That first morning when Francis tells Mary he hopes she's pregnant he isn't lying. He loves her and he wants her to be his forever. And he wants to hold his firstborn, their firstborn, and tell them of their mother's bravery, love and kindness. He wants to give her the world and build her a home. He wants to love her until the day he dies. She scolds him for his foolish hopes, but she wants it just as much. Francis promises her the children and grandchildren and great grandchildren she wants desperately, but even with his words she worries. They only have so much time on earth. What if it slips by without her noticing?
Francis and Mary spend every minute together. When Francis is learning from his father Mary stands beside him and when Mary sits for her sewing he sits with her talking about everything and nothing. They spend the afternoons walking the grounds and late after everyone has fallen asleep Francis sneaks through the passageways to her room and they spend the nights together. The only time they are separated is in late mornings when they prepare for the day. They hate being separated for so long that sometimes Mary will be running down the hall with a lace untied or her hair out of place and calling for Francis. Francis hearing her will leave his second boot and jacket in his room and run toward her voice. They will not be separated and everyone at court knows it.
After a week or so the court and servants learn to stay out of the way; Catherine and Henry learn not to bar their meetings. Mary's ladies have sped up their morning ritual and the couple has established several meeting places throughout the castle. Though they spend much of the time talking about the countries they mostly talk about their future and sometimes their fears. One afternoon the rain is depressing enough to elicit some of Mary's deepest fears. "Francis?" His head shoots up from the records he has been scouring in the library. He immediately notices her dark face and sad eyes. "Do you ever worry about the chance of us being separated?" Her question scares him and he rushes to her side and kneels down beside her.
"Mary, what could have possibly brought this about?"
"I don't know. Its just, sometimes I remember that nothing is certain and that I could be stolen from you at any moment and it scares me." A tear slipped from her eye and slides down her cheek.
Francis smiles a little and Mary almost slaps him, but his arm blocks her. "I don't worry about losing you because I believe in the power of our love. It has proven several times that it will bring us back together. It survived my stupidity, Bash, Tomas and my mother. It has withstood the worst test it could face." Mary chuckles at this.
"It certainly has." She returns to her sewing, but only moment's later looks up again. "Francis, do you have any fears?" He does not look up from the books this time; even when he finally answers her.
"My only fear…is that…I will drive you away." She jumps from her sewing, but his words stop her. "You see Mary, in all my life I have never had anything that has given me so much joy and life. You make me better than I could ever imagine. You make me want to wake up every morning and if I ever lost that because of something I did I would not survive." She runs to him and pulls his face to look at her, she searches his crystal blue eyes and than smashes her lips to his.
