"Now tell me," Mary said as she entered the busy chambers and took her place beside a resting Alaina. "How do you feel?"

"I feel?" Alaina inhaled and exhaled with difficulty. "Very much tired."

As Mary looked at the young empress, she realized tired was probably not the right word to describe her. Alaina was pale, glistening in sweat, and her breathing ragged. She had given birth to a healthy prince just hours before and her health was deteriorating rather quickly.

"I just need to rest," Alaina said as she slipped back under the covers and closed her eyes. "I will be better in a few days, do not worry. Tell me about the Prince."

"The prince?" Mary reached for a dry cloth so that she could mop away the sweat dripping from Alaina's face. She had only seen the babe briefly in her passing to get to Alaina's chambers. He was quite fussy, no doubt from being taken away from his mother, but other than that, she barely caught a glimpse of anything other than dark hair. "Alaina?"

Mary noticed that Alaina had nodded off, her lips parted only a little. She smiled softly, wiped away some more sweat from Alaina's face and her neck and then tucked her in before standing up. Much to Mary's surprise, Anne, Alaina's head lady, had been standing beside her.

"You startled me," said Mary as she placed a hand over her racing heart.

"Forgive me," said Anne, though judging by her expression, she did not truly mean it. "How is she?"

"She seems exhausted, has she ever been like this before?"

"I'm afraid not," replied Anne, her tone no longer stern.

"You don't think..." Mary couldn't bring herself to finish the rest of her sentence.

"No," Anne's stern tone returned. "I do think, but not of that. Alaina is a warrior."

"Anne, I understand Alaina has fought in battle but has she ever fought this?"

Anne said nothing as she glared at Mary and forcefully took the cloth she held in her hand from her. She then sat down in the same exact spot where Mary once sat and began dabbing away the sweat from Alaina's brow.

"I will take my leave then," said Mary. "Please send word if anything changes."

"Yes your majesty," said the red-headed girl as she curtsied before joining Anne at Alaina's side.

*****

"Bash, there you are," Mary stood up from where she sat by the window. Bash entered her chambers after being announced and smiled softly.

"Yes, here I am," he replied without an ounce of emotion.

"She hasn't gotten better I take it?" Her heart sank, as did the embroidery she held in her hands. "And what of the physician? Has he said anything? Perhaps we can ask Nostradamus to look at her."

"No Mary," Bash shook his head. "It won't be necessary."

"Oh!" Mary gasped as she stood up, her hand flying to cover her mouth as he embroidery tumbled from her skirts to the floor. "Bash, I'm so-"

He held up his hand and shook his head again, "No, she's still very much alive, but they say her time is limited now. She grows weaker by the second. I have come to see if you'd join me at her side."

"Of course, but do you not think she will recover?" Mary was having a hard time processing this all. How could Bash just give up so easily? "Surely she is a fighter."

"Yes, but sometimes even the best soldiers lose battles. The most we can do is pray and be there for her right now."

"Have you sent word to her mother? I have yet to hear of her arrival, I am sure she would want to be here."

"I have," he said, his voice quite low as his gaze dropped to the floor. "I think I now know where Alaina gets her strange way of handling death from."

"She didn't come?"

"She sent for Elizabeth to be brought to her. I can understand how hard it must be on her. She sacrificed a great deal for Alaina. More than Alaina would ever know."

"I hate that we are talking about her like this like there is no real hope. I don't want to believe it. Alaina will pull through!"

"And what if she doesn't?" Mary stared at Bash as his eyes filled with tears and his face with anger. "What if we get our hopes up and she doesn't make it."

She said nothing in response as she continued to watch him. And then, after clearing her throat and pushing aside all bad thoughts, she crossed the room and linked her arm with his as she led him out of her chamber.

As they entered Alaina's chambers, Mary noticed they were not the only ones. Francis was already by her side, holding her hand while his head hung low. Near the hearth sat Anne with Lola across from her, Natalie standing close by the fire, and Jane near the closed window where she gazed out of it with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Even her ladies seemed to have lost hope. Was Mary really the only one who believe in Alaina? The only one who wanted her to recover so badly she refused to accept that she wouldn't? How could the people closest to Alaina be so ready to accept her fate?

Mary left Sebastian's side and quickly made her way over to Alaina. She was much paler than she had been before, her freckles standing out more than ever against her face. She looked almost ghostly, yet she still looked very much alive.

She sat down and took her other hand in her own and rubbed it trying to return warmth to it. She was even much colder to the touch than she had been before.

I refuse to believe, Mary told herself in her head as she stared at Alaina. I refuse to believe that it is her time. She has children to raise, countries to rule, and alliances to maintain. Without her, without her...

Without her, the world would slip into utter chaos. England would attack Scotland, Denmark would fall back into the rightful hands, along with Poland. The Danish troops would be recalled leaving Mary's country vulnerable. The Italians and Spaniards would turn their back on the French and what of Egypt? Elizabeth was still too young to be queen and it was uncertain of where she would stand once her brother was born.

"Alaina," Mary's voice cracked as she spoke her name. "You have to wake up. You mustn't stop fighting! Think of all that you have fought for, are you really going to give up now?"

The room remained quiet aside from the crackling of the fire and Alaina's ragged breathing. Mary wiped away a tear that had fallen. She couldn't give up hope, not when Alaina had done so much for her. She had to at least thank her before she left for good. At least let her say goodbye.