Disclaimer: I do not own the Tudors.
Face claim for Clarice de' Medici - Synnøve Karlsen.
Chapter One Hundred & Five: A Wedding to Remember.
10th of August 1536 - Saint-Germain-en-Laye
The wedding of the Duke of Brittany and Maria of Portugal had been a grand affair, no expense having been spared for the wedding of the heir and his bride; it was clear that the court had much to celebrate this day. Eleanor of Austria looked upon her daughter with such pride, although she felt a twinge of sadness knowing her own wedding day had not been so joyful.
Looking back now, she wished that she hadn't allowed Charles to do what he had; that he hadn't forced her onto the French throne in his own bid for power. There was much regret for her time here, how she had been nothing more than a puppet for him to try and control Francis; her former husband had hated her for that no matter what she did to try and please him.
Not that she blamed him for that, he'd had no choice but to marry her if she wanted his sons returned to him after Charles had taken them hostage in exchange for his release. A lump formed in her throat as she stared at her beloved daughter, she prayed to God Almighty that she would have a better time in France than she had; that she would be as loved as Elisabeth and Claude had been.
The ceremony was a long one, many prayers being said for the couple and Eleanor was happy for Maria; she looked so happy since she had arrived and the Dauphin had been as charming as Eleanor remembered him. He had always been a rather sweet boy, quiet after his time being imprisoned by her brother and he had treated her with the respect that she had deserved as Queen of France. After what seemed like an age, the ceremony came to an end and Eleanor was surprised to find herself face to face with King Francis who offered her his arm with a kind smile.
"My Lady," he greeted her with a bow of his head, the Duke and Duchess of Brittany made their way back down the aisle; smiles upon their faces that Eleanor hoped would always be there. She wanted her daughter to have a happy marriage, one happier than Eleanor had when she lived here; she linked arms with Francis as they followed after the royal newlyweds with Queen Elisabeth following behind them with the rest of the royal party behind her.
"I wish to express my apologies for how things were between us, I know that it was not a marriage that either of us would have ever chosen," Francis stated lowly, he nodded to the nobles that he recognised as they followed down the aisle. Their marriage was one that they both regretted, a marriage that should have never taken place but they'd had no other choice but to go through with it as Francis would not risk his sons' lives.
"It is understandable Your Majesty. We were ill matched and forced into our own unhappiness," Eleanor replied simply, it would do them both no good to dwell on the past not when there could be so much joy in the future. God willing Maria and Francis would have children of their own son, heirs that would one day sit on the throne of France and secure it for years to come.
"That may be, but I treated you poorly… I shamed you greatly to punish your brother," Francis admitted knowing that he had been far from kind to Eleanor, he didn't deserve her kindness on this matter. His anger had been misplaced and directed at her, when it should have been firmly directed at Charles; not that the man could cause anymore hurt now that he was dead and buried.
Isabella was proving to be more level headed than her husband, she was in no hurry to fight with anyone at this time and hopefully Philip would take after his mother in that regard when the time came for him to rule on his own. Eleanor took a deep breath, she stared ahead refusing to allow her words to affect her now; she was married to her love, they had a beautiful daughter together and she couldn't ask for anything more.
"Treat my daughter with the respect that she deserves and I shall forgive you," Eleanor stated looking to him for the first time, she wanted the best for Maria and she hoped that she would get it. Her daughter would be the next Queen of France, she wanted her to be secure in her position never fearing that she would be displaced and rejected by her husband.
The celebrations were in full swing for the reception, Maria and Francis looked so happy and there was no denying that it looked like their marriage for the most part would be a happy one if things continued down this path. Francis could not remove his eyes from his bride, who looked lovely in the gown that she had chosen to wed in; she looked radiant and he had been heard boasting that he had the most beautiful woman at court as his wife.
"It makes me think of our wedding day," George stated from beside Clarice, he looked up at the newlywedded who were celebrating together; there was music and feasting to be had on this day. Clarice looked at him, she didn't think they'd looked that happy when they had married; although she would not deny that she loved him now, it had not started as a love match.
"I think they shall be very happy together, happier than the Duke of Orleans at the very least," George stated nodding towards the Duke and Duchess of Orleans who were seated to the left of the bridegroom. There had never been a more miserable couple in his opinion, it was clear that the Duke's eyes were firmly located on his mistress who was rather happy to grace the dance floor with any man that offered her their hand.
Clarice nodded her head, she felt sorry for Catherine although she doubted that she would have handed the situation any better than her cousin. There was no way that a child could be produced if the husband wasn't willing to share a bed with his wife, it wasn't possible and Catherine's reputation was suffering from the lack of child in her marriage.
"Look, the pie," Maria pointed out to the applaud of the crowd, the attention of those closest to her pulled towards the giant pie carried in by four men. It was a fantastic thing to admire as it was set before the newlyweds and Francis pressed a kiss to Maria's hand before leading her to the front of the high table; she had a large smile on her face as he strides forward and hews the pie with his ceremonial sword.
To the surprise of the guests in attendance, doves were released from the pie upon Francis' striking the pie with his sword and setting them free. He looked triumphant as the crowd clapped at the show that had been put on, he turned back to Maria who looked so happy.
"Wonderful. Wonderful. My hero," Maria cheered stepping forward to press a kiss to his lips as servants stepped forward to serve the pie to the guests. Returning to their seats, the loved up couple unable to take their eyes off one another; they were happy in their own little bubble away from the stares from the guests. Maria fed a forkful of pie to Francis, the two of them so wrapped up in each other as they shared secret whispers; no doubts in anyone's minds that they were a well matched couple compared to the Duke and Duchess of Orleans.
