"It's been a long time." was the only thing Mary said, raising her chin. She rested as much as she could in the cold, damp dungeon, but the dim light illuminating the disheveled figure of Catherine de Medici concerned her. Clinging tightly to her hand, her black velvet clad baby stood next to her. He hadn't said a word since Mary told him she would be seeing his grandmother today. And, because he hadn't left her side since he came to her the night before, James insisted on coming with her, begging off staying with his cousins. Even though he seemed quite uncomfortable being here, clearly -as he'd always done even as a newborn- unsettled by his mothers almost undetectable distress. It didn't seem like Catherine could see it, but James knew. James always knew.
But even if she could sense it, Catherine didn't show it. Because, of course, she had spent all of the few seconds the mother-son duo had spent in her new humble abode staring at Mary's large stomach. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted. One hand on her heart, remaining on her knees on the damp stone floor. Mary could see the shock and tears in Catherine's eyes. And she honestly seemed to not know that Mary was with child.
Her lips parted once more, still staring at her stomach. It was covered in black satin and tulle, a red velvet shawl and a black fur house coat that dwarfed her body. Beside her, her boy was donned in black velvet and silver satin embroidery, and a fur cape that left only his head, a part of the doublet and a slither of his little boots and slacks. He clung to her hand still, even tighter when his grandmother's eyes fell to him.
"James." Catherine whispered. He swallowed audibly, a far cry of his precious reactions to his grandmother's presence in France. His eyes lit up when he saw her, but not now.
He nodded slowly, not saying a word.
"How long has it been?" Catherine asked Mary. The Empress narrowed her eyes.
"Two years, I suppose, at least." was the cold response. "Of your own violation." she glared.
"You left." Catherine crulely reminded her, seeming to be over her shock and back to her old self. "You left Francis. You left France, and you took that sweet baby with you." she hissed.
"You had every opportunity to see your grandson, more than a dozen passed you by. And you know why I left France. I warned Francis that if he claimed that child, he would be lost to me and I would leave with my child. And you manipulated him into doing so." she hissed back, not scared of Catherine in the slightest.
"You didn't have to. You didn't have to deny James a father. You could have adjusted in time."
Mary laughed. "No, no, no. I do believe it was Francis himself who denied James a father. He ran away from us in the plague, abandoned him and I. Then spent two years of his life playing house with Lola and John. That, you cannot deny."
"Maybe so. But clearly, my son was settled there." Catherine smirked. "He was. It does not take two years to round up enough fare to make it back to France. He was happy, being a father. Not a king, damn sure not an emperor. He was contented with Lola and John. They made a life together. You couldn't handle seeing them together, happy, and ran away like a scared little girl!"
"He ran away!" Mary snapped. "He ran away from his responsibilities as King, ran to my friend like a romantic hero and rode off into the sunset with them! He abandoned you, too! After all you did to keep him alive in the whole prophecy ordeal, your undying love for him has to be put to the test as he nearly brought his own death by his own hand! Why didn't you lash out at him, he nearly killed himself, your beloved golden child! Instead, you justify all he did as if he is some angel done wrong, as I punish him for his abandonment of his wife and legitimate son! No, you forgave him quicker than a heartbeat and started manipulating him to get what you wanted! For all your frantic motherly attributes, being a laughable Queen, before I was wed to him, you sure acted a Queen then!" Mary snapped, taking a few steps closer.
"You are a mother, you are going to have another child!" Catherine snapped, getting to her feet. "You should know what that means! You should know that you'd sacrifice everything for your child's happiness!" Catherine replied.
"Yes, I would. But I wouldnt burn an international alliance and marriage just so he wouldnt have to act like a king!" Mary snapped again. "You will always be on your son's side, I know and accept that. But what you did not have to do is betray your innocent grandchild and heard us away like we were irritant cattle!"
