Author's note: Okay, so once again I sincerely apologize for the delay of this chapter. I know that you all are following this story and I thank all of you... old and new who have faved it and added it to your story alerts, it means sooooo much to me,... honestly you guys are the only reason I keep writing, not only have I suffered from a severe case of writer's block, I'm in the midst of writing an original story... short story/novel... I'm not sure yet but anyway it keeps my mind pretty preoccupied during most of my spare time, also I now work fulltime and of course we all had the Holidays to deal with. So again I am very sorry for the long break between chapters. I hope this makes up for it... Please read and Review as much as you want. Your feedback is really important to me.
Although I started off with this being relatively accurate to Historical events it has kind of veered far away from that... BUT the titles and lands that I put to the different characters are very real, for those of you that are wondering and that are interested, these titles are taken from 16th century England and Western Europe which was a very fascinating and monumental period in time that forever changed the way we look at the world. Books weren't available to the public until after this time period... so yes we have our educations to thank to the men and women who ruled back then...
Anyway... off I go on another one of my rants... I hope you enjoy this... as I said, please Read and Review...
Enjoy...
"Have you woken her majesty yet?" Bonnie turned and politely curtsied to Jeremy who suddenly stood towering over her. She smiled knowingly at him, they were probably the only two people of the court awake at the moment, apart from the servants. He didn't return the smile even though he knew what she was hinting at. The queen's rooms were perfectly silent though Bonnie doubted that they were asleep on the other side of those doors.
"No my Lord Rochford I haven't."
"Don't you think you should?" Clearly something was bothering him and he wouldn't be distracted from it. He had changed so much from the little boy she used to know, she eyed him carefully and considered how much he'd grown, and not just physically.
"No your lordship. Not this morning I don't." She smiled and brushed him off, turning to go and check on Caroline, or do something to keep her away from all this. Jeremy was clearly hoping to get to work early today and Bonnie refused to be the one to interrupt Elena's morning with her new husband. Jeremy followed shortly behind her, she should have guessed as much.
"May I ask you something Mistress Bennett?"
"You may ask your lordship, however I cannot promise to answer." He looked a bit surprised and amused though her answers were always constructed like this. She had to be vague and deliberately evasive to protect Elena and also to protect herself. Queen's protection or not she was still a witch, and it was a bad time for witches.
"What do you make of this Duke of Cleves?" He asked somberly and quietly, knowing that even though the halls were empty of courtiers there were always those listening in. Servants were loyal to those who paid the most. She stopped as they reached the great hall that led to the queen's presence chamber. Common people were already flocking here, lying in wait to congratulate the queen on her new husband, if she ever emerged from her chambers. Bonnie was careful to move into a corner that allowed them some privacy, she spent a good deal of time wherever Elena's courtiers gathered, and she knew every corner of the royal palaces, she knew where whispers gathered, and where the spies went to hide and she had made it her task to hear things before anyone else did.
"Should I make something of him my Lord?" She asked him shrewdly careful never to be the first to state an opinion, especially not on such important political matters.
"Cleves is loyal to the reformation of the church."
"But the duke is brother to the King of France. The same king who has publicly declared himself an enemy to Naples and a protector of the catholic faith. And yet, his bloodline is of little interest to me my Lord." She said respectfully and turned her head to look at the man who had walked in as if he'd heard his name dropped. He stared around the room, and Bonnie was well aware of his eyes on them even though he continued to scan the place for people he might know.
"He is here for a reason, it would be helpful if we knew why." She stared back at Jeremy for a moment and wondered when he'd grown up, how she'd missed it. She had never regarded him as anything else than the queen's cousin, the young boy who was an aspiring poet and artist. He had changed, overnight it seemed he'd become sharp and perspicacious. She was impressed at the change in him and how she'd managed to miss it before now.
"There are really only two reasons he could be here; either he is here to spite his brother and further his cause or he is here to spy on our sweet queen and her new husband."
"Either way I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him."
"I don't suppose there's a chance you already have spies hidden amongst his household?"
"I don't suppose you ever ask a question you don't already know the answer to do you?" Bonnie smiled at that and turned away from him, walking back through the room and carefully slipping past certain people to pick up on their conversations without them knowing and heading back to the queen's private rooms.
Stefan was glad to be going back to Naples. He had been before but now he couldn't leave fast enough. He wanted his things packed, he wanted to be away from this place however beautiful it was. It's earth full and ripe and booming with people who loved their Queen. He didn't hate it it was just- he couldn't stand to be here. Surrounded by people who loved her, adored her and like him would never get anything from it. A Queen does not marry for love and yet she did, he slumped down into a chair. She married him because she loved him. He had pushed the words from his mind before but now they were there, gnawing at him and breaking him, tormenting him a little bit at a time.
He couldn't fathom how he felt so dreadful, so broken and lost. He'd lost loved ones before, far too many people really but to lose her to his brother was like nothing he'd ever felt. It didn't surprise him now how spiteful Damon had been towards him when Katherine had done the same to him. Had chosen Stefan over Damon, he realized now how betrayed Damon must have felt. And now they were even, he thought bitterly. He would never have Elena the way Damon would and the worst part was that he knew Damon loved her just as much, perhaps more than she thought. He certainly loved her more than he ever loved truly cared for her that much was plain, a blind man could have seen it. He tried harder for her and it was better that way because Stefan knew that if Damon were ever to think that he simply deserved a woman like Elena things would start falling apart.
