For One's Country

---

"Christine!" Christine's head jerked up at the familiar male voice, and despite everything a small smile slipped onto her uncharacteristically taunt face. She stood up to greet the man as he entered her bedroom.

"Hello, Augustus." Christine replied as her brother gathered her in a hug. "I suppose you heard?"

The man's cheery smile faded away and a more somber expression came onto his handsome face. "I suppose you could say that."

Christine pulled away and moved towards the oversized chair she had been sitting in. "Then I suppose you are very angry with me?" Christine's voice was weak, and she dared not look up into the blue eyes of her brother.

Augustus moved towards the window in Christine's room and silently noted that locks had been installed. This caused a small smile to tickle the sides of his lips just slightly. His sister, the wild one. "Angry? With you? Christine don't be silly, when have I ever been able to be angry with my dear baby sister?" Augustus made his way from the window and sat in the matching chair across from Christine and looked straight into her shame filled eyes. "I am worried about Mother, obviously, but do I blame you for what you did? No. But, should it happen again I cannot promise I would be as forgiving." Augustus settled back into the chair and watched his sister, piety for her flowing through his veins.

"It won't happen again…I didn't mean to, I didn't know…" Christine's throat started to choke up and she stopped herself. She did not want to cry in front of her brother, it made her feel even younger in his eyes.

"I know it won't, dear Christine. But I must still remind you how import you are to our country. You hold the key to peace! You are not being traded for more land, or riches, but for lives. Surely you can understand why Mother agreed?"

"I know, I know," Christine sighed, "It's just not fair! You got to marry who you wanted! And Father promised me I could marry a husband I had fallen in love with! If he were here…"

"If he were here, a lot of things would be different, but he isn't and that's that." Augustus cut his sister off. "I got lucky; things were peaceful when I was ready to marry. But Christine, did you try to marry for love?"

Christine's eyes flared with indignation. "Of course I did! I-"

"With anyone other than the stable boy?" Once again, her brother cut her off.

Christine remained silent. Her brother was, of course, right. She had first met Raoul two years when she was fourteen and he was seventeen and she deemed it love at first sight. Her poor father probably turned over in his grave when he realized his only daughter had fallen so far from her station.

"Now, there is nothing written in stone saying you will hate your husband-to-be. Arranged marriages happen all the time, and happiness can still be achieved. And if you cannot derive happiness from your husband, get it from your subjects. The queen you will be replacing is not a loved one. Her subjects are unhappy, and if you achieve love through them, I assure you that you will feel fulfilled. You are a sweet girl, Christine, you will enjoy helping people." Augustus wisely remarked. Even if his sister did not realize it yet, she had a powerful presence over people, and he knew that she would be a very useful asset to the people of Estergaurd.

Christine merely nodded. Her brother was nearly twice her age, and he always seemed to know exactly what he was talking about. Tired of hearing things she knew to be true she changed the subject. "You have seen Mother?"

"Yes, she is doing much better. Have you gone to visit her?"

"No," Christine shook her head, "Bayard won't let me. I swear he is the most annoying man I have ever known! I don't understand how Mother puts up with him." Christine ranted.

Augustus chuckled. "He simply can't handle a spirit such as yours, dear sister. Now, I do believe I have kept you long enough, you do have a niece and nephew who are dying to see you downstairs in the garden…" On that note, Augustus raised his lean body and made his way out of the room, leaving Christine to her thoughts.

---

The prince was deep in slumber when a deafening knock shattered his ears. He moaned and sat up, his back stiff from sleeping on the settee.

"Yes?" He called, his own voice hurting his head.

Vincent strode into the room, his hair neatly combed back and his uniform immaculate. "Good afternoon, Your Highness. I see you had an enjoyable evening in." Vincent remarked as he eyed the empty bottle of liquor and his prince's obvious hangover.

The prince's golden eyes glared at the captain of the guard, "Is there something I can do for you?"

Vincent smirked and sat down across from the man on another divan. "I just came to check on you; your mother just informed me that I am to send a guard within a week's time to escort your future bride to the castle." Vincent cocked an eyebrow as he watched his old friend.

"She is correct. I'm getting married Vincent!" He replied, completely without mirth.

"Well congratulations Sire, when is the wedding?"

This time it was the prince who cocked a brow, "Oh, didn't she tell you? Let's see, today is Wednesday, meaning if my lovely bride arrives on schedule she should be here by Tuesday, and I will get married next Wednesday." The prince finished with a growl and watched as his friend digested the news.

"Next Wednesday? Are you sure?" Vincent asked, shock written all over his face.

"Oh, absolutely! I would offer you a drink, but my dear friend; I have already drunk it all."

"I can see why…" Vincent murmured, the cruelty of his queen astounding him.

---

"Aunt Christine!" Two child voices rang out in unison as Christine stepped out into the late afternoon sunshine.

"Hello, you little ruffians!" Christine cried fondly as her twin niece and nephew descended upon her skirts.

"Is it true?" The little girl asked as the hug ended.

"Is what true, Julia?" Christine asked.

"That you are getting married and you tried to run away?" The young girl asked as she took her aunt's offered hand and started walking over to a bench.

Christine sighed, "Yes, I am getting married. Whoever told you I tried to run away?" Christine asked as they all sat down.

"Liam did!" Julia replied readily.

"Did not!" Snapped the little boy sitting on Christine's opposite.

