Let me just say, I am terrible at heated scenes, you'll know what I mean. Also, I read up a little bit on Bash's wiki page out of curiosity, (because as you know, I more or less gave up watching Reign after Kennash ended and Francis died) and I got an idea from that, after learning he became some sort of druid... Anyway, I hope you'll like the direction I take for Kenna, Bash and their family as a little side plot. There are still some loving moments between Frary and their children to come.

Replies to reviews:

Guest (1) [chapter 18]: Here's the next chapter and I hope you enjoy what I have in store!

elder441 [chapter 18]: Thank you! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Guest (2) [chapter 18]: Well, I'm not sure if this is long ;) It's definitely a build-up for what's in store.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Anne, we can do this all day, but the fact still stands," Mary told her eldest daughter. "You will have another sibling."

Anne's eyes watered. "But that's more siblings to share you with! I've only just accepted Rose!"

"What?"

"I mean, I love my sister!" Anne cried, rubbing her tears away.

Mary bit back a laugh. Her daughter was one manipulative child and she definitely knew the child's thought processes. She brought her into her arms and rubbed her back.

"I know, my sweet," Mary said softly. "But Papa and I were always planning on giving you many siblings."

"I wish I was like you, Mama!" Anne told her. "And Robin, you both only have one sibling!"

Mary shrugged. "But Papa has many siblings and he loves them all very dearly..."

At least most of them, Mary thought to herself.

Charles had been married off recently, Francis's sisters were also married off and sent to other countries beyond reach. These days, Francis only had Bash and Henri to count on.

"I thought you told Rose that you and Papa would wait," Anne told her. "You lied, Mama. You lied."

Mary kissed Anne's head softly. "My love, Papa and I didn't plan for this to happen." Yes, they did. "I'm terribly sorry."

Anne sniffled. "I forgive you. As long as he is not disgusting like James! He always spits up on me."

"He's a baby," Mary argued, laughing. "He will be chasing after you very soon. You have to be a good role model for him, can I count on you?"

"Yes," Anne said, nodding. "You can, Mama."

"Good. Go and find Robin and Rose. I am sure they'd like to play knights and princesses," Mary replied, standing back up.

Just as Anne ran off, Kenna entered the room and gave Mary a coy smile.

"You're glowing, Mary," Kenna told her knowingly. "Does it have something to do with your husband stealing mine away for a trip to the tavern?"

Mary nodded. "I'm-"

"I knew it!"

"H-How?"

Kenna waved her off, laying down on the chaise casually. "I have eyes and you did look slightly bloated than usual."

"Do you really observe my figure?" Mary asked her. "For how long?"

"A long time," Kenna replied, beaming. "I have to notice the changes in my friends otherwise I'd be a terrible friend, wouldn't I? Not that our husbands will bother to notice."

Mary giggled. "How was the tour of the cave?"

"Boring," Kenna said. "As expected. Until I made a bet and won either way."

"Kenna!" Mary laughed. "Let me guess, the book?"

"What else?"

Mary shook her head in disbelief. "It almost got me in trouble. Well, not trouble..."

"Mary, Queen of Scots. Look at you, losing your innocence!" Kenna replied. "Apparently, my efforts for a private reading life were thwarted by Bash's knowledge all along. I am terribly sorry that we-"

"Please, come," Mary cut her off. "I am still new to this and I do not want to embarrass myself."

Kenna gave her a look. "You could be buried naked in mud and Francis still wouldn't judge you. You will be fine-"

"This was meant for us to get away from the struggles of parenthood. I will soon have four children, Kenna! Dear God, even you said that you needed space from Robert and Anastasia."

"Well, I've been meaning to talk to someone about the book... Lola and I explored it years ago and now that I am married..." Kenna trailed off.

Mary grinned. "Am I swaying your mind?"

Kenna rolled her eyes. "If you manage to convince an almost six-year-old to give up his parents for a short while."

"I am a queen, I can convince anyone."

"I've noticed your success rate," Kenna teased. "Fine."

"Yes!"

...

"Why did you insist on separate carriages?" Francis asked his wife as they began their journey to her ancestral home.

