A Seymour and a Howard

Howard…

I am a Howard girl. And yet I was never considered as a candidate in our family's bid for power. Why not? I was cultured and educated as any lady—I could sing, dance, compose music, read, write, and engage in physical activities, like riding or hawking. Had a lady's education been more liberal I suppose I could lift a sword and fight as well as any soldier.

None of these things however, were apparently enough to make me a possible candidate for the highest honor any woman of my stature could receive: to become queen. Surprisingly I wasn't too disappointed with this, and found it suited my tastes. Our king, sad to say, did not impress me overmuch. Another reason my name never came up might have been because even though I was a Howard, my family were more along the lines of distant relations.

And thus, because of this obscurity, I was not marked by anyone. Ironically, it was this obscurity that would prove a hidden boon.

Seymour…

My situation was the same as the Howard girl's; I was not considered suitable in our enterprise for power. Nor did I much care. Distant relations our family may be but we were already on a suitable position in the Noble Hierarchy. I was the perfect Renaissance Nobleman, but likely the persons in charge of our bid for power in England were disappointed by my lack of ambition.

Still, this allowed me to do as I pleased within the court, so long as it did not cause inconveniences for the family. However, not in all my dreams or conjectures could I have anticipated the events that occurred the last time I visited court. I, a Seymour man, had dared the heinous: I had fallen for a Howard. Looking upon her, any man could agree with me: she was not ill-favored, though she seemed somewhat plain standing next to the more glamorous Boleyn sisters. It didn't have to do with her clothes; she favored the same French styles as Lady Anne.

Nor was it her appearance: she was possessed of a dark beauty and was one of the few court ladies who preferred to wear her hair free and exposed rather than conceal it in a hood as most did. And when she did wear a hood, it was often those crescent-shaped diadems that were often crested with pearls. The woman was very social and a good conversationalist, though she was not very popular with the men. Despite all this, she appeared little bothered by it. Despite the enmity, I marked her and watched her.

A/N: I plan to modify the contents so that several chapters that are connected with one event form an "arc". So yeah that's pretty much all I'm gonna say.