A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock!
The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!
There was a brief respite between returning to Genovia and the arrival of the Princess, and during this time, Clarisse insisted that Charlotte have a few days off, although Charlotte suspected that Joseph had also had a hand in it.
"You have been here early and go home late almost every day for the past 5 months and you deserve some time off- go," she almost commanded and Charlotte was surprised to find herself almost meekly slinking out of the Queen's study, the working day done and Charlotte now officially on vacation and she almost collided with Joseph on her way out.
"I was just coming to wish you 'happy holidays'- I believe you have a week off?"
"I didn't request it, I was more than satisfied to wait for my annual leave, but…."
"Her Majesty insisted- and you do deserve it, my dear, you've worked just as hard as Her Majesty…and she knew that, that's why you have a few days off."
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
"When are you taking some time off?" Charlotte almost demanded. "You've been here far longer than I and you only have a month off…."
"I'm happy to have a week off in each of November, December, January and February, usually when the royal family is on holiday….but I don't need any time off at the moment. I'm just hoping to convince Her Majesty to take a few days off before the Princess arrives, she also deserves a rest as well."
"Do you think that you will be successful in regards to that?"
"I'm not sure, I hope so- but I'm definitely going to try," Joseph said with an almost grim smile. "I am definitely going to try."
0
Charlotte did appreciate the time off- in fact, she enjoyed it, having managed to catch up with some of her friends and doing a few of the things she didn't have an opportunity to do while she was working- but she also had to admit that she missed the hustle and bustle of palace life and she was more than a little glad when her week was up and she returned to work.
"You are a workaholic!" Shades accused the morning of her return, when she admitted it over their morning coffee in the kitchen. "I would welcome additional time off, especially during the summer."
"That's just you… did Her Majesty have a few days off? I believe that Joe was going to try and get her to have some time off."
"Two, maybe three days, but she's back at work now- and I don't think Joe's pleased, he wanted her to have some more time off."
"Well, at least, she had a few days off," Charlotte said encouragingly before she rinsed her mug out and set it down on the sink. "Oh well, time to start work."
Her Majesty, as Charlotte expected, was already at her desk when she stepped into her study, but immediately stopped and stood up with a warm smile when she spotted Charlotte, notebook, tape recorder and pen in hand.
"Welcome back, Charlotte. Did you enjoy your time off?"
"Good morning, Your… Clarisse. Yes, I did," before she faltered for a moment. "Did…did you have a few days off yourself?"
"Yes, I did and I did," Clarisse sounded surprised as she said it, as if she hadn't expected herself to give that opinion. "However, the paperwork seemed to be piling up and… I had no choice but to return to work."
"I'm here and ready to go," Charlotte said immediately and Clarisse's smile broadened- she DID appreciate Charlotte, she was a gem, although she couldn't actually praise her, not through lack of willingness but because of the life and traditions she had lived through- but before Clarisse could actually say more, try and find out what Charlotte had been up to during her holiday, she and Charlotte sensed another presence in the room and they turned to see Joseph, as usual clad in black, striding into the room.
"Good morning, Joseph," Clarisse said first.
"Good morning, Your Majesty, Charlotte… Welcome back, Charlotte, I trust you had an enjoyable few days off," his deep voice and his expression were warm as he gave Charlotte a brief hug (something new, Charlotte noted) before taking Her Majesty's hand and kissing it lightly (another interesting development, she noted to herself). "Hopefully, you did?" he inquired and Charlotte pretended she hadn't seen the moment between the older couple as she looked directly at him.
"Yes- I managed to catch up with a few things, see some friends, relax a bit… but I'm also glad to be back at work," she added hastily and, fearful of offending the Queen, but the smiles she saw on both their faces told her otherwise.
"Of course you are," Clarisse said hastily as Joe continued chuckling and muttering: 'Workaholics' under his breath.
"Joseph! You can talk!" she added chidingly before Joseph stopped chuckling, although his eyes were still twinkling with humour.
"So… what do you need me to do first?" Charlotte inquired and suddenly the moment between Queen and bodyguard was over and Clarisse… Her Majesty… turned professional and she sat back down at her desk.
"Well, Amelia… Mia," she amended after a pause. "Will be here in a week and the coronation will be 5 days after that, as well as several public appearances in the two months after that… so we need to start organising a flexible schedule for her- which will also include recreation time for her and her friends- and working that with my own schedule- I need to have some time with her, as I did in San Francisco with the 'princess lessons'… and Joseph needs to be here to help organise the schedules as there will be need for additional security."
"Ma'am?" both Charlotte and Joseph were looking at the Queen curiously, wondering what the Queen was leading up to- she sounded oddly hyper, as if she was talking to the press, parliament and them all in one- before Clarisse hastened to amend her statement.
"I want to be prepared, that's all- I'm not expecting Mia to do too many public appearances- five, at the maximum, is what Sebastian and I agreed upon- but she should continue lessons while she's here, just to start preparing her for her future here…she needs to start learning about her heritage."
