.
"Jesse, I..." I begin but he silences me, pressing a finger to my lips. Though we don't speak the same language, I know he understands and I know he feels the same.
He takes my hand in his and leads it to his lips, kissing my fingers softly before placing his hand over his heart, "Querida..." he whispers.
He pulls me into an embrace and just holds me like that. I never want to leave his arms. I want him to hold me forever, until the end of time.
I feel his heartbeat, constant and steady, against my ear and it slowly lulls me to sleep, my eyes drooping with every passing second that I was near Jesse.
I feel him carry me to my bed, placing me on top and giving me a soft, gentle kiss. Now I know what it feels like to be loved...and I never want it to stop.
