Hello, people. Thanks so much for your reviews, I wasn't expecting such positive reactions to this part of this story, since it's not focused on Winx. I'm glad you're enjoying it and if you're curious about just how historically accurate this is, you can search for Catherine de Medicci, Diane de Poitiers and other characters you'll see.
So this is the second revelation chapter and the second part of Catherine and Henry's story. Here we have Catherine's plan on how to become queen. These chapters are turning out to be smaller, so I'll be posting them twice a week. Therefore, we'll be done with the revelations by next week or the other one.
Shoutouts:
Rockmantic: I know! it's no wonder it took me ages to write this and I had to separate it in so many parts. Though there actually was a Catherine de Medicci, only she married King Henry II of France. And Diane de Poitiers was actually his mistress. If you're interested in history, I advise you to watch Reign and Tudors. Both shows are very good and historically accurate. As I said in the last chapter, it was my inspiration for this story.
Windrea: I loooove Romeo and Juliet! Seriously, it's my favorite tragic love story ever. Catherine and Henry's story is very much like theirs, though there are many more complications. If you love RomeoXJuliet as much as I do, I advise you to watch an anime with that name, it's really cute and crazy and they twisted the story in such a good way. I've even thought of doing a Flora X Helia story based on it. Maybe I will.
AlexisPeaney: As usual, you're the sweetest ever. Writing it's definitely not wasting my time, I love it! I'll be very careful, though I'm sure I won't be a pro at skiing, I've never done it before and I'm sort of a clumsy person. That's very logical, you'll see soon. The next few chapters are about both Catherine and Flora, though since she's not born yet, Flora won't be featured in this one and the next.
So, that's it. Happy reading!
Paris, January, 8th of 1524...
It was a cold winter night and many richly dressed citizens were seen walking around the city, most of them heading to the royal palace. It had been almost two months since the death of King Francis and France was still suffering, though its new king was bringing joy to all as he lead with strength and confidence. On this night there was a celebration at the palace of the birthday of Queen Claude, Francis' wife. The Queen would be turning 35 that night and so her son prepared a beautiful party for her with the help of his wife.
Said wife was Diane De Poitiers, daughter of a rich nobleman of Paris and the new Queen of France. The arranged marriage between herself and Henry had not been going so well due to his affections for another woman, Catherine Blanchet. Having been a simple maid for about four months, Catherine was now known as the king's official mistress and so she was granted vast territories, chateaus and a small fortune. She was glad to have some of her fortune back, but it wasn't enough. With her mind set on becoming queen, she needed to get rid of Diane.
That was why she had come to Queen Claude's birthday, a woman who hated her and definitely wouldn't wish she was there. Catherine was seeking an alliance with someone she knew could help her and that someone would be at the palace that night. So she dressed in her finest clothes, wished that Henry would be too busy with his mother and new wife to notice that she was there, and waited.
It was late at night when he finally came to the party. He greeted both queens with a respectful bow and chatted for a while with Claude. Soon, he excused himself and that was when Catherine followed him. She was very discreet, but the man sensed that she was following him and he stopped before he reached outside. He gave her a suspicious look.
"Good night, Nostradamus." Catherine told him as she smiled. His expression didn't change.
"Good night, milady. Might I know why the king's mistress seems to be following me." He questioned.
"You knew that I was following you." Catherine stated and she moved closer to him. "Which makes me believe that the queen might be wrong and you actually are... something special." Catherine said as she gave him a warm smile. The fact that both Queen Claude and Diane's father thought that Nostradamus was a fraud made her plan even easier.
"What is it that you want with me?" He questioned her, a wary look on his face. A young couple passed by them and Catherine shook her head.
"Not here." She told him firmly as she signaled for him to follow her. What she didn't know was that there was someone who had followed her there as well. A man named Richard Delacroix, a count that had lived his entire life in Paris. He was already 20 and unmarried, as none would expect for such a rich and powerful man. The reason for his loneliness was his mental instability that distanced him from the other counts and made every woman afraid to near him. He was okay with that, though, because he already had a woman in mind.
Catherine Blanchet, the king's mistress, was his target. He had become obsessed with her ever since the prince's birthday the year before and his feelings for her had only grown. He restrained himself, though, not wanting the king to know of his feelings. He seeked a moment alone with her so he could tell her, but he didn't find it. She was always accompanied either by the king or her loyal friend, Leonardo da Vinci. He had thought that tonight would be perfect, since she left the ball alone for once, but now she was in the company of another man, Nostradamus.
