Disclaimer: I do not own the Tudors.
Face claim for Clarice de' Medici - Synnøve Karlsen.
Chapter One Hundred & Seventeen: Courtly Romance.
8th of December 1539 - Linlithgow Palace, Kingdom of Scotland
Despite the royal physicians strict instructions that Queen Madeleine should not find herself with child again, the news that Madeleine was pregnant had broken in early June of that year. The Queen had been thrilled despite the warnings that surrounded her, she had spent time preparing the royal nursery for the new prince. Nothing seemed to dampen her spirit once the news that she had prayed for had been confirmed, that she had done her duty and gotten pregnant despite the doctors warning her against it.
Madeleine had even insisted that they leave St Andrews behind, instead wishing to get away from the grief that seemed to linger around the place where her first two sons had lost their lives. King James had been more than eager to appease his wife, especially when it became clear that nothing could deter her from carrying the child; he fretted for her health and no expense was spared in her comfort.
James Hamilton of Finnart was given 400 French gold crowns to repair the palace, in August 1539 he was paid for rebuilding the king's kitchen, at the north end of the great hall, with a fireplace, an oven, and a room for silver vessels, and another for keeping coal. Madeleine was provided with gold, silver, and black thread for embroidery, and her ladies' embroidery equipment was brought from Falkland Palace to keep her entertained while she entered her confinement.
Seated in the royal chapel, King James clasped his hands and whispered to himself as he tried to ignore the pained screams that came from just down the corridor; he stared ahead at the cross knowing that only god could help them now. The child was early, not as early as Robert had been and King James found himself praying for the survival of his wife; he had instructed the physicians to save his wife at all costs, not that his wife would have agreed with those instructions.
King James didn't know what he would do if Madeleine was lost, she was the love of his life and in the two years that they had been married; he had come to rely on her more than anyone else in his court. After what felt like an eternity, the Earl of Moray entered the chapel hurrying towards the king with a grave expression upon his face; he bowed to his half-brother before trying to catch his breath having rushed to King James' side.
"Your Grace," the Earl greeted, he tried to catch his breath as King James stood from the pew were he was seated and turned to see what his brother had to say to him. He had always known that his older half-brother would always have his side, King James did not know what he would do without his support especially during times like this.
"The Queen has delivered a healthy baby girl," the Earl informed King James, it was not what they had hoped for especially in the light of losing the two princes last year. A girl was not what the court needed, not when King Henry of England had three healthy sons; each posing a threat to the Scottish throne despite the alliance that united their countries.
"And the Queen?" King James asked desperately, he was relieved to hear that the child was healthy even if it was a daughter but the lack of news about his wife was deeply concerning. The Earl of Moray stared at his brother, the words stuck in his throat knowing that the news was not what he wished to share with the King; even if the physicians had warned what would happen if Madeleine got pregnant again.
His silence was enough to tell King James about what was happening, he pushed past his brother and made his way from the royal chapel; he ignored the looks from those he passed as he made his way to Madeleine's chambers. Entering the chambers, King James all but came to a stop as he saw his wife; her face drained of any colour and her eyes staring almost lifelessly at him. Madeleine's breathing was very laboured, her eyes almost unseeing as she struggled; she could hear the sniffles from her ladies in the corner, the muffled voices of the doctors as they spoke.
"Her Grace is very unwell," the royal physician informed the King, he wished he had better news but there was nothing that he could do; the Queen's weak constitution had not helped with the birth. King James didn't speak, moving to the bed and taking Madeleine's hand in his own and pressing a kiss to it; he smiled with tears in his eyes as she weakly stared up to him, a smile forming on her face as she looked at him.
"I have given you an heir, a son that you can be proud of," Madeleine gushed, her voice breathless as she struggled to speak and she felt pride that she had managed to do what she had promised to. All the pain and suffering had been worth it, James would not have to worry about the throne nor who would succeed in his place should anything happen to him; he had a healthy heir to take his place one day. King James gave her a sad smile, he didn't have the heart to tell her that the child was a girl; he guessed no one else had the heart to do so especially in the face of what was to come.
"You have done so well my love," King James reassured her, he sat down on the edge of the bed and pressed a kiss to the top of her hand again; his heart breaking at the sight of the smile upon his wife's face. Madeleine stared at James, she did not wish to say goodbye but she felt the lord calling her home; she held his hand and her head lolled backwards onto the pillow slightly.
"It's impossible to escape the fate, I prayed to God so many times not to be surprised by death when you are away," Madeleine said, her voice barely above a whisper as she tried to gather the energy to speak. James had rarely left her side while she was pregnant but there had been times that he had been forced to because of his duties to the realm; she had feared that she would die without being able to say her goodbyes and leave him without an heir.
