As Max walked along the hallway with his mother and sister Isabel, he couldn't stop thinking about that girl Nancy. She spoke to him without any inhibitions, not bothering to cover up what she was feeling. No one had ever spoken to him so honestly - they were usually too busy trying to get on his good side.
"So, Max, who was that girl?" Isabel asked curiously.
"Comtesse Nancy de Lancret. You know every single courtier, Isabel. Who is she?"
"Hmm...de Lancret?" Isabel racked her brain. "I don't know of any de Lancrets around Paris."
"Well, she did say she was her visiting her cousin," Max mused.
"Who's her cousin?"
"The only one she has," Max couldn't help but say. Noticing his sister's confused look, he quickly answered, "I don't know. She wouldn't tell me."
"Hmm. Interesting," Isabel commented. Before Max wanted to, they were in front of his father's war room.
"Come on, dear. He's waiting," Diane said to her son. She was upset that he had run away again, but she understood what he was feeling. When she first heard of her own arranged marriage, to the then Prince Philip, running away was a very constant thought in her mind.
"I suppose if I must," Max sighed. He turned to Isabel. "Are you coming in also?"
Isabel only smiled at brother and shook her head. She knew her father too well.
As soon as Max walked in the room, Philip informed him, "You, young man, are confined to these grounds or else." He was studying a map along with several of his counselors. For some reason, this infuriated Max. He was a grown man who was still being disciplined and punished by his father, in front of other people no less!
"Or else what?" he couldn't help but ask. He knew he was pushing it but for some reason he wasn't afraid to stand up against his father right now.
Philip's hand clutched at the compass he was holding when he heard Max's retort. He looked up quickly and stared at his son. "Do not cross me today, boy, for I am in a foul disposition," he warned.
Max sighed as if he were bored. "Or else you'll ship me off to the Americas like some criminal?" He had no idea why he said that, except for the fact that Nancy's words were still reverberating inside his head.
The compass suddenly found itself being flung half-way across the room as Philip straightened and looked Max in the eye. "That's it!" he roared. "I've tried to be patient, Max, but it is just time for you to grow up! You will marry Gabriella by the next full moon and my treaty with Spain will be signed and this will be the end of all our troubles with Spain!"
"So you are willing to use my life as you please all for your stupid contract?!"
"You are the Prince of France!" This was the standard reply that Max had heard many times as to why he had to do this or why he couldn't do that. To be restricted just because of a title had convinced Max many years ago that he did not want to be King.
"And it is my life!" To have control over his life was something Max wanted so dearly. To be able to just choose for himself, to be allowed to make a mistake here and there.
Diane sighed. She interrupted before Max could say something that would anger Philip even more. "Darlings, please, calm down. Philip, now sit down," she soothed. Turning to Max, she tenderly smoothed down a stray strand of hair. "Max, it is time you acted with more responsibly. You are the crowned Prince of France and with that comes...certain obligations."
Max held his tongue. He didn't want to snap at his mother. Still, he hated the thought of not having control over who he married. Marriage was something that was sacred to him and he treasured the thought that the woman he married would be someone he was in love with. Part of his need for love was his parents' own marriage. As he grew older, he saw more and more of how his parents had drifted from each other. Especially when France started having with Spain, his father spent more time in his war room than with his wife.
"Forgive me, Mother, but an arranged marriage never made anyone in this room very happy," he couldn't help but point out, looking at his father meaningfully. Diane's eyes dropped as she caught her son's meaning and Philip suddenly looked very uncomfortable.
"You are well beyond your boundaries," Philip said threatening. "You will marry Gabriella or I'll strike at you by any means I can."
Max almost laughed at those words. "And what it is going to be, Father? The hot oil or the rack?"
Stuck, Philip tried to think of an extreme punishment. "I will...simply deny you the crown...and live forever," he finished lamely.
"Good," Max said. "Agreed. I don't want it."
Diane could see that another battle was going to erupt and intervened again. She then said to her husband, "Philip, I do believe that Signore da Vinci has arrived.
