Mary still couldn't believe what's happening, the midwife came this morning and confirmed that she really is pregnant, three months pregnant to be exact. She can only imagine Francis' face when he finds out, of course she won't inform him through a mere letter, she needs to say it in person, she needs to see his face when she tells him the good news, but the good news will have to wait until Francis arrive from Calais, and she couldn't wait any second longer.
~^oOo^~
Two months have passed and there still is no sign of Francis, she's now 5 months pregnant and the bump in her belly is more obvious now, and she's been annoyed by the fact that if Francis finally comes home, he'll immediately know that she is pregnant because of her belly. There would be no "I have great news for you!" moment, he'll know from the moment he laid eyes on her. But that doesn't matter anymore, all she wants now is for her husband to come home, and for their baby to be born healthy. She experienced terrible mood swings these past few months, she even snapped at her servants, some nights she's extremely cheerful and other nights she's awfully depressed, and tonight is one of that nights.
Mary hugs her pillow while sobbing silently; she worries about her husband all day and all night, but tonight is different, she isn't just worried about Francis, she's also angry at him. She's angry by the fact that he isn't home, that he's letting her do this alone, that he isn't here to comfort her, that isn't here to save her from her misery.
"Why am I being so selfish?" Mary said out loud. If someone could hear her now, they would immediately think that she has lost her mind.
She misses him so bad, she misses him every day, she miss his hands around her, she miss the mornings that they wake up in each other's arms, she miss hearing his voice, she miss his blond curls, his gentle hands, his blue eyes, she miss everything about him. She often prays that their child will look like Francis; she prays that their child will have blond hair, blue eyes and fair skin. But for now, she can only hope that Francis will be here soon, and the only way to convince him is to write another letter.
My dear Francis,
I don't know what to say anymore, I wrote you so many letters, convincing you to come to Scotland, but you're still not here. What do I need to do for you to come to me? You said that you'd be here as soon as you can but it's been five months, five long months Francis. I have great news for you but I'm afraid I will have to say it in person.
Come here Francis please
Don't let me do this alone, please don't.
Love,
Mary
~^oOo^~
"Open the gates!" the guard said, Francis and his troops finally came home to France after a long victorious battle in Calais. King Henry and Queen Catherine couldn't be prouder of their son.
"They did it!" Catherine joyfully said, relieved that her son is finally home, safe and sound.
"Of course they did, have you not have any faith? God wanted us to win that war, and we did." Henry said as he watched all the soldiers march slowly near the entrance of the gate.
Bash was there too, he watched Francis as he dismounts his horse.
"It's been a long time, brother" Bash said with relief that his brother is unharmed
"It is" Francis hugged Bash, thankful that he's now home safe.
"Tell me, what have been happening here in French court, any good news? Francis said
"What you really want to ask is: has Mary come back yet?" Bash said jokingly, Francis smiled a bit.
"Unfortunately brother, she isn't here, she's still in Scotland." Francis' smile wears off upon hearing the news
"It doesn't matter, I'll go to her instead." Francis said, trying to remain positive about the situation
"Let's just hope that father will allow you to do that" Bash said calmly
"even if he didn't, I'd still go anyway, it's been five months since I last saw my wife, it isn't fair for her to be alone in Scotland, and I also promised her that I'll go there as soon as the battle in Calais is over" Francis responded
"alright then, in the meantime, let's celebrate your glorious victory brother." Bash said as he taps his brother's back
~^oOo^~
Francis is about to go to sleep when he felt his ear hurt, it's the most excruciating so far, he has been experiencing occasional throbbing in his ear when they were in Calais and the pain is becoming more frequent and agonizing, each time more painful than the former. He doesn't know how to stop it, the medicine Nostradamus gave him barely works anymore, even if he took medicine, the pain would still be there, he still haven't told Mary about this, and he doesn't think he should. In fact, he isn't planning on telling anyone in French court about it, especially his mother, he knows it very much that she will just hinder him from going to Scotland, and he can't allow that to happen.
The next morning, King Henry called for a small meeting which required Francis to attend; Francis barely even slept yet, the pain in his ear kept him up all night again. In that same meeting, Francis is planning to ask for his mother and father's permission to go to Scotland. He is becoming excited of the idea of going there. In just a few days, he'll see his wife again and they would finally be together after five long months. He just hopes that nothing would go wrong.
~^oOo^~
Francis stood there, bored as usual, his father is saying something about the victory in Calais, how it is all in God's will, he barely heard the words that his father is saying when he felt it again. That pain, that tormenting pain in his right ear, "Why would this happen now?" Francis cursed in his head, "this can't happen now, they would know, and they wouldn't let me out of there sight if they found out that I'm ill" these are the thoughts that run in Francis' head.
Before he knew it, he found himself falling on his knees while his right hand covers his ear, as if doing those could relieve his pain, his mother rushed to him and the last thing he saw was Mary's face, or at least he thought he did.