Chapter Two: Introductions and a Doctor
It was late evening when Henry and Danielle finally walked into the throne room, where, as a page had told them earlier, the king and queen were waiting for them. The king sat in his throne fuming with what was obviously rage while the queen merely looked worried. Before Henry even looked at his parents he called for a maid, and when she arrived instructed her to have a suite of chambers readied for a guest's use. The maid immediately went to do as told.
As Henry turned to his clearly irate father, the king instantly leapt up out of his throne and started to stomp towards his wayward son. "Where were you? You were supposed to have tea with your mother today!" the king yelled, his face turning scarlet from his exertion.
"Francis, sit down before you have a stroke." The king sullenly complied. Marie turned to look at Henry. "Now Henry, where have you been for the past two days? We've been worried sick! And who, may I ask, is this lovely young lady?" Marie smiled at Danielle. At this Danielle curtsied gracefully.
"Mother, this is Danielle de Barbarac, but you may have heard of her as the Comtesse Nicole de L'oncrete. She was a--" Marie interrupted her son's explanation rather abruptly.
"The Comtesse? That's puzzling, the Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent told me you were engaged to a Belgian and traveling by boat this afternoon. She was quite reluctant to talk about it." Marie looked at Henry and then at Danielle. She was an understanding woman, so she decided her son may indeed have a reasonable explanation for the current predicament.
"Will you please explain this, Henry?" She leaned back on her thrown peering down at the couple before her.
Henry proceeded to tell the king and queen the whole story, including how they first met with an apple. The queen got a splendid laugh out of the story while Francis, in his stubborn way, said that Henry could not marry a servant. Marie glared at him, and firmly stated, "There is a way around that, Francis. She saved his life, and that deserves a title." She turned her attention to the woman who had captured Henry's heart. "I hereby grant you the title of Comtesse Danielle de Barbarac. This, however, is very informal, so we will need to call for the court to witness the formal event."
Just as Marie had finished talking, Danielle suddenly paled and started to sway. Henry barely had enough time to turn and catch her before she hit the cold, marble floor from fainting.
"Damn! I should have called for the Royal Physician sooner!" At his parents' bewildered expressions, Henry explained. "She was brutally lashed by her step-mother, and her back needs tending to."
Picking her up carefully and gently, he walked to the suite of rooms he had ordered to be readied. After laying her down on the soft bed, Henry restlessly walked over to a window and stared out at the Royal Castle Gardens.
The Royal Physician burst into the room, looking wildly about. "Your Highness, where is the patient?" Henry wordlessly pointed to the bed, and went back to staring out of the window.
Understanding the Prince's silent refusal to leave, the doctor started to examine his patient. After a half an hour, the doctor called the Prince over to the bed.
"She is just suffering from exhaustion and stress. The cuts on her back are closed, and seem to be healing nicely. The mademoiselle just needs a full night of sleep, and a hearty breakfast." With that said, the Doctor packed up his things and took his leave.
Henry sighed in relief. Looking down at Danielle, he felt his heart twist at the thought of the pain she had to bear. As carefully as he could, Henry pulled the blanket and sheet out from under her, and then tucked her in. He walked to the door, turned and said, "Good night, Comtesse," He smiled. "I love you." He then shut the door, going to his own chambers to dream of the woman he loved more than life itself.
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Heylo! I would just like you all to know that this revamping process was an all night thing, consisting of coffee, pop, coffee, sugar, coffee, food, coffee, and did I mention COFFEE? jitterjitter twitchtwitch Oooh, pretty miasma of squiggles and lines….
Laters!
Loreli F.S.