An Old Alliance, A Renewed Love

Chapter 3

        He took his hand away from mine and I hid my disappointment. He walked to the chest by the fire and tossed his crown carelessly on it. He sighed loudly and sat on a cushion close to the fire. I slowly began walking over to him debating on whether I should sit down next to him or near him. As I gathered the skirt of my dress he put one arm up and rested it around my shoulders as I sat down. He looked at me as I stared at the fire, trying so hard to imagine what he might be thinking about. I could feel his eyes slowly caressing my entire body.

         "Say something," he whispered as he pulled my hair piece out releasing my auburn curls. I could barely breathe as his fingers tried to spread my hair out and around my shoulders. I breathed in quickly and asked, "What do you want me to say?" "Hmm, why don't you tell me about your journey?" I could tell he wanted to talk about something else, so I refused him the pleasure of denying his problems.

         "No, you dragged me in here for a reason. Francis, I don't know what's happening between you and Mary. You need to tell me what the problem is or my help is utterly and completely useless," I looked at him sternly. He sighed again, "You always were so direct." He let his hand fall into his lap. I was sad he had taken his hand away from me but I was truly interested in knowing what was happening between him and his wife.

         He told me all about Narcisse and the black mailing against him for his father's death. He told me about the night Protestants had invaded the castle. He told me what Mary had suffered through. He told me about how he had tried to wait for her and go at her pace. He told me how she had forced herself upon him to make an heir when she wasn't ready for that or him. He told me how she asked to be with Conde and have his protection through it.

         By the end of him explaining it to me, he had his head in my lap and was fiddling with my hand as I stared into the fire with hatred for the universe for hurting, not only the man I love, but my very best friend. He looked up at me and asked, "Why'd you come to France? And don't tell me it was to reestablish the old German- French alliance."

           I didn't look at him as I thought, I came to France to tell you, I'm still in love with you! I came to France because we could now get married at last! Instead of saying the thoughts of my heart, I said, "Because I was worried about you. I haven't seen you, or France, in two years. I heard Claude was home again. I missed you and Bash.....and Catherine, of course."

           I looked down at him to see if he was going to respond to my pause. I caught him staring right at me.He sat up and yawned, "Weeeeeeeeeeeeell, we've missed you too. I've missed you too." I smiled and pushed my face into the side of his shoulder and mumbled, "Unfortunately, I did actually come here for business, so we need to do that whilst I'm here."

            As if on cue Catherine de Medici came in through the doors of the meeting room. "Ah! There you two are. Everyone is looking for you! I think the nobles want to have a look over you before agreeing to a new alliance. And His Royal Majesty is expected to be dancing with his wife, not in his chambers with the Queen of Germany."

           Catherine's words were not said harshly. She knew how Francis and I loved each other, or at least one way I loved him. Catherine also knew what others would think. Francis and I weren't children anymore and we were in French Court after all. Catherine quickly put my hair back in place, smoothed out my dress, patted down some of Francis's curls, and placed the crown on his head.

           She left before us so we could be announced again. Francis took my hand and led me to the meeting room, he shifted my hand into the formal escorting fashion, and kept walking, head strong, like a king. The music paused as we were announced. We nodded so everyone could arise and continue talking. I heard one person say, "Her hairs too perfect for them to have done anything." I smiled, Catherine had always been able to fix any of my mistakes.

           Francis asked if I'd like to dance, I said yes after requesting him to ask the band to play a German song. He left to go and consult the musicians and talk to a few noblemen along the way. When I was left to my thoughts I felt someone pull my elbow. I turned around to see Louis of Conde staring back at me. "Queen Margareta, it's been too long," he laughed and took a drink.

          I yanked my arm away, "Obviously not long enough, I still remember your name." He didn't take that well. "Of course it has been long enough that you were able to get enough courage to make the Queen of Scotland your newest conquest." He looked furious at the mention of Mary, I smiled and walked over to where Francis was being overwhelmed by a drunk Duke of God knows where.

           "Everything alright?" I ask giggling slightly, Francis looks disturbed by what the Duke said. "I'll be fine what's I forget that the Duke of Orkney just told me he has slept with all of my mother's Flying Squad and how he wants to take my mother to bed and ensure she can't walk afterwards." He shivered. I laughed and ran my thumb over his cheek and said, "Oh, you'll be okay." He tried to laugh it off too.

          He nodded to the musicians as they finished a song. The conductor got the crowd's attention and said, "Their Royal Majesties will now dance to a song form Germany called Reunion." The music began playing and Francis and I bowed to each other. We danced and giggled as if it had only been us in the ballroom. No musicians, no Nobles, no mothers, no wife; just us. When the song ended and Francis set me down the only sound I heard was his breathing, his gasps and mine were in perfect sync, then I heard the applause. Of course people were cheering, we had basically just preformed for them and we were good too. Francis and I learned that song when we began learning formal dances, we had designated it our dance. I can't believe he remembered it.

               We were separated to talk to different people for a long time. Every once and I awhile, I'd look up to see what he was doing nine out of ten times he was already looking at me. When we were finally together again, it was around midnight. We were doing a formal dance that had no contact other than hands. Our dance had involved a series of lifts and turns and close spacing. I was still in shock that he had remembered it all, I was scared by the same fact.

           Nervously I asked him, "Have you done that dance with anyone else?"

           He waited until we were looking right into one another's eyes and said, "Why would I do that with anyone? You are the only one who knows the steps to that dance and all the steps to me."

           My heart filled up with joy. Francis had just said no one else knew him like I do. That became something I would stow away and savor forever, along with the beautiful gleam in his eyes that made me feel like the stars and the moon in the midnight sky.