November 10, 1513
Edinburgh, Castle
Edinburgh, Scotland
Rumours were rampant in royal courts. That was the way of living at court. But rumours of the King surviving an ill thought of battle were surfacing in Edinburgh and all over Scotland. It was too much for Margaret to hope. What if she got her hopes up, planning political trips to England and France and he never came back? She wanted to stop the hope rising inside of her but she couldn't. It was too good to be true and she wanted to believe her husband, the Wild Knight, had survived.
The Same day
Scottish town
Scotland
"Is your wife beautiful? What is she like?" Elizabeth Newton had grown very curious about Margaret since James had told her who he really was. They were about a day from Edinburgh now and James was eager to talk about Margaret. "She is. Ever since I've known her, she has been beautiful. The first time I heard of her mother, Queen Elizabeth, being an English rose and that her eldest daughter had inherited her beauty, I had somehow doubted those claims. But after I met her, when she was only fourteen, I knew those claims were wrong. She wasn't as beautiful as her mother; she was more beautiful than her mother ten times over. Instead of blond hair like her mother, the Queen has russet coloured hair that shines when the light hits it. When she fixes her gaze on you, it seems like she's looking straight through you and that she knows everything about you; what you've done, what you've thought; everything. I've never known a woman like her." Elizabeth was in awe. How would she ever measure up to this goddess? She could tell James was very much in love with the Queen and for an instant, Elizabeth felt a stab of resentment and anger at the Scottish Queen for having such a husband.
"The Queen is unfailingly kind. She took in my two young daughters when she came here like they were her own and earned their devotion quite fast. The courtiers love her. When she dances, she captures the room's attention and everyone wants to dance with her. I remember on our first trip around the country, we were riding past a village around Stirling and in that village; she spotted a little girl and spoke to her for several minutes before eventually giving her a ring. You could not have a better mistress than her."
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh, Scotland
"My lady, when is my Lord Father coming back? " Catherine Stewart asked Margaret as they were in the nursery with William as the other children were in their lessons. The Queen looked at her eldest step-daughter and smiled sadly. "I do not know Catherine. I assume you have heard the rumours-"Catherine nodded, "-but I have no more knowledge of when he's going to be back with us than you do." Margaret hated to tell Catherine that. The girl loved her father more than anything and missed him terribly. She wished she could set Catherine's mind to rest but that would require the court and the entire country to stay quiet and that was a feat no one, not even the King, could manage.
As Margaret was in the nursery, Lady Alice Hepburn was in the gardens, walking by herself. It was a rare moment when she was by herself and she relished it. It gave her time to think of Patrick and how much he would have loved to see their son grow up. She could feel wetness at the corners of her eyes as she thought of baby James only having an idea of who his father was; as much as she wanted James to know about his father, she knew he needed a man in his life. And at that very moment, someone crept up behind her.
Near Edinburgh
Scotland
The two weary travelers, one royal and one peasant, stopped at an inn to eat and rest; James had been riding them hard for the last few hours and the baby had to eat. So he reluctantly stopped at the next inn they came across. "I think we can reach Edinburgh tonight if we hurry." Elizabeth looked up at James as she fed Henry. "That would be very nice if we did. I've grown weary of riding for so long." She looked it too. There were bags under her green eyes and she was taking longer to process things. He knew he shouldn't have pushed her like he did but what did she expect? A nice ride through the countryside? He wanted, no he needed to get back to his family and his Queen as soon as he possibly could, so he had shoved those concerns to the back of his mind and made her ride until she was practically falling off the horse.
James watched Elizabeth as she ate. He had asked to hold Henry while she ate and she had happily obliged him. Little Henry was just two weeks older than Little Will and he wondered how the two would take to each other in the future. Would Henry be envious of Will? Would it be the other way around? "James? Are you well?" The King looked into the green eyes of Elizabeth and smiled faintly. "I've been saying your name for the past minute or so. I thought you were unwell." James shook his head. "No, I was thinking about how Henry and William will get along. I expect Henry will be bossed around by my children, most likely Elisa. She takes after her mother very much and she's only six."
Elizabeth listened to James and heard the suffering he was going through at not having seen his children for three months. "How will they react to me? I'm far beneath them." Elizabeth looked down and for several seconds, James looked at her. Stretching his arm across the small table, his fingers gently lifted her chin up so he could look her in the eye. "They'll be curious, there's no doubt. They will think you are beneath them, there's no denying it. But they'll get over it and they will get used to you, as they do to everything." They stared at each other for several seconds before James coughed and pulled his arm back. "Are you feeling better? I want to get to Edinburgh before twilight." Elizabeth nodded as James handed her Henry. "You have no reason to be worried about what my wife will think of you. She'll be too focused on me to give you any thought until much later." Elizabeth privately thought the Queen of Scotland would have plenty to worry about if she found out how close Elizabeth had come to kissing the King of Scotland.
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Scotland
That feeling was back. The feeling that something monumental was going to happen. Margaret hadn't felt it since her wedding but she recognized it instantly. It was hard not to. Margaret felt like her entire body was on pins and needles and that she couldn't do anything about it. Did this mean James was coming back? As much as Margaret wanted to believe he was coming back, she didn't want to get her hopes up. It wouldn't be good for the children, the court and the country if their Queen was depressed and subjected to her emotions.
