14 | Things Unforeseen

1560

     𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 a year since Mary and Francis ascended the throne of France. None of them could barely keep track of what has happened ever since. If it's any consolation, there was one thing that still hasn't changed, it was the Mikaelsons' place in the French Court.

The Mikaelsons grew weary of waiting for the Queen of France and Scotland to keep her end of the bargain; finding Katerina Petrova. If Mary only knew how good Katerina was at running and hiding, then she wouldn't have taken the deal and she wouldn't have been stuck with the Mikaelsons for over two years.

But with the help of Elijah, they believed in her. He had always been a man of words. So he would give Mary more time to keep hers.

One year was enough for a lot of things to happen. But it certainly was not enough for Mary—not when that was all she got before her husband the King had fallen ill.

"You know I don't like seeing you cry." The King whispered, his voice faint and weak. It was a sound that broke Mary's heart.

"Then don't leave me." Her voice cracked. She was on the bed lying beside Francis who was slowly withering away as his ears bled.

Mary caressed her husband's left cheek. She couldn't pry her eyes away from him. She was afraid that if she looked away for just even a second, she'd look back and no longer see the soul behind his eyes. She wanted to see everything. How the usual light in his eyes would eventually fade. How his chest would slowly fall and never rise again. How his weak grip on her hand would loosen. She wanted to witness everything. Because she knew that this tragic thing would drive her for the rest of her life.

Francis smiled with all the strength that he had left. "I could never."

But you are, Mary thought. She was to be alone the moment he'd die. They never had a baby because of the curse Lady Isabella put on her. She was no longer friends with Isabella because of it. The French Court respected her but they didn't like her much because she could not bear an heir.

"Have I ever told you how much you remind me of a red rose?" He asked her.

With still her brown eyes teary and melancholic, she smiled. "Because of my hair?"

"No." Francis closed his eyes and smiled before looking at her again. "Because you are beautiful, whether you are whole or picked apart."

Slowly, her smile left her lips. This felt like goodbye. And she didn't know what to feel about his affectionate words.

"You let those who have good intentions hold you, see you. And you let those harsh on you be pricked with your thorns." He said. She could hear how much he meant the words leaving his mouth. It was romantic, but why was it sending needles in Mary's heart?

"When I look at you, I'm reminded of a red rose. A symbol of love." Francis said, then he paused to smile at her for just a moment. "My love."

New set of tears flowed down Mary's face as she lowered her head, hiding her face behind the curtain of her auburn hair. She pushed her lips together in an attempt to suppress the sobs begging to be released from her throat. Though that didn't spare her from Francis. She might not be making any sobs, but the sound of her rattled breathing was enough.

"My love." He called for her.

Mary took a few seconds to herself to calm her breathing before looking back at him. She knew she shouldn't have looked away. Suddenly he looked much worse than before.

"You need to go back to Scotland." Francis warned. "My mother, the French Court...they will not go easy on you."

"I know they won't." Mary answered. She already knew what was gonna happen once she removed the crown of France from her head. She just thought that she'd have more time before that happens.

"Promise me, that you will still live your life, that you will still try to find it in you to love another." Francis said. Now his eyes were brimming with tears. Just the thought of having someone else by her side because he couldn't be there himself ached him. "I don't want you to be alone."

Mary cried even more as she shook her head, refusing to even imagine a future with somebody by her side that wasn't him. "I-I can't. I can't."

"Promise me, Mary." He said.

Mary tightened her jaw when she felt like her throat was going to erupt in pained sobs. Then she nodded. "I promise."

She valued her own words. She intended to keep every single one of them. But how could she fulfill this one when he'd already taken her love with him?

"Francis?" Mary whispered when he didn't say anything back anymore.

It was like her whole body froze right then and there when she witnessed the light in his eyes disappear, the way his chest never rose again, the way his hand fell to his side. He was gone.

"No." Mary choked. She sat upright and brought down her hand to his chest. "Francis?"

But there was no answer. She knew there would be no answer. Yet she hoped anyway. She had given up in suppressing her sobs and let it all out, her choked cries, her uneven breathing that sounded and felt like she was hyperventilating, her sniffling. All of it.

She moved out and away from the bed and let herself clumsily walk toward the other side of the room. She placed a hand on the wall beside the window sill and another on her chest. It was like she could feel her heart crumble against her hand. She looked outside the window, hearing nothing but the dead of the night. She laughed. It was bitter and sad. She thought she was going insane. But if she was, she knew she had to keep it together if she was going to leave this place alive after making so many enemies.

"Mary." Her sobs stopped. She once again held it back at the sound of Cordelia's voice.

Well, at least she wasn't completely alone yet. She still had Cordelia Bennett.

Mary straightened up and wiped her cheeks to get rid of the tests that stained her face before she mustered up the strength to turn around without collapsing into tears once again.

"Where is the Queen Mother?" Mary asked.

"On her way here." She replied.

