Prologue

When a royal child is born, his destiny’s been decided. A lad is destined to be king. A lass is destined to be a prop for alliances, married-off to princes who will soon become kings of their own realms. When the lad is king, he will be of great things.  When the lass is queen, she will be nothing more than a tool for producing heirs.  A girl’s destiny was to be the same.

Scotland was in war with England. The death of Margaret Tudor caused the peace between the two realms to end. Her son, the King of the Scots, had to leave for battle, leaving his pregnant consort behind.

The king was victorious and the news of his victory swept through the kingdom. It over-whelmed the queen, and gave her hope that he would return in time for their child’s birth. But it was not to be.

Scotland began to lose the fight. The king’s health deteriorated and time was running out. The queen was near her due yet her husband had still not returned. When the time came, the child was born. But the child was a lass and not a lad that they all had hoped for. It did not matter; the line of succession was secured. She was destined to be queen.

The news of the birth of the princess spread all through the realm and also beyond its borders. When the news reached the king, he was already on his death bed. Six days after, he passed. His last words were “It began with a lass and it will end with a lass”. The queen was devastated, for she had not just lost a husband but must now carry on the burden of raising a queen and caring for the realm that she will rule one day.

As Scotland mourned for their king, England began to scheme, an alliance between the Scots and English through marriage. They called it “The Treaty of Greenwich”.  Scottish Parliament and the dowager queen rejected such treaty. Shortly after, English forces raided Scottish territory. Their goal: to kidnap the little queen and impose the treaty once she has come of age to marry.

France offered to aid Scotland in its fight with England but under one condition. The little queen must be wed to the Dauphin of France and in return France will send military forces to aid the Scottish forces. Sir James Hamilton, who was the little queen’s regent, agreed to France’s proposal.

They rode a carriage at dawn to the port, where a ship was awaiting them. After a few days of sailing, they reached France. The French king was very warm in welcoming the little Scottish queen into his realm. There, the little queen was introduced to Francis II, the Dauphin of France, to whom she was betrothed. How she enjoyed her days in the French court! She gained new friends, Francis and his sister, Elisabeth, and received education in music, dance, language, sports and literature.

Months had passed and it was time for the dowager queen to return to Scotland. The dowager queen did not wish to leave her daughter but she had duty to her people. The little queen cried for her mother the first few nights after her departure. For weeks, she was not the joyful child that the French court has known. The "gem of the court" had lost its luster.

It worried the king and hence spent most of his time with the little Scottish queen, cheering her up, like a father to his own child.  He treated her like his own daughter, even though the French queen strongly disapproved of it.

Eventually, everything went back to the way it was. Little Mary was once again the happy child the court had adored. Everything was going well but it seems that tragedy always found ways to creep back into the young queen’s life.

The king held a banquet in honor of the birth of Princess Claude, the newest addition to the royal family.  It was her first banquet in the French court.  There was music, dancing, an abundance of delicious food, and endless wine for the adults. The room was filled with French nobles and friends of the royal family. The celebration went on from dusk until dawn. But the children were not allowed to stay late. They were whisked to their chambers as soon as they finished their evening supper.

After changing into her night gown, saying prayer and climbing onto bed; her nurses tucked the little queen in and wished her a good night's rest.  They sat on their stools and watched the little queen fall asleep. As sleep was about to take her, a sudden loud thump woke her, as if something big had fallen. She opened her eyes and saw her nurses on the floor with blood flowing out of their bodies.

Breathing became difficult, and just as the little queen was about to scream a large hand covered her mouth and grabbed her from behind. She struggled but the stranger was too strong. He tied the little queen’s hands, blind-folded and carried her off.

The little queen struggled as her unknown captor carried her. She kicked and kicked, and threw punches at his back. Unfortunately, he was too strong for a five year old lass. It was until she exhausted herself that she began to cry. She felt hopeless, helpless, and lost the will to fight back. What child deserved to be treated like such, let alone a queen?

