Tampered Beauty

Impendence

"When Francis returned from Paris, you were at his side." Mary said slowly, her face falling more and more, deeper with every word. Lola sniffled on the makeshift bed, tears steadily streaming down her face. She said nothing, her face pale.

She didn't need to say anything.

"Is that my husbands' child?" Mary demanded, her voice not angry, but devastated.

"Yes." Lola barely managed, breaking off into sobs, burying her face into her hands, tears streaming down onto the covers.

A similar sob threatened to choke the Lady as she stared into the mirror. What was she? Was she doomed to be the mother of the Kings' bastard all her life? Would she be married off to keep her silence on the subject, even though more and more courtiers figured out their secret by day? Within the month, word would spread to the Flemming's back home, then who would she be? They would disown her, her name was going to be more notorious than ever. They would have no choice, never wanting to disobey or anger their Queen. Where would that leave her? One mistake, one night, could -would- ruin her life. A disowned, penniless widow, forced to rely on Francis for the rest of her life?

Would people see her as his mistress?

Would Mary see her as his mistress?

There were no two ways around it. The now Empress terrified her now more than ever. Would she marry her off to some arrogant, young lord? Would she cast her aside to starve on the streets? Or, would she simply kill her? After all, sleeping with Francis and producing his bastard was high treason, one that was so obvious and so justified. 

The look in her eye when their gases met, however, the look told her she was to experience something far worse than death, even more than being married off to somebody who she couldn't stand the sight of. Nostradamus may have been a seer, but Lola's fate was clear.

The Mary from years ago would do no such thing, but she had changed so much Lola didn't know what to expect. Mary held everything now. More power, a strong, male heir and five countries to do with as she will. Plus, those eyes, that imperious gaze that left nothing to the imagination.

So different.

So, so different.

"How could you?!" Mary cried. "You knew I loved him! You knew I didn't let him go because of feeling, emotions! You know about the prophecy!"

"It was a mistake! You were engaged to Bash!"

"And that makes it okay for you to sleep with the man I love and get pregnant?! No, it does not! How could you do this to me?!" she screamed. Lola was thankful they weren't at court, just in a simple snow covered woodland area whilst Bash went to check if the cost was clear in the blood wood.

"I didn't mean to hurt you! I had lost so much, and Francis was there. I-I tried to tell him it wasn't right, but he convinced me it was, that you weren't part of his life anymore and-"

"Don't you dare try and justify it!" Mary yelled. "Do you have any idea what this means?! You're having my husbands' bastard child! Before I conceived his heir! Do you know what that sounds like?!" she cried.

"We are not them!" Lola cried. "I am not Diane, you are not Catherine! Francis is not his father! I didn't mean to hurt you! It just happened!"

"Things like this!-" she cut herself off, pointing at Lola's abdomen. "do not just happen! It was a choice! You made the choice to sleep with him! You made the choice to get pregnant!"

"I didn't mean to get pregnant! It was just one time! One night!" Lola sobbed. "One night and nobody would have known!"

"Is that supposed to make it better?! That it was just once, that it only took once to get pregnant with his bastard?!" Mary yelled. "Oh, you didn't mean to hurt me, you didn't mean to get pregnant! Oh, that makes it all okay. I'll just forgive and forget that you betrayed me because you didn't mean to!" she screamed.