Chapter 2:

I was practicing my Latin at the low desk in my nursery when my nanny interrupted me. "Come now wee queen. It's time tae meit yer ladies," she cooed.

"In a moment, let me finish my conjugations," I replied absently.

"Ah lass, ye should be excited. Ye will finally be aroond lasses yer own age. It will be good fur ye," she sighed in exasperation.

"I said in a moment. It's not like they are going anywhere," I murmured.

"Dinnae be like 'at," my nannie coaxed. "Ever since ye began readin' those books af yours, ye have bin different. Too much learnin' rot th' brain mah mammy always said. I think ye should pay heed. Ye used tae be sae adventuroos when ye waur a wee lil. I know a wee adventurer is in thaur somewhaur."

I huffed in irritation. I had no interest in socializing with girls my own age, and had no idea how to act around them. I had way more life experience and thought and acted differently than the other children. I was suspicious that they would be able to tell that I wasn't one of them. Children are strangely perceptive. They would be able to sense that I wasn't a child, but some strange adult-child hybrid. What was I supposed to do with them?

"Fine, we can go now," I said. "Am I presentable?"

My nanny smiled and took the opportunity to fuss over me, fixing my hair. Once she was satisfied with her handiwork I was led out of the nursery to the courtyard. The entire way there I felt my anxiety building. My heart quenched as the pressure in my chest built up with each step that brought me closer to the dreaded encounter. My thoughts were flying through my mind. They were probably going to be annoying bothers, and it was going to be confusing with so many Marys. You would think that the Scottish nobility could come up with another female name besides Mary. At least they would have a convenient moniker as "The Four Marys." They were so going to get nicknames; it would be ridiculous for all my ladies in waiting to all have the same name as me. How would we ever know who was being addressed or gossiped about?

When we reached the courtyard I noticed that my mother was already there. I walked over to her and waited for her to acknowledgement. I was sure that she had some sort of instructions for me. I wasn't disappointed. She turned to me and stated coolly "Don't grimace. Smile graciously for our guests." She fixed me with a pointed stare until I forced myself to smile. "Better, but it still needs work," my mother told me. She placed her hands on my shoulders before continuing, "These girls are the daughters of the wealthiest families in Scotland. They will be traveling with you to France and will be serving as your ladies in waiting. Even though they will serve you, we are beholden on their families support, and we must make a good impression. Remember that you are always on display Mary. There is always someone watching you and what you do. You represent Scotland, do her proud." She lifted my chin with her second and third fingers, "Now chin up, we have nobles to impress."

She spun me around and rested her hands on my shoulders, which surprised me. She has never been very affectionate, and this was the most physical contact I had received from my mother for a while. My mother must be serious about presenting a strong front. Together we waited for the carriages to arrive. After a few minutes I heard the clopping of horses approaching. The carriage halted shortly after entering the gates. The driver got down and opened the carriage door as the court courier announced, "Robert Beaton, Laird of Criech, his wife Jane Renwall, his sister Janet and his daughter Greer."

Unimpressed with the display, I fought hard not to fidget and grinned through it. I thought I was here to meet my lady's maids, but there wasn't a Mary amongst them. The family approached us as the carriage drove off. Introductions were made, but I was only half paying attention, distracted by the next carriage driving into the castle gates.

The court currier announced the occupants again, this time it was Lord Malcolm Flemming, his wife Janet Stewart, and daughter Lady Kenna. Again, nobody named Mary was present. Now I was confronted with two little girls my age standing beside me, whose names were not Mary. I fought desperately to keep down the burgeoning panic in my chest, which was threatening to bubble over into my actions. I couldn't let anyone notice that I was on the verge of a minor meltdown.

"Once is chance, twice is coincidence, thrice is a pattern," couldn't help but run through my head on a loop as I waited with bated breath for the third carriage. I tried to convince myself that maybe more noble families were coming to pay their respects before I was shipped off to France. That none of my lady's maids had arrived yet and that's why these girls had different names than the previous Mary's lady's maids, because I didn't want to face the alternative. If these girls were in fact my lady's maids, then it would indicate that I wasn't in the past like I originally thought, but somewhere else entirely. That idea terrified me.

My heart plummeted down to my feet following the announcement of Lord George Seton, his wife Lady Marie Pieris, and daughter Lady Lola. My smile felt like it was splitting my face with how fake it was. It seemed as if my face was made of porcelain, which was currently cracking into pieces and falling. My chest felt like it was about to explode with how fast my heart was hammering, and I could feel the blood rushing in my ears. Still I held onto the hope that maybe there would be many more carriages arriving. Or perhaps some families were delayed and would be arriving at a later date. I wished for any possible explanation that would be consistent with me being in the past and not in an alternate reality that shared several similarities to my past.