Richard was sure that her interests in him were far from romantic, but jealousy rose anyways. He thought about going there and making sure Nostradamus stayed away from the beautiful lady, but before he could take one step, one of the counts appeared and started chatting with him. He was forced back into the ball, where the king's guards could keep an eye on him. He vowed to himself that one day he would have Catherine and she would love him. He wouldn't fail.
Catherine and Nostradamus entered an empty room near the palace entrance and she closed the door behind her and put a chair near it. She went to the furthest corner of the room. No one could hear what she was about to say or she would be hanged.
"So, now that we are alone, why don't you tell me what's on your mind." Nostradamus said, already having an idea of what Catherine wanted.
"You are a strange man, Nostradamus. From what Henry has told me, you claim to have the ability to see the future and heal injuries that no one else could." Catherine started and Nostradamus crossed his arms.
"I do not claim to be able to do such things, I speak the truth." He told her firmly and she smiled.
"I know you do." He looked at her, surprised. "I can do similar things as well, because, like you, I am special." Catherine wasn't afraid of telling him about who she was, she knew that he wouldn't tell on her. He would be on her side once this conversation was over.
"I don't believe you." He gave her a suspicious look and her smile didn't falter. Using all her energy, she glowed bright green for a second and then the small flower that was placed at the center of a table grew once again. "Amazing." He watched her with wide eyes.
"Just as your ability to see the future." She told him after she stopped the spell.
"Is that what you desire? To know your future?" He asked her and she shook her head.
"No, I already know what my future's gonna be. I need you to help me accomplish it." He looked at her with raised eyebrows.
"And how would I help you? And why?" She was ready for these questions.
"You'll help me because we are the same, we are different, special. And I can offer you a chance for revenge on Jean de Poitiers." She smirked upon seeing his expression after she mentioned his sworn enemy. She had been told by Henry that the hatred between Jean and Nostradamus went far back and was caused mostly by the first's constant humiliation of the latter. Though, Catherine was sure there was something else, someone else in the middle. A girl, probably. She didn't care about the reasons behind said hatred, though, what mattered most was that it was enough to get him to work with her.
"You know about Jean de Poitiers?" Nostradamus asked shockingly as he assumed no one knew the story behind his hatred towards that man.
"I know that you hate him. But tell me, how far would you be willing to go to get your revenge?" She asked him determinately and he didn't take long to answer.
"How far would I have to, if I helped you?" He asked. Let it be clear that Nostradamus was used to using his powers only for good, to help people, but after being ridiculed and humiliated, the thought of revenge was fresh on his mind.
"I want to kill Diane de Poitiers." Catherine calmly said as she knew that she had him. His eyes widened even more, but soon his expression changed to curiosity.
"Why have you come to me then? You could easily kill her yourself, considering the gift you have." She shook her head.
"That wouldn't be helpful at all, I need her death not to be traced back to me. I happen to know that you're an expert when it comes to making potions, so I was wondering if you could maybe prepare one that would make the Queen's death look like the result of an illness." He was impressed with such cleverness coming from her, but he could see that her plan might help him as well.
"And what's in it for me?" He questioned her and a smirk came to her face. Catherine took a bag from her pocket and put it on the table. Many golden coins fell from it.
"You'll be as rich as you so desire." She had assumed that he would be after money, considering everyone would wish for a chance to be rich at such hard times, so she was surprised when he shook his head.
"I don't wish for money." He said firmly.
"Then what do you desire?" She questioned, curiously.
"I wish to be recognized." She thought about it for a second and concluded that it would be nice to have him as an ally for even longer.
"Okay, then. When I'm queen, and I will be, once Diane's gone, you'll be my most trusted advisor. No one will doubt you ever again and no one will humiliate you." Nostradamus smiled, liking the idea. He extended his hand and she shook it.
"Guess you've got yourself an ally, your majesty." He said and Catherine smiled as she pictured how soon she would become the Queen of France. Unfortunately, she didn't see the surprise that would be awaiting her in a few short months.
April, 18th of 1524...
Spring had just began and flowers were blooming everywhere, the cold was vanishing and the sun was warming up the french. In the palace gardens, Catherine Blanchet was seen walking around as she picked flowers for her newly acquired chateau. Her beautiful long blonde hair moved in wind as she wore a red dress that complimented her curves. Many gentleman that passed by couldn't help but stare at such a beauty, but they never approaching her, knowing that she was unreachable.
