Princess Pansy's Peckish Problems | By : Mousse Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Harry/Pansy Views: 21519 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and not a work of profit. Some lines are taken off from and some scenes resemble that of Reign (tv show) but, I do not own Harry Potter or Reign. History has no bearing in this narrative. |
She strode purposely along the posh and sun-lit halls of the Palace of Fontainebleau. Servants bowed their heads respectively and soldiers stationed within the numerous pathways stood stiffly in salute as she passed by. She ignored their formalities and the obvious murmurs for there is of greater matter that she needed clarified. It’s been five months since she began her stay at French Court and she had her fill of politics, backstabbing, deceit, and lust within the short amount of time. Although she might say that it was her first time at Court, she had stayed at the palace as a child for protection from the English who wished to kill her for her country and crown as the next Queen of Scotland. Her parents gave her up to France as collateral for their proposal of marriage in exchange for an alliance.
Never to back out from a fruitful and serious proposition, King Lucius agreed and after two months of careful preparation, she was taken in by Queen Narcissa and engaged to the next King of France, Crown Prince Draco. As two children of age six, they were the best of friends. They played together, studied together, and been punished together for all the trouble they caused. She never felt alone as she had him by her side but, that was snatched from her when the English plotted to assassinate her. In a desperate attempt to save her, the King and Queen sent her away to a convent where she would remain until it was time for her to marry the Prince.
The nuns joyously took her in and promised to care for her. For years, she spent her days with the nuns and other girls of different ages. They had been kind and loving to her as they played the part of friend and family to her perfectly but, there is a part of her that misses the French Court, it’s gorgeous halls and lavish celebrations and most importantly, the charming and witty Prince that managed to capture her six-year old heart. Her longing for the young Prince never faded as her love grew stronger. Her feelings for him and memories of her golden childhood were never far from her thoughts, sustaining her hope within the drafty walls of the convent. Her continuous prayers to meet him once again were answered on the day of her sixteenth birthday. The entire convent celebrated her special day by indulging her with her wishes of horseback riding and hunting.
At the end of the day, the nuns gave her a feast with all of her favourite dishes. The whole afternoon was spent with merriment and dancing but, it all ended in chaos when one of the nuns, Sister Germaine, fell to her death while she took a sip of her freshly-served ale. Mother Martha, the abbess of the convent, whisked her away to safety all the while telling her that the fallen Sister was her poison-taster and that the unfortunate tragedy occurred as an attempt to assassinate her. The incident brought her to return to Court together with her ladies-in-waiting and as soon as she step foot in French soil, all of her memories rushed back to her.
She couldn’t stop the smile blooming on her lips as soon as her Obsidian orbs caught sight of his Platinum-Blonde hair. Her breath hitched as her gaze was met by twin pools of molten Silver and her heart hammered against her chest at the feather-light kiss he bestowed on her knuckles. From that moment on, she would always be found at his side whenever possible and it greatly delighted her that he was still the same amiable boy he was albeit, taller, more muscular, and increasingly passionate. He would be her friend one moment and her lover the next as their attraction bubbled to the surface. Whenever she was within his arms and enveloped in his warmth, her soul, mind, and body would unanimously declare that he is the one. He, in turn, looked at her with so much affection that every soul in the castle wholeheartedly agreed to one thing: their union would be one full of pure love and respect.
That thought was shattered as soon as she heard of the news. It never crossed her mind that it was true but, it still made her anxious. She went to her beau to confront him about the rumours and it crushed her heart to hear him say it was so. His declaration brought her to seek the King late in the morning. She knew that he was occupied with matters of state and the impending wedding of his eldest daughter, Princess Cassiopeia, to the Crown Prince of Spain, Prince Mathias but, she too, have problems. If the rumours were indeed true then, she would find herself with no home to return to.
As she reached the heavy doors leading to the throne room, she pushed open the closed entrance, ignoring the panicked cries of the guards and aides stationed outside. Conversations ceased as soon as she walked in, her eyes trained at the Steely-Grey gaze of King Lucius. She stopped at the foot of the dais and bowed with the practiced grace of royalty at the couple sitting regally at their thrones. She returned her gaze at the King, who was looking at her with mild annoyance at her untimely interruption.
“To what do we owe you an audience, Your Highness?” The King inquired with an elegant arch of his pale brow and a wave of hand.
“It has come to my attention that there have been rumours circulating within the castle that my marriage with your son is not taking place. Is it true?” She asked, her jaw set in a hard lock.
