legal stuff

A/N: Ok, it's here. I really liked this chapter and hope you do too. I'm not gonna say much and just let you read.

Danielle and the Queen wandered aimlessly through the gardens talking about Henry and the baby. "How are you doing?" the queen asked. Danielle was now about three months pregnant and just beginning to show but you still couldn't tell under the yards if fabric she wore everyday.

"Oh, I'm fine. But Henry, he's a total hysteric. First he's going on about how he doesn't think I'm gaining enough weight, then it's I'm not getting enough rest, then it's that I exercise too much...it's always something. Now, not only are the servants trying to pamper me more than usual, so is he."

"Oh, darling, it's always like that. Francis was the same way when I was pregnant with Henry and we were never as close as you two are. The man always feels he has to be protective." the queen said placing one hand on Danielle's shoulder. "Now my dear, I should probably go check on Francis. He's been very unlike himself lately. I'll talk to you later."

"Don't let me keep you." Danielle said slowly moving towards a group of her friends she'd spotted in the courtyard. She watched the queen scurry away and then walked over to join Jacqueline and the small group of courtiers that she'd befriended in the eight short months she'd lived in the palace. "Hello," she said giving her stepsister a standard two-cheek-kiss French greeting.

"Hello." Jacqueline echoed back. "How are you?"

"Fine, doing quite well actually."

"And Henry?" Since they had been married, Jacqueline had gotten into a habit of addressing her stepbrother-in-law by his first name instead of his formal title.

Danielle waved her hand in the air to dismiss the subject. They all knew how he was coping with the change. "Frantic as ever. If he didn't have his servants, he'd die." she said laughing it off. One thing was for sure, in this tight group of friends she could be more like herself than she could with anyone else, not including Henry.

The group was in the middle of a heated discussion about the helplessness of men when Danielle spotted a short, little royal messenger trotting across the courtyard towards her with a frantic look in his eyes. These little men were trained to be expressionless no matter how big the news they were carrying so if they showed any emotion AT ALL it had to be big news, VERY big news. I wonder what's happened... The tiny man motioned for her to come to him. "Excuse me." Danielle said to her friends a bit perplexed at this messenger's strange behavior. She walked over to him and obeyed when he beckoned her to lean down so he could whisper the information in her ear.

Danielle jerked up and stared at the messenger in shock. How could this happen?! "Please tell me this is a joke." she pleaded. The stubby man slowly shook his head. Why would he joke over something like this? Henry. Danielle hiked up her skirt and began to run back to her chambers. This act was generally frowned upon for being the habit of a commoner and probably wasn't the greatest for the baby, but right now none of that mattered. She bounded up the stairs two at a time and sprinted to her doorway, pausing only a second to catch her breath.

Danielle slowly pushed open the door. "Henry?" She found him sitting on the edge on the couch with his forearms balanced on his knees and his head hanging towards the floor. The princess cautiously joined her husband. "How are you doing?" she asked, gently rubbing his back. Henry let out a long, shaky sigh and quickly wiped away a tear that was about to fall down his cheek. "It's ok to cry." Danielle said fighting back her own tears.

Henry slowly turned his head so he could see her eyes. She knows how this feels. She's already lost her real father, now her father-in-law. "I just don't think I was ready to let go..." he said, letting his head droop back down.

Danielle laid her head on Henry shoulder and began to cry. Henry slowly sat up and pulled her into his body and let her cry into his shoulder. She had been the link in the steadily strengthening relationship between the prince and his father. As he pulled his wife in closer, Henry let the memories of the past eight months wash over him. The emotions were too much for him to hold back, and he laid his head on Danielle shoulder and collapsed into sobs. Danielle had seen him in the worst of most of his emotions, but she had never seen him so distressed and vulnerable. Henry was normally there for Danielle to cry on and he rarely ever let himself collapse. She held her husband as tight as she could. "I know, I know, it's not fair. Just try to remember that he's in a better place. Shhhhhhh." she said calmly. She was trying to be as comforting for him as he had been for her. "Shhhhh." she said, gingerly kissing his shoulder and rubbing his back.

Henry suddenly realized how pathetic he was being and abruptly sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Oh, Danielle, I'm so sorry. You have so much more to worry about and here I am acting like a child." he said moving his hands around to her stomach and glancing down, trying to hide his face.

Danielle placed one finger under his chin and raised it to eye level. "Don't even think that." she said laying one hand on her stomach over his. "Just because the baby's due in six months does not mean that you aren't permitted to act like a child every once in a while. Especially under the circumstances." Danielle leaned forward and rested her forehead against his and whispered, "Don't blame yourself, Henry. It's nobody's fault. You said you'd always be her for me, and I'll always be here for you whenever you need me. No one can be a tower of strength all the time, not even a prince." she leaned back and gazed into Henry's teary eyes. Danielle pulled him in close to her and let him cry on her shoulder. "How's your mother?"

Henry sat bolt upright. "My mother, oh god, my mother. Come with me to check on her." He slowly rose from the couch and gently pulled Danielle up with him. In her daze, she tripped over the rug into Henry's arms. Her mishap seemed to reactivate her husband's protective nature. He carefully helped her back on her feet and gave her a frantic look. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"Henry, the baby's not due for six more months, I'm fine. Now, can we please go check on your mother?" she said getting back to her feet.

