Side Note - the whole Conde/Mary conversation doesn't happen, nor is the Duke of Guise executed. Immediately after the whole dinner party thingy.
/
"What are you thinking about?" the Queen Mother of France asks her daughter in law as she stands in front of the window, watching the carriage holding the Prince of Conde slowly leaves the French Court. She sighs, running her fingers through the necklace she wears, turning towards her husband and his mother, opening her mouth to reply, but Francis beats her to the punch.
"If we just found the poison earlier-" he sighs. "why didn't you know? Aren't you the woman who's famed for the art of deception and poison? You said you'd checked for poison and found nothing! And I believed you! So much so that I took a lance and killed father because of it, depraving you of a husband and all my siblings of a father, taking the crown before I was ready, all because of a goddamned poison! And Mary? I-" he looks at her, the word, the event, it does go unsaid, but they all know what he's going to say. Francis sighs, opening his mouth, sliding his hand over his face, but he says nothing else.
"Yes." she says. "You're right, right about everything, okay?" Catherine says. "But is there a point on dwelling on the past? All that will cause is injust pain and suffering, neither of which we must endure." she says, looking from her son to the girl who could be considered her daughter.
"Perhaps I've been harsh with you." Catherine states. Mary looks up, joining their eyes together, speaking in a language that she's glad Francis doesn't understand. "You know my reasoning."
"And you both know mine." she says. Suddenly, Mary's so tired. Tired of the struggle, tired of the drama and the trials and the tribulations. She's exhausted from the suffering, she's sickened by the blood that has been spilled by and for her. She's tired of the things that continuously come between she and her husband, she hates the things that have taken her from the girl she once was unto the Queen she is now. "I don't, and never have wanted Conde, Francis. I'm glad he's leaving with his brother." Mary announces to her husband, who finally looks her way again.
"I didn't mean to imply that the two of you were-"
"No, you were right. Well, right and wrong. I didn't want him, and I never will. He was there when you weren't, that's all. But he's gone, he's gone and he won't come back."
Francis looks at her, but he says nothing.
It's Catherine who speaks next. "I'm sorry, Mary."
"Whatever for?"
"The night you were raped-" she pauses, letting the dust settle between the three of them. "I told you I would help you, I told you that I could get you through it. I tried, but then-"
"You didn't help me. I was lost, afraid. It nearly caused me to burn my marriage and put my country on the stakes." she whispers. "Why didn't you help me? You said you understood, you said you'd get me through it. Why didn't you?"
"Because I was chasing ghosts." Catherine's voice is sad. "And being with the person who lit the match for France to burn." she says. "I'm sorry, Mary. I failed you."
"Narciesse." Francis says. "You've been with him."
"Yes," she says. "I have."
"And he and Antione, they-"
"Yes." Francis says, looking towards her. "The Lady Greer heard them talking of such things."
"Well, then, my son, you know what to do." Catherine gets up and stands close to her son, bringing his chin down so he looked in her eyes. "Mary and I will deal with Elizabeth, but you have to gather forces from all of France. And burn Navarre to the ground for everything their bastard King has done to us."
"I will." he oaths. "I swear it, Mary."
An th Queen finds it in herself to smile.
