"God knows what is hiding
in those weeks and drunken hearts
guess he kissed the ghosts that made them hard
those queens of misadventures
god knows what is hiding
in those weak and sunken lies
fiery thrones and muted angels
giving love but getting nothing back."
~People by Birdy
"Don't trust anybody, life is safer that way." ~Game of Thrones
Annie was tired of people ignoring her. She wasn't stupid. She knew what she was. Her mother had abandoned her because she couldn't live with the knowledge of what she'd done.
Annie put her book down. Her aunt wouldn't want her to be this angry. She always told her that there was light at the end of the tunnel but she didn't think there was. Her brother Anthony still saw her as the enemy and at every opportunity he got he teased her and threw her down the stairs. One time it got so bad that she thought she was never going to walk again but the King sent her aunt his physician and he told her that she was fine but she would need rest and good tonics to get better.
Aunt Anne wasn't satisfied with that. She went to her brother's room and dragged him. "Ah! Stop it! Stop it! It wasn't me! She did it on purpose, she always does these things!" And took Lady Bryan's whip and began whipping him. It was a light whip compared to the first he had received when he told her the truth, but it was enough to make him angry again. "Get out of here!" He told her as she got to his room. He could hear her footsteps from miles away. She always wore those scandalous shoes, made just for her, like her stupid Aunt.
"I said get out!"
"I am sorry that Aunt Anne hit you. I didn't mean to get you in trouble."
"Yeah right. Everything about you is a lie. My mother should have stabbed you in the heart when you were born but your father took you from her arms before she could. She only wanted you to be born after he thwarted her attempts to kill you, so she could kill you and show your corpse to your daddy."
"How can you talk so ill of me Tony?"
"Don't call me that! Only my mom and my real sister ever called me that. You are not my sister!"
"I am your sister."
"You are a thing created in mother's belly so she could commit suicide. The joke is on you bastard because my mother lives in me and I will make sure your life is a true living hell."
She wanted to say something else but when she attempted to put her hand on his shoulder he pushed her and told her to go away.
Annie went back to her room and locked herself in. She read from her aunt's favorite book, written by a Protestant woman in Germany. She had written on it many times, including on the part that spoke about God and obedience towards your elders. Annie wished that Anthony would understand that her aunt's objective was not to destroy but to build.
She hopped into her bed and gave a big sigh. Siblings were weird, she decided. Or maybe it was just in her particular case. Every time she tried getting closer to them they dismissed her.
Anne knocked on her niece's door. She came in and saw her niece sleeping next to her favorite doll. The former Queen of England rolled her eyes, it was so obvious she wasn't sleeping.
Anne sat next to her and rubbed her shoulder. "Annie, Annie." She raised her tone. Annie opened her eyes and looked at her aunt. "How did you know I wasn't sleeping?" She asked her.
"Your father used to play the same game when we were little. He called it, I am too smart for Anne."
"Sorry."
"It's ok, it brings back good memories of George. I heard you visited your brother, is that why you didn't come downstairs to have dinner with the rest of us?" She nodded.
"He said some pretty mean things about my dad. I didn't want to believe him but sometimes I think he is right."
"How so?"
"I was unwanted. My mother didn't want to have me like you wanted to have Bess and all your other kids prior to their miscarriages or Lady-I mean Queen Katherine or Queen Jane when they had their children. I was just a spur of seed."
"Anne. You were not a spur of seed. Your mother …" God help me. "had many problems but she did love your father."
"Why did she want to kill me then? If she loved me so much, she would not have done what she did and then yelled at my brother to finish what she started. He didn't say that." She added quickly once her aunt frowned and furrowed her brow and opened her mouth, about to ask the question. "I figured that on my own."
Anne smiled sadly at her. Her niece was a smart girl, having inherited the Boleyn brains from her father and it was times like these that she briefly changed her mind of being reminded of George to instead being reminded of herself when she was Annie's age.
She decided it was best to tell her the whole truth, otherwise it would eat her inside like it did her poor mother.
"So my mother blamed my father for what my grandfather and uncle did?" Her aunt nodded. "But he wasn't there though so she had no reason to blame him. I mean, if he had then I can understand her anger but at least he tried to make things better to her by appealing to granddad and even his wife, to annul his marriage and marry her and make me legitimate. That is more than any man has ever done for his kid."
Anne was impressed, but warned her to keep her voice down because the last sentence was enough to get her in trouble these days with the way the country was heading thanks to Henry's latest policies.
"I am not afraid of dying, I am just afraid of getting you and Bessie in trouble aunt."
"You should be afraid for yourself Anine. Bess and I can take care of ourselves but you can't. You need to be careful in everything you say because to many you are still a bastard."
"But I am not. You said it yourself, my daddy and my granddad More after he killed him, worked to legitimize me."
