The Art Of War (TV Series 'Reign') #4

Come What May

Standing in front of the window leading out to the front entrance of the castle, I wrapped my arms around myself as I heard the door to my chambers open and close.

"How long have you been standing there?" Bothwell asked as he walked inside.

"Just a few minutes now, I wanted to watch Elizabeth's men take Mary out from underneath the dungeon."

"You shouldn't have seen that." He whispered wrapping one arm around my waist.

Still looking out the window, I could hear the men yell from the courtyard. Mary's voice is echoing against the brick walls, as the horses neigh above her.

"Seems like this trip won't be an easy one. I'm still confused on why you didn't want to head along with Elizabeth since you were so eager last night." He said.

"I told her that my countrymen should now about their future King or Queen before England does or we're both heading into a war."

"Is that really the reason?" He questioned.

"Yes, is it. For the most part." I added as I stepped away from his grasp.

"If this is about condemning the De Guise or the Stuarts to death-"

"It's not..." I blurted out softly.

"Then?"

"Mary kept asking about her son, about how I'm a monster and that I'm taking her son away from her. It makes me no different." I added.

Sitting down on my ottoman, Bothwell sits beside me.

"Is this coming from your past?" He asked.

"When she was giving permission to wed Francis back, I was given a referral. I was to stay in France until Mary and Francis had their first heir, I wasn't allowed to see my son or visit my family in Greece...Honestly, I never thought I would leave France."

"How?" He blurted out.

"She was never able to carry an heir. People thought it was Francis, that his genetics weren't strong enough and then I got pregnant with his child. Somehow, it all ended up being Mary who couldn't give him what he wanted." I said.

"Well, that was a long time ago. Now you're a mother to two sons, you have a child growing inside of you, you're a Queen to your sovereign nation. And not to mention, you are newly married, and we haven't even thought about our honeymoon yet." He chuckled.

"You want to go on a honeymoon while everything else is going on?" 

"You have you're Regent? You're father's here...we wouldn't be away for too long just a couple of weeks."

"Weeks? Do you know what can happen in a few weeks?" I asked but was interrupted by Lydia, who cautiously walked into the room.

"Come, Lydia," I said.

"I'm sorry, your Grace. But there's been an emergency involving your nephew, Charles." She whispered.

"Charles? I though he was with Darnley?" I asked as Bothwell and I stood up from our seat.

"We should hurry."

~

Striding down the hallways, we walked into the throne room where my guards were lined out against the walls and John Knox was standing in front of our thrones.

"What is going on?" I asked Knox.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, Your Grace. But your nephew, Charles, was found in the middle of the road when a farmer picked him up and delivered him to a Church in the village just a mile from Edinburgh Castle where a local merchant informed your brother, James about the child's discovery." Knox said as he stepped aside as let James walked through the crowd of men that surrounded him.