Finally another chapter. Problems with my PC, my charger was lost while travelling to Scotland. I did have this very crazy inspiration for this chapter… might seem unusual… but I did enjoy the idea. Hope you like it. Cheers!

Stéphane hated the dark. He also hated the dungeons, as a matter of fact, but it was not the humid, dirty, small or lonely aspect of the place he hated the most. The dungeons were located beneath the grounds, where there were no windows. Francis had made sure to put him in the darkest cell, certainly to intimidate him, but Stéphane Narcisse was not a man to show his weaknesses. And so, when Francis had come to have a little casual chat with his prisoner, promising Narcisse that he would be humiliated the way he had humiliated and manipulated the King, the proud Lord had not shown his fear. No, he had looked into the King's eyes and had not lowered his gaze. According to Narcisse, it was that stubbornness that had turned him into the strong man he was today. Well rather, into the strong man that he was once, since Francis had vowed to take everything away from him. As long as he didn't take Lola away, Narcisse couldn't have cared less. It was her disappointment he feared, though he couldn't really explain why. She was just a child, a foolish child who tried to survive in this world of men. Narcisse believed it to be his job to protect her from this corrupted world, only that locked up in a dungeon, he didn't really know how to do that.

The hours seemed like days to Stéphane. He couldn't tell whether the sun had set or risen. The only thing he was absolutely sure of was the fact that he was hungry, thirsty and tired. On top of that, he started to feel lonely, isolated, humiliated… and scared. Scared that they would let him starve or die of thirst. Scared that Francis would let him rot in this dungeon for what he had done. Scared that he would not get to see Lola again.

"Just shut up you fool", Narcisse muttered to himself, knocking his head against the cold and wet stonewall of his prison, "Just listen to yourself. You're growing soft. Soft and crazy. You've been reduced to a self-pitying fool…" He wouldn't give in, he wouldn't let Francis win, yet alone Mary, the woman who had killed his son. He needed to be strong, if not for himself, than at least for Edward, who had died only a few cells away, among rotting servants and peasants. Narcisse tried to swallow back the tears that threatened to well up in his eyes. He would not cry! He wouldn't be weak, on the contrary, he had to be strong to survive this. He needed happy thoughts to cheer him up. He closed his eyes, trying to see pass the sounds of rats running around his cells and also pass his own fear. He imagined himself in a house by the sea, with Lola at his side, arm in arm, kissing her softly on the lips. He imagined himself plunging a dagger in Mary's heart, watching as the light faded from her eyes only seconds before she fell to the ground, dead. But no… that would be too easy for her, wouldn't it? There were fates worse than dying.

Suddenly, Narcisse's daydreaming was interrupted by the lock of his cell door being opened. He lifted his chin and tried to look proud and strong for whoever was visiting him. Maybe he would manage to know what time it was, what day it was, if months or years had passed since his imprisonment. Maybe he would be told that he had been condemned to death. Death, as cruel as she was, would probably be his salvation. He might welcome her with pleasure.

"Stéphane?" It was not the voice of Francis, nor that of Mary. Narcisse recognized this voice. It was a quiet, yet determined voice, a voice that sounded so melodic to his ears and that made him smile just a little bit. He knew he was being delirious, but at the moment he didn't care.

"Lola… how did you manage to visit me?"

"I was told off by Francis initially, but… he's not my King, and I answer only to Mary", she said, closing the door behind her and lightening a candle she held in her right hand. She came to sit closely next to her fallen husband. "In fact, I offered the guard outside your cell 20 gold pieces so he'd allow me in, and another 30 so he'd keep this a secret", she explained with a slight smile. She looked at her husband, checking for any injuries or wounds.

"You look terrible", was her only assessment.

"That's the only nice thing that came to your mind?" Lola smiled apologetically and let her fingers brush the side of her husband's face. She looked concerned, yet relieved that nothing bad had happened to Narcisse… yet. He wondered if she knew more than he did. She was close to Francis, he might have told her more about Narcisse's fate.

"What day is it? How long have I been in this place?"

"I was told yesterday evening, and I have been thinking of a way to visit you until this late afternoon. So I suppose you've been here a whole day already…"

"Already?", Stéphane snickered ironically, "how long do I have to stay in this dungeon?"

"I don't know. The guard believes two more days…"

"Oh dear" Stéphane was slowly beginning to despair. Two more days in this cell would certainly render him crazy. He had to find a legal way out of this dungeon, or he might just as well let himself fade. "Great, only two more days to go. I can't wait to spend two more nights in this horrible, vermin infected place, only meters away from where my son was killed…" Lola looked at him with sad eyes, however that didn't help him in his misery. Her hands grabbed his and he felt her lips brush against his in a tender, but reassuring kiss.

