Title: Reigning Memories
Chapter: 2- Arrival at the palace
Joe made his way slowly, without energy or any sort of happiness left in his heart. He walked towards the palace to carry out the priest's last favor to him. "I didn't even get to say goodbye..." Joe said to himself. He made his way to the palace gate.
Meanwhile in her chamber Princess Francoise was warming herself when she saw the strange boy coming towards the palace gate. His expression seemed sullen and lost to her. The young princess sighed and went on looking at him. He carried a small package with him which Francoise assumed were her quills. She realized that this most have been the boy the priest had sent to deliver her quills, she had just received the news that the priest had died in a terrible fire. "Poor boy..." The princess murmured to herself. She dressed herself in her usual gown for the day. She ran to the gate thinking that perhaps, she could help this boy just a little. The boy stopped at the sight of the princess. The princess had forgotten to wear her crown and so Joe didn't know who she was. If he hadn't been so consumed in his sorrow he would have noticed Francoise's kind face. "Welcome to the palace, I am Princess Francoise." Joe nearly fell over with surprise. "You're the princess!" He exclaimed feeling foolish and straitening himself up. Francoise nodded and led him inside the palace grounds. Joe was in awe at the beauty of the palace outside and more now that he had seen the inside. "Ah the boy has arrived!" The King Mortimer greeted Joe with courtesy and Joe clumsily bowed. Francoise let a soft giggle escape her lips. "Daughter we must show our guest some hospitality." The kind boomed. Joe was surprised that Francoise now that he looked better was so delicate, frail, and quiet and her father the complete opposite. The king kneeled in front of a very surprised Joe and said. "Our palace offers it sympathies and support for the lost of the priest. We are truly sorry, and I especially. He was a friend of mines. Joe face went back to its sullen look as he once again remembered the tragedy that had occurred.
"Yes and even though I believe I never did get to meet the priest, I offer you my sympathies as well." Francoise said as she bowed. Joe knew that he would hear this from a lot of people but these people whom he just met, the way they said it broke his heart. He could only nod in anguish. The princess felt disappointed that her efforts had failed and in so made an offer. 'Father May he stay in the palace, for a time." Francoise said. Her father was very precise. If you said "I want one cookie" he would only give you one and no more and so she said "some time" to indicate the unsure ness of the time period. The king nodded. "Yes my clever daughter what a brilliant suggestion, which he shall!" He boomed again. Francoise took Joe's hand and led him through a hallway. Joe still in awe on the sequence of events followed the young princess dazed.
Francoise led him to the palace garden. Joe admired the flowers in every corner. There were daisies, roses, dandelions, and many more flowers that he could not identify. "It's amazing..." Joe said in awe. "Yes I know, I'm so glad that I got to see it feel it for the first time." Joe looked at Francoise in puzzlement. She smiled at him sadly. "Yes it's true; they keep me locked up most of the time."
"How selfish I am concerning the princess with my own problems!" Joe thought to himself. "I am so sorry to burden you with my loss..." Before Joe could finish Francoise put her finger on his lips. ""Hush, you know my mother died a year ago. I still feel the pain, it hurts I know. I just want to help." The princess said to Joe and then she looked away. "I am sorry but I must be going." She left without another whisper of a word and Joe still dazed.
That night...
Joe tossed and turned in the in his bed. Too much pain was strong in his heart, he could not reach sleep. He knew that if he did anyway he would have nightmares. He clenched his fist and became angry with himself. Why hadn't he been there? He could have protected the priest from the terrible fire.
Francoise walked amongst the palace ground as if a ghost, her mind was not at ease. She could not find sleep and decided to take a walk inside of course. Her face was pale, her hair draped over her face. She decided to sneak to the garden perhaps that would calm her. The moon illuminated the flowers and the water drops glittered like diamonds. Francoise eyes shone with uneasiness, her heart beat rapidly. The flowers that surrounded her at that instance were lilies. She now remembered why she had not visited the garden in so long. Her mother had planted the garden, she had loved lilies especially. A pang of pain sprang in Francoise's heart reopening an old wound.
Joe looked out his window; he had a splendid view of the garden. He decided that tomorrow morning he would leave the palace. He didn't want to be a burden at all, a worthless orphan. He looked at the roses, pansies, dandelions, and lilies. He stopped and saw the slender figure of the princess by the lilies and she was crying. "Crying?" Joe asked himself. Several questions aroused in his mind. "Why would she be crying?" He asked himself.
He tiptoed towards the garden sneaking about; he had learned well in order to sneak snacks from the priest. The memory bough a pain so large it caused Joe to gasp for air, after a minute he composed himself and carried on. He tapped the princess gently as to not scare her. His efforts did not succeed the princess jumped in surprised. "Oh Joe, you're simply dreadful for scaring me!" She exclaimed quickly wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't mean too, I was trying not too I..."
