Hey guys! Yeah I finally updated! Sorry it took so long! This is only about the first half of chapter 13, but I decided to update it so you guys would have something new. I hope you like it. Thanks for all of those who kept up reviews even while I was battling a particularily evil case of writer's block. I dedicate this part to you. I love reviews, so please review! And Enjoy!
Oh yeah...I don't own the rights to Ever After...blah blah...legal stuff...
Henry hovered over his papers at the head of the long conference table, feeling almost venerable in the vacant room. He would have actually preferred lounging on his bed while he sorted out the dilemmas of France. That way he could be with his family and watch Danielle buzz around the room after their daughter who'd recently (at nine months) become a talented crawler. But then Danielle distracted him to easily…much too easily. Plus, if his papers lay prone on the bed they were subject to Genevieve's ever-tightening grip. The empty conference room what the next best thing.
Henry half-wished that his daughter would take out all her wrath on the rolls of parchment that lay before him. The war was pressing ever closer. It was still just a threat, but the king was having trouble keeping it at that. This choice, he pondered, would not have been so hard had I not met Danielle.
It was true. The king valued his wife's opinion over that of his advisors' (which is the way it should be, but we all know that 16th century French aristocrats did not agree.)
Henry glanced out the window. Almost dark, no doubt Danielle would come looking for him soon, wondering how long he would be. Glancing at the work he's accomplished, he concluded five more minutes would be ample time to respond to the queen.
Henry sighed, glanced over the papers, and flopped back against the back of his chair. Trade routes…that was England's latest compliant. They wanted more power and they would do anything to get it. To Henry, this seemed trivial. He would have been happy to share power of the routes, but the British refused to comply. All or nothing. Henry thought as he leaned back over the papers. Since he's been married, Henry had become more of a pacifist, partially sue to Danielle's points-of-view but mostly due to the fact that he's finally realized that life was more valuable than land. What Britain needs, he thought, is a good whack on the head.
Henry barely registered the faint thud of the closing door. I'll be done in five minutes," the king's voice called without the help of his brain. His mind was too busy sorting out various ways to convince the British monarchy to abandon their stubborn pride and join his country-ok, him since the aristocrats still believed war was the best way to go- in promoting peace.
Danielle, he sensed, has come around behind him. As usual, she began to rub his shoulders, but instead of feeling the pleasant, almost relaxing, tingling sensation that usually washed over him, Henry's body tensed. Stress, he thought, I'm just too over-worked. That can easily be fixed tonight.
Henry slumped back against the back of the chair. "Oh, Danielle, I don't know what I'm going to do," he sighed.
Danielle slid her hands around to his chest and clung loosely to his neck. Henry felt a twinge of suspicion. His wife hadn't said a word since she'd entered the room, but he chalked that up as fatigue. Just watching her try to keep up with Genevieve made him tired. But something else was different…
Her grip around his neck was too desperate…too needy…too…clingy. The nuzzle of her head against his temple was too hard…too wanting. There was a sense of urgency that shouldn't have been there. And worst of all, Henry felt no longing to get away from his work so he could spend time with his family—his wife. No longing to take her is his arms and whisk her away, regardless of the advisors' protests.
Then a voice from the past whispered in his ear. "She doesn't really love you. Come away with me. I can make you happier than she every will."
Henry quickly glanced up at the intruder and a split second later was scrambling out of the woman's grasp, knocking over his oak chair in the process. He used his hands to brace himself as he retreated to the stone wall and spun around to face his foe.
And there she stood. She wore a simple red dress, no jewelry, no frills, nothing like she was when Henry has seen her last. But some things hadn't changed. She still wore that horrible smirk that reminded Henry of a cat playing with its kill, and Henry still dreaded the actions that followed it.
The king tired to convince himself that this was all just a nightmare and that soon she would be gone. All he has to do was close his eyes, and she would disappear. He tried his suggestion, but when he opened his eyes, there she stood, welcomed or no…Marguerite.
Henry was overcome by a procession of emotions. At first he was shocked, then he was succumbed by a brief stage of fear which was quickly replaced with anger blended with hatred. Love, he noticed, was nowhere in the mixture.
"Your Highness," Marguerite hissed as she curtsied. The S's reminded Henry of a snake. Oh, how ironic. he mused.