"I am not talking about the people here sweet plum. Other countries still see Bess' mother's to your former uncle as legitimate and valid, and if they are ever successful in turning the clock back in England then everything your granddad More did will be overturned, including you being a true Boleyn."
Annie was scared to hear that. That would mean that Tony could get back all his lands, and not only that, but he could make true all of his threats to make her life a living hell. She jumped to her aunt's arms and hugged her. "You won't make that happen, right?"
"No, I promise I won't but you must be careful as well Annie, this is not the country you were born into when I was Queen. Everything you do will be watched and will be reported back to Cromwell and then to the King. You must be extra careful about what you say from now on."
Annie promised her she would and after she left her niece's bedroom she went to check on her new charge, the little Princess and Bess' little sister, Katherine Isabella Tudor.
Little Bella as she was known was sleeping next to Bess. Bess didn't want to be far from her little sister and begged her mother to join their rooms. Anne was against it at first because she was afraid that her daughter would drop her but seeing how devoted she was to her little sister, she complied. And as it turned out, Bess was a better guardian to her than any other governess could have hoped to be. Certainly better than the lackluster servants she had on Hudson who were only good to talk ill about her mother and how 'ugly' the baby looked.
If you were ever worried Katherine that your daughter was going to be neglected because nobody is going to harm her as long as I am alive. She and her mother had been enemies, but Anne couldn't help but feel a tug at her heart when she the small thing crawling on all fours on the floor, dirty, having soiled herself and crying for her dead mother.
None of the maids were careful to clean her, bathe her, or sing to her the way that her mother surely would have if she had survived the ordeal. But she wasn't a boy and what was more, her mother had failed twice in giving Henry what she promised while she had given Thomas (now considered a heretic and a runaway from the law) a son. It was the ultimate humiliation for him. Henry being Henry, took his anger at the child. She was a Princess but lived worse than a commoner. At least that is how Anne saw it.
She took the poor child and ignored Henry's threats to return her to her household.
"You should be ashamed Henry. She is your daughter and she is living like she was some pauper."
"She deserves it after her mother opened her legs for that man! I did everything to her, gave her power, made her my queen, my Regent and she gave him a son over me!"
"That is not her fault and you know it." Anne told him, glaring strongly at him. "She tried Henry, God knows we all tried to give you a son and the one who succeeded is dead for it. You could at least show her some gratitude."
"Why are you even helping that bitch's daughter Anne? You hated her."
"I did. I still do. I think she was heartless to live her true husband-"
"Don't you dare." But Anne continued.
"-like that for you but her child is innocent just as I would have been if you had gone ahead and cut me off if Thomas hadn't been there to plead my case."
"You are never going to let that go." Henry sighed, chuckling. Anne knew what was going through his mind and he was right. She was never going to let that go. "Fine, take the damned child. I don't want to see her ever again."
Anne knew Henry was joking, but just in case she took her, cleaned her that day despite the maids refusing to follow her orders because they were afraid they would get a reprimand from Cromwell, Seymour or worse, her former husband but they complied in the end. Anne bought her all kinds of clothes and just as with her daughter, she ordered everyone to call her Princess.
"Remember, it doesn't matter who her mother was, she was born in wedlock unlike the Lady Mary, and like my daughter she is to be called Your Highness. At the very least I want to hear my royal lady." Everyone agreed, the new maids soon learned that Anne's temper was worse than the King's and it was better to listen to her than to His Majesty.
Anne took her in her arms and put her back in her crib. Bess opened her eyes and said she wanted to sleep with her. "She likes it when we are with her mother. I don't think she likes being alone."
"I know but you have to be careful. She might be strong like your father but she is still a baby."
"Alright mother."
Anne could tell something was bugging Elizabeth. "What is it?"
"They said that father is going to remarry. Is it true?"
"Yes."
"But it is so soon. Shouldn't he wait at least a year of mourning?"
"He should but your father's way of doing things are a mystery." Even to himself, Anne thought.
Mary lighted a candle just for appearances for her mother. Truth to be told she wasn't sad as she thought she would for her mother's death. She had it coming after she decided to leave everything behind for that man. That hypocrite heretic! And worse was that she was remarried to her father and didn't even try to put her back into the line of succession. Oh she was there (unofficially) but as Lady Mary. As a bastard! And her daughter –whom she suspected was likely that heretic's instead of her father's- had usurped Mary's rightful place by being called Princess.
She smirked. Fame favors the bold. She extinguished the candle as soon as she heard the approach of the Emperor. The Empress had been so good to her when she came. She thought the two would be good friends, but it soon became evident that she was jealous and every time she talked to Mary, she spoke of how good her mother was, beautiful and everything she was not, implying Mary would never live up to her.
