youngest valois

HE  GRINS  AT  HER,   an  amazed  grin   —   amazement  at  the  fact  that  she  passed  his  little,  secret  test;  amazement  that  this  girl  could  possibly  love  him;  amazement  at  her  beauty,  as  always.  he  wants  to  kiss  her…  and  he  wants  to  do  so  much  more  to  her,  make  her  cry  out  his  name  in  pleasure,  but!  there  is  something  of  pressing  importance  he  must  do  first.  gabriel  digs  around  in  the  satchel  at  his  waist,  pulling  out  a  little  ring  with  a  moonstone  in  place  of  a  diamond.

❛   my  grandfather  made  this  to  propose  to  my  grandmother  with.  she  was  a  lady  -  in  -  waiting,  and  he  was  nothing  but a  blacksmith  with  no  money,  or  power.  but  she  loved  him,  and  she  married  him  anyway.  and,  when  my  grandmother  died,  she  left  this  ring  to  me.  she  said  it  would  lead  me  to  my  true  love,  and  i   —   i  wish  she  was  alive  so  i  could  tell  her  she  was  right.   ❜     his  smile  turns  a  little  sheepish,  his  cheeks  warm  with  a  slight  blush,  as  he  takes  her  hand,  so  gently  as  if  he  thinks  he  might  break  it,  and  slips  the  ring  onto  her  finger.     ❛   it’s  like  it  was  made  for  you.   ❜

SHE WILL never tire of his smile, as bright as the stars he’d fallen from. she is not surprised, that someone as kind as he is an angel --- sure, he’s fallen. but that means nothing to jenna. his soul is of light, even if the angels can’t see it. confusion graces her features when she watches gabriel’s concentrated expression. it’s quickly replaced by a smile at the sight of the ring, a loud gasp echoing in the closet space. hand is clapped over her mouth, a soft giggle escaping shortly after as she remembers that they are hiding ! a wild grin brightens her face as he slips it on her finger, explaining its origin all the while. a soft bit of light pours through the cracks of the servant’s door and she moves her hand into it so that she can get a better look. 

SHE  KNOWS. jase  doesn’t  know  if  that’s  comforting  or  more  distressing,  and  he  doesn’t  have  any  time  to  decide  because  then  he’s  obviously  offended  her  because  she’s  berating  him.  and  jase,  the  almighty  king  of  france,  feels  about  two  inches  tall.  it  reminds  him  of  when  margaux  used  to  chastise  him  for  doing  something  wrong.  oh,  how  jenna  has  grown  practically  into  margaux’s  twin,  despite  the  many  years  they’ve  spent  apart  now.  he  hangs  his  head,  looking  up  at  him  with  innocent  blue  eyes  and  a  raised  brow.     ❛   may  i  speak  now,  your  highness?   ❜     not  the  time  for  jokes?  okay,  moving  on!     ❛   i  think  theo  and  martin  are  idiots   —   i’ve  never  thought  you  were  one,  jenna.  i’m  incredibly  sorry  i  offended  you,  i  simply  want  what’s  best  for  you.  i  want  you  to  have  the  best  things  in  life,  jenna,  is  that  so  villainous  of  me?  you’re  my  baby  sister.   ❜     he  pleads  for  her  understanding.  he  has  to  look  out  for  her  best  interests,  always.  and  gabriel  sharp  may  not  be  one.

margaux  will  have  his  back  on  this.  if  only  she  were  here,  and  not  in  spain.  he  has  a  feeling  that  this  is  something  that  requires  a  more  serious  approach  than  a  simple  letter.  he  makes  a  mental  note  to  have  correspondence  with  her  husband   —   he  knows  they  practically  just  left,  but  surely  even  a  man  like  miguel  could  see  the  dilemma  jase  is  facing  here  with  jenna.  he  needs  his  big  sister’s  help.

