"You cannot be serious!" Young James argued, storming after who his name came from, through the halls of his kingdom. Echoes from the young lad's enraged footsteps filled the long, silent halls of the once blooming Spanish castle. Although only ten years of age, the child was already thirsty for power much like his deceased father and new guardian. His small white hands embalmed into fists, showing no restraint to keep in the tantrum brought on from this dethroning. Scotland born, now king of both his homeland and Spain had been raised with the mind that his lands were his and no living soul would be capable to take them from him since he was the only child of Queen Mary and his father. His guardian Elizabeth was to blame for the boy's rebellion attitude and selfish behavior.

"James-". "That is King James to you!" he spat back. His face arched upwards meeting his towering uncle's eyes above him, reddened in anger and confusion. "My apologies. King James, this is not a dethroning, because the throne is not rightfully yours if what I have learned turns to be true. Your mother sent for me to fulfill her dying wish. You are still the heir of the Spanish throne, under your mother's virgin cousin Elizabeth. But Scotland is to be ruled by another, if to be true, your sister." James told his nephew as he tucked away the dying note of his sister Mary that he had presented to him.

"Ah Lord James, what an un-... expected arrival." Queen Elizabeth stated, entering the room smiling at the sight of her heir. "You cannot say you didn't expect of my presence for my sister's unnecessary death." Lord James spoke, keeping his composure in the presence of the child, but hiding the fueled, unsettled anger over his sister's death. "Unnecessary? Are we truly back to this James?" The Queen sourly laughed, resting her hands across her waist, providing the same speech she had stuck to since the imprisonment of Queen Mary. "Your sister was responsible for the association and plotting of her husband's death. Your nephew's father for Christ sake! She denied him the right to know his father and likely would have kept him from his royal right." The red-headed queen stated bluntly, adding dramatics to her words to paint herself as the true protector in front of her awarded son.

Lord James lowered his voice to shield from prying ears of those who silently walked past to attend to their duties, "Elizabeth we both know that Darnley was ill, with-" James stopped himself, he hadn't want to discuss this in front of his nephew at such an early age the truth of his father, knowing it was already likely his new guardian had filled his head with lies of his mother and father. "Nothing that matters now. What finished is finished, I merely came to inform King James of something he needs knowing of. Mary sent for me before you threw away with her. She told me of another child, a daughter, who is the rightful heir of Scotland since King James has already publicly claimed himself to Spain firstly and Scotland second."

The queen stood silent for a moment, her facial expression not wavering, but her heart beat and mind racing. She cleared her throat, briefly glancing to the confused King who stared up to her searching for reassurance and answers. "James," Elizabeth laughed nervously, "I can confirm she hadn't had a child while in Spain, she was behind bar and under my mens' watch. She was delusional before her death, it's likely her writings to you were merely another one of her tragic moments. King James is the only heir of the thrown and King of both Scotland and Spain. In fact it was Mary's wish she had written to me." Elizabeth spokes with unease.

"Mary told me you would say so. Until proven otherwise, there is another child out there with the same blood that runs through James's veins and mine. This is the one thing my sister asked of me before her passing. If there was no other child, then you have nothing to fear and James will continue his reign over both lands without any interference from myself or anyone else. My men will search through the land of Spain without any issues I presume, since if what you say is true then you have nothing to worry about". Lord James left without any more words, uncaring of anything more his nephew or cousin had to say on the matter.

Mary had died an unjust death, seeking peace and safety for her son from his dangerous and envious father and the noblemen. Though it was nothing James could explain to his nephew after years of words from Elizabeth, he knew the truth. Mary was never ill. Besides the sent letter to her brother, all she had requested for before death was a visit from her son. Queen Elizabeth wouldn't allow it. James would make sure to fulfill at least one of his sister's dying wishes and rid Scotland of the ruthless reign of his coming nephew King James and his teacher Queen Elizabeth. Though Elizabeth was Lord James's cousin, he knew all to well of what she had already done to Scotland and that she had no plan to stop until it mirrored the dread and despair that soaked throughout Spain. 