"I did it because I knew that he would have you!" Catherine came close, but stopped as Mary pulled James behind her. "He would always have you, he would always have a country in Scotland, England! He would always have a future in your empire! I did what I did because I lost him for two years, thinking he was dead, lost to me forever! And when I got him back, I wanted him to be happy! I did what I did as I knew that James would be okay, so would you, and Francis would be happy raising his son!" Catherine exclaimed. Mary's lips parted and she quickly turned from Catherine and knelt down in front of James. They hasn't told him of his true connection to the little boy who caused him such young angst.
"Mama-" he trailed.
"It's alright. You dont have to worry about that, precious. I will explain it all to you later, okay?" she tried to gently explain. "How about I get your uncle and have him take you up to your cousins, have some coco and sugared almonds brought up?" she asked, knowing that she shouldn't be arguing with somebody in front of James. But, he shook his head and wrapped his arms around her neck. She looked up at Catherine as she took a step towards them.
"You didn't tell him?" she questioned.
"How can I? He's a child. He wouldn't understand." she said. Mary stood up with minor difficulty and looked down at Catherine. She had a good eight inches on the Medici woman.
"Mary, I-"
"No. You manipulated my husband to listen to you and you alone. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if you simply wanted to use him as a puppet, rule France through him."
"I did nothing like that! And I'm not the only manipulator, am I? The moment you got my son into your country, you poisoned his mind against me! Turned him from my council and had him listened only to you!"
"He's a man! Not a child! He shouldn't listen to maman's council for the rest of his life, forgive me for allowing him to think for himself and rule for himself! You're justifiably allowed to make him as happy as you wish, but it does not give you the right to try and ruin my country out of bone-idel stupidness and jealousy!"
"You don't need to-"
"No! Is the issue of Francis possibly loving somebody else more than you so threatening? That you're so scared of the prospect of another woman becoming the most important female in his life so terrifying that you'd run to my enemy and start a war?!" she yelled.
"I know what I did was wr-" she stopped. "War? What do you mean war?"
"What else can I mean by war? You lit the flame for a siege on Fontainbleaneau. You ran to my enemy, King Phillip of Spain, told him my secrets, both political and personal, and started a war! He's well on his way to dearest battle on my country! Because of you!"
"I didn't want it to go that far! I just wanted you to feel what you made me feel! I wanted you to know the pain and uncertainty of the one that you love the most going to another! Of feeling your position that you worked do damned hard for, all the tears and the trials and the tribulations all to amount to naught!" Catherine snapped, tears budding in her eyes.
"Jealousy." Mary said. "Simple jealousy!"
"Yes! Did it really take that long to understand? Your youth, beauty, bravery, even your royal blood." Catherine's voice grew quiet. "You surpass me in every way. The lack of time between marriage and children, the ease of getting pregnant, your marriage. Such a sacred union being born of and maintaining love. I was -am- jealous of you. That's why I did what I did. All of it."
Mary stood silently. "If that is true, then you owe it to Francis and moreso James to make this right. Your petty jealousy will not shake his future."
Catherine didn't very respond to her. She just looked behind Mary to her little son, who hid behind her legs. He still held a hand, but his little head poked out from behind them and stared at his grandmother that he hasn't seen in years.
She went to take a step forward. But, with the combination of being a whitness to the arguement, the mistrust and the undying love for his mother or the raggedy appearance of messy orange curls and a ripped white shirt, James inhaled sharply and stepped back. His fingers tightened around his mothers'. And, upon seeing the genuine fear in her boy's pretty eyes, it became the last straw.
Instantly, despite better judgement, Mary picked him up and rested him on her lip, holding him tightly to her as James turned from Catherine and made small sounds into his mothers' neck.
"But," Mary continued. "It appears that you have a mighty fine way to go before any of us trusts you again."
That next afternoon, Mary sought out to find her husband after so long without him. Soon, she wouldnt be able to get out of bed full stop -it was against Nostradamus' judgement to be walking around now- and wished to see her husband and tell him of his mothers' revelation. She hadn't seen him in days and found that she missed him terribly. Besides, she had to talk with him about his conduct with his sons.
