The Royal Romance - You Can't Uneat The Apple

Weak

"And now I sit here, I'm all alone
So here sits a bloody mess, tears fly home
A circle of angels deep in war
'Cause I wanted you"

(Skunk Anansie - "Weak")

***

Every morning, after she'd fed Bella and got washed and dressed, Jen would make a point of looking out of the window of her personal chambers. She was particularly fond of the view from it; the beauty of the city below and the sparkling water of the harbour, how the coast could be seen curving around it in waves, leading to other parts of this beautiful country, a country she was somehow queen of now, and she never felt more pleased to be than when she was gazing out at it like this.

But this morning, she frowned at the sight of something most unexpected. That looks like some sort of army of warships. I didn't know there were any events or regattas planned today?

She strapped Bella's baby carrier around her, gently placed a wiggly Bella into it, then made her way out of her sunny chambers and down to the main wing of the palace, curious to learn more. She soon noticed Madeleine's petite frame dashing about the grand hallway; when Madeleine spotted Jen she made a beeline in her direction.

"Good of you to grace us with your presence today, Your Majesty. But you need to go and dress sharply. Visitors are imminent."

"I'm sorry? What sort of visitors? And I rather think I'm dressed well enough?" She was wearing a pale green floral dress that she'd worn for one of the Applewood picnics, it was comfortable with easy access for feeding Bella. Maxwell had helped her choose it. She still remembered him putting his hands on her shoulders and laughing about how well she'd blend in with the gardens while she was wearing it.

She felt hands on her shoulders now, drawing her out of her reverie. "My queen, my princess." She turned to see Rick, his full regal suit on his body and concern on his face. "I was just coming to find you. We have an unforeseen problem to deal with."

Just then, there was a dramatic knock on the palace doors, and before any significant delay, they opened to reveal a stream of guards in a uniform Jen recognised only too well from her trips to Auvernal and the night Bella was born. They were Bradshaw and Isabella's Honour Guard, and sure enough once ten or twenty of them had strewn into the hallway, the Auvernese King and Queen stepped through the throng, looking upon Jen and Rick expectantly.

"Ah, Your Majesties. And, of course, Your Highness," said Bradshaw, with a nod to Bella, who was glancing around the room in curiosity.

"What he means is, our future daughter in law," Isabella laughed, stepping towards Jen and Bella.

"No," Jen said, stepping back.

Isabella's face fell into a petulant pout.

"So, what is this?" Rick asked Bradshaw, boldly. "You just docked twelve warships in our harbour. I suspect you are not here for recreational purposes."

Bradshaw laughed. "Well, as you know we recently commemorated our annual Fleet Week. We decided to end it with a little celebratory excursion to a neighbour's shores. I hope you don't mind, but you were the lucky recipients of our gift."

"A gift?" Jen snorted with laughter. "More like a threat."

Bradshaw moved his steely gaze onto her. "More like a reminder of who really has the upper hand in this alliance, and what's at stake if things go badly." He turned back to Rick, waiting for his response.