CHAPTER 5
Reality Hurts
JAYNÉ
1558
A few days had passed since the little breakfast mishap, and I had tried to keep out of my mother's way, terminating any contact I had with her. However, there was nothing more that I wanted than to end my marriage with Bash. Yes, I wanted to get revenge on my mother, but that would take time and a lot of effort. I had already begun to plot my next move to end my mother's success at ruining my life, and it was a nightmare. So, my mother was either very smart to destroy all of the evidence of her scheming, or I was just bad at searching. Either way, this had to stop.
On top of my mother's continuous scheming, I had an invitation for tea from Catherine herself, and she expected me to be there. I suppose it wasn't much of an invitation if I didn't have a choice of whether I'll go or not, but perhaps she'd shed some light on to this whole situation my mother has put me in, the situation she had put us in. Typical of my mother, really. However, I hadn't seen my mother most of the days, at least that was little bit enlightening.
I assumed that Catherine would judge me very quickly, so I had prepared a special outfit for the day. Although I wasn't up to making impressions for most people, Catherine was the queen of France and she had more power than I could've imagined – the last thing I wanted was to be beheaded for not wearing a pink gown on a Wednesday. Perhaps, this whole thing was a sham to test my commitment to looking pretty, as women should. Quite unfair, if I do say so myself. I left my chambers during midday, as it was very delightful and sunny outside, a perfect time to drink some tea, which I would hope wasn't poisoned.
The remote little area by the pond was quite outstanding, it was quiet and peaceful, you could hear the birds chirping outside, the sun was shining brightly and of course…Catherine sat on a chair, where a maid was fluffing the pillow for Catherine's own comfort. I hastily walked over to her before sitting down, in front of her. One of the maids poured us both tea before doing a small curtsy and walking away.
"Ah. You've finally arrived, the lost sheep. Tell me dear, what is it you want out of life?" Catherine began questioning me. I couldn't even comprehend what to say to that. I wanted freedom, she knew that.
"To be out of this marriage." I stated quite clearly. I saw her smile at me as she took a light sip of her tea, as she settled the cup down, she immediately began stating that that's what she had in mind the whole time.
"See, that is what I would have thought you wanted. Do you know how?" She asked, but before I could even open my mouth to attempt to answer, she began speaking again. "I knew that your mother forged your signature. Those letters weren't real and she planned your kidnaping, I know. I tried to speak to Henry, I really did, but he just wouldn't budge."
"So, do you think that you get me out of this marriage?" My eyes lit up as I asked, curiosity filling my voice.
"Ah, let's not just ahead." Catherine spoke. "See, I have a…proposition, shall I say – simple really. I get you out of the marriage, and you and your mother leave court for good."
"As long as I get to leave Bash, I am fine with this proposition."
"Good. Not a word of this to Mary, understood?"
The little meeting ended soon after Catherine and I finished our discussion, and I had to admit that Catherine's proposition was actually quite promising, not only that, but I could leave Bash, there would be no more 'bastard couple' in court. However, I didn't want to leave Mary, she had specifically invited me to court so I could be a lady in waiting, and now due to my unfortunate circumstances, I was eager to leave this place.
I headed back to my chambers, where I began pacing up and down the room, contemplating my own actions. I wanted to stay and aid my sister out of respect for her, but that did not mean I wanted to wed Sebastian, despite him being handsome and charming in almost every way, that did not mean I wanted my life to conclude into this marriage. My mother had it out for me since I was a child, locking me up in towers after misbehaving, having one of her guard hit me if I ever spoke out about her promiscuous behavior, after all, who was I to judge? Her daughter, yes. However, that never gave me any rights, especially when it came to voicing my own opinions. I was a bastard and a woman after all, what rights did we have?
The room was quiet, despite the sudden footsteps that projected around the room, the room felt warm but so uninviting, the warmth felt as if it was radiating off the patterned walls, while the thick layer of stone flooring emitted a certain cold atmosphere into the room. The silence soon took a toll on me as I sat down on the ottoman, I resented this abhorring silence. I hated everything about it.