The fourth carriage contained Lord Alexander Livingston and his daughter Lady Aylee. After greeting them, my eyes tore to the gates, searching for signs of another family's arrival. I strained my ears, trying to discern the approach of another carriage, and I willed with all my might for more people to arrive through the gate. However, nobody else arrived and eventually I was shuffled along as the party moved into the castle.

On entering the castle, the children and I were excused to the nursery. I wasn't sure if this was a blessing or a curse. On the one hand, I was able to get away from the adults, which was absolutely necessary as I was barely holding myself together. On the other hand, I would have to directly interact with my lady's maids who were currently the source of my existential crisis. When we reached the nursery I plastered on a grin and welcomed them warmly to Stirling Castle. I thanked them for being so brave to come with me to France and how I hoped we would be the best of friends. Thankfully, it was enough for them and they were soon grinning and chatting away, excited by their new surroundings and the promise of adventure.

Later that night I tossed and turned in bed thinking about my current situation and bargaining with the universe. The fact that I was in an alternate reality of the past hardly changed my plans; I could still implement them more or less. Some may need adjusting, but I couldn't assess the situation properly until I was in France and could observe if there were any changes from the previously expected past. I hoped with all my might that Francis would be healthier here. It was the change that I wanted the most, and I wished for it desperately. It would make things so much easier if he was not a sickly, infertile midget as he was reported in the history that I remembered. Maybe he would be healthy, handsome and strong. If I had to pick only one, I would settle for healthy.

There was something niggling at the back of my mind, a vague familiarity with the situation despite it being different from the past. Where had I heard the names Greer, Kenna, Lola, and Aylee before? I thought over what I knew about Mary, Queen of Scots. Most of what I learned about her was from historical sources, but I also encountered her as a character in pop culture. I had even watched a TV show, Reign, which was loosely based on the life of Mary, Queen of Scots. What were the names of Mary's lady's maids in that show again? It makes sense why they wouldn't all be Mary as that would be way too confusing for viewers. They would have unique and distinct names like my current lady's maids. Wait weren't their names in Reign Greer, Kenna, and Lola? And then there was one other lady's maid who died part way through the first season, which must be Aylee.

I felt my stomach sinking as I realized the consequences of being Mary in what may be the Reign universe. I took a few calming breathes to steel my nerves. This was going to be so much more complicated and difficult than I initially thought. Reign had infinitely more drama and political intrigue than I would have encountered if I were in the past. Mary and Francis had to navigate a political minefield and were suffering from constant crisis in the show. And wasn't Francis poisoned? I thought all I had to do was to figure out how to save him from an ear infection, which was hard enough as it is. Now I had to figure out how to detect and counter arsenic. Actually, it would be best to learn the whole spectrum of poisons and how to counter them just to be safe. I wasn't going to let Francis die on me. Also somehow I was going to have to figure out a way to prevent Aylee's death too. I really did have my work cut out for me.

Over the next few days I got to know my new ladies as we prepared to depart for France. Greer was ever eager to please; she was already beginning to develop an inferiority complex being the only one without the formal title of Lady in the group. I tried my best to reassure her that she was chosen the same as everyone else and that she belonged with the best of the best, but it was a work in progress. Kenna was very spirited and had a penchant for trouble. I had a sinking feeling she was going to need supervision to make sure she didn't get in over her head. Hopefully, she would learn restraint as she grew older or would at least defer to me, as she should.

Aylee was almost Kenna's exact opposite. Aylee was shy and reserved where Kenna was outgoing and adventurous. I could tell that her parents were already grooming her to be a demure, submissive lady wife. How boring. Her confidence needed a boost as well. Lola was probably the most balanced and reliable of the lot. She was mature for her age and was particularly good at keeping the peace; she showed some aptitude as a future diplomat. Tentatively, Aylee and Lola may be suitable for handling any female household duties that I would be expected to do, such as seating arrangements, with Lola handling any negotiations that would need to be accomplished. Greer and Kenna may be more useful for keeping on top of the gossip, rumors, and the goings on at Court, in the country, and internationally. Kenna would be able to focus on the Court and nobles and Greer could pay attention to the merchant and artisan class. I was distracted from my musings to Greer crying as Kenna tried to take her doll. I sighed; there was a long ways to go before they could operate like the support team that I needed. They were still children after all.

Note: I used the real parents and relatives of Queen Mary's ladies in waiting. I matched up Greer, Kenna, Lola, and Aylee to the family names of each of Queen Mary's ladies' families the best I could. Reign changed the backgrounds and life course from what occurred in history drastically.