"I have to tell you something. If you remarry…" Madeleine whispered, tears in her eyes knowing that was going to happen whether she wished it so or not. Her father had remarried after her mother's death, it was expected of them even if they loved their consort that they would do their duty to the realm.
"Be quiet," King James said, his finger pressed against her lips so that he would not hear such words from her; he would not discuss such matters on her deathbed, not when he had so little time left with her. Madeleine tried to shake her head, she did not want that for him; he deserved to have someone by his side, she didn't want him to be alone for the rest of his life.
"You owe it to the kingdom," Madeleine pointed out to him, the realm would need a Queen someone that James could turn to and aid him in building the Scotland that he dreamt of. A part of her was sad knowing that it could not be her, that she would not see his plans for Scotland come to life; she had done her job and now God called her home to him.
"Never. Do you think my love will die with you?" James vowed, he would take no other wife as his heart would always belong to Madeleine and it would be unfair to any other that might call herself his wife to compare them to her.
"I swear before God that I will never remarry, and that nothing and nobody will be able to break my word. No even you yourself," James vowed to her, he took her hands in his own as he vowed to never take another wife even if she tried to force him to do so herself. Madeleine gasped at his words, tears in her eyes as she stared at his face trying to take in every detail so that she could remember him until God saw fit to have them reunited. In the corner of the room, a woman stood with a solemn look on her face; her head bowed so that Madeleine could not see it even though she knew who it was that God had sent to bring her home to him.
"Even your stubbornness, I have loved that too," Madeleine whispered, a weak smile upon her face as she spoke making James smile at her words that only broke his heart even more.
"Embrace me. Let me feel your warmth," Madeleine requested, she wanted to feel his arms around her one more time, she felt so cold despite the fire that was only feet from her bed. James nodded his head and slowly lowered his head to her chest, not ready to imagine the world without Madeleine; she was the light in this dark world to him.
"My life, my love," Madeleine whispered tears escaping her eyes as James held her, his head upon her chest and she wished she could run her fingers through his hair one last time.
"I love you so much… so much," James cried, his voice thick with tears and he held on tightly to Madeleine until he felt her chest stop moving; he lifted his head to look at Madeleine as he realised that she was gone. His screams could be heard down the hall, his arms wrapping around Madeleine as he wept uncontrollably unable to believe that she was gone; that the love of his life had left him alone in this world.
3rd of April 1540 - Florence, Duchy of Florence
"It's a very healthy baby girl Your Grace," one of his wife's ladies informed Ippolito, it had been three long years since the Duchess of Florence had birthed their second son and so much work had been done to restore Florence to glory. Ippolito smiled at the news that they had been so blessed with another daughter, no doubt this one was as beautiful as Lucrezia was and would be just as smart as her older sister.
"How fairs my wife?" Ippolito asked moving away from his desk and looking out the window to the gardens where Lucrezia and Giuliano were playing; he smiled watching them knowing that they would be thrilled at the news.
"Her Grace recovers well and requests that the girl be named Maria," the maid informed him, Ippolito nodded his head before he dismissed her, not surprised by the choice of name for their second daughter. It had been something that they had discussed, the name for their next child and Ippolito had liked the idea of naming their next daughter of his wife. Ippolito looked back at his eldest two children, their futures all but decided as much as Henri's was set; Mary had insisted that they wait a little while longer before they sent Henri off to England to live with Clarice and George.
Letters from his sister were constant, promises of visits that Ippolito was eager to see; he wanted her to see their home restored to how it had been during their childhood before they were forced to flee. Contessina, Filiberta, William, Piccarda and John would be more than welcomed to their mother's ancestral home; it was only right that they should get the chance to come here.
There were so few Medici left in this world, even with Ippolito's plans for the future; he did not trust Catherine as far as he could throw her especially when she saw him as her enemy. Cosimo was now seated in the court of King Henry of Navarre, acting as a diplomat for Ippolito and furthering the Medici cause especially in regards to the future Queen, Jeanne.
Taking in the beautiful weather, Ippolito made a decision before he left his office and headed down to the gardens; children's laughter filled the air making him smile as he quietly made his way through the gardens. It felt like a lifetime since he and Clarice used to play in these very gardens, it had been such a different time and Ippolito had longed for this moment since Florence had been taken from him.
"Papa," Lucrezia shouted spotting her father, she darted away from her governess who quickly dropped into a bow as Ippolito approached; Giuliano followed after his sister with Henri joining just behind after a few seconds. The three children were Ippolito's pride, a sign that everything was going to be okay and he knew that Mary thought the same; she was overjoyed with their family and doted upon all the children.
