A/N: Thank you to the few of you who reviewed and the many more that followed. I wrote all the way to chapter 5 yesterday and I am currently working on Chapter 6. Of all of them I think this was the shortest chapter. So there is definitely a lot more to come. Mary will eventually make an appearance. But for now, bring on the Francis and Bash!

Chapter 2

The following day Adelia's parents were leaving to head back home. Her father whispered in her ear one last time that she needed to remember their plan before climbing into the carriage that would take him and his wife back to Spain. Adelia stood at the end of the road, watching until their carriage was all but a dot in the distance. She wanted to make her parents proud. She had come here intent on making Francis fall in love with her. Now she was not so sure.

She shook her head, turning back to the castle doors. What good would a bastard do for her? She was the Queen of Spain's niece, a political pawn that was to be used to secure the betterment of Spain in European diplomacies. She couldn't love Sebastian.

As though thinking of him summoned him, Sebastian met her at the front door of the castle. He greeted her with a charming smile. "Hello."

"Sebastian." she replied.

"I see you have learned my name. You can call me Bash, everyone else does."

She nodded her response.

His gaze turned troubled. "Does my name bother you?"

Adelia shook her head. She found herself mesmerized by his eyes and easy smile. "No, I am just sad. My parents left and I will not see them for a while," she lied.

Bash chuckled. "I tend to prefer when my parents aren't around. They don't radiate fun, if you know what I mean."

Adelia returned his smile. "I guess I can see that. Did you need me for something?"

Bash looked over her shoulder toward the stables. "You mentioned riding yesterday. I was wondering if you wanted to go out today. With me. On a ride."

Adelia felt a moment of indecision. She wanted nothing more than to spend the afternoon on her horse Calisto and in the company of Bash. But she was supposed to be wooing Francis, the future king of France, not his bastard brother. She should be searching him out on the grounds right now.

In the end her love of riding won out over common sense. "Ok, let me change. I'll meet you at the stables."

"I'll get Calisto ready." He nodded at her once before walking away. She was pleased he remembered her horse's name.

She hurried to her room where her maids helped put her long hair up into twisting knots on her head. She changed into lighter clothes for the ride and covered them with her brown leather riding jacket. Knee high black boots completed the outfit. She made it to the stables just as Bash was leading her horse out.

Calisto was a dapple gray mare from a line of famous Spanish horses. She was Adelia's prize possession and moreover her best friend. She rubbed the horses muzzle when she approached, pleased when Calisto nuzzled her shoulder in return.

Bash helped her mount her horse before climbing onto his own bay gelding. "This is Mercury." He told her, patting the horse's neck affectionately. "Follow me," he told her, kicking the horse into a trot away from the castle walls. Calisto had no problems keeping up with his horse and soon they were galloping across the fields by the lake. Adelia was glad that even in France she could feel free on the back of a horse, the wind in her hair and the sun on her face. She was a little disappointed when Bash slowed them down.

She brought Calisto up to walk next to Mercury. "We can't go much farther today." Bash told her after a moment of silence.

"Why not?" she asked.

He gestured toward the woods. "The trees. Nothing good lurks in there. They can be dangerous."

She grinned wryly at him. "I have you, don't I?"

He put a hand on his sword hilt at his belt reflexively but shook his head. "I may not be enough for every challenge in those woods." She saw that he had a haunted look on his face.

"We should let the horses drink. Rest." Adelia motioned toward the creek that fed into the lake. Bash agreed and dismounted, helping her off her horse. He tied them loosely to some nearby bushes with enough rein that they could drink from the creek and graze from the grass. Both Bash and Adelia sat on some large rocks that had them looking back at the castle.

"From this distance it almost looks small." Adelia said.

"It is small." Bash picked a long piece of grass and began winding it between his fingers.

Adelia looked at him in confusion. "How so? It is much bigger than our castle back in Spain."

"It is a gilded prison for some." Bash replied quietly.

"Do you not like living there?"

He looked at her sharply before looking down at the grass between his fingers. "It is fine. My father treats me with respect and love. I am with my mother and brothers."

"But..." she prompted.

He sighed loudly. "But I can't go anywhere. I can't do anything beyond the castle grounds. I can go hunting but only with a guard at my side. My every move is watched because my father fears his enemies will use me against him. As I get older I get a few more freedoms but I fear..." he trailed off, his eyes on the castle again.

