Garden Maze

She stood with her hands clasped before her, nodding in reverence to the princess.

"Highness, I am your loyal servant. What is it you wish of me?"

Louis had travelled back to court after Christmas, glad that the snow had thawed for his journey. The days at his home had been spent with his parents and little brother-a glad time. He did however look forward to returning to the court. It was such a splendid place and fun was always to be had in the city...he intended to make merry.

He had planned to visit the King and give him a personal account of his visit to England but decided to wander through the gardens. Absent mindedly he strolled into the maze, hands clasped behind his back and his lips inclining to smile-a relaxed expression, that rarely left his face-even when troubled.

The Princess Louise of Burgundy was the Duchess of Burgundy and the daughter of Rosalina Borgia di Calabria of Aragon and Philip the Handsome of the house of Hapsburg, She had often spent her days in the French life as all the other French people like herself, her mother was both of the houses of Borgia and Trastamara which made Louise cousins to the royal family in Spain including Ferdinand II of Aragon. Louise didn't often spend her days though in Spain as she often was kept away from the Spanish life, her mother felt it was best that her children Henry, Louise and Ilona were kept away from the Spanish court since they were children of the late Queen of Spain's previous husband who is now Louise's father, only a select few from Spain seen Louise and her siblings at all and her older brother Louie Plantagenet was rather protective of Louise as well.

The time passed when Louise would travel to Chateau de Versailies to visit the French court, her father was cousins to the Valois French King and his family through their bloodline. Walking through the gardens maze she couldn't help but catch glimpse of its beautiful gardens of the most beautiful flowers, like her mother she was interested in beautiful flowers, her hair a brown color was dragging down her back in those long curls dragging at her waist while her hair was twisted loosely across the side of her head going behind her head and pinned with a pearl pin holding it there, she wore a light pink like cream color dress on her youthful young body which drags the ground below her while she walks through the gardens alone but little did she know their was another walking the gardens of the Maze, Glancing over at the man catching his watchful glimpse she smiled a bit "Hello your grace" Louise said to him,

she was quite familiar who he was as she had heard stories of him and how kind he can be, "I hear you are the French Ambassador, I am honored to be in your presence" Louise said to him "I am Louise, Duchess of Burgundy" she looked over at him with those brown hues which adorned those eyes of hers with her lily white skin to go with the beautiful dress she wore and her rosy lips as well, she curtsies to him then stood straight once more-

Louis glanced up and noticed a woman approach him-youthful in both countenance and beauty, he smiled brightly; beholding the light of her face.

He sighed deeply, "Highness," he replied and bowed, the dark of her eyes inspired his chest to feel warm, "A true honour."

-The young duchess looked at the French Ambassador with a warm smile, she had the beauty of both her mother and her father, Glancing at him she nodded "indeed a honor it is to be in your presence ambassador, the gardens I must say their quite lovely this evening. The sun it is shining quite well" Louise said to the ambassador looking within those eyes of his

"Would you care to walk with me, it is so lovely outside the air is pleasant for such occasions" Louise offered as she stood there "friendship sounds wonderful and I have been away from court for some time, I suppose I have some catching up to do" Louise chuckles a bit, "The King, how is he" Louise asked walking forward-

Louis smiled obligingly and offered his arm as they began to walk. At first his eyes regarded the sky-a deep blue, soon to be newly anointed with stars but at the the very tip of the mountains and on the bottom of the horizon, the sun blazed an orange hue-the clouds blushed pink.

"Well, I believe. I have not yet seen him since my return to France, I was in the English court before Christmas. No doubt, His Grace is in great health and merry spirits. To report from my visit is the nature of my return to court, with hope-I shall meet His Majesty again soon."

-Louise had begun walking with the Ambassador of France and she smiled, her arm within his own as she walks listening to what he had to say "I too haven't seen him quite often as of late as my mother had needed me in Burgundy, I am happy to be able to see his majesty again soon as well. He is a wonderful king indeed, he is good to us" Louise said to him "Might I accompany you when you go to see his majesty, perhaps we may go together" Louise said to him

"It would be wonderful to go together to see the king" Louise said to him-

Louis nodded thoughtfully, "That it would be indeed. However I'fear, I must seen him toute seule. I imagine Your Highness shall talk to him as a friend and I-a servant."

He glanced over to her, admiring the gentle fall of her curls.

