"To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there." - Barbara Bush.
"Mary and Francis invited us to Fontainebleau to eat dinner with them, Elisabeth and Philip," Bash announced to his wife, showing her his phone where Francis has texted him. "I believe it is going to also be used to discuss christening details."
Kenna nodded slowly. "I see," she replied, giving him his phone back. "I guess we are Annie's godparents and it does need to be official."
"Any second child of theirs, Elisabeth and Philip will be godparents to them," Bash said. "It's the rules, to have siblings act as godparents. Although something tells me that they will switch things up. Maybe have four - two sets of godparents. Perhaps, not even a sibling. Who knows?"
"Hmm," Kenna hummed, returning to her work. "Do you think that Catherine will allow me to join the FARS team?"
"I thought we were meant to avoid her?"
Kenna shrugged a little. "Ariadne conspired with Mary's own secretary to try and put things in my favour. Following the Colour Run events, people are slowly warming up to the idea of having me in the family." She sighed, rubbing her face. "I don't know. I don't want to be public so much but at the same time, I'd like to stop reading horrible articles about me. I get it, I wasn't always a perfect, little lady and I do have expensive tastes and spend a lot of money atrociously but I am human at the end of the day and I deserve some respect. If not for my sake, but for yours as you represent France and in turn, your brother."
"I'm sure everything will be fine," Bash said, rubbing her shoulders. "The offer to join the tour is still on."
"Then, they'll just say that I'm stealing Mary and Francis's thunder!" Kenna replied, rolling her eyes. "I can't win with them."
"Then forget about them," Bash told her, pressing a kiss on the top of her head. "And just focus on us, our friends and our families. They know who you are, I know who you are. Deep breaths and go and get changed."
Kenna nodded, turning to purse her lips. "Kiss?"
Bash smiled, kissing her lips softly. "Je t'aime."
"Je t'aime aussi," she replied quietly before getting up and heading upstairs.
...
"Is everything to your liking, Your Majesty?" Jones asked Mary, receiving a roll of the eyes.
"Jones, you are too formal for my liking," she told him.
"I apologise for upsetting you-"
"Not at all," Mary said, smiling softly. "Ma'am or better yet, Mary is perfectly fine. I am twenty-one years old, and I see you more as a father-figure than an employee. You're honest and kind to me. Thank you."
Jones was flushed. "Y-Your-Ma'am, you're welcome. Most welcome. So you approve?"
"I do," Mary said. "Although make sure that nutmeg has not been used for the desserts. The Duchess de Orléans is allergic."
"Very well," Jones said, bowing and leaving just as Francis entered and admired the room.
"Very... grand!"
Mary scoffed lightly. "It's a dinner party - our first one as King and Queen. No matter how small the audience we're receiving, it must be perfect. I want everyone to know that I can run a household. Not just any household but Fontainebleau chateau. Versailles was just practice."
"Chateau de Fontainebleau is at your bidding, my Lady," Francis said teasingly, bowing dramatically.
"Oh, a king who bows. What if I can make him kneel?"
Francis gasped. "Later on," he promised her, kissing her cheek quickly before Elisabeth entered with Philip.
"Your Majesties," Philip greeted them, bowing low as Lissie rolled her eyes and kissed their cheeks. "Is this all for us?"
They turned to the table and Mary blushed a little.
"Elisabeth told me you liked sole meunière?" Mary asked, gesturing for the couple to take drinks from the bar.
"I do," Philip said. "I've grown accustomed to French cuisine. I aim to try more after Elisabeth and I marry."
Lissie raised her eyebrows but sipped from her drink. "We're not dining alone? I thought this was to plan for our wedding?"
Francis nodded. "And to formally begin planning Anaïs's christening. Bash and Kenna are coming."
"Oh," Lissie said. "Are you sure about your decision?"
"What's wrong with it?"
"Well, the Duchesse de Orléans' media presence has not been so... positive lately. It will do you better to choose someone else for the role," Lissie explained, shrugging lightly.
"Someone like you?" Mary asked her, with an eyebrow raised.
"If you want," Lissie replied with a coy smile. "I was thinking more on the lines of Margaret. She's been pushed to the background lately. No marriage prospects, bookworm, boring. She needs an edge, something to put her out there and show the world that she's still a part of the family. I may be the eldest daughter, but even I let the youngest siblings shine."