The bitter Spanish winters were just beginning, the first layer of ice had frozen to the highest blades of wild grass in the fields. Lord James had gathered the faithful supporters of Queen Mary from her reign and the men who were still sworn to serve Lord James until his death. Elizabeth may have wanted to rid of Mary's daughter knowing she would be a threat to James's rule, but he knew she would want her close enough to keep tabs and know she was away from Scottish contact. Although this was the secret of the Queen's keeping, it wasn't a secret kept from James. His sister's rushed note on the crumbled paper spoke that was secretly passed all the way from Spain to James's hands in Scotland painted the whole picture. 

Dear James,

I write to you in fear Elizabeth's keep of me is growing tiring on her and her use for me is dwindling. She has taken on the story that I planned my husband's death and for that I shall met the same fate as him in eight days time. One of the Elizabeth's guards, a faithful Scottish man who has been forced to serve under my cousin, was able to get me the tools to write to you. Not just so that I am his Queen, but in hope our country will once be well again. The world and circumstances of my reign have made my cousin do things I hadn't thought was in her. Soon after my captivity I learned I was with a second child, Bothwell's child. Elizabeth kept me well for the time I was carrying, her hunger to be a mother herself prevented her from enforcing harsh treatment onto an expecting mother. Her actions put faith in me that one day I may be released from these walls. As you may know by the time this letter reaches you, it was to no avail, my daughter was taken during my first sleep after childbirth and never seen again. Elizabeth had taken my glimmer of light and thrown it into the distance, she knows same as I that my daughter is the true heir of Scotland as she has after sought my son to take Spain as his primary rule and Scotland as seized land. She already faces danger from vicious forces seeking her demise and the continued rule of my son. I write to you my brother, begging of myself and on behalf of Scotland that you will do everything in your power to find my daughter and raise her as I would to be a strong and powerful Queen of Scots. Our duty is to my heir of Scotland, it's been eight years since her birth and I know she had grown, but I know more that Elizabeth wouldn't stretch her far. From one dying queen to her brother I ask that you search out for my daughter. She bares a mark on her right shoulder, much shaped like a half-moon and eyes as green as emeralds similar to our mother's. If not for me, for the future of Scotland. Find her and tell her I love her. I named her Adelaide.

Your Loving Sister

MARY, Queen of Scotland.

The sixth village to be searched James and four other parties searching other villages as well, the brother knew his men were growing tired from days of searching, but the power of Mary pushed them on for the search of her daughter. The horse's hooves scuffed the rocks from the dirt road as the men stopped at every cottage asking if any young girls, aged eight to nine were in the household. Girls were found, but no birthmark over the right shoulder matched Mary's letter. James had been telling himself every house, For Mary For Scotland. Jumping from his saddle, Lord James approached a small cottage and farm on the outskirts of the village. Smoke rose from the chimney and candle-lit rooms shined through the glass. Snow had begun to fall and the husk breath could be seen from all who breathed the winter frost.

Clutching the fur robe around his body as he awaited the door to swing he had reminded him of the words that kept him going from all the failed houses before. "Apologizes for the intrusion, on this family evening. My name is Lord James of Scotland, brother of Mary Stuart." He started watching as the man acknowledged his status and peered over his shoulder after a bow seeing the many men on horses in the distance. "Ello' I'm Charles Burkley. How can we help ye?"

"I understand my askings may be intruding, but do you happen to have a young daughter?" James asked, the many houses before he had prepared him for a number of different answers he could have received, but not one he had heard from this home. "Daddy, who's at the door?" a soft voice sang from behind the large man's structure. It's as if no ask was needed, James knew from one glance he had found his sister's daughter. She looked so much like her mother had as a child and as an adult. "Mr. Burkley, we're searching for Queen Mary's daughter who had been taken and relocated to Spain. Dear, do you have a birthmark on your shoulder?" James asked as he had leveled himself to her height, not meaning to bring any fear from his possible niece. The child simply turned around and pulled down the fabric that covered her shoulders. The smile that reached across James's face couldn't have come from anything else, finally, he had found her.

"May I ask your name?"

"Adelaide"