The reason for that was her title of the king's mistress and the recognition that she belonged to him and no man was allowed to become close to her unless they had the king's permission. There was one man, though, not very friendly towards the king, who had started developing an obsession with her. People had always said he wasn't mentally stable and his condition was worsening since he was in love with a woman he could never have and who would never love him. So he watched her from the shadows, dreaming, wishing, but never approaching her. On this day he hid behind a great oak tree as he saw her coming that way.
She didn't even notice him, too busy thinking about her plan to have King Henry all to herself. She had been working with the psychic, Nostradamus, as they tried to find a way to get rid of Queen Diane, the only obstacle in the way of the young couple. After all, it was no secret that Henry was in love with Catherine just as she was with him. Catherine's plan to kill the Queen had been going on for 3 months and there were no results so far.
"Good morning, milady." Catherine was surprised to find King Henry in a huge oak tree as he seemed to be waiting for her.
"Your majesty. What are you doing out here?" She asked after the usual courtesy.
"I've been waiting for you. It seems like you spent more times collecting flowers than I expected." He pointed at the basket she was carrying, which was filled with white roses. "These are beautiful." He said and she smiled.
"Yes, they are. My favorites, as you know well." She said as she recalled the time before they began their affair, when he had been so desperate to have her that he sent her many bouquets of white roses as a way to prove his love. "So, you wished to see me?" She turned the conversation back to the reason for his presence there.
"Oh, yes. I needed to... I have news." He told her nervously.
"What sort of news?" She inquired curiously.
"Well, Diane and I... You see..." He had trouble telling her something he was sure she wouldn't be happy about. He didn't even know why he was telling her.
"What about you two?" She frowned as she said it, unhappy about the situation.
"We're having a child." Catherine stopped immediately and the basket fell from her hands. She stared at him with wide eyes.
"You're what?" She asked, hoping she had heard wrong. Disbelief was clear on her face.
"She's pregnant, Catherine. I thought you wouldn't be too thrilled about it." He commented and she glared at him.
"Of course I'm not thrilled. Who would be, after hearing that the man they love is having children with someone else?" He gave her a sad look as he wasn't too happy with this situation. But there was nothing they could do.
"You know that I love you, right?" He tried to make this easier for her, but it was no use.
"I guess I should congratulate you, then." Catherine said coldly as she tried to hold her anger. This wasn't the time to lose control of her emotions.
"Thank you. I... I have to go. I've got a meeting with the portuguese ambassador." He told her before giving her a kiss in the hand and leaving. She watched him walk away in rage and sadness. She knew what she needed to do now, so she quickly went back to her chateau. Getting there, she met Leonardo as he was putting the finishing touches on his last piece, a portrait of Queen Claude as she had requested.
"Good afternoon, dear. Is everything okay?" He asked upon seeing the look on her face. The two of them had become much closer ever since they had moved to France and he had become a father figure to her. Though she was in no mood to discuss her love life right now.
"Yes, I'll just pay a small visit to Nostradamus." Leonardo nodded his head before he went back to painting and Catherine climbed the stairs to the physic's room. She opened it to find him sitting on the table as he tested many potions, as usual.
"Good afternoon, milady." He greeted and Catherine sighed before she walked towards the free chair in front of him and sat down.
"We've got a problem." The seriousness in her tone alerted him.
"What's wrong?" He cautiously asked.
"Diane's pregnant." She told him and his eyes widened. "We have to get rid of her, now!" She added.
"What? You can't be serious!" She was shocked.
"Of course I'm serious. If she has that child, my plan will never work." Catherine said frustratedly.
"Catherine, we can't kill a child. That's a line I'm not willing to cross." He told her firmly and she frowned.
"I don't want to, but that child is also a heir to the throne. Even if I kill Diane, as long as she lives I'll never be able to become queen." Nostradamus gave her a serious look.
"You'll be queen someday, I can promise you that. But we can't kill Diane yet, the poison's not ready." He told her seriously. Catherine breathed in as she attempted to calm herself down.
"Okay... Okay. I will find a way to become queen, no matter what. I just have to wait until that baby's born and then I can get rid of Diane. I'll raise him or her like they're my own because that child doesn't deserve to be alone." She told herself and it was decided. They would wait until the baby was born.
September 11th, 1524...