Mary took a deep, shaky breath before subtly nodding, refusing to even look at her husband's dead body on their bed.

"Mary, there's something you should know." Cordelia said as she approached her. Her tone was careful and her actions were gentle, as if she was afraid that she might set something off...or someone. And with good reason.

"What is it?" Mary questioned. Her face was void of emotion, if one was to count out her stained cheeks.

"The King's illness...it's a product of magic." Cordelia answered, earning a confused look from Mary. "Same as the curse put on you."

The young Queen of Scotland furrowed her eyebrows as she took in the information. Every second that passed while she was processing that information, the more hurt and angrier she got.

"She...she wouldn't." Mary tried to deny it. She refused to believe it. No one could be that cruel, right? Especially to someone who wanted nothing but peace and prosperity for all.

"I'm sorry, Mary." Cordelia said, her conscience flowing through the tone of her voice. She was aware of how much Mary had to endure and sacrifice to survive sitting on the French Throne. To find out that all that was for nothing and was snuffed out all because of some petty game that just wouldn't end.

Then a knock came to the door before it opened. Both of them thought it was Catherine passing through those doors, but it was just a guard holding a sealed letter in his hand.

"Your Majesty, a letter just arrived, said it was an urgent matter." Said the guard, Maxime. He was sworn to Queen Mary unlike most of the guards in court. So she trusted him. He was the only one she could completely count on among those guards.

Mary walked around Cordelia and approached Maxime, taking the letter from his hand. He bowed before her and was about to leave the room when Mary stopped him.

"Sir Maxime." She called out. The man straightened his posture as he respectfully remained in the Queen's presence. "I appreciate your loyalty...one could only hope that it extends beyond the French Throne."

"I am sworn to my Queen. If Your Majesty would grant it, I would prefer to serve in the Queen's Guard and accompany you back to Scotland to further perform my duty as your protector and warrior to command as you see fit." Maxime said.

To possess this much loyalty to the Queen was something Mary didn't even know she was even capable of influencing. Maxime had served her well. And she knew he would continue to do so in Scotland. After all, that's one more person to count on after Cordelia.

"Very well. Your Queen grants it." Mary declared. "We'll have a proper declaration, just..." Mary turned her head toward her husband's body but she didn't dare to look before looking back at Maxime. "Not now."

"As you wish, Your Majesty." Maxime bowed before he finally exited the chambers.

Mary turned around as she opened the letter in her hands, then Cordelia spoke.

"That was a wise choice, taking Sir Maxime with you." She commented. "You're going to need someone like him to lead your Queen's Guard if you are to flee France."

"Yes, and I'm gonna need someone like you too." Mary answered, pausing from opening the letter.

Cordelia seemed taken aback by what Mary was implying. She didn't even think Mary was considering taking Cordelia to Scotland with her. She just assumed that after she flees, their alliance was over,

"I am the French Court witch." Cordelia reminded her.

"And I am still the French Queen until Charles is crowned. I can relieve you of your duties." Mary clarified.

Cordelia was silent, not knowing how to respond to that. All her life, she believed she was stuck in this court until the day she died. So to think that there was finally an escape for her from this wretched hole, it almost sounded too good to be true.

Mary proceeded to open the letter and upon reading it, her lips parted.

"Stay here and attend to the Queen Mother when she arrives. I must go." Mary told Cordelia.

The court witch furrowed her eyebrows and chased Mary with a question.

"Where are you going?" Asked Cordelia.

"To keep my end of the bargain." Mary simply answered before leaving the room in a hurry.

• ─────────────── •

Klaus opened the door and he was greeted with a worn down Queen who was even in her white chemise still, exhausted and heartbroken due to the loss of her husband—which the Mikaelsons were already aware of before she and the family could even announce it.

"My deepest condolences for—" Mary did not even let Klaus finish projecting his said sorrows to her loss when she suddenly spoke.

"I've found Katerina." She said. She finally said. She was waiting for a long time to finally say those words so that she could be rid of this family.

Mary held out the letter toward Klaus and he furrowed his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes before he reached out for it, only for Mary to pull it back.

"Before I tell you her whereabouts, let me make this clear." Mary said, catching the attention of the original vampire. "The moment I tell you this, I've finally kept my side of the bargain. That means I am finished doing business with you. That means I no longer have to endure your vile brother. That means I will not hold back anymore. You are in my home and you are no longer my guests."

He lifted his head a little as his jaw clenched at the woman's words.

"You will leave in the morning. And as your parting gift to me from all the times I've suffered at the hands of your family, I only ask one thing of you tonight." She proposed. She remained firm and assertive. It had always been hard to challenge the Queen through a debate because everyone knew that her words cut like a sword.

Klaus arched an eyebrow at her as a smirk was beginning to creep its way to his lips. "Anything to ease the burden we've caused you all these years."

Mary held their eye contact as she inhaled deeply, gathering every strength residing in her body for what she was about to do that night. Because after that, she would never be the same.