The next day, the sound of crashing waves awakens the now kidnapped queen. She opened her eyes and finds herself in a lavish room that was fit for royalty.  She was frightened.  No longer was she under the protection of her mother, Scotland and France. She was now on a ship journeying into the unknown. The little queen tried to convince myself that this was only just a bad dream and so she began to pinch myself, trying to somehow wake up from the terrible nightmare.

A group of ladies suddenly entered the room and curtsied before her. "Good morning, Your Royal Highness, I am Lady Anne 

Seymour and I was sent by His Majesty---".

"His Majesty?" she asked in a scared voice.

"Yes, madam, the King of England"

"England?" She began to wonder. Was England not the place that her mother and the King of France tried to keep her away from? Was it not the English king who sent those English troops to seize her realm that caused her and her mother to flee and seek refuge in France? For the first time, the little queen felt what it is to hate.

"I have been ordered to see that Her Highness is well taken care of during the course our journey to England. I have with me nurses, chosen from the prince’s own, to care for you.”  The lady continued to speak.

"No, I demand to be returned to France!" she demanded in my childish voice.

"I am sorry madam but we cannot do that." Lady Anne replies in a gentle voice.

"NO! I WANT TO GO BACK!"

"Madam, please understand that you cannot go back. I ask that you stop this tantrum or else I will have no choice but to discipline you."

"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN THE QUEEN! I DEMAND TO BE RETURNED TO FRANCE!" the little queen began to thrash and cry. Tears rapidly ran down her little cheeks as she began to cry for her mother. The ladies tried to calm her down but she resisted them.

Once calm, Lady Anne leaves the little queen in the company of the prince’s nurses. The nurses did their best in caring for her but she was stubborn.  She was convinced that they would send her back if she misbehaved.

On the day of their arrival in England, the king held a banquet in the little queen’s honor. There was an evident joy in the atmosphere in England. As soon as she emerged from the ship, the crowd cheered. Everyone in the realm seemed pleased that she had come. The little queen was escorted by Lady Anne and her husband, Sir Edward Seymour, whom she will grow to hate.

Upon their arrival to the palace, they were escorted to the door of banquet hall. The little queen was instructed not to enter until she was formally announced. The little queen then heard trumpets and a man's voice, announcing our arrival. “Your Majesty, the Princess Mary of Scotland” he said. The doors opened, revealing hundreds of eyes directed at her.

The little queen was prompted to enter. Casting her eyes down as she walked down the aisle. She hated the English.

The little queen reached the end and curtsied. “Your Majesty” she said, not daring to look at the man who had caused her so much misfortune. 

“Child, why on earth are you looking at the ground?” asked the king. 

“I hope I do not frighten you” he adds.

"With all due respect, Sire, I am not frightened of you” she said 

firmly, turning her gaze to the king. 

The king grinned and bellowed a laughed. He was clearly amused that a five year old dared to speak to him so casually. 

"What a spirited girl you are!" he chuckled in amusement.

The little queen’s attention was then turned to a boy of ten years, who stood to the right of the king. He was the prince, no doubt. The prince was lavishly dressed and stood regally. At the age of five, the little queen found him rather charming.

It was obvious to the little queen that the prince was not interested to meet her or even just be there. It was oblivious to the court and the king. She thought that he would rather play with his toys or do some mischief than to be a part of this pageantry. She felt the same way only that she wanted to go back to France.

The king called out to the prince and introduced them to each other. The prince greeted her with a bow and a comment that he was very happy to have met the little queen. It sounded like he had practiced it for days. The little queen then politely curtsied to the prince and told him.

Although the prince and the little queen did not meet in better circumstances, they somehow managed to create a friendship between them. In the ten years that would     follow the little queen and the prince became inseparable. He always looked out for her and she too did the same way. They cared for each other very much.

Now at fifteen, an age eligible for marriage, the young queen anxiously awaits for the day of her marriage. She is not particularly enthusiastic about it. She only yearns to take upon my birthright and rule Scotland as its rightful queen.  But it seems that it is now a distant dream.