Her question was met with buzzing silence, confirming her fears. She watched with a heavy heart as the King waved his Council away, giving them much needed privacy to discuss such a sensitive matter. With the heavy thud of the door, she was left with the most powerful couple in France. Normally, the thought would have intimidated anyone but, she wasn’t just anyone. She is royalty, a woman with wealth, power, and a country but, as she looked at the King’s unfeeling, superior gaze, she felt as if she was just a girl and it made her feel small. It was a foreign emotion and it terrified her.
“Well? Is it true?” She repeated with more fervor as she tried to bury her trepidation with courage.
“I’m afraid that your fears are correct. Your marriage with Draco will not be taking place.” The melodious voice of Queen Narcissa filled the room as an orchestra would with its exquisite music and soul-searing tune but, it only packed her heart with betrayal and pain.
“Why?” She queried, her voice divulging nothing as to what she was feeling.
“We have received a much more…pleasing offer.” King Lucius expressed, his voice savouring his words as if they were decadent chocolate.
“Isn’t Scotland’s offer not enough?” She spat out through gritted teeth, clenching and unclenching her fists in an effort to keep her rising anger in check.
“Of course it is sufficient, my dear but, King Lucius and I were merely thinking of our people.” Queen Narcissa replied swiftly as she sensed that her husband had a rather unpleasant answer at the tip of his tongue. She felt his eyes on her but, she simply disregarded his gaze. She wanted to discuss the issue with little to no distress.
“And isn’t Scotland’s people your people? Or did you forget about our alliance?” She seethed, her brows furrowing at the middle.
“Our agreement with your parents is to keep you safe from the English but, as you will no longer be in danger, I found it to be in France’s discretion to end our alliance.” The King stated nonchalantly. His ease ticked her to no end and at the same time, confused her as his words caught her interest.
“What do you mean?” She asked warily.
She saw the Queen glance at the King with anxious eyes and the action made her insides quake with nerves. She has never seen the elegant French Queen apprehensive. If she was being honest, she had never seen the blonde woman show any emotion whenever she’s at Court or whenever they enjoy their afternoon tea together. She concluded that maybe the Queen just didn’t particularly like or dislike her. It wasn’t the worse fate but, it made her feel disheartened. She wanted a mother-figure since she was miles away from her own mother but, the Queen isn’t keen in acting like one towards her. Seeing her shedding a bit of her emotions to her both surprised and unnerved her.
“England proposed an alliance. They demanded that we join forces in the hopes of ending the age-old war between our countries. Both countries suffered loses and deaths in this lifetime. As a ruler, there is nothing more that I want other than my people’s safety and prosperity. If an alliance with England will end bloodshed then, so be it.” The fair-haired King declared, his Grey eyes challenging her wide, Onyx twin pools.
“An alliance with England?! You know how much the English want me dead! How can you agree to such terms?!” She bellowed as her simmering anger exploded to the edge.
“How could I not? I am King. Everything I do is for the sake of France and not for some little girl who can barely stand with her own feet.” He hissed as he rose to his feet.
“You dare mock me but, I am the only one who can honestly help France! Now, you have the audacity to go behind my back, Scotland’s back and form an alliance with our enemy!” She countered, unafraid and unabashed of her actions of talking back to the King.
“They are no longer an enemy and France did not go behind Scotland’s back. Your parents had been notified with the change and they accepted. England is now a friend of France and I hope that you treat them as such.” The King answered with an air of finality.
“My parents know about this?” She breathed out with disbelief dripping on her voice.
“It saddens me that you think so little of our honour. Of course we alerted your parents. If we didn’t, we would have war with your people. Surely, as the next Queen, you wouldn’t want the deaths of your people.” King Lucius sneered at her in obvious distaste.
“I never once thought little of your honour, Your Majesty. My concern merely lies with my parents. I couldn’t begin to fathom as to what made them agree with France’s alliance with England.”
“Can you really think of nothing? Surely, you must know that with France allied with England, both countries will be a force to be reckoned with. I allowed my son to be engaged with you because I saw a great deal of benefit your marriage with him could bring, starting off with your country’s resources and lands. With France at England’s side, conquering Scotland would be easy without the need for marriage. We have you here at Court and Scottish soldiers are sorely lacking. With all the significant variables basically at France’s mercy, don’t you think it’s quite clear as to why your parents agreed?” The fair-haired man inquired, his knuckle moving to cradle his right cheek.
