Challenge Number/Title: 1# Rocky Horizons
Date: 7.2.13
Fandom: The Tudors
Rating: K+
Genre: Historical Fiction
Content Descriptors: Romance, Drama
Character Pairings: Princess Mary Tudor and Infante Luis of Portugal
Beta: Team Edward Rules All
Prologue
January 7th, 1536
Catherine of Aragon felt her life slipping away from her. Her breathing became heavier and slower, and she found it harder to stay awake.
Her vision was blurry.
On either side of her, was the Spanish ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, and her confidante and most loyal friend, Maria de Salinas, Baroness Willoughby de Eresby. Catherine had wished her only daughter would be with her that day, but she had been refused permission.
"Look after her," murmured Catherine. "Please…Chapuys, you work for Charles V. As one of my last wishes, I want you to transfer your first allegiance and priority to my Mary, and the second to Charles V and Spanish and Catholic influences. It may seem odd and rather selfish of me, but please, Chapuys. Mary will die and find life pointless without you. When I leave to be at God's side, I'll try and help her as much as I can, from there."
Chapuys nodded, determined to keep his promise to Catherine.
She was a good and pious woman.
She didn't deserve to die in poverty and unloved by her husband, Henry VIII.
"Give the King my love," said Catherine softly. "One of you tell him that I love him since the day of our wedding, till my death."
With a painful cough, Catherine closed her eyes for the last time.
Where am I?
I've been walking on a glass, transparent path for days, following the same person in front of me, with no clue where I'm going. I was tired, hungry and thirsty, but the changing sceneries around me kept me occupied and interested.
Under the glass, were the crackling of fire, howling and screaming. Climbing towards us from the deep pits, were skeletons, their teeth baring at us, or trying to pull us into the depths of Hell with them. I noticed that most of the people stayed in the middle of the path. Above us, were fluffy, white clouds, floating tranquilly in a crystal, blue sky. Angels and spirits sat on them, waving and smiling at us. The closer we went to some place, they began descending from the sky and talking to the closest people. Around us, pictures formed through the grey mists and fogs. At first, I couldn't make out what the visions were, but as I looked closer, I realised who a picture was.
My mother.
Queen Isabella I of Castile was smiling and talking to me.
It hit me.
Those images showed important moments of my past.
I was tempted to stop and watch my mother talk to my sixteen-year old self, but if I stopped, the others behind me would have to stand and wait for my benefit. As I kept walking, the images changed from when I first arrived in England, up to Maria de Salinas forcing her way into Kimbolten Castle to be with me until I left the world.
I looked ahead of me, and saw double doors in a distance. They seemed to be made of a combination between glass and marble. Two ancient Roman soldiers (spirits) stood in front of them, with a crowd of spirits on either side of them.
"Hello Cate."
Standing beside me was the spirit of my first husband, Arthur, Prince of Wales.
"Arthur," I said, feeling faint.
"It's been so long," said Arthur, gazing into my eyes. "Don't stop walking, Cate. Keep going. You're almost there. I've missed you so much. If only I hadn't died, you wouldn't be here now. You'll probably be alive and living happily in Greenwich or Richmond Palace with little Mary and all your other children that were taken away to here."
"It wasn't your fault. It was decided before you were born, that kingship isn't for you. I wonder how long your brother, Henry VIII will be alive for. We can spend more time here together. You would've been a good and just King. Should I fear being here? What'll happen after I go through the doors? You've been in the same situation as me years ago!"
"I can't tell you. We're sworn to secrecy."
"I understand. What have you been doing these days? Is life with God as tranquil as they say? Will I be able to see anyone else?"
"Mostly I've been watching you, Mary and my selfish brother. He dares set aside his true and rightful Queen for a harlot?! I hope he's happy with her. He ruined a prosperous England all for that whore! I hope they have no sons, and she learns what it's like to be in your position. Don't look at me like that, dear Cate, even in here, our marriage had been a topic of debate, and He himself had decreed our union was unconsummated and you were Henry VIII's legal wife. We can talk more later. You're second to go in through those doors."
He blew me a kiss and stepped back.
The doors opened and the person in front of me went in.
A member of the crowd of spirits followed her in.
I glanced around, and Arthur winked at me.
Ten minutes later, the doors opened. I tentatively walked in. Another spirit went in behind me. As the doors closed behind me, white light almost blinded me. I squinted and saw three figures sitting in front a table in front of me.
In the middle of the trio, was God himself. He was a being I couldn't describe. Was he an old man? Was he a young man? I couldn't tell. Did he have dark hair? Did he have white? I couldn't find the right words to explain. Was he emotionless, or full of empathy? His multicoloured eyes revealed nothing but mystery and secrecy. I stood in front of him in wonder.
