Mirror's Reflection - Part 2
Disclaimer - They belong to Meg Cabot and Disney, but have lots of fun (most of the time lol) with me :)
Rating: T (there's some adult stuff in here but nothing too terrible. Nothing like what's on TV these days lol)
Characters: Clarisse, Joseph, Mia, Nicholas, Shades, Charlotte, and Original Characters
Special Thanks to My Person for helping me see this through and for all your valuable input. You know I'd be lost without you!
Chapter 1
Shades paced the small area of the foyer just outside the room that housed sessions of Parliament within the palace. While he'd certainly gotten better at being patient, he'd learned the higher the stakes, the quicker his patience fled.
And, today, the stakes were very high.
On one side, he was excited for the woman he would soon marry and for his Queen. This could potentially be a very big day for both of them. On the other, a knot had slowly been forming since the day Queen Amelia had shared with him that she was going to put this historic vote before Parliament on the one year anniversary of her coronation.
It was the right thing to do. He knew that in his heart of hearts. But not everyone in Genovia was ready for the "right" thing. Some preferred the old ways…ways that were no longer beneficial to the continued growth of his beloved Genovia. And those people were powerful and dangerous. More dangerous, he feared, than his young Queen understood.
Charlotte knew the danger. She knew and was willing to take the risk. She'd also made him promise that he wouldn't share certain details of that danger with his Queen. He hadn't told the Queen, but he had trusted his old boss and friend. He'd sworn Joseph to secrecy. If Joseph told Queen Clarisse, well… who knows what would have happened. The secret had to be kept.
Keeping things from the woman you loved and/or served…well that was never a good thing and, he suspected, was a prime reason that the knot in his stomach grew larger every day. But, the heart does things for reason that reason does not understand. At least that's what Joseph had told him.
Determined footsteps emanating from inside the room made him step back to a safe distance. Thankfully he did because mere moments later, the doors flew open. Viscount Mabry emerged first, the look on his face one of anger, maybe even rage. The knot tightened. He'd never liked this particular viscount and the fact that his nephew was now married to Queen Amelia didn't change that fact nor lessen his suspicions about the Prince Consort.
Members of Parliament filed out after him. Some with smiles. Some not. Because of the Viscount's reaction, he surmised that the vote had gone the Queen's way. Otherwise, Mabry would have stuck around to gloat.
Once the line had slowed, he stepped inside and saw Mia accepting a helping hand from the Prime Minister as she descended from the small platform her seat occupied. The smile on both of their faces confirmed her victory. "Congratulations, Your Majesty." He offered with a slight bow.
Mia beamed at his praise. "Thanks, Shades. It was closer than I would have liked, but a win is a win, right?"
"It's long past the time that women were allowed to serve in Parliament," Sebastian added. "I look forward to adding Charlotte's knowledge and personality to the mix of these old codgers."
Mia laughed at his assessment, "I couldn't agree more. I look forward to having a voice of reason in the ranks."
"Assuming she accepts the seat," Shades added hesitantly.
This brought Mia up short and the smile faded from her face. "Why wouldn't she? I thought this is what she wanted all along. She's been the main reason I pushed so hard. I mean other than the fact it's long overdue."
Fearing he would share too much, he nodded. "It is. I'm just saying all the I's have to be dotted and T's crossed before it becomes official."
His Queen's smile returned. "Then let's go find out right now." She turned to the Prime Minister, "Thank you for all your help. We'll meet in the morning to start working on what's next?"
Sebastian bowed, "At your service, Your Majesty. I'll see you in the morning."
Once he'd left, Mia turned to Shades. "Where is she now?"
"She's with the Eagle and Joseph at the fountain."
Mia laughed. "Of course that's where they would be. Well let's go then."
He ignored the twisting in his gut and gestured for her to lead the way. "Right behind you."
"Joe? Don't shoot, Shades and I are almost to the fountain." Mia teased as they neared the center of the maze. It had always been a place where the innermost circle of the royal family went to escape prying eyes as it was one of the few places that visitors of the palace could not enter unless accompanied by a royal."
Joseph turned toward the sound of his Queen's voice as he squeezed the hand of his wife tighter. He shot a look at Charlotte. The pensive look on her face had remained and he understood why. A moment later, the young brunette appeared, the smile on her face telling him all he needed to know. "You won."
She moved over to Charlotte and took her hands and squeezed. "We won. Women now have the right to serve in Parliament."
Clarisse beamed. "I'm so proud of you, Amelia and Charlotte, I'm so excited for your future."
A small smile crept onto Charlotte's face. "Thank you. It is truly an honor to be chosen for such an important task."
"Then you accept?" Mia's hopeful gaze turned fully on Charlotte.
Time paused as a quiet settled over the group. The air no longer stirred the bushes, the water seemed to barely splash as though it was only one tiny droplet hitting the soft water, and the heartbeats of all five individuals stopped for a moment. Finally, Charlotte nodded. "Of course, your Majesty, I would be honored to accept."
"Yay!" Mia squealed and pulled Charlotte into a hug. "Get in here Gramma."
Clarisse joined the group hug.
Joseph was thankful she did so none of the women noticed the look of concern that passed between him and Shades. After a moment, Joseph forced himself to smile as the women celebrated. While he supported the decision wholeheartedly, he silently prayed that this wasn't the first major misstep of his Queen's young reign.