Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Catcisse pairing, on the way back to France Catherine’s ship gets wrecked…when everyone is told of her apparent death how will they react when she returns intact?

“Have a safe trip home, thank you for coming to see me. I’ve missed you so much.” Mary smiled, embracing the French Queen in a tight hug.

“I’ve missed you too, I hope everything works out and if you ever need anything you know where to find me.” She hugged her back.

“Thank you again, and please give my regards to Claude and Charles.”

“I will, and I hope to hear from you soon.”

“You will.” Mary agreed, helping her back to the boat.

“Goodbye Mary.”

“Goodbye Catherine.”

The French Queen reluctantly climbed onto her ship, waving at the Scottish Queen who stood on the shore below. Mary waved back, smiling brightly until Catherine could no longer see her. Nonetheless she stood there, watching Scotland and it’s Queen fade away. Even when all she could see was the ocean she stood at the railings, wondering if she would ever see Mary again. Distantly she could hear the men on the boat chattering and she thought she heard her own name a few times. Sighing and snapping out of her thoughts she turned and walked up to the captain, “When do you think we’ll arrive in France?”

“Five hours at the most your Grace.”

“Thank you.” She nodded and turned away, going back over to the railing and watching the sea once more. It was the perfect shade of blue, the color that Mary always loved to wear. Groaning she let her head droop for a moment before taking a deep breath and straitening up once more. Turning away from the sea she focused her attention on the crew of the ship, who had apparently been staring at her. Narrowing her eyes in a threatening glare she snapped impatiently, “What are you looking at?”

One man had the nerve to actually answer her question, though he stuttered considerably, “We…we just…you Grace seemed…upset.”

“I am upset!” She snapped again.

Swallowing hard the man refused to look at her, “If I may…why?”

“Tell me, have you ever loved someone with all your heart and know that you may never see them again?”

“No your Grace.”

“Good…I’m glad.” She even managed a small smile at the man. After a moment, “Say, do you have any wine?”

“No Your Grace…but we do have ale.”

“Ale will do.”

The man returned shortly with her ale and she took a large swig, it wasn’t nearly as good as the wine at Court but she took what she could get. After the glass had been emptied she felt oddly calmer and defiantly less depressed. She looked towards the sky and realized it was growing dark…but it wouldn’t be night for another three hours or so. Walking back up to the captain she gestured towards the sky, “Is there a storm coming?”

“I believe there is Your Grace.”

“Then turn back.”

“I can’t, we just made our way through a dangerous patch of rocks, to turn back now would be stupid.”

“Will the ship be strong enough to withstand the storm?”

“It all depends on how violent the storm is but I have faith we’ll be okay.”

She nodded and turned back, watching the sky anxiously. Slowly it grew darker and rain started to fall in increasing speed. The wind was biting at the back of her neck and whipping stray curls into her eyes. The clouds were swirling above her and at the first rumble of thunder she couldn’t help the small yelp that escaped her. The sky flashed blinding white as lightning began it’s show. She would’ve watched in awe if it had not been for the fact rain and wind were blinding her and thunder roaring in her ears.

When the first small wave washed over the deck, licking at her leather boots she started to panic. She called out over the storm but no one seemed to hear, they were too busy rushing about trying to secure the ship. It was only when lightening struck the water and she screamed that anyone turned a eye her way. Someone rushed to her side, it was the man that had been concerned about her earlier. Without hesitation he grabbed hold of her, keeping her steady as he led her over to a pole to hold onto. She barely had a chance to thank him before he’d rushed off again.

The waves were licking at the edges of the deck and Catherine was holding on for dear life. She cried out in panic as one of the ships men practically flew overboard a few feet away from her. She was too close to the railings and she knew it but she couldn’t move. Letting out a scream she lost her footing and slid backwards knocking over a multitude of people on her way. If it had not been for her close shave with death she would’ve been highly embarrassed.

