CHAPTER FIVE
FETCHING MADELEINE
"my v is for vendetta"
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    The carriage ride had lasted a lot longer than Aurora had anticipated. As well as that, the carriages were surprisingly small, making sure that she was pressed to Francis' side. But, the cushions were very comfortable.

     Mary had made sure Aurora was sitting by Francis when they got in. Her argument was "I am aware that you don't like him very much, so I wanted the two of you to get better known. You'll realize how great he is.". No, Aurora thought, no he is not great at all.

     She would rather be stuck in the middle of the woods at night than in this carriage with Francis. But at least his little brother, Charles, was there. That way Francis couldn't pull anything. Or at least that was what Aurora believed.

When Charles was caught up staring at the passing landscape outside, he leaned closer to the red head. "I know this isn't the place you'd like to be in this very moment, but now that-"

"Charles, are you excited about meeting Madeleine? I've heard whispers that she is very pretty." Aurora cut Francis off, pretending that she hadn't even heard him. Francis almost wanted to laugh at her lame attempt to ignore him.

"Yes, well I don't fancy girls like her." He said. Aurora arched a brow.

"How so? Who do you fancy if not pretty girls like her?" She asked. He grinned widely, catching both her and Francis by surprise when he spoke his next words.

"I want a proper lady, like you." She blinked repeatedly while Francis coughed loudly.

"I'm sorry, what?" She said, letting out a laughter. "Awh, you are adorable Charles, but I am afraid I am a little too old for you."

He shrugged his shoulders. "You needn't worry, it seems Francis and Sebastian both have given you their hearts, so you don't need mine as well." Francis and Aurora shared an awkward look.

"Francis is to wed my sister, Charles, and as for Bash. . . Well, he and I are simply friends." Aurora tried her best to excuse. Charles gave her a curt nod before returning his attention elsewhere.

"You speak of me like I am a plague, Princess. Whatever have I done to make you feel this deep dismay in me?" The dauphin dared ask. He wondered if it was how he had snuck up on her that one night, but he had apologized for that.

"I am nothing but just that to you. A princess. But let me inform you of something. I am not Mary. She may be Queen, but I will not let anyone step on me. So, yes, you have done something to make me feel nothing but disgust towards you. Your apologies and words mean little to me without actions. Until you are ready to show me that you are sorry, I suggest you return your attention to my sister and your wife." He was taken off guard by her answer. He had never met someone who had dared speak to him in this manner. And yet, he didn't feel insulted. It felt somewhat refreshing. Before he could manage to utter another word in her direction, the carriage halted. Faster then deemed possible the red head stood, not waiting for a gentleman to help her out. She instead jumped out, letting her feet bury themselves and get dirtied up by the mud and grass underneath. Francis and finally Charles followed suit, exiting after one another.

     There three settled to watch the sea, Francis taking resident at Aurora's right side while Charles her left. Aurora tapped her foot anxiously and impatiently against the grass beneath, eyes grazing the French waters. Her eyebrows knitted up togheter, creating a confused look. There was several ships in the distance, too many. Something wasn't right. She looked over at Francis, and judging by the concerned quirk to his brows, he had noticed the same thing.

     "Something's wrong." Aurora voiced her thoughts. Francis nodded. "There are too many ships." As the ships sailed closer, slowly edging towards the shore, she realized. "These are not French ships. It is the English." The words sounded sour on her tongue. Though she wasn't all that involved with politics, she shared what a lot of Scot's did; the hatred towards the English. The waste of space, up tight, selfish people cared about nothing more then power and lands. They deeply disgusted her.

     "You must leave immediately. They are with no doubt coming for you." Francis spoke, already ordering one of the guards to bring them a horse for her to ride. "Do you know how to ride?"

