Author: Regency
Title: Never Dreamed
Summary: Back in the day, Joseph taught Clarisse to defend herself, only it ended
in pain and disgrace for everyone. Now, years later, Joseph lives in America and is a close friend to Mia’s mother.
How will Clarisse react to seeing her former bodyguard again -- especially dating the mother of the heir? Will he even care
after the way it all ended?
Author’s Notes: Don’t die. I know how you all feel about Joe with
Helen. You’ll be all right.
~~~~
“Eduard Christoff Phillipe Gé rard Renaldi was your father.”
“No, that can’t be right, because that would make me…”
Clarisse nodded and gently set down her tea cup. “That’s right. You
are not only Amelia Thermopolis. You are Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi, Princes of Genovia.”
Her mouth hung open in horror. “Shut up!”
She ended her sip prematurely, looking scandalized. “Excuse me.”
It was all downhill from there, ending a few moments later in Mia running top
speed out of the Embassy gates. Wonderful, thought her grandmother. This was going well.
She advised her secretary Charlotte to have a guard drive her about from then
on. They couldn’t take a chance on harm coming to Genovia’s only hope.
~~~
Mia sat crouched in her tower, with only Fat Louie to keep her company. She couldn’t
decide if she felt betrayed or scared; seemed like both. How could they keep such a big secret from her? It was her life and
they’d made a huge choice without consulting her, which was totally not fair. Life was hard enough, let’s add
a crown and call her Ms. Genovia. She’d still be a geek; just a geek in diamonds. Somehow, she wasn’t impressed.
She wanted to disappear more than ever. She didn’t want to rule anything.
She couldn’t even command a podium. She got nauseous just talking to herself in the mirror. How could she speak to an
entire country as their princess? She felt her veggie wrap making an encore appearance at the very thought. No! She would
not be princess. Her mind was made up.
Suddenly, there a was a soft knock on her sliding trapdoor. She didn’t answer
and turned her nose up at the sound.
“Mia. It’s Joe.” Her eyes widened and she rushed to let him
in. As soon as he made it all the way in, she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.
“They lied, Joe. My grandma came back and she told me that dad was a Prince
and now, I’m Princess and I have to rule a country I’ve never even been to. But I don’t want to!”
she finished in one long breath.
He looked at her calmly, nodding at the appropriate points and tugging lightly
at her hair. “I understand, princess.”
Then she looked up at him, understanding dawning. He’d been in her life
for as much of it as she could remember. He’d always called her princess. He said, he saw the royalty inside her.
Her eyes popped in bewilderment. “You knew, too! You knew, Joe. You’re
the only person in the world who’s never lied to me and now, it turns out that you did too. Oh, man.” Tears sprung
into her eyes and turned away, wrapping her arms around herself. “Did my Grandma send you to make sure I didn’t
embarrass the family?” She snorted derisively. “Looks like you did a crappy job.”
“Your grandmother did not send me, princess.”
“Don’t call me that. I’m not a princess.”
“To me, you are.”
“Mom lied. Everybody lied.” She dropped down to her knees miserably.
He kneeled in front of her and lifted her chin. “We kept this from you because
we wanted you to have a normal life.” He took out a handkerchief and wiped her cheeks.
“But I’m not normal. I’m abnormal. I hate this.” He rubbed
her back as she collapsed against his shoulder.
“I know.” They sat there for a while, the sun outside sliding farther
from the center of the sky.
“If Grandma didn’t send you, who did?”
“No one. I came on my own when you were small. I just wanted to see that
you were all right.”
She picked idly at his leather sleeve. “How did you know about me?”
“Believe it or not, I once worked for your grandmother.”
She looked up in surprise. “In Genovia?”
He nodded. “In Genovia, in the palace.”
“When?”
“Many years ago. I was her personal bodyguard.”
“Wow.”
“Not really.”
“What happened?”
He shrugged. “Things.” She glared steadily at him, with her grandmother’s
eyes. “Okay. A misunderstanding.”
“What kind of misunderstanding?”
“Well, I decided long ago that my charge should be able to defend herself
if I could not. From there, things got ugly.”
Mia tilted her head, not quite understanding. “Ugly?”
“Doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
“Tell me.”
“Well…” he thought back.
~~~
A younger Joseph watched his charge, Queen Clarisse of Genovia mist her namesake
roses. They were a light mauve, so classic. She held a bloom to her nose and breathed in its delicate fragrance. Delicate,
so much like her.
Her face contorted in upset as she spied a shorn stem. People came so inconsiderately
and chopped her lovingly planted flowers. They never asked her permission. Didn’t they see what these flowers meant
to her?
With that in mind, a notion he’d long contemplated seemed appropriate for
the moment. He approached her with the proposal that he taught her self-defense. The way a smile spread across her lips and
she laughed told him how seriously she considered such a thought. Queens did not have to learn self-defense. That’s
why they had guards.
He waited for her mirth to die down before making his case. No one else would
have to know. He would teach her. Seeing his unchanged expression, she grudgingly agreed. Why, she’d never know.