He took a breath, staring at the disarray of his office while the boys had all gone to eat and he'd been left here with some wine and sweet meats though he didn't feel like eating. He would drink though, but even the wine wouldn't help the feeling of loss that was drowning him. The thought that Elena was forever lost to him, the last time he'd spoken to her alone was when he'd tried- He'd tried to explain to her how he felt, what would happen if she chose Damon, and how he still wished that he could protect her from that. He had told her how he felt, come right out and said it like some common fool, he knew that she loved him back. He'd kissed her it had been there, whatever it was that they had, he knew that it hadn't been imagined. But whatever they had wasn't stronger than what she felt for Damon. He wasn't entirely sure if it was love, he hoped it was for her sake. And in the meantime all that was left of him was this, this broken shell of a man that had nothing to do but go home and rule the country for his absent brother. Everything he'd ever hoped for had always belonged to Damon in the first place, there was no competing with Damon, not now or ever. Katherine had been a one time deal and Damon had never forgiven him for it. When they were children he'd always been one step ahead of his little brother and he wasn't one to give way either. He would never simply let Stefan win at anything, he had to earn whatever he got from Damon, including his affection. Stefan set his wine aside and stood up pushing the thought away from him and directing it onto the papers that were before him. There was no helping the situation with Elena now, and as for his precarious friendship with his brother, well he'd have to wait and see.
Caroline was quiet staring out the window waiting anxiously for someone, anyone to bring her news from court. She rubbed over her belly where her baby was as restless as she was. She missed the court as if she'd been there her whole life, she certainly belonged there. Though she had no doubt that this baby was worth it, this all felt terribly like a punishment. One she had resigned herself to, she thought she might deserve it. If Mathew ever found out about all of this he would be heartbroken, as it was he knew something wasn't quite right. He was being sent to Naples without his wife, something that was highly unusual, she would never forgive herself for the pained expression that had struck him when Elena had told him of his new office as ambassador to England in Naples. He was leaving in two days and she hadn't seen him in weeks. He had looked to her, for some rescue, some hope and she had looked back for only a moment. The guilt racking her and tormenting her even now as she thought about it. It was unfair to him, he didn't deserve it. She realized very suddenly that she'd been so lost in her guilt-ridden daydreams that she hadn't even heard the beating of hooves and the commotion that was forming in the courtyard.
"Caroline!" Aunt Jenna's voice rang out from downstairs and Caroline moved from her window to go see what the trouble was about, she was met by Jenna who was holding a letter, the messenger that was sitting there was clearly surprised by Jenna's behaviour and Caroline giggled to herself. Though Jenna was a great lady at court, formidable and powerful and loved by the queen she had always been daring. She stood with her long brown hair falling down her back and shoulders, women were supposed to pin their hair back or cover it or something, and she was bellowing orders to the maids and the serving men. She was certain that this messenger had never seen a woman like this, one who was so relaxed in her station that she didn't care at all for protocol. Ever since Elena, Caroline and Bonnie had left her care it seemed she hardly cared about being proper anymore and Caroline had realized ever since coming back here that she had put on a show to be a good example for the girls. Jenna turned round and smiled broadly at her. "The queen will be stopping here on progress." Caroline could have screamed she was so happy to hear that.
"For how long?" She said, careful to keep herself composed. It wasn't so much the court as it was Elena and Bonnie's company that she missed.
"Three weeks. The Queen's husband will want to hunt, our land is well stocked with deer." The Queen's husband. Caroline wondered how long that title would last. Damon was a good man and he loved Elena but Caroline had seen him, she didn't know him very closely but she knew that he exuded power. He was as regal as Elena was and to be known to the English people as the Queen's husband was a bit demeaning. She understood Elena's point of view but she knew that it would affect Damon's own rule in Naples if she continued on in this way, his own people would cease to respect him. "Here, there's a letter for you from Bonnie as well." She handed the thing over to Caroline as she turned back to the servants and ordered them to get the messenger some good food and a bed to rest in. She pulled the letter close to her and took it upstairs to decode it, the three girls never wrote anything to each other simply, they kept everything hidden from everyone except each other.
My dearest Caroline,
please don't despair, I wager you are feeling quite abandoned by us all but nothing could be further from the truth. Elena keeps us all very close to her now that she and Damon are wed. It seems nothing has changed among the council, they distrust us all as much as they always have, but the older council members are allying together more than they used to. They find themselves more powerful with the presence of the Duke of Cleves at court, they are all whispering into the Queen's ears and trying to sway her one way or the other. We miss you a great deal, if only for your powers of perception and persuasion.
Jeremy tells me that the old noble families are beginning to meet in secret, there is discord and mistrust among everyone now. The old families are beginning to meet regularly to discuss the safety of the queen and the matters of the privy council. They make it sway in their favour, if it weren't for your mother and Tyler and Jeremy's presence there I fear they would begin to disregard the queen's well-being in the matter. Elena no longer dines in public, she eats privately but she is careful not to exclude anyone of importance.
Tyler speaks of you often, he misses you dearly and constantly inquires about your health and the baby's. I imagine he will seek you out the moment we arrive.
Elena bids me tell you she'll write to you very soon. Please be in good spirits, we will see you sooner than you think.
Love,
B.
She rubbed over her belly, feeling uncomfortably large, she knew it was silly but she couldn't help but feel that she was about to see her friends in this way, she had always been fair, her hair long and flowing. Ever since her pregnancy she felt as if she was a cow about to burst from eating too much. She suddenly understood why men considered pregnant women to be silly. She felt silly, and incredibly stupid at times. The discomfort of this pregnancy was bearing on her but she knew that she'd have to endure it, there was no going back from it now. But she wanted it to be over with. Her friends would come soon which meant they would at least be here for the birth. It was a huge comfort to her, knowing that they would be here soon to keep her company. She had wanted this baby out of her for awhile now but at the moment she told it quietly to wait until her friends got here. A new found excitement ran over her at the thought that they'd be here and a sens of her old self overtook her as she went downstairs to help Jenna with the preparations for the arrival of the court.