     She rolled her eyes at the question. Of course she did. She was a woman, not a deadbeat good for nothing (or with other words, an Englishman). "Of course I do!" She bellowed. "But I will not escape while the rest of you are unsafe. I will fight alongside you if that is what it comes to." She decided, already hiking up her skirt. She pulled a sword from one of the guard waistbands, swiftly gracing it with her hand. Francis shook his head.

     "What? No-"

     "It is not a question. They've reached the shore. By the time I've climbed that horse they will be here. I suggest you focus on the matters at hand instead of arguing with me, Francis, because I can assure you that you will not win."

     Francis nodded, internally praying that the English were not there looking for a fight.

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     The English were not the looking for a fight. In fact, they were there to do just about the opposite.

     Having sailed the seas they found the French ship in distress, the very ship hosting none other then Madeleine. They had fortunately been nearby just at the right time (which Aurora find slightly suspicious but shrugged it off) and had aided the French. It made some sort of sense, seeing as the French and the English were at peace. Aurora supposed the Scot in her was tingling when the voice in the back of her head told her not to trust them.

Aurora had voiced her suspicions as well, but a guard had assured her that if they were lying, an emissary had been sent from the English and was now being held. If they lied, the man would loose his head. Aurora wasn't completely convinced, but what more could she ask for? Besides, she was fully capable of protecting herself. And she wasn't in charge. If Francis trusted these men, she didn't really have much choice but to do the same. So, she hesitantly did. Or, at least tried her best to.

"Go on and introduce yourself, Charles!" Aurora encouraged the little boy, watching him step closer to the beautiful young girl before him. He shyly offered Madeleine a small smile. When he remained silent, Aurora decided to try make the girl feel welcome. Yes, she would much rather prefer to run off and practice bow and arrow, but seeing as she already was here because of Mary, she might as well try making the best out of he situation. She liked to view herself as a optimistic and upbeat gal. So, she plastered a sweet smile on her lips, crouching infront of Madeleine.

"Hi there, Madeleine. My name is Aurora. It is very nice to meet you!" Aurora greeted. When the girl remained silent, she continued. "You must have had an awfully long journey." Madeleine nodded. "Well, you needn't worry anymore. You are complete safe here with us." Aurora assured before adding, "and very much welcome."

Aurora's words seemed to be working at calming the girl. Instead of the somewhat frightened and shy expression she had been sporting previously, she was now mirroring the smile on Aurora's face. Well, she tried to. It came off more as a small, half hearted, grin, but it was good enough for Aurora.

Francis watched the two continue conversing, Aurora shifting from topic to topic about France, all the while trying to make the girl feel welcome and to spark an interest between her and Charles. It seemed to work, surprisingly enough, and at the very moment, Francis was very grateful that Mary had forced Aurora to go along with him and Charles to get Madeleine.

     Soon enough they were all stuffed into the same, tiny little carriage. Aurora held her tongue, keeping herself from complaining about the fact that she was squeezed against Francis as they shared one side of the carriage while Charles and Madeleine shared the other.

     How come the French court could parade the most extravagant dressed, luxurious jewelry and impressive hair styles, while throwing the most pompous gatherings and celebrations, but they couldn't offer the Princess of Scotland, the future Princess France, the French Dauphin and the Prince of France a carriage with enough room to stretch your legs. But, Aurora refused to be the girl complaining about leg room, or a crinkled dress, so she remained silent, hoping the deep scowl and continues huffs and sighs told the story.

     Francis didn't mind being this close to the red head. Instead, he enjoyed having his shoulders pressed against hers. Any close proximity between the two he enjoyed, as wrong as it was. But he decided not to bug them, as she was the type to bite. No, he wouldn't bug her without an escape.

     It was a wise decision of him. Pushing Aurora at the wrong times could be very fatal to him.

word count; 1658
a/n

i am so so so frigging sorry. i've been all caught up in my other stories bc they've been kinda blowing up and i've  just completely ignored this one so here is finally chapter five. my attention, as u may have noticed, is elsewhere, but i promise to do my best on this book. hope u enjoy and pls stay tuned !

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