"Did too!" Julia retorted.

Christine held up her hands, signaling for the battle to end. "It doesn't matter. But I did try to leave without telling anyone, yes." Christine refused to lie to either of the two children, although she was not happy admitting what she had done. Thank God it had been Meg who had found her in her…compromising…position and not someone like Bayard. To anyone other than the three involved, the story was that she slipped out her window and tried to run through the woods to town, Raoul feigned ignorance that she had even been out of her room that night and Meg covered for her completely.

"Why did you do that?" Liam asked innocently.

"Ah, you probably wouldn't understand, being as you're only six, but one day, when you are as old as me, I'll tell you." Christine replied

"But Aunt Christine, I won't ever be that old. Every time I get older, so do you!" Liam protested with a whine.

"Funny how that works, hm?" Christine replied with a laugh and a wink. Suddenly Christine's cheerful gathering with her niece and nephew was interrupted by a frantic Bayard running across the grounds towards them. Christine groaned and stood up to meet her mother's most trusted advisor, "Yes?"

Bayard wiped a handkerchief across his brow, "She is demanding to see you, although I have no idea why."

Christine nodded and bade farewell to Julia and Liam, promising to spend time with them again before dinner, and made her way into the castle to visit with her mother.

---

"Madame, you called for me?" A lady-in-waiting asked as she stood before her queen.

"Yes, please fetch me my letter writer; I need to send that bitch in Flerin a little note." The queen said as she continued to stare out of her window, looking out over the countryside. The little town beneath her was filled with people running around, dogs chasing children, children chasing chickens. All of it disgusted her. A knock at her door turned her attention away from the window and to the man who just entered.

"Ah, Henry. I need a letter written to Flerin."

"Yes your majesty." The man bowed and took a seat at a desk and set up his letter kit.

---

"Madame, you called for me?" Christine called softly as she entered her mother's bedchamber. Her mother was sitting up in her bed, still in her dressing gown and robe. The curtains were drawn tightly shut, but her mother had candles lit, illuminating the room in a soft glow.

"Yes, please, come and sit with me." Nicolette requested and patted the bed.

Christine quickly bade to do as she was asked and clasped her mother's soft hand in her own and kissed it. "Oh, Mother, I am so sorry…"

"Hush child, I'm not angry with you. You have every right to be angry with me." Nicolette's face was pale, but her eyes were still sparkling blue. "Now, you gave me a scare, but I'm fine. My physicians have been in here all day, and have forbidden me to leave this blasted bed. Apparently Bayard summoned your brother and his family in from the country, have you met with them?"

Christine nodded her head. "Mother, I am so sorry for my actions…" Christine once again tried to apologize but her mother cut her off again.

"Bah, don't apologize. You are young, and you think you are in love, I understand. But I want you to know something about your father and I. When we first met, I couldn't stand him. He was twenty three, and I was fourteen. I thought he was a cad, and he thought I was a silly little girl. In fact, he was already in love with another woman, some lady-in-waiting who worked for his mother."

Christine's eyes widened in shock, "What!? No, you and Father were in love!"

Nicolette nodded, "Yes, we were. But we didn't start out that way. I resented him and wanted to go back to my home country with my mother and sisters. He just wanted to be with his sweetheart, and things remained like that for many years. Slowly, we became friends, and then we realized that had we not been so busy hating each other, we each could have been very happy with the other. It was gradual, but we came to not only like each other, but love one another."

"I never knew…" Christine sighed and shook her head. Her father had absolutely adored her mother, the whole kingdom knew it. When he died five years ago, Christine knew a piece of her mother had died as well.

"Well, there was no real reason to tell you or your brother. Augustus found out, the wily boy he was, but he accepted it. I never could understand why your father was so adamant against choosing suitors for either of you, considering how things had turned out for us, and he used to tell me, 'Nicolette, we are lucky. Our stars aligned in our favor. I don't want to tempt fate twice, not with my children's happiness.' So, when I signed that treaty…"

"I know you did what you had to, for Flerin. I was acting like a spoiled little girl…" Christine interjected.

"No, you were acting exactly as I did when my father told me I was to be shipped away to marry some man I didn't know. And I'm sorry I broke your father's promise to you…" Nicolette stopped to allow the tightness in her throat to clear.

"Maybe I can grow to love him, like a dear friend or brother." Christine offered, sensing that her mother was beginning to get upset with all the talk about her late father.

"Yes, there is nothing saying you can't. And I wish the best for you, my dear Christine. I hate that you will be so far away from me…" Tears started welling in Nicolette's crystal blue eyes and she hastily wiped them away.

"I will write, all the time, and visit on holidays, and any other time I can." Christine replied as she felt her own tears spring into her eyes and she leaned forward to hug her mother.

---

After dinner, Christine said her farewells to her family. Her trunks were already packed and on the carriage. She was leaving at night so that in case anyone heard that the Princess, and her considerable dowry, was leaving the castle, they would already be long gone. Christine tearfully hugged Meg goodbye and slipped her a letter. She didn't need to tell her who it was for, Meg already knew.

"You were like the sister I never have. Promise to visit me someday, please?" Christine asked as she gave Meg another hug.

"Yes, yes, of course. Now go, before I start weeping like a baby." Meg sniffed as she hugged her friend back.

With a backwards glance at the only place she had ever known, Christine got into her carriage, and started her journey.