A/n:
Merry Xmas everybody! :D
Thank you PeterCaspianRlz, LOVEM, QueenElenaofnarnia, optymalna, EC, QueenLucyfan, Connors, GoldenAgeNarnia, Aslanmane, CairParavel, Bella, Emma, Emily, Narniafan, Evalin Ashryver, and all the other guests. :D
This is going to be quite a long chapter explaining the backstories of Queen Dionne, as well as of Chelsea and that of her mother. Enjoy. :D
(Anvard Pass, Archenland)
~Edmund's POV~
I froze. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. "Wait, what did you just say?" I asked in a deadly yet calm voice, enunciating each word clearly and slowly as I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Gilda is not the daughter of Nain Colson. She is a Seymour. She should have been Gilda Parr-Seymour," she said tensely.
"What are you even talking about?" I huffed. What lengths would she go to just to defend Silas Seymour?
"Look, you can stay here and listen and I can tell you the truth about my past – even though I warn you, it will be difficult for you to believe – or you could just forget what I've told you and spare yourself from having to guard my darkest secrets from Gilda. Which one do you prefer?" She asked grimly.
"The former," I answered.
"Mind you, High King, not even Gilda herself knows about this, and it would be in not just my best interests, but yours as well, to not reveal a word of it to anyone. Not even your family, King Edmund. Do I have your word for it?" She eyed me sternly.
"Yes," I nodded.
"Then brace yourself for the truth," she began gravely.
~Flashback: Narnian Year 2286~
(Whitfield, Archenland)
17-year-olds Countess Therese Farnsworth-Grisham of Whitfield (only daughter of the 8th Marquess & Marchioness of Whitfield) and Viscountess Dionne Parr of Chatham (younger daughter of the 8th Count & Countess of Chatham) were best friends. On this night, the latter was staying with the Grisham family in Whitfield Manor.
The two of them were respectable noblewomen with promising marriage prospects. They could expect to marry well, into other noble families, or even the royal House of Colson, if they were lucky enough. The Parr family was a relatively small one, compared to other noble houses such as the ancient aristocratic Courtenay family. But Dionne's parents were in talks with the King and Queen of Archenland at that time, to arrange for their younger daughter Dionne to marry, Nain Colson, the Crown Prince at that time.
However, the society in Archenlander was very much a classist one. This meant that the nobles and aristocrats were not allowed to intermingle with the lower classes. Definitely not the commoners, peasants and grassroots. The working class and middle class were out of the question. Even associations with the gentry class was considered dishonorable and disrespectful to one's high social standing. But Therese and Dionne neglected these social conventions and had their own fun, which of course meant that they were going to attend a party. But it wasn't just any party held at the Archenlander Court. It was a party held by the gentlemen and gentlewomen, people that the two girls were not supposed to be seen around, as they weren't from that social class, the gentries. Did that prove to be a problem though? Not really, because the two of them had always been prone to troublemaking. They knew their parents would disallow it, but they didn't care. They were going to sneak out at night to attend the party, and nothing could weaken their resolve.
"Ah! I simply can't wait to attend the party at Sherwood Hall tonight! Honestly, the hosts always serve the best spiced rum. You've got to try it," Therese gushed as they snuck out from the mansion. She smoothed out her skirt and tugged on her corset. Of course she wanted to look good and feel good.
"Are you sure our parents won't check our bedchambers?" Dionne asked as she fixed her hair. They had to climb out of a window and down a tree and get past the guards after all. And it was late at night, therefore dark.
"Of course they won't! What are we? Infants?" Therese laughed it off. "Relax. They think we're sleeping and they're sleeping too."
"Alright. You've convinced me," Dionne giggled.
"I do wish Amelia could join us tonight," said Therese with a slight pout. She was referring to Baroness Amelia Holloway of Odessa, their good friend who was the only daughter of the 8th Viscount & Viscountess of Odessa.
"Yes, me too. It's too bad that she has to take care of her infant son Ruben," Dionne replied.
"Now baby Ruben is the one who needs checking on at night, not us," Therese chuckled.
"You're right," Dionne beamed. "And our friend Amelia is already pregnant with her second child."
"Yes, she's a lucky one, married into such an esteemed family. I sure hope she has a daughter this time; she better name her daughter after me," Therese grinned as they almost reached their destination: Sherwood Hall. "Now, how do I look?"
