Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters since Princess Diaries 1 & 2, and its characters are the property of Disney, Buena Vista, and Meg Cabot. I make no money from this work of fiction.
Once Lost, Now Found
This story, a sequel or spinoff to Clarisse Must Marry, takes place five years after that first story and immediately following the second movie. The change to 'canon' which has been made is that Mabrey demanded that the law of Genovia "All queens must be bound in matrimony" be enforced. In that first story, it came out that Charlotte had been married while very young and without parental consent, and had had a baby which she had had to give up for adoption after her marriage had been dissolved. This, then, is a continuation and hopefully a conclusion to Charlotte's story ...
Charlotte finally escaped from the Coronation Ball after speaking briefly with Queen Clarisse and her husband, Joseph. It had been a long day, and a long-awaited day, as well. Today, five years after being informed of her royal birthright, Queen Amelia had been crowned in the palace of Genovia. The Archbishop, who had taken the heavy ceremonial crown from her grandmother, had placed it on the twenty-one-year-old's head and had smiled, in spite of the solemnity of the occasion, at the awe on the young queen's face.
Charlotte, who had scurried down the back stairs and pushed through the crowds to stand close enough to have an excellent view of the ceremony, had found herself just behind Lord Deveraux in time to hear him say, "She looks beautiful."
Unsure of the direction of his gaze, Charlotte had said through her tears, "They both do." Both queens had indeed looked radiant. Queen Clarisse had been dressed in a rich gold, her elegance unmistakable. Queen Amelia had worn white and silver, a symbol of her youth and purity. It had been a wonderful, intensely meaningful ceremony for all Genovians who had attended.
And now ... now Charlotte let herself into her own apartment in the palace and closed the door behind herself, leaning against it with her eyes closed for a moment. Tiredly, she finally pushed away from the door and went to have a shower. Pulling on the first nightgown her fingers encountered, she wrapped her dressing gown around herself, then walked slowly around her small apartment. She had a bedroom, bathroom, a sitting room with a small kitchen in one corner and a balcony overlooking the palace gardens. She had been Queen Clarisse's aide for over ten years, and the palace had become her home. She loved these rooms, and had decorated them to her taste. Now she found herself wondering how much longer she would be here, in this apartment. Would she still have a job?
Queen Clarisse certainly would not need her nearly as much as she had in the past. Charlotte had no idea whether or not Queen Mia would want her beyond the first few months, since her grandmother had been encouraging the young queen to come up with her own ideas for the position she was assuming in Genovia. Charlotte was half afraid that meant that Queen Mia would be grooming her own personal aide. If Queen Clarisse no longer required Charlotte's services and Queen Mia chose someone else to work with her, then she, Charlotte, would be out of a job. It would break her heart to leave the palace, this apartment, and the friends she had made while working here.
As she opened the door of the balcony and stepped out into the moonlight, Charlotte acknowledged that the person she would miss most of all was Queen Clarisse ... Clarisse, as she had been encouraged to call her, although she had never felt entirely comfortable doing that. It was undeniable, however, that the queen had changed following her son's death and his daughter's agreement to become the heiress to the throne. Once severely business-like, rather sharp at times, seemingly unforgiving, and an entity needing no one else, Clarisse had become warm, personal ... human. Still very elegant and poised, of course, but someone not too proud to admit that at times she needed help. She had even drawn Charlotte's secret out of her -- a secret Charlotte had kept to herself for fifteen years.
Clarisse had assured Charlotte that she had told no one, not even Joseph, of Charlotte's youthful marriage and the baby she had been forced to give up for adoption. Not only had she kept the secret, but she had made what discreet inquiries she could as to the whereabouts of the child ... the young man, now. He would be twenty. Charlotte's eyes misted with tears as she allowed herself to once again grieve the loss of her baby, the loss of the boy she had loved deeply and married, the loss of a dear friend and potential love who had just happened to be the crown prince of Genovia ... and now the possibility of the loss of her job and her life as she knew it.
What would she do? Where could she go? Her parents were no longer alive. She was thirty-seven years old, not exactly a good age to make great life changes. Charlotte was one who hated change, and this one scared her very much indeed. There had been too many losses in her life, and not enough joys to take their place.