Francis turned to Mary. "She's not wrong..."
"Francis, we've already-"
"Margo has nothing going for her. We ought to make her feel a part of the family. I'm sure Kenna will understand," Francis cut her off gently. "And after their loss, do you really think it's kind to ask such a thing?"
Mary sighed. "Fine. As you wish," she said, a little snappily but she kept her composure and rejected a drink offered to her. "I'm being cautious."
"Trying again already?" Lissie asked, surprised. "Wow, you really are aiming to be Henry and Catherine 2.0. Good luck."
Mary rolled her eyes just as Bash and Kenna entered, heading straight to where they were at by the bar. "Glad you could make it."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Kenna said, her voice tight.
"Drink?" Francis offered them.
"Yes," Bash replied, taking one and another for Kenna.
Kenna downed it and requested for another. "Don't mind me - got a whole lot of work to do later on. Might as well feel the buzz now as opposed to later."
As they ate, Mary kept stealing glances with Francis to mention the godparents' situation. They had long spoken about official dates for Elisabeth and Philip's wedding and tour and now, they were nervous to bring up the subject of Anaïs's godparents.
"So, we asked you to come here to talk about the christening," Francis began cautiously. "We've decided that Bash and Margaret will be Anaïs's godfather and godmother respectively. The christening will fall in the last week of March."
Kenna paused mid-sip, removing her wine glass from her face. "Right," she said. "Wonderful. I am sure that Margaret will be nothing but dutiful to Anaïs. Splendid choices."
Mary gave her a look and Kenna's eyes assured her. "Well, it wasn't made lightly. Francis and I considered long and hard about it."
"Right, as if you weren't set on the matter forty-five minutes ago," Lissie told them abruptly.
Kenna frowned. "Oh."
"You were our first choice," Francis quickly said. "But then we thought that Margo was pushed to the background a little. Underneath everything, Mary and me, Father, you and Bash... Charles's courting of the Trastámara girl, Lissie's engagement to Philip as well as Claude's to Enzo... Everyone's got a story but Margo."
"Understandable," Kenna replied, nodding approvingly. "Honestly."
"We also wanted to ask," Mary began. "If you'd reconsider on the tour decision?"
Bash sighed heavily. "We've spoken to our secretaries and publicists and it's just not workable. The tour is about you both and we will bring negative media around that with the Antoine Bourbon case and Sweden. It's just not plausible right now."
"That compiled with my work, I've told you about that. Our schedules are busy," Kenna added.
"And I've been asked to return to the FEGA. Not as a full-time occupation as a jockey but as its board director," Bash continued on. "We've committed ourselves to prior engagements, it's just too of a short notice."
"Then you can join us for the last month, next February-March," Francis told them, eyeing his brother in particular. "We leave the day after my birthday, on the 20th and return three days before yours, on the 20th."
Kenna sighed. "We will have to see," she replied, sharing a look with Bash. They were relentless.
"Isn't the 20th a special date?" Philip asked, cutting into the tense air. "We've just set the 20th of November for Elisabeth and I's wedding."
"Indeed it is," Mary mumbled, sipping her sparkling juice. "Indeed it is..."
"Oh, I read an article about you helping that woman at the Colour Run," Philip continued to Kenna with a warm smile. "How did you feel after the marathon?"
Kenna blushed, all eyes on her. "I felt great," she replied. "I still do. That was one of the best things I've ever done and it wasn't for that woman. It was for all the people who are hurt, grieving, suffering. And it was for Matthias."
Francis gave her a smile. "I'm sure he would have been so proud of his mother."
"She's amazing," Mary added, raising her glass of water to Kenna. "You deserve the world, Kenna. Take it."
Kenna shrugged a little. "I just might," she replied coyly.
...
"Is it bad for me to wish the tour was over already?" Mary asked once she and Francis were up in the air on Tuesday evening. "I've missed being at home, surrounded by family and friends... I barely saw Lola and Greer or my mother. Her doctors said she was improving and I wanted to see for myself."
Francis gave her a soft smile, pressing a kiss on the side of her head. "I feel the same. I'd rather royal engagements in France than in other countries. Less stress and I can sleep in my own bed."
"Mhm," his wife hummed, eyeing their sleeping daughter in Nadia's arms. "Nadia, can you go to the bed quarters please?"
