The Reign of the Rose

                                                                Prologue

It was the summer of 1415 at Windsor Castle. All of the flowers and trees were in full bloom. It was here that the Princess was sitting, not for the first time. She had always come down here to think and clear her mind, the only place that she could truly be alone, or so she thought. Here at court one was never truly alone. There was always somebody lurking in the shadows waiting for one of the royals to say something that could be twisted into something completely different.

It was on this hot day that the young Princess Elizabeth, only 17, would meet her future husband, Prince Francis from France. The sun was in the middle of the sky, the hour in which it was the hottest. Princess Elizabeth was deep in thought, her rich, sea-blue eyes staring at one of the many colorful flowers when a voice startled her. She quickly turned around, snapping out of her trance, and saw the person that was talking.

“Princess, I am sorry if I frightened you, but the Prince has arrived,” the guard told her.

Elizabeth stood up, her long, wavy, golden locks shimmering in the sunlight, “Please, do not be sorry, let me give you the pleasure of escorting me down to Francis,” Elizabeth said while smiling at him. She had only met her fiancé a few times before, and if she was going to be honest with herself, she was nervous. Her simple red gown with a V backline gently dragged across the ground as they walked to the Great Hall.

As Elizabeth and Herald, the guard, neared the doors, the two guards on either side of the giant wooden doors opened the doors for them. Elizabeth smiled while the guards simply bowed their heads as she passed. Elizabeth walked into the hall, alone. Herald had stopped at the doors. She then saw him turn around before the doors shut. She looked towards the front of the room and saw the back of a man. She knew exactly who it was: it was Francis. The last time they had seen each other was when they were children and both of them had changed since then.

Francis had heard her enter; he had been nervous to see her, like butterflies were in his stomach. It had been so long, he feared that maybe she did not care for him anymore and he also feared that her personality, which he loved the most about her, had changed more than her appearance. He stayed with his back towards her for a few moments, and then he turned around to face her. His eyes met hers and they both smiled. Her eyes, which always seemed to be looking directly into his soul, were radiating with happiness. She hadn’t changed much, she had grown taller and her hair longer, her eyes seemed to turn into an even purer blue over the years. He quickly and slightly bowed his head to her.

“Do not even start with that,” she spoke, he heard her voice; it was smooth and elegant, just as it always was.

“And why not, Princess?” he asked as he antagonized her.

She walked up to him, clearly biting the bait. “Because I kindly asked you to,” she whispered to him.

He smiled at her closeness, the last time he had seen her would have been easily over a year ago. He had missed her, missed her voice, her smell, just her. He turned his attention back to Elizabeth who was at this point standing directly in front of him. 

“And if I do not want to do what you have asked?” he asked, although he knew for a fact that she would hit him with a sarcastic remark.

Elizabeth leaned in so that her lips were less than an inch from his ear. “Then we shall never share a bed,” she said as a devilish grin engulfed her face. She heard the doors open so she quickly stepped to the side of him. She watched as her parents walked into the hall.

Her father, King Henry V, walked in first and he smiled at Francis. He had always liked him; he thought that Francis reminded him of himself sometimes. Then her mother, Queen Catherine of Valois, walked in and all the smiles slowly fell from their faces. Catherine’s face was cold; it always was. Elizabeth swore that her mother’s pale green eyes could freeze Hell over in a second, but she kept that to herself. But sometimes Elizabeth wondered if her mother had emotions at all. Ever since Elizabeth could remember, her mother had always been strict with her. She always thought that was part of the reason she was so laid back. She did not want to become a cold, soulless shell of a person. Henry walked up to Elizabeth and Francis, Catherine not far behind him.

“My dear Francis, I am so glad to see you again,” he turned to his daughter, “I am glad to finally see a smile on your face, Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, but Francis spoke first, “I am glad to be back,” he folded his hands respectfully behind his back, “and I am glad that I could be the reason that Elizabeth is smiling. Even just for a moment.” He met her gaze, his icy blue eyes locked into her pure blue eyes.

She could not look away, her heart fluttered in her chest. She had not realized how much she had missed him. She finally broke the trance and spoke, “Yes father, I am glad as well that Francis has made his way back into court safely.” She looked at Francis and smiled slightly.

Her mother then spoke, her head held high, “The servants have set up your room, Francis. Henry, we should let these two get,” she looked from Elizabeth to Francis trying to find the right word, “reacquainted.” With that said Catherine turned around and started to walk out, Henry bowed his head and followed after her, leaving Elizabeth and Francis alone.

A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to actually post a story. I have been extremely busy. I hope to write a new chapter once every one or two weeks. That is my hope but in order for me to post it If you guys (or girls) enjoy this sneak peek (Prologue) hit up that like button and leave comments but please do not be rude if you have a suggestion let me know please. Thanks!!!!

P/S: Thanks Chels for editing you are the best. Check her out, she does amazing work. @Missingtheoldme