Mary smiled a little. "I remember you telling me once that Bash snored like a horse and I can tell you, only his wife can bear it."

"Or..." Francis started. "You were thinking about doing something not very queenlike."

Mary's cheeks reddened as she nervously pulled at the collar of her dress. Underneath was one of Kenna's lingerie. She hadn't known that the woman had bought thirteen more sets under her poor husband's name.

"If that is what you truly think," Mary said, turning to grin at him. "You don't know me at all."

Francis tutted, looking out of the window to view the night sky. "Is it really because of Bash's snoring?"

"Kenna seldom complains," Mary said lightly. "We're women, we talk."

"And what about me? What do you say to her about me?"

Mary smirked. "I say that you do something to me that I really like... When I'm asleep, you braid my hair and I laugh because it's you."

Francis turned to her in surprise. "How did you find out?"

"Rose told me that she came to sleep in our bed one night, but saw you braiding my hair. I naturally assumed it was one of the girls, but no, it wasn't. It was you," Mary replied. "It's sweet."

"I aim to surprise," Francis said, smiling at her. "I have many sisters, I was bound to know how to braid hair. More so that they tried to braid mine when I was little."

Mary laughed, taking his hand in hers. "Is that so?"

"Yes," he replied, nodding. "I'd run around, my mother barely catching me, my hair knotted in many places because Elisabeth and Claude wanted to practice."

"Do you miss your mother?"

"Mary, I... I know what she's done was not for the better of us or our family, but she is still-"

"Your mother," Mary finished for him. "I understand. Small steps, Francis."

Francis smiled to himself. "How far is the castle from here?"

"Six hours," Mary replied. "Why?"

Francis's hand found the back of her neck and her breath hitched, his hand going lower to the laces that held her dress tight.

"Last night was amazing, Mary," he said quietly, undoing the laces with one hand.

Mary's eyes met his. "Was it?"

"You know it was," he replied. "Perhaps Kenna may have been right because I saw what you have underneath this dress."

"And what do I have underneath this dress exactly?" She asked, leaning forward so he could finish undoing her laces.

"We both know," his reply came, a kiss landing on her shoulder after he'd slipped her sleeves off. "I just want to know if you have more."

Mary laughed. "I can't keep stealing Kenna's lingerie sets."

"Knowing Bash, he won't take the time to appreciate them anyway," Francis replied, his kisses trailing up her neck. "He told me he rips them off - you ought to steal more before all his money goes to waste."

Mary took a sharp intake of breath when his lips met her pressure point, her hand immediately going to steady his head against her skin. She could feel her stomach tied in knots and she gripped onto his hair.

"That's a shame, considering he spends an awful lot on those for her," came her breathy reply.

She squealed when he unexpectedly fell on her side, their carriage going over a rough patch on the road. She cursed, taking her dress off herself, impatiently.

"Francis, you need to take your-"

He lifted his shirt off, reattaching his lips onto her neck once again as she pushed the dress off her hips. When the dress was on the ground of their carriage, Mary got up and straddled his hips, pressing her lips against his in a heated kiss.

"Not only your shirt," she said, pulling away.

She looked into his eyes as he blindly undid his trousers and pushed them off, letting them pool around his booted feet.

"Not only your shirt and breeches," she whispered into his ear.

Francis let out a chuckle, vibrating her skin as he slipped his undershorts off.

"That's much better," Mary said, kissing him again.

"And is that fair?"

Mary frowned. "What?"

"That you still have that on your body?" Francis asked her, gripping her waist.

Mary giggled, pressing a kiss to the side of his lips. "I thought you didn't want to be like your brother and not appreciate the finer things..."

"Damn it, Mary," Francis said, his eyes darkening. "If I beg, will-"

"Shh," Mary cut him off, pressing a finger to his lips. "Patience is a-"

"Virtue that I'd like to ignore," he told her.

Mary ground against him, evidently feeling his excitement. She laughed, shaking her head.

"After nearly four children, I still have this effect on you?" She asked, touched.