The woman nodded and carefully stood from her seat, the baby still in her arms as she headed to the bedroom at the back of the jet, closing the door behind her. The rest of their team were in the first cabin of the jet at the front, behind the pilots' cockpit.
She turned, pressing her lips against Francis's softly. "I've given it more thought."
"What about?"
"Another baby," she whispered, kissing his neck. "We should try, properly."
"Oh," Francis said breathily. "Right."
Her lips trailed down. "Who knows? Nine months from now, we could be holding a son."
"A son?"
"I'd like a son to name after my dad," she told him.
Francis looked down at her and smiled. "That's a great idea."
Their lips met and Mary pulled back to rest her head against his, entwining her fingers in his locks. She closed her eyes, basking at the moment with a smile on her face as he cupped her cheeks and pressed a quick kiss on the tip of her nose.
"When we return home, we have visits to universities," she whispered. "For the funding."
"That will be fun," he replied. "Nervous?"
"That we'll be meeting people our age, thinking about how they're not married or parents already?" She asked lightly. "Yeah, sure."
"You're just as successful," Francis told her. "Being married and a mother doesn't take anything away from you. You're smart, kind, caring and you finished university earlier. That says something."
She gave him a wry smile. "Would you have gone if you could?"
Francis nodded. "I did though."
"What?"
"By the time I was sixteen, I was already studying at a university level so I completed my degree earlier than usual," he told her. "I didn't want to tell everyone, they'd be surprised that the future King of France paid to get a degree sooner rather than later. With money, comes power. That's scary."
"And being royalty," she added, her eyebrows still raised in surprise. "I guess it makes sense - you didn't go to the Army like Bash and your friends did."
Francis smiled a little. "I wasn't cut out for that. I'm a lover, not a fighter."
"Is that so?" She asked teasingly. "If I remember last night-"
"Hey, the bedroom is a different ground!"
"So dominant," she said, laughing. "Aren't Pisces supposed to be submissive?"
"Naturally," Francis said cheekily. "But in the bedroom, it's a whole another ballgame."
Mary blushed. "Maybe it's the French in you."
"That what?"
"The sex."
"What about it?"
Mary took his hand in hers and rested her head on his shoulder. "So adventurous. From Kenna and Greer's stories, you French do it better than our Scots. And the or-"
"Are you serious?" Her husband asked, laughing.
She blushed furiously. "It's what they told me! You're just great lovers more so than others."
"Well-"
"And if Olivia's book is anything to go on by..." Mary's cheeks reddened even more. "Eight times?"
Francis snorted, kissing her cheek. "Let's not talk about my ex-girlfriend or my brother's sex life with her or anyone else."
Mary laughed and nodded. "Yeah. Can I talk about Kenna's?"
"I see you, Mary Valois!" Francis cried out. "Spouses of said brother included!"
Mary straddled his hips, undoing his shirt. "Baby's sorted. Employees, fast asleep or whatever they're doing."
"Mummy and daddy time?"
"Mummy and daddy time," Mary confirmed before she laughed loudly at Francis attacking her body with kisses and tickles.
...
The weather in Kenya was wonderful although Mary had begun to feel the heat more than she expected after their sixth day there. She was relieved for the air conditioning, making sure that her daughter wore light clothing and had her head and face protected from the sweltering sun and cameras.
The French Ambassador in Kenya showed them around, taking the time to take them to tourist attractions booked in advance. In the quiet time they had as a family, they spent it at Lake Nakuru.
"Anaïs, look! Those are flamingos!" Francis said, pressing a quick kiss on the baby's cheek.
Mary turned, shielding her eyes in amusement. "She doesn't understand."
"And so?"
She laughed. "Next, you'll be showing her the lions. Another thing she doesn't understand."
"Our baby has her parents' smarts," Francis told his wife. "Have faith in the little future queen. She'll be playing the piano by aged two!"
Mary snorted loudly and grinned. "This suits you."
"What?"
"Fatherhood."
"I want to be involved in our children's upbringing," he told her. "More than my parents were for us." He turned to face her. "If I were to die right now, I'd be happy."
Mary frowned. "Don't say things like-"
"You know what I mean," Francis quickly said, chuckling softly. "I'm just saying, when it comes to you, I have no regrets. I'd die a happy man, surrounded by the two people I love most in the world. Mary, Anaïs and you are the best things to ever happen to me."