It had been many months since Catherine had learnt of Queen Diane's pregnancy and things hadn't been easy for anyone. Afraid for herself and her child, Diane had demanded that Henry stopped seeing Catherine and erased her title as his mistress. He had disagreed and the two had been fighting a lot, causing her to be stressed and almost losing the baby once.
Catherine's hatred for Diane grew with each day that went by and she even distanced herself from Henry as she was mad at him for marrying Diane and getting her pregnant. Catherine's plan to kill Diane and become queen had been put on pause and she hated the uncertainty that followed this child, the heir to the throne. Catherine wanted to hate her, she was the cause of her misery. She couldn't, though.
That child didn't deserve to be hated so much and Catherine knew that the only way she would be able to make God forgive her for killing Diane was to be good to that child, love her like it was her own. But the time for that hadn't come yet, so she spent her days in her chateau, in the company of Leonardo and Nostradamus. Both man felt sorry for her and attempted to comfort her, but there was nothing they could do. They didn't know what she was facing, they were man.
One night Catherine was walking around the gardens, the only place where she could feel calm and happy. The smell of the white roses was fresh and tranquilizing and she relished in those moments spent there, remembering how she used to do the same in her old home. Italy. She barely knew what was going on there, if it even existed anymore or if it was destroyed by war. She wished she could go back in time, when she lived there, when she was truly happy.
As she walked, she missed the shadow that followed her, the shadow that had been following her for almost a year. Richard Delacroix, the man who loved her and she never knew. He had seen this night as the perfect opportunity to have her, afterall she was alone. He waited until she reached the great oak tree before grabbing her with one hand and covering her mouth with the other. Her scream never came out and there was no one else to see them.
He wrapped a scarf around her mouth so she couldn't scream and carried her to the forest. He carried a lamp in his right hand, so it wasn't completely dark. They reached the heart of the forest, where there was said to be wolves and other fearful creatures, but Richard didn't care. He set her down in a rock as he put the lamp in another. Her brown eyes showed fear and confusion and he liked it.
"I'm going to take this off now, but don't even bother screaming, or I'll kill you." He threatened as he pulled out a pocket knife and used it to cut the scarf that prevented her from speaking.
"Who are you?" She asked. She was sure that she had never seen him before or heard of him. He was a complete stranger and that scared her even more.
"Don't you know me?" He asked and she shook her head. He laughed bitterly. "Of course, Henry wouldn't want you to. He's afraid that you would leave him and come running into my arms." He smiled and her fear grew. It was clear that this man was crazy.
"You didn't answer my question." She said.
"I am Richard Delacroix, your lover." She raised her eyebrows at him. She recalled that name being spoken once by Queen Claude.
"My lover?" She questioned and his smile widened.
"Yes, my beautiful Catherine. I've been in love with you for a long time and now, you're finally mine." He approached her and kissed her, taking her by surprise. She pushed him away immediately.
"Stop it! Don't you dare kiss me." She screamed, forgetting about the knife he held. Her rejection made him even more unstable and he looked at her angrily.
"How dare you?" He screamed angrily and he stabbed her. She felt blood running through her shoulder and she looked at him in shock. This wasn't good.
"What? Are you mad?" She regretted asking it the second she did. Of course he was mad. Only sick people would kidnap someone and attack them.
"I am mad for you! Why can't you see it, my love?" She shook her head, disgusted. She needed to get out of there before this escalated.
"Okay, it's okay. Why don't we go somewhere nicer, huh?" She attempted to calm him down. He eyed her suspiciously. "We could walk back to the gardens, I'll be good, I promise."
"Do you think I'm stupid? I know that if we go back there, you'll run away. No,I'm never letting you go." He approached her as he said it and she took a few steps back. She ended up tripping on a branch and she fell to the ground. Richard's figure began blurring as she hit her head hard and she was on the verge of unconsciousness. This couldn't be happening.
"Now you've hurt yourself. See what happens when you run from me?" He asked as he walked towards her. Before he could reach her, an arrow was shot and almost hit him. "What the hell?" He looked back to find five men. King Henry was leading as Nostradamus, Leonardo and two guards followed him.
"Step away from her, right now!" Henry ordered and Richard didn't move. Leonardo set another arrow the count's way and it hit him in the shoulder. He started running away and Henry signalled for the guards to go after him.
"Henry?" Catherine asked quietly as she looked at him, barely conscious. He immediately ran to her side and kneeled.
"It's okay, love, you're safe now." He said and she threw herself in his arms. As mad as she was, he had saved her and she was scared.
"How did you know where to find me?"She questioned after they parted from their embrace. It was Nostradamus who answered her question.
