Here is the next chapter... I would have uploaded it earlier, but my computer was being a jerk and wouldn´t let me...
By the way - you broke my personal record of reviews on a story - the previous record was 38! Thank you so, so much!
Chapter Twelve:
It had been days since Mary had been awake. Since then, she had only gotten worse. She was constantly shaking and coughing. Sebastian found it hard to watch. He couldn´t make himself leave her side. He was sure that this was it. He was going to lose Mary. He was going to lose her and she was never his to lose in the first place. He had to be with her if she died. If she was dying, he didn´t want her to be alone at any time.
Anna returned to the room with a cup of water. She curtsied at him before she went to Mary´s bedside. She had been horrified to know that Sebastian was really the bastard son of the King and Mary was the Queen of Scotland. She was horrified at her behavior toward them.
"If you don´t mind me asking, why did you call Lady Agnes, Mary?" Anna had asked after Mary had slipped back into unconsciousness.
He knew that he could easily tell her to stay out of his business, but he knew that he owed this woman at least some explanation with all she was doing for him and especially for Mary.
"Her name is Mary. She is the Queen of Scotland, daughter of King James V. I was helping her get to Saint-Pol-de-Léon so she could go back to Scotland," Sebastian explained. He wasn´t sure if he had said too much, but he needed to talk to someone. Of course, he could not tell this woman the whole truth. Who knows who she would tell?
"But Queen Mary is engaged to Dauphin Francis, is she not? Why is she leaving the country?" Anna only had to look at Sebastian to know that she had overstepped her boundaries.
"I apologize. I should not have asked. Forgive me," she begged.
Anna leaned by Mary´s head. She carefully lifted the sleeping Queen´s head and helped her to drink some of the water. They needed to keep her hydrated. She placed her hand onto the young Queen´s forehead. She was surprised to find it slightly cooler than it had been.
"Lord Sebastian," she said, gaining the attention of the distracted man.
"I think her fever has broken. She should be getting better soon." Anna was smiling brightly and Sebastian joined her.
"Thank God," he breathed. He looked at Mary, almost as if he was expecting her to wake up immediately.
As if sensing this, Anna shook her head. "Give her a day or two and she should wake up."
Anna had been right in the end. It had taken another day before Mary had woken up.
She opened her eyes to find Sebastian by her bed. He grinned at her, having waited for this moment for nearly a day.
"Well, hello, your grace, nice of you to join us," Sebastian teased, making Mary smile, a genuine smile.
"It is my pleasure," she replied. She meant for it to be a tease but with the cough that quickly followed her words, it made it sound pathetic to her ears.
Sensing the change in her, he leaned close and held her. "It is alright Mary, you´re still ill. The fever broke and you should get better quickly," Sebastian comforted her.
"Do you promise?" she sounded like a child, the strong woman that he knew was hiding away for the moment.
"I promise," he smiled at her. He had never seen her like this. He never thought the fierce Queen had this side of her.
"Good, because I really don´t want to spend more days sleeping," she grinned, teasingly. This was the Mary he knew.
"Oh you finally think that nine days was enough?" Sebastian teased.
"Nine days? Have I really been sleeping that long?" Mary asked, surprised.
Suddenly she felt bad. If she had not gotten ill, they could have been in Saint-Pol-de-Léon a week earlier. She really had a way of leaving a mess in her wake, just like Francis had told her. It seemed like too many troubles could be traced back to her.
"What is it, Mary?" Sebastian asked, sensing the sudden change.
"I am sorry Bash; I have caused so many problems for your family. I have been too careless and your family is paying the prize."
Sebastian sighed. "You, Mary, are not the source of the troubles my family is struggling with. You happen to be just as much as a victim as them, if not more so. You cannot blame yourself," he told her, placing two fingers under her chin and forced her to look at him.
Mary just smiled slightly, deep in thought. She wasn´t sure if she should believe his words but he had spoken them so sincerely.
She looked at him, as if remembering something. "You never told me why you left."
Her words surprised him. He had hoped that she had forgotten. He wasn´t sure that Mary would understand his mother´s actions, but he knew that he owed her an explanation, especially after she confided in him.
"My mother inquired about having me legitimized." He waited for a moment, expecting a reaction from her, but she kept calm and collected. It was impossible for Sebastian to read what was going through her mind. He knew that she had many questions that she wanted to ask, but she waited patiently for him to continue.
"Somehow Catherine got word of it and blackmailed my mother into leaving before she found a way to tell my father. My mother warned me and told me that I had to leave. I headed for the stables and found you…" he trailed off.
Mary nodded. So many thoughts were running through her head. "And what are your thoughts on this…legitimization?" she asked.
The question was simple but important. If Sebastian had wanted to be legitimized and thereby overthrow Francis, she wasn´t sure if she actually knew the man in front of her. The Sebastian she knew was content being the King´s bastard born favorite.
"I asked her not to go through with it. I don´t want my brother´s job. I am not fit to be a king. Francis has been trained for the job since he was a child." Sebastian didn´t need to say anymore. She was assured that Sebastian meant no harm to Francis, even if he could return to the French Court.