Bonnie rode next to Elena, far ahead of everyone else and against everyone's wishes they rode far ahead from even the guards but with Elena's recent wedding she was well-loved by her people once more. Bonnie couldn't help but linger on the fact that they were incredibly changeable, one moment they loved her and the next they disagreed with her so deeply it almost resembled hate, until the moment she did something impossibly noble and then they forgave her and went back to adoring her. At the moment though they rode so far ahead from everyone else that they almost went through the towns unnoticed, they rode as if something was at their heels but in all honesty they were excited at what they were riding towards. Bonnie couldn't help but smile even at imagining the look on Caroline's face when they arrived. She knew her friend would be over the moon at their presence and she knew Caroline well. Well enough to know that she would be feeling devastated at being separated from the business of the court. She needed people, conversation, intrigue and even a good plot. She flourished when she was surrounded by people and when she was deprived of social contact she almost withered away. Elena was riding quite a ways ahead of her when she pulled to a stop at the top of the hill, angering her horse. Bonnie was going so fast she had to make a full turn before she came to a stop next to Elena. She breathed deeply, the warm summer air having finally arrived, even though it should have come weeks ago. It was now finally here and it was warm and sweet and filled with all the brightness the sun brought with it. Elena and Bonnie turned to look at each other smiling before they looked down at the castle that belonged to their aunt Jenna. The grand old thing that stood out in the midst of fields with a large moat surrounding the entirety, the drawbridge was down which meant that their letter to Aunt Jenna had arrived and they were expecting them. The gardens were well-kept and Bonnie was already looking forward to walking through the maze which she and her two best friends knew by heart after all this time. She smiled at the sight of it, the ivory covered stone and the small windows. It had almost seemed like a prison to them when they were younger and now Bonnie couldn't believe the excitement she felt at being back here, after being stifled in the large palaces of the large cities these open spaces seemed like some kind of relief to all of that. A way for them to regenerate after everything that had happened to them.
"Did you remember it being this beautiful?" Elena turned and asked Bonnie, her dark eyes boring into her bemusedly.
"Not at all." She shook her head but then smiled as they both turned their eyes back on the sight of the castle. Both of them finally giggled, spurring on their horses, Elena was far ahead of her of course calling back for Bonnie.
"Well come on then!" Bonnie grinned as she tore down the hill and they crossed the first bridge and into a courtyard, there was no waiting for the crowd to dissipate so they could gradually make their way across the drawbridge since they were the first ones there, they raced across it making a loud noise as their horses' hooves clattered against the wood and the sound echoed against the great stone walls when they came into the inner courtyard. They were laughing and out of breath all over again, and though Bonnie had secretly hoped for a moment to collect herself she was to receive no such thing. Caroline came bursting out one of the doors and Elena squealing leaped off her horse to pull her into a hug. The three girls stood for a moment laughing and chattering away while the rest of their entourage had finally caught up with them. Bonnie was relieved to see that it was only the queen's favourites and her husband who had managed to really keep up with them. The rest of the court seemed further behind. The men dismounted and each seemed to go to their respective woman. Damon flocked to Elena's side as usual, the two of them were increasingly secret and private with each other, and Bonnie wasn't entirely sure if she trusted it.
"You ride well Mistress Bennett." She turned suddenly to find Jeremy looking down at her with an amused smile on his face.
"You sound surprised my Lord Rochford." Bonnie turned a wry smile on him, her new found ally puzzled her for some reason she couldn't yet put her finger on. He smiled in response.
"Pleasantly, I must admit. Perhaps we should go riding together sometime."
"We could, if only you could keep up with me." She turned away from him and headed inside with the rest of the court, hoping to catch up with Caroline and ask her how she was.
"I've organized something, and you cannot be angry with me." Bonnie and Elena both pursed their lips and turned the moment they were free of their riding gowns so they could glare at Caroline.
"Caroline-" Elena muttered warning in her voice.
"What are you up to?"
"I've organized a masque, and you have to participate."
"No Caroline, I don't think so." Elena grumbled and turned around to look at two gowns that were placed before her.
"Oh come on Elena! It'll be fantastic, you have to! I've been holed up here with no entertainment for much too long I need some kind of distraction. You know if I could participate myself I would." Elena gave Bonnie a look, she could tell Elena was beginning to sway, and she couldn't blame her. She could feel her own reservations coming down the way they always did for Caroline. She had a way of pulling people into her little amusements, though Bonnie had to admit it was always fun she always dreaded the planning of it.
"You are absolutely impossible." Bonnie shook her head but she knew they were fighting a losing battle.
"Thank you!" She ambushed them both into a hug and Bonnie couldn't help but smile.
The pageant was to be held in honour of the duke of Cleves, since he hadn't received a proper invitation or introduction to the queen's court. It was an official way of welcoming him to her court. Jeremy had mixed feelings about this, he distrusted this Elijah person to no end, he found he distrusted most people. To his own surprise King Damon of Naples, or rather, the Queen's husband was among the few people that he felt he could rely on. Mathew had left for Naples with Prince Stefan and though Tyler was still his friend, there was a great deal on his mind, leaving only Alaric Saltzman, who undoubtedly had his own agenda seeing as he was the ambassador for Bulgaria and not for England. There was a cheering from the next room as Tyler clapped Jeremy on the shoulder and laughed, the girls had clearly entered onto their little stage. Some men had constructed a tiny castle out of wooden boards and painted it to look like a real castle.