"That sounds perfectly reasonable, Your Majesty, but just make sure that you're not going to push her too hard, particularly during her first summer here. Yes, she needs to learn about her heritage and about Genovian history, but she also needs to enjoy herself as well," Joseph said gently.
"I know that," Her Majesty, who had been making a few notes while talking animatedly, stopped and looked at both of them. "I know that… I just…."
"You don't have to justify anything to us, Your Majesty," Charlotte said quietly and Joseph hummed his agreement. "When I spoke to the Princess before we were left, she was very much looking forward to coming to Genovia, getting to know you more and the history of the country- she doesn't want to disappoint you, Your Majesty."
"Disappoint me? How… why on earth would she think that she could disappoint me?" Clarisse's expression was bewildered.
"She's a very bright, sensitive young lady and she has high expectations of herself, just like you have for her and she wants to make sure that she does everything right for you," Joseph said softly and Clarisse suddenly frowned.
"It sounds as though you know her better than me," she joked lightly but Charlotte sensed that she was a little jealous at the bond the young girl and her bodyguard had formed, as did Joseph as he reached over and touched one of her hands gently.
"I'm a keen observer of people, Your Majesty, you know that, and that's what I sensed from the girl… but you're going to get to know her better while she's here, so by the end of the summer, I can guarantee that you will know her much better and that she will know you as well."
Clarisse blushed at the words and the intensity with which Joseph was saying them, but she was also aware of Charlotte's presence in the room and she gave a small cough, pulled her hand away and began shuffling papers around her desk for a moment, as she recovered herself and then refocused her attention back to the matters at hand.
"So, anyway….."
00000
The palace was a hive of activity the morning of Princess Mia's arrival- upon learning of the Princess's advent, the press had gone wild (although they didn't have very many pictures of the Princess prior to the trip to San Francisco) and were, as expected, split between waiting at the palace and waiting at the airport, everyone hoping for a first glimpse of the Princess 'returning to her homeland', as some of the press had been quoting over the past few days.
Charlotte was as busy as always- the schedules had been agreed upon and she was busy preparing for the coronation and associated celebration in 5 days' time- but she was looking forward to seeing the Princess again.
She had liked her from the first moment she had met her- she had been so shy and so endearingly awkward on that first day- but she had also begun to like and respect her more and more as the two weeks in San Francisco passed by and the poor girl had been through the wringer in regards to the press, parliament, her friends and even her own grandmother. Some of the 'hiccups' had been unfortunate but Mia was young and she was still discovering herself, something made difficult by the fact that she had also just discovered that her father was a royal prince and she was the heir to the throne.
She had never mentioned any of her feelings or thoughts to Her Majesty, sensing that the Queen had enough on her plate without Charlotte adding her thoughts, but she felt that the Queen had also begun to discover some of the qualities in the girl that Charlotte had seen almost from the beginning and that Joseph had seen them as well.
"Typical reporters- a visitor to the palace and they go crazy!" Scott grumbled as he prepared to leave for the airport with a retinue of bodyguards. "I hate the press, I hate having to negotiate the car around them because they don't have the good sense to stand out of the way…"
"Yes, they can be difficult but, in this instance, you can understand why they're going crazy- the Crown Princess of Genovia is returning to her country," before she made a face, realising that she had almost directly quoted a headline from one of the newspapers she had read earlier this morning.
"Quite sickly, isn't it," Shades chuckled at her expression, before he sobered up. "Poor kid, she doesn't deserve all this attention, she should have a normal life."
"She still will in a lot of ways…"
"But with a title."
"Yes, with a title."
0
The moment the Princess, her mother and her two friends stepped through the front double doors, the entire atmosphere of the palace changed- while it was normally calm, quiet and a little subdued, with the arrival of the young people, the energy changed and it was somehow more happy and enthusiastic.
Charlotte had been with Joseph and Her Majesty in the hallway, and she was pleased to see Mia's enthusiasm hadn't dimmed in the past few weeks as she gave her grandmother a warm hug (the older woman momentarily surprised before she gave back the hug) and then beamed happily at Joseph (she wanted to give him a hug too, Charlotte could tell, but she wasn't quite sure how her grandmother would deal with that) before giving Charlotte just as enthusiastic smile.
"Hi… Hello, Charlotte! It's great to see you again!"
"Hello Princess, it's wonderful to see you again as well," Charlotte gave her a tiny curtsey, head bowed slightly, before giving her a welcoming smile, but she was startled to see a surprised look on the teenager's face.
"Charlotte, you don't have to do that!"
"Mia, dear, she does have to do that," Her Majesty interceded before Charlotte could say a word. "It's part of the protocols in dealing with royalty and something that you will have to accept."
"Oh," her smile dimmed somewhat for a moment. "I see," before she recovered, turning towards Lily and Michael, who were standing behind her with Helen. "I hope that you will all remember Lily and Michael, and you definitely know Mom," she finished with a giggle as the other three stepped forward and deferentially bowed their heads toward Clarisse.