• ─────────────── •

Kol was always out late at night, either playing with girls or draining them. But no matter how late he came back to his quarters, a lady desperate for his love and attention would always wait for him inside. And he exploited that desperation to his benefit.

Normally, before he could even reach the door to his chambers, he could already smell the perfume Lady Isabella was wearing as she waited on his bed. But now, something was different. Terribly different.

He hadn't even turned to the corridor where his room was but he almost stumbled back by how hard the scent of the blood hit him. There was a lot. Too much blood was making him go into a frenzy. His walk quickened as he made his way toward his room. He knew it was coming from there because the closer he got to the doors, the stronger the smell became and the harder it was to control himself.

Kol pushed the doors open and looked around his room. It was unrecognizable. The scratched out paintings, the broken decors, the blood splattered walls and floor. It was horrendous. Then he saw Mary in her white chemise now decorated with crimson red splatters. So was her face and she didn't bother to wipe them off as she sat on Kol's bed holding a bloodied sword and staring at the far right.

The original vampire followed the direction of her gaze and there he witnessed Lady Isabella's body with her head separated from her neck. A shocked, shaky gasp escaped his lips at the sight.

"What have you done?" Kol growled, returning his gaze to the seemingly dazed young queen.

"It's a strange thing...killing." She commented, not peeling her gaze from the lady. "At first, I—uh—had cold feet. I was sick to my stomach just by the thought of it."

Kol's eyes were still widened. He was still appalled by what he was looking at right now. No words could even describe what he was seeing. He was used to seeing such scenes, most of which were caused by him. But to see such a scene caused by a witch? A mere human with her bare hands?

"Then I did it." Mary's eyebrows slightly raised, recalling how she did it. "The way her-her spine fought the blade as I...offed her head, it was...something."

She finally craned her head to meet Kol's gaze. He fought the urge to swallow hard when he saw her eyes. Because he recognized that look. He had worn that look a couple of times. The look that represented the void of mercy.

"It took me a while. It was my first time and the sword was terribly unbalanced." Mary stood up from the bed while clutching the hilt of the sword in her right hand before pointing at Isabella. "But there she went."

"Mary, you have gone too far this time!" Kol exclaimed.

"It was I who had gone too far? Haven't you been listening to me, Kol?" Mary responded. "All I have ever done is counter your moves!"

"And what move did you counter this time?" Kol said through gritted teeth.

"Murdering Francis!" Mary cried. She sucked in a breath when she released a few sobs that erupted from her throat at that short moment of vulnerability. "I thought it was quite fitting.The death of my husband, the death of your lover...if you can even call her that."

Kol clenched his jaw and closed his eyes as he shook his head. He still couldn't quite wrap his head around how far they've gone. How much truth was nearly exposed. How many lies were thrown around. How many lines they've crossed. How much blood they've spilled. The game was out of hand.

"All this time, the one thing that made you better than me in this game was the fact that I still had my conscience." Mary said as she approached the vampire who was once again staring at the body of Lady Isabella. Once Mary was only standing a few feet away from Kol, she turned her head to look at the body and whispered. "Do you think I still have it now?"

Mary turned around and walked a few steps away from him. While the young queen had her back on him, the original vampire glared at her and his eyes darkened as the veins under them appeared. He attempted to speed toward her and kill her right then and there if it wasn't for someone else stopping him and locking his arms from behind.

"Nik?" Kol questioned.

"Killing the King was the last straw, brother. You've caused enough trouble for now." Klaus responded when he heard the confusion in Kol's voice.

Mary had dropped the sword and when she turned around, she was holding a dagger in her hand and a vial of white oak ash in another as she dipped the tip. Kol immediately fought Klaus's grip at the sight of the dagger, knowing how this was all going to end.

"Nik, let me go!" Kol shouted as he struggled in his brother's grasps.

But Klaus didn't say or do anything. Instead, he let the young queen do the talking.

"I want this face to be the last thing you see before you are shoved in a box." Mary uttered as she retraced her steps back to Kol. "I want this to be your last memory. The anger in my eyes. The despair in my cries. The weight on my shoulders. The crack in my heart. The very image of my forfeit to this loathsome game."

Mary stopped in front of Kol and she watched as Kol glared at her. She could see the hatred in her face through the reflection of his own eyes that mirrored that hatred.

"But I also want you to remember the blood of your lover on my face, a reminder that even when you have succeeded in taking me down, I took her down with me." Mary said with gritted teeth just before she placed the tip of the dagger on his chest. "Just as I intend to do with you."

And with that she pushed the dagger into his chest and witnessed, with no remorse in her eyes, the way gray veins crawled up from his neck to his face before his eyes closed and his body slumped backward against his brother.

• ─────────────── •

The weekend took a lot out of me. You'd think I'm finally on vacation from college. Unfortunately not </3. I'm gonna write so much after this semester.