I DO NOT OWN REIGN. MORE REVIEWS MEANS FREQUENT UPDATES.
Tower of London prison, Kingdom of England. 3 weeks later.
I didn't die during my 1st few weeks in the tower, but there were many a time that I wished I had. My cell was larger than most in the tower, but it wasn't any cleaner. Not only did the cell look like shit from a shit hole, but it smelled far worse than it looked. I honestly thought that considering how I was a king consort, I might be entitled to a half way decent prison cell, but apparently Elizabeth disagreed.
There was grime everywhere only 1 small window with which to see out into the courtyard of the tower; which if like me, you knew how many executions and dead bodies had passed through this place, didn't do shit to raise my spirits. The dungeon floor was also rather crusty, like some had done a shit ton of spitting on it and no one ever bothered to clean it up. The smell was just fucking ghastly and it was because of the bucket in the bathroom that was, for all intents and purposes, my toilet.
As for my bed, to call it a cot would be generous. It was basically a pile of straw in a flattened sack. It hurt like Hell to sleep on and lumbar problems were guaranteed. Even if chiropractors did exist in the 1500's, i doubt that prisoners got access to any sort of healthcare. I did get a "bath, which was basically where the guards stripped me ass naked and threw a bucket's worth of water on me, but that was only once a week. Thankfully, I did get fed, but my meals consisted of a half loaf of bread and a single cup of water 3 times a day. The water was always room temperature and the bread was usually stale and once in a while, moldy as Hell.
Now, before you go telling me how naive I am to expect special treatment, remember that I was a king; a king consort maybe, but a king all the same. Plus, the history book said that the Tower of London was for noble and/or important prisoners, so while I was expecting a 5 star hotel, I was expecting to be treated halfway decently. As I discovered later on, a prisoner's experience in the tower varied considerably based on the crime they had committed or based on if the sovereign and or constable wanted to prolong their suffering. I figured that Elizabeth was trying to make my experience in the tower as Hellish as possible to get me to turn against Mary and support her quest to unite England and Scotland under her rule. She was wasting my time and hers because I would never sell Mary out, especially to the "virgin" queen.
Just when I thought that Elizabeth couldn't make my stay anymore of a trial, she found a way to twist the knife. After eating my lunchtime portion of bread and water, my dungeon door was open and Sir Robert Oxenbridge walked in, flanked by a couple of tower guards. He looked at me with a shit eating grin that let me know that the son of a bitch had something up his sleeve.
"Ah, King Consort Francis...how are you faring today?" the constable asked as I gave him a well deserved eye roll.
"I'm trapped in Satan's anus, how do you think i'm faring?" I snarled as he chuckled at my expense.
"Queen Elizabeth feels conflicted at leaving you in such a woeful countenance. Therefore, she thought that a cell mate might lift your spirits...bring her in!" Sir Robert offered as he made motions to his guards. I was stunned into silence as they dragged a disheveled and frightened Lola Fleming into my cell.
"Lola...what have you done to her?" I asked in anger as she fell to the drab floor with a groan of pain.
"We caught this Scottish wench in Newcastle Upon Tyne, trying to pay for lodgings with Scottish currency; it seems she snuck across the border." Oxenbridge explained. "She demanded to be taken to you, so here she is." The constable and his giards then left us as i helped Lola to her feet.
"Lola, what are you doing here? You're Mary's favorite lady, why would you risk sneaking into England?" I inquired anxiously as I could see Lola tearing up.
"For you...I had to find you." Lola said tearfully as she grbabed my hands. "We heard of the English naval attack at Inchkeith. When we didnt hear word of your fate, Mary feared the worst."
"How did you hear of my capture?"
"Bash and Leith made a raft and made it off the island before they could be slain. They were picked up by fishermen and taken to Edinburgh. They told Mary how you'd been kidnapped by English soldiers and how both our army and the French had been massacred."
"It's my fault...I told Mary we should ask for Elizabeth's help." I said, furious with myself for causing this mess.
"No Francis...you tried to save Scotland from a mad king." Lola assured me as she pressed her palm to my cheek. "It was a week ago that Elizabeth sent Mary official word of your capture..."
"Demanding that she forgo her claims to England in exchange for my safe return, she didnt agree, did she?" I asked as Lola looked at me with pity.
"She couldn't, Mary would have looked weak in front of her privy council and her people when she needs to look strong." Lola answered with disdain. "Also...Lord Bothwell encouraged her to abandon you to Elizabeth."
"He did what?" I asked in anger at his clear attempt to get rid of me.
"Francis...Bothwell is obsessed with Mary and he has been trying every way he can to seduce her." Lola admitted with sympathy. "Mary has tired to refuse him, but he is the Lord Chancellor; she needs him to be on her side."
"Elizabeth hasn't even taken my head yet and that self centered arrogant prick is already trying to get under my wife's skirts." I growled as fear began to creep inside my heart. I knew that i had no right to judge lustful feelings, but in the original timeline, Mary had fallen for Bash and had pursued an affair with Condé after her rape. What if she lost her will and gave into Bothwell? What if i risked France and Scotland's futures for nothing?
NOLCIS NOW HAS A CELLMATE, CAN THEY SURVIVE ELIZABETH'S GAMES? REVIEWS NEEDED AND APPRECIATED