"Catalina Trastamara," He spoke.
"Almighty God and Father," I murmured, curtseying.
He eyed me for a moment.
"Catalina Trastamara," He said again. "Daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella Trastamara, and sister of Isabel, Juan, Juana and Maria Trastamara, wife to Arthur Tudor and Henry Tudor, and mother of Mary Tudor. You have believed me devoutly since a young age, and continued to do so even when your second husband began the break from my Earthly representative, the Pope in Rome. I've heard of your charity works and your virtue. I'm sure you're aware that once you're in this room, you're inspected and put in the rank suited for all the good you did in your time on Earth. Here, I have a list of all the good and bad you've done. You've done many virtuous deeds, and will have a position immediately in Heaven. You have committed no deadly sin, and from now until the end of eternity, you'll be treated and regarded as Her Majesty, the Hereditary Queen of England. You will begin a new life in Heaven, and you may marry any man you'd like, and keep your titles."
"Thank you," I said, with another curtsey.
"Anne Browne will take you to your palace," He said, nodding to the spirit next to me. "Your family is waiting for you there. I'm sure you'll find it a lovely surprise. If you wish to see me, send me a letter, and I'll organise an appointment to see you."
The spirit led me to a fluffy cloud.
"This is your cloud for life," she explained. "It'll take you anywhere you want to go to. Even when there's a gathering of clouds, you can tell which cloud's your cloud. Don't be afraid to step on it. You won't fall off or hurt yourself."
I uncertainly stepped on the cloud with Anne, and it rose into the air. It went past other palaces and houses, and stopped in front of a replica of Greenwich Palace. The closest palace or royal residence near it, was the Alhambra. My mother and father must've made it to the rankings of Hereditary King of Aragon and Hereditary Queen of Castile.
Anne knocked on the door.
It was flung open (knocking Anne to the ground) and Arthur stood in front of it, his hands on his hips, with a grin on his face.
"Arthur!" I exclaimed, helping Anne up. "Look what you did to poor Mistress Browne! There's no need for you to jump out on us! What rank did you make it to, when you entered through those doors? Is my mother and sisters here too?! Do we live like we did on Earth? You have to help me adjust to this! It'll feel odd without Henry VIII and my Mary! How can we see the living? Tell me! I must know how I can help and see Mary from here!"
"Steady on," said Arthur, with a laugh.
Anne curtsied and jumped down from the palace steps. I glanced down, and saw that she had landed safely back near the doors.
"I made it as Hereditary Prince of England," said Arthur, pushing me in. " Of course I'll help you settle in with us! What kind of man will I be if I don't help? Yes, it's just like normal life in England, with the exception that we're constantly watched, and surrounded by relatives. You'll love life here! There's no trouble either! It's a perfect haven."
Standing at the bottom of a set of marble stairs, was five strangers.
They looked rather familiar.
Two had brown hair, one had auburn and the remaining two had red. All of them had the same Sapphire blue eyes and of good height and built.
"Can't recognise them?" laughed Arthur. "You should. They are your other children. Mary's full sisters and brothers. The ones that were taken away from you to be here at an early age. They were given into my care, and I named them for you. Cate, these are Isabella, Henry, Arthur, John and Catharine. I know you wouldn't like your daughter to be named after you, but I couldn't help it! She looked so much like you when I first saw her! As for Henry, he arrived here already given a name! Your second Henry couldn't have the same name as the first, so I named him after your brother. Why don't you lot have a good talk to each other? I'll go and fetch your parents and siblings, Cate. Oh! I just had a thought! I'll call you Cate, and your namesake can be called Catie! Okay, okay! I'll go and get them! I won't be long. Cate, it's not your fault what happened. Believe it."
He went off.
I stared at my five deceased children (now alive) awkwardly.
Princess Isabella must be twenty six years old, from the time of her death. She had lustrous locks of flaming red hair, that tumbled down her shoulders to her waist. Twenty five year old Harry was the only child that lived longer than a week (apart from Mary). He had red hair like Princess Isabella, and twinkling blue eyes. It stabbed my heart when I realised how much Harry looked like Henry VIII around the time he truly loved me.
Young Arthur was twenty three. Unlike his elder siblings, he had brown hair. In a way, it seemed right to name him after his uncle. I had to admit that they look rather similar. John was the other one of my children with brown hair. Arthur was really good at naming children. John was like my brother. Not only physically, but spiritually too!
With the exception of hair colour.
My brother Juan, had auburn hair like me and our Spanish family.
What caught my interest, was my little namesake.