Then a knock came at her door. Charlotte, startled that anyone would come at such a late hour, hurried back inside and opened the door. There stood Shades. Charlotte knew him, of course, but had held herself aloof from him as she had from everyone unless they made the first overtures. Blinking back her tears, hoping he wouldn't notice, she asked huskily, "May I help you?"
"I assume you know I am now next door?" Shades indicated the door down the hall -- the apartment that used to be Joseph's until he had married Queen Clarisse five years ago. It had remained empty until today when Shades had been appointed Head of Security following Joseph's retirement from the position.
"Yes," Charlotte said softly. "Congratulations on the promotion."
Shades grinned easily, but when Charlotte studied him closer, she realized his eyes were shadowed. "Thanks. Umm, sorry to bother you, when you were getting ready for bed and all ..." he indicated her attire.
Charlotte flushed slightly. "It's all right. Did you want something?"
"Just to talk, if you wouldn't mind. I can't sleep. I've been down to the monitor room, but Lionel is on duty tonight, and ... damn!"
"What is it?" Charlotte looked rather startled.
"Oh, just ..." Shades looked around, then crowded in past Charlotte and shut the door quickly. "Sorry, I just remembered we have the security cameras all hooked up, and if he ever saw me at your door, well, you can imagine what he might think. That kid has a fertile imagination!"
Charlotte smiled reluctantly.
"May I sit down?" Shades asked.
"I'm sorry," Charlotte apologized. "Of course. Would you like a drink? I only have water or apple juice or coffee ..."
"Last thing I need is more coffee," Shades grimaced. "Juice'll be great. Thanks."
Charlotte brought him a glass and one for herself, and she settled on the other end of the sofa to where he was sitting. Shades looked around. "Your apartment is designed like mine, I see. Nice having a fireplace, isn't it?"
"In the winter, yes. We don't exactly need them much in the summer."
"True, but I just like looking at the flames."
"So do I," Charlotte admitted. Then she smiled. "Actually," she confessed, "I sometimes light the fire even in the summer, just to sit by the flames. Then I have to open the patio doors to cool the place off!"
Shades chuckled. "I can see doing that. Charlotte, could we light one tonight?"
"NOW? It's rather late ..."
"Just a little one," he coaxed. "Please? Don't you find it easier to think if you can stare into a fire?"
Reluctantly Charlotte smiled again. "Well, all right." She leaned over to put her glass on the table, but Shades jumped up.
"I'll do it. You stay put."
He very efficiently had the small fire going in a matter of minutes. Then he settled back on the couch, and patted the cushion beside him. "Come on, you can come closer and get really comfortable. I don't bite, you know."
"From the stories I've heard, I'm not so sure about that," Charlotte teased him gently, not moving from her corner. "Olivia and Priscilla have regaled me with quite a few tales ..."
Shades threw up his hands. "Don't you know that the maids only THINK they know everything? Really, I'm harmless! I promise!"
Charlotte laughed. "Well, if you insist ..." She slid over until her shoulder was just touching his, and put her feet up on the hassock in front of her.
Companionably they sat side by side, staring into the fire. Then Shades began to talk again, still staring straight ahead at the flames. "I think Joe is the greatest. He has been telling me for the last five years that he was going to retire when Queen Amelia was crowned, and that I'd be taking his place, but I never really believed that he'd quit, you know? I, well, frankly, Charlotte, I'm kinda wondering if I can do this. It's such a big responsibility! What if ... what if something happens, and, well, the queen is ... injured or something? I'd be hanged, drawn and quartered, then probably hung on a spit and roasted over an open fire by Joe! He thinks the world of Queen Amelia ... it's as if she's his own grand-daughter as much as she's Queen Clarisse's."
"Yes, he loves her," Charlotte agreed. "And yes, if something happened, and it was because you were lax or ... wanting in some way, I can imagine your punishment would be swift and severe. But do you intend to slack off on the job?"
"Of course not," he said.
"Then I don't see a problem. Joe's fair. So is Queen Clarisse. So is Queen Amelia. I don't think you have to worry."
"You've been with Queen Clarisse for a long time, haven't you?" Shades asked.
"Ummhmm."
"So is anything going to change with YOUR job? I mean, Queen Amelia's going to need an assistant now more than Queen Clarisse, isn't she?"
"I expect so."