but  for  right  now?  this  is  no  battle  he  can  fight  on  his  own,  so  he  must  cede  round  one.     ❛   for  the  record,  i  don’t  believe  gabriel  sharp  is  anything  like  rafael.   ❜     no,  rafael  could  never  be  as  clever  or  sneaky  or  deadly  as  the  assassin,  not  in  his  wildest  dreams.  he’s  too  much  a  fool  to  be  good  at  anything,  let  alone  something  that  requires  such  skill  as  murder.     ❛   if  it  would  make  you  feel  more  at  ease,  then  invite  gabriel  to  dine  with  us.  it’ll  be  the  four  of  us.  that  way,  you  can  get  to  know  viviana  better,  and  i  can  learn  some  more  about  this  man  that’s  stolen  your  heart.   ❜

OF COURSE she knows. there’s a bitter taste in her mouth. she’s never liked having to behave this way with her brothers. so much like their mother. sickly sweet, but still a snake ready to strike at a moments notice. margaux’s had to do it once or twice... sometimes it’s the only way to get the rowdy boys to listen. she watches in her peripheral as he hangs his head, ashamed. no one else could get away with talking to the king of france like that. she’s lucky it’s not rafael, and she’s still allowed to keep her head. the laugh that only barely manages to surface sounds more like a scoff as she looks at her brother. your higness. she wants to kick him in the shin. she might. 

“CERTAINLY NOT. but as much as you want to protect me, jase, i am my own person. and i do have feelings, contrary to what the masks we are taught to don at court might convey.”  she finally looks at him, knowing he meant well and that his apology is sincere. his invitation is placed gently on the table and for a moment she doesn’t know if it’s wise to consider something that may be a trap. lips purse tightly and her expression shifts as she exhales through her nose and she looks from his hands to his eyes, “if you insist, i will see to it that he clears his schedule this evening.” 

❛  JASE  HAS  A  BIG  HEART.   even  when  he  was  a  little  boy,  while  rafael  and  lucas  were  off  learning  how  to  ride  horses  and  dual  with  swords,  jase  was  dreaming  of  the  day  he’d  finally  fall  in  love  and  get  married.   ❜     he’s  wanted  to  find  the  love  of  his  life  so  badly  for  so  long,  and  now  he’s  brought  this  woman  to  france  who  is  claims  to  be  the  girl  of  his  dreams,  and  margaux  worries  that  he  was  thinking  with  his  heart  and  not  with  his  head  when  he  courted  her.     ❛   is  she  very  beautiful?   ❜     margaux  frowns,  so  far  not  impressed  with  jenna’s  report  of  the  woman.  she  stops  their  walking,  turning  to  jenna  with  a  concerned  look.     ❛   you  were  so  young,  you  probably  don’t  remember,  but  when  jase  was  fourteen   —   just  before  father  died   —   an  italian  family  came  and  stayed  at  court,  they  were  mother’s  friends.   ❜     she  rolls  her  eyes  at  the  mention  of  their  unbearable  mother.  oh,  how  she  can’t  wait  to  see  her  again.     

❛   they  had  a  daughter  the  same  age  as  jase   —   oh,  she  was  the  most  beautiful  girl,  long,  curly  dark  hair,  an  olive  complexion,  and  eyes  that,  i  swear  to  god,  were  plain  gold. she  was  so  beautiful,  and  she  had  all  your  brothers  vying  for  her  affections,  but  she  gave  hers  to  jase.  francesca  was  her  name,  and  he  wanted  to  marry  her  right  there,  but  father  said  no,  of  course.  and  then  one  day…  she  fell  off  her  horse  while  on  a  ride  with  jase.  and  she  died.  i  don’t  think  he’s  ever  gotten  over  her.   ❜     it  was  made  all  the  sadder  by  the  fact  that  their  father  was  arranging  an  engagement  between  jase  and  the  girl,  for  them  to  be  wed  as  soon  as  jase  came  of  age.  margaux’s  the  only  one  who  knows  of  that,  now.  their  father  swore  her  to  secrecy,  for  he  did  not  want  to  extend  jase’s  grief  any.    

