Disclaimer: I neither own Reign, nor profit from this story.

Ch 35 - From the Ashes Beauty

The next few weeks seemed like one unending nightmare.

Catherine was extremely weak from the long labor and from losing so much blood so that all she was able to do was feed little Victoria and sleep.

Henry was both terrified and grieving.

Catherine seemed to be handling it fine for now, but as she began getting stronger she also refused to let the little girl out of her sight. Henry had to drug Catherine's drink on several occasions so that she would allow herself to rest.

She was clearly terrified that this child too would be taken away from her.

And then it happened.

Not six weeks after the birth of their twin little girls, Victoria died as well.

Catherine was inconsolable and they had needed to forcibly remove the child from her grasp.

Henry held her then, both to grieve himself and for fear of her doing something she shouldn't.

This was so much worse than Louie.

She just lay in bed, feeding Hercule as he needed, and eating small amounts but only when Henry insisted.

She barely even moved from waking to sleeping.

Henry went to work as little as possible, trying his hardest to keep his remaining family in tact and functioning. Francis instead handled the daily traffic through the shop. He took care of minor tasks himself and consulted Henry on any larger jobs as to what they would be take on or not.

They were able to get Catherine out of bed for the funeral but only barely.

She hadn't even bathed since before her labor save the sponge bath the midwife insisted they provide directly following the birth.

Following the funeral Henry decided that he would try and rouse her with a dip in the stream, spending time in the waters was a favorite of hers but she would normally scold him for the possibility of indecency.

While he held her Mary helped to remove all but her chemise, and folded the garments to leave on the bank. He was already down to just his trousers and scooped her up like a childto hold her close as he walked slowly down into the cool water.

She shivered, but initially made very little reaction to the change.

Once his was in up to his lower torso he stopped in his descent and instead began to move her back and forth gently, almost as if he was rocking her.

After nearly twenty yeas of marriage he saw in this woman many things. Love, commitment, enthusiasm and vigor, most of which seemed absent now. It was as if she had given everything to their two youngest children and been left with little of her prior self.

Eventually he felt her nails dig slightly into his chest and was about to pull her farther away from him so he could see her face when he heard it.

Catherine was crying.

She started with quiet sniffles but they eventually turned into great sobs.

She gasped for air a few times and Henry began to notice her shivers increase as the stress of her grief spread throughout her body.

Walking back to the shore he sat with her in his lap not far from their belongings.

Still cradling her now shaking form, both from the crying and the chills, he grabbed a blanket he had asked Mary to bring and wrapped it around her, albeit somewhat awkwardly.

Eventually she quieted, though she had still had said not a word.

They just sat there for a time, silent tears from both of them flowed down their faces.

They had been left nearly by themselves, but for the first time since that tragic day they were no longer alone.

Catherine eventually fell asleep and Henry waited a while before he decided to try and stand.

Despite his exhaustion he carried her back to their house. He would send someone for their clothes later.

Henry laid her gently down in bed and looked at his sleeping wife. He felt just a glimmer of hope for the first time in weeks.

As he laid down himself he kissed her forehead taking in her still form.

"Goodnight my queen," he spoke softly, and to his utter surprise heard her answer back.

"Goodnight my king."

-/-/-/-

Catherine slowly recovered after that. The glimmer in her eye seemed to be dimmer, and her smiles rarely reached the dimples in her cheeks anymore, but she did return to her normal routine.

This time it was Little Henry that helped pull her out of her stupor.

Perhaps because he was his father's name sake, perhaps it was the gentle yet patient nature that had begun to develop in him. Whatever the reason Henry breathed a sigh of relief every time he saw a vestige of her old self returning.

Margot on the other hand seemed to have a very different take on the whole thing and became even more spirited than before. She had never been the most obedient or reserved child, but she seemed to either take Catherine's significantly more docile demeanor as an excuse to exploit the gap left in her wake or as a personal affront as there was simply less of Catherine to go around.

Either way it was frustrating on some days, and rather exasperating on others. Henry tried to pick up the slack when he could, and in some ways that brought he and his youngest daughter closer, after a fashion.

One positive change that had happened was that Catherine and Henry became more noticeably affectionate.

Not particularly obviously so, and quieter than how they used to be. A lingering look, their arms remaining attached to the other as long as they were able, even holding hands became normal for the couple.

