I don't own reign.
Chapter 2
"Times were different my king. I was once a girl forced to grow up as a woman. In our lifetime, every rule became a different game, we noblemen had to play. I knew that Scotland would not welcome a Catholic queen with open arms. I had to become a very powerful woman to protect Scotland from everyone's hands. Even your mother's."
Margaret rode up her horse as she stop a foot off her estate.
She wore the hooded cloak as she looked around as her servants and guards are being extra careful.
The footman came forward and bowed, "Welcome home, princess."
"My thanks, John." She gave her hand as he helped her off the horse. She walked at a fast pace and in a hushed tone, "Are they here?"
John nodded and said, "They are waiting patiently for you, princess."
"Carriages?" She wanted to make sure no one would spread rumors or reports back to Mary Stuart.
"Under the watering bridges where you instructed to follow the passageway under your estate." Margaret simply answers, "Good."
She stopped at the big doors opened.
She looked around at her fellow protestant Lords who kept their true faith a secret from the Queen Regent's ears. Sadly, some lords had already lost their titles due to mistakes they had made, but Margaret always made her estate a haven for all Protestant families to hide here.
She nodded and walked around to go to the head seat table.
"Please be seated." She announced as she took her seat and other lords obeyed her. Margaret looked around her protestant lords.
She spotted two men she can count on as long as they don't betray the deal she made.
Lord Taylor and John Knox were among the powerful men who reform their religion and allies of Margaret. Other Scottish Lords are men with soldiers who can raise an army and wanted freedom of religion.
"Here is what we have done after the dowager queen Mary of Guise, we help build our motherland and freed her from fear of superstitions and old ways after centuries of being bullied by Rome, the Vatican, and the pope himself," Margaret announced the past and what they have done for Scotland.
Many lords said, "Aye." And nodded agreeing with her.
"We made sure that Scotland has not fallen into our country's enemies. Prepared me as a hostage and decided to make friends with Queen Elizabeth as long as we agree that we kept the faith."
Margaret looked around as they all watched and waited.
"However, one person who wears the crown. I fear she will the undoing."
The lords' murmurs and agreement are heard a bit.
"As you all already made aware, Mary Stuart is on the throne again." She looked at her fellow protestant lords.
"No shit," Lord Edward grunted as some chuckles a bit. Margaret ignored it and looked at John Knox and Lord Taylor with puzzled looks on their faces.
"Now the question is 'What is going happened to us now?" Margaret questions what is on everyone's mind. They grumbled and whispers are being heard around the table.
"God gave us the task to spread his words." Margaret started. "But I am concerned about having a Catholic ruling over Scotland again."
Men remain quiet and puzzled by her wisdom.
"How do we know we can trust Mary Stuart and her court about laws and religion?" Margaret stated. Knox looked back at Margaret as if she admitted treasonous words in court. The holy man stood up and his hands lay flat on the table.
"No, we cannot trust a woman with the crown." John Knox fiercely said. John Know will not let another Catholic queen rule over them again.
"And why not, Mr. Knox?" Margaret looked at him curiously.
"Mary is a catholic and a woman with no authority to the Scottish crown." John Knox stated. "We should charge against Mary and denounce her as our queen."
That is when another lord disagrees. "Then who do we crown, Mr. Knox? Surely, you are not thinking of crowning James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray."
"Nay! I will not cause our motherland a civil war. We already suffered too many battles as it is!" Unknown lord angrily refused that notion.
All men stood and the shouting battle again.
"Mary is not our queen!" John Knox argues them.
"She is the daughter of King James!" A general argues Knox.
"She is Catholic just like that bitch mother regent of hers!"
"What about our fellow protestants? Our friends lost their titles and lands. How are they going to get it back?!"
"Surely if we petition for them to Queen Mary…"
"Oh Yes, let's all give her a list of names of our lords and family who reformed their faith!" One sarcastic answer.
The Scottish Lords argue and are ready to start a fistfight if it wasn't for Lord Taylor's quick thinking of punching the table with one loud strength.
BANG!
All men silence and look back at lord Taylor.
"Enough of this foul harness! We are Scotsmen, not little boys anymore!" Lord Taylor stood as other men sat back down as they listen. "Princess Margaret is right. Mary is back on the throne and we lords must send word that we wanted to know what her plan for Scotland is."
A door bang opened had interrupted them. A guard huffed inside begging for forgiveness for entering without permission.
"You're lucky I don't carry a crossbow to shoot you between the eyes!" Lord Taylor pointed at the guard in anger.
Margaret calms him by patting his arms. "What is it?" She looks at her guard, Thomas she remembers correctly.
Thomas panted and kneeled, "We caught a spy."