"Couldn't sleep?" The princess cut him off and asked. He only nodded and looked at the full moon as she was. "Princess?" She nodded to acknowledge his question. "Why were you crying?" Francoise froze. How did he see, and suddenly she remembered that she had given him a room with the window the garden. She mentally slapped herself and faked a smile. "I wasn't crying..." She said and she simply started to walk away. "Princess?" Joe asked again without moving. "Yes?" The princess answered this time a little more stiffly. "It's okay to cry." Joe said and he left Francoise shocked in the garden that night.
The next morning everything was in whirlwind. First Joe pinched himself to make sure that this wasn't a dream. After that he took a bath in the most expensive bathroom he had ever seen. And things went like that spending the morning looking at things with awe and admiration of craftsmanship.
Francoise kept a close eye at Joe sensing that there was something that intrigued her about him. She decided to talk to Jullisa for a while and so she didn't know that Joe had asked for permission to go and visit the village.
Francoise put on the rags slowly and carefully, Jullisa applied makeup to make her face look dirty and off she went. Francoise marveled at the humble shops, the friendly people, and those still mourning for the priest. She quickly found the group of children she usually told stories to. To her surprise one new person was amongst them. He looked at her strangely and then he looked wide eyed. Francoise immediately recognized him, it was Joe. "Princess, what are you doing here?!" He Exclaimed.
A/N: I hope that this chapter is liked by all, I personally think it went very well. If you think otherwise thought I would greatly appreciate if you told me, I love constructive criticism. By the way I'd to thank GoldAngel2, and Wwhiteclover because of their support. In fact I would like to thank everyone! Oh and I would like to also appologize for the mess up of the chapters!!
Yuki: Hey wait up don't close this chapter yet, there something I need to ask you. DarkAngel004: What is it? Yuki: When are you going to update "My Swan Princess" and "After the clock strikes midnight, oh and not to mention "Dear Diary"? DarkAngel004: Um.. I don't know I'm sort of all out of ideas and this one just hit me so I had to focus on this. Besides I'm all focused and concentrated into making this fic the best it can be, hopefully I'll update one of my other fics this week. Yuki: Whew! Thank god. Well then bye. I can't wait until the next chapter! DarkAngel004: No prob! Bye!
Joe made his way slowly, without energy or any sort of happiness left in his heart. He walked towards the palace to carry out the priest's last favor to him. "I didn't even get to say goodbye..." Joe said to himself. He made his way to the palace gate.
Meanwhile in her chamber Princess Francoise was warming herself when she saw the strange boy coming towards the palace gate. His expression seemed sullen and lost to her. The young princess sighed and went on looking at him. He carried a small package with him which Francoise assumed were her quills. She realized that this most have been the boy the priest had sent to deliver her quills, she had just received the news that the priest had died in a terrible fire. "Poor boy..." The princess murmured to herself. She dressed herself in her usual gown for the day. She ran to the gate thinking that perhaps, she could help this boy just a little. The boy stopped at the sight of the princess. The princess had forgotten to wear her crown and so Joe didn't know who she was. If he hadn't been so consumed in his sorrow he would have noticed Francoise's kind face. "Welcome to the palace, I am Princess Francoise." Joe nearly fell over with surprise. "You're the princess!" He exclaimed feeling foolish and straitening himself up. Francoise nodded and led him inside the palace grounds. Joe was in awe at the beauty of the palace outside and more now that he had seen the inside. "Ah the boy has arrived!" The King Mortimer greeted Joe with courtesy and Joe clumsily bowed. Francoise let a soft giggle escape her lips. "Daughter we must show our guest some hospitality." The kind boomed. Joe was surprised that Francoise now that he looked better was so delicate, frail, and quiet and her father the complete opposite. The king kneeled in front of a very surprised Joe and said. "Our palace offers it sympathies and support for the lost of the priest. We are truly sorry, and I especially. He was a friend of mines. Joe face went back to its sullen look as he once again remembered the tragedy that had occurred.
"Yes and even though I believe I never did get to meet the priest, I offer you my sympathies as well." Francoise said as she bowed. Joe knew that he would hear this from a lot of people but these people whom he just met, the way they said it broke his heart. He could only nod in anguish. The princess felt disappointed that her efforts had failed and in so made an offer. 'Father May he stay in the palace, for a time." Francoise said. Her father was very precise. If you said "I want one cookie" he would only give you one and no more and so she said "some time" to indicate the unsure ness of the time period. The king nodded. "Yes my clever daughter what a brilliant suggestion, which he shall!" He boomed again. Francoise took Joe's hand and led him through a hallway. Joe still in awe on the sequence of events followed the young princess dazed.