As she scrambled for anything…or anyone to hold onto another wave crashed onto the ship. Salty water washed over her flushed face and soaked her to the bone before it was gone and she had slammed into the opposite railing. Coughing and clawing at the floor she slid across the deck again she vaguely heard someone shout that they saw land. If she could hang on a little longer she would be safe. At that moment there was a loud crack and the mast fell, barely missing her as it smashed through the railing. Another ruthless wave swept over the deck, sweeping her towards the broken railing. Even as she cried and screamed her body was thrown into the churning ocean.

As the icy cold waves engulfed her the first thought that crossed her mind was Stephan. The cool water swirling around her were his arms, strong and relentless. Specks of sand tickling her skin like his kisses, touching every inch and leaving her breathless. The hungry tides his hands, freeing her hair from it’s prison of bobby pins and ripping at the fabric of her gown. How she craved this cool touch on her flushed skin. Even as she thrashed and tried to see his love blinded her, drowning her until she could no longer breathe nor see. Every passionate scream and frenzied move slowly falling away as she let herself drift away.

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This chapter was inspired by @CathQueen so thank you for your suggestions! I hope you enjoy!

Coughing and sputtering she started to wake, she could feel the gentle waves lapping at her feet. The weak sunlight trying it’s best to warm her shivering person and the damp sand acting as her bed. Taking a long moment to catch her breath and register that she wasn’t dead she finally managed to get to her feet. Looking around she saw that she was the only one to have washed up on the beach. Trying not to think about all the lives lost and bodies never to be found she turned back to face the sea. It was calm now, what had been vicious sprays only hours ago were gentle waves now. The morning sun cast a warm glow over the beach and she stood there for a long while just breathing.

Eventually she decided that she should probably try to get back to the castle. Before she left she shed a layer of clothes since they were soaked. Taking off her coat she wrapped it around her waist and gathered up her wet hair, tying it in a makeshift braid. Grumbling to herself she headed off in the direction that she hoped was towards the castle.

Meanwhile at French Court a messenger burst into the hall, in search of the Lord Chancellor. Once the man found Narcisse he was panting and holding his side in pain. “Lord Narcisse I have urgent news.”

“It’ll have to wait, I have to deal with the Privy Council.” Narcisse said with a sweep of his hand.

“Please My Lord.”

“Later.”

“It’s about the Queen Mother.”

Narcisse stopped and turned to look at the young man, “Go on.”

“There was a storm at sea last night and we found remains of their ship on the shore this morning…but no bodies. I highly doubt the Queen Mother survived.”

He stared at the man without seeing him, “She’s dead?”

“I believe so.”

“No…she can’t be.” He turned and rushed off towards the throne room. Bursting into the room he declared an urgent matter and that the Lords and merchants would have to wait.

Confused, Charles went over to him, “What is the matter? What’s so important that it couldn’t wait?”

“It’s about your Mother, her ship from Scotland was wrecked…”

“Well? Where is she?!”

“They believe her to be dead.” He said quietly.

“D…dead?”

“Nobody found the bodies from the wreckage.”

“No.” His face paled, “My Mother…she can’t be dead.” Rounding to look at the guards he demanded that every inch of France be search until his Mother or any proof of her death was found.

Turning back to Narcisse, “I must inform my siblings of this, thank you for the information Lord Narcisse. I’ll leave it up to you to deal with the nobles.” With that the young King sped away.

Deal with the nobles? How am I supposed to do that, Catherine may be dead. No…don’t give up hope just yet Catherine is a fighter. It won’t do anyone any good to neglect responsibilities, just deal with the nobles you’ve done this a hundred times before. Taking a breath he summoned the nobles back into the room, apologizing for the wait and explaining that the King had a urgent matter to attend to at the moment. He sold his lie well and soon enough the nobles were gone and he was alone to wonder what to do.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Charles walked to Claude’s chambers, gathering the courage to speak to her. They weren’t exactly on good terms but he knew she’d want to hear the news about their Mother. Knocking in her door, he shifted from foot to foot. When she finally answered the door she raised an eyebrow at him, “Charles?”

“Claude…I…uh…it’s about Mother.”

“What about her?” She asked, a tint of annoyance in her voice.

“Her ship crashed.”

“What?!” Claude gasped.

