I DO NOT OWN REIGN. SHOUTOUT TO EVERYONE WHO CARES.
Veneur Estate. Carrogues, Kingdom of France. A week later.
I couldn't hide the smile on my face as I laid in bed with Mary. Her cheek upon my right pec, the sun hitting her hair just right so that it looked like someone had snuck in at night and sewn tiny jewels into her milk chocolate brown hair.
My eyes roamed over her nude feminine physical form. It seemed like she was a designer wife; every single body part, every single aspect of her personality had been made to utter perfection. I struggled to remember why I had ever felt such lust for Olivia D'Amencourt as I had, Mary was everything that I wanted, everything I needed in a wife, a partner, a Queen, a best friend. I knew now that I could never touch, think, or look at another woman as I now did at my wife.
Mary eventually opened her eyes at me and smiled the smile I had come to adore.
"Good morning, husband." Mary whispered as I gently kissed her forehead.
"Good morning yourself, wife." I replied as my eyes drank in her beauty.
"Last night was..." Mary said as she struggled to find the right words to describe how our wedding night had been.
"Glorious?" I asked with a smirk, earning a giggle from my new bride.
"Something like that." She replied as she planted a kiss on my lips. The insanely beautiful love making hadn't been our first foray into the epic art of sexual relations, but it was so far the best. Mary and I stayed there for a few minutes; kissing, cuddling, and enjoying each other. Eventually, Mary pulled away and held my cheek.
"Francis...these last few weeks have been wonderful...but we must return to French court." Mary told me as my heart sank. That place had held such suffering for us. I was in no hurry to go back there.
"Mary, please...why can't we stay here or go to Scotland?" I asked desperately.
"Because we have a duty to France." Mary insisted. "You are its future King and I am it's future Queen, we can not leave like this."
"But Catherine will do anything to destroy us." I reminded her as I didn't want to see the Medici bitch ever again.
"We are married now, not even Catherine de' Medici can undo what has been done before God." Mary assured me as I buried my face in her chest, inhaling her scent. I didn't want to risk Catherine harming my wife, but I knew Mary would not be deterred.
"Mary...I don't want to lose you." I said, feeling a tear of fear roll down my cheek.
"You won't lose me Francis." Mary assured me as she gently kissed the tear away. "You have me and we have each other." She laid my head on her bosom as I held onto Mary for dear life.
"I can't thank you enough for all you have done for us." I told Tanneguy as Bash loaded our supplies in the saddlebags. The count had offered us 3 horses for our return to court and plenty of supplies for the trip.
"It is the least I can do for the future monarchs." Tanneguy replied as we watched Mary and Marguerite embrace each other in the spirit of farewell.
"I pray that we may return the favor and invite you both to court." I said, eager to keep a loyal ally close to me.
"We would be mad to refuse such an offer." The count said as we embraced.
"We'd best be on our way if we mean to make Paris by dusk." Bash cautioned as I broke away and got on my horse.
"The kindness of the house Carrogues shall not be forgotten." Mary assured the Veneur siblings as we waved goodbye before riding off towards the French snake pit.
French Court. Kingdom of France. 3 days later.
As we rode up to the castle, we saw the guards open the gates for us. Everyone has gathered in the courtyard to greet us: Henry, Catherine, Kenna, Greer, Lola, Leith, everyone. I felt a sudden urge to tuck tail and run. The only thing I feared more than returning to French Court though, was sending Mary and Bash in there alone. As we dismounted our horses, King Henry came to greet us.
"We will discuss your absence, but not here." Henry growled as he motioned for us to follow him inside. I grasped Mary's hand as the guards flanked us while Henry and Catherine walked us into the throne room.
"The guards say you chose to return." Henry stated as he and his wife sat on their thrones.
"We are here on behalf of Sebastian and to make peace between our nations, as it seems there is some ill will in the wake of my decision not to marry your son Francis." Mary declared as she stood her ground, her hand in mine. "I am hoping you can help me with this."
"I'll help you make peace. Marry Francis, as we'd agreed. Lay claim to England." Henry demanded as he stared her down angrily. "The story for your abrupt departure is this: you were a bride overcome by nerves..."
"No." I interjected as everyone turned my way.
"No?" The king asked in shock.
"I can not wed Mary." I replied as I saw a bright gleam of hope in Catherine's eyes.
"If Francis does not wish to marry her, you must respect his wishes." The Queen, trying to support me.
"I can not marry her, because we are already married." I clarified as I could see Catherine's heart sink like a rock.
"You did what?" She asked with pure anger.
"We found a priest in a small village and gave him false names, we exchanged vows with Bash as our witness and we consummated our Union." Mary replied as Catherine and Henry were dumbfounded.
"There were improper intimacies?" She asked.
"I laid with my husband, there is nothing improper about it." Mary replied as Catherine was seeing red.
"Do you realize what you have done?" She snarled with venom in her voice.
"We have freed ourselves from your grasp, you witch!" I exclaimed with pride as Catherine stood up in anger.
"I grow weary of your constant disrespect!" She growled at me as I finally lost my shit.
"I grew weary of you by the end of episode 1!" I exclaimed angrily before I could realize what I had just said. Everyone was taken aback by my comment.
"What could you possible mean by that?" Catherine asked in confusion as I tried to backtrack.
"I misspoke, what I mean to say was that I grew weary of you long ago and for good reason." I replied as I forced myself to stare her down. "You would gladly condemn me to a long life of misery then to see me loved as I always wanted to be. You are so eager to prevent my death...but I assure you that there are gates far worse then the grave. If I must die, let Mary's arms be my death bed, for I shall have no other."
"As touching as this is, you both must realize that you are not legally married." Henry replied as Mary and I looked at each other in fear.
"We are, we spoke our vows in front of a Catholic priest!" I growled angrily.
"Mary said you used false names. Therefore, your marriage is not valid." The king declared. "The only solution is to have you married again; in a proper ceremony befitting the next King and Queen of England, Scotland, and France."
"If you promise us safety from Catherine, we shall marry again and pursue your ambitions." I told my father.
"It shall be arranged." Henry promised as I kept my eyes on Mary, my only oasis in this tempest.
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