Francoise led him to the palace garden. Joe admired the flowers in every corner. There were daisies, roses, dandelions, and many more flowers that he could not identify. "It's amazing..." Joe said in awe. "Yes I know, I'm so glad that I got to see it feel it for the first time." Joe looked at Francoise in puzzlement. She smiled at him sadly. "Yes it's true; they keep me locked up most of the time."
"How selfish I am concerning the princess with my own problems!" Joe thought to himself. "I am so sorry to burden you with my loss..." Before Joe could finish Francoise put her finger on his lips. ""Hush, you know my mother died a year ago. I still feel the pain, it hurts I know. I just want to help." The princess said to Joe and then she looked away. "I am sorry but I must be going." She left without another whisper of a word and Joe still dazed.
That night...
Joe tossed and turned in the in his bed. Too much pain was strong in his heart, he could not reach sleep. He knew that if he did anyway he would have nightmares. He clenched his fist and became angry with himself. Why hadn't he been there? He could have protected the priest from the terrible fire.
Francoise walked amongst the palace ground as if a ghost, her mind was not at ease. She could not find sleep and decided to take a walk inside of course. Her face was pale, her hair draped over her face. She decided to sneak to the garden perhaps that would calm her. The moon illuminated the flowers and the water drops glittered like diamonds. Francoise eyes shone with uneasiness, her heart beat rapidly. The flowers that surrounded her at that instance were lilies. She now remembered why she had not visited the garden in so long. Her mother had planted the garden, she had loved lilies especially. A pang of pain sprang in Francoise's heart reopening an old wound.
Joe looked out his window; he had a splendid view of the garden. He decided that tomorrow morning he would leave the palace. He didn't want to be a burden at all, a worthless orphan. He looked at the roses, pansies, dandelions, and lilies. He stopped and saw the slender figure of the princess by the lilies and she was crying. "Crying?" Joe asked himself. Several questions aroused in his mind. "Why would she be crying?" He asked himself.
He tiptoed towards the garden sneaking about; he had learned well in order to sneak snacks from the priest. The memory bough a pain so large it caused Joe to gasp for air, after a minute he composed himself and carried on. He tapped the princess gently as to not scare her. His efforts did not succeed the princess jumped in surprised. "Oh Joe, you're simply dreadful for scaring me!" She exclaimed quickly wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't mean too, I was trying not too I..."
"Couldn't sleep?" The princess cut him off and asked. He only nodded and looked at the full moon as she was. "Princess?" She nodded to acknowledge his question. "Why were you crying?" Francoise froze. How did he see, and suddenly she remembered that she had given him a room with the window the garden. She mentally slapped herself and faked a smile. "I wasn't crying..." She said and she simply started to walk away. "Princess?" Joe asked again without moving. "Yes?" The princess answered this time a little more stiffly. "It's okay to cry." Joe said and he left Francoise shocked in the garden that night.
The next morning everything was in whirlwind. First Joe pinched himself to make sure that this wasn't a dream. After that he took a bath in the most expensive bathroom he had ever seen. And things went like that spending the morning looking at things with awe and admiration of craftsmanship.
Francoise kept a close eye at Joe sensing that there was something that intrigued her about him. She decided to talk to Jullisa for a while and so she didn't know that Joe had asked for permission to go and visit the village.
Francoise put on the rags slowly and carefully, Jullisa applied makeup to make her face look dirty and off she went. Francoise marveled at the humble shops, the friendly people, and those still mourning for the priest. She quickly found the group of children she usually told stories to. To her surprise one new person was amongst them. He looked at her strangely and then he looked wide eyed. Francoise immediately recognized him, it was Joe. "Princess, what are you doing here?!" He Exclaimed.
A/N: I hope that this chapter is liked by all, I personally think it went very well. If you think otherwise thought I would greatly appreciate if you told me, I love constructive criticism. By the way I'd to thank GoldAngel2, and Wwhiteclover because of their support. In fact I would like to thank everyone! Oh and I would like to also appologize for the mess up of the chapters!!
Yuki: Hey wait up don't close this chapter yet, there something I need to ask you. DarkAngel004: What is it? Yuki: When are you going to update "My Swan Princess" and "After the clock strikes midnight, oh and not to mention "Dear Diary"? DarkAngel004: Um.. I don't know I'm sort of all out of ideas and this one just hit me so I had to focus on this. Besides I'm all focused and concentrated into making this fic the best it can be, hopefully I'll update one of my other fics this week. Yuki: Whew! Thank god. Well then bye. I can't wait until the next chapter! DarkAngel004: No prob! Bye!