Royally Flushed

History

~Malia~

The ride back to my house was quiet and held a sad tint in the atmosphere because it meant that my time alone with Louis was over for an indefinite amount of time and I didn't know when I'd be able to see him again, at least in the way I wanted to see him.

I'd shuffle past him in the halls with a sour look on my face and force myself to give Daniel longing looks anytime he crossed my path while guarding Henry at school.

In retrospect, the plan was smart but also an almost impossible feat because I knew how hard it would be to focus on Daniel instead of Louis, but if I really wanted to drive the point home I had to stay focused and not allow my feelings to get in the way of finally being free of my father once and for all.

We'd planned to meet at Gordon's security headquarters, Adler & Son, once a week to analyze what the gang was assigning Daniel to do and to figure out our next move.

Louis' text message pinging my phone brought me out of my thoughts.

I have church all day tomorrow, but I can try to sneak away and see you later tomorrow night?

From what I knew of Louis' family and their church, it was an all day affair that was heavily reported on in the press anytime the royal family all congregated together in one place.

I wish. My grandparents are giving me lessons to "introduce me to society" or something crazy like that.

They had cornered me the night before and told me it was coming time to announce a date for my ball to introduce me officially to the social world and I was more than terrified that I was going to trip down the stairs and show everyone my underwear or something of a similar humiliation caliber.

I wasn't all that sure what these lessons would entail, but flashes of scenes from The Princess Diaries' flared through my mind and I cringed in embarrassment at the thought of attempting to walk without slouching with books atop my head.

So you're sure you still want to go through with this plan on Monday then?

The plan. It had been my idea originally but once out of my mouth I couldn't take it back, and Gordon immediately jumped on it, wishing that he was the one who'd come up with it himself.

I wondered why Louis was so reliant on a private security firm for his espionage needs because I knew England had one of the most high tech intelligence agencies in the world, MI6, but then remembered that if this gang had all the local police and high ranking officials on their payroll then why not the country's best defense against said gang?

No...but it doesn't matter what I want. He's not going to stop so we can't hold anything back. Just remember-when I'm looking at him, I'm thinking of you.

It took him a while to respond and I worried that I sounded too...clingy?

Well I for one won't stop looking at you the entire time. Daniel might capture your gaze but by the time this is all finished I plan on capturing your heart.

I didn't have the nerve to tell him that he already had.

***

"Malia, do you know the origin story of your ancestor, Sophia of Hanover?"

I nodded my head, glad that I finally had the answer to one of my grandmother's questions.

"Yes. Back in the 1700's, Parliament didn't want a Roman Catholic on the throne so they made Sophia, a Protestant, the heir presumptive to cut off all the other claims to the throne by Roman Catholics."

She nodded her head, a slight smile wrinkling her aged skin.

"Correct. But who exactly was it that she cut off?"

I didn't know the answer to that one.

"James the second and his son James Francis Edward Stuart. He was a Roman Catholic and was deposed during the Glorious Revolution, a coup which allowed the throne to be taken by his daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange as they were Protestants.  Since they had no living heirs, the heir presumptive title was handed down to Sophia of Hanover, their closest Protestant cousin."

"Okay, so did Sophia become queen?"

"No, she died a few weeks before she would've been coronated.  William of Orange died and Mary's sister took over before Sophia's descendants could have, but the Glorious Revolution sparked outrage everywhere, incited the Jacobite Rebellion and caused the deaths of many Catholics and Scottish clansmen, and it is still a sore subject among Catholics in England today."

"Oh wow, that's a lot..." I trailed off, not really knowing what I could say to that.

"So I want you to research this topic and give me a two paged essay on Sophia's descendants and where they are now as well as another paper on the Jacobite Rebellion and it's after-effects, also two pages."

I blanched at her statement.

"Are you serious?"

She stared me dead in the eye and I gulped almost in fear.

"Deadly serious."

I huffed and lowered my head meekly, resigning and admitting defeat.

We spent the rest of our two hours together talking about the proper way to eat at a dinner table, which forks to use and the different reasons or occasions to use them, how not to slouch and countless other boring things that I wished I didn't have to endure.

I wished I could've just been with Louis, but that wasn't in the cards at the moment.

Sighing, I trudged up to my room to begin my research papers when I noticed a text message on my phone.

Louis: Are you ready for tomorrow? Remember you can't look at me, no matter how irresistible I am.

I laughed out loud at his message and thought for a moment before crafting a response.

Me: I'm ready, although it might be hard to keep my eyes off of you.

Louis: You were supposed to wink and say You wish'. You really don't get hard to get flirting do you?

Me: How's this for hard to get? Goodnight, I'll *not* see you in the morning. ;)

Louis: Goodnight Princess.

I swore under my breath at his nickname for me as I realized with a start that our plan would probably break me in half as the only thing that got me through an entire school day was a prince that had gotten a little too deep in my heart.

I was screwed.