July 12th, 1525.

King Henry VIII.

It all sounded splendid. Was he distraught when his brother died? Of course. He couldn't be consoled. It wasn't until Brandon reminded him that he was now the next king, that he calmed down and stopped grieving as much.

He supposed he was a selfish creature. Someone who cared most about himself. He wondered if it was a bad thing. He sighed, pondering life and its meaning was not the king's job. He thought about Katherine for a moment. Was it fair to leave her? He shook away the thought. Wolsey would find a way to get him an annulment. It was obvious that Katherine lied to him about her marriage with Arthur. If she had been telling the truth, he'd have a son by now. He knew it wasn't his fault. Little Henry Fitzroy had been healthy and strong. He had a son, but not by Katherine. Now, his son was dead and he had no heir. He only had Mary. Despite his love for the girl, he couldn't risk leaving her as his only heir. She was a girl. She would be overcome by her emotions and moral standards as her mother often was. She wouldn't be a strong ruler for England.

Henry looked out into the sky. Night had only recently begun and the moon was full tonight. He saw a girl in a pretty green dress lying on the grass down in the yard. Overcome with worry that a girl had died, he walked out of the palace and over to where she was. It was only as he exited the palace that he saw her move. She wasn't dead. Calmness filled him. Then, he wondered why he'd been so worried in the first place. He decided he was a caring individual and that his earlier thoughts had been wrong.

"What are you doing?" He asked her, standing a few feet away.

The girl did not turn or even look at him, "I like to look at the moon sometimes."

He stared at her, mystified. She obviously was unaware of who he was. It soothed him. Even though he did love the life of a king, especially the king of England, it was nice to see such a purity when someone spoke to him, not trying to please. He wondered aloud, "And what exactly is so pleasant about looking at the moon?"

She laughed. He noted that her laugh was pretty. Her raven hair was loose all over the grass and her thin body still. No wonder he thought she was dead, the girl barely moved. "I find that it calms me, my lord. No matter where you are in the world, you can always see the moon. It's beautiful. It makes me feel a certain unity with other kingdoms." He had never thought of the moon in that way. He had always seen the moon as an absence of sun. "When I was younger, I thought the moon was talking to me, whenever I heard music in the night air. I sound as if I am mad, but I am not. I was an imaginative boy." She laughed at him again, "It is good to have an imagination. I do not think of you as mad."

He smiled, the only person he'd ever told the story to had been his father, who'd then told him to never speak of it again. The sense of anonymity he now felt compelled him to tell her his secret. He scolded himself in his mind. He did not know her, and women could rarely be trusted. He decided to change the subject, "What are you doing at court?"

She wondered who she was speaking to. She wasn't even a member of the court and she'd only rarely been here. "I am to become a lady in waiting to her majesty. My father brought me to court for my performance in the masque tomorrow." The man remained silent and she wondered if her answer had been satisfactory. "I am to be in the masque as well, my lady." She smiled, "How pleasant."

"Indeed."

There was a short but comfortable silence. She was pleased with herself for befriending someone at court. Even if she did not know who this man was, she now considered him a friend. It was a while before he spoke, "How do you find the court?"

She sighed, "I haven't seen much of it, my lord. From what I have seen, it is very pleasant and splendid. The ladies seem kind, but I have not yet seen the Queen. The ladies do love to gossip, I have noticed. I am not one who is very fond of gossip."

There was a pause before he spoke again, "What do they gossip of?"

"The King. The Queen as well, but most about the king. Many of the ladies have gone to the king's chambers at night. I hope you understand what I am saying."

He chuckled, "They gossip about how it was to lay with the king?"

She nodded her head before realizing he wouldn't have been able to see her, "Yes."

He chuckled again. It irritated her that he found this amusing. He was surely just as much a pig as the king was. They thought it was all well to take mistresses. She knew God would not like adultery and she wondered why all the ladies had given their maiden head to the king. God would not be pleased at their aid in adultery. The man spoke again, "What do they say?" She almost scoffed and thought to insult him, but thought better of it when she realized he could very well be a man of high standing with the king and it would do her no good to have him tell the king.

She calmed herself, "Well, they seemed to have enjoyed it."

He chuckled. Of course they had enjoyed it, he was the king of England! He looked over at her. He was still far away and standing. He wondered what she'd really wanted to say with that answer. Her tone was so … odd. She seemed angry, but at whom, he did not know. "What are your true thoughts on the gossip?" He heard her laugh, "Well, my lord, I find it odd that the ladies take pride in their sins. Is it not silly of them? The king discards them as quickly as he chooses if he did not, he is married and they are aids in adultery. More still, it is sinful to sacrifice their purity before marriage." He stared at her. His thoughts of having her as his next mistress would never come true. He didn't mind it. At least not for now. The girl continued to speak,"It is also an insult to the Queen. They are in her service and yet they lay with her husband!"

He thought all of her points were valid. She obviously had a higher moral standard and sense of loyalty than the other ladies.

"Is it very late?" She asked after another small silence. "Yes," was his short reply. He was in thought about her earlier words. "I must go then, my father will be angry." He watched her as she slowly rose and turned around. She went into a deep curtsy, despite being unknowing of who he was. He looked at her. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her body looked small and delicate, and yet she was proportioned in the most perfect way he could imagine. She looked like and exotic angel. Her eyes were beautiful, like dark hooks into the soul. Her hair was even more beautiful than he'd imagined it would be. She rose from her curtsy and began to walk towards the palace, "Excuse me, my lord." She walked passed him and it was not until she was near the entrance that he remembered he was unaware of who she was. He only knew that she was beautiful, had strong opinions and morals, was very loyal, and she was funny. He felt an attraction to her before he'd even seen her. "Wait." She turned and looked to him. "You did not tell me your name, my lady." She laughed, "If you find me at the masque, I shall tell you, my lord." She dropped into another curtsey, a shallow one this time, and walked into the palace.

He stood there, dumbfounded.

She felt a smile upon her face. It was an innocent flirtation, she decided. She wanted to be this man's friend, nothing more. He was kind but he was most likely married and she did not want relations with him.

-----

July 13, 1525

She took her place in the masque and watched as the men entered. It was not long before the man from the night before was holding her hand. Her heart skipped a little when she looked into his beautiful eyes. She thought she could get lost in them. He was gone as quickly as he appeared. She was to be his friend. Only his friend. She would be happy doing so. Just because he was attractive did not mean she wanted to be more than his friend. She decided that he would be good company to keep. She saw him dancing with Princess Margaret. Her heart stopped at her realization. This was the king! She had spoken to the king. He was most certainly married and she would be his friend if it pleased him. Yet, she had spoken things she should not speak in front of the king. She'd all but insulted him. He didn't seem to mind it then, but what if it were all an act. When the dance called for it, she was his partner. The fear building inside her was suppressed as she danced with him. She tried not to show her fear.

"Who are you?" She wondered if she should tell the truth. She decided it would be best. He would not forgive her for lying. "Anne. Anne Boleyn."

A/N: I hope it was enjoyable. This idea has not been leaving my head. This story will not be historically accurate and I'm changing Anne a bit. Which will change Henry. So, if Anne wasn't pushing for an annulment and didn't have ambitions for the crown, would Henry have still been persistent for his annulment? Would Mary and Katherine's outcome be the same? As a heads up, I love ReganX's stories and one of her stories threw this thought into my head. The stories are completely different though.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

Reviews = quicker updates.