Julia Gets Caught - Chapter Fifty Four

It was very late and Kristen couldn't sleep. She decided to head up to the top of the castle, to enjoy the stars and get some fresh air. She remembered how she loved to come out at night and sleep during the day.

As she stood there enjoying the night, she heard some voices below. She peered down to see Julia with Daniel talking to the stable boy. She thought that it was very strange for Julia to have Daniel out so late and to have him with her talking to the help. 

"Julia! What are you doing?! If you get caught it will be the end of both of us!" Derick exclaimed quietly as she approached. 

"I came to let you see your son. He looks so much like you when I look into his eyes," she explained.

Julia handed Daniel to Derick. 

"Oh, you're such a cutie," he told Daniel as he tickled him. 

Daniel giggled at Derick. 

"I can't believe I'm a father. He's just perfect. I wish I could raise him and call him my son," he told her. 

"I know you do and I wish the same. Daniel has such a wonderful life and someday, he will become a king and rule this land," she replied.

Derick sat Daniel down and then embraced Julia before she took Daniel and snuck back into the castle. 

"I love you and will miss you until we see each other again," Julia said quietly as she hurried away.

"I love you too. I will wait til you return to me," he replied and turned to walk away, looking left and right to be sure no one saw them together.

Julia returned to her room to find Kristen waiting for her. 

"You little tramp! I thought my son was lying to me about you. I took you and Daniel into my home and treated you like a daughter and Daniel like my grandson. How dare you do this to James! What do you have to say for yourself?!" she shouted at Julia. 

"I don't know what you're talking about. Daniel is James' son, and I have not betrayed him. They are telling you lies to break me and James up!" she replied with shock. 

"Oh! So you're still going with that story?! I saw you with my own eyes just now with the stable boy! You even said he was the father of Daniel! That you loved him!" Kristen snapped back her response.

Julia gasped. She knew she had been caught and was in serious trouble.

"I can explain!" Julia exclaimed, now full of panic. 

"Well let's hear it then?!" Kristen replied as anger began to consume her.

"He wouldn't have anything to do with me! He refused to share my bed and always went off at night. Derick was the only one who really loved me. It's all James' fault," Julia sobbed. 

"How dare you blame James! There's no excuse for this. Do you realize that you and Derick have committed treason in the worst way?! You have messed with the blood line, lied and shared your bed with someone else!" Kristen yelled.

Kristen paced quickly back and forth in front of Julia before turning back to her.

"You will be punished for treason as well as Derick. As for Daniel, he will be stripped of his birth right. You will never see him again." Kristen told her. 

The guards were called to keep anyone from leaving the room and William watched as Julia found guilty for treason.

Kristen then ordered one of her ladies to take Daniel out of the room. She carried him past the guard standing by the door and out into the hallway heading towards his room.

Julia fell to her knees sobbing with her face in her hands. 

"Please take pity on me. Don't kill me! Please don't punish Daniel for my faults. He's an innocent child," she cried out.

Kristen turned to Isabel. 

"Do you take me for a fool?! You knew about this and chose to go along with it!" Kristen yelled at Isabel. 

Isabel composed herself quickly.

 "I didn't know about it," she replied to Kristen. 

Julia kept quiet. 

"You had to know! You are inseparable from your daughter and you knew she was with the stable boy tonight. You both tried to deceive me and my family. You will be punished for treason as well," she told her. 

"They will not allow you to punish me and my daughter like this!" she protested to Kristen. 

"Oh yes they will. That's the law and you broke it. No one will save you from the fate you sealed when you allowed it to happen," she replied with a cold tone that gave both Isabel and Julia chills. 

"Take them both to the dungeon," she ordered the guards.

Julia and Isabel were escorted down the stairs and through the dark halls to the dungeon. The guard opened the metal door and ordered both of them to enter in, before slamming it shut. 

As the guards started to walk away, Julia ran to the door. 

"Please don't put me in here! I'm the princess, James' wife. I don't deserve this! Let me out!" Julia cried out. 

The guards didn't even turn around as they headed up the steps.

Isabel walked over to Julia with such rage she could barely contain herself. 

"How did the queen find out?!" she demanded. 

"I don't know!?" Julia replied truthfully. 

"Where were you tonight?!" Isabel demanded. 

"I.... I was with Derick, but no one was around! I made sure of it," she managed to get out.

"I told you that this would happen! You just had to see him and couldn't leave things alone! You have doomed us all. Now we're going to pay for it with our lives!" she yelled. 

A short time later, they heard someone coming down the steps. Julia ran over to the bars to see that the guards were escorting Derick to the other cell. Julia broke down in tears when she saw him. 

"I'm sorry." she whispered to him as he passed her cell.

The next day Kristen came down to the dungeon. 

"I have talked to my council. You are to stand trial for your crimes and your marriage to James is officially annulled. You are no longer, nor was ever married to him. Your fate will now lie with the council." Kristen told Julia and Isabel. 

"Please! It was an innocent mistake! It won't happen again. I'll be a good wife, I promise." she begged her. 

"There is no other chance, your crimes are unforgivable. You can beg for your life to the council, but it won't do you any good. You see, I was the one that caught you," she told Julia, then left before she could say anything else.

Kristen went up to the nursery where Daniel and one of her ladies was waiting for her. 

"I want you to dress him like a common child. He's no longer royalty. He's to be treated like his status. I need you look for a suitable family that will adopt him. Preferably one that can't have children. If the council finds Julia guilty, he will not suffer for it," she instructed her.

James arrived back from working on his castle. Kristen had him meet her in the throne room. 

"My son, it seems that I owe you a huge apology. I saw Julia with the stable boy last night. She told him that he was the father of Daniel and than she loved him still. Now Julia, Isabel and the stable boy have been placed in the dungeon until the council decides their fate. I just hope you will forgive me for not believing you." she told James.

James sighed with relief.

"I knew it would only be a matter of time. I just didn't know who she was seeing. I can now see the resemblance in Daniel. What of my marriage and the fate of Daniel?" James asked Kristen. 

"Your marriage is now annulled and in case they are found guilty, I have my lady trying to find a nice family to take Daniel in and raise him as their own," she replied.

Later, Kristen met up with her lady and Daniel. 

"Have you found a suitable family yet?" she asked. 

"Yes your Majesty. They are a childless young couple that have been unlucky with having children. They will make good parents for Daniel. They are of noble blood as well," the lady replied. 

"Good! Once they are tried and found guilty, you can take him there. Until then you are to attend to his needs," she commanded.

"Mother...after they have been found guilty, can I marry anyone that I want?" James asked her, hoping that she would agree. 

"James, I have wronged you in so many ways,"she said as she took his hand into hers before continuing, "I will allow you to marry anyone of your liking, as long as you are happy my son,"she finished and gently squeezed his hand.