"My pearl," Ippolito greeted ducking down to lift Lucrezia into his arms, he pressed a kiss to her cheeks and spun her around with joy before moving to greet her brothers. They were all so smart, something that they no doubt got from their mother and Mary ensured that they had educations that were finer than any other; she wanted them to well educated and prepared for the future.
"I have news… you have a new sister," Ippolito told the children, they had been told that they would have a new brother or sister in the coming days and he was sure that they would wish to visit their mother soon. Lucrezia smiled at such news, the six-year-old had been most hopefully to receive a sister rather than another brother; she had prayed hard for one despite her governess telling her that she had to pray for a brother.
"Can we see mama?" Giuliano asked eagerly, he had not been able to see her this morning and she had not come to them like she normally did after breaking her morning fast. The five-year-old had not understood that his mother had been labouring that morning to bring his new sister into the world even when his governess had told him so.
"Of course, I am sure your mother will be most pleased to see you all," Ippolito said moving to pick up Henri, the three-year-old eager to be held by his father as he was a little unsure what was going on. Ippolito lead the way, Lucrezia and Giuliano with him as they made their way back inside and towards Mary's chambers to see her and meet their new baby sister, Maria.
14th of May 1540 - Palazzo Reale di Napoli
Maria of Austria had arrived in Naples, four years to the day that Charles had become King of Naples, his intended bride had been led by her uncle after an emotional farewell to her family back in Spain. Isabella of Portugal had been sad to see her eldest daughter leave, having spent the last four years preparing her daughter for her future role as the Queen of Naples while trying to also support her son, King Philip.
Philip had not been happy to say goodbye to his sister, his sibling so close in age to him that Maria had been his constant companion since they were little and now they would likely never see each other again. He had sworn that should Charles ever hurt or embarrass Maria that he would take back Naples and ensure that nothing bad would ever happen to her again and the french pig would regret crossing them.
Maria had been warmly welcomed to the Kingdom upon her arrival, jousts and tourneys were thrown in her honour as well as banquets and pageants at the new palace. The arrival of the future Queen Consort of Naples had come with the news that King Francis had agreed to the terms of his youngest daughter, Princess Yolande's engagement to Maria's brother, King Philip.
It would be many years before the two would be wed, Yolande was only three years old and ten years younger than her intended groom; details were still being discussed from what Charles understood of the matter. It had been many years since Charles had been to France, he had not meet his younger half-siblings although his father wrote of them often in his letters and dispatches.
Queen Elisabeth had done well, giving his father three healthy children and further securing the Valois line; especially when there had been a time that everyone had considered Henri's wife barren. Catherine had done her duty eventually, she had given Henri two children now; Elizabeth and Francis, named for the King and Queen of France and there was high hopes that she would have more children.
Charles knew that one day such pressure would fall to him, that he would have to secure his own line with his bride when the time was right. They would not be married for a few more years, Maria was still so young even if she was treated with all the respect as Queen now; she had her own household comprising of a couple of ladies that had come from Spain with her and several ladies selected from Charles' court.
There was of course the news of the tragic death of Charles' sister that had caused his father a deep sadness, Queen Madeleine had died birthing a daughter, Princess Mary of Scotland for her husband. The Scottish court was still in deep mourning from what Charles had heard and James had retreated from court life for many months, refusing to see anyone but the baby girl that Madeleine had died to deliver.
Charles had mourned Madeleine who had been two years older than him, they had been quite the trio with their younger sister, Margaret and he had ordered mass to be sad for his sister a day for every year that she had lived. Charles made his way down the corridor knowing that with his meeting finished for the day, he had time to visit his intended bride and he had made sure to bring a gift for her. Maria of Austria's chambers were filled with music, the atmosphere was lively and welcoming; something that the court desperately needed in the face of the new reign of King Charles.
"Your Majesty," Maria greeted bowing to Charles when she spotted him, a blush upon her face as she cast her eyes down at the sight of him; pleased that he had come to see her, she had not expected such a warm welcome from the man that she was set to marry. Her mother had tried to prepare her for the worst, stating that it was rare for royals to find love in their matches; that not all marriages would be as blessed as hers had been to Maria's father.
"I had thought that perhaps the lady would like to join me for a stroll in the gardens, the weather is beautiful today," Charles said presenting Maria with the flowers that he had picked for her, a smile upon his face as he took in her beauty. Maria was certainly her mother's daughter, for Charles had heard that Isabella of Portugal had also been a great beauty of her time. Maria was quick to agree taking the flowers from him, her face lighting up with a smile that Charles couldn't help but admire and compare to seeing the dawn break.
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.
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