"Your majesty, the dauphin Francis is here to see you." The pager announced. I felt my heart sink into a pit of my stomach at the mention of Francis, he had place for me inside him, a certain place where he resented people for some sort of reason.
I stood up at the sight of Francis, partly to my respect for him and partly because I wanted to stand. He dismissed the pager before glancing around the room.
"If you're here to make me feel bad about my distance from Mary, then you can leave and not bother, I already feel bad enough." I spoke out. He glared at me with his magnificent, blue eyes that could mesmerize any woman at first glance. Some of his silky, blonde curls hung over the side of his face as looked at me.
I felt weak.
"No, not at all. I'm sure that you feel bad enough. I just wanted to apologize for being so cold some days before, I realize I may come off too stubborn and rude some times, but that's because I care about Mary, not because I may resent you for some reason." Francis began, his voice low with guilt.
"Apology accepted. I have been really selfish since I was forced to marry Bash, but from what I heard he's an experienced hunter, I do like adventurous men." I told him smugly, my smile beginning to spread as I glanced at him.
"I'm sure you do, since you have the privilege of leaving court without fifty guards following you around. Speaking of, how is Bash?" Francis asked me, his voice quite low as he spoke.
"He's…good. I suppose we've both had better days. How about you and Mary?" I asked in return. I was more concerned about my sister's relationship than my own, especially since Francis still didn't spend any time with her, just his lover, Natalia.
"Mary and I do not spend that much time together, I cannot say for sure. Jayne, I actually came her to ask you something."
My heart began to race as Francis spoke of this thing he wanted to ask, I knew it couldn't be good. "Umm. Go ahead."
"Jayne, please be careful out there and don't fall for my mother's tricks, Mary cares about you. I do too. I may not be close to Mary but it would hurt me to see her upset, Jayne, promise me you will be careful. I know for a fact that Bash cares, he just doesn't show it." Francis sounded seriously concerned, I didn't know whether to be flattered or concerned myself.
"Francis, I… I'm flattered that you care. But, I reassure you I can take care of myself. And anyway –"
I was cut off by the sound of the door closing as Bash stepped into the room, he looked absolutely exhausted, his dark brown hair was in a disarray and his face was near sweaty. "Oh, brother. Did I interrupt a bonding moment?" Bash asked, smiling at us. I knew he was being sarcastic, but I could help but let out a small laugh and snort as I hid my face in shame.
"Well at least you weren't being childish for a few minutes, I'm going for a ride." Francis nearly spat as he turned to look at his brother, half-brother.
"Really? Who are you going to ride?" Bash teased. Although knowing Francis, this was likely the reality. I maintained my laughter as my face turned red, I felt my cheeks begin to burn.
"Funny. I haven't decided yet." Francis returned, giving Bash a smirk. I faced him as Francis walked past Bash and out of the room.
"So was my little brother giving you words of wisdom?" Bash asked as he began removing his boots, I smirked as I thought of my witty comeback.
"No. He asked me to be his mistress, and I'm considering it." I teased. Bash began to laugh at my 'joke'. "Oh, Bash. I wanted to ask whether you would consider taking me hunting?"
"I'm sure you'll do a lot of that with Francis." Bash laughed. I rolled my eyes, attempting to keep my laugh in. "I'm joking. We can if you would like to. But can you even fight with sword or shoot an arrow?"
"Hah. You clearly don't know me well, Sebastian de Poitiers. I can do a lot of things, with a lot of things." I smiled, smugly. Standing up, I picked up my cloak and gloves before putting them on.
"Well, I will have to take you up on that."
AUTHOR
The door slammed shut behind James as he entered Rosa's bed chambers, he glanced around the forsaken room, various, labeled bottles laid scattered around the room, while her cloak was thrown on the ground, the wine she had been drinking was spilled on the small table near the ottoman, while the cork was beside the bottle. Perplexed and suspicious, James scampered towards her desk, where he exposed a letter, it was almost untouched. Without any further hesitation, James clutched the letter and began reading through it.
