'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...
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13th October 1565
The trip back from Ireland had run smooth. Everyone had arrived in France safely and they were not faced with the sight of Elizabeth's war ships at all during their voyage. The English Queen had been oddly quiet over the past year, Tulia would be lying if she said she wasn't worried.
The words that Clodagh had said, haunted Tulia. They were continuously circulating through her mind.
"There is another, someone who could ruin you with a single word."
The young Queen could not even begin to comprehend who the person was. She had many idea's on who could cause her downfall but none who would only have to use a single word.
Charles and Tulia sat in a content silence as the carriage pulled into Fontainebleau Castle, both of them finding no need to fill the silence with conversation. They both either wanted to sleep, or needed to get to work.
As the carriage came to a halt, Charles got out first. When the King's feet were firmly placed on the floor, he offered his arm out for his wife to take, aiding her in her descent onto the slightly boggy lands.
Together, the King and Queen made their way over to the envoy of people. The whole of court was waiting on their return and so were the royal family. Claude and Luc, Catherine and Narcisse, and of course, Henri.
Tulia's dark blue eyes scanned the line up of people, looking for the wench that was sure to jump into her husbands arms. A twitch of a smile came onto her face as she realised that Lorraine was not present. She knew that this hadn't been Charles doing, as he had not spoken to her yet, but it was a pleasing sight not to see her face, nonetheless.
As the couple got closer to the other royals, Catherine rushed forwards to greet them. The Queen mother pulled them both into an embrace as she gushed upon their closeness and healthy looks.
"Oh, Charles look at you!" Catherine exclaimed, holding her sons cheeks in happiness. "You both look so healthy, so strong."
"That's because we are." Charles smiled, rolling his eyes at his mothers actions. "Ireland was a welcome relief."
"We enjoyed our stay very much." Tulia confirmed, squeezing Charles' arm as she thought of how happy their children had been in the past month.
"If only we could have stayed longer." Charles nodded, turning his head to look at his brother through narrowed eyes. "But apparently I have urgent business to attend to, with Lord Blackburn, about how my stupid brother seized English ships without my permission."
Tulia's cast her gaze onto Henri. The younger Prince was not even looking at his brother, instead his eyes were trained on the entwined arms of the woman he 'claimed' to love and her 'estranged' husband.