Louise walked the garden maze, her dress dragging upon the ground below her, Coming near a fountain in the garden with beautiful statues on it she touches the stone of the fountain while roses grew around it and she glanced over at the Ambassador "The King is quite charming your grace, as he is also my cousin. I would have spoken to him as more then a friend but a loyal cousin at his side, and yourself your grace a loyal friend and faithful subject I am certain you would have spoken to him as. I am certain he would welcome you with open arms as I would have yourself as a faithful subject and friend of my own" Louise looked into his eyes with her own "Would you like that your grace" Louise asked him kindly "To be my friend in every way" Louise spoken once more to him.

Louis sat on the edge of the fountain, hands clasped between his legs-watching as she touched the statue wistfully. The gentle petals on the rose did not compare to the pure softness of her cheek. He shifted in response to her graceful movements and then smirked at her words, his eyes bright and mischevious; "It would be my wish to please you-in any way you saw fit."

Louise stood listening to his kind words, hearing them made her so happy and she simply smiled a bit "I am so happy to hear your willing to be my friend and not only my loyal and faithful subject as you are to the King as well." Louise spoken and she touched the statue saying that, Looking at him her hand she soon removed from the statue after touching her gentle fingers upon it within the Garden Maze, Looking over at him

"My mother, she would tell me stories as a child, she called them fairy tales but I would wish they were real though, how with the cinder girl, she was treated so awfully by her step mother and step sisters, she worked so hard then lost her shoe at the ball when she went to go see the prince, how her good deeds and her lost shoe brought her happiness with a prince and how a poisoned apple had brought another princess her happy endings" Louise said to him "How a gentle single kiss can bring even the gentlest of souls happiness in the end, How I dream of such things, must sound silly really" Louise spoke to him, she was a innocent indeed and she sat there at his side but soon enough her nanny came looking for her calling out for her

"Louisa, oh where's that child" the nanny spoken calling out for Louise "Yes I am coming" Louise spoken and giggles a bit

Looking at the Ambassador "perhaps we will meet again, I am told the King is having a feast, perhaps I will see you there" Louise spoken then she curtsies to him a bit then ran off smiling going to her nanny at once, she was brought into the palace walls to a room by her nanny to be prepared to see the King and readied for the grand feast for the King's guests who would be welcomed.

Claude was talking a walk with her ladies in the garden maze, The sun was warm and she wished her husband was in back in France so they could walk though the garden together.

I watched my daughter walking towards me, She is very beautiful but she looked very pale and my face showed concern for her. " Ma fille - daughter your father and I have missed you, he has just arrived home, he will be very happy to see his daughter at court as am I. " I took her by her frail hand " How are you? " I said with a motherly concern.

Claude smiled softly " I will talk to your papa about having visitors " Claude knew her husband would worry if the visitors brought the plague with them" We will soon have the king of England visting us and the Lady Ann, I hope you will be well enough to meet them, I will not be greeting them so maybe you can stand in for me."

My daughter was right her papa was very strict with visitors, but in my heart I longed for our daughter to have vistiors and travel, I knew how it felt being locked away from the world. "I am not sure if your father will allow vistors but I am sure he will want to show of his beautiful daughter to his highness the king of England, we shall speak to Papa about this matter. " I brushed a hair from my daughters shoulder she was growing up into a beautiful princess but I was sadden by the fact she still did not have a husband. The king is coming to France to present Ann has the future Queen of England, but I will not meet with her. "I have not spoken to your father since he has been back from his travels, so I am not sure if we are once again allies with Scots, but we have been invited to the coronation for Mary De Guise, so maybe all is well again. "  

Daughter you must understand your father wants the best for you, he hides you away from the world like a precious jewel. But it is me that wants you to meet the King of England, I want to show you off to the world so we can find you a suitable suitor. I walked closer and reached out my hand.Take my hand dearest daughter and walk with me and lets enjoy the birds singing, and we talk about your room and how to decorate it.

Anne was walking through the garden, watching as both the Ladies and Gents showed off their skills of Archery. She was wearing a deep purple dress, her silver hair falling around her back and she walked over to another Lady she recognized one of the Ladies from when she saw her lading in the Queen of Franc's service. She smiled "Fine day, is it not?

"Oui. It certainly is" I say as I approach her. "I have not seen you as of late, how are you fairing?"

"Ca va tres bien, merci. Et toi?" she smiled at her, she looked back towards the game of archery then looked back at the Lady "I wm to go to the English Court to serve the new Queen Anne. Have you ever been before? I am quite nervous."

"I may have with the princess. I reply "Are you to leave our Queen's service?"