"Like you could have every man in the world at your feet," Dionne said sweetly and good-naturedly. She knew that Therese was here for more than just a party. For the two girls, it wasn't the first time they had secretly attended these parties. But for Therese it was something more special, for a few months ago, she had made her acquaintance with a man by the name of Ralph Seymour. He was young and handsome, in his early twenties, with blond hair and blue eyes that Therese was captivated by.
Dionne knew that Therese and Sir Ralph had been having an affair, but their meetings must remain clandestine. The heiress to a marquessate paired up with a mere Sir – that was unacceptable by the 23rd century Archenlander social standards. But the difference in their social classes was not the only thing in their way. The biggest issue was that he was a married man.
Still, nothing could stand in the way of true, eternal love. Therese and Ralph were deeply in love. Neither of them cared that he was married. His wife, Madam Whitney, didn't give a damn about his affairs, either, for they were only put together in a marriage because it was what their parents had arranged for them, in spite of the fact that the marriage had already produced a 2-year-old daughter, Madam Abigail.
Dionne knew that her best friend had been sleeping with Sir Ralph for a while now. Therese was desperate for him to meet her best friend. And tonight would be the night.
(Sherwood Hall, Archenland)
They stepped inside and music was already playing. The dance floor was filled with gentlemen and gentlewomen dancing in pairs to the lively tunes. It didn't take Therese long to spot Ralph, nor did it take long for him to spot his brown-haired, hazel-eyed mistress.
"There he is," Therese said excitedly as they wade through the crowds to reach Ralph, who was not alone. He had brought a companion with him too: his very own younger brother.
"My Ladies," Ralph bowed, politely kissing Dionne's hand and kissed Therese on the lips. "You made it."
"I made it," Therese grinned. "I said I would, didn't I? Let me introduce my friend, Dionne."
"Let me introduce my brother, Silas," Ralph smiled and nudged his brother who greeted the two noblewomen formally.
"It's nice to meet both of you," Dionne said politely, but she could not take her eyes off of Silas. He was her age, making him 5 or 6 years younger than his brother. He had brown hair, unlike his blond brother, and mesmerizing blue eyes.
"Should we go get a drink?" Therese offered. But the four of them knew that the drink was just an excuse for her and Ralph to find a room and get laid. They'd got intense passion and there was no way they could hide it.
"Of course," Ralph replied, smirking. Patting on his brother's back, he said, "Now, brother, why don't you accompany our friend Dionne here?"
Silas got the hint and nodded compliantly. As the couple left, only Dionne and Silas were left to each other's company.
(Chatham Manor, Archenland)
A few months later, Therese was paying a visit to Dionne in the latter's mansion. But she wasn't there to bring her to any party. For her, the fun was over. She was here to say goodbye to her best friend because she had to leave Archenland. Recently she had discovered that she was pregnant, and this was also found out by her parents. She hadn't told them what the baby's father was called, but she did mention that he was a married man from the gentry class. Her father could not be angrier with her or more disappointed with her. Her mother was simply too grief-stricken by the news, too mortified, to even look at her daughter. For the shame that Therese had brought to her family, her father had disowned her. She no longer had a place to stay at in Whitfield.
"Then stay here in my house! Or Amelia's in Odessa with the Holloway family. I'm sure they'll take you in," Dionne sobbed as Therese told her everything.
"No, I can't stay in Archenland. Here, people know who I am, and I won't be able to find myself a husband. I need to flee. Go somewhere else, to another country where people know nothing about my background. I could feign a new identity, get myself an alias, and raise my child alone," Therese said stubbornly. She didn't want anybody to help her. Her father had just lividly said that she was an utter failure in life, and that everything she had was because her parents had given it to her. That she was a cheap nothing. She refused to prove him right, and therefore she had decided to start over and start fresh in a foreign land, on her own. She was going to take independence to a whole new level.
"Then where will you go?" Dionne inquired worriedly.
"I don't know. Narnia is the nearest, but I'm also taking Calormen into consideration," Therese shrugged.
"How will you even financially support yourself?" Dionne enquired, no less anxious.
"I'm young and I can work," Therese answered curtly.
"Therese, we're aristocrats. We don't work. Servants do that," Dionne said apprehensively.
"Well, I'm no longer an aristocrat," Therese threw her hands in the air. "I don't have any family, any titles or any land. Or any future, unless I work, for myself and my child," she sighed. "I like to convince myself that Ralph would be proud of me if I had strived for my own survival instead of relying on other people."