Catherine sipped on her drink, her face devoid of any emotion as she looked out across the crowds knowing that once they had all celebrated her marriage to Henri and now they hated her more than ever. Her eyes catching on Clarice and her husband, she had gone into her marriage wanting to end up like them; she had planned on giving Henri many children. Clarice had two daughters and a son now, something that Catherine longed for; daughters were better than nothing in her mind, she longed to give her husband any child that she could. Looking away from Clarice, her eyes caught on one of her ladies who offered her the smallest of nods before looking away from her mistress; just as Francis' manservant served the groom more wine.
"This pie is dry," the Duke of Brittany noted reaching for his goblet and drinking from it, he waved away his manservant as he drank deeply from the goblet. The chatter was joyful around him, even Eleanor and his father seemed to have put aside their differences for today; both chatting away reminiscing on happier times.
"Mm, good. Needs washing down," Francis noted trying to clear the lump that seemed to be forming in his throat, a bit of pie perhaps that had gotten stuck on the way down. He coughed a couple of times to try and dislodge it from his throat, Maria signalling for his manservant to pour him more wine so that he might drink with a slightly concerned look upon his face. Francis took another sip from his goblet, the cough growing harsher with each passing moment as he tried to catch his breath; he grasped at his throat and looked at Maria in alarm before knocking over his goblet and stumbling to his feet knocking his chair to the floor.
"Your Grace?" his manservant called standing their stumped as he stared at his master, the jug of wine still in his hands as Francis pulled at the colour of his shirt; the coughing starting to grow more and more attention from the guests. The music stopped as everyone seemed to focus on the Dauphin who was starting to turn red in the face from the force of the coughing bout that afflicted him.
"He's choking!" Maria called standing to stare at her husband, her hands shaking and she didn't know what to do as Catherine moved to stand beside her; everyone seemed frozen in place as they watched the Dauphin stumble forward away from the high table.
"Help the poor boy," Eleanor shouted getting to her own feet, she couldn't believe that no one was doing anything to help her son-in-law; he was turning such a horrible colour in the face and she moved to comfort Maria who stood there in shock. Francis staggered forward towards the crowd, gasping for air as he choked; his hands clasping at his throat as he tried to clear his air way.
"Idiots, help the Dauphin," Henri roared looking around for someone to help his brother, his feet frozen to the floor as finally the servants around them as well as several nobles surged into action to help the heir to the French throne. Francis collapsed to the floor face first, his manservant quickly running to his side and grabbing him to turn him over as the Dauphin vomited all over himself; his face starting to turn purple as he felt his throat close up.
King Francis moved away from the Queen as he hurried down the steps towards his eldest son, fear gripping him as he realised what was happening and what that could mean. Elisabeth covered her mouth with her hand as she watched the scene before her, the Dauphin was such a kind soul and she knew his death would break his father; losing an heir was never ideal but it would weaken Francis' throne to lose his eldest boy now. Francis gagged as he was turned onto his back, his face purple and his eyes glazed, vomit lining his cheeks as he twitched and spasmed on the ground.
King Francis dropped to his knees beside his eldest boy, clutching his hands in his as he pleaded with God not to take his eldest from him; not after everything that he had done to secure his kingdom. Blood streams out of Francis' nose as he convulsed painfully on the ground, his hand reaching out to touch his crying father's face as he stared at him. A final gasp escaping from him for the final time as blood continues to stream from his nose, his face a horrible shade of purple that was completely unnatural. It was there that Francis III, Duke of Brittany and Dauphin of Viennois, first son of King Francis I of France and Duchess Claude of Brittany left the world at the young age of eighteen.
"My son," King Francis cried as he stared down at the fallen form of his eldest, the crowds whispering in horror for what they had just witnessed while the royal family stood there in complete shock. Henri slowly made his way down the steps towards his fallen older brother and grieving father, shock of what he had witnessed on his face; he had never wished his brother ill for the way things had been. Now Francis was gone, someone had murdered him and he would make them pay; he could hear Maria's sobs as she collapsed to the ground in horror of what had happened on her wedding day of all days.
"He can't be," she wailed unable to believe any of this, she had barely been his wife for more than a few hours; she had liked him very much and had felt like she could love him for he was so very kind to her. Eleanor held her daughter as she cried, she looked away from the tragic scene that was playing out before them and her heart went out to Francis; she grieved herself for the kind boy that the boy had been.
Anne de Montmorency marched forward, barking orders to the men as he approached the fallen Dauphin; he knew that they must act quickly to find who had poisoned him on his wedding day. He paused to look at King Francis, uneasy for a moment to even to even disturb the mourning monarch but they had to move the body; it was not right to leave the dead Dauphin on display like this.
"Father," Henri whispered disturbing King Francis so that Montmorency did not have to, the image of his dead brother burned into his mind forever and he would not rest until justice had been served. He rested a hand on the King's shoulder as he wept, Henri had never seen his father break in such a way. Guards flooded the palace as the search for the person behind this, they would not rest until they had answers on who had murdered the Dauphin and had brought them to justice of the King.
I recommend Bed of Deceit by BellalunaMcKenzie, For Even as Love Crowns You by wizardfantasy and Sanctuary by Cattyfan. Also check out My Lord Husband, The Enemy by Esme24, That Subtle Wreath by EvilFluffyBiteyThing and its sequel, A Progress in Kent.
Please Review, Favourite and Follow x