*Note: Sorry it has been forever since I updated! Eek. I had some serious writers' block but I'm back now! Also sorry for the formatting errors on the first draft of this – not sure what happened there but this should work :)

Three days passed before Lola felt well enough to travel. She was still unbelievably sore, but she knew they could not take up Beatrice's lodgings forever. Besides that, she feared staying in such close quarters with Francis much longer. She couldn't deny that, despite her discomfort, the past few days had been blissful. Beatrice tended to stay out of sight, allowing Lola, Francis and their newborn to spend quality time together. They had played games, told stories, and made faces with Nico. It was as if they were a true family.

They had not received any word from the court, which Francis brought up one day with a look of concern on his face. "I know they will have put the castle on lockdown, but still, you would have thought they would want to send word to me about the state of the pestilence…" he trailed off a bit, adding "I am surprised Mary has not written."

Hearing Mary's name jolted Lola back to reality. "We must leave tomorrow, Francis. Your presence is surely missed and Mary must be worried sick over you. You are the King of France… surely there must be matters you need to attend to."

"Listen to you… you sound like one of my advisors," Francis chuckled. "But there is wisdom in your words. Are you sure you are well enough to travel though"

"I will be fine, don't worry," Lola replied, though honestly she was unsure of how fine she would actually be. But she was willing to grit through the pain to get Francis back where he belonged.

They left early the next morning, setting off together on the horse Francis had rode there. They rode slowly, with Lola sitting in front of Francis with their child in her arms. The pain she felt was striking - just moving about was hard enough, let alone sitting astride a horse. But she was comforted by the closeness of Francis's body behind her. While she knew her thoughts were wrong, she couldn't help how his companionship made her feel.

When they arrived at the castle gates, Lola suddenly became apprehensive. "What if they don't let us pass?" she asked, weary that they might let Francis through but refuse her and her son entry.

Francis leaned down and whispered in her ear, "do you forget my position, my lady?" he asked, and she shivered at his closeness. "They'll do whatever I tell them to do, worry not."

The guards did indeed let them through, immediately recognizing that the king had returned. As soon as they were through the gates, Francis began to bark out orders. "Fetch Mrs. Nellis to attend to Lady Lola and my son!" and "Where is the Queen? Tell her I'd like to see her in my chambers."

The poor page ran after the king, desperately trying to get his attention before more orders were given. "Your majesty, the Queen is locked up in her chambers and has not left, as suggested by Nostradamus. The plague has struck and has claimed ten lives already."

Lola gasped, hoping she hadn't heard him correctly. Ten deaths? Did he mean ten deaths within the village, perhaps

"Ten deaths… here, in the castle?" Francis asked, his mind apparently processing the information just as hers had.

"Yes, your majesty. It started with the visitor, Lord Arran, and has spread from there. Mostly servants, my king, but everyone is being cautious."

Francis immediately thanked the page and turned to Lola. "Come with me, we will go see Mary together."

Lola wanted nothing of the sort. The plague scared her, and she felt for Mary, having to deal with an infected castle on her own. But she may be even more scared of how Mary would react to seeing her together with Francis and their child. She wanted to avoid the meeting as long as possible.

"Please, Francis, perhaps I should just go to my chamber, and stay out of the way."

Francis took her hand in his, shaking his head. "Please, don't be frightened. I want Mary to see that we are both okay. Despite this strange situation, she does still care about you, you know."

Lola wasn't so sure, but she knew there was no point in arguing, so she followed him through the empty castle halls to Mary's rooms.

Francis knocked twice before announcing himself loudly. The door opened to reveal Mary, dressed simply in a plain grey gown and her hair down and unstyled. No doubt no one had been waiting on her for the past few days.

Lola could clearly see the disappointed in Mary's face when she saw that she was standing there as well, with a newborn in her arms. But she said nothing except "you have heard, then, the castle is infected?"

Francis nodded slowly. "We just arrived and the page below informed us. I wanted you to see that Lola and the child are okay, that's all. You and I may speak privately now, if that's okay."

Mary nodded, avoiding Lola's gaze. Lola sighed and bid them both goodbye as she walked away down the hall alone. She felt a wave of sadness creep over her and she realized it was just her and Nico now. Although Francis's words had been kind, about her always having a place at Court, she knew she would never feel truly welcome because of Mary - and she didn't blame her. The birth of her child had brought up so many emotions for her regarding Francis. Though their intimacy had been brief, she remembered it like it was yesterday. She would have to try hard to push these thoughts from her mind, at least while she remained living in the castle. She did not want to want what she couldn't have