The applause for the ladies that played the graces was followed by a booing for the women that were playing the vices. Finally the men entered the grand room wearing their black tunics and a gold mask each, the sash across Jeremy's chest spelled Honour, and next to him Tyler's spelled Loyalty. He had nearly snickered when they received their parts, but it was to remain a strict secret who was who, they had no idea at the identity of the ladies apart from their character names, though it wasn't very hard to pick out Bonnie. She wore a white dress as everyone else but her dark skin made her stand out, the gowns were almost underthings since they didn't have sleeves sewn onto the straps. They all looked lovely, including his cousin the Queen who stood up on the tower next to Bonnie, she was hard to miss honestly but he couldn't look much farther than Bonnie. The little witch who he had once overlooked as his cousin's peculiar friend.
She was beyond peculiar now, she was bewitching, and entrancing, as she stood there with the little gold and white mask perched carefully over her face, her dark eyes glancing through it and a small smile playing on her plump lips. Her hair was pulled up and held in place by a little gold crown which all the ladies were wearing, it brought attention to her slim neck and her shoulders and the curve of her breasts. Jeremy was forced out of his involuntary daydream as the court fool moved forward and waved his sword around at everyone, the audience and the duke of Cleves as well before turning back to the women who stood on the outer walls of the small castle to protect the graces.
"As Ardent Desire, I demand that you release your prisoners!" He bellowed causing an approving roar from the courtiers that were invited to watch and Jeremy and the rest of the men bowed towards the castle.
"As Lady Scorn, I laugh at your desire!" One of the women in black mocked him, leaning over the castle walls just enough to look provocative. She was met with booing from the crowd, in particular the women.
"These men are noble Lords" He yelled again and then there was a loud roaring from all the men in the room as they clapped their hands and slammed their cups down. The women in black snickered as Lady Unkindness replied.
"No, they're just men dressed up." She uttered with a laugh and threw rose petals towards the men and the audience that was within reach.
"I say again, release these damsels that you keep so cruelly!" The jester said louder if that was at all possible.
"Never!"
"You give us no choice, but to attack. And breach your defenses!"
"No knight shall ever breach mine!" Lady Strangeness got it out, loud and clear and Jeremy couldn't stifle his chuckle at that little bit of unscripted wittiness, he wondered how long the girl had been sitting on that one. He heard Tyler next to him holding back laughs as well and he turned to his friend for a moment, the two of them smiling. They had almost argued with Caroline when she told them she'd organized this but now they were here it wasn't all that bad. Though it was the first time she'd bothered to drag him into one of her entertainments before. He knew the girls had always considered him merely the Queen's cousin, the young boy who once had aspired to be a poet. That seemed so far away now, as he stood here acting out a play alongside the most powerful people in England.
"Lady, Desire overcomes all!" The audience was silent for only a moment before the jester unleashed chaos on the whole thing. "Attack!"
Jeremy and Tyler both leaped up onto the wooden castle and Jeremy for a moment wondered if it would even hold but he climbed it steadily, in only two bounds he was at the tower and reaching for her hand. He was supposed to climb in and ascend with Elena, to dance with her before the unmasking but he grabbed onto Bonnie before he did so.
"Temperance, you are my prisoner now." He said in mock sincerity and it provoked a giggle from her before she pulled away and moved towards Tyler who was waiting for her to climb down the steps with him. Jeremy pulled himself up and held his hand out towards Elena.
"Cousin." She muttered.
"Your Majesty." He replied and smiled warmly at her, realizing that she had noticed his sudden attention for another one of her ladies.
They stood in opposite lines from each other, the graces on one side and the noblemen on the other and Bonnie stood facing a man she knew to be Tyler, she smiled knowingly at him and he seemed amused as he glanced from her to Caroline who was up in the rafters looking down on the whole thing and applauding while the Queen's husband, Alaric, and Jenna were explaining the short little plot to the Duke of Cleves who seemed only slightly amused by the entire thing.
"And now, all shall be unmasked" The Queen's fool was really much too excited about this whole thing, he spoke much louder than was necessary as ladies came up behind each player and undid the ribbon of their mask. She turned for only a moment to see who it was that was playing Honour, she was more than surprised to be met by Jeremy's soft brown eyes, he smiled at her gently before turning back to Elena and bowing. Bonnie pulled herself out of her surprise and curtsied towards Tyler as they moved forward to begin the dance.
Elena stood in her room before the mirror as she stepped out of the heavy gown she'd been wearing and moved to take out her earrings and remove the rest of her jewelry. It always seemed such an ordeal for her to shed herself of all the layers and adornments that befit a queen, sometimes after a day like today she was tired of it all. She was more than ready for bed. She felt her bones aching and her whole body craving sleep as she turned to find Damon leaning against the mantelpiece he startled her. She wondered if she'd ever get used to his presence but the fact that he enjoyed surprising her didn't help her.
"Boo." He snickered amused as Elena shook her head and he moved forward, pulling her into his arms for an embrace but not before he turned his head towards her ladies. "Leave us." Demanding as ever she frowned at him slightly.
"I still need help getting out of my stomacher." She murmured and he smiled at her leaning over and breathing softly into her neck before his breath rested on her ear and she shivered at the feeling of him.