"I saw that you were in trouble, so I convinced Leonardo and we went to get the king. It seems as if we got here just on time." Catherine smiled at him. Sure, they had become friends after all these months, but she didn't know he cared so much.
"Thank you." He nodded.
"I'm glad you're safe, dear." Leonardo said as he too kneeled and moved in for a hug she gladly returned.
"But you're injured. You need to be taken to the infirmary." Catherine looked back at her shoulder, where Richard had stabbed her. She shared a look with Leonardo and he shook her head, but she ignored it. She knew that she could count on Henry. He wouldn't hurt her.
"That's okay, I can fix this myself." She said and she used her magic to heal her injury. Henry was so shocked that he stepped away from her as he stared at her with wide eyes.
"But that's magic! Dark magic, the sign of the devil!" He screamed and Catherine shook her head.
"No,it's not dark magic, it's good magic. Please, Henry, believe me when I tell you that I would never use it to harm anyone." He still had an uncertain look, but he didn't have time to reply. The guards came back with Richard and Henry told them to arrest him for the meantime so he could think of a punishment. Him and Catherine walked back to her chateau and she managed to convince him not to tell anyone about her magic and to accept it. It wasn't so difficult, considering he was in love with her and would never harm her.
"I love you, Catherine. Now and forever." He declared once they were saying goodbye. She smiled at him and they kissed for the first time in months. It was passionate, desperate and it reaffirmed the love they felt for each other. A love that was forbidden, dangerous, but true. Later when he returned to his chambers to meet his pregnant wife, Henry wondered why God had been so cruel as to give him a love that could never be.
November, 17th of 1524...
Queen Diane cried out in pain as she lay in her bed with King Henry patiently sitting by her side. Maids and a doctor surrounded the couple as the Queen was giving birth to their son, the future king of France. It had been months since the revelation of her pregnancy and France was ecstatic with the prospect of the heir being born only a year after the death of the last king.
"I can't do this" The queen said tiredly as she felt the pain of labour. Henry gently caressed her face as he cast her a smile.
"Yes, you can. You're strong enough, Diane. Think about our son, the future king of France." He told her, thinking it would help. She screamed out again as she was forced to push and soon they heard a loud cry.
"It's a boy." The doctor screamed with joy before he handed the baby to a nurse so he could be cleaned. The happy couple celebrated as they were relieved to be right about it being a male.
"You did it, my dear." Henry told his wife as they hugged and kissed. In that moment, it didn't matter that he was in love with someone else, all he could think about was his child.
"Here he is, your majesty." The nurse said as she handed Diane the baby, wrapped in a green blanquet. She gladly took him as she smiled at her son.
"Hello there, William." She said as she shared a look with Henry. They had long since decided that he would be named William, after the most powerful king of France, who had come closer to conquering England than any other. Brown eyes looked back at the queen in confusion. "He's handsome like his father." Diane proudly said and she and Henry kissed for a moment.
"Yes, he is. And, someday, he will be a powerful king. The most powerful of all." The little boy extended his arm towards his father and Henry attempted to hold him. Diane left the room so she could change into her royal clothes and so Henry got to spend a little time with his son.
"Come on, love. It's time to present him to France." Diane told him and she took the baby back. Henry quickly stood up and hugged her from behind as they headed towards the balcony of their room so that they could show the people of France their future ruler.
IMPORTANT CHARACTERS:
Nostradamus: wizard, known as the town's psychic. Enemies with Diane's father and Queen Claude. Catherine's ally.
Richard Delacroix: count, obsessed with Catherine.
Diane: Queen of France. Married to Henry.
Henry: King of France.
William: prince of France.
Catherine: king's official mistress and lover.
Claude: former Queen of France, Henry's mother.
So, are you guys suffering with this tragic story? Next chapter it will get even more complicated and we'll have a new character you've been waiting to see: our very own fairy of nature, Flora. Yep, she's coming next chapter, though she won't have a big part.
Here we have Catherine's plan, but will it work? Will she manage to become queen? Are you understanding why Catherine turned out to be a villain? We'll see many more reasons in the next few chapters. If there's something that you don't understand, feel free to ask me in your reviews. I know how complicated history can be.
Ah, two things I completely forgot to add in the first note: Has anyone ever watched Reign? It's such a good show and well, it's the base for this story. Also, I'm surprised no one said anything about me adding Leonardo da Vinci in this chapter. What did you think about that?