Sebastian sighed to himself as he pulled on one of his higher quality made cream cotton shirts, and then reaching for his dark emerald green jacket; scanning the overcast sky from his bedroom window, he wasn't happy at the sight of cold weather on the way. A cooler climate meant more time locked up in the castle, less time outside, a claustrophobic feeling came over him, which it often did when his mind drifted to thoughts of days spent constantly in the French Court.
Shrugging it off, he turned to study his reflection in the mirror, rolling his eyes. How he despised family gatherings. He could list off many things he would prefer to be doing than sitting at the grand table squashed between relatives and listening to the Queen's invasive chatter filling the room, a voice and person he tended to avoid at most times for that very reason, mindless chatter.
Sebastian preferred to be alone. He didn't know if that was because he was surrounded by people he didn't fancy spending company with, or if he was heavily introverted.
"Probably a mixture of both..." he muttered to himself, voicing his thoughts out loud.
It didn't help matters that he'd always felt like an outsider in his own home. It had affected him greatly as a young boy, as he watched his younger brother, Francis, receiving everything on a silver platter, whilst he, only received disapproving stares and a few pitying looks. As he grew into a young man however, he knew how to make the most out of his situation. He was a bastard, yes, but being a bastard had its perks. The freedom to do, mostly, what he wanted was something he had learned to appreciate, and knew it was something Francis would never have.
Sebastian opened the door to his room, and was immediately hit with a gust of cold air. His bedroom was located on the outer end of the castle, almost hidden away; it being closest to the woods. He walked out of the room, and made his way towards the Dining Hall where the Royal Banquet was being held. He felt himself tense, already dreading the hours to come, and thinking of ways he could possibly slip away early.
Continuing down the halls of the castle, he kept his head lowered, very much in his own thoughts when all of sudden, hearing motion, he looked up to see a door had opened and five young women all dressed formally in multi-colored gowns, gracefully walked out talking quietly and linking arms.
The girl in the middle, who was wearing an expensive, but very beautiful aqua and emerald colored gown, suddenly reached to the back of her head. His eyes focused on the girl's dress, he hadn't noticed the delicate crown sitting upon her head.
"Oh Ayelee, I just felt a pin fall out of my hair, can you see where it went?" giggled Mary in slight frustration , "Why must my hair never hold accessories? " she rolled her eyes and turned round, eyes scanning the floor, until she noticed the man standing a few paces behind. She gasped slightly.
Mary coughed lightly, overcome with shyness. She gazed up at the man, and couldn't help appreciating his appearance. He was extremely handsome, bright green eyes, the exact same color of that on her dress, an athletic and muscular build, and his face seemed kind, welcoming. When he smiled gently at Mary, she couldn't help inhaling sharply, trying to desperately to gather herself together and to not make a fool of herself.
Sebastian had a similar predicament to Mary. He too, was overcome with something the minute he set eyes upon her. Thoughts were running through his head, as he gazed upon the young women. She was petite in structure, and had very large eyes, a lovely shade of brown he noted, whilst her facial features were nothing less than striking. Her pale white skin made an impressive contrast to the bright colors of her gown, and Sebastian didn't quite know what to think of it all.
He wondered who she was; he would've remembered her surely, a guest, friend of Francis's, a distant relative perhaps? No, that can't be….
He suddenly gaped at the girl in front of her, eyes finally finding the crown.
Of course, she was the Queen of Scots.
Smiling at her, not noticing Mary's own internal whirlwind, he bowed politely and graciously, trying to steady his emotions, knowing them now to be completely inappropriate.
As the rest of the ladies had turned round, one by one they looked at Sebastian, each taking their turn to glance at him, admiring. Ayelee was the first to recover, and swiftly bent down to the floor carefully picking up the pearl-decorated pin, and placing it back neatly into Mary's brunette locks.
"There you go Mary… it should stay in place now" Ayelee murmured quietly, well aware of her Queen's eyes still engaged with the man in front of them.
Mary could feel the blush on her cheeks fading slightly, as she walked towards the man, smiling. She was surprised by the fact she suddenly felt comfortable being in the close proximity of him, whom she had never met. She didn't want to address her thoughts to the reason as to why that was.
Sebastian grinned at Mary, still feeling uneasy about the sudden emotions, but was happy to see the Queen with a genuine smile on her face.
"Ah, Your Grace, you must forgive me for walking before you just now, I was on my way to the Lunch Banquet… I also must apologize for not being there to greet you along with the rest of the Court yesterday, I meant no disrespect, I'm afraid I was out riding and lost track of the time..." he trailed off sheepishly, and soon finding he was immersed into Mary's chocolate brown eyes once again. "Erm – my name is Sebastian de Poitiers, I am the King's son."
Mary's eyes widened at that piece of news, whilst the ladies all shared a look of understanding between them. They had heard, even from the very short time they had been at the French Court, the rumors and the gossip that involved the bastard son of the King.
He was popular at the Castle, primarily because he never treated anyone any differently, reasons being because even though he was the King's son, being a bastard-born often placed you on the outer edge of society. He treated everyone with a certain respect, though was said to keep to himself most of the time.
Lola smirked, recognizing the obvious attraction between the two. She was very much looking forward to discussing Sebastian with Mary later in the night. Greer shuffled her feet together, not comprehending the scene folding out in front of her, she was eager to meet some of the fine men that were sure to be attending the banquet and wanted to get there early.
Mary gulped, "Oh no apologies necessary… Sebastian, I understand… we are on our way to the Banquet ourselves…would you care to join us on walking there?" she smiled nervously at him, and was astonished to see his green eyes twinkling down at her.
"It would be an honor, Your Grace," Sebastian said lending an arm to her.
Mary took his arm, and followed his lead down the hallway, she wondered how Francis would react seeing her enter on the arm of his brother? Would it be deemed as disrespectful to him, her future husband? Or would it be seen as just a friendly gesture? Mary didn't know, and wished she knew more about social graces and customs. Though she very much doubted she could have ever been taught on how to deal with a situation quite like this one.
She needn't have worried however, as Sebastian, Mary and the Ladies approached the entry to the Dining Hall, he let go of her arm, and took her hand squeezing it gently and bringing her white knuckles to his lips.
"It was my pleasure escorting you Your Grace, but I feel you must go make your introduction by yourself, and you're Ladies…" suggested Sebastian, who had also obviously had a similar thought pattern to the Queen's, he too didn't want to imply anything to the French Court, knowing all too well the whispers that floated around. He watched the young Queen let go of his grip, her brown eyes now focusing on the entryway to the Hall.
Greer, Lola, Kenna and Ayelee, who had now caught up to the Queen and Sebastian, now stood in a line behind Mary waiting for her next move.
"Thank you Sebastian, I look forward to our next conversation…" Mary cautioned, now aware of her surroundings, and that the walls have ears. She knew you could never be too careful in public. She didn't dare look at him again, knowing she would most likely blush, and she had no intention of walking in on the Banquet with a flushed face.
She breathed in deeply, knowing the next few hours would be important; she needed to steady herself and have a clear mind and objective… it all seemed rather simple when she thought about it only a few hours ago, but that was before she stumbled upon the King's bastard son…gathering herself together she walked up to the door, and watched it open before her, and the people standing behind it.
"We announce Mary Queen of Scots."