Dear Elizabeth,
I do not know when you will get this letter, but our plan has failed. I do apologize. We can try again, but with your sisters deteriorating condition, I do not know how much time we have left. Mary believes that Jayne is her half-sister – so let her be it. However, since you are both illegitimate, it isn't going to be clear whether you will take the English throne or Jayne will. After all, Jayne is Henry's daughter.
I will try again,
Love, Rosa
James felt his very heart sink, this letter was going to break Mary's heart and he knew it. Rosa was a deceitful woman, she was manipulative and promiscuous, it was hard to conclude whether Jayne was any royal's daughter. James scoffed as he folded the letter before placing it inside his pocket. He began marching towards the exit, his smile grew wider at the very thought of Rosa's head detaching from her neck as she withdrew her last breath.
James attempted to find Mary, thinking of ways to break the news to her. Despite the fact that Mary was going to be left in distraught, it was the morally right thing to do. James seized the letter again and began rereading the writing on the paper, memorizing each word, each syllable, each letter.
"Ah, James there you are." James was snapped out of his thought as Mary came into his sight, she had the liveliest smile planted on her face as she made her way towards him. "I've been meaning to speak to you about Scotland."
"Mary, I found something." James began, frowning at the letter again. Mary's smile disappeared immediately as she saw her half-brother grimace at the letter. "This letter, it proves that Jayne isn't your half-sister, or our half-sister." He sighed as he passed Mary the letter.
Mary skimmed through the letter before looking back up at James, who was frowning at her. Her face was riddled with a mixture of wrath and sorrow; it was obvious she had attempted to choke back her tears as she spoke. "This is nonsense, you know that! James she is my sister! Rosa just made this up."
"I'm sorry my dear sister." James uttered, his voice filled with sorrow. Mary scowled at the letter before turning away, her hand covering her face as the tears emptied out of her eyes. "Mary, please. Do not be upset by this, Jayne will still be loyal to you, and you have a country to think about."
"I know. Does Jayne know about this?" Mary asked as she dapped her handkerchief on her wet cheeks. James shook his head in reply. "Should we tell her?"
"Not a good idea, but I think that Rosa should be punished for this." James told her.
"Oh, do not worry, she will be. This may be her last day alive." Mary warned.
Mary marched out of the room with the letter seized in her hand, her own knuckles began turning white as she tried to hold back her tears, Rosa had the audacity to do things like that and try to get away with it, Mary resented her. Jayne was suffering because of that spiteful bitch, every step of the way, Rosa was plotting against France, against Jayne, even against Mary. She could've been burned for treason weeks ago, but Mary had always been too blind to notice her schemes and plots.
Mary glared at one of the guards as she spoke, loudly and sternly. "Find Rosa de Castillé and lock her in the tower, now!" The guard rushed out of her way along with a few other guards, Mary felt her very soul burn up at the very thought of Rosas excuses.
Bash and Jayne returned back to court a few hours later, when the sky began getting dark and the atmosphere around court began getting eerie. Jayne insisted that they should've went to get drinks at a bar or such in one of the villages, but Bash knew best – he knew that Jayne was known amongst the villagers and not all of them accepted her or her sister, Mary.
Jayne was called into Mary's chambers as soon as her arrival was announced to her sister. Perplexed and confused, Jayne escorted herself to Mary's chambers, Bash told her that he was going to the stables, but Jayne knew he was probably going to drink or go and solve more crimes. The pager announced Jayne's presence before she entered the room.
"Ah. Jayne you're here. Thank you." Mary began, inhaling deeply as she grimaced at the letter again. "There is something I have to discuss with you."
"Is it about my mother's arrest?" Jayne asked. Mary looked at her with a certain perplexed expression, how had she heard about that already? "I came back as soon as I heard, what happened?"
