Mary bent her head, trying to hide the wide smile on her flush face.

"Do you mind?" Francis asked with equal parts amusement and exasperation.

"Oh, I'm sorry, was I interrupting?" Bash replied in mock innocence. "Don't mind me, I'm just here to tell the pretty nurse I'm ready for my sponge bath."

Francis chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Careful, you're not back to full health just yet."

"No, but it's good to see you have been cured of your misguided sense of nobility. Nice work, Mary. We make a good team." He winked at her.

Francis raised his eyebrows at her, but before she could respond, a royal page rushed into the hall and up to Francis.

"Your Highness, your father, His Majesty the King, requests your presence."

Francis looked at Mary. There was still much to say.

"Ah," the page awkwardly cleared his throat. "His Majesty requested it..at once, Sir."

Francis gave a frustrated sigh.

"Go," Mary said. "We'll talk more later." Matters of state must come before matters of the heart, after all.

Francis took her hand and kissed it chastely. "We will." he promised. Then he left with the page toward the Map Room.

"It seems you got through to him." Bash said to her.

Mary looked uncertain. She knew Francis cared deeply for her, and he had kissed her passionately, but she still wasn't sure what that meant for them. "I hope so."

On her way back to her chambers, Mary visited the church. She had not been able to attend service since her injury. It felt good to worship in the House of God, rather than in her room, again. With her friends' help, she knelt. At the altar, she lit six candles, one for each of the companies lost at Outreau. She prayed for those soldiers, and she prayed to God for the strength and wisdom to be a good queen for Scotland, and, God willing, for France someday.

When Mary and her ladies-in-waiting returned to her rooms, a messenger arrived shortly after. King Henry had decreed that there would be a royal feast that evening for Sebastian's return to Court. Mary wondered briefly how Queen Catherine would take a fete in honor of a bastard. The girls chattered excitedly about what they would wear and who they would dance with. Their enthusiasm was contagious, and Mary joined them in gushing and playing with each other's hair while they got ready. They teased her about Francis, and she confessed she was anxious to see him again, but she didn't tell her friends about her talk, and kiss, with him. It felt as though to speak of it aloud would somehow break the spell. She wanted to keep it a secret, to own that moment for herself and treasure it.

Mary entered the Throne Room. The festivities were already underway, the room bursting with the sound of lively music and a hundred people talking, eating, laughing, and dancing. The King and Queen sat at the far end of the room, joined by Prince Charles and his brothers and sisters. Except Francis, whose seat was empty, and Bash, who was illegitimate and therefore not allowed at the royal table. She spotted Bash sitting on a cushioned chaise lounge below and beside the dais, surrounded by admiring ladies feeding him, but there was no sign of Francis.

"Mary!" At the sound of his voice, she looked into the crowd and saw that Francis had come down to meet her. He looked as handsome as ever in a doublet of dark blue velvet. And there was something else, a lightness in his eyes that she hadn't seen in years. He smiled broadly when he reached her. For a moment they said nothing, just gazing at each other and smiling.

"You look beautiful, Mary." he said then.

"Thank you." she replied, pleased. She wore a rich gold brocade gown. It was her favorite. Though she planned to sit out the dance, she had wanted to wear something special that night.

"Mary, I have something to tell you."

Just then a trumpet sounded. Everyone turned to face the throne. King Henry stood, and the room instantly fell silent.

"Tonight we celebrate family." he said. He raised his glass, and his subjects followed. "We celebrate their health." He glanced sideways and smiled fondly at Bash, who raised his cup to his father. "And we celebrate their happiness." the King said as he turned to look at Francis. "I am pleased to announce our renewed alliance with Scotland, and strengthening that friendship, the engagement of Francis, Dauphin of France, to Mary, Queen of Scots."

Mary gasped while everyone applauded and cheered. This was what Francis had wanted to tell her, the main reason for the sudden soiree. Francis smiled warmly and held out his hand to her. She took it, brimming with happiness, and they walked through the sea of well-wishers. Bash whistled and whooped as they passed him, and they laughed. When they reached the dais, Francis bowed and Mary curtsied to his royal parents. King Henry said "Welcome to the family, again." to Mary, while Queen Catherine, looking far from overjoyed, gave a polite nod of acknowledgement. But nothing could dampen Mary's spirits that night.