Catie was eighteen. She had fair complexion, beautiful blue eyes, and long auburn hair. If I had to choose the prettiest daughter from my Tudor brood, I would've chosen Catie without hesitation (even if that would hurt poor Mary). Catie had petite hands, and barely reached John's shoulder. She was definitely the shortest, but the most attractive.
"It's good to see you again, dear mother," said Harry, breaking the silence. "We watched you from up here every day since we arrived. What our father did to you was unforgivable, and what he did to England was selfish and cruel."
"I know," I said, feeling another stab in my heart.
The door opened and Arthur returned.
With him, were my parents and deceased siblings.
"Catalina," said my mother warmly. "I've been watching you since I was taken to God's side. You were a brave woman. You believed in yourself and God, and succeeded in becoming Queen of England. You acted like a true Queen when he repudiated you."
"I want to help Mary," I said sadly. "She was Heiress to the English Throne for years! It was a shock to her when Henry VIII declared our marriage illegal and called her a bastard. I must do everything I can from my position here! I'd love to spend more time with you and my siblings, but Mary's life is on the line and I have to help her become future Queen of England!"
My mother nodded with understanding.
"I'm sorry for leaving you," spoke Harry. "If I recovered that day, you would be having a peaceful time here, not worrying about a thing in the world. My dear mother, there is a way for you to help a being on Earth. Unfortunately, you can only help a single person and tamper with his or her fate. Once you do it, you can never help or assist any other person until the death of the first. Uncle Arthur, why don't you show her what to do?"
"Of course," said Arthur, offering his arm to me. "I was planning to show her after dinner. Ah well, I suppose it'll be better if we get it over with now. Queen Catherine, do you approve of a humble, loving Prince as your escort?"
"I do," I said, with a smile.
Arthur led me up a tower.
The tower's structure was different to any other tower structure I had ever seen before. The walls (like the rest of the palace) were marble, and on each side, were large glass windows, that showed misty and foggy visions. I turned to the door, and noticed a plaque was placed at the front of the door with my name on it. This was my tower. I had a feeling that every royal had their own special tower in their palace (or family castle). From the outside, I had a gut sensation that the replica Greenwich Palace had a couple more towers than the Greenwich Palace in England. Probably a tower grows from the imitated palace every time a Tudor royal dies.
"This is your special tower," said Arthur, standing at the door. "I can't go in. Only you can. As Harry said, you can only help one person at a time. He was right and wrong. You can only help four people at a time, but it'll be best to focus your full attention on one person at a time. Each window is dedicated to an individual on Earth. Once a person dies, the window will fill up with darkness, and slowly return to its usual grey smoky self. If you say the name of a person to a window, you can see whatever she or he's doing at whatever time you'd like. It'll steam up to smoke if you leave the room, so no one else can see what you're looking at. This is a special privilege only royals receive. Oh, and if anyone else enters your tower, they dissolve into dust. That's why I can't go in. I only can stay in the doorstep. Go on, Cate. Life here is supposed to be peaceful for you. As a warning, if He hears that you're determined to help others from your tower, He won't be happy, and it might be taken away from you."
I nodded absently.
There's only one person I want to help.
My Mary.
"Mary Tudor," I said clearly to a window.
A few seconds later, the mist moved to the sides and an image of a sobbing Mary came into view. She was in an attic somewhere, crying her heart out on a patched pillow on a dingy bed. The blanket at the end of her bed was threadbare and totally inadequate. How could Henry VIII keep our daughter in such a wretched condition?!
"Arthur," I said, turning to the door. "How can I help her? I must do something, or she'll die! She's the only child I saw growing from childhood to now! Whatever there is, no matter how dangerous or risky, tell me! I'll do anything to save her from this fate!"
"There is one way," Arthur said slowly.
"What?!"
"No one I knew had ever done it and came back alive though…"
"I'll risk it."
"Have a talk with Him. You may think it's easy, but it's not. You can say it's like making a deal with the Devil. He'll want something in return, or for you to prove your determination and willingness. Even if it could be a simple game of chess, or playing cards, there's always a catch; your lives are in the deck of cards, or the chess pieces."
"What if I lose?"
"Not many people like to skip to that conclusion. If you lose, you would've gambled your whole life away and will vanish into nothingness, unless He has another reason to keep you alive. Cate, think rationally before you act. None of us would like to see you disappear. If you win, your request will be granted. Another thing, you can only ask one request per person. Once you use it, you can't change the person's fate again, and you won't be able to meddle in it. You'll only be allowed to watch her or him in your tower. You should be aware of that."
"I'll risk anything for Mary!"
"If you insist…I suppose the Almighty isn't particularly busy today. Why don't we go and visit him and hope for the best? I had a look at the Line of the Dead, and it seemed to be halting slowly. Perhaps not many people are dying today."