"Leith," Mary called out. The Duke turned around and bowed low, young Odette in his arms. He bowed low, the little Princess even lowering her head.
"Imperial Majesty," he said. "how can I help?"
"Oh, Mary, please. We've talked of this." she said, smiling at the young Princess who prettily beamed back. "And yes, you can. Where is my husband? He's been absent lately."
"I've just been with him, Majesty, not three hours ago. He's in his older chambers." Leith replied, adjusting his daughter upon his hip.
"Thank you, Leith." she smiled. He bowed and walked away.
Mary blinked in surprise, starting to walk to the King of England's chambers, the one he slept in whilst she was indisposed or doing rare business.
Soon, she found herself outside the doors. Lacking the need to knock, Mary simply opened the door, cringing at the feeling of her feet and ankles burning.
"Love, where have you-" she trailed off, stopping her words and steps, watching the bed.
There, lay Francis indeed. But he wasn't alone. Fully clothed, he was curled to his eldest son. Their matching blonde hair fell upon the lilac satin pillows. Father and son were at peace, exhaustion clear in their features, the young boy holding into the wrapped hands that were around his middle.
But, that wasn't all she saw. In front of John lay his mother. Her hands were around her boy, curled up close to the both of them. The three of them there, the perfect little family, complete and whole.
Mary's lips parted, a gust of air leaving her lips. Her eyes widened somewhat, and she breathlessly stumbled backwards, a hand coming to rest upon her bump, another on a bookcase, keeping her up steady.
Old insecurity she hadn't felt since she was four months gone with James came flooding back. The three of them, whole and perfect, not including her. Never including her.
Hormonal and shocked tears flooded her eyes. Her heart thumped and her chest burned. The child inside her kicked hard, squirming around, a cramp running through her. Her feet pulsed in pain, and she stepped back again and again.
She sniffles, a hand resting on her thumping heart. Insecurity and fear pulsed through her. After all his proclamations of love and devotion, to her and their children, could it be all lies? Could he really have moved on with Lola, who she now realised wasn't in the tower as she should have been.
He let her out, came the breathtaking realisation. He took her out, defying her orders. He protected her against his wife's judgement.
Didn't that sound familiar?
She whimpered, leaving the room. The door closed and she tried her best to stifle the tears. How could this have happened? How long had it happened?
"Mama?" came the firmiliar response.
She sniffles, turning to James, who rushed over his mother. Falling to her knees, light pink satin and black lace and tulle hit the floor as James rushed into her arms.
"Mama?" he questions her as she pulled him into her arms. "What's happening, mama?"
"Nothing, love. I just love you and this baby so much. And I'm never going to leave you."
"Mary, where have you been? I haven't seen you in days." Francis smiled, entering the large chambers where Mary and James lay on the bed, eating from a box of chocolates and strawberries. Barely moving her head to greet her husband as he came close, Mary turned her head away again as he attempted to kiss her.
"What is it?" Francis frowned. "What's the matter?" the King questioned, watching as Mary untangle herself from the sheets, blankets and furs to stand from the bed, on the opposite side of him.
She didn't say a word.
Francis extended his arms to James, as if to grab him, but the boy did something he hadn't ever done, kicked his fathers hand away with a displeased squeal, before scrambling to his mother.
Mary wrapped her arms around her son, still perched upon the bed, staring hard at Francis.
"What is it?" Francis frowned. "What's going on?"
"Are you really that ignorant that you do not know what you've done to us?" she asked.
"What? Mary, I have no idea what you're talking about." Francis said.
"Really?" Mary chuckled. But it wasn't the happy, pleasures chuckle that she'd let out previously in this pregnancy, but the cold, Queenly chuckle that she only did while entertaining stubborn courtiers. "Judging by our children and the acts of their respective pregnancies, I know you're not the smartest in the world. But are you really that stupid?" she questioned harshly.
Francis blinked in surprise. But he did nothing. He said nothing.
