Tu Es Ma Lumière

62 - Back Pain

The King of France awoke slowly. His brow furrowed, eyes fluttering open in an attempt to focus on the dark, grandeur rooms in which he and his wife slept upon. It was fruitless, all Francis saw was a few silhouettes of the balconies and the shadows illuminating the rugs. Looking away from the dark forms that used to be desks, he noticed that Mary wasn't laying next to him as she always was. No, the Queen of France was sitting up straight, her body slightly hunched over.

"Mary?" he whispered, his voice wavering. Francis reached over to her, ran his fingers over her bare arm that was left naked from the tiny strap of the soft white satin nightgown she wore, one of the many pieces Catherine had commissioned not that long ago. The blankets had pooled around her lap and abdomen, concealing the substantial bump that her abdomen had swollen to. "Are you alright?" he asked, bumbling to sit up next to her. "Is the baby-" he asked, noticing that she was holding the large bump with one hand, the other pressed to her back. Her face was strewn in a wince, her eyes clamped shut.

"No, no-" she assured him quietly. Mary didn't know why they were whispering, after all, there was no other people in the room at such a late hour of the way. "I'm alright, it's just-" she was cut off by a hiss of pain. The King's worry only grew as her back arched. He wrapped an arm around her, in an attempt to lessen the presumable pain that his wife was going through.

"Should I get the physician?" he asked, trying not to panic as he had when Mary had bowed out of Jean's baptism, calming her stomach was hurting. It was hard to think that that was over four months ago, but the large bump that her abdomen had swollen to had proven otherwise. Catherine had slapped him, that day. She had claimed that his panicking and pacing around the chambers as midwives and physicians had worked upon the Queen was not helping anybody, least of all the Queen herself. Thankfully, the unborn child had survived the slight ordeal. The physician had claimed that the Queen was under too much stress and needed to relax. So, Scotland fell to Marie de Guise and Lola's scolding was impressive to even Catherine, who had to convince her son to allow the Lady out of her rooms two weeks later. It was apparent that the bleeding Mary had was the result of an argument with her step son's mother, something that greatly displeased the King of France and Scotland.

"No, it's alright." Mary assured him, placing a small hand over her husbands' substantial wrist. "It's just-" she grimaced again. "my back. It hurts." she stated, squirming in discomfort. Francis jumped as Mary suddenly jerked, rubbing her ribs. He quickly calmed himself, remembering what she had told him a few days ago.

"Is he doing it again?" Francis asked her. Mary nodded, sighing as her husband began to rub at her back in an attempt to alleviate the pressure in her lower back. The baby's new favourite thing to do was to lay upside down so his head rested in her lower back and pelvis, and kick as hard as he could at Mary's rib cage. It hurt like hell, Mary had told him on many occasions.

"Yes," she sighed. "I wish he'd cut it out." Mary pouted up at her husband.

"Not that long to go now, my love." Francis whispered, placing a kiss to Mary's forehead. She closed her eyes at his kiss. "Lay back." Francis instructed. "On your side." he manoeuvred her to lay with her back facing him.

"What are you doing?" Mary asked him, but her words were cut off by a moan as Francis began to rub at her back and hips. She smiled to herself as the King of France continued his services to her. What a marvel, she noted. The King of France and Scotland, the most powerful man in two countries, worked as her own personal servent, hand, foot and finger.

"Better?" Francis asked lightly, biting back his own grin as he worked on soothing his wife's ailments. Pregnancy had not came easily to her, they both knew. The first few weeks post bleed had been awful, barely an hour passing by before Mary's head was thrown in a chamber pot to expel the food from her stomach. And when she began to show and the baby began to grow, the Queen of France could barely ever find comfort in her pregnancy.

"Much." Mary promised. "Thank you."

"Whatever for?" he asked her. "I told you that I'd look after you as you grow our child, and I intend to keep that promise." he smiled softly.

"I hate waking you, you have long days." she stated softly. He shrugged.

"Nothing I can't handle, love. Now-" he ceased his ministrations. "rest, my love. I'll be right here when you awake."

~~

Aww! Happy Frary and pregnant Mary is the best :)

I'm inspired, ladies and gentlemen! Your girl is gonna try and get as many updates up as possible in the next couple hours, so make sure to comment and leave some prompts and suggestions down below! And if you haven't already, check out 'Nerverum' as there's gonna be another update coming tomorrow!

Stay safe,

love,

me

:).