Morning Glory-Francis (Reign)

Chapter Twenty-Six

When I awoke the next morning, the castle was in a panic. Even through my closed bedroom door, I can hear people running down the halls and shouting. The sunlights streaming through the windows surprised me. I usually don't sleep late.

Suddenly, the door to my room slammed open, and Anfisa and Elisaveta ran in closely followed by Francis. Startled by their entrance, and unsure if anyone else would be with them, I pulled the blankets up to cover my nightdress.

"Are you okay, Anya?" They all started talking at once. Anfisa was looking over the bed, Elisaveta peering around the rest of the room. Francis had grabbed my arms and was looking me up and down as if I might be injured.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." I said, looking at the three of them confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"A boy tried to rape Mary last night." Elisaveta told me.

"Is she alright?" I threw the covers back and stood up, moving to get my dressing gown off of the nearby chaise.

"Obviously shaken but she'll be fine." Francis said, politely averting his eyes from my body until I was appropriately covered.

"Has the culprit been caught?" I asked, walking over to my usual spot between Anfisa and Elisaveta.

"Yes, Colin is in the dungeon awaiting his punishment." I nodded absentmindedly, as I looked around the room.

"I will go see Mary today. To make sure she is okay." I opened my armoire and began to look for a dress to wear that day.

"Thank you, Anya. I will take my leave now." A quick glance over my shoulder showed Francis giving a short bow before walking out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

As I continued to shuffle through various skirts and bodices, I could feel Anfisa and Elisaveta's eyes on me. I ignored it for a few minutes, but when I turned around, navy blue fabric in hand, I had to ask.

"What?" I asked, setting my choices on the dressing table. My friends glanced at each other smiling, before looking back at me.

"I don't know what it is about you, but you're entire energy about you is different." Anfisa said with a smile as she picked up my hair brush.

"It's because she's in love." Elisaveta sang as she unlaced a corset for me to put on. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't deny her words. I felt light and giddy and happy and the feeling only doubled when the vase of roses on the table, now one fewer, caught my eye.

A little while later, I was dressed, and my hair braided up on the back of my head. Even though I was going to see Mary, I was going as a friend and not as competition, so I decided to forgo a crown. Still I made sure Anfisa had put a line of gold and sapphire in my hair, along the top, reminiscent of a crown.

When we arrived at Mary's chambers, we were informed that Mary was not there, but her ladies were waiting inside for her to return. Apparently we were welcome to wait with them.

The atmosphere in Mary's chambers turned tense as the three of us walked in. Mary's ladies were settled around a window seat, so Anfisa, Elisaveta and I sat down a few chairs nearby. The silence was awkward until Greer spoke.

"It's so nice of you to join us, Your Majesty." Her voice sounded nervous as she addressed me.

"Please, call my Anya, all of you. I meant what I said when I said I wanted all of us to be friends." I gave them all a warm smile. "And thank you. When I heard about what had happened to Mary, I wanted to come myself to make sure she was okay."

"I'm sure she will appreciate the gesture." Lola answered. Her posture was more relaxed but her tone was still tense.

"Please, all of you, relax. I promise, I have no ill intentions for being here." I said, hoping they the strict air in the room would dissipate.

"Sorry,Your Maj- Anya," Kenna spoke, "It's just we all know that you're essentially Mary, our friend's competition for a marriage alliance with France. And we've all seen how Francis is with you." The other girls nodded in agreement.

"I didn't ask for a marriage alliance with France." I said, getting slightly defensive. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my own friends tense up as well. "I didn't ask for anything."

"Maybe, but it's being offered to you." Lola joined the discussion. "And you didn't turn it down."

"Because you need to take opportunity with it comes along." Anfisa's voice was sharp.

"And Anya deserves a husband who will love her." Elisaveta's tone was just as sharp, though her words very different.

"That will be enough," My head turned slightly to the side, to make it clear I was addressing Elisaveta and Anfisa. Turning back to Mary's ladies, "If Francis decides he wants to marry Mary, I will not object. But until that happens, I will not pull my hand from the table."

Another silence fell. This one was not as awkward, it was full of understanding. I don't think Lola and Kenna were happy with what I said, but I hoped I had earned their respect as a woman who would not back down.

It seemed strange, that all of these girls and Mary were about my age. They seemed so much younger than me. So much more innocent. Not that I wasn't still a child, but I had been forced to grow up much faster, be an adult much earlier. In some ways, I envied them. They were free to do as they pleased, at least until they found husbands, and still then, they would never have the pressures or weight of a crown on their heads.

"When do you think Mary will be back?" I asked the girls. At that moment, the door to the room slowly opened, causing all of us to look back towards the sound. Mary walked into the room, a nervous look on her face.

Surprise flashed across her expression, when she saw me and my ladies, but her somber expression returned almost immediately.

"Did you speak to Catherine and Henry?" Lola asked, her entire demeanor changing as she sat forward in her seat. "About Colin?" I remembered Francis mentioning Colin as the boy who had assaulted Mary. I was slightly confused as to why Lola sounded so concerned, but I shrugged it off.

"I'm so sorry, Lola." Mary sat down rather gracefully on the only open spot on the window seat, and looked sadly down at Lola. "I asked to speak to him, but Henry said that Colin as already been executed. A plot by the English to make me unfit to marry." She shook her head sadly. "I'm so sorry." Mary leaned down and embraced her friend who had started to cry.

"A plot by the English? That makes no sense." She mumbled over and over again, wrapped in her friend;s arms. Aylee reached over to rub her back gently.

Feeling slightly awkward and out of place, I chose to remain silent until a more appropriate moment to address Mary. The opportunity came sooner than I realized when Mary stood and approached me.

"What are you doing here, Anya?" Mary's tone showed she was on the offensive. I had already snapped at Mary's ladies, and I didn't need to start another conflict with Mary.

"When I heard what happened, I wanted to come make sure you were okay." I said, keeping my tone calm, but making sure I was sitting up straight. "And there was something else I wanted to discuss with you, a sort of alliance that I believe could benefit the both of us, as well as both of our countries." That last part I made up just then, but later, I decided that at least an agreement between the two of us would be a good idea.

If Mary was overthrown in Scotland, it would not set a good precedent. That a young female monarch could be easily dethroned, and forgotten. I refused to let that happen to me as well, and if it meant I needed to form a coalition with others like me then so be it.

"Thank you for coming to see me. I am fine." Mary's tone was still cold. "As for your proposal, I'm afraid it will have to wait for another day."

"Of course." I stood up, making sure to at least glance down at Mary from my full height. "I will leave you now." Anfisa and Elisaveta stood up behind me, and followed as I led the way back towards my own chambers.

On the way out I heard them begin another conversation. "We need to be careful around her. She may seem nice, but she and Russia would definitely prosper from me being out of the way." Mary said as a servant swung the door shut.