1523
Anne arrived at Hever by nightfall, she had barely said a word the whole journey. She wore her signature stony mask of indifference, as she walked up the stairs of the large building. Thoughts of her failure swirling around in her head, she had made a mistake, it was unlike her. She changed into her nightclothes and took down her hair, as she brushed through her long silky brown hair she paused. Placing the brush on the dark wooden vanity she looked at her reflection. She did not recognize herself; a pale white face stared back at her. Dark shadows hung around her eyes; her once rosy cheeks were slightly sunken in. Anne's frown deepened as she looked into her eyes.
They were almost lifeless; they lacked their normal seductive, alluring brightness. Anne reached up with the tips of her fingers and brushed over the contours of her face. Swallowing thickly she let her mind drift to the reason she was here and not with her family. She had married the king; she had secretly married King Henry. Her thoughts froze on him, Anne thought of his laugh, his smile and his charm. She was not supposed to fall in love with him, which had not been her task. But not long after she found herself in his bed and by his side, she had realized she did indeed love him. For so long she had wanted to fall in love and be married, but now, all she could feel was darkness. She longed for simpler times, she longed for the blissful unawareness of her childhood.
Anne tried to pinpoint the moment or time when her life had become so unhinged and destructive. It worried her that she was unable to remember when the shift had happened. She supposed it was when she became an adult, but had she always been so calculated and driven much like a man. She thought of her sister Mary. Even while Anne had been whispering in her ear about how to seduce the king, her younger sister had protested the ideals and requirements of a lady in court. Anne wondered how Mary was able to stay so innocent, and dare she say naïve, while her job was to be the king's whore. Anne shifted her thoughts to her brother George; he was far more invested in his sisters than most brothers would be. He was not as harsh and calculated as their father and Uncle. He, much like Anne, carried the Howard charm and grace.
As Anne's thoughts came back full circle to her, she realized that she was mostly the worst version of her father. She swooped in and claimed her target with graceful seduction and witty charm. She knew to use her body as a means to and end to get what she wanted it no longer bothered her. She objectified her body as well as her sister's; Mary often chastised and occasionally flinched from her vulgar and harsh words. Anne never listened, for as jealous as she was over Mary's success, she loved her. They had each other's backs to some degree. They had shared many loving moments together, moments away from their hectic lives. It was in theses moments that Anne was harshly reminded of how young Mary was. As her younger sister would soak in the warm water of her bath, Anne would gently comb through her golden brown hair. They didn't say much, it wasn't necessary, Anne felt a brief moment of panic for her sister. She was alone for the time being, to try and win the King over and to keep their family in his good graces. Anne worried if her sister could handle such a task alone, but her worry went away when she remembered that George would keep her safe.
A knock at the door pulled her out of her deep thought making her jump. One of the servants had come to inform her of plans for the following morning. Once he had gone Anne glanced again in the mirror at the unrecognizable person. She realized that the second she fell in love with Henry that she could never be the person she was before. There was no going back for her, this was who she was now. She was the future Queen of England, and she would do anything to keep it that way.
Well let me know if its shit or not, I hope its good I might keep going this is my favorite time period the 1520's through the 1540's very very interesting times. Please review it means a lot much love Bells