Francis & Bash Love Story {Completed} ✔️

Chapter 16-Coronation

{The Crown and stuff is exactly what I had in mind for Bash and Sarah's coronation, just like the show but I take no credit in that to be honest.}

Sarah's POV

"Bash darling, say something. You've been quite for a bit."

"Catherine is my Mother? All she did, all she defied my Father, all for her children including me?"

"Bash I know it's hard to take in but Catherine truly loves you. She practically raised you, Diane didn't do much of a good job and considering you yourself said you never felt that Motherly bond with Diane except with Catherine." He looks at me shocked and I slap a hand on my mouth.

"Where did you hear that?"

"Oops. I must've overheard you as children. But Bash you know that's true, in your heart somewhere deep in there you know it to be true."

"My whole life is a lie...."

"Bash no, it's not. They just protected you. If people know you were the True King you wouldn't be a target, I would, Francis would, and your whole family would be a target. "

"I could have been engaged to you instantly. I could have been the Dauphin when you and Mary came back. We could've married instantly, prophecy or not."

"Bash please. I still picked you, you are legitimate. Bash I still love you and I'm pregnant with your child, our child. It's more than what I expected really. I thought I loved Francis but really I loved you so much more Bash."

"Shouldn't we go out? I suppose Catherine is waiting for us. To plan my coronation and our coronation as well."

"Bash come on I still love you Bash. Bash please."

"Come, lets go. Catherine is waiting for us." I take his arm silently and we meet Catherine outside the castle. She approaches us and bows, we send her smiles and started walking and she did the talking.

"A banquet for 1,200, a military parade all with new uniforms featuring blood red satin sashes of my own design. Now, as for entertainment, dancing elephants were proposed. I thought that was a bit excessive. We went with a golden-horned unicorn. What? You look displeased." I looked at Bash and he sighs.

"We just came through a plague that decimated the region's populace. Famine follow plague, and people are dying of starvation every day. We spent a fortune on Father's funeral. We have massive war debts from Father's campaign, much of it owed to our guests."

"Hmm, so you're saying my preparation for your coronation is in poor taste?"

"No, I'm only saying..." I step in getting tired of Bash shutting her down.

"It's not just poor taste. It's grotesque, unaffordable and shameful." Said with a firm tone. A tone for a Queen. Whilst I may be pregnant it making me being a firmer and more fit Queen.

"Excellent. That's precisely the effect I was aiming for. Your coronation is not about affordability. It's about survival. Leaders from 50 countries will be here this week, staying in those pavilions. They are lions, studying our every move for signs of weakness. If we economize, if we dither about expenses in any way, we look like the wounded gazelle we truly are, begging our foes to align with our enemies, test our borders, challenge our interests. From there, it is a short slide to our severed heads riding on pikes."

"What good does it do us to pretend to be strong if it bankrupts us?" I asked curiously.

"Truly, Bash, I don't know why she's even in this conversation. Didn't you promise the nobles you'd muzzle her?"