mad queen » reign cw

xxv.

( fact twenty-five! )
isabelle was the wildest child
amongst the valois siblings.

—

the date was 21 november of 1565. three months from isabelle's twenty-fifth birthday, but she would never reach that day. it was a tremendously sad day in the french castle. no one dared to address the lack of isabelle at the breakfast table.

the night before, belle had received a letter from duke arthur and it had read:

'my love,
i never imagined that i would fall in love again after finding out that marlene had cheated on me. yet, i found you—nineteen and broken hearted. i like to imagine that i loved you from the day that we talked in that room when you had received the word of your father's death. never in my life would i have guessed that i would fall in love with a woman like you. isabelle madelaine medici de valois, you have been the brightest light of my life. you gave me my first son and you have been the kindest soul that i have ever known. i love you and i will love you for the rest of my life. for the rest of my twelve days. the scots have called upon my life for treason and being a threat to the scottish throne. i hope that we shall unite together and with our son in the stars above.

yours truly,
arthur.'

isabelle did not resist the guards, she did not resist the executioner. she stood with poise and grace. she had made amends with eveyone in her life. leaving a stack of letters in her vanity drawer for her family to read.

one for catherine,
for sebastian,
for francis,
for james,
for mary,
for eden.

she had met her fate and now she had to accept it.
"last words?" the executioner's grainy voice asked.

belle inhaled as she thought of the speech that she had prepared.

"i do not believe that i was wrong in my actions of wanting love. i would trade a stressful life as queen for a happy life without any titles any day. and if i shall go down in history as a 'mad queen' for wanting to be free of my duties, then let my only title be isabelle de valois, the mad queen of france." she spoke clearly and boldly.

and with the swing of a blade, the french queen was gone. yet her legacy and memory would be remembered and maintained within the french court, by her brothers, james stuart, and her daughter.