A beating heart

Chapter 33

note: As promised, a shorter wait for this chapter :) I'm trying to use my free time during Christmas break to finish the story, so fingers crossed that that'll work out.

Thank you to all the incredibly sweet people liking and commenting under chapter, you guys make my day! If you haven't seen it yet, I published a Christmas one-shot a few days ago. If your interested, I'd be very grateful for you to check it out :)

I hope you'll enjoy this chapter :)

(disclaimer: I own nothing)

33.

„Leave me." she bit her lip, feeling the fear wither through her body. „I thank you for your help, but I need to be alone now."

Amélie examined her with a clear look of worry shining in her green eyes. The girl hesitated for a second before rising from her place. She quickly bowed before Mary and hasted towards the door, leaving the Queen alone in her chambers.

Just before the doors could fall closed behind her head of twirling blond locks, another person barged through the still open gap.

„Mary, there you are." Kenna was panting and her cheeks were flaming red. „You scared me to death, I thought Cathrine might have done something."

She quickly rushed towards the place Mary was sitting, completely disregarding the guard's disgruntled complaints at her unannounced entry.

Mary let out a sigh and with a quick nod of her head, made it clear that her Lady was a welcomed guest. The man shuffled out of the room and the doors finally fell closed behind him.

There was a moment of complete silence. Only the slight crackle of the wood in the fire and her own faint breaths filled her ears. She closed her eyes, her fingers tangling in her lap. Kenna must have simply stood before her, not moving a single finger as when she opened her eyes again, she found her in the exact same position as before.

„What happened?" Kenna pulled one of the stools closer, sinking on it before Mary. „What did Cathrine do? And why ... why was she here?" her eyes narrowed, visibly annoyed by Amélie's visit.

„Cathrine threatened me, Bash and Anne as well. Nothing less than what you might expect from the woman, she's a ruthless calculating snake after all." her voice barely trembled and strangely enough she felt her strength returning little by little.

„But what could she do, even if she wanted to act on her threats?" Kenna sounded worried but the confusion was written blatantly on her face. „She holds no power here any longer."

„She knows things. Things that could topple Bash's rule and I don't believe her threats were empty ones." she hated repeating it over and over, as if the repetition might actually make it more real.

Especially since she couldn't tell Kenna the full truth. This was something that had to stay between Bash and her. It would only endanger Kenna as well, should she find out. Regicide was one of the deadliest crimes one could commit, especially when it meant killing one's own father.

Even telling Francis might have been a huge mistake, a fool's errand, now that she looked back on it and contemplated her foolish actions. She had given him the weapon to bring down Bash, and herself. She had practically handed him the crown. Her heart had reasoned that he would never use it against her, that he would never dare hurt his own daughter. But what if he didn't care, what if it had all been an act for her to expose her secrets. He could take Anne and patiently wait for her and Bash's heads to leave their respected bodies.

She swallowed hard, the thought of Francis betraying her making it hard to fight back the tears. Besides maybe Kenna, he was the only person she had really ever trusted. Her heart was his, it had belonged to him for a very long time. The love binding them together was the only reason she was still here, alive to watch her daughter grow. But maybe it was exactly that love, her heart so desperately clung to, that had blind sighted her. Had it made her ignorant to his true intentions? All she knew was that if that was the case there would be little she could do. She couldn't fight, not him, not after all that had happened. He would rip her heart out and she wouldn't survive that level of torment again. Her body and heart, the same, had grown to weak, exhausted by the actions she herself had initiated. All the lies and bitterness had broken something within her, a part of her she had once dreamed invincible.