"I am more than capable of helping you undress." He breathed, he moved her around so she was facing the mirror again and started tugging diligently at the laces of her stomacher. Every small bit of skin that was being revealed to him was steadily being rubbed and caressed or even kissed and Elena found herself forgetting that she was tired. As she leaned back into him, deliberately rubbing her body against his, the last of the laces came loose and the stomacher ended up on the floor before he turned her round to face him again and he kissed her fiercely. He'd become more daring with her and she was constantly surprised to find herself so willing. So demanding and greedy to hold him close to her to be rid of the layers that covered him and have his skin against hers. His breath in her neck and his hands scouring her body. She breathed in, the feeling of his skin against hers and the smell of him was something that she never wanted to forget, or take for granted. It wasn't too long ago that she'd been lost in a wave of sadness at the loss of so many friends. Her arms went around him and he picked her up, keeping her pressed against him protectively while her legs were wrapped around his hips. Her time with him was never enough, it was never long enough so she lost herself in him for as long as she could. Elena her name was on his lips in nothing more than a whisper and it was enough to make her pull him closer to her and kiss him. Lovingly and longingly, she had missed him today. His movements passed over her in a blur of heat and passion, every kiss left her longing for more of him and his touch sent her head swimming in the scent of him as it slowly fell over her and he moved through her.
She would pull him closer and let her own hands move over him, memorizing him all over again as if she had never been here before. As if she couldn't remember the times before but remembering enough to provoke moans and sweet nothings as she moved him to the very edge so they could topple across it together. Feeling the pulse of him matching up with that of her own as their skin seemed paper-thin and her heart pounded against the touch of his fingertips lingering just above it.
Bonnie moved silently through the darkened halls, the letter she carried was dangerous she knew it was, and the fact that it had come to her didn't necessarily help them. She moved quietly through the shadows, past the laughter and the gossiping courtiers that thought they were unseen but were always seen by Bonnie and only few others. She slipped through a door that even fewer people knew about and clung safely to the railing that led her down a winding staircase completely incased in darkness apart from the few slits in the wall that let in the dwindling moonlight. She was already out of breath and cold from the night air but the letter in her hand was of the most importance as she stepped off the steps and onto a little dock. It was a passage only used for the queen's most intimate courtiers, the ones whose only object was her safety and who dared to steal themselves into the night even without her knowledge as long as it would keep her safe. She hopped into the little boat and sat quietly at the edge, drawing her cape closer to her and her hood further down her face so all that could be seen were her lips. The man didn't ask questions, it was better that way. If he were ever to be caught he could say with all honesty he had no idea who she was or what she was doing. She paid him good money for it. They docked up to one of them many docks on the Thames running through London, and Bonnie hopped off, tossing him a purse that would last him a good long while if he didn't waste it away on ale and women in one night. London at night was nowhere near as charming and warming as it was during the day, it was filled with the scent of drunkards and whores and secrecy. The only sober beings awake at this time of night were those that were plotting something as equally foul as the stench on the streets.
Bonnie turned down the alleys quietly hidden under her black cloak, well aware of the man that was now following her closely ever since she'd stepped off the boat. She turned down an alley that she knew to be quite crowded but her plan backfired on her when one of the men pulled her to the side in the hopes of something he would never receive from a queen's lady.
"Why hello little maid! How about a kiss?"
"Not tonight." She muttered quietly and hoped he would leave it at that but he took her by the arm and pulled her close to his chest.
"Seems it's my lucky night, you're very far away from the palace tonight, My lady." He said scornfully as he took note of the quality of her gown and hood, she looked up at him warily from under her hood, he smiled wickedly, he clearly thought he'd lucked out tonight, she was still very aware of the man who was lingering on the corner of the alley, following her, she could tell he was wondering whether or not he aught to intervene as the drunk pulled her into a hidden alcove of the alley. She heard the steps behind her and she smiled as the man began undoing his trousers. She rolled her eyes for a moment, any other woman would have been entirely helpless against the brute but instead pushed him incredibly hard, using the palm of her hand and striking directly at his sternum, sending him flying back for a moment incredibly hard. He stood up almost instantly, not quickly winded so she took a jab at his throat, she knew it would give him the worst choking sensation, she used the heel of her foot to kick down on his instep and send him buckling down before she pulled a knife and turned the tables on him. She had him pinned against the wall and crippled, wheezing for air while she smiled at him sweetly.
"Now let's see what we have here." She pulled a purse from his pocket and glittered at the weight of it. She didn't like spending the money she earned from the crown on paying her little spies but this would do for quite a while. "Seems it's my lucky night!" She took the coin purse and hid it in her pocket before giving him a nice little scratch in his neck before leaving him there, sputtering and fuming and penniless. She didn't feel guilty at all as she turned the corner walked in step with the man who had been following her before.
"Did you enjoy that?"
"He was twice my size." he muttered incredulously his soft brown eyes looking down at her as he guided her into the pub.
"Don't worry, I won't let him hurt you." She smiled as he pulled her into a quiet corner that was hidden by shadows and she sat down next to him. To anyone else they would have looked like a couple that was enjoying the privacy but in reality they had more important things to discuss.
"Lord Rochford and I have been intercepting his letters, it seems he is at odds with his brother. Has been for quite some time, but what the reason is we couldn't tell you." Elena saw the suspicious look Caroline was casting on their friend and she couldn't help but wonder how long Bonnie and Jeremy had been meeting in secret. It was true though that apart from Caroline they were always her best sources for information, especially on information from abroad. To rule a country, knowledge and information held more power than weapons and soldiers so it was important to her to have a close knit force of people who always had information before others. Bonnie was particularly good at this but Elena wondered how often she had put herself in danger to get such information.
"You believe him to be against France? Against his own brother?" Her skepticism couldn't be hidden, she couldn't imagine one brother truly betraying the other entirely, costing him his rule, his country and people.
