Blueberry Pie #17, Creamsicle #2 + Gummy Bunnies: The Boy King
Author: lady_leia_solo
Story: The Mondian Chronicles (Archive)
Title: The Boy King
Challenge: Blueberry Pie 17: little people, Creamsicle 2: faith
Toppings: Gummy Bunnies (#1: faith of our fathers from the Gamma list for the Table of Doom at writerverse)
Word Count: 607
Summary: "I am a Melopist and I will be until the day I die."
Rating: PG
Warning(s): Child marriage. Talks of religion.
Notes: This takes place in 1143 AW. Thomas is the king's (Henri II) uncle through his mother (Queen Jeanne). His younger brother, Gilles, is married to Cosette, sixth and last wife of Henri I (father of Henri II). Analise was fourth wife of Henri I and the young king still turns to her for advice and has a good relationship with both of his step-mothers.
Thomas frowned at the scene before him.
His nephew, the fourteen year old King of Monde, had his head bent before the holy man. His hands were linked with his bride, fifteen year old Jacqueline Louet.
He should be happy. His nephew had followed his orders to marry his cousin. But the boy had protested when he tried to arrange for the wedding to be of the Old Church of the Passa Brondian religion.
“Uncle, I will not marry under the laws of that church!” Henri had shouted.
Thomas had took a deep breath. “It would please the people. The majority of your people are of the Old Church.”
“So? I am not. I am their king and I will take my vows under the New Church. I will not have some debauched priest marry me!”
Thomas had stepped back shocked. When had the boy gotten so stubborn? His mother certainly hadn't had a stubborn streak in her, it was the du Bois blood.
“You dare speak of the Archbishop that way?”
Henri smirked slightly. “The Old Church is crumbling. Besides as king, I don't have to have the Beatua's approval and thus the Archbishop's for my marriage to move forward.”
“How can you turn your back on the Church? It was the faith this great land was founded on. Your father was until his dying day a member of the Church.”
“But I am not,” Henri said. “Simply as that. I am a Melopist and I will be until the day I die.”
Thomas sighed as he watched Henri take his vows with his future queen.
“You should smile a bit, brother,” Gilles said leaning over to him.
Thomas turned. Gilles had his arm around his wife, the Queen Dowager, Cosette. She had a pretty little smile on her face.
“How can I smile when our nephew is disobeying me?”
“Cheer up, Caulmont. You should be glad that he is marrying at all,” a female voice behind him said.
Thomas turned and stared into the dark blue eyes of Princess Analise, mother of Princess Abigail and former step-mother to his nephew.
“And why is that, Your Highness?” Thomas asked.
“He once told me when he was just a little boy that he would never marry,” Analise said smiling in the King's direction. “He said marriage only brought unhappiness.”
Thomas scoffed.
“That is ridiculous.”
Analise smiled. Thomas stared at her. She had a bewitching smile, but he steeled himself against it.
“You have to consider Henri's childhood. Three stepmothers within a ten year period. That takes a lot of adjusting to get used to.”
“That is nonsense, if I may so, Your Highness,” Thomas said his lip curling.
“You would think so,” Analise said her eyes twinkling. “But for a child, it would throw them out of whack, no?”
“She has a point,” Dorothee, Thomas's wife, said joining into the conversation.
“You agree with her?” Thomas said turning on his wife.
Dorthee's mouth opened to speak, but she nodded instead.
“Her Highness does have a point over you, brother,” Gilles said clearly amused.
Thomas shook his head. “You are all being ridiculous. He was a child, he probably didn't notice.”
“Children,” Analise started. “You'll find have an uncanny knack for noticing things that their parents try to hide from them.”
Cosette nodded. Thomas didn't say anything. He watched as Henri and the new Queen, Jacqueline, walk down the aisle. Henri glanced at him briefly and for a moment to Thomas he looked more like a child than a king.
Story: The Mondian Chronicles (Archive)
Title: The Boy King
Challenge: Blueberry Pie 17: little people, Creamsicle 2: faith
Toppings: Gummy Bunnies (#1: faith of our fathers from the Gamma list for the Table of Doom at writerverse)
Word Count: 607
Summary: "I am a Melopist and I will be until the day I die."
Rating: PG
Warning(s): Child marriage. Talks of religion.
Notes: This takes place in 1143 AW. Thomas is the king's (Henri II) uncle through his mother (Queen Jeanne). His younger brother, Gilles, is married to Cosette, sixth and last wife of Henri I (father of Henri II). Analise was fourth wife of Henri I and the young king still turns to her for advice and has a good relationship with both of his step-mothers.
Thomas frowned at the scene before him.
His nephew, the fourteen year old King of Monde, had his head bent before the holy man. His hands were linked with his bride, fifteen year old Jacqueline Louet.
He should be happy. His nephew had followed his orders to marry his cousin. But the boy had protested when he tried to arrange for the wedding to be of the Old Church of the Passa Brondian religion.
“Uncle, I will not marry under the laws of that church!” Henri had shouted.
Thomas had took a deep breath. “It would please the people. The majority of your people are of the Old Church.”
“So? I am not. I am their king and I will take my vows under the New Church. I will not have some debauched priest marry me!”
Thomas had stepped back shocked. When had the boy gotten so stubborn? His mother certainly hadn't had a stubborn streak in her, it was the du Bois blood.
“You dare speak of the Archbishop that way?”
Henri smirked slightly. “The Old Church is crumbling. Besides as king, I don't have to have the Beatua's approval and thus the Archbishop's for my marriage to move forward.”
“How can you turn your back on the Church? It was the faith this great land was founded on. Your father was until his dying day a member of the Church.”
“But I am not,” Henri said. “Simply as that. I am a Melopist and I will be until the day I die.”
Thomas sighed as he watched Henri take his vows with his future queen.
“You should smile a bit, brother,” Gilles said leaning over to him.
Thomas turned. Gilles had his arm around his wife, the Queen Dowager, Cosette. She had a pretty little smile on her face.
“How can I smile when our nephew is disobeying me?”
“Cheer up, Caulmont. You should be glad that he is marrying at all,” a female voice behind him said.
Thomas turned and stared into the dark blue eyes of Princess Analise, mother of Princess Abigail and former step-mother to his nephew.
“And why is that, Your Highness?” Thomas asked.
“He once told me when he was just a little boy that he would never marry,” Analise said smiling in the King's direction. “He said marriage only brought unhappiness.”
Thomas scoffed.
“That is ridiculous.”
Analise smiled. Thomas stared at her. She had a bewitching smile, but he steeled himself against it.
“You have to consider Henri's childhood. Three stepmothers within a ten year period. That takes a lot of adjusting to get used to.”
“That is nonsense, if I may so, Your Highness,” Thomas said his lip curling.
“You would think so,” Analise said her eyes twinkling. “But for a child, it would throw them out of whack, no?”
“She has a point,” Dorothee, Thomas's wife, said joining into the conversation.
“You agree with her?” Thomas said turning on his wife.
Dorthee's mouth opened to speak, but she nodded instead.
“Her Highness does have a point over you, brother,” Gilles said clearly amused.
Thomas shook his head. “You are all being ridiculous. He was a child, he probably didn't notice.”
“Children,” Analise started. “You'll find have an uncanny knack for noticing things that their parents try to hide from them.”
Cosette nodded. Thomas didn't say anything. He watched as Henri and the new Queen, Jacqueline, walk down the aisle. Henri glanced at him briefly and for a moment to Thomas he looked more like a child than a king.