"What do you fear?" she whispered.

He looked at her. "I fear for my future. All is well for my father to look on me favorably. But as an adult what will I be? Who will I be allowed to marry? What will I be allowed to do? My father will not be king forever."

"You worry about Francis?" She hadn't met the prince yet. Maybe he was an unkind person. She never planned on him being someone she wouldn't like. What if he was abusive?

Bash shook his head. "No, Francis has it even worse than I do in some respects. His guard is twice as big and twice as strict as my own. He and I are brothers as much as two can be but when he is king what will he do with me? Grant me lands and a title? I will be a threat to his crown then." He threw the piece of grass in his hand away from him. The green tangle barely fluttered a foot away. "Not that I want it."

So Francis wasn't a bad person in Bash's eyes. But the young man was correct. His future was something to be feared.

Bash looked at her again. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't bother you with this. I don't know you and you don't know me. This is a deep conversation for two strangers."

"One step closer to being friends then, I guess," she smiled at him before realizing his face was only inches from hers. She had only been kissed once before in her life and it had been a gross surprise. She didn't think kissing Bash would be gross. But it would be wrong. She leaned away before he could lean in.

"Why are you here?" he finally asked.

"Because you brought me here," she replied, confused.

"No I mean at court. Why are you at French court?"

"To learn the traditions and customs of the French court to become a well rounded noble lady-"

"No," Bash laughed, standing and facing her. "I mean the real reason. Not the reason your father made you rehearse."

She felt a moment of fear. Did he know why she was really here? Did he guess she was trying to win Francis over before Mary arrived from Scotland? Was she that transparent?

"I can tell you what I think," Bash continued, walking over to the stream and crouching down by it. He splashed some water on his face before looking back at her. "I think you're here to get in good with the queen."

"The Queen?" Adelia echoed.

"Not Catherine. Mary. When she comes she'll have her ladies in waiting. But if you breach that circle, if you become her friend, that will rocket your status beyond what it already is. I think your father knows this."

Adelia felt her jaw drop a bit at his suggestion. It was so far off from the truth it was laughable. Yet it was a better idea for him to have than why she was really there. She shrugged at him. "How did you figure me out?"

"Because who would really want to learn French customs?" He chuckled, standing and walking toward her. He offered her his hand to help her up. His hand was warm on hers and she didn't want to let go. She let him grip her for a moment longer than necessary before taking her hand back.

"When will Mary arrive?" she asked.

"A week, maybe two. We don't know for sure. That's on purpose, to keep enemies from striking." Bash unhooked the horses and led them over to her. He handed Calisto's reins to her. They began walking back to the castle, side by side, leading the horses. "Her being here will change everything."

"How so?"

Bash studied her a moment before deciding to continue. "Francis tends to have a wandering eye."

That was a polite way of saying he liked to do more than just kiss many different girls. Adelia was old enough to understand that. "So he had many girlfriends?" This would be useful knowledge to have for her plan.

"You could say that. He's a romantic at heart, I think he just falls in love easily." With a chuckle he added, "and out of love just as easily."

"What about you?" Adelia asked before she thought it through.

He looked at her again. She forced herself to keep staring forward. "I have thought I was in love a few times," he admitted. "But I don't think I was. I think it was a combination of lust and naivety. Those two things tend to get me in trouble."

"Your eyes wander less than Francis's." Adelia smiled at him.

"They wander more cautiously," he corrected. "I am not perfect." He glanced upward at the sun. "We should mount the horses and ride back. The sun will be setting by the time we reach the gates."

He helped her onto her horse and when they were both mounted they raced back to the castle. Bash and Mercury won by a few seconds but only because Adelia didn't want to hurt his pride. She held Calisto back at the last minute.

A stable boy met them to take the horses. Dusty but happy, Adelia was glad to let Bash lead her inside as the sun set over the forest behind them.

"Thanks for letting me win," Bash whispered in her ear before they parted ways at the hallway that led to her room. Before she could protest he was gone and she was left on her own to clean up and prepare for supper.

A/N: Don't forget to write a quick review to feed the muse. I like to know if people are enjoying the story as much as I am!