"Have you told him about your child yet?" Dionne asked very concernedly. "It is his child that you are carrying after all. He should take responsibility for it."
"No, no," Therese shook her head immediately. "He's a married man; I don't want to make this scandal even bigger. I can't tell him that I am expecting his child. I'm just going to get out of here. Leave Archenland. Forever, probably. Just promise me you won't tell anyone. Especially not Ralph. Not Silas either, alright?"
Ruefully, Dionne nodded. "I promise," she was sobbing again by now. "I'll never forget the great times that we've had together. No matter what, we'd still be best friends. I will miss you dearly. May destiny allow our paths to converge once more someday."
Therese nodded. "Someday."
Breaking into tears, the two best friends hugged each other goodbye.
Half a year pursuant to Therese's permanent departure, Dionne had managed to continue to meet with Silas in secret. She knew that his brother Ralph had been frantically searching for Therese all over the country, so desperately that he even asked his wife to inform him right away if she had ever come across any clue or lead that could bring him to Therese. But of course their efforts were in vain. It was like she had vanished into thin air and nobody knew where she was, especially since she had dropped the 'Grisham' part of her surname and only adopted her mother's maiden name 'Farnsworth'. The truth was that she had gone to Narnia and for now had decided to settle down in a town called Chippingford. There, she gave birth to a daughter, Chelsea, with the help of a nurse called Rebecca Farmington. In order to make a living, she also became Rebecca's assistant for a while, before she decided to move to another town, without saying goodbye, simply because she didn't want anybody's help and she wanted to be self-sufficient whenever possible. She and her daughter had been living like nomads, relocating periodically. She never told Chelsea anything about her past. She did have some casual relationships with several men throughout the years, but none of these relationships were serious, and she never got married. She didn't want to hand over her rights and freedom to a man. She was one mistress and had no master.
Eventually Chelsea would grow up to be a beautiful young woman, with her father's blond hair but her mother's hazel eyes. Mother and daughter moved around a lot as Chelsea grew up, but by the time she was 16, Elsmere was the stop that Therese had picked. She had managed to orchestrate a marriage between her daughter and a wealthy nobleman, Lord Wheaton, the 8th Marquess of Elsmere, in spite of the fact that he was almost 4 times Chelsea's age, effectively making her daughter the Marchioness of Elsmere. She knew that only by selling — prostituting, even — her daughter into marriage to a rich man would secure a good future for both of them. Chelsea was an emotional wreck when she was forced to marry an old man, and even detested her mother for doing that to her, but it would be years later when she would learn that it was for her own good.
At the same time, Therese decided that it was time to begin to hunt for a match for herself. The ambitious side of her had lied dormant for long enough. She had come across a widower who had land and wealth. His name was Claudius Atherton.
Claudius Atherton was not as high up on the social hierarchy as her own son in law was, but he was a Baron and he was about the same age as Therese herself was. After meeting for a few times, Claudius decided that he liked Therese for her beauty and connections to Lord Elsmere, while Therese decided that she liked him and his money enough, as well as his tentative connections with ducal families. So she got into bed with him and they decided to get married, each of them for their own reasons but love was not one of them. It didn't matter that Claudius had a daughter, Lady Carissa Steel-Atherton of Selby, already, by his late wife and baroness, Harriet. Therese didn't care. All she cared was that she was now Lady Atherton, Baroness of Selby. She had managed to climb her way up to a titled noblewoman once more, and this time she had earned it herself by getting a Baron to marry her. It couldn't make her the Countess that she was born as, but she didn't want anything from her parents. She had become so much more independent throughout the 16, 17 years that she had spent running.
Their marriage was basically a nonexistent one though. She only wanted the title. The lands weren't even as useful to her. Now that she had money, she wanted to have fun. She wanted to travel the world, so that was what she did. She packed her bags and headed to Tashbaan, Calormen. She was a vagabond with money and no care in the world. When she arrived at the Calormene Court she had found herself another way to secure more wealth and material enjoyment for herself. She didn't hesitate to use her sexuality to lure the most powerful man in Calormen into her lair. She was living the high life: attending parties, showered with expensive gifts from the Tisroc, and nobody could tell her what to do.