She had to admit that he was right. Her parents couldn’t afford a war with only the dismal number of soldiers that they have. She also knew that they wouldn’t jeopardize her safety by fighting against France while staving off war with England. If they did, it would be a massacre.
“I admit that you are right but, is that why you broke my engagement with Draco? Because you can see no use of me anymore with England offering you a better alliance?” She choked as a hot lump lodged at her throat, restricting her to breath.
“Yes. There is no point in keeping your engagement with Draco when he’s set to marry the Princess of England.”
She felt as if the remaining air within her lungs were knocked out by the King’s declaration. His words explained the rumours circling around her like a snake. She should have known but, she trusted the King too much to even think of such a thought. Now that the truth was out in the open, she realized that even though she had been staying at Court for months, she never heard the King announce the date of their wedding. As she was contemplating on that, another thought dawned onto her which broke her heart further.
“I was never to marry him. You only took me back as a security measure in case the alliance with England didn’t follow through.” She breathed out as she stared at the seated royal couple with an affronted expression.
“We did no such thing. We took you back because you nearly died. We made a promise with your parents that we will protect you in any way we can. We did that by sending you to a convent but, it proved to be inadequate as you were still harmed. Your return to Court is another measure to keep you safe. We are upholding our agreement with your parents. Your safety is a priority of ours.” Queen Narcissa explained as she tried to appease her.
“I’ll pretend that I agree with you, Your Majesty but, if I were, indeed, your priority, you would have the mind to tell me about the alliance and the marriage proposal rather than have me hear it from the lips of others. The worst part of this is that Draco knew. He knew the whole time and he never told me. Now, given the situation, is that how I am a priority? Because if so, then, my tutors are sorely mistaken. I would love to know how you define the word ‘priority’ as you have such vast knowledge about the matter, Your Majesty.” She retorted, cattily.
“Your tongue ought to be cut out of your mouth and your head detached from your shoulders for your insolence.” The King threatened as his Grey eyes glowered down at her.
“Lucius, enough. There is no need for violence.” The Queen stared at her husband, Sapphire orbs narrowing at the deep scowl marring the King’s face. The couple stared down at one another before the King sighed through his nose. Narcissa smiled triumphantly before schooling her face into an expression much more respectable.
“Pansy, dear, I understand your plights and in all honesty, I do sympathize with your position but, we are royalty. We are chosen by people to lead them. We cannot afford to be selfish as they are our main priority. You, as a Princess, must know this. I concur the way we handled this situation is deplorable but, I must beseech you to find it in your heart to understand why we kept this as a secret.” The blonde woman pleaded as she elegantly made her way to her and enveloped her hands within hers.
She stared at the brilliant, Blue eyes of the poised, older woman in front of her, expecting her to shed no warm emotion but, was once again surprised to find comfort and a hint of regret swimming in her eyes. It made her anger dissipate a little but, her confusion was still simmering to spill over.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty but, I can’t find it in my heart to accept your sincere apology as long as I don’t know the exact reason for your secrecy.” She exclaimed, extracting her hands from the elder woman’s grip and stepped away from the Queen.
Her actions brought about a grim frown to paint over the blonde woman’s lips and a sneer from the seated King. Narcissa turned to face her husband, who was eyeing the young woman with apparent dismay.
“Very well then. To ease your troubled mind, it was my son who asked for secrecy. As you know, I am King and it’s not in my nature to keep such news of great importance to myself. I make it a habit to inform my most loyal subjects and my people of my actions to avoid conflicts that would hinder my governing of my state. I assumed that the reason why he asked me of my silence is because he wanted to be the one to break the news to you. Unfortunately, it would seem that the rumours worked its way to you before he even could.” Lucius drawled, a slow, amused smile drawing up to his lips and she unconsciously gasped at the King’s confession.
“He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t keep secrets from me.” She proclaimed, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from tearing up.
“Oh? You wouldn’t be here now if he wasn’t keeping secrets from you.” The King countered as he waved a hand at her direction.
Pansy found herself tongue-tied. Hearing the King’s words pierced through her breaking heart. She discovered that her supposed allies broke her country’s agreement in exchange for another with the country that desired her crown for years and the man she has loved all her life has lied to her. She knew that Court is a massive game of chess. She thought that she played rather well and in control but, one move she never anticipated changed the entire course of her game and she found herself at the bottom, tipping over the edge as she waited for the final blow.