"Oh, my love, I will never stop reacting to the effect you have on me," he replied, reaching down between them to unlatch her lingerie but she quickly stopped him. "Why are you delaying the inevitable?"

"Because it's inevitable?" Mary retorted teasingly.

Francis groaned. "Is it this stupid book?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Mary!"

"Francis!" She replied mockingly. Damn, Kenna really does bring out my confident side if I'm starting to talk like her, she thought amusingly.

Francis narrowed his eyes. "If you don't give me what I want in five minutes..."

"You'll what?"

"I'll have to take it for myself," he said, biting the skin over her collarbone, making her gasp.

His hands found the ribbon ties of the green lace bodice, unweaving each strand one by one, slowly and surely, his eyes never leaving hers.

She waited patiently, thinking that she might as well let him gain somewhat of an upper hand.

"Are you done?" She asked, feeling the bodice loosen.

"Nearly," Francis replied, undoing the last tie. "Now, I am."

"Good."

Mary reached down and unlatched the bottom, feeling a release at the bottom of her stomach.

"I never realised how tight-fitting this was until I unlatched it," she breathed out. "To be honest, I'd like it off n-"

Before she knew it, the lingerie was off over her head and she let out a strained moan when she felt him enter her.

She pressed her head against his and waited a while for her body to adjust. She could already feel the pressure, but she wasn't ready to let go this quick, she wanted to enjoy it.

Slow and steady... Slow and steady...

"Are you going to-"

"Shh," she shushed him, pressing a hand against his mouth. "We can't be loud."

"I already know that," his amused, muffled reply came.

Mary laughed. "Have you ever heard foxes making love?"

"What?"

"It's loud and strange. There was a fox den near Castle Barton-"

"You're ruining the moment-"

"We need to be quiet, is my point," she finished, not giving him any warning when she started to ride him.

She heard him let out a strangled groan and she pressed her lips against his, hoping that their sounds would be drowned in each other.

Francis quickened the pace, deciding that slow was too slow. He needed to reach his climax sooner, after all the foreplay and stalling she did, he deserved it.

"F-Francis," she said against his lips. "Slower-"

"Mary-"

"Harder."

He complied, pressing his lips to her neck as one of her hands found the wall, the other gripped onto his shoulder tightly, her sharp nails digging into his skin.

He winced at the pain, but it quickly left his mind when he reached his climax. He shivered, wanting to help his wife, but she stopped him and continued to rock, this time slower and steadier.

She wanted to be in control. She was a weapon, but also her own asset.

She could retrieve her pleasure herself, no one needed to help her.

She was a queen.

Chapter Seventeen - If you want something done, do it yourself. Not every time a man has to take credit.

Sensing that she was about to reach her climax, he kissed her, his tongue slipping into her mouth as their tongues fought for dominance.

He was glad that they could do this. Most times, their carriage trips were with their children. Now, it was just him and Mary and a long journey ahead of them. They will need to pass the time a good few times.

"Francis!" She cried out, her mouth leaving his.

She shivered, falling against him, breathing heavily as her eyes closed tiredly.

"What happened to 'being quiet'?" He asked, chuckling breathlessly. "Because that was loud."

Mary laughed. "I-"

She was cut off by the carriage jolting once again, the driver apologising for going over yet another uneven part of the road.

"Perhaps he heard," Francis said to his wife, snorting.

"Hmm, otherwise we wouldn't have gone over many potholes," she replied.

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Were you too into your harder and faster to not realise that we went over six potholes?" She asked him teasingly. "I really do have an effect on you. You couldn't even notice your surroundings."

Francis started to laugh, reaching down to retrieve her lingerie. "We should get dressed."

"We should..." She trailed off. "But we still have a long journey ahead of us."

"Do we now?" He asked coyly. "Oh, that is right. Six hours."

"Yes," Mary replied, grinning. "Maybe I'd let you take over."

His eyes sparkled. "Really?"

"No," she said. "Because there is one page from that book I'd like to try..."

"Is that so?"

"Just sit back and enjoy the ride," she said into his ear huskily before kneeling in front of him.

...

Halfway through the journey, they set up camp.