Eventually Francis and Mary' decided to have a second wedding, one where the village was there to witness it this time.

Some time had passed since the twins death, and though no one had fully recovered it had been a while since everyone had something to truly smile about, and it seemed like the right things at the right time.

Whereas their first wedding was huddled, quiet, literally in then dark of night, this one was open to all of their friends and neighbors.

Everything had been prepared and it was just about time for the ceremony.

Mary and Catherine were experiencing quite the sense of deja vu as Catherine stood near Mary to fix her hair. Claude and Elisabeth were there too like the last time, but this time with the welcome additions of Mary's friends.

They had been understandably shocked to find out that one day their friend was playing games and enjoying laughs with them as usual and the next she was married.

Greer of course found out first and was sworn to secrecy until Mary and Francis had been let out of their room for good. Her other friends were decidedly mad at her for keeping such a secret but soon found it advantageous to have one of their own married herself.

Oh the questions they asked!

Of course she could only answer some of them later on as she and Francis took a while for their physical relationship to develop.

He was amusingly sweet their first night back at their childhood home, offering to sleep on the floor so that she would not feel uncomfortable. With a gentle smile on her face she shook her head and reached out for his hand. She drew him closer and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, which had become her way of showing affection for him without making either of them uncomfortable.

"I have slept in bed with my friends on more than one occasion, and for now we will do the same."

Making sure to catch his eye before continuing she finished with three simple words.

"I trust you."

Though they were both in agreement as to where they would both sleep it was still a bit unconfortable. and in the end they laid down side by side and not touching an inch. They didn't move much until they were both fast asleep, and in the morning were more startled by the contact than they had anticipated, but it was a beginning.

Little had changed for Mary, except that she had eventually become the town's midwife. When she wasn't away at a birth she continued to help Catherine with the children quite a bit, which made Henry feel better about eventually returning to work.

As for Francis, a swordsmith opened a shop in town and Francis went to work under him with Henry's blessing.

Bash too was doing quite well as Henry's apprentice and found that he much preferred it to farm labor. Once he had secured the apprenticeship Kenna began spending an inordinate amount of time at Henry's shop, though only on the days Bash was there.

With all of the children growing as they were Catherine was able to visit Henry in the shop nearly every day and sometimes stay until the end of the day. They would then walk back together, often in almost silence. It was a state that the two of them found more and more comforting as the days passed by.

They still grieved, they probably always would, but there was a softer edge to the sting that once consumed them.

Elisabeth was now beginning to attract suitors and so they soon became busy with that.

Henry rather enjoyed scaring them off, sometimes with the help of Francis and Bash. Catherine was mostly amused while Elisabeth was generally appalled.

Claude seemed content to just stay at home and help her mother with whatever needed tending to. As Mary's friend's became more actively interested in suitors themselves however, whatever energy they had left from fawning over their own beau's they decided to use in a collective mission to find her a suitable match. Catherine kept a close eye on it but thought it was sweet, Claude's reaction was far less accommodating.

Charles meanwhile was beginning to show aptitude in his studies and enjoyed helping his siblings with their lessons in the evenings.

Hercule seemed just happy to be the baby of the family though he had a knack for being in the middle of this debate or that, at home with with his friends. One night he even came home with a black eye and received quite the glare and tongue lashing from his parents.

One night after their whole brood was soundly put to bed Catherine was doing some mending by the fire with Henry nearby.

One advantage to Catherine's new demeanor was that it allowed him to sometimes just sit and watch her, with Catherine largely unaware. As he watched her this night he had noticed her gaze drift some time ago from her task to the flares and crackles of the fire.

With a glimmer in his eye he stood up and knelt down to remove the abandoned task from her lap.

Her attention returned from whatever faraway place she had gone and Catherine looked at him quizzically, her temper even farther from the surface of late.

Henry extended his hand and she took it, smiling as he stood up and drew her with him.

Dancing by the fire was another activity they now favored, with and without their children present.

As they began moving in synch they relaxed into each other, a fondness flowed between them and unity in their quiet care for the other.

"You are the love of my life, Henry. My husband and king." Catherine eventually intoned.

Henry felt the affection in her words radiate throughout his person.

"I have loved you from the first my dear sweet Catherine. My wife and my queen."

The quiet of the evening washed over them as the moments passed.

The king and the queen found peace at last.