Avenging Angels & Sickbed Saints
by: chrisrose
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Lola swept into her Queen's bedchamber, scowling. Mary looked up at her lady-in-waiting with a hopeful smile.
"Did you come to help me, Lola? That's so kind. I don't deserve such a good friend."
For, despite her status as Queen of Scotland, and God - and Catherine - willing, future Queen of France as well, Mary was unpacking her own bags.
She sighed, relieved to be remaining in France instead of wedding the treacherous Prince of Portugal, recently killed in a "hunting accident". Or so the history books would claim, history being written by the victors.
Lola pursed her lips. "What? No. I came to remind you that Bash - I mean," she hastily corrected, "Sebastian - is still quite weak from blood loss and I do not approve of you continually putting him in danger! Let the poor dear man recover from his injuries. I expect you to protect him, Mary, not send him into further peril to protect you. I don't want to lose another - that is, France can't afford to lose yet another valiant fighter. Haven't enough men died for you?" Lola scolded.
Mary's spine stiffened. She didn't like bossing people about, preferring to befriend her servants and subjects. But perhaps she had been overly meek and allowed her ladies-in-waiting a few too many liberties.
"That is quite enough, Lola. I gather you have feelings for my fiancé's bastard brother, but you forget to whom you are speaking."
Mary smiled inwardly, but kept a stern countenance, as Lola gaped in shock at her tone.
"Sebastian was defending his brother, and his country, as he should. Although I am naturally concerned for his well-being, we all must make sacrifices, as no one knows better than I."
"Well, I've certainly sacrificed too." Lola muttered sullenly. "Losing Colin because of you."
"Silence!" Mary commanded. "Your lover attempted to rape and ruin me, thus spoiling not only my virtue but Scotland's chance of a strong alliance with France or any other country. You speak of lost lives. How many in Scotland would have died due to Colin's betrayal? He could have resisted Queen Catherine's plot, and died a more honorable death, to protect his country. Instead he chose to drug and assault his Queen. Still, I forgave and tried to save him, for his sake, and yours. Show some gratitude! I warn you, Lola - I will no longer tolerate your judgement and disrespect. You had best remember, I AM YOUR QUEEN."
Lola trembled and bowed her head. Better to bow now than lose her head later, she reckoned.
Mary smiled, all sweet benevolence once more.
"Now, be a dear and unpack the rest of my things. Oh, and bring me some tea. I'll be in Sebastian's quarters. Perhaps the poor invalid would like me to read to him."
Ignoring Lola's pout, Queen Mary sailed out of the room.
Author's Note: Had to get that out of my system, as I haven't forgiven Lola for yelling at Mary and blaming her for Colin's imprisonment and death. Yes, let's blame the victim of attempted rape. I'm also irritated by what I suspect are the writers' heavy-handed attempts to portray Lola as a saintly martyr, and set up a potential relationship with Bash, who is far too good for her, in my opinion. Her sudden concern and reading to him while he recuperates, while reminiscing about all the people she has lost (Aww, poor Lola! Makin' it all about her...) and her subsequent costume with the angel-like wings. Oh, she's an Angel! So compassionate! At least, when it comes to the men she's interested in...no compassion for women who are attacked though. *eyeroll* If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a whiney, self-righteous hypocritical character that the writers try to force us to worship, while ignoring that character's flaws. Let's hope Lola won't turn into the next Lana Lang (or Clark Kent, for that matter) of Smallville infamy.
I also thought it would be fun to write a fic addressing some viewers' complaints that Mary is way too nice and accommodating instead of acting like a real Queen would. I don't expect her to start behaving the way I portrayed her, of course. I know the showrunners want us to like Mary, so she can't be too "mean". But I do laugh and agree with commenters who think she bends over backwards. Bringing tea to Greer instead of the other way around... and letting her ladies-in-waiting berate her for various things. Oh well, I'm entertained by the show despite it's lack of historical accuracy or adherence to protocol between royalty and servants. :P
Author's Note #2: Thanks for the reviews! Although my author's note may now be longer than my actual story, I'd like to respond to Marie Meyers and figure I should do it here rather than in the review section and falsely boost my review count. ;) So, wikipedia agrees with you that ladies-in-waiting are technically considered "companions" rather than "servants" (except in Cambodia, apparently) So it looks like I was wrong to call them servants, even though the Ladies serve the Queen in many ways. I still feel that nobody, not even Ladies of noble birth, would be sassing back the Queen the way these Ladies do. ;) I agree with you about how the writers want to portray Mary to make her a likeable protagonist, and I also agree that it's not necessary to be a too-nice doormat, since we like Catherine anyway and sympathize with her motives at least, if not her methods. (I initially tuned in for Megan Follows who must be having a ball.) Anyway, the writers choose to portray the girls as Mary's friends, who she not only treats like *equals* (unrealistic) but often defers to, apologizes to, and seems absurdly grateful to have around - also unrealistic in terms of...y'know...real-life Queens... *but* I'm willing to accept it in this universe, since Mary was probably lonely in that convent. Maybe, as you suggest, this will be part of a character arc and Mary will become more assertive with her Ladies...as she was with Henry & Catherine in the most recent episode. I can deal with the giggling exchanges of girlish confidences, and even the tea-serving/overly solicitous nature of Mary. But if Lola yells at her again, Mary should really be yelling back, "Off with her head!" Maybe for the season finale. ;)
Author's Note #3: Thanks for the review, Weakness is Strength aka AtlantisA aka ZoAHarvelle aka Person Who Keeps Changing Their Username - Hey! Quit it! ;) - I'm happy to get feedback even if we disagree on a few points. ;) I feel the need to respond publicly again and defend my position (the very title of my fanfic is under fire now! :P) I agree that Lola's angry grief is a natural reaction to losing a loved one, however, a Lady-in-waiting in real life would probably have self-control and manage to keep from yelling at her *Queen*, regardless - y'know, the person with life & death power over her. Lola should've at least apologized to Mary later, once she cooled down. Especially if the writers want us to like Lola and see her as saintly-sweet...which brings me to...the main thing I wanted to respond to in your review - the Angel thing. Yes I remember Lola reading to Bash, so I did notice the Norse mythology book and dialogue you mentioned. That's why I described Lola's later costume as "angel-like". Technically, a Valkyrie is considered an "Angel of Death" - close enough. ;) I'm sure the writers figured most people would associate the wings with angels, and I do believe they were going for some symbolic imagery there, trying to convey that Lola was an "Angel of Mercy", considering her attitude towards Bash on his sickbed/presumed deathbed. I'm with you that their friendship/flirtation/sudden intimacy was forced and out of the blue. I bet the writers were testing whether the actors had chemistry/how viewers reacted to their scene together. More love triangle potential...yay. :P