ℝoyalty

ℙ𝚒𝚕𝚘𝚝 || ℙ𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚞𝚎

♛

THERE'S a beautiful clearing in the woods where raindrops are sprinkling on flowers. Rays of sunshine are spilling through the treetops, basking one solitary tree in a heavenly glow. A curly-haired man approaches the tree, and when he does, the rain drops turn into blood. One drop splashes across his face. When he wipes it off, he looks down to find his hands are covered in blood. Then, he wakes up from a dream.

"She's coming."

♛

France 1557

A Convent

MARY STUART, Queen of Scotland, has been hidden away at a convent for her safety since the age of nine. She's been engaged since childhood to the future king of France, and awaits her return to the french court. But she worries about the dauphin having a soulmate, and how that could affect her engagement to him.

Mary and her fellow countrymen play an early version of football. They continue kicking a ball around, until they all gather around a table to eat together. Everyone is sitting, passing food around and chatting amongst themselves. For some reason, Mary focuses her attention on a nun sitting on the opposite end of the table. Suddenly, blood and a frothy substance start to drip from her mouth and ears, until she falls face-first into her plate, causing a young girl to scream and everyone else to panic.

One of the nuns grabs Mary by the arm and leads her away from the table. "You must leave immediately. This was an assassination attempt. You were nearly poisoned."

"By who?"

"Someone with ties to the Protestant throne of England, no doubt. They'll be found and dealt with."

A group of people head towards the convent on horseback. Mary sighs, looking down at her hands sadly. "Poor Sister Helen; I didn't know-"

"That she was your taster?" The nun interrupts the young queen, trying to usher her away. "Every meal you've eaten has been tasted for poison since you left your mother's breast. Mary, you are the Queen of Scotland."

After Mary gathers her things and prepares to leave, she's greeted one final time by the women who have been protecting her.

"Look at her. She is beautiful." A younger girl says, as Mary makes her way through the crowd. They all part for her, creating rows of people on either side. Mary looks up at the same nun from before.

"I don't know if I'm ready."

The older women tries to sooth her nerves. "To leave here, or marry the future King of France?"

"Both. I hoped I would get to go back to Scotland one last time."

"Your friends from Scotland will be there. Girls you've known your whole life. You're safer in French Court. You are nearly a woman, and Francis is nearly a man. You might even meet one of those soulmates of yours. It's time."

Queen Mary and the nun hug one final time, while horses can be heard approaching them.

"You will wed young Francis. And someday soon, for your faith, for your people, for Scotland- you will find them. And they will love you."

"I'm not sure that matters." Mary looks down at her wrist, seeing the two black lines of her soulmates.

"It does to you."

A little girl begins tugging on Mary's overcoat. She's holding a rosary in her hands. "Mary..."

Mary smiles at the girl. "Rose..."

"Be careful, Mary. There are ghosts there."

"At the castle?" The little girl nods, eyes filled with worry.

"They say the halls are filled with them. Tortured souls, a girl whose face is a ruin. She hides it."

The young queen attempts to reassure the girl, "I was at French Court before you know, when I was your age. I didn't see any ghosts."

"But what if they saw you?"

Mary seems a bit spooked by the sentiment, but before she can say anything else, she is interrupted by one of the men on horseback. "Your Grace."

Mary takes the rosary from Rose and goes to enter the awaiting carriage. She takes one last look around and gets in the carriage to ride away, hoping everything will work out.

♛