"So are you just taking over that job as well as the one you already have?" Shades looked at her.
Charlotte felt his eyes on her, but didn't look up. "I don't know," she admitted, at last. "I just don't know. No one has said anything."
"I thought you said they were fair! And now you're afraid you might be losing your job?" He sounded shocked.
Charlotte shook her head, then shrugged her shoulders, still not looking at him.
"I'm sorry," he said sincerely, and put his arm around her shoulders.
Tensing slightly, Charlotte realized that Shades felt her resistance immediately. She felt herself begin to colour, but Shades just squeezed her a bit, and kissed her cheek. "Hey, we're friends, right? And I promised not to bite. You can trust me, you know. I kinda think of you as my kid sister, you know?"
Now Charlotte chuckled. "Kid sister?"
"Yeah, and I'm the big brother who can make things right ... well, most things." He hesitated for a minute, then grimaced. "Who am I trying to fool? I know you were, well, really close to Prince Philippe. I've heard the talk from the maids. I'm certainly not in the same league, but, well, if you need a friend ..."
"Oh, Shades," Charlotte sighed. "Not you, too. I thought you were just saying you can't believe everything the maids say! There was nothing but friendship between the Prince and me."
"Really?" His arm tightened around her. "I mean, I thought ... everyone thought ... Charlotte, I think you're ..."
Charlotte had only a fleeting moment to wonder if he really meant to kiss her when they were interrupted by the shrill ringing of the internal phone. She jumped, then smiled apologetically at Shades as she got up to answer it.
"Charlotte? It's Clarisse. I am sorry if you're already in bed. I just ..."
Clutching her dressing gown tightly at her neck as she was talking with Queen Clarisse about plans for the morning, Charlotte listened while Clarisse's voice trailed off mid-sentence. She heard low chuckles in the background on the queen's end of the line, and Clarisse whispering, "What are you DOING, Joseph? Stop it! Oh!" Then Charlotte heard her saying, "mmmm", sounding like a purring of a satisfied cat.
Joe murmured huskily, "Aren't you speaking with Charlotte?"
"Oh!" Clarisse's voice changed from dreamy to disconcerted in an instant. "Oh, I'm sorry, Charlotte! I ... something came up."
Charlotte grinned at that, and she distinctly heard Joe chuckling in the background. Clarisse said hastily, "Joseph wanted to speak briefly to Scott ... and we were wondering if you might have an idea where we might find him as he doesn't appear to be in his room. We tried both the old and the new apartment ..."
Hesitating only for a moment, Charlotte said quietly, "Actually, he's right here, your Majesty." Shades' head came up, and Charlotte beckoned him to come.
Clarisse teased her as she pretended to be shocked, saying, "Why, CHARLOTTE!"
Charlotte's face flushed lightly, and she began to mumble something about how Shades had just come to ask ... then Joe obviously took the phone from Clarisse, and started to give Charlotte a message for Shades. Before Joe could pass on his message, however, Charlotte heard him hiss, "Stop it!" and Clarisse's "You did it to me!" immediately followed, along with a light laugh.
Shades, who was standing next to Charlotte, heard the muffled interchange and his eyebrows raised as he looked at Charlotte, a grin crossing his face as well. Now Charlotte was struggling to keep from laughing aloud. Joe and Clarisse were obviously still very much in love after five years! "Here, Joe, you can speak with Shades yourself." She passed the phone to Shades, tightened the belt on her dressing gown and stepped outside onto the balcony. It was suddenly rather hot in the room, even though the fire was dying down.
When he was finished on the phone, Shades appeared beside her, still chuckling. "Those two!" He shook his head. "Hard to believe they're old. You'd certainly never know it from the way they carry on!"
For a moment they leaned on the balustrade side by side, saying nothing as they looked up at the starry sky. Shades pointed out a falling star, and said softly, "Make a wish, Charlotte. It might come true."
Charlotte made the same wish she had been making for twenty years now ... she wanted to know how her son was, and if he was happy. As for herself ... suspecting the man beside her was interested in her, Charlotte found herself wondering for the first time in a long time about the whereabouts of the husband of her youth -- the man whose name had not crossed her lips in twenty years, yet the man who still held her heart firmly and, she feared, irrevocably.
To Be Continued ...