Unable to keep her calm under the callous eyes of the King, she swept out of the room, completely overlooking her manners as she rushed to break out of the oppressive company and heartless stares of the two royals. She pushed open the door, startling the old men who were part of the King’s Council, the aides, and the soldiers. She swept past them, giving them no time to give their respects. Her actions caused those within the vicinity to burst into a flurry of whispers. In no time, twice the number of rumours was floating around the castle. Coupled by the haunting words of the King, it was more than enough to drive her up against a corner.
Feeling the cool surface of the wall seeping through the layers of her clothing relieved her of any distress as she soaked above the icy sensation, chilling her heated skin. The magic soon wore off and she was, once again, lost within the maze of thoughts in her mind. It didn’t do anything good for her sanity as she was on the brink of breaking down. In an effort to save herself from her own mind, she pushed off the slowly warming wall and went to search for the one person who can give her concrete answers to her problem, Draco.
She walked on halls, alleys, rooms, and the gardens to find him but, her search has been futile as she found no shadow of him. After an hour of parading in and out of the palace, she dejectedly returned back to her chamber only to find her fair Prince waiting for her. Delighted, she walked in until she stood behind him and slowly, she gathered him within her arms, breathing in his intoxicating scent of ambroxan, pepper, and bergamot.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” She stated, her voice a bit muffled by his clothes.
“I heard you went to talk with my Father.” He replied, untangling himself from her arms in order to face her. Upon hearing his words, she remembered her conversation with the King, pulling her lips into a tight line.
“Yes, I did. I asked him a great deal of things and after our discussion, I found out something of immense interest.” She said, her Onyx eyes boring into his Silver orbs.
“Would you mind sharing?” He asked.
Pansy stared at him, searching for any hint of alarm or recognition but, found none. The duration of her stay at French Court made her realize many things and one of those is that the Prince can be as cold and unfeeling as his royal parents. As she stood before him, he isn’t the boy she used to know and he isn’t the man she has come to love. He is the next King of France as he loomed above her with an unflinching gaze and a confident stance. He is a man in the guise of the man she loves, a man she hardly knew.
“You knew all along. You knew about the alliance with England and you never told me.” She answered, her voice turning cold and her eyes turning as dark as a starless night.
“It’s not that simple.” Draco defended, stepping closer to her and as he moved, a lock of his fine, Platinum-Blonde hair falling above his eyes and Pansy had to control herself from reaching over his face and brush the stray lock from his eyes.
“Not that simple? What’s not that simple?! You only have to tell me! Was that so difficult?!” She cried with vehemence as her vision blurred from her unshed tears.
“Yes! It was difficult, Pansy! It was tough to tell you that we will not be marrying each other when you were smiling so brightly. I don’t want to be the one to squash your happiness by telling you the dreadful news.” He reasoned.
“If you didn’t want to ruin my happiness then, you should have let the King tell me. I would rather have him tell me than hear it from other people. You have no idea how much it pains me to listen to them whisper behind my back about matters that I have no knowledge of and what’s worse, you knew about it and you never explained it to me!” Pansy countered, jabbing her finger on his chest.
“You never let me! You left before I could even do so!” He excused as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to his chest.
“You could have chased after me! You knew where I was going! Instead, you let me humiliate myself in front of your parents so that you wouldn’t be the subject of their contempt! You treat me as if I am not your fiancée!” She fumed hotly, watching with blazing eyes as the blonde boy lowered his eyes.
Her jaw slacked and her body grew cold at the sight of the sheepish Prince. She wretched her wrist away from his grasp and backed away from him with a disheartened expression.
“You were merely playing with me. You never wanted me. You don’t want this at all.” She whispered softly, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“No, that’s not true! I do want this! I want us!” Draco exclaimed, moving to stand in front of her but, she folded inside herself as she shook her head, effectively stopping him.
“Don’t lie anymore, Draco. If you wanted this, if you wanted us, you would have fought for us. If this was what you wanted, Scotland would still be France’s ally and I would still be your fiancée but, this isn’t what you wanted. It’s what I want but, clearly, this isn’t for you so, stop pretending you love me because that is the worst pain you can ever give to me.” She expressed as each word broke what was left of her heart.
She slipped out of her chamber, leaving him alone and giving herself an ample amount of time to pour out her trampled feelings. She would allow herself to mourn for her love, for her broken trust, and for her lost innocence. She would forgive herself for permitting others to take advantage of her. She would grant herself a moment of peace before returning back and when she did, she would no longer be the same royalty she was. They will see how ruthless she can be. They will witness how cunning she is. They will cower at her feet as she stood above all of them as their Queen.
A/N: Hiiii!! Reviews are welcomed~
Love, love, love,
Mousse
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