'Sometimes we have to sacrifice our youths in order to let people live.'
Tulia Byrne has been a Queen for longer than she could remember. Her story begins so carefree and so full of love and yet by the end of it you'll be wondering if you even know...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Tulia had not had a peaceful sleep since she had laid eyes on the decaying corpse of her best friend. Her nights were plagued with nightmares, she was lucky if she got four hours sleep at the most. Charles was due back at court any day and she hoped that with his return the nightmares would go away. She knew the King was bound to be angry at her for what she did but she hoped his anger didn't last too long.
Her eyes opened to an empty pillow as it had been for the past three days. Reaching her hand out she felt for warmth which of course she never found, she had been hoping she had been dreaming the entire time and that Charles was in the castle.
Sighing she turned onto her back and stared a the canopy of the bed, debating whether anyone at court would miss her if she didn't turn up.
"Good morning." A voice sounded from across the room. Tulia nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice. Whipping her head around her eyes met with the figure of Charles sat at their desk, writing a letter.
"Charles," Tulia gasped, putting her hand to her chest trying to stop her heart from beating out of her chest. "You're back."
"Yes," He spoke with a monotone voice. "I got back an hour ago."
"Why didn't you wake me?" She asked, moving to get out of the bed.
"I wasn't in the mood to talk to you." He answered truthfully.
"Are you now?" Tulia questioned uncertainly.
"No." He spoke, putting his quill on the table and leaning back in his seat, his eyes were looking at her without expression.
"Charles-"
"You defied me in front of my men." Charles reminded. "Tulia you know that I am all for you being an independent Queen but my rule is not yet secure in France, do you know how it looks when a King cannot even control his own Queen."
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't let Narcisse sentence your mother to death." Tulia defended.
"The fact that you were right in the defence of my mother and that you were partially responsible for her being acquitted is the only reason I'm not angry at you." Charles sighed, shuffling the papers that he was writing on into a pile that he picked up as he stood.
"You're not angry yet you don't wish to speak to me?" Tulia asked, looking at the King with a bemused expression.
"I must speak with Narcisse." Charles changed the subject. "You are free from any commitments today, I will handle them."
---
Later that day Tulia found herself being dragged out of her chambers by an angry and upset Claude. Charles had put her forwards for a forced marriage between herself and Duke Boinel, she had begged Tulia to get him to change his mind but Charles was further adamant that the marriage was what they needed when his wife disputed it.