No matter. Mary was twice the woman her mother was and to be more brutally honest with herself, her life had true purpose because unlike her mother who let her heart guide her, Mary was guided solely by her duty.
"Your Imperial Majesty."
The Emperor waved a hand. "Please Mary, it's alright. We are cousins here, you don't have to call me that."
"Charles then. What can I assist you with?"
"I wanted to see how you were doing. My sister Eleanor sent me news from France that the king received a letter from your father asking him to send twelve beautiful ladies to judge for himself if they were worthy of him. Apparently he wants to hold a beauty pageant like they do with the Sultan's harems."
Mary laughed at that, Charles laughed too. He found her laughter infectious. Everything about her was toxic. He couldn't understand why he had decided to marry Isabella over her. Oh that is right the Empire.
Isabella –God forgive him- was beautiful and his equal. When he wasn't in Spain, she ruled and she was his partner in crime in everything and had convinced him in helping his aunt, but she couldn't give him more than one son and she was becoming extremely jealous –of their cousin no less! Something Charles considered a complete nonsense since Mary was their family and he would never betray her.
Although you have thought of it. That was different. Charles said to himself. Mary was beautiful, younger but she was the forbidden fruit and Charles had learned from his grandfather and father's experiences never to devour it. Savor it, have fun with it, but not swallow it whole.
"My father is not likely to choose any of them even if His French Majesty complied."
"Are you sure because my sister tells me he is very serious about it and my French brother, your cousin-in-law" Mary giggled at that term. Charles smile widened at the sound of her laughter. "is really taking your father on his offer as long as he keeps it away from the evil Spanish."
Mary laughed harder and sat closer to him. Charles felt a huge knot in his throat as he was invaded by the scent of her perfume. Jazmin. God almighty in heaven help me!
"They should know better." She said. "I never understood why they called you Spanish when you are not Spanish and me when I was born and raised in England. Our own ancestor was English." She said referring to Catherine of Lancaster whom her mother was named after.
"I know. English can be so ignorant."
She acted offended. "I mean most, not all." He quickly rectified.
"Would you like to see something?" She nodded vigorously and he took her hand and led her to his study where he had built new clocks and maps.
~o~
Isabella heard the former Princess of Wales' laughter grace the hallways as she and her husband ran to his study.
"Would you like something for your head my lady?" Isabella shook her head. She rubbed her temples. Every night since that girl came to their shores, she prayed that God might take her from them so she could have her husband back in her arms.
Isabella had never been a jealous woman. She had learned from her mother that a woman was supposed to be a dutiful wife and from the stories she heard of her grandmother, that while being that she could still wield a lot of power and influence. She and Charles were not just husband and wife, they were equals. She ruled Spain even when he was around. The people had warmed to him thanks to her and she had worked very hard to secure his hold on the Spanish throne by giving him Philip, his crown jewel followed by two beautiful princesses.
But that girl had to come and ruin everything. She knew she was protected by the Savoyard Eustace Chapuys. The man loved her, she could tell by the way he looked at her.
What is it about these English girls that they take good men away from their husbands? First Anne Boleyn with her aunt and now this so called English royal. Damn these English roses. If she could have a say in all of this, she would burn that entire country down.
"The Virreina of Valencia, Queen Dowager of Aragon and Naples and Duchess of Calabria died this month and instead of mourning for her death and paying respects to her, the King decides to postpone it in favor of his cousin." She forced herself a small smile. "You have to admire the King's generosity for it knows no ends."
Her ladies said nothing. They didn't have to. They all sided with their Queen and mistress. The woman had had a good relationship with the King's former lover and step-grandmother. She had been vital in helping putting down the Comunidades de Castilla and many other rebellions, and after Isabella had taken her place as the de facto ruler of Spain, the former Queen quietly stepped down and let her do her job, helping her in every way she could.
This girl however was not content to be in the background. She wanted it all and their Majesty didn't see it because she was young, twenty two, his cousin and best of all, royalty as him and untouched by man and the latter was enough to appeal to anyone, especially a handsome man as their King and Emperor still was.
One of them was brave enough to speak up, her name was Iliana and she was the daughter of one his lesser Austrian lords and a lesser Castilian noble. "Your Imperial Majesty loves you above all others Madame. No one will ever hold your place in his heart."
"You are too good to me girl as all of you are but the King and Emperor is a man and like Caesar he wants more. Don't give me those sad faces girls, remember that I am still Queen and Empress and in spite of his feelings for our dearest cousin, I am the mother of his son, your future King."
They nodded, feeling inspired by their mistress' words. It was true. Lady Mary or the Princess Mary as she liked to think herself, would never supplant their mistress for their mistress was the mother of their future King and it would be her that the history books would remember, not the English rose.