Philip's eyes brightened a little. "He is?" Philip had asked for Signore da Vinci to come after seeing a few of his paintings. He had also heard some of his theories about various contraptions and he was interested in seeing them.
Diane smiled a little. It amused her to see her husband so excited. "Yes. Why don't you go and greet him."
Philip nodded and got up from his chair. He turned to Max. "We'll discuss this later." With those words, he left the room along with his various counselors.
Diane focused her attention back on Max. He looked so sad and lost, like the little boy that he once was. "Max, forgive your father. He only wants what's best for you."
Max gave a hollow laugh at his mother's words. "What's best for me?" he echoed. "How does he know?"
Diane could give him no answer.
~*~Parker estate~*~
As Louise tiredly struck at the ground with her hoe, she couldn't help but sigh. She was so tired. It was late summer and soon it would be time to harvest what little crops they had managed to grow. Right now she was turning over the dirt so that the soil could fallow over the winter for the upcoming spring. It was difficult work, especially in her old age. If Maurice was here, he would make things so much easier. He had a way of making her smile and laugh and any work would seem to fly by with ease whenever he was nearby.
Maurice. That brought her mind back to Liz and what she was about to do. She had tried to talk Liz out of it, even though she did want the plan to work. She had been torn; to have Maurice back or to risk Liz being caught. Luckily for her, Liz had already made up her mind and was going ahead of the plan whether Louise had wanted her to or not.
She glanced nervously at the manor. The prince had been by earlier and though she hadn't been able to see him, she had heard from the girls about how handsome he had been. It had been a good distraction so that nobody wondered too much about where Liz was.
Louise managed to get a few more feet of dirt overturned before she looked to the edge of the woods again. There was no one there. She shouldn't have Liz go, it was too dangerous. She looked up again and gasped. Could it be? Her hands let go of the hoe and she took a hesitant step forward.
There was Maurice and Liz coming toward her. Liz was holding a large bouquet of wildflowers and she smiled to see how Louise and Maurice's eyes seemed locked on each other.
After meeting Maurice at the edge of the drawbridge, she had hurried him to where Alex was still hiding at the edge of the forest. Alex had nearly hugged the life out of Liz when he saw that she was all right. He had nearly gone sick with worry when he saw how long she had been gone. Numerous scenarios had run through his mind as to what could have happened and he was ready to go and see what had happened when she had appeared with Maurice.
They had hurried back to the studio where Liz changed out of the silk gown back to her coarse workdress. A part of her was disappointed to having to go back to plain Liz, but she was also relieved to have been able to end the charade and return to the safety of her own skin.
Alex had to hurry back to his work and Liz and Maurice walked back home, just talking about various things, such as how Louise was doing. It amazed Liz to no end how much he loved her and vice versa. When he caught his first sight of her, he started running toward her, despite the fact that he was still weak.
Their embrace was filled with laughter and tears and joy. Liz stood of to the side, just watching with tears in her own eyes. Smiling, Maurice and Louise opened their arms and welcomed her in, which she did very happily.
~*~*~*~
As Liz walked in the door, Rodmilla took her roughly by the arm and brought her to the front room where she promptly threw her into a chair. Shocked, Liz reached out and steadied herself. "How dare you!" Rodmilla seethed. "How dare you betray us like this!"
Liz didn't know what to say. Did she find out about what she had done? But how? "What did I do?" she asked hesitantly.
Tess and Maria had been playing a board game and Maria had been ready to throw the dice when the whole scene started taking place. Tess smirked and said snidely, "Think, Liz. Think really hard." As Rodmilla waited for her answer, Liz looked around desperately for an answer. She caught Maria's eye and Maria started motioning her hands in an imitation of horses' hooves moving while mouthing, "Prince Max, horse." Tess looked suspiciously at Maria, who pretended to be moving her hands at throwing the dice. Uncertainly, Liz said, "Prince Max ... stole our horse this morning?"
"Yes!" Rodmilla snapped condescendingly, as if with a child. "And that would explain why he came back to return it this afternoon, wouldn't it?"
