So, this is my new fanfiction and neglecting just for a moment my beloved TomKat, I decided to focus on a character I love, Thomas Cromwell. The story will be very short, about 5 chapters and will cover the years between 1537 and 1540. What more can I say? I hope you like it and please let me know if you do (or don't either!)

Desclaimer: I sadly don't own history nor The Tudors. I own instead the character of Emilia Of Aragon, but I'd prefewr to own Thomas Cromwell... If you know what I mean :P


What's so funny?

1.

If someone thought that Thomas Cromwell was the grimmest, most mysterious, most feared and for some ways the most dangerous at Court, would have been gravely mistaken, or at least he would have been right until his eyes would have lain on Lady Emilia. Long wavy hair that fell free on her shoulder and two pitch-black eyes gave a first impression of the character of the woman who was sitting at the big banquet in the Main Hall of the Royal Palace, without paying attention to anyone and speaking just a few words only with Chapuys, the Spanish ambassador for the Emperor. Because of what she had established for only just a week at Court was a mystery for everyone: she wasn't one of the new Queen Jane's ladies in waiting and anyway her aristocratic features and her so graceful movements, let guess that in her veins poured noble blood, even Royal. It was still whispered about her presence and lots were the hypothesis about her… a foreign princess, a cousin of the Emperor, the sister herself of King Henry: these were only some of the voices whispered, without even knowing that mixing would have given life to the right answer. Only a few were aware of the secret and among them were of course the new Lord of the Privy Council, that approaching the table were Lady Emilia was having dinner, strangely free from the imperial ambassador's control, took a sit right in front of her.

"Lady Emily" he addressed her bowing her head and he saw her made a grimace of annoyance hearing her Spanish name in the English pronounce. "Your Excellency" added then, calling her with the usual appellative for the ambassadors.

Because that was who Lady Emilia was: the ambassador for the Spanish Crown who was held now, after a new Comuneros revolt by Joan of Castile. She was a woman ambassador, the first, indeed the second after Catherine of Aragon and anyway it was the same family. Lady Emilia was in fact the younger sister of the First Queen of England and the last daughter of the Catholic Kings, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.

"What can I do for you, My Lord?" she asked without even raising her eyes, while the ironic tone used betrayed the helpfulness that the literal meaning of the sentence suggested.

Thomas kept on looking at her for a few seconds and then did something that he wasn't used to do for a very long time: he slowly started to chuckle. A few people around turned to check that that prelude of laugh really came from the mouth of that grim character and even her in the end looked up to him.

"What's so funny?" she asked raising the black eyebrow, almost darker than the eyes.

Cromwell didn't answer and started to laugh for real.