“Can I come in?” He asked, gesturing to he room.

She hesitated a moment before nodding and letting him in. They sat down on her couch and she waited quietly for him to continue. It was unusual for her and Charles to share more then a few snide remarks these days. She was still fuming at him for marrying her off to Luc and causing so much drama with Leeza. However, if their Mother was in trouble she was all ears.

“There was a storm oversea last night and the ship Mother was on was wrecked. They found remains of the ship on the shore this morning but there were no bodies. They’re still searching the coastline and beyond to find any survivors but…they highly doubt she’s alive.”

“No…” Claude shook her head, “She can’t be dead.”

“Well, it hasn’t been determined but there’s a possibility.”

“Do you even care?!” Claude screeched, tears threatening to spill.

“Of course I do!”

“How can you be so factual? She could be dead…Mother could be dead.”

“I know that! I’m the one who has to go alert Leeza, Henri, Margaret, and Hercule!”

Claude sobered at this, “I’ll go with you.” He told him.

His eyebrows rose at this, not expecting Claude to show him even this small amount of kindness, “Thank you…”

She nodded, “After all she’s my Mother too.”

They both stood and headed towards Leeza’s chambers. Neither were that happy about seeing Leeza unless it was absolutely necessary but it was the right thing to do. Even if her and Catherine weren’t on good terms she was still Leeza’s Mother. Charles was the one to knock on her door and when Leeza answered she stiffened and scowled. “What have I done to be blessed with the presence of the King and Claude?!” She hissed.

“Stop it. This is about Mother.” Charles stated.

At this she simply attempted to shut the door on the both of them but Claude stuck her foot in the way. Pushing the door opens she said, “Listen we’re not any happier about this then you are but it’s important.”

“Fine.” She opened the door again, “What is it?”

“Charles?” Claude asked, not sure if she could get through the explanation without tearing up.

“Her ship was wrecked on the way back to Scotland.”

“She’s hurt then?” Leeza asked, the smallest bit of concern bleeding into her voice.

“No…we can’t find her. There were no bodies from the wreckage, troops are still looking but they’re yet to find anything. There’s the possibility that she’s dead.”

“What?” The Queen of Spain’s eyes went big as saucers, “Dead?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my gosh…” She suddenly looked about to faint.

Claude watched her sister with unveiled confusion, since when did Leeza care about their Mother? “Well if we’re through here…” Claude turned to leave but Leeza’s panicked voice stopped her.

“Are there troops searching for her?”

“Of course.” Charles nodded.

“Keep me updated.” She demanded before slamming the door in their faces.

Charles and Claude shared bewildered looks before continuing to walk down the hall. There was silence for a while before Claude spoke, “Maybe we should hold off on telling anyone else before we’re certain.” The last thing she wanted was to face her younger siblings with the news that their Mother may be dead.

Charles nodded letting out a small breath of relief, “That’s a good idea…no need to send everyone into a frenzy.”

Claude agreed and they parted ways, Charles going to his office to see if there was any progress on finding Catherine. Claude on the other hand went to Luc’s chambers to inform him of the incident. She felt a deep-rooted fear pitted in her stomach swirling with regret. Never before had she thought about her Mother passing and certainly hadn’t thought it would hurt this much. Many times she had complained about her Mother, what she did, what she couldn’t undo, what was her fault. She had thought of it as a payback for all the hate Catherine had sent her way as a child but now she realized it was foolish. She should’ve appreciated her for trying to fix her mistakes…she should have accepted her apologies. Her Mother may have died thinking she hated her.

Holding back tears she sniffed and knocked on Luc’s door, when he opened the door and saw her he automatically embraced her, “Oh Claude, I’m so sorry…my Father told me.”

Right then and there Claude fell to tears, “She’s d…dead.” She sobbed.

“Hey…hey you don’t know that.” Luc tried, holding her close.

Claude went on sobbing until somehow he had managed to guide her to the couch and she had fallen asleep, tearful and grief-stricken.

A/N okay I know this chapter didn’t have much Catherine in it but I needed to have some reaction from the kids. We’ll see more of their reactions in the future so yup! Review please!