"Welcome to Genovia and welcome to the palace," Clarisse said graciously with a warm smile. "I have two of my staff members take you upstairs to your rooms, and once you settle in, we'll have lunch."
"Great, thanks Grandma… see you all later!" before Mia almost bounded upstairs, following behind the palace staff who had her luggage, Michael and Lily in her wake.
"It…it feels strange to be back," Helen admitted as she paused on the stair and looked around her. "I still expect Pierre or Phillipe to come racing down the stairs and… His Majesty coming out of the study, off to parliament….It's been a long time…"
"Indeed, it's been a long time- but I meant what I said to you before, you are more than welcome here anytime, just as Mia is," Clarisse said sincerely and the two women exchanged a smile as Joseph and Charlotte silently observed the moment- finally, there was some closure.
00000
The arrival of the Princess definitely changed the atmosphere of the palace and while the press milled around outside the gates, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Princess, the Princess herself remained inside, settling into palace life and slowly getting to know her grandmother, the country and her heritage.
As planned, the coronation was a quiet affair (something the press didn't understand, they had argued that they deserved full coverage of the event, but Clarisse insisted on only one member of the press and a cameraman being present at the ceremony) and most of parliament warmly welcomed the Princess to the country, although there were a few (except Viscount Mabrey and his ilk), who gave her a brief greeting then spent the rest of the time watching her with sneering looks and whispering to each other.
"Joseph…." Charlotte murmured to him after the ceremony and the two royals were mingling with the guests. "Viscount Mabrey…."
"Don't worry, I'm keeping a very close eye on them, you're not the only one watching them," came his reassuring reply.
The ceremony may have been quiet and simple, but the meaning of the ceremony wasn't missed by either royal member, most particularly Her Majesty, who was watching her granddaughter with a quiet, reflective expression and Charlotte wondered whether she was thinking about Mia herself or Phillipe or even Pierre… and Charlotte had found herself thinking about the two young princes during the ceremony, wondering what could have been if Pierre hadn't abdicated or Phillipe hadn't been killed….
After the ceremony, there was a small function for members of parliament and the royal family, again another successful function, the Princess held herself well and managed to have a few conversations with some of the members of parliament (even one or two whom she had never met, and Sebastian introduced her to them) and Charlotte was very impressed with her- she was going to make a fine Queen.
Finally, the afternoon was over and Charlotte could see the relief on Mia's face, as well as of her friends- they had stayed in the background and only spoken to a few people (they hadn't been expected to attend, but Clarisse had invited them and Mia had insisted), and her mother had had an even harder time, with some members completely ignoring her, remembering her as the former wife of Phillipe- and Clarisse was quick to praise her when it was just them, Charlotte and Joseph.
"You did very well this afternoon, Mia- everyone was very impressed with you."
"I was really nervous at first, but then… some of them were really nice to me."
"Yes, there are a few decent members of parliament, and I'm glad that Sebastian introduced you to them, but you need to be careful around certain other members, as you will learn."
"Believe me, Grandma, I will be taking your advice especially when it concerns members of parliament," Mia said with a rueful smile.
0
Later that evening….
"I was very proud of her today," Clarisse said reflectively as she sat back on the sofa in her study and gazed ahead into the darkened gardens. "She did very well."
"Yes, she did," replied Joseph, who was sitting beside her. "I was proud of her as well."
"You're a good role model for her," Clarisse turned to him with a smile.
"I may be that, but so are you," he retorted as he reached over and took her hand in his, squeezing it gently.
"Tush! She barely knows who I am," she blustered, momentarily embarrassed but not wanting to pull her hand away from his- they had so few moments of privacy, anything they could get was cherished.
"She does know you," he moved a little closer to her and moved her head so that she was looking at him. "She knows you as her grandmother… and being here will let her get to know you further in that role, as well as Queen of Genovia."
"But…."
"But what?" he pressed- he could see that she wanted to say something, but suddenly decided not to say anything. "Clarisse?"
"It's… it's nothing," she stammered, looking away from him but his hand on her chin forced her to keep looking at him.
"Clarisse, you can talk to me, you know that."
"I know, I know that," she murmured softly, lowering her eyes. "But this… not at the moment."
"But you will talk to me when you feel ready to?" he persisted and she looked back at him for a moment before reaching up and touching his cheek with her hand.
"Yes, I will…."
For a moment, their eyes met and held for a time- since San Francisco, there had been so little time to discuss what had happened between them but now… was this the moment to discuss it?
"Joseph…" she began almost timidly, but before she could say anymore, there was a soft knock on the door.
"Your Majesty? Do you want your tea here or upstairs in your suite?" one of her maids asked through the door.
"Upstairs," Clarisse responded as Joseph rolled his eyes and pulled away, the moment broken. "Joseph, I…."
"It's alright," he gave her a reassuring smile as he stood up and offered his hand to help her up. "Another time… it's been a long day and I'm sure you're very tired."
"I am, actually… thank you Joseph," she leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek, surprising both of them. "Good night."
"Good night, Clarisse," he responded, watching as she walked towards the door and exited the room… were they ever going to get any privacy?