A.N: I have no idea if it is okay for a baby to drink goat milk instead of being breastfed. I think I read somewhere that the milk has to be prepared in a certain way but for the story I will use goat milk and then a wet nurse when Allannah is back in the castle.

Chapter 9: In between

Also I will be leaving few episodes out. Everything of course still happened however I will not be retelling them because Allannah will not be at the court at that time. I hope you don't mind :)

"My Lady, come quick the baby woke up and she will not stop crying"

Allannah looked up from the fresh fruit she had been holding in her hands and focused her attention to older woman that was kind enough to let her stay in her home. Princess nodded and handed the fruit back to its owner promising that she will be back later to buy some of it and hurried after Alice.

"I thought she was hungry when she started to cry but she didn't want the milk" Alice explained when they got closer to the house.

"Do not worry. I think she was just scared because she did not know where she woke up" Allannah tried to comfort the woman when they entered the small house where Alice lived alone with her two sons. Allannah followed Isobel's cries into the bedroom where the oldest of Alice's sons held the baby in his arms. His expression looked equally miserable to Isobel's.

Allannah stepped forward stretching her arms and the boy handed her the baby without having second thoughts. As soon as he was free he fled the room happy that he did not have to listen to Isobel's cries. When Allannah had the baby Isobel in her arms she gently rocked her and whispered,

"It is okay, baby girl. I am here and you do not have to be afraid of these people. They are very nice to let us stay here until someone from the Castle is able to get us back home"

As soon as Isobel heard her voice her blue eyes focused on Allannah her cries turned into quiet whimpers. Allannah brushed the tears away from the girl's cheeks and started humming one of the few lullabies she knew. Soon Isobel calmed down and closed her blue eyes from all the exhaustion.

"You are so good with her that I can hardly believe she is not yours" Alice spoke from the doorway with a horn filled with milk ready for Isobel when she wakes up.

"I wish she was mine but at the end it does not really make the difference. I already love her as my daughter and I do not know what would happen to me if I lost her"

"Then let's make sure you never do" Alice smiled and handed her the horn "Here you have the milk. It will be little tricky to feed her but you do not really have a choice unless you find a wet nurse"

"This will have to do for the time being" Allannah sighed accepting the horn with free hand "I will make sure to find one back in the Castle"

As if Isobel could understand them she opened her eyes again and looked straight into Allannah's icy blue ones. That made the princess smile then she offered her the milk and Isobel started drinking it happily.

Allannah, enchanted by Isobel, did not look away from the baby's face until she drunk everything what Alice had prepared for her when she was done Allannah placed the horn on the table and kissed Isobel's forehead smiling,

"You are a beautiful girl, you know that. I can already see all the men who will try to fight for your affection but I will only let someone who will be worthy of you to have it. Someone who will love you, make you happy and take good care of my little girl"

"Those blue eyes are really stunning, my lady" Alice agreed stopping next to Allannah who glanced at the older woman and nodded,

"Her mother had the same eyes. I wish she could see her grow up"

"I know it is not my place to say it but you should not trouble yourself with what might have happened if things were different. My mother told me that some things happen for a reason and I am sure that there has to be a reason you have been chosen to raise this child"

"Maybe…" Allannah whispered glancing back at Isobel who was happily sleeping in her arms "I just hope I can keep her safe once I get back to court. If someone just thinks about hurting her I will make his or hers life a living hell"

"Spoken like a true mother" Alice smiled "I know you will do great. Every parent makes mistakes but you will learn I am sure"

"Thank you for having us here, Alice" Allannah said with complete sincerity "I know we are nothing but a burden to you"

"Never mind that, my lady. I am glad to assist the Princess of Scotland anyway I can"

Allannah smiled at the older woman and then slowly turned around walking with Isobel in her arms towards the windows. She gently rocked her even when she stopped to look outside. The day was slowly coming to an end and it was almost a week since she last saw Mary or Sebastian. She knew she was safe here but something didn't give her peace. She had a feeling that she needed to get out as soon as possible and when she saw two riders approaching the house her eyes widened. She did not recognize them from that distance and with a horrible feeling in her stomach she turned around only to see a guilty looking Alice.

"Alice…" Allannah breathed "Why?"

"I am truly sorry my lady but the Medic's offer was too generous to refuse. I have two mouths to feed on my own and one day you will understand that a woman does everything for her family"

Allannah scowled and pressed Isobel tighter to her chest her thoughts racing. Then she decided to do the only thing she could… run. She did not know why they wanted her but she didn't have any desire to stay and find it out.

She walked straight for the exit and when Alice tried to stop her princess drew her dagger and warned,

"Do not give me a reason to use it"

She pointed it at woman's throat and as she predicted Alice moved away. Before Allannah left the house she grabbed the horn she used to feed Isobel and with the baby in her arms fled to the forest which was probably not the wisest choice to make.

She hoped that the carriage they left hidden near the Blood Wood was still there. The horses should have been fine. They had enough water and grass around to last them a week and besides Sebastian promised he would check on them if he had the time.