They began the very next day, using the enclosed throne room to train. He tested
out her natural instincts and was left with a struggle not to laugh at its ineffectiveness. She did not appreciate his humor
and pinned him to the gymnastic mat with unladylike force. They worked from that.
It took her a bit to let go of her manners and begin to fight. He provoked her,
taunted her until she saw red. He threatened the lives of her children. After that, she got real. He learned that from the
hard way as she landed an elbow in his chest, one of the many techniques he taught her.
For days, he trained her, watching with satisfaction as she slipped more and more
easily into survival mode. Her prim frame became firmer and stronger, though not masculine. She retained her grace. She could
never beat him, but she could hold her own. He was proud of that.
~~~
Mia dozed against his shoulder, though she listened as attentively as possible.
She rubbed her itchy eyes and stretched.
“I don’t understand. You taught Grandma self-defense. What’s
so bad about that?”
“That’s not where the trouble came.”
She perked up. That sounded interesting. “Where did the trouble come, then?
To her displeasure, they were interrupted by her mother’s call before he
could continue. Apparently, Grandmere had arrived at the firehouse. She rolled her eyes, fully prepared to hide in her tower.
To her surprise, Joe nudged her towards the trapdoor. “Go.”
“But--”
“She is a queen and she has asked for an audience with you. You’re
doing her a favor. Not the other way around.”
“But I don’t want to talk to her.”
“We’ve taught you better than that. She‘s gone out of her way.”
Mia nodded, feeling severely chastised. Both Joe and her mother had taught her manners supreme. She tugged her at her hair
and nudged her glasses. She did not feel like being judged by Madame.
She slid the door back and peaked down her spiral staircase. Her Grandma sat on
her bed, looking rather uncomfortable amongst the dishevelment. Man, she wished she’d cleaned her room. Her mom stood
at the foot of the ladder, her face tolerant but not happy. She winced as she remembered how little she got along with her
grandmother. This was hell for all concerned.
“Mia, come down now.”
Feeling stubborn, she shook her head. “Not right now.”
“Mia--”
“Amelia, please, we really must talk.”
“I’d rather not, Grandma. I’m talking to Joe and Fat Louie.”
“Um, whom?” she asked perplexed, looking at Helen, Mia’s mother.
“Joe is…he’s a friend of mine. He’s been around since
Mia was young. Fat Louie is the family cat.” She inclined her chin in false understanding. Helen had a male-friend.
How quaint.
“Amelia will be right down, Helen, your Majesty.”
Clarisse’s blood ran cold as she heard that deep, resounding voice. It couldn’t
be him. She would know if he were here. But from hearing him, she was nearly certain. But not completely.
After all, she’d been wrong before.
~~~
One night, exhausted from her daily royal duties and then her training with
Joseph, the queen lay slumbering deeply in her suite. She had hardly had the energy to change into her nightclothes, she was
so spent.
To her misfortune, fatigue did not add up to a peaceful night’s sleep. Around
three that morning, she rolled dully out of bed and retrieved her night robe. She was weary to the bone, but her mind wouldn’t
rest. As she was about the leave the suite, a scream rose somewhere in the palace, followed by gunfire and commotion. The
guards stationed on the floor disappeared to the ends of the halls, leaving her alone at her door.
She looked around fearfully for her bodyguard Joseph, but he was not to be found.
She shut the doors and retreated to her bedroom to wait for him. All of the sudden, every light went out. There was complete
darkness as there was no moon that night. She laid in wait in her dressing room, praying that Joe would come. Survival mode
refused to engage. Absence of light had not been a scenario she was trained in.
Her fingers thinned in fear and she clutched at her knees, attempting vainly to
make herself smaller. She heard the doors swish open urgently and she prayed that it was her loyal Joseph.
“Your Highness,” the voice called. She exhaled in relief and revealed
herself as best she could.
“I’m here, Joseph.” She sensed him coming ever closer.
“Thank goodness, your Majesty. I was concerned.” His hand wrapped
around her wrist.
At that moment, it all felt wrong. His voice wasn’t quite right and his
touch was entirely off. He never dragged her the way this man was. He guided her gently on her way. What had happened?
“Joseph, what’s happening?”
“Nothing you need to be concerned about, Clarisse.” His voice caressed
her name in a way that left her feeling unclean. Who was this?
“What about the king? Is he all right?”
“Of course.”
She put a firm stop to their departure. “Perhaps, we should stay here…to
wait for further information.” He halted and slid an arm around her waist, holding her close in an improper way. He
smoothed the satin from her shoulder to her hip. She shuddered as her skin crawled. “Joseph, I’m not comfortable…”
“Now, don’t worry about that, Clarisse.”
“But I…” He held his hand over her mouth and she slackened under
the power of ether. He caught her in his arms and whisked her away in the dead silence of the overwrought palace.
Of all those to betray her, she never thought Joseph would be the one.
~~~
Mia stepped down the ladder, followed by Joe holding Fat Louie in his arms.
They passed her mother and descended the staircase with Helen following until they all stood in Mia’s bedroom staring
at one another.
Joe looked over Amelia’s shoulder, clearly wearing a protective expression.
