Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, Stargate SG-1, Reign, or anything else I reference.
Chapter 29: Interlude Scotland's Queen
(Edinburgh, Scotland)
"What do you want?" James asked with anger in his eyes as he stood before her.
"I just want to talk." Mary said as she looked at her half-brother James.
"I am not sure what good talking will do." James said. "The last time we talked your mother, and I ended up in a dungeon."
"I put you in there to give you time to think." Mary said.
Her mother had been reluctant to give up power and accept the way things were going. So, she had no choice but to make a decision. James disagreed with her decision and so she had to place him in a cell alongside her mother.
"Time to think. You locked us in the dungeon Mary." James said.
"If I had locked you in your rooms, you would have tried to escape." Mary said.
Despite the state of Scotland James and her mother had allies they could turn to if they had managed to escape their rooms. Keeping them in the dungeon watched over by her new soldiers was the best way to make sure that they were safe while they came to understand how things were changing.
"Because you are not yourself. How can you not see that?" James asked.
"You just do not understand." Mary said.
She had been very similar before she understood King Daniel. Now she understood the only way forward was with his help.
"You have fallen under the spell of that sorcerer. Your head is clouded." James said as he walker closer to her.
He stopped because the soldiers around her were moving to hold their swords.
"I want you to understand that there is no fighting this. With King Daniel's power it is better to work for him." Mary said to James.
James and her mother had been in trouble long before she had arrived. She had no idea what King Daniel would do to him if he met her brother, and she would hate to lose him because he was too stubborn.
"Why have you come to talk to me and mot your mother?" James asked.
"I am planning on talking to her as well." Mary said.
Despite the issues she had with her mother she wanted her to understand how things needed to be. She had found a way to take England. To bring forth the wish they had worked forward to all of her life.
"You cannot expect us to change our religion to follow some foreign sorcerer and his pagan goddess." James said.
"His title is king." Mary said.
"He has not been recognized by the Vatican, so I refuse to accept his claim to kingship." James said.
"Why are you being so stubborn?" Mary asked.
"He has corrupted my sister and seeks to take control of my home. If you were free from his control, you would understand." James said.
"Join me and we can bring peace to Scotland." Mary said.
She was finally back in Scotland to help her people but now she was here, and her people wanted nothing to do with her. One family dedicated to bringing peace and ushering in an era of peace.
"You will never be able to tear down the faithful in Scotland. Whether Protestant or Catholic we will fight for what is right and true." James said.
"Guards return him to the dungeon." Mary said with a sigh.
She did not want to resort to threats, but she knew if they did then it would end in blood, and she doubted that it would be hers.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"How are you feeling?" Francis asked Mary who was sitting in her courtyard and enjoying the nice weather.
"I feel conflicted." Mary answered.
"Is this about John Nox?" Francis asked.
John Nox was a Scottish minister that was critical of Mary and believed that should be removed from power. He was close with many Protestants lords throughout the country. They had been wary of him from when they first heard about him in France.
"Not right now." Mary answered Francis.
She wished it was about John Nox. She knew that no matter her stance they would not have gotten along with each other. He would not rest until she was off of her throne and out of the country. He wanted a democratic council to take her place and rule Scotland.
"Then what is on you mind?" Francis asked.
"My mother and my brother." Mary said.
"You want them out of the dungeon?" Francis asked.
"I just wish that they would understand." Mary said.
Her family believed the Vatican could topple King Daniel and they would not be convinced otherwise.
"Give them some time and when they learn what happened to England and Rome, they will agree that it is for the best that they convert." Franics said as he sat down next to her and held her hand.
"It hurt to see the betrayal in their eyes." Mary said.
"Do you want me to contact Sage?" Franis asked her.
Sage is a new member of their court. She was a tall woman with red hair and able to toss a man across a room with little effort. She also had the ability to compel people to do whatever she wished. King Daniel had sent her to them to help coordinate the soldiers they had and make sure that none of them were at risk of becoming a threat. She preferred to live in the town than stay in the castle.
"I do not want them to be forced to join us." Mary said.
She wanted her family to be on her side of their own free will. They had protected her country while she was younger and under constant threat of assassination. To take away their free will was something she would never do no.
"Alright if that is what you wish." Francis said.
"How is your father doing?" Mary asked wishing to change topics from her family.
"The last letter he sent stated that he has marched for Calais." Francis said.
"Are you worried?" Mary asked.
If something happened to King Henry while he was at war, then Francis would become king of France. It would help make their dream of a United Kingdom easier, but it would be a difficult adjustment period. Francis would have to decide whether to continue helping prepare for the war here or go back to France and lead the soldiers to prevent and invasion by Louis and Elizabeth.
"I am worried about the lords back in France." Francis said.
"How many have turned away from King Henry?" Mary asked.
"They may not say it for fear of being killed but many lords are sending supplies, men, and weapons to England and Italy in secret." Francis said.
"How is Catherine dealing with this?" Mary asked. She doubted that Catherine would let any potential threat to her family walk freely. She had been under constant threat during her stay in France and that was because Catherine believed in a prophecy that told her she would lead Francis to his death.
"You know my mother. She is coming up with some plot to remove threats to the royal family." Francis said.
'A lot of French nobles are going to find themselves poisoned.' Mary thought to herself.
"Bash wants to send Lola here." Francis said.
"Why?" Mary asked. She was still dealing with the fact that her oldest friend betrayed her and slept with her husband.
"Bash wants to join the army to avenge Diane's murder." Francis said.
Apparently since it was so hard to reach his father their enemies had decided to strike at someone he loved instead. They burned Diane's chateau to the ground. They left her head lying on a pike for his father to find.
"That still does not explain why she has to come here." Mary said.
She would prefer if they remained in different kingdoms for the rest of their lives.
"He wants Lola and the child to be in a safe place while he is away." Francis said.
What made this situation worse was the fact that she was carrying his bastard child. The two of them had been trying to have one since they had gotten married and still have not succeeded. Looking at her would just be a constant reminder of their failure. She would have liked to refuse but the child was innocent in this matter. It would not be right to punish it for something it could not control. She would not be like the people that she had grown up fearing. Someone that would kill children because it would be beneficial to them.
"This is not an easy thing you ask of me." Mary said.
Lola had betrayed her, but it was hard to not think of the years they had spent together as children and the challenges they had overcome at French court.
"Lola can stay in the town below. We give her guards and have them report daily." Francis said.
"Kenna and Greer are going to want visit her." Mary said.
Kenna and Greer had been busy since returning to Scotland. Kenna had been tasked with overseeing the building of an estate that King Daniel would approve of when he was visiting Scotland. Greer's father was given mining rights in the new world, and she was acting as his assistant to learn how to do it on her own. Her sisters were enjoying life now that they no longer had to be rushed into being married.