Moments later the couple was quietly entering the queen's chamber. Leonardo was already there trying his best to comfort the grieving widow. "Mother, are you all right?" Henry asked, sitting down on the bed next to his mother.

"Oh darling, just give me some time." she said in an empty tone. "I'll be fine."

Danielle sat down on the opposite side of her majesty. "Does the doctor know how it happened?" she asked placing one hand on the queen's tense shoulder.

"He had a stroke!" she sobbed, collapsing into her misery. "He'd been complaining of head pains all morning...and when I came up to check on him after our stroll...I...I...found him lying on the floor. I yelled for someone to fetch the doctor, but I was too late! The doctor said he probably went quickly and that there was no pain. But, I just wasn't ready to let go." she sobbed into her hands.

Danielle pulled her mother-in-law into a comforting hug and glanced over at Henry. Obviously the gruesome details were too much for him to handle at that moment because he, too, was letting tears roll down his face. Danielle took one hand and reached out to hold Henry's. He looked up and met her gaze. Her eyes were moist and grip was weak, but all in the same, she was trying her best to hold everyone together. At that moment Henry realized how much she had endured and exactly how strong she was. If he had any doubts about how well she was going to adjust to having to take care of a baby, they instantly vanished from his mind. Now he was sure that she wasn't the one who was going to have to adjust, no, it was him. He scooted over, wrapped his arms around his sobbing mother and supportive wife, and rested his forehead on Danielle's. "Mother, just think that he's in a better place. He'll always be with us." Danielle whispered, unable to hold back her own tears.

"Oh my dears, what would I do without you?" the queen said breaking apart the hug and glancing back and forth between them.

"Do you know when the funeral will be?" Henry asked.

"Honestly I have no idea. I wish I did though. I believe it might be in a few days. Now, if you'll excuse me, I wish to be alone."

"Of course, but please call on us if you need anything at all." Henry said cautiously getting off the bed and helping Danielle up as well.

"Give it time, everything will turn out fine." Danielle said leaning down and kissing her mother-in-law on the top of her head.

Henry squeezed Danielle's hand as the royal casket was slowly marched down the aisle. The coffin was set in the front of the sanctuary while the priest delivered the heartfelt memorial, and Danielle gently laid her head on Henry's shoulder and let the tears come.

When the time came Henry slowly made his way to the pulpit to deliver the elegy. He took a deep breath and shakily began to speak. He glanced over at his attentive wife and subconsciously regained a new courage. Reluctantly he pushed aside the prewritten speech and began to speak from the heart. "My father was not always the strict, sometimes arrogant person he portrayed on the throne. He was a man of confidence but was still skeptical; he was strict but loving; he was arrogant, yet supportive. He may have pushed me into situations that's I wasn't always...willing to comply with, but somehow those conflicting views always seemed to lead me in the right direction." Henry said pausing and glancing over at Danielle. "He was a king, a father, and was soon to be a grandfather. He was a romantic but down to earth. He loved his family, even though he didn't always show it, his kingdom, and his life. He will be dearly missed--" Henry's heart-wrenching speech was cut short when his own voice cracked with emotion. "--and will never be forgotten." he finished quickly before he was succumb by grief.

Henry slowly made his way back to his seat and sat down. Without warning Danielle buried her face in his jacket, sobbing. Now it was Henry's turn to be supportive, "Shhhhhh. It's ok. Just remember he's in a better place." he breathed echoing the words she'd told him so many times over the past few days. He stayed there stroking her hair through the closing prayer and even when the family was supposed to stand and be comforted by the guests. Many on the women would curtsy as they past the grieving pair but gave up after they realized that they were being ignored. The queen quietly came over and whispered in Henry's ear, "Perhaps you should take her back to the room. She doesn't need to be troubled anymore than she already is." Henry silently nodded his head.

"Come, let's go back to our chamber." he said calmly rising to his feet and bringing Danielle to hers while trying to balance her limp body against his.

By the time they were back to the chamber Danielle had calmed dramatically. She walked into the closet to change while Henry recalled the events of the previous week. When the princess emerged from the closet she found Henry sitting the bay window gazing up at the sky. Danielle silently made her way over to her husband and sat down in his lap. He propped up his right knee for her to use as a backrest, but instead she leaned into his body and closed her eyes.

"Danielle?"

"Yes?"

"Does the pain ever go away?"

Danielle wrapped her arms around Henry's neck and leaned back enough to be able to look him in the eyes. "In the beginning you think that the grief will never go away, but each day the pain seems a little less until one day you learn to accept the fact, and you move on with your life." she said, sensitively brushing the hair out of his face as she leaned in and gingerly kissed him. After they broke apart Henry drew her into an understanding embrace and leaned back against the stone pillar.

After a few minutes Danielle tediously pushed herself up and moved to the bed. "Darling, I'm exhausted so just come to bed when you're ready." she said crawling in under the covers. "Good night."

A few minutes later Henry got into bed next to his wife and fell asleep with his arms wrapped protectively around her body.

A/N: weren't expecting that were you? I know, it's so sad. Some of my friends nearly killed me when they read it earlier. But it does add anouther twist to the story. Review please. I promise the next chapter is happier!