When she heard that her son in law had passed away, she didn't query after the cause of his death. The point was that life would be even better now for her daughter as a rich widow. She'd have plenty of suitors, no doubt. She was relieved that now that Chelsea was an adult, she could finally get rid of her obligation to raise her child. She wouldn't go back to Narnia to be around Chelsea. She didn't even bother leaving Chelsea a way to contact her. She just didn't want anything to do with her past anymore, a past that had caused her too much pain, more pain that she deserved as punishment for her indiscretions.
Her husband and stepdaughter soon caught up with her and moved to Calormen when they were kicked out of Narnia. But that didn't change things drastically, except for when her stepdaughter became Princess consort, so that meant an even higher status for Therese. She allowed Claudius to have his dalliances and mistresses, while her affair with the Tisroc continued. The Emperor of Calormen even once openly remarked to his courtiers that Therese was by far 'the most mysterious, intriguing, and seductive woman I have ever met'. Some of the courtiers thought that his affections for her could rival what he felt for Prince Tomas' late mother when she was still alive and reigned the Tisroc's heart. Therese didn't give a damn about her reputation, or whatever others had to say about her, as long as she had what she needed and what she wanted.
Dionne, however, had a different story to tell. Toward the end of the year 2286 she had discovered that she was pregnant. But unlike her friend, she was determined to tell the father of the baby about it. So one morning, when she knew that her parents would probably not be at home, and she knew she could count on her elder sister to cover up for her should any mishaps occur, she had snuck out to Sherwood Hall again to meet Silas. She wanted to tell him about it first, before informing her parents. She had a hunch that he'd be the only one pleased with the news of her pregnancy. And she was right; he was over the moon. He even asked her to marry him so that they could start their family together.
"I want to be with you, Dionne. I know that your parents are probably expecting you to marry the Crown Prince. I'm not rich and I don't have a country, and I'll have nothing at all if I don't have you. All I can offer you is me and my undying love. I love you. Say that you love me too. Say you want to be with me too. Say you'll marry me. Please."
She said yes in a heartbeat. But she also knew that she'd have to break it to her parents that she had been in a clandestine relationship with someone who didn't belong to her social class, and that would be problematic.
When she went home in the afternoon, she found out that her parents were home already, along with 3 very important guests: Their Royal Majesties the King and Queen of Archenland along with their son, His Royal Highness the Prince Nain Colson, Marquess of Camden. The three royals, along with her parents, her sister Jennifer, her brother-in-law Gordon, were seated in the parlor already, and they all looked as if they were waiting for her to come home.
For the past year, Dionne knew that her parents had been trying to negotiate her marriage to Prince Nain. However, as the King and Queen were also faced with numerous other suits from other powerful aristocratic families, they were hesitant in accepting the Parr family's offer. Therefore, the relationship between Nain and Dionne had always been vague and an on-off one. But now that Dionne was here, her parents had informed her of an arrangement that had just been agreed on between the royal Colson family and the Parr family: the two houses were to be joined via a marriage between Dionne and Nain. Her parents were exhilarated about it and extremely honored that the two families would share a conjugal coat of arms once the two young ones were married. This also meant that Dionne was going to be called 'Dionne Parr, Princess consort of Archenland, Marchioness of Camden' and future Queen of Archenland. It was also possible that her elder sister, the heiress to the county that her parents owned, could be appointed a lady in waiting in the household of the future Princess Consort.
Dionne was in such a huge shock that the only thing she knew to do was to feign excitement, even though she knew she couldn't marry His Highness. She was engaged already, to Silas, the man she loved and the father of her unborn child! How could she marry someone else?
She gulped and looked at her parents. They were so happy about it all, even though she herself was less thrilled. But she didn't want to risk earning her parents' wrath or displeasure, because she had seen what that had cost Therese. And Dionne was determined to keep her name, her title, and any prospect of a future. So she and her family thanked the royals profusely, and she put on a brave face even though she had no clue how she was going to break this to her fiancé – or ex-fiancé, she didn't know anymore – Silas.
Prince Nain, however, was more observant and perceptive that Dionne thought. He knew something was a little off about his fiancée. As her parents and Their Majesties finalized arrangements regarding the dowry in the parlor downstairs, the newly betrothed couple had gone upstairs for a more private chat. When they were finally alone and no servants or family members were within earshot, Nain got to the point and spoke straightforwardly. "You do not seem truly pleased with our betrothal, my Lady. May I know why? Is it because you do not wish to be separated from Sir Silas Seymour?"
Dionne gasped and almost tumbled backward. "How do you know about me and him?!" She inquired frantically, forgetting all formalities.