 ❛   i  think  he’s  been  searching  for  her  in  all  these  women  he’s  gone  through,  and  i  don’t  know  what  this  viviana  looks  like,  but  i’d  say  he  found  his  francesca  again.   ❜     margaux  wishes  he  could  have  just  kept  the  original  one.  she  was  sweet  and  gentle  and  the  kindest  soul  margaux’s  ever  known,  and  it  seems  like  viviana’s  the  complete  opposite  of  that.  but,  of  course,  if  she  looks  like  francesca,  that’s  all  jase  will  ever  see.

JENNA ONLY vaguely remembers a ghostly beauty wandering the grounds of the french castle they’d called their home. but she does remember jase’s sorrow. his grief filled the castle walls like an ocean and they all nearly suffocated beneath its undeniable pressure. it comes as no surprise that margaux thinks that he’s still hoping that she has somehow reincarnated in another woman that he might grow to love. she’s never loved before gabriel, but what she feels for him... she couldn’t i m a g i n e losing it now. her heart squeezes at the thought.

❛  OF  COURSE,   i  don’t  want  you  to  go,  jen.   ❜     he’s  so  tired,  he  feels  so  broken.  all  he  wants  to  do  is  collapse  into  his  love’s  arms  and  cry.  as  weak  as  that  may  sound,  no  matter  how  much  less   “manly”   that  makes  him,  it’s  the  truth.  gabriel  feels  like  his  soul  is  shattered,  and  he  wants  to  let  himself  break  apart  with  her  holding  him.  but  he  can’t.  he  has  to  stay  strong,  he  has  to  be  the  guiding  light  in  this  dark  time.  for  viviana.    ❛   but  someone  has  to  protect  stella.  being  here  isn’t  good  for  her,  and  it’s  just  causing  more  distress  for  viv.  and  aly  and  i  agree  that  there’s  no  one  we  trust  more  to  take  care  of  her  than  you.  her  godmother.   ❜     they  all  know  that  if  she  wakes  up,  and  something  has  happened  to  stella   —   if,  god  forbid,  she  did  something  to  harm  her  in  any  way,  there  would  be  hell  to  pay.  so,  being  anywhere  but  here  is  what’s  best  for  the  little  elfpire  right  now.  that’s  what  viviana  would  do,  he’s  sure  of  it.  and,  for  all  intents  and  purposes,  and  for  the  foreseeable  future,  he  has  to  play  viviana’s  role  in  the  royal  family.  it’s  a  daunting  task,  but  he’s  going  to  do  it.  for  her.     ❛   briar’s  gonna  take  you,  and  she’s  gonna  pop  in  every  day  with  food  and  other  necessities.  and,  i’ll  visit,  if  i  get  the  chance,  but  she’s  gonna  take  you  far  away,  okay?   ❜

JENNA KNOWS there is no point in refusing. her safety matters more to gabriel than his life. and that she will always value, but sometimes it can be frustrating. she gets it. she does. she has never had to experience losing him. but he has lost her a hundred times. the angel lifts a hand, pursing her lips as she presses her forehead to his while he speaks... trying to convince her when she is already convinced. there is a soft smile in the curve of her mouth and her heart yearns to hold him close, but she knows without gabriel having to tell her that the moment she does he will break. similar to when she’s had a shitty day and the moment he asks if she’s okay, she confesses amid waterfall tears that she isn’t. still, she grants him a few gentle kisses to his face, her hands lifting to hold his head between them, “i understand why things must be done, but that does not mean i want to do them.” she swears in french, laughing quietly before kissing his forehead again, “but i will do them for you. for us. for viviana.” it’s a miracle she’s saying that, truly. 