"Ever since your bastard has been at my palace, you've completely neglected our son. So much so that he runs to me crying many days ago, and still, you do nothing." she spat. "You've abandoned him once before, and you do it the moment that child comes back into your life." she shook her head, looking down at him. "Do you love him that much? That you're willing to dissolve your marriage, your rule, your legitimate son's childhood just so John will be happy? Does he have that much of a hold over you? Do you favour him that much because of those two years? That you're willing to hurt this innocent boy, this innocent unborn baby, just to please him? Hint that could bring down so much and so many? Or are you simply desensitized to your heirs cries because he misses his papa and wonders what is so wrong with him that you would leave him!" she almost yelled.
"Mary, I-" he tried, but she cut him off.
"No! Not a word! I won't stand by and watch this any more! I will not let you harm my child, my baby any longer!" she snapped. "I thought you proved yourself, I thought you changed! That you'd be a good husband and a good father and a good King, a good Emperor! But you are not! You haven't changed one bit from that playboy prince I met years ago! So sentimental and selfish that you would burn others to raise yourself up! Truly, you are the son of Catherine de Medici. I see that now." she chuckled humourlessly. "You are still that stupid boy who ran off into plague like a knight in shining armour like you did four years ago. You told me you knew it was wrong! You told me you wouldn't do it again, but you practically have! I was so stupid to trust you again, so stupid to think that you changed for the better. So stupid that I thought you'd be a good father to our son, our unborn baby! But I was wrong! You favour your bastard and you always will." she hissed. All this time, he had been trying to interrupt, but she talked over him each time. Just like she did now. "Why won't you think like a King? Just for once, think like your father! He may have loved Bash more but Henry always knew that you were more important! You say you don't want to be like him, but be a damned King!" she snapped.
She saw his face burn red, but talked over him once more. All this time, James had been clinging to her. She held him tight. Mary knew it was wrong to argue in front of her baby, but it needed to be said. They couldn't keep going like this.
"Oh, you're angry, are you?" she asked rhetorically. "Are you going to pull your King card how you did on our coronation? How I was supposed to be subservient to you, at least in front of nobles? Let me tell you, you may be the man I love, my king, my emperor. But I do not fear you, not for a single second. I will not bow to you and I damn sure won't sit aside as you reverse history and repeat it!" she snapped.
"You do not talk to-"
"Stop!" Mary yelled. "About to pull your king card, the same way you started to create your beloved bastard in the first place? Let me pull my Empress, then. I out rank you in every single way, and especially in the role as parent." Feeling her baby's arms shake around her, Mary picked him up and held him on her hip again. Once again, she knew she probably shouldn't, being so far gone in pregnancy, but he needed to be held. She couldn't deny him the way francis had.
"Let me explain-"
"No! If you haven't been acting such an arse, there would be nothing to explain!" she yelled. "You claim to not want to be Henry, but you turn into him anyway! You've been favouring him since the moment he arrived!" Mary yelled. "And, to make matters worse, you let Lola out of her captivity! You seemed oh so comfortable together yesterday!"
"What? Mary, please. Let me explain!"
"Francis, I caught you!" Mary cried. "I caught you earlier! With her! You said you'd only be communicating with her to better parent John! But you lied to me! You lied to me again!" she sobbed, hormonal tears mixed with those of velvet anger. She let them fall.
"Mary, please! Let me explain!" Francis begged. He moved to try and touch her, but she moved away with James so he couldn't.
"What is here to explain, Francis?! I opened that chamber door and there you two were! In bed! I saw you! You were sleeping with Lola! My girls told me you woke up together in Paris! You slept with her again!"
"I didn't mean to!" he yelled. "John's been sickened with fever and sweat! He needed me! He needed his mother! I cannot deny him when he needed me!"
She paused.
"I can't expect you to deny him, you've proven the fact that you will run to him whenever he asks! But what I cannot allow is you neglecting our son when he needs you the most! He runs to me crying every single night, fearing that you've abandoned him not once but twice!"
