Reign oneshots

There is still time

She walked through the halls slowly, listening to the noises of the distant party in the background. There was a storm going on outside and the sounds of thunderous winds rattling the glass of the window panes mixed itself in with the flashing of the crackling blue lightning.

"Mother!"

A shout sounded behind her and she smiled as she turned and saw her eldest son hurrying towards her.

"Are you not going to stay and enjoy the party?"

She shook her head gently and placed a hand on his arm, hoping to alleviate some of the worry that clouded his eyes.

"Not tonight, Frances, I'm tired, and not needed anymore."

Her royal and political obligations had been filled, just as the king's lap was with one of his simpering ladies, he used to boost his ego; her duties of wife were also no longer needed.

"Are you sure."

Once again, she nodded before gesturing in the direction in which he had come from.

"Go back and spend some time with your wife, I'll be fine."

Her son turned to leave but she stopped him, softly calling out his name.

"Yes mother?"

"I love you."

She watches him furrow his brows, confused at her sudden affection before smiling.

"I love you too."

Her son leant down and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled and hugged him, never wanting to let him go. Her firstborn, her golden child, her baby. Except he wasn't, not anymore. He was grown up, a dauphin, and now... now he was a husband.

The corridors were empty, guards had been whittled down to those who were absolutely necessary for this night and it seemed that this corridor wasn't important so stood barren, empty of life. Over the sounds of the storm throwing its weight around outside the safety of the castle, she could just pick up the sounds of her heels tapping against the stone floor. The heavy layers of fabric she had been wrapped in danced around her ankles as though desperately trying to remain as festive as the bodies in the ballroom had been.

Her steps led her up a set of stairs, worn down by the countless shoes that had made use of them over the years. She could see the flashes of the storm against the walls that she trailed her hand along for balance, flashes of blue and white lighting the way now that the torches had been blown out by the fierce breaths of the wind.

She made it to the top, stepping out into the open, rain assaulting her more with every step she took, the damp crawling through her dress, attempting to soak her to the bone. She walked slowly, as if in a trance, along the path of the battlements.

She came the end where the wall had crumbled, leaving a view of the land around her open. Her hair flew around her face as it struggled to remove itself from the confines of her carefully crafted hairstyle and her body swayed with each gust of wind that attacked her with its vicious breath. She reached a hand out to hold the stone that held itself together, bravely facing the elements alongside her. She placed her fingers into the familiar shallow grooves that moulded into her skin.

Looking over the edge, she watched as the rain fell passed her and disappeared into the darkness below. The walls of the castle were swallowed up by the same soul sucking lack of light and she could no longer see the ground beneath her.

She wondered where the ground fell on the castle's lands. If she would end up in a rosebush from her own private gardens, or in pond just beside kitchens, she'd forgotten.

Her breaths began to cloud around her in puffs of air as icy fingers of cold finally began to reach her and she shivered. Raindrops rolled down the side of her face as it made its way through her hair, and her clothes began to weigh down on her as they became damp. Her hand gripped the stone hard enough that her nails grated against it and the wall bit into the skin on her hand, opening the old cut that had only just healed.

Taking in a deep breath, she filled her lungs and took in the view around her one last time before letting it go.

She turned away, as she had many times before.

She was tired, but her affairs still had to be placed in order, only then she could go.

Taking one last look over her shoulder, she smiled and nodded half to herself and half to the waiting arms of the long fall.

"Not tonight, there is still time."