I hoped good fortune's with me.
The Almighty had invited me to dinner in his great palace.
My two maids dressed me in a gown made of shimmering silver material, and placed an English gable hood on my head. I refused every piece of jewellery with the exception of my jewelled crucifix that I wore since the days I was on Earth. Royals were allowed to wear clothes of any colour, except clothes of red, black or orange fabrics.
It was rare for Him to invite you to dinner.
"Queen Catherine," He said politely, gesturing for me to sit across him at the other end of the table. "I am pleased you decided to join me for a meal. It was at your own request to talk to me. You've just arrived and requesting an audience already! My! This must be important. I'm sure Prince Arthur of England had told you about meddling with the living. We can discuss your terms over dinner. After all those luxuriously rich food you had in Court, why not settle for a simple meal of bread, milk, thin slices of sausages and fish soup? I prepared it myself. You may think it shocking or surprising, but sometimes home cooked meals are the most tastiest."
I accepted a cup of milk.
A servant placed a plate of bread and sausages in front of me.
He returned a minute later, with a bowl of soup.
"Please," He said, spreading his hands out. "Enjoy."
I couldn't help, but be a little suspicious. I've been taught to worship and believe in the Almighty since I was able to walk, but His tone was too sly and oily for my taste. It reminded me of my former arch-enemy, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, when he entertained Henry VIII and I for a feast in Hampton Court. It was wrong of me to suspect Him, but still…
"I want to change my daughter Mary's fate," I said, taking a bite of the sausage. "Prince Arthur told me that you can help me. I looked at a window, and saw the cruelty she had to endure under Henry VIII. It isn't right for her to be treated that way."
"Under just Henry VIII?" He said, his eyebrows raised.
"I suppose?"
"Not under Henry VIII and a certain Anne Boleyn?"
"I was trying to avoid the topic of Anne Boleyn, but I see that we might as well include her too. Yes, I want Mary to be happy again. I want to get rid of Anne Boleyn, but it's against my conscience. I want Mary to be content with life."
"Changing fates can lead to anywhere. You can't stop it at a certain destination. Yes, I can control destinies, but people unravel it themselves."
I had nothing to say.
One way or another, Anne Boleyn will be a plague to Mary!
"I suppose I should help you," He continued. "You believed in the Catholic faith even during dark and hard times. You suffered greatly. I'll change Mary's fate, but one way or another, she'll be dealing with misfortunes caused by Anne Boleyn and her family. You play cards, Queen Catherine? I heard that you disliked gambling."
"Yes," I said, with a nod.
"Perhaps you can make an exception this time?" He said slyly, producing a coin. "What fairer way to
determine a mortal's fate, by tossing a coin? What do you say?"
"What are the options?"
"This is a special coin. On one side, is a monarch's crown. On the other, a rose. A Princess's life is never easy. Why don't we have a look at Mary Tudor's life before we gamble on it? Are you aware of how we see their lives, Queen Catherine?"
"No…"
"We see them as horizons."
"Why horizons?"
"Have you ever noticed the mountain tops in the horizon? The more mountains in a mortal's life, the harder his or her life is. The more she or he has to suffer, before reaching happiness and contentment. I remember your one well, Queen Catherine. A very peculiar one. Your horizon was quite flat at the beginning of your life, but when it came to your marriages! There were more than three mountains! Mountains began appearing when Prince Arthur died. They were steeper when Henry VIII began his Reformation. I wonder how steep your Mary's mountains are."
The Almighty waved his hand, and an image of a sunrise horizon appeared in a vision of mist. From the horizon, I saw the shadows of mountains rising to the sky. A couple were higher than the rest. It seemed like when she climbed down from one mountain, she would be climbing onto another! A life of trudging up and down mountains is agony for a young girl!
"Ah," He said, shaking his head with a sigh. "A tough life."
"So many mountains," I murmured.
"Yes," agreed the Almighty. "A rocky horizon. A harsh and painful life. That I can't change. I can mellow the mountains to large hills. The only way I can do that, is through this coin. Your choice, Catalina Trastamara. You'll be the puppeteer of your daughter's life. With a toss of this coin, I can make Mary be the first Queen Regent of England, or marry a nobleman who'll be the love of her life. What do you say? Take the gamble, or leave her to be?"
"I'll take the gamble," I whispered, my hands clenched with fear and fascination.
The Almighty threw the coin into the air and caught it with his open palm.
He glanced, and a small smirk (or was it a smile?) appeared on his face. He lowered his palm, and I looked at the coin.
My Mary will be Queen of England.
I'm not religious, so please don't bite off my head about Catherine's time in Heaven! Please review! :)