"I have not!" Francis snapped. His eyes were wide. "I will always be there for him, we live in the same palace! He knows this! The last months have proved it! But sometimes, there are priorities! I cannot risk him getting John's sickness, he is too important!"
"It's nice of you to realise the truth, but you cannot abandon him when he needs you! We agreed that you would be there for him more since I am so close to giving birth, but you have pulled away!"
"I won't abandon John, he is unwell!"
"But you will abandon James?!" Mary laughed. "He is perceptive, he understands things! But what he doesn't understand is why his father is suddenly not with him! You can't do that! Soon he won't know who you are!"
"That is not true! I-"
"What of this baby?" she placed a hand on her stomach. "Are you going to abandon it whenever you want to run to your illegitimate spawn? I won't let you ruin this baby as you tried to do our child, I won't let you think of our son, our firstborn child, our heir, as something of a backburner! For all your promises to be a great father, you are falling short at every given moment!" Mary yelled.
"Mary, please. You don't understand! I have no idea how to father a child! My own never taught me how! I need to prioritise every few months! It won't ruin their lives if I do. Just listen, you haven't been letting me talk! Just listen!" Francis started to walk over to her, as if trying to soothe her, but Mary reacted negatively, pulling back even more.
No, no, no! I cannot do this anymore, okay?! I cannot! I've dealt with you and your lies for too long! I can't handle it anymore!" she screamed, sobbing the words out.
"You don't mean that! Please, please give me one more chance. One more! To make it right!" he cried. His voice was back to begging. He came forward with his arms extended, as if trying to hold her, but she backed up, shaking her head.
"No, no!" she cried. "No! I can't do this any more! I have given you chance after chance after chance, and all you do is betray me time and again! I can't handle it!"
"Love, please!"
"I've reached my limit with all of this, I'm just so exhausted. Of you and all you bring me. I can't handle more. I won't." she shook her head.
"You can't-you don't mean that. You can't want this! Have you forgotten that the child in your belly needs a father?"
"He was just fine without you for all those years! And he will be just fine without you! And so will this child!" she snapped, wiping her tears. "You've ensured that!"
"You cannot do this?"
"Can't I?" she asked. "Just leave. Just leave! It's what you always do! Just leave! Take them and go back to wherever you came from! Leave and never come back!" Mary yelled.
The door slammed open. Kenna and Bash walked in.
"Okay, break it up!" Kenna yelled. She whirled towards Francis, pointing an accusing finger at her half brother in law. "You both need to stop arguing in fro t of James and you need to stop being a moody, arrogant arse. You need to start being a better father to your sons before you loose them both."
She whirled towards Mary, tilting her head at her husband. "And you need to stop getting angry and stop picking up James." Bash took the boy from his mother's arms. "You're endangering the baby you carry inside of you." she said, ever the disciplinarian.
They looked at each other, seeming to call a silent truce for the time being.
"Bash, take James to the nursery. It's late and you must get him ready for bed." she ordered. "Send for handmaidens to get ready for her to rest for the evening."
Bash nodded and obeyed. Instantly, handmaidens came into the room.
Mary, by this point, had walked away to the side of the room, starting to fiddle around with trinkets in random boxes. Kenna had been playing referee, making sure that the married couple didn't lash out again. Francis stood awkwardly.
When the handmaidens came into the room, Kenna looked to Mary, who seemed a little off.
"Mary?" Kenna asked, watching Mary's face slightly falter. "Mary, what is wrong?" she asked. Said Empress leaned a hand on the dresser nearest her, closing her eyes for a beat. She inhaled almost sharply.
"Majesty!" one of the hand maidens shrieked, rushing towards them.
Mary gasped in pain, feeling familiar pain echoing through her entire torso. She gulped. It was too early. She still had another couple of weeks to go. Maybe holding James so much today was a mistake, and the arguement. But she couldn't help it. Her boy needed her. And Francis irritated her.
"Send for the midwife! The child is coming!"