"At the time being." She nodded and Elena took that in, if Bonnie believed it then she would trust on this information but she was still unsure of what to do with it. Her council members were pushing her for war against France, but the English and the French had always been at such great odds that this was nothing new to her. France was behind the attacks on her and her court, her new court that was defying the very nature of what a traditional ruling should look like. She was empowering her people and giving them something to hold onto for years to come, and she had Damon at her side, making them a threat to nearly every country who didn't believe in their ways of ruling. France and Rome stood against them, but if they had Cleves with them and his military support from Flanders and even Holland they would be a force that would inspire fear. She knew Aquitaine would stand with them, Mason Lockwood had already pledged his allegiance to her in order to be rid of the bullheaded French King, who had never set foot in his southern regions and thus had no idea how to rule over them, and had settled for tyranny instead.
"Even so, there would be no relying on him. If he were to reconcile with his brother then where do we stand? At war with France, and Rome, Aquitaine wouldn't hold being caught between the two and we would be alone as an island, even with the support of Naples, they would be intercepted by Spain or Rome before they could come to our aid." Elena nodded at that and leaned back against her little chair in the gardens, she waved her fan at her neck for a bit, shocked at the heat of this summer.
"I have no intention of going to war, with only a vague promise of loyalty from the duke of Cleves."
"Your council might not be so rational." Bonnie spoke up as the voice of reason as always.
"When are they ever rational? I will handle my council when the time comes, for now we leave things as they are."
"Your Majesty, we implore you, the duke of Cleves has come here seeking friendship and refuge and an alliance with England."
"He has all those things with England, but I will not declare war on France when our success hangs on a broken bond between brothers."
"A bond that has been broken for years your majesty. Let us make use of it while we can."
"Your Majesty seems to have forgotten that it was France that led the attacks on your court."
"Yes, and what cowardly deeds they were, and unsuccessful at that since we are all still standing. I will not declare war on France, not yet, not until I am certain of the loyalty of the duke of Cleves."
"Your Majesty asking such a thing would offend the duke."
"Do not, take me for a fool my lords. I have no intention of damaging the chances at a powerful alliance but until we are assured of where his loyalties lie I will not declare war on France!" Elena's voice rung out powerfully and steadily over the lords of the council and Jeremy could tell that it was a matter of pride for the lords to go to war with France, and he couldn't blame them, they had all lost something in the attacks against the queen and the loss of friends and family spurred them all to make things even with France. He even found himself particularly motivated to find a solution to this, though he wouldn't go as far as overstepping his queen or pushing her into a direction she didn't believe was best. He knew while they all had personal motivations, Elena held the welfare of her people above everything, even her own marriage which is why Damon was still referred to as the Queen's Husband and not King Consort. It was an offense to him, one that Jeremy knew wouldn't last for much longer, though Damon kept things to himself Jeremy couldn't help but notice his contempt at his authority being diminished by her. He'd had more authority as a Prince of Naples than as husband to the Queen of England.
Jeremy left the council meeting and moved down to the banquet hall where the queen would attend the feast for an hour or two before dining privately with a few important guests and those most loyal to her. Jeremy walked through the halls as people made way for him, something that he would have hated only a year ago and now he expected it as he moved through and women curtsied to him, making little turns with their heads and turning their eyes away coyly in the hopes that he might take notice. He smiled as there was only one person he knew who, despite her station never curtsied to him and didn't bother turning her eyes away in a tempting way. She stared directly at him, her hazel eyes bold and daring, pulling him towards her inevitably.
"Elena has no intention of war upon France."
"She wants justice for what happened but she doesn't trust Elijah." Bonnie answered speaking in favour of her queen as always but well aware of the dangers that came attached with being in the queen's service.
"We may not have a choice in the matter." Jeremy murmured into her ear quietly, he noticed a change in her as he spoke closely to her ear and then he turned with a glass of wine in his hand to look at the festivities. Pretending that they were speaking casually and not on matters of state. He watched her frowning at him, wondering what it was that he could possibly know before she did. "Elijah is powerful, if he finds us against him, or not allying with him for his cause he might not ensure safe passage for our merchants any longer."
"He would not do such a thing, Europe's wool trade comes from England." She hissed and stared at the man as he took a glass of wine and raised it towards them as if he knew they were speaking of him. Jeremy constantly found himself wondering how he did that, he made himself a part of a conversation even if he couldn't possibly know what was being said.
"He could and he would. Flanders has a growing wool trade if he were to deny English tradesman permission to dock in Flanders then we would stand alone. England would lose it's wealth, and the Duke of Cleves would grow more powerful."
"Have you spoken to Elena?"
"I've told her. She hates being strong-armed into anything. At the moment she's simply angry, last I checked she was considering it."
"Does Damon know?"
"I don't know. I imagine she'll tell him."
"I pray she does. If she continues to leave him out of England's affairs she may walk right into a trap. She needs to keep him close, she created and alliance with Naples for a reason. If she makes decisions without consulting him it could cause both nations to fall."
"Have you told her this?"
"You know the Queen. She is as stubborn as her father."
"I'm afraid the Gilbert blood hasn't given her much of an option against stubbornness." He replied and invoked a smile from her, he knew the Gilbert blood, knew how hardheaded they could be. He had inherited his fair share of it himself, along with the Gilbert passion and the intelligence.
Damon stood above the courtiers at a balcony watching everything with a calm air before Jeremy made his way towards him, Bonnie and Tyler Lockwood in trail behind him.
"I suppose you've heard then." He spoke the moment they came to stand next to him.