"One of the things you must learn if you are to live at court is that you must have your own spies, your eyes and ears in unsuspecting places. My parents have arranged for squires to spy on each of the noble families that intended to wed their daughters to me, just in case any of them could be plotting or engaging in any activity that is not in the crown's best interests. Forgive me for having alarmed you, my Lady," Nain explained.
"Please don't hurt him," Dionne begged, looking terrified. "It's my fault. This is entirely my own wrongdoing. If you must blame or penalize anyone, let it be me, not him. Please, I beg of you, Your Highness." She even wanted to add that it was alright if he wanted to break off their engagement after knowing that she was bearing a child by another man, so that she could be free to marry Silas, but it would bring a great deal of shame to the family, and she didn't want to sever ties, so she bit her tongue for now.
"I will not cause him any harm," Nain said in reassurance. "I will not penalize you either because I don't believe it's wrong that you two had fallen in love with each other. Tell me the truth about the nature of your relationship with him, please."
She proceeded to explain that they had been together for a few months now and she was expecting his child. She had expected him to be shouting at her in fuming rage, but he didn't.
"Do you want to be with Sir Silas and your child instead?" He enquired.
"Yes, my Prince, but that simply isn't an option to me anymore. I don't want to ruin my parents' happiness, their dreams and hopes for me to be the future Queen consort, and it is also what your royal parents want for Your Highness. Given that, I am in no position to disobey my superiors," she replied timidly.
"You're right. They are my parents and the King and Queen of Archenland. I have no real power until I am a King. But for now, I can offer you peace, and a deal, but that would require you to trust me, my Lady," he replied. "I will marry you as our parents have agreed upon, and I will raise your child as if it were my own. He or she will be a royal Prince or Princess, and eventually heir or heiress to the Archenlander throne. He or she will have a great life under our care and custody."
That sounds too good to be true, Dionne thought to herself. But Nain continued.
"You've told me your secret, and now it is my turn to tell you mine. Nobody knows about this but me and Doctor Linacre, my trusted physician. The truth is that I am infertile," he revealed. "So if you hadn't told me that you are pregnant already before we even get married, I would still have known that that child is not mine. So I thank you for being honest with me, because I do need your help, perhaps just as much as you need mine in covering up. You are with child; it is perfect. I have an heir to my throne, something I could never provide Archenland with, if you were not with child already. You also don't have to worry about any other legitimate children that we might have later on in our marriage, because that simply isn't going to happen. Not a possibility. So help me, my Lady, and I will help you."
She thought about it and couldn't spot any loopholes. It seemed the safest option for her to take right now. "But the child will be born less than 9 months into our marriage. People will find out that I am not a virgin on my wedding night. Would they have it."
"I have that covered too. Along with the official announcement of our engagement, I will also be releasing a statement. We'll lie smoothly to our people and say that we were so deeply in love that we had consummated our relationship without waiting for a white dress, an altar, rings and vows. So we should be expecting the birth of a Prince or Princess of Camden by…"
"By July, Your Highness," Dionne answered.
"By July then. They will not doubt the word of their future King. You can trust me on this."
Dionne nodded cautiously. "But…what about Silas? He knows that I am carrying his child, and just earlier today he had asked for my hand in marriage…I said yes to his proposal."
"Well," Nain sighed. "I cannot be so selfish as to keep a father away from his son or daughter, even though I will never get to experience what it's like to sire a child, so I will enlist him as one of my spies. More specifically a sleeper agent. He can mingle with the gentlemen and gentlewomen and watch out for traitors for the Crown. He will always have a place in court, so he may visit his son or daughter any time he wishes."
"What do I have to do in return?" Dionne asked, sounding less afraid now.
"All I ask for in return is that your child must not know about his or her illegitimacy. I will decide when to tell him or her about his or her true parentage. Until then, for all he or she knows, I am his or her real father."
In the end Dionne had accepted the deal that Nain had proposed. He had always been quite the diplomat and negotiator even from a young age. But the two of them had to speak with Silas about it. Silas was heartbroken that he would not have the chance to be with his true love, but he also understood that position that Prince Nain was in, and frankly, what father wouldn't want his son or daughter to have a better life as a royal prince or princess? Given the circumstances, it was in their best interests, for all three of them and even the unborn baby, that Silas accepted this deal, so he did.
A/n: Now y'all know what the heavily guarded secret in the story summary is referring to. :P
