Love's Enigma

Entwined in Finding You One Day

-Your beauty cascaded on me, in this white night fantasy...

"Louis, you need to leave from here." Antonie commands me.

"You need help, the plague will undermine the royals." I say to him.

"No this is the perfect time." I knew what he was talking about. I gave him a questioning look.

"France will be needing any type of aid by now. Go to French Court and make yourself accessible. We will get our revenge. The King of France is dead. King Henry has died." He tells me. I could see he was triumph.

"What will I do there brother?" I asked him.

"Become Francis' friend and his confidant." It was a simple request. I know I can do this.

"Be wary that he has married. Mary, Queen of Scots. Now I'm sure their rule is guaranteed." He explains. I heard of this young queen and her magnificence. Most people spoke of how she was justice and understanding. I never knew a royal who would exhibit these qualities without anything in return.

"You are to leave in the morning. Take what you will. Just do as I said." He commands. I bow to my brother. He stands and gives me a hug.

"God keep you safe, brother." I could also feel the emotion of him. I nodded. I knew my task and I needed to succeed. I needed to do this for Marcus, our brother who was killed in the Italian wars. It tore my family apart, mostly it affected me. I loved my brother like no other. He was my protector and when I needed him he was there for me.

My guards and I waited in the woods. The ride here was quite dreary. Everywhere I looked it was devastating. I could only think of our family's kingdom. Was it in the same condition? Then a royal carriage was coming toward the water hole that we found and our camp.

"Conde." One of my guards warns me.

"I see." I reply to him. I stand and walk toward the carriage. A young man with golden hair approaches us with is hand on his sword. Then I recognize him. This was the moment, to convince him I was trustworthy. One of my guards begins to grab his sword. I stop him and order him to bow to the new King of France, Francis.

I went up to the carriage to see a much weakened young lady. Her babe was crying for sustenance. Seeing this situation I decided she must've been important to Francis. My men drive the carriage toward our camp and she climbs out with her child.

"Your baby, how old is he?" I asked her.

"My son is but a day." She replies.

"Your name, my lady?" I asked.

"Lady Lola. One of the queen's ladies." Her title and the place she was in now made me question of rule of the new King. Did he have her as his mistress? What would he be doing with her, when his wife was at the castle dealing with the plague and many upset lords? Antonie was right about my timing being opportune.

I had just about an earful of hearing Francis explaining his impatience to return to his queen and wife. He explained his situation of leaving her at the castle and coming to fetch his newborn and his mother Lola. I listened with no interest but making a believable expressions. I had only one job here at French Court. Find all of Francis' secrets and exploit them. I just remember my brother's adamant request.

The next morning we gathered everything and my men were leaving with my mistress that I brought. I promised her an escape from this plague to her husband who she needed more than ever. She cried a bit but I dismissed her rather easily, our dalliance was short as excepted. I couldn't fall in love, not with her. She was not the star in my eyes.

I decided to leave back home wanting to report to my brother the recent personal life of the King. However he insisted that I be courtier. He explained how these coming days he needed the support of surrounding nations to his young rule and his queen's. We were nearing the castle gates and I could see that the castle itself was happy but with the surrounding recovery of the plague. The castle just made it look more appealing.

I watch Francis scan the gathering crowd. I look at the state of the castle. I begin to compare it to our family's castle. I see the queen mother Catherine standing smiling at her son's safe return. Francis climbs off his horse and I after him. The crowd opens up and a young woman with dark hair and a beautiful lips walks gracefully to us. My eyes watching her as her smile spreads across her face. I feel my heart beat quicken and my palms sweat. Still holding the reigns of the horse I strategically wipe it off. I heard numerous rumors of the Queen of Scot beauty but in reality nothing could compare to her. Her dark hair bring her beautiful to the front. Her lips were pink and bright against her skin.

"Mary, I'd like to present the person who saved our lives and escorted us safely back. Prince Louis of Conde. My cousin." Francis announces to the young Queen.

She turns to me and I just wanted to capture this glimpse of her forever. "Your majesty." I gently kiss her hand that she presents to me. Instead of the princely thoughts entering my mind they were flooded with something else. I let go watching her reaction of any kind. She smiled kindly and thanked me for keeping her husband in safe hands. Her dismissal of me felt so cold. I felt like I needed her regard, her admiration and most of all her. I observed Mary's reaction to Lola and her child. It surprised me but she immediately hid a smokescreen of happiness that Francis has returned. I ignored it as a silly imagination of mine.

I blended back into the crowd wanting to abandon this mission that I was sent on. Then Antonie's words enter my head, avenge our fallen brother. I turned around and saw Mary with her hand in Francis' entering the castle together.