"Ah. Well, it is quite a delicate situation as of now. I don't think it's worth discussing right now." Mary lied, folding the letter up before placing it on the desk, Jayne didn't take her eyes off the piece of paper, even if she tried.
"Who is that letter for?"
"Jayne, it's for me from my mother. It shouldn't concern you." Mary told her, sternly. She felt immediate regret swell up in the pit of her stomach as she lied. "It doesn't much matter now."
"Mary, why did you arrest my mother? What has she done now?" Jayne inquired, raising her voice at the very thought of her mother causing more chaos and havoc in the castle.
"It isn't anything for you to worry about, I promise." Mary lied again, seeing Jayne's unconvinced expression.
Jayne sighed, knowing that Mary's stubborn heart wouldn't let anything out. She left the room in silence, still unconvinced about Mary's lies and reasons as to why her mother was locked up in a tower, even if she hadn't provided any reasons. Jayne knew in her heart that her mother had done something that even a sinner wouldn't dare to do.
Mary sat down on the ottoman, rereading the letter again, her eyes observing each word in greater detail, while her mind wasn't swayed into believe that any of that was true. Mary still loved Jayne as her sister, she wasn't going to treat her any less of a loved one, but this changed things that were beyond Mary's comprehending.
There was one person Jayne knew would tell her anything she inquired from him, Francis. He was relentless, stubborn and hot headed, but at the end of the day he had a very intelligent mind, he was usually aware of what had been happening around court, unless he was with one of his lovers, presumably Natalia, but that wasn't Jayne's business.
Jayne marched down to his chambers before inhaling deeply, trying to concentrate her mind. Bash was like her best friend, despite their marriage, but she had seen something in Francis that lit her whole mind up, that send butterflies to her stomach. He was her sister's fiancée, a future king, she couldn't like him, she never could. Jayne knocked on the door, as gently as a feather. Her hand immediately slid down to her other hand before she began fiddling with her ring.
Francis opened the door in a couple of moments, he looked frazzled as if he had been doing something before, or sleeping, Jayne couldn't really tell. "I cannot talk Jayne, I'm busy."
"Francis, do you have an idea as to why Mary had my mother locked up in the tower?" Jayne asked, completely ignoring Francis's previous remark.
"Your mother? How am I meant to know? I would've thought that you'd be happy." Francis glared at her, confusingly. "Look, Jayne, I have to go. I'm really busy."
"Are you with someone?" Jayne asked, noticing Francis's refusal to open the door any wider as he looked nearly undressed.
"Yes, but it isn't any of your business anyway. If you need me, come later." Francis nearly slammed the door in her face. Jayne began backing away from the door, her face riddled with various perplexed emotions. Was Mary aware of this? Jayne scowled as she walked off, remembering that Mary couldn't even tell her about her mother's arrest.
Jayne made her way back to her chambers, where it was silent and free of any human contact. A pager rushed into the room and handed her a certain letter, a letter with an English seal. That was the reason why she was nearly beheaded for. She couldn't risk it, but she couldn't risk not finding out what it was about. Jayne sighed before opening the letter up.
Dear Jayne,
I have heard about your bastard union with Sebastian de Poitiers, you have my sympathies. See, I hadn't a clue about your mother's plots and schemes, and as I can see the court is full of blind idiots. I am writing to you to announce that I have considered handing the crown to you when I die, that is if I do not have a child. We do share the same father, and Elizabeth will never be queen, let us both make sure of that.
With love,
Mary Tudor
Tears began rolling down her rosy cheeks as she grimaced at the letter, was Mary aware of this? Was this treason?
OMG. I realize I haven't updated in AGESSSS. However, I've had exams and revisions and all of that crap, quite frankly, I'm not a fan of working at McDonalds. But I will try to update more often.
Going on to the story, thank you sooooooo much for all of the support, its appreciated. But as you can see Jayne is developing a crush on Francis, I don't know whether it's bad or not on her part, but that's up to you guys to decide. Also, I have been considering rewriting the story, but that may happen after it is finished. But for now, until next time, my fellow children.
