Tampered Beauty

Warriors

"Well, well, well, I have some news for you." Mary sauntered into the cold dungeons of the French Court, leaning casually against the door of the podium, looking down at the mother of her step son. Lola lay upon a blanket on the floor, her body pale. She looked up at Mary as her Empress and Queen entered her cell.

"Your Majesty,I-"

"I'm glad to see you've remembered your respect and place this time around." she chuckled. "I'm sure the servants that bring you food have let you know of mine and Francis' events these past two days."

"I-I am told you took a trip to King Antoine of the engagement of young Princess Margot to his son, Prince Henry."

"Not quite." she shook her head. "I met with Antoine, yes, but only for a sparse conversation to drop the baby and Greer and a few others for a few hours of respite. This morning," she spoke as if she was speaking to a rather slow child. "King Phillip and I met."

"What? You met with-" Lola trailed.

"I did. He informed me that you were not directly involved with the plot against my life. And for that, you will live."

"Thank you, Majesty. Thank you, I-" Lola moved to kneel.

"Not for everything, but you will live for that. Regardless if you were desperate and confused, forgot your place, trying to engage your bastard to a Hapsburg is treason. Conceiving and producing your Queen's bastard step child is treason. And for that, you will be punished. Finally punished." Mary smiled manically. Lola gulped audibly, starting to sniffle. "But not for a while. Your role in the war has sped things up a little. After it is over, you will be brought to justice. But not now. Oh, don't look so scared." Mary said, noticing the lock of fear in her eyes. "This is a gift for you, you get to live for longer than originally planned. If my husband had his way, your head would be on a pike before we left England." 

"Y-you can't do this. Francis said that he would protect me when we returned here years ago?"

"Did he? Well, you are not French. You are still Scottish. And you are still my subject. So, Francis cannot help you. He loathes the fact you are the woman who bore his firstborn. He tells his brother and I on drunken nights that even the thought of touching you as he did once rolls his stomach. He will care for your son, he will protect him and try his best to guard his future and maybe if you hadn't committed another account of treason against your sovereign lady and mistress, maybe you wouldn't have been so publicly punished. Merely left to live our the rest of your days in scorn and neglect. But not now, Lola. Not now." she said, shaking her head towards the end.

"Did you ever think that that night in Paris would lead to all of this? Your eventual trial and probable beheading, your treason against the entire European monarchy by running away with my husband?" she slowly and casually walked down the stairs to Lola's floor.

"O-of course not!" Lola cried out, shivering from both cold and fear. "I didn't mean to get pregnant! It was only supposed to be one night, nobody would have known! I didn't want to hurt you and I didn't want to put you in danger. It just happened!"

"Do you see how foolish that argument is? You didn't mean to," Mary tutted, pouting dramatically, enjoying the effect she had on Lola. "That makes it all better, doesn't it! You didn't mean to, so I'm going to forgive and forget and nobody need know a thing again. I'll welcome you back as one of my ladies with open arms and just brush off the fact that our sons are half brothers. I don't think so!" Mary scoffed. The Empress faced the proven traitoress.

"Please, I just want to-" Lola stood.

"No!" Mary snapped, the back of her hand raising and striking Lola to the floor. (A/N again. That was so satisfying to write and visualise! Why couldn't that have happened in 2x04?? Okay, back to story!) The former Lady cried out as she fell roughly to the floor. She brought a hand to her throbbing and stinging cheek, feeling what Kenna and Greer and any servants or nobles had felt whenever they stepped out of line just after Francis ran from this very castle years ago. "Why didn't I see you for what you truly are that morning in the courtyard when I returned from Scotland?!" she cried out to herself. "Why was I so blind that I thought you would be loyal like the rest of them?! Why didn't I see that you are a manipulative, self serving harlot who deserves a tenfold more than what she gets?!"