Chapter Text

A/N Chapter three is up! Hope you like it!

She groaned, rolling over on her side only to have tiny stones stab into her back. She struggled to open her eyes against the early morning sunlight. She’d spent the last two nights trying to navigate her way to the palace…or at least a small village and she was yet to succeed. Her back ached and her neck was sore, not to mention her corset. Groaning again she struggled to her feet and looked at her surroundings…nothing had changed.

She took it upon herself to try and adjust her hair and dress, though there was no mirror. Hoping she’d done a decent job at resembling the Queen Mother of France, she set off again. After walking for a few hours…a few long, agonizing, hours, she could see a small town on the horizon.

Letting out a sigh of relief she picked up the pace, trying to get to the town as quickly as she possibly could. Distantly she was reminded of a time when she and Mary were lost and found a small town not so different from this one. They had been Mother and Daughter…not two Queens snarling at one another but for once aligned. Pushing the thoughts of Mary aside and struggled on.

When she reached the town the sun was close to setting. She saw a pub called ‘Two Tails’ and tried to look presentable before entering. Going up to the counter she addressed the man, “My good fellow, My name is Catherine de Medici, Queen Mother of France my ship was wrecked on my journey home and I am in need of a good meal and place to sleep.”

“I’m sorry ma’am but unless you have some sort of payment I cannot help you.”

“I am Catherine de Medici!” She exclaimed.

“No coin no food.” A flashback of Mary shot through Catherine’s mind and she growled, half at the man half at herself.

“Fine.” She took off her earrings, “Real diamonds.” She placed them on the counter forcefully, “So I better be given the best you’ve got.”

The man hastily took the earrings and nodded, “Right away ma’am.”

She resisted correcting him to ‘your grace’ and sat down at the nearest table. Tenderly she started to rub circles on her swore ankle, letting her mind wander. A waitress laid a cup of ale on her table before scurrying off again. Alas my poor ankle, my daughter shall have to work fro the both of us. Catherine jerked her hand away from her aching foot as if she’d been burnt. Scalding tears stung at the corners of her eyes and she swallowed, blinking repeatedly as to keep them at bay.

She took a large sip of the ale relishing the way in burned it’s way down her throat. Thanked the Lord when Mary dissolved from her mind and tears stopped threatening to flow. Taking another sip and letting her eyes close for a moment before a deep baritone voice shattered her peace. Looking up her eyes went wide, “Stephan?” She murmured.

“Pardon me?” The man said and she shook her head, realizing that it was in fact not Stephan.

“What?” She tried to feign innocence.

“I just asked if you needed anything else.”

“No thank you.” She said, already looking at her food again. Chicken, cranberries, and basil…her mouth watered. After wolfing down the meal and drinking the rest of her ale she was escorted to her room, nothing compared to her rooms at Court but not too shabby.

She removed her jewelry and shoes before lying down and falling asleep. Though, she didn’t sleep for long. She was awoken to the smell of smoke, peering hazily through the thick smoke she heard screams. Everyone was yelling but she only caught one word, fire.

A/N dah dah dahhhhhhh cliffhanger!

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A/N sorry I haven’t updated in so long, as you may have seen from my announcement I had the unfortunate event of loosing all of my Word documents including all the chapters I was writing for this story. Thank you for understanding and enjoy the chapter

Recap:

‘She removed her jewelry and shoes before lying down and falling asleep. Though, she didn't sleep for long. She was awoken to the smell of smoke, peering hazily through the thick smoke she heard screams. Everyone was yelling but she only caught one word, fire.’

Survival instinct took over any sleepiness she had yet to shake off and she quite literally rolled out of the cot she’d been sleeping on, landing on the floor with a thud. Pressing the sleeve of her dress to her mouth she crawled across the floor in search of her belongings. Her fingertips found purchase on the leather of her boots, but her eyes were already streaming and her lungs were burning. She knew if she stayed any longer she would risk either passing out from the heavy smoke or being burnt alive. She knew that without her jewelry she would have no funds for food or shelter but she had no choice than to leave them behind.

