2Hi and welcome to my new story! I had great fun writing this and I hope you all enjoy it :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Reign. The only thing I own is the plot that you might not recognise, the OC's you will be introduced to and on occasion Bash because he is totally hot! ENJOY!
I had always wondered what French court would be like, but at the moment, I didn't have time for such pleasantries. Ireland was being invaded and it was my duty as its future Queen to rely on our allies. There was only one problem with that. I don't rely on anyone. I was independent and had been since the day I learnt how to walk. The day that I figured out I could do anything if I just tried hard enough.
The ride from shore across King's Road was silent amongst my knights. They still thought it foolish of me not to ride in the royal carriage, but I had much preferred the cool nip of the chilly morning air, compared to the stuffy one of the carriage and it wasn't very comfortable in there at all. Besides, I might have been the Princess of the Leprechauns (a joke my bastard sister always made), but I was also the future Queen and I was not going to be told how to travel. It might have been a small issue, but like I said, I was independent. If I could transport myself on the back of a horse, I would.
"Your Grace," a voice beside me had spoken up and I turned my attention to one of my favoured knights, Sir Nathaniel.
"What is it?" I had asked as I tried my best to focus on him and what he needed instead of falling asleep like I had desperately wanted to. We had travelled all night and all I had wanted was to sleep, but Ireland needed help and I knew that I had to do something.
"We have arrived," he had whispered as he watched me carefully, trying to gauge my reaction to the fact that I was back on French soil. I looked up at the castle and sighed quietly. This was going to be the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but for Ireland, it was something that I had to do.
We rode through the gates, getting stares from the guards, bows and curtsies from the servants and others. They knew who we were, but they had yet to find out just why we were there. We rode into the stables, Nathaniel dismounting before I. He came over to my stunning Lipizzaner, Pirate and helped me dismount.
"Thank you Nathaniel," I thanked him with a smile, whilst running my hands over my dress and my hair to make myself look half decent before going before the King of France and the royal court.
"Milady," he had replied as he bowed in respect. He might have been one of my most trusted knights, but he had still shown me respect, even when I told him to stop, although a knight would never stop showing his respect for his future queen.
The walk to the throne room was a long one and not to mention a boring one. Having to show respect was like trying to thread an arrow tip through a pin sized needle. It couldn't be done. People gossiped about me, saying how I was unfit to be the next Queen or Ireland, however I knew how to ignore people and to walk away instead of punching them in the face like how I wanted to.
"Princess Elysia of Ireland!" The doors were pushed open by the guards as I was announced to the room. I took a deep breath to stem the nerves that were slowly creeping up at the thought of going in front of the King and glided through the door. I held my hands in front of my stomach and kept my head high, not in defiance, but in pride.
I dipped into a curtsy and watched as the king and queen nodded their heads in acceptance and in greeting. I stood straight and corrected my posture and smiled gently.
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Your Grace," I thanked King Henry and his wife, Catherine.
"Nonsense child, speak your mind," King Henry's powerful voice boomed over the court, gently echoing off of the walls. I bowed my head as a sign of respect and took a deep breath, ready to say what I had been sent to say.
"Your Grace, lords and ladies. I am sure you have heard rumours that Ireland is under attack from the English. I am here to confirm that these rumours are true. They are quickly making ground towards the castle and I fear that if we do not get reinforcements immediately, that we will lose Ireland to the English. Please, Your Majesty, I am begging you to help us save Ireland," my voice carried through the silent courtroom and I had silently been hoping that King Henry would agree to help us.
That's when the whispers had started. The sympathetic whispers, the whispers of how the Princess shouldn't be pleading for the survival of her country. I had chosen to ignore them.
"Surely you do not believe that I would send men to Ireland? After all, what do you have to offer us in return?" He had asked as he looked at me, curiosity practically dripping off of him.
Just as I was about to answer, the servant who had announced my arrival spoke again.
"Prince Peter of Ireland!" My head had snapped around to see my youngest brother enter the room. His face had a grave look, which I knew could only mean one thing.
"Peter?" I asked as I made my way toward him. He looked up and stared me straight in the eyes. I knew something was wrong. We had sent word to France two weeks before I came in person and asked for troops, but we were denied. Now, because of their ignorance, my father was surely dead and Ireland had fallen to England.
"They've stormed the castle. Father was alive when I left, so was everyone else. But if you don't return, they're going to kill them," he had whispered as fear crossed onto his face. Anger coursed through my veins and I was definitely not going to back down.
