Fated

Bash:

While whatchig the snowflakes fall from the sky, listening the cold wind humming through the atmosphere I thought about all the important things that were still hanging onto my busy mind. I had a whole list of things to work off, like preparing several minor details for the festivities and sending out letters to our loved ones. I wouldn't usually involve myself in all these annoying things, especially not around the time of christmas where I only wanted to get away from all the excitemend. I've never been a christmas type of person, I was spending these days all by myself, whether I went hunting or just lured around in the castle. But this time, things had to change. After Francis' coronation a couple of weeks ago, he decided to involve me more into his work. I had to take care of traitors most likely by myself, since Francis knew I was a good warrior and was able to assure him that I'd finish his commanded assassinations without trouble. He shared his thoughts and secrets with me, made me watch out for several people and also made me follow some of his own guards when he started mistrusting them for any reason. I didn't ask any questions, I was relentlessly obeying to our new King without any resistance.
„Bash!“ Kenna showed up right in front of me, pulling me out of the thoughts I was deeply in. Just in that moment, I remembered how much work I had to do, and that I should be done with a couple of things by now. I sighed slightly before I gave Kenna my attention. „Something wrong?“ I watched her shaking her head as she came a little bit closer. „Did you get the present for Mary yet? It has to be here, urgently!“ „I know“, I simply replied. That special present for Queen Mary, that had to be there on christmas eve. Else Francis would probably get me beheaded right away. „I'm going to get it now“; I told Kenna. „Even if I don't understand what's so important about it.“ Kenna just smiled at me before she left, making me continue my plans. I had to seek out for Nostradamus, asking him if he did as I wished. I knew that he was working together with Catherine in a lot of cases, but he could be trusted and so I made him help me as well. There was a letter that should get to my brother in that time where I was on my way to get Mary's present, yet I had to know if everything worked the way I wanted it to.
After my little chat with Nostradamus, I could finally make my way to that place where I would at least finish one of my tasks. Everything went as I planned it, even though it kind of started sending chills through my spine. Knowing, that there was some „strange“ message around, written and signed by myself. I didn't even want to think about how it would end if someone else than Francis would see this message, yet I was more concerned about that he might as well not even find the letter at all.

„I can't forget about how you used to ask me a thousand times what I would want for christmas. How I kept telling you, that there was nothing I could wish for, except your happiness. Although, there might be something that I am interested in. It might not be the best thing to wish for, maybe it's too expensive and more likely unreachable for me. Yet, it's worth a try asking for it.
I want you, for christmas. Only you, Francis.“

I couldn't think straight on my way to that lovely couple that was keeping Mary's present safe. Everything on my mind was about Francis and the coming days. Not because I was annoyed already, because I couldn't stand all the people around us that were pretending to be best friends or powerful allies. I just seemed to be nervous about this whole thing, trying to assure myself that it'd go just fine. Because back at the castle I realized, that nothing changed yet. No one was looking weird at me because he might've found that letter or heard about it from Francis because he thought that I maybe crossed a line that he set even after we grew closer to each other. I had no time to continue these thoughts any further though. Kenna ran straight into me, pulling Greer after her so she wouldn't miss any of my news. „And? Did you get it?“ „He just returned, Kenna“, Greer responded, while she tried to apologize for the behavior or her friend. I smiled and nodded. „You will see it once Francis gifted it to Mary. Be patient, Lady Kenna.“ She seemed upset right when I said that, but well, there was no way I could show anyone this gift without getting its rumors spread over the whole castle. Thus I left the girls to themselves, making my way to the throne room where I'd usually find Francis if he had nothing completely important to do. Usually, Mary was around him all the time. Of course I didn't expect anything else than that, so I was surprised when I saw him alone with only the usual guards around. I stepped into his direction while trying not to smirk. It was just.. every time I was around him, I couldn't help myself. He had this aura that made me feel good without any doubts, shutting down everything that could make me upset about things that were happening around us. I was grateful for that. For having such a lovely, handsome brother. And not just as that; but also as a King. My King.
I bowed before him with a pleasure, didn't even shy away at all. It was a friendly gesture by me, even if I knew that he didn't like it. He was telling me so many times that it wasn't necessary for me, yet I insisted. „I did as you wished“, I told him, while making a couple more steps into his direction to give him the small case with Mary's gift in it. That gift, that still kind of terrified me. It must've been so much money that Francis paid, only to get his wife a proper present. Nowadays it seemed normal, that men tried to buy women with money anyway. „Not sure why there's such a huge hype about it. Money ain't everything.“ I smiled, even if I didn't mean it. The present for Mary was indeed a special as everyone said. A necklace with a pure diamond in the shape of a heart. If that wasn't love, I didn't know what was. So much money, that much effort for a simple gift. Yeah.. that's how a King had to treat a Queen.

