Tampered Beauty

Youth

"I assure you, that should your daughter be bound to my master's son, she will be the most happy." the Venetian envoy insisted as he sat in front of the Emperor and Empress of the United Kingdom and France.

"Will she?" the Empress asked first, the aforementioned daughter settled upon her mothers' lap. Looking adorably beautiful in black satin and lace, silver embellishments glittering upon her little skirt and from a little circlet upon the already long black curls that hung from her head, the young Princess Anne looked up at her mother in wonder, reaching up to tangle her little fingers in her mothers' multi coloured necklace that covered her neck, throat and most of her chest. Diamonds of every colour fell from her mother's neck and throat and ears, a matching headpiece nestled into her mother's own raven hair. "Why?" Mary demanded, allowing the child to fiddle with her fingers, play with the multitude of large rings.

"Oh-umm-" the envoy stuttered. "My master, his Majesty, is the most noble gentleman that lives. I assure your Majesties, he will pass on these attributes to his own son, and the Prince will make sure that the Princess is very happy in her marriage."

"You may be telling the truth," Mary started, leaning forward upon her Scottish throne. "is it not strange that the King of Romania has been so quick, rid of his Queens, in such tragic circumstances?" she began. Mary thanked Catherine's Medici spies for the information silently. "The first, dead in bed not four months after her marriage. The second, found with her throat cut in the middle of the night, and the third dead upon her carpet, her body as red as it." she listed off. The King who'm they might someday make their daughter his in law was a very sketchy man. It was simple luck that Queen Lucia had fallen pregnant so soon after wedding this strange king. "If my child," Mary began, brushing her long fingers through Anne's soft curls. "held two heads upon her neck, then you can assure his Majesty that his offer of marriage to Prince Julian may be considered. Alas," Mary paused, pressing her fingers to Anne's exposed neck now that she moved the soft curls out of the way. "my daughter only has one."

"I beg of your Majesty to reconsider-" the envoy started to laugh nervously.

"No, the Queen of Scotland has spoken." Francis interrupted, standing up quick upon his throne, using Mary's sceptre to stand firmer. "There will be no more discussion about this marriage. You are welcome to stay two nights until the storm has passed, before you travel home to your master with the news. Good day, sir Bennit." he waved a hand. The envoy left in a scuffle.

Mary looked at him quietly, smoothing down the navy satin of her impressive, ruched skirted ballgown. Her bodice was tight against the corset she wore, a thin strip of satin just below her shoulders keeping it upright. He had been skittish ever since the privy council had told them of their desire to see justice brought to light, not just be passed around from castle to castle, dungeon to dungeon, tower to tower. It wasn't anything new.

"Why is it so hard to find a nice man for you to wed when you're older?" Mary asked her daughter, who beamed up at her mother, shuffling to stand up upon her mother's lap, now that the need for decorum and settlement was gone.

Mary held Anne's hands to keep her steady as the girl giggled and babbled in a language all of her own.

"We're lucky we have time before she weds." Francis said, seating himself back upon the throne.

"Still," Mary protested. "Don't you want Anne to be as close as James is to his fiancee?" she questioned, fixing her hair, pushing half of it in front of the right shoulder, the other half behind the left. "To be as close as we were in France?"

"Of course, but she's barely two. There's still time, love." he sighed, resting his head upon his fist that held the orb of the sceptre.

"I know, but I want her future secure." Mary answered, turning back to her child as the little girl started touching her bodice.