I do not own Reign

She woke up next to him. Her hand stretched out and brushing his on his cot.

The room was no longer dark. The light came through the windows and Sophia sat up and pushed the cot she had dozed off on away from her. She hadn't meat to fall asleep of course she had wanted to leave and now she had to hurry before Bash woke up and was in his right mind. She looked over at him sleeping soundly and shook her head. Last night had been a mistake. If she was honest with herself she thought that the last three days were a mistake. You didn't stay by someone's side if you simply were indifferent to them. There were people that had come to check on Sebastian. She could have done that. But she told herself she would have done the same thing if Frances had been injured. She cared about the two boys deeply.

She got up quietly and slipped out of the room taking her things with her and hoping Bash didn't remember much.She closed the door as silently as she could. She rested her head on the wooden frame and got her emotions under control. Sometimes she hated being a woman. Men had to have it easier with their feelings so much more controllable. She turned around to leave and found Diane standing there looking at her. Sophia started. She hadn't realized that the woman was there. Diane had come to see Bash of course in the past couple days but Sophia had kept her distance and busied herself with something when the woman came around. They didn't have the best history. And if the look she was giving Sophia now was anything to go by she didn't think they would become fast friends.

"Lady Diana." She said and Curtsied to her. Still the woman did not remove her condescending look from her face and a little knot of irritation started in Sophia's stomach. She turned to go and studied the tiles with great fervor.

"You will not have him." Diane said to her and made Sophia stop dead. She told herself to go and she took another step away from the woman. "He will not get dragged down by one such as you." Diane spoke with such authority that Sophia's thought burned with retorts she could throw at the former mistress of the king but she took another step and bit her tongue as her face grew got with anger. "Did you hear me child? You will not have him." The woman said and Sophia turned around unable to contain herself.

"Who said I wanted him Diane?" She asked sharply and the woman looked at her with a 'holy than thou' look that Made Sophia want to take her eyes out.

"He will not have someone like you. He was meant for greater things." Diane said now turning to face Sophia a little like she was issuing a challenge.

"Sebastian is a man Diana, no longer attached to his mother's skirts, And I don't want him. I care for him like a brother yes but hat is all Lady Diane." She realized again that she wasn't conveying how much she didn't care. "If I am thinking properly I do believe me and Sebastian to be one of the same. We are both bastard children who will always be lesser than our full blood royal siblings."

"Yes but Sebastian's father favors him." Diane said. She left the end of the sentence open like she would finish it with something else but didn't.

"By all means Lady Diane don't hold back what you feel on my account. I feel as if we have gone too far for such niceties." Sophia seethed

"Henry favors Sebastian and your father cannot even stand the sight of you." She spat at her. Sophia's heart dropped as she looked at the woman. "Since your mother passed…" She said this while crossing herself and Sophia held her tongue before she made some reference to pagan religion. "How many moths were you home after that? I heard of how your father sent you away." Sophia's eyes filled with tears but she wouldn't stoop to begging Bash's mother to stop. She stood her ground. "He was sick at the sight of you because you look like your mother; so sick that you haven't been back to Spain in since your mother's burial. Your father probably hopes that you marry some foreigner who will take you from him so that he never has to look upon your face again. He sees nothing but pain when he looks into those eyes of yours." The woman said with a face that had remained calm since she had begun her speech that left Sophia in pieces. But she wouldn't cry in front of this woman who had broken her. She would not give her the satisfaction.

"Good day Lady Diane." She said bowing and turning around and walking down the hall. She heard the door to the infirmary open and close and the thought of that woman on Bash made the tears spill from her eyes. Walking fater now she passed painting upon painting that she normally would have taken time to admire for the sixth time. But she walked faster as to not see anyone and made her way up the flight of stairs and to her room. She threw her bedroom door open and closed it behind her. She slid to the floor her back resting on the door. He r hand was covering her mouth as she sobbed unrelentingly.

If it hadn't been true that would be one thing. If it had been a noble woman spouting something she knew nothing about Sophia could have let it go. The issue was that it was true and Diane knew it too. Sophia's father had sent her away almost immediately after they had laid her mother to rest. He wrote to her of course but they had both known what he was doing. Every time she had written him to come home he always sent her somewhere else to 'improve relations' in some country. Sophia had given up trying now. Her father had even given her permission to choose a suitor of her choice. Anyone could see that it was a desperate attempt to be rid of her. She didn't blame him. She knew that the resemblance of her and her mother was freighting. Her father was suffering just as she was, but that didn't make it hurt less.

