"I see you have chosen to watch instead of engaging in battle."

Alaina placed her hands against the stone wall that kept her from falling into the battle taking place below them. Her blue eyes scanned the yard as men, and women, battled one another, blood staining the stone and their weapons.

"I am not needed," she finally said after her eyes found the two men she had been searching for. Francis, up with the archers shouting orders, and Bash, down below where he was engaged in hand to hand combat with men that were suppose to be protecting them.

"I see your ladies are down there," she then said.

"Yes," replied Alaina as she spied Jane, still in her morning gown, slicing clean through a man's armor. "It is what they are trained to do."

"Where is Maria?"

"Well, some."

"She does not have to partake in the battle? Why is that?"

Alaina turned her head so that she could see Lady Kenna. "She simply did not wish to. I do not force my ladies to pick up swords and slaughter men if they do not wish to do so."

"But I thought it was a requirement-"

"Lady Kenna," Alaina interrupted her, "Do you know how to wield a sword, or perhaps shoot an arrow?"

"Well no," she replied almost quietly, "But I would if the situation required it."

"That part is not relevant to my question, the first part, however," she turned her head back toward the scene below. "You became one of my inner ladies without being trained. You see, it is not a requirement unless you desire it so."

"I must admit," Mary turned to Alaina, "Your ladies are quite good, almost better than these men."

"Thank you," she smiled at Mary, "I would actually appreciate that comment more if this wasn't all your fault."

"My fault? How is any of this my fault?"

"How is it not? Because of you, Francis has half his country fighting for his head and my ally as well. Your affair with Conde has cost me my alliance with Elizabeth. And to think, had we the Pope's approval, you could have married Conde and gained another ally."

"What are you talking about?"

Alaina's lips pursed together forming a thin line as she bit her tongue for spilling her's and Francis' recent secret. "Francis wanted an annulment so that he could marry me and we could produce heirs, something neither of you two are clearly going to do. So I told him he first needed the Pope's word and your's once the Pope consented, and then I was planning to form an alliance with you in case you feared losing France."

"You and Francis want to be together? Granted, I knew you two were close, but I was always told that it was you and Bash that should be watched carefully... Is that why Bash called things off? Because he knew there was something between you and Francis?"

"He called things off before Francis and I ever became interested in one another. Sebastian wasn't ready to leave France. He loved his brother too much. And we took advantaged of that."

"What do you mean?"

"Francis and I had a son," she admitted. "No one knew this, not even Catherine. We lost him a little before John came into existence, so Francis had something to cling to, but me... I was many countries away in the middle of a war. I don't even know why I'm telling you this, much less in the middle of all this."

"Yes, I'm quite shocked as well," said Mary, "But do you mean it? If I agree to the annulment, you'd become my ally?"

"If the Pope wills it so, then yes."

Mary continued to stare at Alaina a moment longer while she thought about what she was just told. Francis had led her to believe that he was truly hurt by her decision to be with Conde, yet this whole time he was playing to divorce her and marry Alaina.

Was there really no other way to defeat Alaina? To take her down off that high pedestal she seemed to have placed herself on. Mary knew it was clear the people of France loved her, and with Elizabeth as her ally, it was damn near impossible for Protestants to hate her as well.

If Alaina did marry Francis, however, and she kept Elizabeth as an ally, France would be at peace. Protestant and catholic alike would have no choice but to coexist. And not only would there be peace in France but in Scotland as well. With Alaina backing Mary, Elizabeth wouldn't stand a chance. She too would be forced to leave Scotland in peace.

Mary sighed, Alaina could solve all her's and Francis' problems and give Mary exactly what she wanted, but why wasn't she happy? Why was she not grinning from ear to ear as Francis was just now after winning their first victory? In fact, she felt almost as if she was losing instead of winning.

"Mary, they've done it! They've stopped the siege on the castle for now!" Kenna beamed though there was a look of sadness in her brown eyes, one Mary knew well. "Mary? Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Kenna," she lied as she forced a smile. "I think everything will be alright."

But did she really believe that? She fought her way to become the Queen of France, even if she was just a queen consort. It had been a long and tiring journey to get to this point, the point where Francis was finally her husband. Sure she may have had the moment with Bash, and of course, there was Conde, but they weren't Francis.

Could she give up the French crown, return back to Scotland and be fine? Even if it meant a happy ending for everyone? Everyone but her?