Or so she thought.

Throughout the evening, dignitaries from all over Europe came to extend their country's congratulations and best wishes to the happy couple. Mary and Francis thanked each one graciously. But then a crash of the doors disrupted the frivolity. The ambassador of Portugal stormed in. He strode up to them looking furious.

"This is an insult!" spat the ambassador. "You have humiliated our prince and ruined Portugal's reputation!" he accused Mary.

Mary was speechless, but Francis had several choice words. "Tomas did that himself. He deceived everyone. He got my men killed, tried to trick Mary into being his wife, and betrayed all his allies. Then when he was caught, he ran away with his tail between his legs."

The ambassador snarled. "I bring a message from Prince Tomas. Enjoy this night, but know this: he will take back what is rightfully his. And if he cannot have her, no one can."

The blood froze in Mary's veins. Francis stepped in front of her protectively. "You dare threaten a queen at Court?" The two men glared at each other. "Guards, get this man out of here." Francis commanded. The ambassador was dragged out, spewing curses in Portuguese.

The confrontation left Mary badly shaken. She barely noticed Francis place a comforting hand on her back. The buzzing in the room grew louder and louder.

"Can we go someplace quiet to sit?" Mary asked, her voice a bit unsteady.

"Of course." Francis took her hand and led her through a side door to a small meeting room. She sat on an upholstered bench and took a deep breath while Francis closed the door and shut out the noise. He sat down next to her and held both her hands in his.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his eyes full of concern.

Mary nodded, then laughed wryly. "You'd think I'd be used to threats by now."

"Don't worry about him. I won't let anything happen to you." he said adamantly.

"Thank you." she replied, smiling at him. She felt calm and safe when she was with him. He looked straight into her eyes.

"Mary, I swear to you I will be by your side. Against all enemies and all obstacles, political or otherwise. Not just as your friend, but as your fiancé. I'll do everything I can to keep this engagement for us, too."

"And I swear to do the same for you." Mary said. "To fight for us and protect our union and our countries."

"Whatever may come, the lions and the dragons, literal or figurative-" Mary laughed lightly. He squeezed her hands. "Anything life throws at us, we will face it together, as husband and wife, king and queen."

Full of gratitude and affection, she threw her arms around his neck and body and hugged him. It took him by surprise, but he quickly recovered, wrapping her in his arms, bringing her closer. They held each other for a long moment, relishing the feel of their embrace and the serenity that came with it. Francis kissed the top of her head then parted slightly so that they were face-to-face.

"Earlier today, I wanted to say something to you, but I didn't get the chance." he said. "Actually, I've been wanting to say this to you for months, maybe even years." He bit his lip then laughed softly. "This usually comes before an engagement, so I'm sorry this is so late." He cupped her cheek with his hand. The tender smile on his lips and in his eyes warmed her heart. "I love you, Mary."

Her breath caught, and then a small smile formed on her lips and slowly grew into a wide, happy grin. "I love you, too, Francis." she said sincerely. "I have since we were six." He smiled and leaned in to kiss her.

Their first kiss had felt like a bitter farewell. Their second, a storm of emotions and pleasure. But this time, with their kiss came a sense of completion, feelings of joy and love, and the promise of the beginning of a lifetime together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: This, like the show, is a piece of historical fiction/fantasy. I tried to avoid being anachronistic, but the historical characters and political plotlines are not based on any research. I do not own Reign. Please review if you like (ILYs!) or dislike (the end!). Thanks!

Final thoughts: Extra long finale chapter, whoo~ / IT'S DONE. I can't believe I managed to write this story in less than one week! Let's see how it holds up against Episode 1x4. (ETA: Well?) / Anyone else want Tomas to be a recurring evil-hot stalker villain? (ETA: Dammit!) / I'm 100% Frary, but Bash sure is a lot of fun! / Depending on your outlook, the Frary parts from the last two chapters are incredibly romantic and/or tragically ironic. :X / Shout out to Sam and other Guests since I can't PM to say thanks for the comments! / THANK YOU, EVERYONE. Thank you to all the readers, the 100+(!) followers, the favoriters, and especially the reviewers! You guys rock and made the hours of writing and waiting for Thursday worth it. THANKS! :D