The Battle for Danielle Part 4
I am going to back track a bit...While Le Pieu was in the process of kidnapping Danielle...Here is what went on with Prince Henry and Marguerite.
Prince Henry of France was taking a tour of the Servant's Wing on the advice of his wife. Accompaning him was his personal guard Captian Marc Laurent.
He was not looking foward to inspecting the former Baroness' quarters. He would have rather Danielle be there with him and he could not wait until she was able to join him. He wanted Rodmilla to see how happy they were.
He came to the last door in the corridor. Henry motioned for them to stop. "Stay here." He said to Laurent. "This won't take long." Henry knocked on the door. Marguerite answered. Suddenly, he knew he just made a horrible mistake by not allowing Laurent to accompany him into Rodmilla and Marguerite's room. As soon as he entered the room, Marguerite slid behind him, closed and locked the door. "What are you doing, Madame?" Henry asked suspiciously.
Maurguerite began to massage Henry's shoulders. "Would you just relax, Your Highness?" she whispered seductively into his ear. Henry pushed her away, disqusted by her touch. "You are out of line Madame."
While Henry was being forced into Marguerite's clutches, Rodmilla waylaid Captain Laurent. "So Captain, what do you see in Jacqueline anyway? Surely there are much prettier women in the kingdom. She is so....fat and ugly." Rodmilla asked.
Captain Marc Laurent could not believe he was hearing this about his beloved wife. Marc and Jacqueline de Ghent had been married for about nine months now. They had had a small wedding, with only their closest friends and family attending. Jacqueline had not wanted nor desired her mother and Marguerite to know or attend the wedding. Jacqueline was expecting their first child.
"Madame" Laurent glared at her, resisting the urge to strangle the very life out of the former Baroness. "You will not talk about my beloved WIFE that way." It had the desired effect. Rodmilla stopped in mid-sentence "Wife?" she asked, surprised that anyone would choose Jacqueline over Marguerite.
All of a sudden, they heard a woman cry out with pleasure. Laurent realized it was coming from Rodmilla's quarters. Henry finally fled from the room...as if fleeing for his life.
Laurent ran upto him...relieved to have an excuse to flee Rodmilla's presence (Rodmilla lurked in the corridor unbeknownst to the Prince and the Captain). "Henry!" Laurent snapped (Being the best friend of the Prince of France, he was allowed certain priveleges). "what happened?"
Henry finally slowed down when there was no apparent sign of Rodmilla or of Marguerite. "I went to inspect the former Baroness's quarters, and Marguerite locked me in. She removed her clothes and started screaming. She tried to seduce me." Henry shuddered, trying to force the image of Marguerite out of his mind. "that woman and her mother will stop at nothing to get their clutches into my crown."
Laurent panicked, realizing what the Prince had just said, and that they had been alone. "Henry...You and she didn't....did you?" he asked. Henry stopped and stared at Laurent in complete and total shock, at first, he was angry with what his friend was accusing him of, but then, Henry realized, if the situation were reversed, he would have jumped to the same conclusion. "NO! I didn't. Even if I could, I wouldn't touch Marguerite with a ten foot stick. No telling where that woman's been." He reassured Laurent "Besides, I love Danielle to much to do that to her."
Just then, Captain Charles LaFond came running up to them. "Your Highness. Thank god I found you!" LaFond slowed down "The Princess...Is she with you?" he asked desperately. He knew that once Prince Henry found out that his wife was missing, he would have his head.
Henry came to a full stop "What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously. "I thought she was with you? You are Supposed to be Guarding her." Henry snapped.
"She is gone, Sire." Charles said. "I have looked everywhere I can think of. After the physician left, Josephine left. I went back into her rooms to check on her, and she was gone."
Henry was alarmed. This was not the first time Danielle had "disappeared", but he could not shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong. Just then, a page ran upto them "Your Highness" he bowed. "The stablemaster needs to see you immediately." Henry rolled his eyes, and started off for his chambers. He did not have time for this. He needed to find Danielle and he needed to find her NOW. "Not now, young one. Tell him I will see him as soon as I possibly can." He turned to walk away from the page.
He felt a tugging on his tunic. "Sire." The page said urgently. "It is about the Princess." That convinced Henry to listen. He wondered why the stablemaster needed to see him about Danielle. "On my way." he said. They ran to the stables, where Jean was frantic. "Your Highness!" He bowed. "Thank God you are here! I wish to show you something very odd and important."
Jean led Henry to Featherfoot. "I came back from my luncheon, and found him missing. I assumed Her Highness had decided to go for a ride, as she is the only one who can ride him. A little while longer, he came back riderless."
That scared Henry. Both Jean and Henry knew that Danielle was the only person who could ride Featherfoot. "There was also this tied to the saddle" Jean handed him a rather large piece of light blue cloth splattered with blood. This was the reason Jean had sent for the Prince. He immediately recognized the piece of cloth from one of the Princess' gowns. Henry recognized it as a piece of his favorite gown.
Henry looked at Laurent with fear in his eyes. "Captain, send out a search party. Send men out to the Manor, and I will go to the Gypsies. Also, send messengers to Davinci, and Gustave."
Laurent bowed and left to follow his orders. Henry saddled his horse and rode off towards the Gypsy camp. As he neared the clearing near the Gypsy camp, he saw hoof marks in the ground. He dismounted to investigate. He found Danielle's light blue headpiece that she often wore when she donned his favorite gown. His heart clinched with concern and fear that Danielle was badly hurt or worse. He clutched the headpiece to his chest and fought back the tears that threatened to break free.
"Oh God, Danielle!" Henry cried out "I WILL find you!! I hope to God you are ok."
