I won't be posting new chapters very regularly, sorry about that, but I'll try my best. Also, my new computer doesn't have spellcheck, so sorry for any possible mistakes! Happy new year, everyone!

Francis was held by two guards, each of them clinging to one of his arms, treating him like he was a dangerous criminal. The night spent in the cell had ruined his clothes; there were stains everywhere. His hair was uncombed and the ribbon had fallen off sometime during the night. He had not been allowed to wash up. He had been treated like a worthless thing, not even a human.

The whole crowd that had gathered to the court fell silent as the Frenchman was ruthlessly thrown to the ground in front of the king. Since this was about his own son, he had not allowed the royal judge to judge him; he wanted to be the one to punish Francis.

"Francis Bonnefoy. You are accused of breaking the law of intercourse between two people from different social classes. Not only have you constantly been trying to seduce Prince Arthur, you have also forced him into different kinds of physical actions, ones that I cannot say aloud in front of this court. Do you want to deny these deeds?"

Arthur was fuming with rage towards his father. How could he even say such things? He was claiming in front of all these people who personally knew Francis, that the Frenchman was a rapist. Which of course wasn't true; the other man was as gentle and loving as a being only could be. He had never had to fear when he was in the other man's company.

"Father! I beg your pardon, but Francis has-"

"Non, I have done all the things you said."

"What?! Francis, you know that-"

Francis looked at the British male with a pleading look in his eyes. "Your Highness, please, don't", he said quietly, then turning towards the king, bowing at him lightly. "Your majesty, I have no reason to deny any of those deeds. I've done it all, and I'm more than willing to take responsibility of my actions."

There was a satisfied grin on the king's lips. "Very well. Your sentence is ten years of labor. And even after those ten years, you are not allowed to return here. Stay away from me and my son's eyes, understood?"

Not saying a word, the Frenchman simply nodded, accepting his fate. He knew he was innocent and had done nothing wrong, but he was willing to take the punishment if it meant that Arthur was going to be safe. He wouldn't even be able to live with himself if his beloved one was going to get into trouble because of him.

Ignoring the loud protests of Arthur, the guards led Francis away from the court. He was pushed into a cart with all the other prisoners, they all chained up to make sure none of them was going to escape. The guards gave a sign to the driver, and with one of the horses neighing, the cart began to move. The road to the fields where they would be working was long, and they didn't stop even once. It was awfully cold in the cart and silent, none of them complaining about what was going to happen.

Later that night, after countless of hopeless attempts to get his father to pardon Francis, Arthur headed to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He couldn't believe he had lost Francis, he couldn't believe he would never see him again. Letting his desperate tears finally escape his eyes, he slumped down on his bed, pushing his face into the pillows, his breath shuddering.

"I-I should be there i-instead of Francis… H-He did nothing wrong… Not ever…", he whispered quietly to himself, allowing himself to just break down into a sobbing, crying mess.

Sniffling and wiping the remaining tears off his face, he slowly got up from his bed. His legs were trembling as he walked in front of the window, just gazing at the beautiful rose garden that was underneath his window. He couldn't count the times he had woken up to the sound of small rocks hitting his window, and as he'd open it, he would receive a beautiful bouquet of the reddest roses there was. Wistfully he pressed his hand against the cold glass of the window, a small, breathless sob leaving his lips.

As the door to his room opened, he didn't even bother to turn around and see who it was. When he knew that it couldn't be Francis, it didn't matter.

He let his eyes fall closed as arms gently wrapped around him and pulled him into a gentle, loving embrace. His senses were filled with that loving care, the sweet smell of perfume overwhelming him.

"Shh… Darling", his mother, the queen, whispered quietly, holding his son gently in his arms, rocking him from side to side. Seeking for warmth and comfort, the young prince turned around in his mother's hold, pressing his face agaisnt her shoulder, his silent tears wetting the silk of her gown. In her youth, the queen had had a lover of his own, a man who she so dearly loved. Separated from that man, he had been forced to marry his husband, only because his selfish parents wanted her to have the power. Her heart still so desperately craving for true love she never got, she could understand how her son must feel.

"Sweetheart... Francis is going to be alright, I promise you..." Of course she could not promise that. Once a man has been sent to a prison, his life shall never be the same it was. Most likely Francis would never have a job again, nor would he have a place to live in. That was, if Francis was even going to survive the prison. She had heard so many tales about the ment that were sent to build ships for the royal navy, and they would die there, exhausted and worn out. But of course, that was not something you can tell to a man who has just broken his heart.

Arthur sniffled quietly, his hand grasping the back of the older one's gown, his hold of her desperate. "You are... You are not angry at me for loving him?" he whispered quietly. He had always known that his mother had a heart made of gold and that she was nowhere as cruel as his father was, but still, he had been scared. He had been scared that the whole family would despise him because of his feelings towards a male servant.

"Oh, dear... Of course not! Even though I do know that the relationship between you and him was, and still is, against the laws, I could not ever hate you. A mother is not a good mother if she doesn't love his children no matter what," she said with a gentle smile, her fingers combing through the Prince's hair. Nothing in this world would be able to turn her against her own son; not the laws, not the opinion of the king. The love of a mother is stronger than anything else in the world. In the case of her own mother, there had not been any love. There had only been a ruthless woman who wanted her daughter to be the queen, to rule the country.

She sighed quietly, gently patting the man's back, then giving him a soft squeeze. "Arthur... I know that you feel heart-broken right now, and I also know that you will feel like that for a long time. But you have to let go at some point, darling... Francis wouldn't want you to be sad for the rest of your life, would he?"

Those words left Arthur silent as he fell into the thoughts of Francis, thinking about where he was now, what he was doing. What was he going to do in the future, and was he ever going to be included to the man's future?

Deep in his thoughts, he was left there standing alone, her mother quietly leaving the room after placing a kiss on the Prince's forehead.

And that night, as he laid down to sleep on the luxurious bed in his room, he made a decision. No matter what would happen during the next ten years, and no matter what were the consequenses of his actions, he was going to find Francis again when the man would be set free. Even if it would take him years, even if he was going to have to travel around the whole world, he would not give up. A long time ago he had realized that he and the Frenchman belonged together, and there was nothing that could stop the two of them from having their happiness.