Disclaimer: I neither own Reign, nor profit from this story.
Henry held onto Catherine like a lifeline, kneeling before for once in his life.
He needed her, a novel thought.
He hadn't been right for quite some time…what had been thinking letting that kitchen wench take so much of his time?
Kneeling down, Catherine embraced her husband and cradled his head to her chest. She had been a bit dramatic to make her point and oust that impostor, but as she held her wayward King and felt him trembling against her, she was reminded that there was in fact something very wrong this time.
This wouldn't be the first time she'd had to rescued him from one of his ill planned schemes…usually involving a woman. To be fair though he hadn't been fully in control of his faculties for several weeks now, and his current state only served to solidify that.
"Come Henry, lets get you straightened out," Catherine in the low soothing voice she'd perfected over the last fifteen years as a mother.
Standing as she urged him to as well, she began to lead him over to his bed when he pulled away almost violently.
"No! I can't, I won't, there's too much…"
Catherine walked to him and reclaimed his hands, several feet from the bed, "Henry's it's only a bed, the girl and her un-holy influence…"
"No, it not just her I'm…Catherine I think I'm damaged somehow. How could I have let her…please, please let me stay with you for a while."
"Henry I…"
"Catherine you are my light, my guiding light. When I am with you I can see clearly!"
"Henry I don't think…"
"Catherine I couldn't, I wouldn't…not after what I was just about to let her do. I just…please.
The look in his eye, the pitiful, lost look in his eye gave her pause. He had only ever been this way with her once before, a long time ago. Needly, pleading, frightened, three words that she would never readily associate with her husband, but her he was and she along with him. "Alright Henry, you may come to my chambers and rest for just a little while."
Deciding to push her advantage just a little further, she continued, "I would also like to have Nostradamus take a look at you. He is after all familiar with not only healing and medicines, but pagan rituals and rites so that he should be able discern if there is anything…more."
"Yes Catherine, please just help me!"
If she wasn't so worried for him she would have been ridiculously pleased. But she was, and at this point she wasn't even certain that Nostradamus would be able to help.
As they left his room and headed for hers, Catherine sent a guard to direct Nostradamus to her rooms while she escorted the King there herself. He was leaning on her slightly, but she was in no way carrying him…she couldn't have if he'd needed that much support.
When they finally got to her rooms, Catherine led him over to her love seat and urged him to sit. She tried to pull away to set her ladies in motion but he clung to her one hand like a lifeline. Nodding in his general direction she called one of her ladies over and instructed her to ready a bath, fetch some sleepwear and a change of clothes for the King, then turn down the covers on her bed.
Curtsying before she went on her way, Catherine turned all of her attention back to her husband who was staring down at his hands, looking very lost.
Not truly knowing what to say she just clasped the hand that had held hers so tightly between her own and waited with him while her requests were put into motion.
She allowed herself to get lost in her thoughts for a moment to consider what to do now.
In her scheming, she had never considered this possibility, but here they were.
She decided that as long as she could encourage Henry to get proper care, that she would stay with him…and perhaps even allow him to stay with her for a while.
She cold only remember one other time she had seen him like this. It was following his brother's death and he had looked…haunted.
Then too he had relied on her, although it was less of a conscious choice than it was an allowance for the sake of convenience. Like Catherine, Henry was very independent and never liked to rely on anyone.
Barring the funeral rites and a few meals for which she managed to coax him down, Henry had become almost catatonic for several days. Neither his friends nor his father could rouse him, but with her he stayed in almost constant physical contact. Clinging to her at night, sitting near or holding her during the day. She had become his connection with reality…as she was now.
Once her lady indicated that his bath was ready, she urged him up and over to the tub. She helped him remove his clothes and step in, then motioned her ladies to bring over a chair and held his hand as she let the hot water calm his nerves.
He did his best to wash himself, but cold not quite get all of his face or his back.
Taking the sponge from him, she finished the task taking just a bit of extra care and then retrieved a towel.
He stepped out of the tub and just stood there. She used the towel to begin easing the water droplets off of his skin like he was a child, too tired to even dry his own body. Finishing her task, she set the towel aside and drew his head down for a kiss on the forehead before gently directing him toward his clothes now resting on her bed.
He had begun to recover from his initial shock and so he was able to do that on his own, but then just stood by the side of the bed…still, almost lifeless.
Catherine meanwhile had moved around to her cabinet of potions and retrieved a sleep aid that would help him rest for at least a few hours, more if he really needed it once he had been looked at by Nostradamus. Returning to his side she found him dressed but still just standing and staring at the bed, she nudged him onward and he climbed in and under the covers.
She tucked him in and then sat on the side of the bed. As he stared out through her windows she returned to holding his hand, this time running her thumb across his knuckles in a soothing gesture.
Before long he had fallen asleep all on his own. He had not even stayed awake long enough for Nostradamus to arrive, so when he did she simply bade the seer to stay until the King woke up by his own accord.
Perhaps now they could figure out what had been causing the King's strange behavior.
In the meantime Catherine chose to enjoy the moment of quiet in their otherwise chaotic life.
There would come a time when this moment peace would be no more, just as his moment of trust in her would also end.
But Catherine never sought forever, for it bore too heavy a burden.
No for now Catherine would allow herself to be content, enclosed in this temporary bubble of tranquility where he was just a husband and she was just a wife, and she would watch over him to help keep his demons away.