❛  TAKE  CARE  OF  HER,  OKAY?  ❜   viviana  stands  in  the  doorway  of  jenna  and  gabriel’s  bedroom,  watching  as  she  packs  for  a  trip  she  never  wanted  to  go  on.  and  viviana’s  not  stupid,  she  knows  jenna’s  taking  stella  away  because  of  her.  she  can’t  figure  out  why   —   she  certainly  poses  no  threat  to  the  girl,  but  vienna  said  it  was  for  the  best.     ❛   non  mi  ricordo  di  lei…  oh,  i  apologize.  i  said  that  i  don’t  remember  her.  but  i  don’t  remember  a  lot  of  things,  lately.  and  vienna  tells  me  she’s  mia  figlia.  and  i  might  not  feel  that  strong  connection  with  her  that  i  do  with  zachariah,  but  that  doesn’t  mean  i  don’t  believe.  they  tell  me  she’s  my  child,  too,  and  so  i  believe  them.   ❜     she  doesn’t  exactly  know…  how  stella  is  her  daughter,  but  she  believes  them  when  they  tell  her  that  she  is.     ❛   so,  just… take  care  of  her, please.  she  is  but  an  innocent  girl.   ❜

SHE  WAS  WRONG.   she  was  so  wrong.  she  thought  her  momma  dying  was  the  worst  possible  scenario,  but  this?  this  feels…  worse,  impossibly.  stella  collapses  against  her  chair,  chin  quivering  as  she  stares  straight  ahead  and  tries  to  absorb  the  information  jenna  presented  to  her.  and…  well,  she  sees  now  why  no  one  wanted  to  be  honest  with  her.     ❛   she  doesn’t  want  to  remember  me…  and  mom   —   oh,  mom!   ❜     she  rises  from  her  chair,  points  an  accusatory  finger  at  her  godmother  with  a  heartbroken expression.     ❛   how  could  you  guys  take  me  away  from  my  mom  when  she’s  going  through  this?  she’s  all  alone  now!  she  needs  me!   ❜     stella  insists  because  focusing  on  her  mom  right  now  is  the  pleasant option,  when  the  alternative  is  thinking  about  how  her  momma  no  longer  wants  her,  or  her  mom,  or  any of  the  life  she  worked  so  hard  to  build  for  them.

MOMENTARILY, SHE wants to curse briar for encouraging her to tell stella the truth. she regrets it, the moment the words come out of her mouth. and she watches as the elfpire begins to crumble. it’s no surprise when she stands up and starts shouting. normally, she would express that her goddaughter should be civil, but there is no civility in this. there is only grief. and it’s a grief she couldn’t imagine experiencing, so different from loss. when the person is still there, but they don’t want to remember who you are? jenna rises from the dinner table, makes her way over to stella. she grasps for the girl’s hand, pulling her to the couch so that they can sit together. it’s not likely that their food is going to get eaten anyway. fen grumbles when the cushions adjust to their weight, but he puts his head in stella’s lap while snow leans against jenna’s body for extra warmth, “we simply wanted to protect you... one day, when you have a child of your own, you will understand the decisions we have made.” 

𝑯𝑰𝑺 𝑭𝑨𝑪𝑬 𝑩𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑲𝑺 𝑰𝑵 𝑻𝑶 𝑨 𝑾𝑰𝑫𝑬 𝑮𝑹𝑰𝑵 𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑵 𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑬𝑬𝑺 𝑯𝑬𝑹.  and  he  immediately  wraps  his  arms  around  her,  lifting  her  off  the  ground  and  twirling  her  in  the  air  before  he  sets  her  back  on  her  feet  and  kisses  her  with  vigour.     ❛   i  have  missed  you,  my  heart.  but  tell  me,  please,  that  you  have  not  gone  outside,  not  left  the  safety  of  these  walls.   ❜     he  says,  suddenly  very  serious  and  almost grim.     ❛   all  of  your  siblings  have  been  stripped  of  their  powers  and  then  hanged.  except  for  lucas   —   he’s  to  endure  the  evolution  ceremony  tomorrow  at  midnight.   ❜

the  evolution  ceremony  is  a  ritual  known  to  both  seelies  and  unseelies,  but  one  that’s  rarely  ever  used.  it  is  for  when  a  fae  wants  to  switch  alliances.  and  lucas  has  convinced  viviana  to  allow  him  to  become  an  unseelie  and  serve  under  her  banner.  the  ritual  can  only  be  done  with  the  permission  of  the  unseelie  ruler,  and  it’s  said  to  be  an  incredibly  painful  process  that  not  many  survive.     ❛   but  the  queen  still  hunts  for  you.  her  scouts  are  many  and  they  are  ruthless.   ❜     he  should  know,  he’s  the  leader  of  them  all.     ❛   —   i  would  just  die  if  something  were  to  happen  to  you,  sweetest  jenna.   ❜     gabriel  says,  taking  her  hands  in  his  and  bringing  them  to  his  lips,  placing  a  kiss  on  her  knuckles.

