Tu Es Ma Lumière

99 - Motherly Comforts

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Prompt - Young Mary has an assassination attempt by the English and Catherine comforts her!

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"Mad'am! Mad'am! Mad'am!" was the repetitive cries that awoke the Queen Consort of France early one winter's morning. She shot up in shock, remembering those cries from the morning that they'd found little baby Louis, dead in his cot after such a short life. The door to her chambers slammed open and Henry's page ran in, skidding to a stop to bow, before rushing forwards.

"What?" Catherine gasps, her heart racing from the sudden awakening. She pushes the lush magenta blankets away from her petite, curavcious body, slinging her small legs over the edge of the bed as the page came to stand in front of her. "What is it, man? Take a breath, before you faint upon my feet." she insists.

"It's the Queen of Scotland, your Majesty!" the page cries out, panting for breath. "There as been an assassin who broke in in the dead of night! You must come at once, highness! The King commands it so!"

Catherine barely heard the last three sentences, for her blood had ran cold at the sound of the first one. An assassin targeted at Mary? Mary, an innocent, seven year old child? Mary, the light of her eldest child's life, his reason for healing from his horrid sickness? The English tyranny truly had no shame as she points her gun barrel in the direction of a child. She and Henry had always known that there was risk in taking in Mary, but they'd never thought that England could penetrate the castle's walls and-

No. Catherine didn't finish that thought, for the Queen, the mother, was already pelting off in the direction of the royal nursery in which the Queen of Scotland lay with the woman's own children.

When Catherine finally arrived at the nursery, the interior was fraught with utter chaos. Guards were yelling and exclaiming, servants shuffled about everywhere, the King was less than pleased, yelling at the guards who had been on duty for the room that held the jewels of the future how they could be so idiotic. She heard the cries of her two daughters, the gasps of her son.

But then she saw Mary. She was standing tall, wiping the blood from her lips with her chin raised high in the air, seemingly undaunted by her targeted ordeal. Good. She would not show her enemy fear. That was smart.

The little Ladies Beaton, Seton, Fleming and Livingstone were frantically wiping at their Queens small face with handkerchiefs made of satin with a lace trimming. Her eye was starting to bruise, and there was a small, thin cut upon the line of her jaw, a second upon her hairline, seemingly from a blade from an obvious struggle. Her lip was bloody, her nose the same, but she didn't look horrifying. The cut upon her head did not bleed, and the one upon her jaw barely tricked. The only real damage was to her lip and nose. Francis held a tight grip of his betrothed's hand, so tight that nobody could take her away from him.

"Mary," Catherine gasped out, taking her daughters in one arm, before wrapping her other one and her son within the other. Little Claude and Elisabeth gripped onto her tightly, but Mary didn't dare show that kind of weakness. But she did cuddle in as a means of comfort. A Queen, yes. But still a child.

"Are you alright, are you hurt?" Catherine rushed, straightening the childs' bloody nightgown. Little Claude leaned her weight into her, whilst Elisabeth stood next to little Lady Livingstone.

"I am fine, maman. I'm unhurt, unscathed." Mary stated strongly, Catherine smiled at her. A child, yes. But still a Queen.

"I am glad of it, daughter. Now, let's get you all somewhere quieter to sleep, it is still darkened. And let's find you a nice, clean gown to sleep in, shall we? Come." Catherine took the children from the room, quietly closing the door behind them all.

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I don't exactly imagine Catherine to act so kind and maternal to Mary like what was implied a couple times in the show, I've always found it to make more sense if she was jealous of this little girl who had everything she didn't, and would turn her son's eye from her. But, it was kinda nice and cute to picture this scene. Please let a girl what you think!

love,

me

:)