The court was even more rampant with rumours than it was earlier in the day. Some courtiers said their servants had seen the King out in a field with a pretty English girl. What would the Queen say? What would she do? Another rumour was that the King had decided to stay in England and marry a peasant. This was the more scandalous one but one most people didn't believe if they saw the King and Queen together. For those who had seen the King and Queen together, even if it was just for a minute, they knew the two were in love. Hell, some would say they were soul mates.
"You shouldn't creep up on Her Majesty's cousin like that!" Lady Alice Gray yelled at the young Archibald Douglas, the grandson of the Earl of Angus. He swept into a deep bow before her. "I apologize my lady; I hadn't meant to frighten you." Lady Alice glared at him as he stood before her, waiting for her to forgive him. After several seconds of scrutiny, Alice deemed him forgiven and nodded to the seat next to her. "Why did you feel the need to sneak up on me? If I were to breathe a hint of this to the Queen, my cousin, it would not be pleasant for you." That was an empty threat and they both knew it. Even if Alice did report it to the Queen, Margaret wouldn't do anything, not really. "I saw you were enjoying yourself so I did not want to disrupt your peace." Alice looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Well you did. Were you following me?" There was a small part of her that hoped so. He was from a good family and even though she was still mourning the assumed death of her dear husband, that didn't mean she couldn't have an admirer or two.
"I was merely admiring the way you walk and the way you lose yourself in these gardens. These gardens were made for the Queen, your cousin, correct?" Douglas knew they were but he was looking for something to talk about with Alice. "Yes, they were. She loved the gardens at Richmond when we were girls back in England and she persuaded the King to have these built so the Scottish nobility-"She tilted her head to him, -"could enjoy them too."
"How considerate of the Queen; I am sure the court is thankful for her gift to us." Alice continued to gaze at him while he admired the gardens, or pretended to so Alice could admire him. He had hair the colour of the sun, like hers but his was a bit darker than hers. He had olive green eyes that contrasted nicely with his hair and his tanned complexion. She wondered why he wasn't married yet; he was certainly one of the most eligible courtiers at court. He was attractive, came from a good family that was close to the crown, was athletic and was friends with the King and Queen. Alice couldn't have a better prospect that was around her age than him.
"Alice! Alice, where are you? I need you!" That feeling Margaret had was getting stronger by the moment. She felt something was going to happen and she needed to be prepared for it. As she sent her ladies around the palace to find Alice, she headed to the gardens for a bit of peace. It was the only place where she felt she could really be alone, or as alone as a Queen can be. What she didn't expect was to see the young Archibald Douglas and her cousin speaking.
"Alice? Where have you been? I've been looking for you." Alice looked up from Archibald and into Margaret's anxious eyes. "I've been here, talking to the Earl of Angus's grandson."
"Well, I need you. Now. Continue your conversation with him later. My Lord." Margaret tilted her head in Douglas's direction as he swept into a deep bow for her. Before they left, Douglas took Alice's small hand in his and kissed it gently. Alice had to breathe deeply to keep herself upright and not fall into his arms. Margaret watched this whole scene impatiently, not realizing what was happening in front of her. "Come Alice." The two women walked away, Alice resisting the urge to look back.
Edinbugh
Twilight
Elizabeth looked up in awe at the looming city. She never expected to see anything quite like it. James looked over at her with pride, that she found the capital of his country awe inspiring. Within hours, he would see Margaret and the children. He would have Margaret in his arms and he would be able to bury his nose in her rose scented hair, taking in her radiance and love. The children would be dancing around them, begging to be hugged and picked up. He would oblige them of course, giving them opportunity to jump on him and letting them have their way with him.
James led the way to an inn he had told about by the courtiers and requested a room under another name. The room was satisfactory to their needs and as James looked over at Elizabeth and the baby, he knew they had no idea what was to come. James hadn't thought of the snakes at court when he invited them to come with him back to Edinburgh but now that they were here, he couldn't just drop them without money or a roof over their heads. Even if Margaret didn't like it, the two of them would stay at court.
"Are you nervous?" Elizabeth looked over at James when he asked her and she didn't answer for several seconds. She looked down at baby Henry who was sleeping soundly in her arms then up at James. "Yes. I want the Queen to like me. I never thought I would be in this situation where I would able to meet a Queen. It's…happening so fast, I don't think I've had time to really realize what's happening."
"The Queen will like you. Like I've said before, she is unfailingly kind. All of her ladies are devoted to her because she is generous and she likes to be the center of attention. As long as you tend to her every need and give her what she wants, you'll be fine." Elizabeth felt better but what would she wear? She didn't have anything suitable for court. "What will I wear? I can't wear this." She lifted her threadbare skirts to show him and he couldn't help but grin. "You will have plenty of dresses; the Queen will make sure of it. She takes care of every lady she has. Now try to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow." The King turned over on his bed while Elizabeth watched him, wondering how different he would be tomorrow.
-Author's Note-
Hello everyone! It's been a long wait for chapter twenty one eh? This is yet another filler but chapter twenty two will see our lovers reunited once again, I promise. So read, enjoy and tell me what you thought of chapter twenty one!