I am going to back track a bit...While Le Pieu was in the process of kidnapping Danielle...Here is what went on with Prince Henry and Marguerite.
Prince Henry of France was taking a tour of the Servant's Wing on the advice of his wife. Accompaning him was his personal guard Captian Marc Laurent.
He was not looking foward to inspecting the former Baroness' quarters. He would have rather Danielle be there with him and he could not wait until she was able to join him. He wanted Rodmilla to see how happy they were.
He came to the last door in the corridor. Henry motioned for them to stop. "Stay here." He said to Laurent. "This won't take long." Henry knocked on the door. Marguerite answered. Suddenly, he knew he just made a horrible mistake by not allowing Laurent to accompany him into Rodmilla and Marguerite's room. As soon as he entered the room, Marguerite slid behind him, closed and locked the door. "What are you doing, Madame?" Henry asked suspiciously.
Maurguerite began to massage Henry's shoulders. "Would you just relax, Your Highness?" she whispered seductively into his ear. Henry pushed her away, disqusted by her touch. "You are out of line Madame."
While Henry was being forced into Marguerite's clutches, Rodmilla waylaid Captain Laurent. "So Captain, what do you see in Jacqueline anyway? Surely there are much prettier women in the kingdom. She is so....fat and ugly." Rodmilla asked.
Captain Marc Laurent could not believe he was hearing this about his beloved wife. Marc and Jacqueline de Ghent had been married for about nine months now. They had had a small wedding, with only their closest friends and family attending. Jacqueline had not wanted nor desired her mother and Marguerite to know or attend the wedding. Jacqueline was expecting their first child.
"Madame" Laurent glared at her, resisting the urge to strangle the very life out of the former Baroness. "You will not talk about my beloved WIFE that way." It had the desired effect. Rodmilla stopped in mid-sentence "Wife?" she asked, surprised that anyone would choose Jacqueline over Marguerite.
All of a sudden, they heard a woman cry out with pleasure. Laurent realized it was coming from Rodmilla's quarters. Henry finally fled from the room...as if fleeing for his life.
Laurent ran upto him...relieved to have an excuse to flee Rodmilla's presence (Rodmilla lurked in the corridor unbeknownst to the Prince and the Captain). "Henry!" Laurent snapped (Being the best friend of the Prince of France, he was allowed certain priveleges). "what happened?"
Henry finally slowed down when there was no apparent sign of Rodmilla or of Marguerite. "I went to inspect the former Baroness's quarters, and Marguerite locked me in. She removed her clothes and started screaming. She tried to seduce me." Henry shuddered, trying to force the image of Marguerite out of his mind. "that woman and her mother will stop at nothing to get their clutches into my crown."
Laurent panicked, realizing what the Prince had just said, and that they had been alone. "Henry...You and she didn't....did you?" he asked. Henry stopped and stared at Laurent in complete and total shock, at first, he was angry with what his friend was accusing him of, but then, Henry realized, if the situation were reversed, he would have jumped to the same conclusion. "NO! I didn't. Even if I could, I wouldn't touch Marguerite with a ten foot stick. No telling where that woman's been." He reassured Laurent "Besides, I love Danielle to much to do that to her."
Just then, Captain Charles LaFond came running up to them. "Your Highness. Thank god I found you!" LaFond slowed down "The Princess...Is she with you?" he asked desperately. He knew that once Prince Henry found out that his wife was missing, he would have his head.
Henry came to a full stop "What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously. "I thought she was with you? You are Supposed to be Guarding her." Henry snapped.
"She is gone, Sire." Charles said. "I have looked everywhere I can think of. After the physician left, Josephine left. I went back into her rooms to check on her, and she was gone."
Henry was alarmed. This was not the first time Danielle had "disappeared", but he could not shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong. Just then, a page ran upto them "Your Highness" he bowed. "The stablemaster needs to see you immediately." Henry rolled his eyes, and started off for his chambers. He did not have time for this. He needed to find Danielle and he needed to find her NOW. "Not now, young one. Tell him I will see him as soon as I possibly can." He turned to walk away from the page.
He felt a tugging on his tunic. "Sire." The page said urgently. "It is about the Princess." That convinced Henry to listen. He wondered why the stablemaster needed to see him about Danielle. "On my way." he said. They ran to the stables, where Jean was frantic. "Your Highness!" He bowed. "Thank God you are here! I wish to show you something very odd and important."
Jean led Henry to Featherfoot. "I came back from my luncheon, and found him missing. I assumed Her Highness had decided to go for a ride, as she is the only one who can ride him. A little while longer, he came back riderless."
That scared Henry. Both Jean and Henry knew that Danielle was the only person who could ride Featherfoot. "There was also this tied to the saddle" Jean handed him a rather large piece of light blue cloth splattered with blood. This was the reason Jean had sent for the Prince. He immediately recognized the piece of cloth from one of the Princess' gowns. Henry recognized it as a piece of his favorite gown.
Henry looked at Laurent with fear in his eyes. "Captain, send out a search party. Send men out to the Manor, and I will go to the Gypsies. Also, send messengers to Davinci, and Gustave."
Laurent bowed and left to follow his orders. Henry saddled his horse and rode off towards the Gypsy camp. As he neared the clearing near the Gypsy camp, he saw hoof marks in the ground. He dismounted to investigate. He found Danielle's light blue headpiece that she often wore when she donned his favorite gown. His heart clinched with concern and fear that Danielle was badly hurt or worse. He clutched the headpiece to his chest and fought back the tears that threatened to break free.
"Oh God, Danielle!" Henry cried out "I WILL find you!! I hope to God you are ok."