War of Hearts || Reign

61- 6 Years Later

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February 6th, 1572.

I smiled at the painter.

Francis had commissioned a painting of the children and me.

Louis stood next to my chair with his hands behind his back.  He had a bored expression and was bobbing back and forth on tiptoe.  Charlotte sat next to me and looked around bored too.

This was hopeless.

Nicolas ran back and forth on his short legs.  He was only 2 years old and already very active for his age.  He turned out to be even worse than Louis at his age.

"Maman, can we finally go. We've been sitting here for hours."  complained Charlotte.  I sighed, this was already the fourth time she asked.

"It's almost done Charlotte, just be patient for once.".  "She's right Maman. I'm tired."  louis added.

The door of the room opened and Francis stepped inside.  The children immediately ran to him and I saw the painter throw down his brush in frustration.

"Daddy!  Mama forces us to sit here like statues in front of your painting."  said Charlotte.

She always managed to get her side.  She was the apple of Francis' eye and he made that clear.

"Well, I've come to relieve you of your suffering. Your Uncle Maximilian and Aunt Cecily are."

The children looked at each other happily and we followed Francis to the throne room.

When she arrived there, Mary was already sitting on her throne.  Next to her stood Princess Margaret.

Mary had changed a lot in those six years.

When Queen Elizabeth gave birth to her son, Prince Edward Stuart, 6 years ago, she had panicked.  Understandable since the prince had Stuart blood which meant he had a claim to the Scottish throne.

Since Mary still had no son, Margaret was still her successor.  And even if the child was smart, she would never be a respected queen, just as her mother was not.

She had been pregnant once in the past six years, or so she claimed, but it ended in a miscarriage in the first month.

She had been lonely when her uncles died.  The followers of the guises had gradually disappeared from the court, and she was then left alone.

Francis, knowing what she wanted to do to Louis, had made sure she was watched over and over and when it was clear she would do nothing more, his spies were lifted.  Mary was now constantly occupied with her daughter and was often out of sight.

The children made a neat bow and curtsy to Mary.  I ignored the formality and walked to my seat to the left of Francis's throne and the children came and stood next to me.

my place at court had grown bigger and bigger over the years.  I got two new chateaus under my name and was even named Duchess of Valentinois in my own name.  After my death Nicolas would inherit the Duchy of Valentinois from me.

"Look, here they come."  Francis said as he sat on his throne.  Cecily and Maximilian walked into the throne room with their son Julien.

"Welcome back brother."  Francis stood up and hugged Maximilian.  He stroked Julien's red curls.

"Tell us all about the trip."

Maximilian, Cecily and Julien had decided to travel Europe for a year.  They resided in the various courts of kings, dukes and counts.  They needed it after everything that had happened.

After Diane's death in 1570 and the stillbirth of their second child, a girl, in 1571, the couple had been devastated and decided to leave France for their own peace and quiet.

I had definitely missed them that year and the kids had missed their cousin terribly too.

We all walked towards one of the salons where we took a seat on the various settees and armchairs.

Cecily sat down next to me "How is Catherine?"  she asked concerned.  I shook my head. "She's not much better. They think she's going to die soon if it continues like this."

When Francis' sister, Elisabeth, died a few years ago, Catherine had been heartbroken.  She had also become ill because she was grieving so much and her health has deteriorated ever since.  no matter how many doctors tried to help her, it was to no avail.  she was now in bed most of the time and her grandchildren visited her daily.

our life seemed almost perfect.  I had three healthy children, a loving lover I could not yet call my husband, a large family and many friends, power and respect. 

but oh how will everything go wrong. 

these chapters will be filled with deaths, drama, heartbreaks, quarrels and jealousy.  exactly as we needed. 

What do you think about cousin marriage?  is that something that will have to happen in the book or should the marriages stay outside of family?

Ages of the characters that will appear in the next chapters

Bianca 25
Francis 27
Maximilian 29
Mary 27
Cecily 26
Louis 8
Julien 8
Margaret 6
Charlotte 6
Nicolas 2