"Yes?" Liz said in a soft voice. Prince Max had been here earlier?
"Fortunately for you, Tess made a wonderful impression today. I wouldn't be surprised if our Prince Max came back for another visit."
Liz swallowed. For some odd reason, the thought of Max with Tess... she didn't dare say it.
"Come now," Rodmilla said impatiently. "I must know everything that was said. He said you were forceful. What did you say?"
Forceful? What? Oh, the apples. Yes, that would explain that choice of word. Hmm... better not mention that to Rodmilla, it would only infuriate her. "I ... uh.. called him a thief," Liz said in a rush. "I didn't know who he was!"
For a minute, Rodmilla was stunned. Then she burst into laughter along with Tess. "Oh, you poor, ignorant country girl," Rodmilla said. She smirked, one that was on Tess's face. "Well, now we must never let that happen again, now will we?" Liz shook her head. "And we will have to make sure that the manor is spotless when Prince Max comes back, won't we?" Liz nodded. "Good."
~*~*~*
Philip stared at the clutter that was all ready forming. The man had been here for less than an hour and was all ready making himself quite at home. "Hello?" Philip called out. Was he even here?
A head popped up from behind a box. "Oh hello," Leonardo said, not noticing the way that Philip clutched his chest from the surprise. "You must be King Philip. I'm Leonardo. How do you do?"
Taken aback by his informality, Philip didn't respond right away. "Umm...hello, Signore. Welcome to France."
As Philip was talking, Leonardo continued to walk around the studio, unpacking various chests, pulling out diagrams and knick knacks. "Actually, I've been in France for several days now traveling from Italy," he stated.
"Yes...well, welcome to the Palace," Philip improvised.
"Oh, thank you. So, I have met your son all ready. He's a fine boy," Leonardo commented.
Philip's face hardened a little at the mention of his son. What was he going to do with him? "Boy would be correct."
Leonardo paused and looked at the King before him. Instead, he saw a father. "I am under the impression that there is a certain ... tension between father and son. Am I correct?"
"You would be correct." Philip, under normal circumstances, would never admit this to anyone, but there was something about Signore da Vinci that told him he could trust him.
"And what seems to be the problem?"
"He doesn't want to be King."
"And why do you think that is?"
"How should I know?" Philip exploded. "When I was his age, I wanted to be King."
"But he isn't you, is he?" Leonardo posed the question.
"Obviously not!" Philip laughed. Then he sobered a little, "It's just that... I see so much potential in him to be a great ruler. I just wish he saw that in himself."
"Maybe all he needs is a little space and time to see that by himself instead of someone seeing it for him." As Philip mulled on this, Leonardo continued. "I know of your treaty with Spain that involves your son. Perhaps matters as grand as that should be worked out between men, not their children."
Philip was thinking. Something that that man had said made sense to him. He needed to see Max. Distractedly, he said to Leonardo, "Thank you. I will see you later perhaps." As he walked out, he missed Leonardo's secretly pleased face.
~*~*~*
Philip found Max walking out in the gardens with his mother and sister. As Philip walked up to his family, he couldn't help but feel a little bit pleased. No doubt Max would appreciate this. Without any greeting, he decided to be blunt and just say what he had to say.
"In five days time I will be holding a ball for Signore da Vinci. At that time, I will allow you to announce your choice for your bride. If you do not have one picked by then, I will announce her for you. Do you understand?"
Max was stunned. He was actually being allowed to pick his wife? Granted, five days was not a lot of time, but still. "What about your treaty with Spain?"
"Let me worry about Spain. You have bigger issues to deal with," Philip answered. He was pleasantly surprised when he felt Diane's hand slip into his and gave it a squeeze. Maybe he was doing something right after all.
"Thank you, Father," Max didn't know what else to say. But that was all that was needed to be said.
Bet you all didn't think I was going to update so soon, did you? Neither did I. I hope you enjoyed this part. I'll try to get the next part up soon but I make no promises. A special dedication to my friend Denise. Only you understand my love for Roswell, thank you! Don't forget to leave feedback, guys! Thanks to all those that did!