"What…are…you…doing…here?" the king growled between clenched teeth.
"Aren't you glad to see me?" she said stepping forward. Henry instinctively took three steps back towards the door. "I love you, and I know you love me. Why are you wasting your time on Danielle? She doesn't really love you. Take me instead."
This woman is insane! "I have never…and will never...love you…in anyway!" He felt like he was choking on the words.
Marguerite just smiled and resumed her dreadful march toward the king. Henry continued pacing back towards the door until, to his horror, he was plastered against the stone wall.
"Henry." The king winced at the sound of his own name. Marguerite was on him now, wrapping her arms around his neck. Henry clenched his fists, drawing every ounce of self-control not to throw this woman against the wall. "Take me," she hissed," I can make you happy. You'll learn to forget her."
Henry was furious. Forget my wife? With a leech like this? What about my daughter? His daughter…his wife…this woman threatened all the things most precious to him. He had to do something…so he took the most rational course he could think of.
"Guards!" he yelled.
Marguerite, shocked, stared at the king in horror. Henry just smirked. Then, faster than Henry could comprehend, the snake of a woman launched herself at the door and fled down the hall.
Henry collapsed into the chair closest to him, relieved to be free of the leech. Merde, he thought she got away.
Henry strode through the gardens. Danielle wasn't in their chambers so he headed to the next most plausible area. He had to tell her…warn her.
Henry picked up the pace a little and rounded the corner.
"What are you two doing out here?" the king sighed, finding his wife playing with their daughter on a blanket. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed her attendants. They needed to be alone. "It's getting dark, you'll catch a cold." He gave Danielle a gentle kiss as he leaned down to join her on the ground.
Danielle nestled against her husband as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "What's wrong?" she asked before Henry had a chance to say anything.
The king took a deep breath and laid his head on his wife's. "She's back."
Henry prepared himself for the queen to panic, but she was surprisingly calm. Her initial reaction was a subtle one. She took in a sharp breath and her muscles tightened. Slowly, she turned her head, stared into Henry's eyes, and swallowed hard. "Are you sure?"
Henry nodded sympathetically. "She basically latched herself onto me the second she saw me."
The queen's eye flashed a brief moment of anger but there was replaced an air of grave seriousness. "Where is she now?"
Henry shrugged. "I don't know. She ran when I yelled for the guards."
Danielle drew a long, heavy sigh and turned back around in Henry's loose embrace and used his body as a backrest. Henry moved his arm from her hip to around her neck and rested his head on her temple.
A breeze whisked through the bushes, causing each parents' eyes to sweep around the garden and land on the princess.
"That's it," Danielle moaned. "I can deal with Marguerite if she comes after me, but I will not put our daughter in danger. I'm going inside."
Henry stepped into the bed chamber a few minutes after Danielle. He had paused as he followed his wife inside to warn the guards to be on the look out for Marguerite.
Quietly Henry made his way to his daughter's bassinette A/N: a round crib with curtains all around it (thank you Chelsea for correcting me) and pulled the curtain aside and found the princess sound asleep.
A faint rustle announced the queen's entrance, but she said nothing as Henry turned to greet her. She seemed to be in a trance, making her way to the bed, slowly running a brush through her hair as she stared blankly out the window.
Deciding not to interfere with her thoughts, the king went into the closet and took off his sheathe. As he removed his coat, Henry turned to face the open doorway.
Danielle had gotten into bed and was curled up, staring out the window. Sighing, Henry tossed his coat onto the small dressing bench and walked over to the bed.
"The Danielle I know is a fighter," he whispered as he lay down beside her, propping his chin on her shoulder.
Danielle slowly turned in her husband's arms and stared into his sympathetic eyes. She was silent for a moment as she collected her thoughts. "How should I know that I'm not going to lose you? Marguerite does not give up easily and is vicious. How can I know that something won't happen?" she finally whispered.
Henry sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose as if trying to figure out how to explain his feelings.
"Ok, who did I marry?"
Danielle let a coy smile play across her lips. She already knew the answer, but played along. "Me."
"And who is the mother of my child?"
"Our child," Danielle corrected.
Henry smiled and leaned forward for dramatic effect. "And which one of the two of you do I want to take into my arms and lose all sense of time with?"
The queen's eyes answered for her.