Walking as fast as she could, Allannah was thinking why would the Queen's family be after her then she realized that the Queen must have wanted the baby for some reason that wasn't clear to the Princess. And as if she did not have enough trouble Isobel began to stir and making faces that clearly stated she was not confortable.

"You will have to bear with me, honey" Allannah said kissing her forehead "We just have to reach the carriage and then we can go to the castle where it is warm and nice"

Isobel made a noise disagreeing with Allannah who sighed hoping that she wouldn't start to cry because then both of them would be found. She had a few hours of quick walk if she wanted to reach the horses she just hoped she would get there before the night fall.

She was walking for few minutes before she heard a sound of horses galloping down the road. Before she stepped off the path she quickly glanced over her shoulder making sure that riders could not see her yet. Then she stepped quickly through the bushes and around the large rock so she could not be seen from the road.

Her heart was beating very fast and her palms were sweating. She just hoped that Isobel would remain asleep for a little while longer. She heard the riders approach quickly and when they were almost there she carefully looked towards the road.

There were few people dressed like nobles sitting on horses. She did not recognize any of them and she got the feeling that they were foreign. Before she could pull back into the safety of the rock's shadows she felt a hand clasp over her mouth. Her eyes widened and her body tensed thinking that she was caught.

"Relax, it is just me" she hard Sebastian whisper in her ear releasing her. With narrowed eyes she turned around and hit him in the shoulder,

"Are you crazy? You almost gave me a heart attack sneaking on me like that"

He could barely keep the smile off his face when he answered,

"I apologize but there was no other way to make sure you stayed quiet"

"Are you insinuating that I would have screamed?"

"No" he denied but he was not convincing which made her glare at him. Readjusting Isobel in her arms she asked,

"How did you even find us?"

"Mary and I were hoping that we would get to you before the Queen does"

"Queen? What does she want from me?" Allannah asked surprised by revelation. Sebastian took her palm into his and led her back towards Alice's house,

"We have to move and I can explain it on the way. Queen knew that my cousin disappeared and for some reason she really wants my niece but what she does not know is that she was actually looking for you. She probably wanted baby Isobel so she can blackmail me but once you official claim her as yours there will be nothing the Queen can do"

Allannah glanced at sleeping Isobel in her arms. The baby looked so peaceful that she could stare at her face forever and not get bored. Then she blinked forcing herself to look up at Sebastian,

"There is nothing the Queen can do to take her away from me. Even if she suspects the truth she cannot prove any of it"

"My father rather likes you so when he comes back he probably won't see any reason why you shouldn't raise the baby" then he stopped for a second looked away from the path thinking about something before he added "Maybe he will demand…"

"Demand what Sebastian?"

He turned his head so that he looked straight into her icy blue eyes,

"He will probably want you to marry if you want to keep her"

"What?" she raised her eyebrows "He would honestly demand that from me after all he had put me through?"

"I think he would not see fit for a woman to raise a child on her own"

She stopped walking, placed one hand on her hip and glared at him,

"And you are with him, don't you?"

"I-I think…" Sebastian started talking trying to think of the right words to say to her. Allannah sent him one last glare and matched forward leaving him behind. Sebastian suppressed his sigh and called after her "Oh come on, Allannah. I did not mean it like that"

She didn't turn around or wait for him so he had to quicken his step in order to walk alongside her again. She kept her head turned away from him refusing to even glance in his direction.

"Allannah…" Sebastian started very slowly "I have to get you two somewhere safe so I can deal with the Queen. She was accused of adultery and she will do everything in her power to dig up my past especially all the dark things"

"I am not a subject of the French court" Allannah responded ignoring his last sentences "Neither the King nor the Queen have nothing to say about me keeping Isobel. The only person who can is my sister. She is my Queen and you already know she agreed to this plan. I care little for what Catherine thinks she will not have this baby"

"No, she won't have her" he agreed placing his hand on Allannah's back gently pulling her closer to him "I have a plan to keep you two out of harm way until everything calms down"

"I doubt that any place in France is safe for me right now" Allannah sighed glancing at sleeping Isobel.

"That is why you will be spending some time with my mother" Sebastian explained making Allannah raise her head in surprise,

"Diane?"

"As far as I know Diane is only mother I have, yes" he teased making her narrow her eyes slightly "She agreed to come back for a while and keep you safe"

"Bash, we cannot hide Isobel forever you know that don't you? I will have to return to the court one day"

He stopped moving and turned around to look at her. With a voice that contained traces of worry and hopelessness he said,

"I know that Allannah but I just want you to stay safe while things at court are still crazy. I will send you a word when it is safe to return"

"I am going to miss you" she whispered sadly looking directly in his eyes. Before he hugged her tightly he kissed her forehead and breathed in her ear,

"I already miss you and you didn't even leave for Paris yet"


Thank you for all the follows, favorites and reviews :) they mean the world to me :) I still haven't given up on this story and I will try to finish it as soon as possible. This chapter was shorter but next one will be at least twice as long :)