Disclaimer: I neither own Reign, nor profit from this story.

Lord Narcisse was furious.

He had sent his son here to do a job, a relatively easy job that would secure him almost complete dominance over the grain producing land in France. He could have done it himself, but preferred to maintain the appearance of plausible deniability in the event that his scheming was discovered.

He knew now that his son had not returned, and that the imbecile was now dead.

And not just because he'd walked past the wrong person and fallen ill. No, he had been summarily executed by those infants who now called themselves acting Regents of France. They apparently did not appreciate the position they were in, or those that kept them in power, and he intended to remind them of that shortly.

Marching into the throne room he was about to give the Dauphin and Dauphine a piece of his mind when he heard the trumpets sound behind him.

Perfect, the King and Queen had returned and his tirade would have to be delayed.

He was about to have France by the throat and they had to pick this very moment to return.

Oh well, he was sure he would have his day…after all he had a bone to pick and he would be heard. Sure his son had always been a screw-up and had never quite managed to get anything right, but he had been summarily executed by those that would call themselves King and Queen ahead of their time.

Watching the true Sovereigns walk in, he couldn't help but admire them.

They were gone for months, and yet so easily commanded the attention of the Court simply by walking through their place of power.

And the Queen…her Majesty was as beautiful as ever, a true prize that any man would be glad to have by his side. Too bad the King had finally come to his senses, Narcisse would have loved the opportunity to steal her right from under the womanizing fool…and that wouldn't even be the fun part. To woo one such as Catherine de Medici, would take finesse and a considerable amount of maneuvering, but he knew he would be up to the task.

The woman had charmed many a Prince and King in her younger years, and he had no doubts as to why.

Perhaps he would try after all. He was indeed a modern man and more than capable of keeping his mouth shut when he needed to. He could satisfied with the title of Queen's consort…officially, unofficially, or otherwise.

Bowing as the couple walked past, he raised his eyes ever so slightly higher than was the custom.

He would not be ruled by anyone but himself.

The royals money and a power base of the collective Nobles, and he had done his family proud building up his own base of power. His currency was grain, and right now the demand was greater than ever.

Oh he would serve the Crown and the people for a time, but one day soon he would have his time.

He would have his time, and he would have his Queen.

-/-/-/-

Returning to their rooms the King and Queen each took a moment to rest before setting their servants to unpacking their belongings.

Well Catherine did anyway.

Henry felt a bit at a loss to be separated from his wife after she had been at his side for so long.

They hadn't quite been inseparable, but he had certainly made a point of spending every moment he could with her…at least every moment he could so long as she hadn't tired of his presence.

There were state affairs that they had attended as visiting Monarchs, both together and apart. Catherine had made sure that he participated in enough social events with the men to prevent him from looking like a love sick newlywed or like they were ignoring their hosts. The French already held a reputation for being arrogant and they did not need to perpetuate the rumor on account of overindulging because of their infatuation with each other, or so she said.

Elisabeth herself had been surprised to see them as they were.

Although Catherine had written ahead to set up the visit and to update their daughter on recent developments, Henry suspected that she didn't quite believe the reality of her mother's claims. She had even gone so far as to pull Catherine aside one evening to confirm that her father wasn't blackmailing her in any way.

"No my darling, your father has done nothing of the sort. He…I…I don't know that I can give you a satisfactory answer, only that he spent a great deal of time and effort proving his affections. He had even gone so far as to sending Diane away, twice."

Considering her next words, Catherine continued after a moment, "I know that you have probably discovered by now that there is very little in life that comes with an absolute guarantee, or without a price. I suppose I am just willing to see where this might go, and consider it worth the effort to try."

It was actually quite amusing to watch her blush when she occasionally caught her parents in an embrace.

Even two months later, the novelty still hadn't worn off for Henry. He was as giddy as that first night she had not flat out refused him, when he asked to stay in her chambers.

Halting the servants from unpacking, he decided to go to Catherine first and make a proposal.

He then paused as he realized that said proposal might yet take a little convincing.

For once in his life he had begun to learn the true definition of patience…especially when it came to Catherine. Patience and subtly.

Waving on the servants to continue in their task of unpacking he decided to ask one of her ladies to…consult with on some of the specifics of Catherine's room, and more specifically the contents of her wardrobe.

As his thoughts came to fruition he also sent for a carpenter and one of Catherine's artisans. If this worked it would be brilliant.

-/-/-/-/-

After taking care of a few urgent issues that Mary had been unable to take care of in her absence, Catherine had a bath drawn up and once ready descended tiredly into the warm relaxing waters.

She and Henry had been briefed earlier on the major events that took place at the Castle while they were gone, many of which were related to the plague. There were several matters that would require their attention, but none that could not wait the span of the evening.

Catherine herself could not have been happier. The young rulers had done well in their absence, and while she had concerns about some of their decisions, the Court and Castle were still in once piece and thriving as well as could be expected. With the exception of a few specific incidents…once that would have to be dealt with soon than later, the appointed regents had done a good job of minimizing the panic and keeping many of the Castle inhabitants alive.

However, the trip from Chenauseu had not been the easiest, and the built up worry from the last few weeks had begun to take its toll. Despite Henry's diligent attempts at assuaging her concerns, she was utterly exhausted.

Catherine was certainly glad they had given the Dauphin and Dauphine a taste of what it would be to rule all on their own. After their brief with Mary and Francis, Mary in particular looked a bit pale at the decisions she had to make in such a time of peril. Catherine supposed that such a reaction was both a blessing and a curse. It was good that Mary still considered the value of the lives she weighed, but if she didn't find a way of absolving herself from the necessary decisions she would have to make, the guilt would eat her alive.

Deciding that she had soaked long enough, Catherine waved her Lady over and rose from the water.

Much as her Husband would have loved the view of her in nothing but her altogether, he rarely took such things as soaking wet sheets and temperance into account when reminding her how…enthusiastic he was about expressing his affection toward her.

As a whole she didn't mind. It had been many years since she had been on the receiving end his affections so frequently and she was never a resistant companion, but a little consideration of the state they might be in afterwards was always a preference of hers…especially in her own bed.

Deciding to don a nightgown Henry especially favored she finished her evening preparations and decided to wait for him in bed while occupied with her newest literary acquisition.

It turns out that he had quite a bit more to finish than she had anticipated and by the time he was able to return to her rooms she was fast asleep. Head resting against the headboard at an awkward angle, book askew against the covers and still partially in her grasp, hair gently cradled about her face and held back by only a single ribbon. Her lips were also relaxed, providing Henry with a very tempting sight, but he knew how hard the trip had been on her and he decided to let her rest.

Once he had changed into his nightwear, he removed the book to her side table, and pulled the covers down so that he could reposition her unobstructed. As he carefully lifted her to a more comfortable angle, Catherine began to wake but he kissed her brow and encouraged her back into slumber.

There would be plenty of times for the creation of memories later…when they were both feeling less tired.

Settling himself alongside of her, he rested his head on his very favorite spot, the center of her nurturing nature, and wrapped his arms around her perfect waist. He only did this when she wasn't awake to scold him, and so he decided to take full advantage of this now.

After such a long day he was more than glad to just be with his wife, resting in her embrace as he held her close.

His love, his life, his beloved.