"That Elijah threatens to cut off England's trade and submit us all to the dark ages again if we don't ally with him? Yes we've heard." Bonnie spoke dejectedly looking up at him, he could tell that she didn't like him, he could tell that like Elena she saw through him but where Elena knew the better man he could be, Bonnie only saw the worse, the man he used to be. The man that still dared to creep up when it was necessary. She could tell that he had no scruples to draw blood to protect those that mattered most to them. He had no intention of letting any harm come to his loved ones, and he would go to great lengths to keep it that way.
"Don't be so sour Mistress Bennett, everything can be fixed."
"And how do you plan to fix this Your Highness? The queen will not go to war without assurance of the Duke's loyalty to the crown and we cannot accomplish such a thing without offending the man and isolating England."
"You are very perceptive Mistress Bennett and yet you seem to have missed something here."
"And what might that be?" She challenged him in a way no other woman would dare to do apart from Elena. She didn't hold herself to the rules of the court, the rules of society at that. She bowed to no man or woman, and she certainly wouldn't submit to someone she distrusted. Damon liked that in her, he knew that Elena could count on her for this alone.
"The bond between brothers can be insurmountable, but when it is broken then nothing can be done to restore it to it's former self. We don't need Elijah's promise of loyalty, he is here in England when he could have offered his alliance safely from his castle in Cleves. He's come too far to turn back to his brother with his tail between his legs. He needs us to get back at his brother, and we need him to further our own cause."
"They are brothers, you cannot be sure of their hatred towards each other. And Elena doesn't trust him." Bonnie replied boldly and Damon smiled down at her knowingly.
"We don't have to trust him, we just have to trust that he hates his brother enough to stay loyal to his cause." He looked from Bonnie to Jeremy and then down at the court which was making way for the entertainment of the evening. He watched Elena move to sit on her throne and she looked up at him smiling, nodding her head towards him in a gesture of respect and good will towards her husband causing most of the cour to look up and see what had drawn her attention away. Damon raised his glass towards her and flashed her one of his known smiles, his eyes blazing across the room as her dark ones pulled him towards her.
Elena moved through the halls with Damon shortly behind her, she could tell he was wondering why she was so infuriated with him and she wondered how he could even doubt the fact that she was. She burst into her rooms sending the maids scattered across the room to help her, she pulled off her diadem and handed it to the nearest girl and took off her jewelry handing it to another before telling them all to leave and placing her hands on her hips, her back still towards Damon in the hopes of composing herself but she was so angry she was nearly shaking.
"How dare you speak to me in that way before them?" She heard him stop in the middle of the room she could feel his eyes on her and she could already imagine the way they were blazing a cold blue colour and she could see him pulling walls up in front of him before she even turned around. "How dare you talk across me as if I were a child." She hadn't been treated this way since her father had been alive and she couldn't believe that this was happening, she certainly hadn't expected it from Damon.
There were other things about him that angered her slightly but none of it could really be helped, he was a man, gambling and jousting and hunting was part of his life. While the women went walking in the gardens and playing cards. He couldn't help discussing matters of state with the men while they were hunting but she hated feeling that they were consorting behind her back. That they might discuss things without her and conspire to persuade her in a certain direction.
"I did no such thing."
"Oh no? Well you saw to this, you saw to that, you and the duke of CLeves, you and Lord Rochford. And all without reference to me."
"Elena it had to be done. I was thinking of you and your kingdom, and mine." He scoffed at her and shook his head moving towards her, she could tell he was bracing himself for something worse and it made her even more angry. He had his lips pursed together tightly and his blue eyes were wide and blazing she hated it. Hated that he was still treating her as if he had done nothing wrong and she was a child that had to be handled.
"I will tell you what you thought. You thought I was a woman! To be petted and passed over and ignored."
"If only it were so simple then we might avoid more scandals of your doing." He smirked and she narrowed her eyes at him.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Don't you wonder at it? Less than three years on the throne and you and your illustrious court have pushed this monarchy to it's very limits."
"I have told you before and I will tell you again Damon, you are my husband here and that is all!"
"And that is quite enough believe me!"
"I will not have my role usurped by men playing at swords! I wear the crown and if there are mistakes they will be my mistakes, and no one else will make them. No one, not even you!"
Damon turned his back on her she could see him blazing, he could become just as angry as she was, and she loved and hated him for it. She knew he thought he was more than justified to help her in ruling her country, he didn't see any harm in solving something without her knowledge.
"You forget, your majesty. That I am King in my own right as much as you are Queen, and yet it seems that as your husband my opinion is the last one that matters."
"Don't be ridiculous Damon, I won't have you discussing important matters behind my back while you are all at joust or gaming, or hunting. Just because you are men does not give you the right to discuss Matters of State without me."
"And where else am I to discuss Matters of State? You face being alienated not only religiously from Europe but by trade, and if you do so you drag Naples down with you. Did you even consider the fact that today the Spanish Emperor is the guest of the King of France. Rejecting our German allies now would leave England and Naples friendless and vulnerable to the French, the Spanish and the Holy Roman church. You by yourself risk that even Duke Elijah himself might retaliate against us, and all because you refuse to defer to either myself or any other man. You will not seek my advice, nor will you allow me any type of authority here. You do not consider me equal and because of that I must compete and play roles to win over the hearts of every man, woman and child in bloody England because you value their opinion above that of your husband!" He steamed at her, only provoking her to grow angrier but he was finished she could tell this had been brewing in him but she hadn't expected such a sudden outburst, nor had she expected him to behave so recklessly, she was being forced into a corner and she wouldn't stand for it, not even from him. Especially not him, he turned around, she knew he was reading her fury in her eyes, though she was nowhere near finished with this conversation he moved to leave.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm leaving before you excite yourself any further."