Feeling around, she found the edge of the window and hoisting herself off of the ledge. She hit the ground and felt her shoulder splinter, but her groan of pain quickly turned into a fit of coughs. The inn was nearly engulfed in flames at this point, despite the patrons and workers alike who were tossing buckets of water at the burn. Still heaving from the smoke, she stumbled to her feet and off into the woods.

~ Meanwhile at the Castle ~

There weren’t many members of the court who had noticed the Queen Mother’s absence, and those who had didn’t make any inquirers. Charles and Claude hovered close together, whilst Liza kept her distance, spending most of her days in her chambers. Lord Narcisse went on with his business as if nothing were wrong, but that was most likely due to the large amount of wine he consumed on a daily basis.

There was still no news concerning the Queen Mother’s state, that was until this morning. The soldier had sought a meeting with the King to report their findings and Charles had called in Claude, Liza, and surprisingly...himself. For some reason, in light of his Mother’s disappearance, Charles had asked for Narcisse’s council. The Lord Chancellor obliged of course, but in reality he knew no more of what to do than the child.

On one hand Narcisse was relieved that they had news, on the other he dreaded what that news would be. For all he knew, it could be the announcing of Catherine’s death. “My King, I have come bearing news of the Queen Mother.”

“We were about forty miles from the place of the crash when we got word that somebody had spotted the Queen Mother in a tavern nearby.”

Charles leaned forward in his throne, “You’ve found her?”

“No my King...”

“No? Why not? Was the information provided false?”

“Well...I regret to inform you that, well you see the thing is...” The man was stalling now, causing Narcisse’s stomach to turn, expecting the worst.

“Out with it then! What happened?” Charles demanded.

“The tavern had been burnt to the ground, there is evidence that a few people died, but we cannot be certain whether or not the Queen Mother was one of them.” Both Charles and Claude let out a breath, “Would you like us to continue searching Your Majesty?”

“What? Of course you will continue searching, no remains were found therefor she must have escaped.”

“Your Majesty I know this is hard to hear but chances are...”

Charles expression hardened and he held up a hand, silencing the soldier, “She escaped, and unless you find any solid evidence to prove otherwise you will continue your search. Is that clear?”

“Yes Your Majesty.” The man bowed, before briskly walking out of the throne room.

Charles visibly deflated after the man had left, and Claude looked as though she was about to cry. Narcisse swallowed his doubts and approached the King, “My King, I know we discussed this previously but despite what you think I only wish the safe return of the Queen Mother and the more guards looking for her, the faster we will find her.”

“Are you insane?!” The King’s sister shrieked, “You must be delusional to think anyone in the Valois family will trust you ever again, especially with my Mother.”

“Your Highness I understand that...”

“No I don’t think you do Lord Chancellor!” Charles snarled, “You’ve nearly had her killed multiple times and that isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. Just because I am letting you hang around here does not mean you have any rights.”

“Yes Your Majesty.” He nodded, bowing and leaving in a similar manor to the soldier.

After Narcisse was out of earshot Claude turned to her brother, “Why do you still keep him around?”

“Because the council won’t let me rule without a Chancellor and I don’t trust any of them to take his place.”

“Oh? And you do trust him?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Then get rid of him Charles!” Claude insisted.

“I can’t! They’ll start to question why I sacked my Lord Chancellor for no reason.”

“No reason?!” Claude screeched, then lowered her voice, “After everything he’s done to us Charles, are you really going to tell me that you’re keeping him around simply because you don’t want the trouble?”

“Yes Claude that’s exactly what I’m telling you. With everything going on, Leeza and Spain watching our every move, Mother going missing, and my already questionable rule I can’t risk more drama.”

“Francis wouldn’t let this stand!” She spat, storming out of the room.

Charles swallowed his sour retorts and retreated to the map room to think. He knew he had to do something about Narcisse, but he wasn’t sure what. If only his Mother were here, she would know exactly what to do. Sighing, the young king ran his hands over his face, “Please come back.” He whispered.

A/N alright then, that’s all I have for you guys for now but I am trying my hardest to get new chapter out for my other fics too.