My head had whipped around to face the all-so-lovely King and I had to remind myself that I was talking to someone with a great deal of power.
"Are you happy Your Grace? My country has fallen because you denied us your troops. We trusted you as an ally and it was probably the biggest mistake that we have ever made. We have lost Ireland to England because of you and now because of that, my Father will surely die before I even reach the borders. So, I thank you, Your Majesty, in what seems to be a futile effort on your part. I thank you, for signing not only my Father's, but my entire family's death warrants yourself. I hope you feel shame King Henry, feel the shame of your mistakes," I spat as I wrapped my arm around my brother's shoulders. He was only twelve years old and he had ridden this entire way, only for all of our efforts to be shot down by the King.
"You will take care in reminding of who you are speaking to!" Henry's voice boomed out over the very silent court room and it took everything in me not to lash out at the tyrannic ruler. Before I had even had the chance to open my mouth to respond to his words, a man stepped in between us.
"Father, please. Princess Elysia is obviously distressed with this news and has acted out of grief. Surely you cannot blame someone for such things," he reasoned with King Henry and I took a long, hard look at him. He was certainly not Francis, I knew that for certain, but who was he to be standing up for her against the king? My eyes had narrowed in suspicion and hatred as I hated having to rely on people. It was against my nature.
"Thank you for your kind words, but as you have seen, I can clearly take care of my own situations," I spat in the most un-ladylike tone.
"And what a marvellous job you are doing, Your Grace," the man spun around with a playful smirk on his face, but that's not what had caught my attention. In fact, it had been the colour of his eyes.
'Definitely not Francis,' I had thought to myself as my eyes narrowed into slits. I had never been one to be overly ladylike, but I had also been one who took pride in herself and her country.
"Watch your tone with me Sebastian," I said playfully as I crossed my arms and cocked my hip. I raised a perfectly arched eyebrow and couldn't help but smirk at the man in front of me. The last time I had seen him was when we were both children.
"I am shocked you even remember me, milady," he had replied just as playful as I. It took everything in me not to hit him with everything I had. Sebastian had always irritated me, however I had always turned a blind eye. Not for his or my sake, but for the King's.
"What can I say to make you change your mind, Your Grace?" I had directed the question at Henry and his eyes snapped up to mine. But then they had dropped to my body and I couldn't help but feel violated. However, I had a clear idea of what I could give the mighty King of France and it wasn't my body.
"Send troops to Ireland," I began as murmurs began to rise around the courtroom. Sebastian was looking at me like I had lost my mind and really, I couldn't blame him. "If you send troops to Ireland, I will help you take England," I finished and cries of not only outrage but disbelief flooded the room. Sebastian was definitely looking like I had lost my mind, but I didn't care. I stood straight, with my shoulders square and my head held high. I was most definitely not joking and Henry knew it.
"A tempting offer, Your Majesty," King Henry knew that it would all fall into place eventually, but Ireland needed troops now, whether he liked it or not.
"Let me make it clear, King Henry, I will only help you take England if you send your troops now, without a second to spare. Only then, I will help you," I stated loudly, my Irish accent rebounding off of the marble walls. This was something I had to do for Ireland and my country alone.
"You have yourself an agreement, Princess," King Henry's tone of voice had easily captured that of greed and I knew that there was something underlying that answer. "However, a battlefield is no place for a Princess, you are to remain at French court until the war is over," he ordered as he sat back down. Fury coursed through my veins and I had to calm myself down before I did something I would regret.
"Thank you, Your Grace. Your kindness is a boon in these troubled times," I said as sarcasm laced my voice, but I don't think the King noticed. I curtsied once before turning to leave the room, my brother's wrist secured tightly in my grasp. There was no way I was going to leave him with Henry or Sebastian.
"Elysia!" I heard a voice yell out from behind me and it took everything in me not to roll my eyes at the man's presence. I turned around and smiled as sweetly as I possibly could.
"Hello Sebastian," I watched him as he flinched slightly and I knew that things hadn't changed since our childhood together.
"When are you going to stop calling me that Ellie?" He asked as he stopped in front of me, completely ignoring my younger brother, but then again, Peter would have been fine with that.
"When you stop coming to my defence," I replied back, however it held an underlying tone of something not even I could identify. I turned my back on Sebastian and began to walk, but it had only been a matter of seconds before he grabbed my wrist, which effectively stopped me from going anywhere, especially with how small I was next to him.