Henry gently pressed her forehead against his wife's and gazed into her eyes. "Now, does that sound like someone I'll let anything happen to?"
Danielle slowly shook her head, causing Henry's to roll back and forth with hers.
As Danielle expected, Henry planted a warm, gentle kiss on her lips. "Feel better?" he whispered as he pulled away.
Danielle gave a subtle nod.
"Good," he breathed, and showered her in a wave of tiny kissed. Then he gradually progressed down her jaw-line to devour her neck.
"Henry?" Danielle moaned.
"Hmmm?" he replied.
"The door's open…"
"And?" he challenged, kissing his wife's lips again.
"What do you mean 'and?'! Aren't we going to close it?"
"I will if we get too carried away." He muttered between torturous kisses on her neck.
Danielle groaned. "And if someone comes in?"
Henry smiled as he continued to torment his wife. "Who would call at this hour?"
"John?"
"John shouldn't be surprised…"
"Jacqueline?"
"Both should know better than to call this late without an invitation…" he whispered in her ear as his hand crept up her back towards the tie on her nightgown.
"The maids?--"
"…Have been told not to call tonight." Henry interrupted, beginning to nibble her ear.
"Leonardo?"
"Left for Italy this morning. He's doing another painting." He breathed in her ear as he casually began to unlace her nightgown.
Danielle groaned and shifted to try to stop Henry's hand.
Henry groaned and pulled his hand out from underneath his wife's back. Ok, ok, I'm stopping." He felt a twinge of guilt as he felt Danielle's muscles relax dramatically.
"Thank you." Danielle murmured. Henry exhaled and rolled onto his back. "Don't be mad." Danielle laughed, repositioning herself to rest her chin on Henry's chest.
"I'm not mad."
Danielle gave him a skeptical look.
"I promise, I'm not mad" Henry insisted. He gave Danielle a short kiss to prove his point. "I'm going to change."
A few minutes later, Henry came back into the bad chamber to find the bed empty. Danielle was now standing facing the window, a somber look on her face. She didn't notice Henry approaching her until he placed his hand on the small of her back and turned her to face him. "What's wrong? Your mood has been very unpredictable tonight, and I've never known you to be afraid of anything."
"I'm not afraid of her." Danielle said curtly.
"You don't have to lie to me." Henry said, his voice heavy with sympathy.
"Henry, I have never been afraid of her. I know how to win any battle against her. I'm not worried about myself. I'm worried about Genevieve."
Henry gave her a slightly confused look.
"They don't know about the baby," Danielle moaned. "If they find out that we've had a child I can guarantee that Marguerite will try to use Genevieve to force us to comply with her. She may even go as far as to kidnap her. If anything happens to her, Henry, I'll never be able to live with myself."
Henry was baffled for a moment. He had seen Danielle this desperate on one other occasion, when she told him she was pregnant. "Danielle, calm down," he whispered, dabbing a small tear from the corner of her eye. "I promise you that I will not let anything happen to Genevieve. I swear my life on it. Tomorrow I'll send out search parties to try and find Marguerite and Rodmilla. I'll even station guards around Genevieve at all times if you want me to. I will not rest until we find I know that we are all safe."
Danielle wiped a tear from her cheek and raised her eyes to Henry's. "Thank you," she said in a stifled voice.
Henry leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss. "Come on, let's go back to bed. We both have long days tomorrow." He then lead Danielle back to the bed, blew out the light, and climbed into bed as well.
Below in the stable yard, two piercing blue eyes glared at the illuminated window of the royal chambers. Danielle had been standing looking out the window for a few minutes. She was shortly joined by Henry, who turned Danielle profile to the window to face him. From what the intruder could tell, they were talking about something that was obviously troubling to both of them. Henry was now saying something that seemed to make Danielle happier. A few seconds later, the couple kissed left the window and the lights were blown out.
Furious, the unwelcome guest turned on her heel and stormed out of the barn in a fit of blond hair and red skirts. Revenge would be hers.
DA-DUH! ok yeah...it's not THAT climatic but hey...the next part's really goodI promise! I'm having fun with it. Now that I'm over the writer'sblock writing's going much faster and I'm making sure that i devote at least a little time each weekend to this. I'll be more encouraged if you review! So you go ahead and press that little button in the bottom left corner and I'll get to writing! Thanks!