"I'm sorry," Mary said, wiping her mouth. "I think it was all the hot air inside the carriage and with the baby..."

"Glad to know that it wasn't our earlier antics that made you destroy the pretty, little flowers below. What a shame, they're now covered in beef, carrots and something I won't even say out loud," Francis teased her.

She laughed, accepting some wine to get rid of the sour taste in her mouth. She felt embarrassed, the driver of their carriage eyeing them warily every now and then as he conversed with the other drivers by the campfire.

"Is he telling them of our lustful tryst?" She asked her husband quietly.

Francis shrugged. "We're married, they obviously know how we procreate our heirs."

Mary giggled, her eyes wandering around. "Where are Kenna and Bash?"

"I think they are still in their carriage," Francis explained. "I doubt either of them got any sleep due to Robin's night terrors."

The door to the other couple's carriage opened and Bash stepped out, closing it behind him. He walked over to them, quite flusteredly they realised.

"We thought you were asleep," Mary told him, giving him a smile. "How's the journey so far?"

"Terribly long," Bash replied.

Francis noticed something about him and grinned. "Are those scratches on your neck?" He asked, pointing very notably to the red, bleeding lines under Bash's ear. "One, two and three. Someone's wife was getting lusty."

"What?" Bash asked, quickly slapping a hand over his cuts. "No. T-They're not what you think they are."

"I think by 'terribly long', you mean 'just long enough'," the blonde also said teasingly. "Is your wife tired from your activ-"

"I dare you to finish-"

"Gentlemen," Mary said, laughing. "Yes, we've all utilised the longevity of this journey for certain activities. Let's not tease each other over it."

"It's that stupid book," Bash confessed to them soon after. "Kenna wants to try all sorts of positions and well, my body is not as it used to be."

Francis rolled his eyes. "We're not even thirty-"

"I'm nearing it! I feel old and worn out and she... she's as spirited and energetic as a hare!"

Mary bit back a smile. "Are you comparing your wife to a hare?"

"I wouldn't if I were you," Francis added.

"No," Bash said fearfully, crossing his arms. "Anyway, forget the book. It's also those damned seductive vices she keeps ordering on my name. The looks our servants and guards give me, those looks follow me here."

"We're young, Bash!" Francis told him. "We might as well enjoy what our dear wives graciously give us while we still can."

Mary nodded. "So stop complaining."

"Complaining? No, I'm doing the opposite," Bash said, smirking. "I won't tell you about that. Let's just say, we are glad that we have no children in the carriage."

"We understand what you mean," Mary replied, blushing. "It is not long until we get there, so we better get some rest. I knew it would be hard travelling at night, but that was the only time the children wouldn't see us leaving."

"I guess you both need all the time before your household counts to six."

Francis wrapped his arms around his wife's waist from behind, placing his hands on her bump. "I still can't quite believe it."

"Neither can I," Mary whispered, shivering slightly.

His hands moved to rub warmth into her shoulders and she blushed under Bash's warm gaze.

"You both raise amazing children," he told them. "I wish our parents could have done the same for us."

"It is hard," Mary said softly. "I keep worrying whether I will mess something up. When we were first married, yes, we needed heirs but... I was scared to be a mother, to go through childbirth, to get out of it alive..." She sent an apologetic look towards the carriage where Kenna was. "Not most queens can be hands-on, but I am glad that I am as I am a queen in my own right and I care deeply for my children."

Bash nodded. "There's something I need to tell you about Robin-"

"Your Majesties, My Lord - it is time to continue with our journey," one of the drivers said. "It is getting too dangerous."

Francis sent his brother a look. "We will continue this when we arrive."

Bash nodded, bowing slightly before heading towards his carriage.

"He seemed off," Francis told his wife as they got into their own. "I wonder what is wrong with Robin."

"I hope it isn't anything too worrying," Mary replied. "They've been through a lot already."

"Well, we'll find out when we get-"

"Home," Mary finished for him. She gave him a smile. "I highly doubt we'd stay there long as Castle Barton is my home, but Linlithgow Palace is still special to me."

"Then, it is special to me."