"Elysia, please," he whispered in a husky voice and I knew I would not be able to escape if I didn't listen to him and hear him out.
"Go Peter, I will be along shortly," I said as I pushed my brother over to my guards who still remained on high alert. They were the best that Father could get to protect the future Queen of Ireland and I would be forever grateful to each and every one of them for what they have sacrificed for not only my well-being, but my country's as well.
I gave a nod to Nathaniel, letting him know that I could take care of myself if need be, but considering it was Sebastian, I had a feeling I would be fine, even if I didn't like it.
"Walk with me?" He asked as he held out his arm in an offering. I knew that he wouldn't let me not take it, so I placed my hand into the crook of his elbow and let him walk me down the castle hallways. I had always loved the French Court, always so many interesting people to meet and places to explore, however they never let us enter the woods when we were children, always a complete mystery to me as to why, however I never let that get in the way of exploring the castle grounds.
I looked out of one of the many windows that we passed and saw just how luscious the grounds were, with the green grass, the crystal, serene lake and the orchids, always my favourite place as a child. If nobody could find me, then it was guaranteed that you would find me somewhere in the orchids.
"What are you thinking about?" Sebastian's voice ripped me out of my haze and I shook my head slightly to bring myself back down to earth.
"My childhood and how much time I spent here, playing with you, Francis and Mary," I replied as we continued to walk down the halls, taking note of the wondrous architecture that graced the halls.
"We missed you when you left you know, all of us. Francis would never admit it, but he did," I smiled at the mere thought of Francis denying that he missed me, but I knew deep down that the boy had always missed his favourite Irish princess.
"I missed all of you, but no doubt, it was time for me to grow up and start learning the responsibilities of what it takes to be a ruler, not playing in the gardens or throwing manure at the guards. It was time to grow up Sebastian, but it seems that you did not if you still believe calling me Ellie will get you your way," I joked sweetly as he smiled and shook his head.
"I do not believe that calling you Ellie will get me what I want, I believe that making you fall head over heels for me will get what I want," he bit back just as jokingly as I used to be and that nearly made my heart ache.
Sebastian and I were best friends minutes after we met. He taught me everything a lady shouldn't know. How to shoot a bow and arrow, how to fight with a sword, even how to hunt and track animals, however my father disapproved. Highly. He had never liked Sebastian and he had been quite happy with himself when he brought me back to Ireland when I had just turned thirteen. Sebastian had been fifteen at the time and already learning about the ins and out of what it meant to be a man, whereas I was going to learn the ins and outs of politics and how to find a husband that would be a good King for Ireland.
"You'll never be able to get anything but friendship from me Sebastian," I had whispered as I nodded in acceptance of the respect from the servants that passed us.
"But what if? Elysia, you are the most beautiful girl that I had ever laid eyes on and I want you in my life. Please, if you would only give me a chance," Sebastian started and I rolled my eyes in the most unladylike fashion that there could be.
"And what chance would that be Sebastian?! You must understand that I am a Princess in line for the throne, you are a bastard child who will never have a chance because it is frowned upon! When will you learn that what you think could happen between us, will never happen?!" My voice had slowly been getting louder and louder and I knew that if I wasn't careful, I would be bordering on hysterical.
"How do you know if you won't try!?" He yelled back, his ice blue eyes turning a hard, steel grey. I scoffed and tore my hand out of the crook of his elbow and stormed over to a window, desperately trying to get myself under control before I said something I would regret.
"Well?!" Sebastian had definitely been getting angry and I was certainly not impressed with how we were both handling things.
"BECAUSE YOU ARE NOTHING!" I screeched as I whipped around to face him. "You are as useless to me as you are to my country! You are the snow that melts at the start of spring, you are the leaves that die at the end of the fall. When will you get it through your head that you are not worth anything to me! You are just a plague to my life that I can't get rid of!" I cried as I finally lashed out at him with everything I had wanted to say for the last three visits to the French court.
"Do you hear that Sebastian? You are nothing but a Plague. The sooner you understand that, the better," I spat as I stormed my way past him and away from the spot of our confrontation. It was simply something that I was not in the mood for and Sebastian had simply pushed me to my limit. All well, that's what happens when he messes with a girl who has hair as red as fire.
I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter and please drop a review because it would mean a lot to me!