IT’S DIFFICULT to resist... the smile ricochets, bouncing from gabriel to jenna. the instant his arms are wrapped around her, she feels at peace. but she can tell something is amiss. brows furrow as he questions her, her heart starting to crack. she’d been so concerned with meeting with him, that she’d all but forgotten her siblings. her throat goes dry when he confesses what his unruly queen has done. suddenly, it’s hard to swallow. she feels herself start to pull from him... and she steps back to lean against the wall of the castle. the foundation that she has known since she was a child, is beginning to crumble beneath her. 

❛  𝑾𝑬𝑳𝑳, 𝑰𝑭 𝑰𝑻 𝑰𝑺𝑵'𝑻 𝑮𝑨𝑩𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑳'𝑺 𝑳𝑰𝑻𝑻𝑳𝑬 𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑳.  ❜   viviana  coos  at  her,  pouting  playfully.     ❛   don’t  worry.  your  lover  is  being  properly  punished  as  we  speak.  he’s  really  lucky  that  he’s  my  favourite.   ❜     so,  his  punishment  is  that  her  guards  are  holding  him  back  at  the  unseelie  court  while  she  turns  his  precious  girlfriend  into  a  mouse.  and  then  she’s  gonna  dangle  the  jenna  mouse  in  front  of  his  nose!     ❛   did  you  really  think  you  could  hide  from  me?  me?   ❜

❛  𝑴𝑶𝑴, 𝑰 𝑾𝑨𝑵𝑵𝑨 𝑮𝑶 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑳𝑳𝑨.  wherever  aunt  bri’s  taking  you,  i  want  to  go.  i  want  to  be  there  for  stella.   ❜     she  says,  standing  tall  in  the  doorway  to  her  parent’s  room  as  she  watches  her  mom  pack.     ❛   i  know  the  plan  is  for  me  and  jay  to  stay  here  with  dad,  but…  stella  is  losing  her  mom.  and   —   and  if  that  was  me,  i’d  want  my  best  friend  there.  she  needs  more  family  right  now,  not  less.  bringing  us  would  make  things  feel  more…  normal  for  her,  i  think.  and  doesn’t  she deserve  some  sense  of  normalcy  while  her  world  is  imploding?   ❜     it  still  won’t  be  like  the  royal  manor,  but  with  jenna  and  cassie  and  jase,  along  with  snow  and  fen  and  lily  and  gus   —   it  would  be  a  little  taste  of  home.     ❛   you  have  to  bring  us,  mom.   ❜

JENNA IS relieved that in a similar fashion to gabriel and viviana, cassiel and stella have bonded to one another. jenna’s never experienced it herself, but she can only imagine what it is like... for her daughter to see her best friend and their family in so much pain. she says nothing for a moment, continuing to reach for articles of clothing. briar is back at the safe house, probably struggling to find ways to entertain stella. cassiel and jase would certainly be better at that. a loud huff sounds from where fen rests on the couch, his golden eyes swimming beneath his eyelids as he dreams. like snow he is always listening. lips purse tightly and jenna finally turns to her daughter, expression soft, but neutral. 

JENNA APPROACHES her sister-in-law in the kitchen, mischievous grin finding a home on her lips as eyebrows raise and she exhales softly, moving to snag a cheez-it from the box before the angel can put it away, “since you so graciously helped plan my wedding, will you let me know when i need to start planning yours?” another cheez-it is popped in her mouth, brow raising as she motions to briar’s phone’s wallpaper, a stunning image of vienna candidly caught off guard.