My Life As The Dauphin

Verser Le Sang

I DO NOT OWN REIGN.

As I went into Mary's chambers, she was getting into it with the Medici bitch.

"Why don't you tell us how it's done?" Mary asked bitterly.

"Are you accusing me of this?" Catherine asked angrily.

"She's got good reason to be suspicious of you, even the servants know that you hold no love for my Queen to be." I retorted as Catherine gave me a glare.

"Your loathing towards me is wearing thin, Francis." Catherine declared as she was clearly done with my BS.

"Please stop, both of you!" Mary exclaimed as she placed herself between us. "This isn't helping." As much I wanted to tell Catherine to eat shit, Mary was right.

"Do you know who's done this?" Catherine inquired of us.

"Right now, we're less worried about who than how." I quoted.

"They'd have to have drugged her." Catherine reasoned as she inhaled the cup that Mary had drank from. "This is poppy, I suspect your guard was given the same thing. Where is he?"

"Infirmary, with stomach pains." I said.

"That means he drank too much of it." Catherine figured as she was clearly out off guard by the Pagans. "A stag's head, what message is that meant to convey?"

"It's a symbol of the pagans." Mary explained as Catherine's face turned to stone.

"What do either of you know about pagans?" She asked anxiously.

"Only what everyone knows: That they're becoming bolder, more ruthless, and thirsty for blood." I quoted from the script as I tried to act concerned. "And it seems the more fear they spread, the more power that they gain."

"These devils have come inside our walls, inside my home." The Queen mother said in quite anger.

"These heretics worked together to threaten us, now we must work together to stop them." Mary insisted as I knew that Catherine was going to threaten to burn down the servants homes to get her answers. That was the kind of cold hearted bitch that she was.

That night, the court was celebrating the king's return with fireworks. Normally, I enjoyed seeing fireworks, but not this night. I was wracked with guilt about the blood that had been spilled to protect Mary. Bash and I had killed Tomàs and now Bash was killing that thief to save Mary and himself. I know that Mary was absolutely worth it, but it was still painful to take lives. As I was pacing through the castle, thinking about how Bash was taking a poor thief to die, Mary walked up to me.

"You're missing the fireworks." She chastised me.

"So are you." I shot back as I kept walking.

"Most of the household staff has been interviewed. We caught a groom in a lie, but it led nowhere." She reported to me as if I didn't already know. "Has Bash learned anything? He said he was going to question the seriousness of the threat.

"He knows how serious it is." I replied as I stopped in my tracks to face the woman I loved. "I've been doing some questioning of my own, and do you know what I've learned?"

"No, tell me." Mary asked curiously.

"That Bash used his position, and money to take a prisoner from the castle jails. A prisoner he warned would not be returning; a thief." I explained as it was no longer an actor, but a real man that Bash was going to kill. "And I can guarantee you that that thief does not deserve to be strung up in the woods and slaughtered like an animal and Bash does not deserve to be the one to do it."

"Is that what it means to pay the debt, human sacrifice?" Mary asked in horror as she realized that my false brother was up to. "Bash wouldn't do it."

"I know that he would, for you and I can't say that I don't want him to. Because I care for you as well." I insisted as I took her hands in mine. "I knew that my brother had feelings for you, I just had no idea how deep they ran." The last part was a lie, which felt like a slap in the face.

"You needn't worry about that; It was a mistake, I wasn't thinking, and he..." Mary started to protest as I put my finger to her lips. I could take it anymore. Everyday that I told her a lie felt like slow poison and it was hurting my heart.

"Mary...I need to tell you the truth... and I know you might hate me for it." I told her as she gently raised her hand to my cheek.

"Francis, please tell me...whatever you've done, I'll try to understand." Mary said in a gentle voice that was breaking my heart.

"Mary...I know that Bash would kill for you...because I've killed for you." I whispered as her big brown eyes grew wide. She didn't know what to say for a moment as she dropped her hand.

"No...you can't be serious...Francis...you wouldn't..." Mary stuttered as I stood there silently.

"Mary...I..." I gasped as I was trying to find the words.

"Who did you kill?" She asked, her voice turning to stone.

"Tomàs of Portugal." I replied as I could see Mary refusing to believe it.

"No, he was drunk and he slipped off the balcony. That's what you said!" She exclaimed in pain.

"I lied, I got him drunk and then I pushed him over!" I exclaimed in return. I didn't tell her that Bash had helped me. I didn't want her to punish him for something that I had forced him to do.

"Why Francis, why would you do such a thing?" Mary asked as I saw tears stream down her face.

"Tomàs was not the savior you thought he was." I explained as I needed her to believe me. "He was cruel to his servants, to his whores, he killed his first wife! I couldn't let him force you into a life if slavery!" Mary said nothing, she only shed silent tears as she turned on her heel and walked away. I fell to my knees and wept bitterly, for I knew not what else to do.

I knocked on the door and a surprised Olivia D'Amencourt opened it.

"I did a bad thing for a good reason...and I don't want to be alone." I admitted with tear stained eyes as Olivia took me into her arms and held me tightly.

"It's all right Francis, I want to comfort you." Olivia whispered as she began to cover my face in kisses. I slowly pushed her away.

"I will not make love to you...but if you will let me sleep in your bed...you can tell Catherine what she wants to hear." I offered as Olivia was stunned that I knew about her arrangement with the serpent.

"How do you know?" She inquired in shock.

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that I need company and Catherine needs a win. We can all have what we want." I insisted as I took off my boots.

"You want me to lie to your mother and say that we fucked?" Olivia asked in surprise.

"Let's play a trick on the old girl." I replied as Olivia couldn't help but smile at me. I took off my jacket and climbed into bed with Olivia. We did not make love that night and I barely got any sleep. Olivia kept me warm, but she could not stop the images of Mary's heartbreak that were living rent free in my head.

REVIEWS NEEDED AND APPRECIATED