I DO NOT OWN REIGN.
Craigmillar Castle. Edinburgh, Kingdom of Scotland. Later that night.
After learning that Henry meant to invade her homeland, Mary was inconsolable as she went to our room and locked herself in. I assume it was because she didn't want her subjects to see her cry. After letters had been written and dispatched to Bash and Leith to request them to Scottish Court, I walked to Lola's chambers; needing a friend. When Lola opened the door, she saw that my eyes were bloodshot and without a word, took me in her arms and embraced me tightly. After I'd had a moment to collect myself, I told her that Henry was making plans to invade Scotland in light of my abdication. Lola was understandably frightened, since it was possible that Henry, being as mad as he was, might send ever soldier in France after us if he had a mind to.
"What are we going to do, Francis?" Lola asked as we sat on her bed while she rubbed circles on my back in an attempt to calm me.
"I have no idea...all I wanted to do was stay with Mary and be what she needed to be...and now i've brought almost certain death to her homeland." I groaned as I wiped away the tears that were threatening to reform in my eyes. Lola said nothing for a couple minutes until she turned my face to look at her.
"Francis...do you remember how you told me that Henry and Catherine were conspiring with Marie De Guise to turn Scotland over to France if you and Mary never had a child?" she asked me.
"Yes...what of it?" I asked in return, not knowing why that was relevant.
"How did Mary stop them?" Lola inquired knowingly.
"She threatened to send..." I started to say until I realized what she was getting at. Mary and I had an ace up our sleeve that we had completely forgotten about. I couldn't keep the grin off my face as I embraced Lola and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Lola, you are a fucking genius!"
The next day.
After a restless sleep, I grabbed David Rizzio and made my way to Mary's council room where she was meeting with members of the Privy council; eager to inform her of Lola's idea to stop the French invasion of Scotland.
"Mary, I have a way that we can stop Henry's invasion or at least weaken it!" I exclaimed as everyone turned to me in surprise.
"How Francis?" Mary asked as she looked at me with dread.
"Remember when our parents tried to make Scotland part of France?" I asked as this got a rise out of the Scottish nobles. Mary gave me a look that let me know that this was supposed to be a secret and she was not happy with me blurting it out to her Privy council.
"They did what?" Lord Bothwell asked angrily as the nobles were rightfully pissed off at this news.
"SILENCE!" Mary shouted as she tried to get her privy council members under control. "My mother, Marie De Guise, attempted to sell our country to the French; but I stopped her and the contract was burned."
"You forced Catherine De Medici to burn that contract by threatening to send letters detailing Henry's madness to 2 Dukes and the Vatican." I pointed out as I took Mary's hands in mine. "The odds of us winning against the French army in the field of battle are steep, so we need to make every minute before the battle count."
"You want to expose your father's madness?" Mary asked.
"It's the best chance we have. If ambitious nobles rise up and they will, Henry will be forced to keep his troops at home to fend off usurpers." David answered as I grabbed pieces of parchment, ink and quills.
"David and I shall write 3 letters detailing the king's madness." I explained as David began scribbling. "The first shall be sent to our friend Lord Tanneguy Le Veneur in Carrouges, the second to Pope Paul IV at the Vatican."
"And the third?" Mary inquired as I took a deep breath as I knew that what I was going to do had the potential to change French history forever.
"The third letter...will be sent to Prince Louis of Condé." I said as Mary's eyes grew wide as platters. The nobles too were surprised that I was willing to give my family's greatest rivals such a chance at taking power for themselves.
"Francis...he is a Bourbon prince of the blood. The Bourbons and the Valois have been rivals for decades." Mary said fearfully as she took my face in her hands. "If Condé manages to snatch the crown off Henry's head, your family will lose power."
"It is a risk that we must take." I assured my wife as I looked in her eyes. "If Henry remains in the throne, he will ruin France. I know of no other way to stop the son of a bitch. I swore that I was going to stand by you and Scotland and I am doing the best I can." Mary was silent for a couple of minutes until she nodded reluctantly.
"Very well...draw up the letters." Mary replied as she caressed my cheek as she could appreciate the sacrifice I was making to secure her reign. "We can only hope that Lord Tanneguy is still loyal to us and can do what he can to stabilize France."
"We'll do it at once." I said as the privy council voiced their support for my plan. I didn't blame them; the House of Valois and their rule over the Kingdom of France didn't mean Jack shit to these Scottish noblemen. They didn't mind my family losing everything as long as Scotland was secured.
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