Clarisse shifted on the bed, not used to his giving her such an unwelcoming look. It seemed that even the cat was against
her. She was one of among the dragons it seemed.
“Well, perhaps we can speak as mature people now.” She was sure she
could feel Joe glaring at her. How was she to know that when he departed from Genovia he would come to San Francisco to guard
her granddaughter? There was no way at all she could’ve guessed. To be honest, she had never expected to see him again.
~~~
She peeked into the door to see Joe packing his things hurriedly, but precisely
to be sure he didn’t leave anything behind. He limped noticeably and held his side carefully to denote that he’d
been injured there. She had heard that the guards in the building had not taken too kindly to his abducting and molesting
their queen. They had taken the feelings of anger and betrayal out on him. Even when asked, he would not reveal their names,
stating that he would take that to the grave. Their frequent beatings had brought him terribly close to that grave. Not to
mention, that the penalty for assaulting heads of state was death.
He had never revealed the truth, even in the face of an overwhelming mistake.
Her mistake. She should’ve known better.
“I’m sorry, Joseph.” He paused in his preparation, but did not
cease.
“For what, your Majesty?” He dare not call her ‘his’ queen
again.
“For being so terribly wrong. I should’ve known that you would never
betray me…or harm me.”
“You are human.”
She nodded at his back as he refused to see her or meet her eyes. “I wish
you would reconsider staying on as my guard.”
“That would not be prudent, your Highness. I feel I have outstayed my welcome
here at the palace, or in Genovia for that matter. I must depart at once.”
“There is nothing I can do to change your mind?”
He shook his head. “You are an amazing woman, your Majesty. It has been
an incredible honor to serve in your court.”
She stepped toward him and laid her hand on his back lightly, recalling how his
back tensed painfully beneath the hardly perceptible touch. She wasn’t the only one abused.
“Will you ever return?”
“It is not the plan.” She closed her eyes in silent grief for the
companion she would lose in him. “However as you know, my queen, fate does as it wishes.”
“It does.”
With his bags packed, at last he turned to her to see her once battered face returned
to royal perfection. He now bore the brunt of another’s punishment. She lost her breath to guilt. She reached up and
rested a hand upon his bruised cheek.
“I hope to see you again.” He kissed her palm with restrained reverence.
“Fate will do…” he left it at that. Holding all of his earthly
possessions in his hands, he bowed and set off to another life.
Leaving her behind.
~~~
They sat around the kitchen table, sipping tea from oversized tea cups and
attempting to have a civil conversation. She had far too much…or far too little history with everyone there. However,
despite that they managed to beat out some sort of deal to ensure that Mia would at least be cooperative. She would make no
decision until the night of the Genovian Independence Day Ball. Until then, she would receive lessons on the proper way for
a princess to behave. Surprisingly, she already had a head start, thanks to Joe.
Since she was six-years old, he’d been training her to rule. She never even
realized. Though still gawky and awkward; she retained the knowledge of the Genovian Dansun -- or Wango -- as he’d been
teaching her for a decade. Her posture would straighten on command and she knew what not to wear, she simply chose to wear
it anyway. Also, the nail biting habit had been knocked out by nine. She was seven parts princess, three parts to be continued
Clarisse was slightly displeased to find that her former friend had done much
of her job for her. How many opportunities to bond had he stolen from her with his foresight? How could he possibly know?
She found herself using their lessons as opportunities to find out more about
his life in the last fifteen years. In the beginning, Mia was less than forthcoming about the man who was like a father to
her. She would only reveal to her grandmother that her mother and he were very close -- very close. A hot flush had assailed
her cheeks at that revelation.
“Your mother isn’t a bit young for him?” The look Amelia had
sent unquestionably ended that portion of the conversation. It was obvious that the protectiveness went both ways. There’s
was no way she’d ever scale the walls of the family unit they’d built. She had to admit that they’d raised
her well. She was very nearly a perfect princess as she stood.
As she watched her darling Amelia bloom before her, she felt a loneliness stir
within her. Since Joseph’s departure, she had yet to place someone else in that role of her life. There was no one else
she trusted as she’d trusted him. And so all the emotions she would have vented with him remained hidden inside. Seeing
him again pushed the parameters of her tightly-reigned control to their breaking points. They say that distance makes the
heart grow fonder. How fond of him she’d become again.
That fondness grew to a genuine affection when he brought Mia to the Independence
Ball at the last possible to second to accept her crown. She had barely managed to not kiss him for it. She had somehow restrained
herself.
That is, until she realized that he was not seeing Mia’s mother, who was
dating the girl’s debate teacher. Joe and Helen were close as father and daughter, but nothing more. She was appalled
at her own jealousy. Apparently, news of their convoluted relationship had made its way between them and they’d felt
the need to mess with her. She had managed a nice hah. She was not amused and toyed with the idea of having him removed from
the consulate, but decided that the threat of his taking Mia with him wasn’t worth it.
She’d simply have to learn to live with him. She’d done it for six
years once before, she could do it again. In fact, she didn’t mind as much this time around.
