Upon A Time

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Renee, wake up,” Julien said, as he sat in the chair by the fireplace beside the one into which they had placed the limp form of his betrothed. “It’s me.”

She inhaled deeply of the vial beneath her nose and her eyes snapped open. She coughed. “I worry, how often I am subject to these medicines,” she said, waving the vial and Charlotte’s hand away. “Too often.”

Charlotte took the opportunity to turn from the couple and greet her parents. She was a mess, dress spattered with mud and water, her hair matted with sweat beneath the ridiculous headdress that she only now felt she could safely remove, yet Charlotte dove into the open arms of her awaiting mother and father and lingered there.

“We are so grateful you have come home to us,” Marie whispered, smoothing her daughter’s hair and kissing the top of her head.

“Dear, dear child, you have no idea how we worried,” Walter added, and he looked up and beyond Charlotte to see the Prince’s eye was firmly fixed upon their reunion instead of the woman before him.

In fact, the woman before him was not looking directly at him, either. She was staring into the fire, at the ceiling, at the floor… anywhere, it seemed, to avoid gazing upon his changed appearance.

“Renee, I am grateful to Thomas and Charlotte for their rescue of you from the castle and a marriage to the Duke.”

“As I am grateful, Your Highness,” Renee said, at last reaching out and taking Julien’s hand in hers. Still, she averted her eyes. “Grateful, too, that you are alive.”

“Yes, about that,” Julien turned to the group behind him. “Might I have a moment to speak to Lady Renee?”

“We should take food to Thomas and Sir Etienne,” Charlotte said, grabbing a bowl of fruit that sat nearby and a large loaf of bread. “Come along, Mother. Father.” She was flustered; that much was clear to everyone in the room.

Marie Rousseau exchanged a glance with her husband, but her surprise only met a knowing look in his eyes. He understood well why Charlotte was in such a state, and could only hope that all would turn out well in the end.

“Renee,” Julien said, taking his large hand and enclosing it around both of her tiny ones, “We were challenged from the beginning, to form a union neither of us desired. Then all of this…”

“I never imagined all it really takes to be the queen,” Renee admitted softly. “I never imagined that life, Your Highness. Not like it truly is.”

“Then if it be your wish, I release you from our betrothal. From this moment you are a free woman.”

Renee sighed with great relief, but then her shoulders began to shake with sobs.

“Here, now, what is it?” Julien asked, worried. Perhaps she did have feelings for him of some kind, after all.

“What is to become of me?” she wailed. “I have no family that will own me, I have nowhere to go and no life to live. What shall become of me?”

“Either you can be fitted to a position you desire within the confines of the palace, or you will be free, Renee, with land of your own in the village of your choosing. You shall not want for anything. Then you may do whatever it is your heart leads you to do.”

“To be free for the first time in my life, with no one to answer to?” Renee shook her head. “I cannot even imagine. And you,” Renee leaned forward and whispered softly now. “I hope you will find your happiness with her, Your Highness.”

Julien laughed nervously. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

She glanced out the window at Charlotte in the distance. “Don’t you?”

“I think that we had best invite our hosts back into their own home,” Julien said quickly.

“I agree. And I think I’m strong enough now to stand, to do so.” She tried her legs and found they stayed beneath her. “Yes. For the first time in my life, I think I will be just fine on my own.”

* * *

Charlotte sat out on the front porch as the others hurried to eat a meal inside; it was perhaps the last they’d have for some time, and could be, if things went badly, the last they all shared together, ever.

That idea hung heavy upon Charlotte’s heart as she heard a familiar clunk, shuffle, clunk sound approaching: Julien’s crutch and footstep.

“Charlotte,” he began, but before he could continue, one of Etienne’s men came riding as quickly as his horse would carry him across the field.

“They’ve caught sight of them. The Duke and his men,” the young man gasped, chasing his breath. “On the far end of the forest. They are travelling with great speed and determination. Your Highness!” The lad’s lips parted in shock and amazement when he realized who it was that was standing next to Charlotte. He dropped to his knees.

“Rise, young man. I thank you for your help and for sending word. Now consult with Sir Etienne. We have a plan to disperse the men we have on hand, and, hopefully the Queen has released those wrongly imprisoned, so they will arrive to reinforce us.”

“I am hoping the Duke will know he has lost and will yield,” Charlotte whispered.

“As would I, if I did not know Frederick as I do,” Julien replied sadly. “Come, and help me hurry, Charlotte. I must go into the other room and change, and I must take my first try at riding Frederick’s horse.”

“How I do wish you would choose a tamer beast than that animal for this,” Charlotte pled. “He is angry and he will react badly when he sees Frederick, don’t you think? What if he throws you?”

Julien sighed. As much as he had wanted the moment of confronting Frederick in battle upon his own horse, he feared she was right; and ignoring her wisdom could cost them all dearly. It was a chance he could not take for the sake of his pride. “All right, I will speak to Etienne and see if a change of horse can be arranged. I have no doubt he can control Frederick’s unruly beast.”

Charlotte’s eyes brimmed. “Really?”

“Really.” He dismissed the young man with a wave of his hand as he continued to stare at the Prince, and when finally the boy had gone, Julien leaned in and quickly stole a kiss upon Charlotte’s cheek. “A King does well to listen to the wisdom of his Queen.”

“You are not quite King yet, sir,” Charlotte whispered. “And I shall never be Queen.”

Julien flashed her a smile she hadn’t seen before; and with the expression came a soft-spoken suggestion. “Never say never.”

He leaned upon her then for support so they could hurry into the house, to prepare for the moment he’d trained for his entire life. The moment he would claim his right as king, though he never imagined it would happen in this way, or place.

When he emerged from the bedroom moments later, Walter followed behind. The old man had helped Julien change quickly, so as little time would be lost as possible.

“By the saints,” Etienne said, shaking his head. “If not for the crutch, and the wounded arm, from a distance no one would know that…” He stopped.

“It’s all right to speak of it, Etienne. I have to live with it; there is no sense in pretending I appear as I did before. However,” he nodded toward his life-long friend, “it is my hope to keep that fact from Frederick as long as possible, just because I want to see the look on the bastard’s face when he sees I am alive.”

Charlotte’s breath caught when she saw Julien, looking so handsome and well. Her heart raced as he approached her.

“Do you have the ring, My Lady?”

She nodded, reached into her pocket, and pulled out the signet ring.

Julien sighed heavily as he regarded it, then marveled as it seemed to fit as if it were made for him, though it had belonged to his father. “Thank you, Charlotte,” he whispered, and though all looked on, he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss upon the top of her head.