"You will leave when I dismiss you!" The words were out of her mouth before she could think on them but he ignored her. The only person on the damned planet who would dare to ignore her and defy her but he did it and only made her angrier. "Damon, get back here!" He ignored her utterly and completely and if she hadn't been as angry as she was then she might have stormed after him.
"Your majesty, forgive me but Mistress Bennett bid me to find you. Lady Donnovan has gone into labour." A girl appeared just as Damon stormed out of their rooms fuming, the anger was still rolling around the room and yet Elena felt as if she was being shaken back to reality as Caroline's name slowly but surely began to ring through her.
Caroline had expected some obvious sudden sign to her labour starting but she'd had no such luck, if it hadn't been for the constant presence of other women around her she wouldn't really have recognized the signs that were supposedly obvious. She didn't have a very high tolerance for pain and yet as she went through the day with short discomforting pain in the small of her back she didn't realize it had been a sign of her labour starting. It wasn't until later, when the pains grew closer together and more painful, she felt as if something was stabbing into her back and then tearing it's way around her belly. Bonnie was constantly muttering quietly to her, reassuring her as the pains dragged on and became more severe. Seven hours passed and Caroline clung to the sheets on her bed as if she might be spared from the pain as it tore through her body and this child still wouldn't come out. She'd been stuck like this for months, anxious for to get this baby out of her, sick and tired of feeling big and stuffed and uncomfortable but right now she would have rather felt fat the rest of her life than go through this. She felt like she needed time, a moment of peace just so she could sleep and as she lay here, Bonnie still told her she couldn't push, it wasn't time yet. It was then that she realized what she had gotten herself into, there was no time-out, she'd come this far and there was absolutely no turning back, she felt completely powerless and frightful while every fibre of her was screaming to get out of this situation. Every bone in her body was aching and she wasn't so much feeling sick from the pain as the exhaustion and it wasn't for another hour until Bonnie finally, calmly told her that she could push.
Compared to the labour pains the pushing felt like nothing but it was at this moment that she needed Bonnie and Elena near her, she was surprised and had never been more grateful for their presence, they were both calming and soothing the entire time, every birthing story she'd ever heard had involved cruel midwives and mothers or sisters yelling at them to push and bite through the pain. Elena was constantly at her side, cooling her head while whispering to her reassuringly that it couldn't possibly get any worse than it had been already. She made Caroline laugh for a good minute over something Caroline couldn't remember but the laughter only worsened the urge to push.
When the baby came, it came quickly, welcomed into the world by a series of tears and laughter from three women who had now officially been through everything together. Caroline couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks but she was laughing the entire time. Giggles came to her as if she'd been given something to make her foolish. The sight of her baby was something she hadn't expected to be so emotional, the child was tiny, wet, red in the face and crying loudly and all Caroline could think of was that she had her hair and Tyler's eyes.
Caroline woke up later from a noise coming from the crib, she was surprised at how easily she woke now, the smallest of sounds made her wake suddenly and wake instantly. The first thought that crossed her mind was the baby and if she was alright. She sat up in bed at the sound of her baby cooing and gargling a little bit as she sat up she took in the sight of Tyler at the end of her bed he was holding the baby with a look of astonishment written on his face. His eyes were trapped on the baby's face.
"Do you love her?"
"She's beautiful."
"You don't wish she was a boy?" He looked up at her and chuckled, something that made her more assured of anything else in the world as he stood and handed the baby to her before stretching next to her on the bed.
"Why should I? She's perfection, the picture of her mother." He smiled as he put his arm around her and looked down at the baby in her arms, it was uncanny how much the baby looked like her but Caroline had already seen the baby's eyes, her dark brown eyes that made it evident who her father was she smiled at that, happier than she'd ever been. If she'd had a boy then he would have belonged to Tyler or Matthew or been caught in some strange limbo because neither could claim him as their son but a girl. She would be able to keep a girl close without anyone ever posing a question because people underestimated the value of a daughter.
Author's note:
Just in case you're all having trouble keeping track of the titles here they are again (it wasn't uncommon during this time for certain lords or ladies to have more than one title or estate to their name. The title 'Lord' usually referred to their inherited name or title anything else was usually granted them by achievements or personal friendship with the king/queen)
Tyler Lockwood- earl of Suffolk/ Lord Lockwood
Jeremy Gilbert- earl of Wiltshire/ Lord Rochford
Mathew Donnovan- earl of Somerset and Dorset
Caroline Forbes - Marriage to Matt makes her Lady Donnovan, the Countess of Somerset and Dorset (I know... Earl and Countess, weird but that's how it works I understand...)
Bonnie Bennett- Mistress Bennett... she's unmarried and not from any noble family... Mistress is the title given to common people and unmarried women. Most of the queen's ladies would be referred to as Mistress X.
Alaric Saltzman- ambassador to Bulgaria... would be adressed as your eminence or your grace.
Jenna Petrova- Lady Petrova (in her own right, not by marriage) would be referred to as My Lady... and in conversation as the Queen's Aunt. Being blood related to the queen made you of high nobility, in this story she owns a great deal of properties, the most important one being her castle in Hever where the girls grew up.
If you have any other questions on Titles or political stuff from the story let me know... I have no problem explaining them :D and I don't want anyone to get completely and utterly lost... also if you think I'm not explaining it well enough throughout the story, please tell me that as well... I try not to make it too complicated but what makes sense to me might not to you all...
Hope you liked this chapter... Please review, all feedback is welcome.
Love and Peace!
TO BE CONTINUED...
K.