Francis:

The few candles burning in this little shelter out here in the woods put the room in tender light, so it seemed to be quite comfy, even though it wasn't as big and luxurios as those rooms in the castle. But it was a nice change and would give us some privacy and a place, where we could return to, if living in the castle was just too exhausting. Even though I wouldn't get the chance to run away from the castle's life that often. But when Bash and I would need a break, we could return here, while making excuses like going on a hunting trip.
I was so excited to show this to him, because I hoped he would be as happy as I was and understand that I wanted to be with him more often. That he was someone for me to return to when the world just was too cruel and merciless. That he was my one and only.
I just wanted to make him understand that I loved him more than anyone else in this world, that I would do everything to spent time with him and I hoped that this little shelter would be the perfect place to do so.
I hired some servants who helped me to built this forest cabin without gaining too much attention, but most of the work was done by them, because I had some important conversations in the castle, which I had to attend to, but the furnishings were all picked and mostly even built from me. I really wanted to take part on that gift for Bash. It was something special.

I was talking with a servant in the throne room, waiting for my brother to return with the gift for Mary. While the servant informed me, that everything I had planned for today would work out, my thoughts kept drifting away. After recieving the message from Bash, I couldn't stop thinking about that request he had made. It was an coincidence that I even looked into that little casket in my room, which only my brother knew about. At first I was really surprised when I had found that short slip of paper and even more surprised after I had read it. I was just searching for a little key when I saw that foreing piece of paper, a note, that I definitely didn't put there.

„I want you, for christmas. Only you, Francis.“ I had been rereading those two sentences over and over again, not sure if I was misreading it all the time. I wasn't disgusted with the thought of my brother wanting me, because it wasn't the first attempt of gaining love and affection. One evening, as we sat together and talked about anyone and anything, we even kissed. Maybe you could've blamed it on being a little drunk after all the wine we drank, but since then my thoughts kept drifting to this one short moment.
I guess, I just wasn't prepared to find those desires of my brother written down. While I was sitting on my bed, I ran my fingers through my hair, hoping I was able to at least fix my hair, when I wasn't able to collect my thoughts.

„I beg your pardon, your majesty, but your brother has returned just now.“ „Thank you.“ Not long after my guard left, my brother showed up at my side and bowed before me. He knew that I didn't like him doing this. Bash was my brother and shouldn't have do something like this just because I was now king of France.
Having him lecture me about money left me with a smirk on my face. „Money ain't everything.“ Of course it had to be something extraordinary to satisfy my Queen and something even better for my love.
But I could tell by the look at my brothers face that he opened that little box and saw the diamond necklace, with an heart shaped chain. Even though he tried to act like everything was just fine I knew that he was kind of annoyed, because I spent so much money on a gift for my wife and with those feelings he expressed for me he must have surely feared that I loved my wife more than him.
„Thank you for getting this present for me, Bash.“, I said with a gentle smile on my face. „Even though you don't seem to like it that much.“ I didn't want to confront him with his little note just now, but I teased him a bit with the knowledge I had won. If he only knew that this necklace was nothing against what was planned for him. „How should it please my wife, when it can't even convince you?“