Disclaimer: I lay no claim to Reign, this work is for entertainment purposes only and am making no profit.
AN: This is my first posted work on this site, hopefully you'll like it! Queen Catherine is my favorite character from the TV show, Reign. I love that her motivation comes from the love of her family, so this piece is for her. I love her interactions with the children even though we don't see them that often. This piece assumes that the only children in the castle are Francis, Charles and Henry.
"Francis, where are the boys?" Catherine asked, striding into the infirmary.
Her son turned to address her. "They're safe, hidden in the tunnels."
"Show me." Her voice brokered no argument.
Leaving the girls with Nostradamus to attend to Kenna's injuries, Francis gave Mary a passing look as they passed by her in the hall just as Mary was entering. Catherine tried not to notice the love in their eyes. Looking ahead Catherine followed her beloved son through the halls of the castle and into the tunnels. Cold, dark and damp, just as she had remembered them to be, she raised her skirts to keep them out of the dust of the ages. A glow ahead grew stronger the deeper they walked into the tunnels. Her servants and courtiers huddled against the cold, candles their only light. Passing her own candle to a nearby handmaid, she called out for her younger sons. Wiggling their way through the adults, Charles and Henry embraced their mother around the legs and waist. Holding them to her as she stroked their hair, she turned to her people.
"We are safe, the count and his men have been taken care of. Let us go now and rest. You are all excused from your duties tonight as there is much to do tomorrow."
Taking the hands of her boys, they walked by the light of the candles up into the castle. In the hall, her people quickly bade her and the princes goodnight before retiring. The nanny came to take Charles's hand, but Catherine stopped her.
"You may go to rest now as well. It has been a trying time for us all."
Bowing her head, the woman said her goodnights and went on her way. Her children firmly in hand, Catherine walked the halls of her castle, breathing a sigh of relief. They hadn't taken her children. Her youngest sons were holding on to her tightly, Henry's small hand holding on to Francis on his other side. Looking down at Henry and Charles, she smiled. They were such brave little boys, especially Charles who aspired to be like Francis, but it was good to know that they still wanted their mother. Reaching the door to the boys' room, Francis knelt and kissed each of his brothers on the head, assuring them that they were safe, that they were protected and that no one would hurt them. Standing, Francis kissed his mother's cheek and smiled a goodnight. He would be fine. Looking down at her younger sons, she didn't know if they would be.
Pushing open their door, she guided them to the hearth so the chill from the tunnels would run out of their bones. Catherine went around lighting more candles so her sons wouldn't be frightened of the shadows. Sitting on the couch, Henry cuddled up to her side and Charles sat at her feet. His cheek pressing into her knee, she pushed his brown bangs out of his eyes. She loved them so dearly. She loved all her children with every beat of her heart. She didn't know what she would do if Count Vincent had… she stopped herself and closed her eyes, letting her head fall back slightly. The Queen of France drew her princes closer to her, hoping that their presence would ease her heart and mind. Her mouth turned up in a smile, Charles was twisting her rings again. He'd always done it, for as long as she could remember. When they were at parties, when they were reading together, when he came in from a nightmare he would twist her rings. He did so now, so unknowingly that it lifted her heart. His big brown eyes looked up at her and saw concern in his eyes.
"Mother, you look sad, are you sad?" When had he grown up to notice?
She bent to kiss his head. "No, dearest, I'm not sad. You make me happy." She smiled the smile she reserved for her children, bright and beaming and real.
The prince at her side shifted to look at her better. "Do I make Mother happy, too?" Henry asked, tilting his blonde little head.
"Of course you do, my love." She kissed his forehead in the comforting way that only mothers knew.
"Francis said we were safe, are we safe?" Charles asked anxiously, a shadow of fear in his eyes.
She stroked his hair soothingly. "Yes, darling, you're safe. We're all safe. Are you very worried?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I know that you and Francis will protect us, but I don't know..."
"I will always protect you, I will protect all of you." She pulled him up and gave her sons a hug. Charles came to snuggle at her side. "Would it make you feel better if I wrote to your father asking him to come home?"
Charles settled himself with his head in her lap, Henry doing the same. "Do you think he'd come?" Years of practice hid her shock.
Did he really doubt his father? "I think he will come home as soon as he can." Catherine said as evenly as she could.
"Then yes, please. I think that having Father here would scare all of the bad men away." He paused to yawn. "Perhaps I will write to him as well. Maybe then he would come home faster."
"I will enclose your letter with mine." She glanced at the candles, they had melted a bit since they had come in. "I think it is time the both of you went to sleep. Let me help you get ready for bed."
Henry shook his head, fisting a handful of her gown and getting more comfortable. "I don't want to move." Charles grumbled in assent.
"You've no blankets to keep you warm, my darlings, you'll get cold in the night." She replied sensibly.
"Mother, please? We're too tired." Charles answered, his voice thick with sleep.
Lifting their heads so she could stand, Catherine went to the bed to retrieve blankets for her sons. She wrapped Henry's favorite brown blanket around him and smiled at his mumbled thanks. She did the same for Charles with his navy blanket. Going over to the woodpile beside the hearth, she threw a log on, hoping to keep the room warm throughout the night. She fondly gazed at her two little boys. She could barely see Henry, he preferred to be swaddled completely in his blankets. Moving as quietly as she could towards the door, she turned at Charles's sleepy voice.
"Mother, come back, you were my pillow." What kind of mother would she be if she turned down a request like that?
"Just a moment, sweetheart." Fetching a blanket for herself, she wrapped it around her shoulders and resituated herself as the pillow for her sons.
Later in the morning, the nanny came in to wake the young princes. The sight that greeted her eyes was a surprise. There on the couch before the hearth was Her Majesty, Queen Catherine of France with both Prince Henry and Prince Charles sleeping in her lap. The princes looked quite peaceful, as did the Queen. Her hands resting protectively on their shoulders, her head lolling to one side, she looked like a regular mother, except for the crown.
AN: That's the story! I'll be adding more random chapters on, because I just love this family.