"I will do my best to get you out of here. But I want to know exactly what you've been up to. No secrets, remember? You promised you'd be honest…"

"Indeed, I promised to be honest as long as it didn't compromise your safety, Lola"

"Stop treating me like a child", her voice was pleading, "I can take care of myself, I don't need you to guard my steps. Right now, it is you who needs my help. If we want this marriage to work out, it would be stupid to conspire against each other. I have been forced to marry you, so now I'll make the best out of it and stand by my husband"

"Will you stand by me because you want it… or because you have to, because it is a wife's duty? Pardon my hesitation Lola, but… understand if I have my doubts" His words hurt her, he could see it in her eyes. It was so easy to read her emotions. They would have to work on that together, if she wanted to survive in this world.

"I told you my feelings for you… the answer to your question should be clear enough"

"Really? Well this might be true today, but what about tomorrow? How will your supposed devotion evolve, when a younger Lord woes you and offers you more than I can? They'll take everything away from me, Lola. I'll be left with nothing…" Tears welled up in her eyes and Narcisse felt his heart skip a beat.

"You really believe this love I pledged was because you had money? Do you think that my only interest in you lies with your power, your money, your titles? Well you can keep all of it, I want nothing of that. What I want is a loving and honest husband. But I suppose you believe this thought to be naïve, just like all my dreams" Lola stood up and knocked at the door, so the guard would let her out. She looked over her shoulder once before leaving him behind. Narcisse didn't do anything to hold her back. He watched the flame of the candle burn in the darkness of his cell.

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Lola had done her best to convince Francis that her husband would change for the better if he let him out of his cell. She had emotionally blackmailed Francis with her tears and pleas, something she knew her friend was receptive to. However, Francis had wished to keep Narcisse locked up one more night, and had agreed to free him on the following afternoon. Lola hoped her husband would appreciate her efforts.

The cold evening breeze brushed her cheek and made her shudder. She couldn't stand remaining in her chambers alone anymore, so she had decided to go for a walk. The woods surrounding the castle were said to be dangerous for a young woman of her rank and age, but she didn't care. She had her knife with her, and she knew how to wield it if anything bad should happen to her. She needed to be alone, and the woods would offer her the shelter she craved that night. The trees around her sheltered her from prying eyes. She occasionally stopped to listen for any unfamiliar noises, but the only witnesses were the squirrels and foxes running away as she approached. Lola knew of a clearing near a small pond, where she used to retreat to whenever she missed her home. And right now, she did. She missed her family and friends. She missed the hearth in her Scottish home and the warmth of her mother's embrace. She missed her brother, she missed her life in Scotland, a life she had given up to travel to France with Mary. A life she would never get back. THIS was her life now: her husband, France, the castle and the conspiracies. She would have to get used to it.

Lola reached the clearing quickly and took place on the soft grass near the pond. She could hear the crickets and toads singing to the moon, and hundreds of fireflies floated in the air over the water. The place looked magical at night, Lola thought. It looked untouched, wild, as if all the memories of the world were conserved in this one place. She let her worries fly away and let her hand touch the smooth surface of the water, sending ringlets over the whole pond. It felt perfect, it felt relaxing. Lola closed her eyes and let the sounds of toads and crickets soothe her troubled mind. When she opened her eyes again, she saw something that made her heart leap in her chest. On the other side of the pond stood a large shadow, resembling that of a dog, only bigger. Lola stood up and carefully took a few steps backwards, not wanting to frighten the beast. The dog-shaped shadow jumped over the small pond onto the other side and stalked towards her soundlessly. Lola tried to remain calm as she recognized the beast that was in front of her. The wolf looked at her with yellow eyes, curious as to why a human had come to disturb his quiet evening. Lola felt fear paralyse her limbs. The wolf sniffed at her hand slowly, before walking around her in circles, sniffing every inch of her as if her scent confused him. Eventually, after what seemed like ages to Lola, the beast reappeared in front of her and casually sat down. Lola wondered how dangerous the animal was, or if it had already fed and therefor didn't feel like chasing after another bait. However, it didn't look as if it wished to attack. Lola stretched her hand out and let the wolf sniff at it again, before carefully petting the wolf's head. The animal didn't snap, nor did it attack, giving Lola the confidence she needed to sit down next to it and pet its back.

"You're such a beauty. Look at you…" The wolf looked at her earnestly and Lola could tell that the wolf was different from other forest animals. There was a spark of intelligence in his eyes, something that told Lola that he understood her in some way, and that he wouldn't hurt her just for sport.

"Do you have a family?" No reaction. Lola hadn't expected the wolf to respond, of course. However, she was fascinated by this huge animal and felt the need to know more about it. "Do you belong to someone?" Suddenly, a twig snapped in the distance and the wolf bolted off, and was gone as abruptly as he had appeared. Lola couldn't move for a few minutes, trying to figure out whether if all of this had only been a dream. No one would believe her if she told them what had just happened. So the best option was simply to keep this to herself. As she made her way back to the castle, she wondered whether the wolf would come back to that pond anytime soon.