She wiped her face and stood after several minutes. The morning had come fully now and the light shone through her window. She walked to it and looked outside. She hadn't been for a walk in the garden in a while. She supposed it was a good time to do it. She certainly could use time to think. She resisted the urge to wake Myrtle to draw her bath. Lord knew that that girl liked her sleep.

There were two pitchers of water sitting by a basin. It would be cold but it would have to do. She washed her faced and tried to sooth the angry red path that the tears had made. She threw her clothes off and went to grab another pair or breeches when she thought better and grabbed a high collard red dress with capped sleeves and a sheer color that laid over the heavy red skirt. The fabric had orange woven into it and it reminded Sophia of a dying fire. She wrapped her hair tight into a high knot at the top of her head and secured it with a gold hair ornament with gold metal fringe that hung off one side and fell behind her ear. She smoothed her dress and though of how much she didn't miss worrying about her appearance anymore. She wore men's cloths much more often than she should have. It was nice to look like a lady every now and again.

She travelled back down the hall and through the corridor that led out back to the gardens. She walked along a stone path and admired how some of the flowers wound up at night and were now coming out to greet the sun. Pink tea roses lined the path and their petals fell at her feet. This would be a splendid place to have a wedding she thought. The flowers in the garden would complement the bride nicely.

She stopped at a pool of water that was surrounded by light blue stone. Her reflection was not herself. She was trapped back inside with the man's clothes stuck under the dirt and the mud and honesty. This painted flower with perfect hair and flawless skin wasn't her. It was her mother; and she could not describe how much she hated that. Her mother had never approved of the child within Sophia. She thought though that her mother had done rather well for herself.

She had been the mistress of a king. The king had loved her. That much was apparent when you saw them together. Her mother was quiet and kind, but very hard on Sophia. She wanted her to become something better than she was. Sophia hadn't appreciated her advice until she was no longer around to give it.

"Lady Sophia?" A voice called form behind her. The voice startled her because everything had been so quiet. She turned to find a man standing before her. He was tall and broad shouldered His hair was wavy and dark and he had it tucked behind his ears. He would have been double her age by Sophia's guess. But he looked so familiar to her. She could not place him in her mind.

"Sir, I am sorry I was lost in thought and you startled me." She said curtsying. The polite talk of the court flowed from her lips easily.

"It is I who should apologize if I frightened you. I did not mean to." He said and bowed low to her. When she saw his face again the feeling that she knew him sprang up in her again.

"I'm sorry but do we know each other?" She asked him and watched as his smile surfaced.

"I am Gerald Costa Duke of Italy." He said bowing again. Sophia colored slightly. Of course it was Gerald. Had her senses taken leave of her so quickly? She thought of something to say but no words came to her. "You were engaged to be married to me once." He said again but he wasn't angry his tone was light. She remembered that she had liked that about him.

"Yes of course, I seem to have taken leave of my mind. Do forgive me." She curtsied and walked over to him to kiss him on each cheek. "I meant no disrespect."

"None was taken Lady." He said taking her hand and kissing it. "Though it is lovely to see you again."

Sophia wondered if he had taken some of what Bash had last night. Sophia had engaged herself to Gerald and not four months later called of the engagement because of Sebastian. Thinking about it now made her embarrassed that she had acted so.

"Lord Costa I must cry your pardon. Last time I left your company I was less than….." She struggled for the words. "Maidenly." She finished.

"I think you would not be the woman I wanted to marry those years ago if you had acted differently." He said now taking the crook of her arm and they walked along the path.

"You are too kind." She said to him thankful that he had forgiven her so easily.

"Kind or hard headed.' He said to her and she turned her face to his with questioning eyes. 'I have been here not two days and I am pursuing a woman that has turned me down once."

"You never married?" She asked shocked. He was quite attractive and one of the sweetest men she had ever come upon.

"No Lady, that I have not. Neither have you?" He asked it as a question but they both knew the answer.

"No." She said simply

"Then there is still hope for me.' He said with his smile spread wide.