Margaret's eyes widen shocked.
The next scene was where she almost ran through the halls with John Knox and Lord Taylor by her sides as other lords followed her.
Quickly questioned Thomas, "Who sent him or her?" She added.
"We do not know, princess. There were three people. Two older men and one young boy. One dead and the boy escaped, but we caught the other one."
"Anything they carried? Weapons? Coded letters of a sort?" Lord Taylor questioned Thomas. They paced and ran a bit through the halls.
"Only a bible and crucifix."
"Catholics." John Knox hissed in disgust. He shakes his head in disgust as they looked ahead at them.
"Or worse," Margaret commented. She knew that something is going on here. People with power always have a reason to strike their enemies.
She stopped as two of her guards held the spy and crossed spears in front of the man.
"Who sent you?" Margaret questioned the man.
The spy refused to answer her. "Answer me." He refused her only glaring at them.
Lord Taylor doesn't have the patience as he steps forward and grabbed him by the hair. "Answer her." He sneered at the spy. The spy let a strangled gasp and answered her.
"Who sent you?" Margaret questions him again.
The spy spit on the floor and said, "You whore." Lord Taylor did not like the word whore against Margaret. He punches him in the stomach.
The spy grunted in pain as he kneels to the ground.
"You are in the presence of Margaret Stewart, the King's daughter." Lord Taylor hissed at the spy.
"Mary Stuart is King James' true daughter." The Spy spoke in such anger as he looked at them in disgust.
"We heard words that Mary Stuart is back on the throne." The spy laughed as if he lost his mind. "You heretics are dead now." He winced when Lord Taylor pulled out a dagger close to his neck.
"Not if you die first." Lord Taylor doesn't take the threat lightly.
Margaret came forward and questioned him, "Are you saying that Mary the queen of Scots sent you to spy on me?"
The spy smiled as she caught on. Margaret clenched her jaw as she couldn't believe her ears.
"We should kill the spy and send his head back to Mary." One Lord spoke and men agree. "Aye, aye."
Margaret knew that game, but she doesn't want to make an enemy out of her half-sister yet.
"No," Margaret disagrees. She will not play Mary's game. John Knox whispers to her, "An example must be made. Sent back the spy's head and show her that her threats do not shake our protestant reform. We cannot let her push us around because of our faith."
"And we won't." Margaret looked back at Knox then back at the spy. "The queen has been persistent on presenting me to come to court. Might as well, bring forward with her little spy."
She nodded to Lord Taylor as a signal.
He knocked the spy out cold as he collapses to the ground.
Margaret looked back at the Lord, "Return to your lands. If I had one spy here, what about more that is to come in your lands?"
The Lords nodded and quickly left through the secret passage.
John Knox and Margaret had a private talk. Many had no doubt he is trying to convince her not to go to court.
"Please, my lady." John Knox pleaded with her.
"You damn well that if I do not attend then I committed treason." Margaret will not let Mary convict her for whatever reason.
"Mary is our foe."
"Foe?" Margaret gave a quizzical look.
"We all know that as a Catholic queen, Mary believes that she has a real claim to the throne of England. They said that the marriage between King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn marriage is invalid, and their daughter Queen Elizabeth is illegitimate with no claim to the English crown." John Knox notified her about the stories everyone knew about.
"And that is why I have to go. I need to remind Mary that I will only recognize her on the Scottish Throne and not the English crown." Margaret looked at John Knox. "Scotland can't afford war right now. We need to make sure that we have a king on that throne and my half-sister will provide the heir for us."
John Knox will not like that. He knew that Mary would marry a Catholic instead of a protestant and will make any children of hers into catholic as well."What of Elizabeth?" John Knox highly respected Queen Elizabeth because she was not only a woman and queen, but she declared that she would remain a virgin and protestant.
"My husband and I have a plan. We need to make sure that Mary wouldn't marry a catholic to submit her religious power. We ask for Queen Elizabeth to send whomever protestant lord to marry Mary Queen of Scots as her consort."
John looked at her surprised that they would send a proposal to England.
"Will she allow that?"
Margaret looked determined. "As long as he is from a low rank and humble background with no blood related to royalties. Then we won't have a problem with England and Elizabeth will control her from afar to persuade her cousin not to claim her crown ever again."
Margaret kneeled and said, "Bless me so that no harm is to come my way." John Knox looked at the princess on the day she converted from Catholicism to Protestantism. She went to the private practice of many protestant convents. She asked to be baptized and converted to their faith.
The coming of a battle of wits and bloodlines is being tested.
Reviews are welcome.
I am blending Reign and Queens: The Virgin and the Martyr tv series. So I am making John Knox stick to his true historical image and personality.