Mary blushed furiously, pressing a quick kiss on his lips. "You're the best things to happen to me. A life without you... I wouldn't want it."
"I wouldn't want that either."
She beamed and they continued to watch the flamingoes.
...
"Anaïs," Francis said once the recording had started. "You're more aware of your surroundings now, my darling." He eyed the baby, wide awake in the crib.
She had her own nursery to herself, something Mary had been hesitant to know before the knowledge that the nursery would be connected to the master bedroom and Nadia would be there twenty-four seven until otherwise. Security was also stationed out of the rooms with Michel in the room in case Nadia needed to relieve herself. Basically, the future Queen of France was never left unattended.
Michel stood outside now, Nadia had gone to grab dinner and Mary was in the master bedroom, catching up with friends and family.
"You're such a perfect baby," Francis continued. "You don't cry unnecessarily and trust me, your uncles and aunts - the younger ones - they cried for no reason, all hours of the day... Once, your grandfather joked about giving them alcohol. You see, in the olden days, giving alcohol to babies was accepted or something, I don't know. Obviously not these days, but only our grandmother from Italy, your great-grandmother Queen Madeleine could calm them down."
He bent over and lifted the baby into his arms, pressing a long kiss on her head full of hair. He kissed the same spot repeatedly and headed to the window to look out of it at the beautiful ocean.
"We'll bring you back here when you're older and can understand," he told her. "Maybe you'd be a big sister by then. It's not easy being the older siblings. You have a lot expected of you, my darling, especially as a future monarch. It's better to be the middle child, hidden in the shadows because the baby of the family gets spoilt and sometimes bratty. Middle children tend to be more independent. Not to say that the eldest child won't be, but the middle child fights for survival. I'm not your Pepe or Nonna's first child, but I am their first child with each other. You have your Uncle Bash from Pepe, we have different mamas and then your Aunt Clarissa from Nonna... Either way, they expect a lot from the three of us, eldest in our own regards. I just want you to know that I'll love you just as much as I'll love any child that comes after you. You'll be my firstborn, Daddy's little princess and my love for you will never die. It's everlasting and God... I'm starting to see why your mother says I'm cheesy."
"But I love it," Mary said softly, coming to wrap her arms around his waist and press a soft kiss on his back. "She's fallen asleep."
Francis looked down and found that to be true. "Look at her Mary."
"I am," Mary replied quietly now, staring down at their daughter. "We made that."
"I just want to stay here forever, watching her sleep," Francis mumbled. "Her loyal guard dog or something."
Mary laughed softly, brushing the back of her finger over her daughter's cheek. "Francis?"
"Mhm?"
"Are we really sure about having another one so soon?" Mary asked him. "Look at Annie, don't we want more time to spend alone with her?"
Francis turned to her. "I don't know."
Mary broke out into a wry smile. "Moments like today, I want them to last. Babies grow and soon, she won't want to spend time with us. We have to make every second with her count."
"You're right. I need to stop being so broody," he muttered. "I blame my parents."
Mary chuckled softly. "We're only having three then. Or I'll force you to-"
"You wouldn't!"
"If you think we're going to end up like your parents, you need to start looking for another wife," Mary said jokingly.
"Hmm, I think I prefer the one I have now."
"Good," she replied. "She prefers you too."
Francis laughed, turning to face her. "Let's put her down. I'm sure she'll enjoy the peace more than our bickering."
"Who says we're bickering?" Mary asked, her voice slightly higher.
"I don't know," Francis began, moving from her side. "You women do like starting fights."
Mary scoffed lightly. "Take that back, Your Majesty."
"Make me," Francis replied, blowing a raspberry.
"Oh, you're going to get it," Mary said, her eyes widened as she marched into their bedroom. "Hurry up, will you?"
Francis started to laugh, gently placing Annie into the crib. He called for Nadia to return before locking him and Mary in their bedroom, quickly coming over to launch himself on her on the bed, making her squeal and giggle.
"Francis!"
"You have to make me take it-"
She flipped them over, making him gasp. "Take it back!"
He leant up and kissed her. "Never."
"Oh, you want to play it like that now?" She asked, chuckling. "As you wish."
Not once did they emerge. Not even for dinner.
