My name is Isabella Henrietta Catherine Hunsdon and I am a ward of King Henry the Eighth and his Queen Catherine of Aragon.
My Father, Lord Henry Hunsdon, a man of great wealth and power, died of the sweating sickness when I was seven and my poor Mother, Lady Isabella de Silva, a lady in waiting and close friend of the Queen died bringing me into this world.
Out of the goodness of their hearts they have taken me into their home and these past seven years educated and raised me alongside their only surviving child her Royal Highness, the Princess Mary.
But now as a girl of fourteen, a woman, and sole inheritor of all my Father's money and many vast estates throughout England and beyond I am one of the most powerful and richest women in all England.
A Princess of England in all but name.
The People's Princess.
This is my story.
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I had just returned to court after spending a month visiting Mary at Ludlow Castle and was taking a walk around the beautiful gardens of Hampton Court Palace, a favourite residence of King Henry the Eighth when I saw the King himself kissing the lips of a beautiful dark haired woman before noticing me and telling her to go.
'My dear Bella!' He said happily walking over to me and sweeping me into his arms in an affectionate embrace before realising me.
'Your Majesty.' I answer curtseying respectfully to him for no more then a moment before he takes one of my hands in his own and helps me to my feet once more.
'Who was that?' I ask my curiosity aroused as he glances back behind him distractedly as we now begin to walk together to an unknown and hidden part of the garden where a private conversation could not be seen or heard by anyone.
'Just a friend.' He answers with a small smile upon his lips then glares at me for having the audacity to ask him such a question.
'I don't kiss my friends that way.' I say in all innocence and watch his face change to one of amusement.
'Maybe you should. I find it sometimes brings great advantages.' He says laughing heartedly at his own little joke and I laugh politely back not understanding what he means by it.
'All my friends at the court are women. It would be inappropriate.' I answer once again in all innocence and he laughs heartedly once more.
'Inappropriate?' He echoes and I too laugh realizing that he was never used to hearing that word being a King and before that a Princess and having his every whim catered for by all those around him.
'I know. Use of the word makes me sound like a purebred Nun.' I admit mirthfully but I can see that his mood has turned serious once more.
'And are you...? Still pure?' He suddenly snaps at me and I am momentarily taken aback by his sudden burst of temper at me.
'Of course your Majesty. Did I not promise you that I would give myself to no man before marriage?' I say reassuringly and waited as the anger quickly drained from his face as if it had never existed.
'I'm sorry Bella. Forgive me. I do know that you are innocent and pure.' He said sadly and i watched with surprise as his eyes filled with tears.
'Your Majesty?' I ask concerned as he begins to weep and put my arms around him to comfort him.
For a long while the Master of all England cries in the arms of his young ward and then departs as if nothing ever happened.
This leaves her alone to wonder what breaks his heart so and being clever, as she was, it does not take her long to work out the answer.
A son.
He needs a son to continue the Tudor line.
Suddenly the wind chills her to the bone and a horrible feeling that she cannot escape fills her heart shaking her to the very core of her being.
There was malice in the air and a wicked form of change approaching but what form it would take she didn't know.
Only that she would have to be on her guard.
For the sake of the King.
For the sake of Queen Catherine and Princess Mary.
Finally for her own sake.
The Devil himself was banging at their door trying to come in...