"Bess?"
The knock of the door startled me out of my trance. Kat's soothing voice pulled my attention away from my looking glass where I had been scrutinizing every inch of myself that I could see.
"Bess, may I come in?"
Like she even had to ask, it was as much my chambers as it was hers, she even had a cot besides my bed.
"Please, do enter." I called out as I threw a fine embodied cloth over my looking glass so that I may not see my reflection analyse me in return, or have Kat presume I was committing the sin of vanity. The old wooden door creaked open to reveal my faithful Kat in her gray worn petticoats.
"Oh, my dear, your hair is everywhere!" She fussed, throwing her arms about her self in exasperated movements as she rushed into the room. "What if a gentleman where to see you in this state!"
I blushed heavily at the thoughts I knew Kat entertained on my behalf. For she saw me as a grown woman now, and indeed I was, but I fear she believed me to resemble something beautiful, of which I could not agree. I was no temptress, nothing to idol at and sing songs of love too. But Kat was correct, wether I was attractive or no, it would be rather unseemly of me to be seen as such.
"Why did you take it out off your headdress? You look stunning with your charming French hood."
I paused for a moment as Kat began to wrangle all the misplayed strands of my elongated hair together and started to brush through the cascading length.
"Is it true my mother favour the French hood?" I asked delicately, fiddling with my nails to distract me from the sight of Kat's face at the mention of my mother. I felt Kat freeze for a moment, her movements coming to a sudden halt. Slowly she took in a deep breath and rebooted her efforts to tame my mane of extravagant hair.
"Yes, she did. She was very well know for how very beautiful she looked it them. A trait I can see you have inherited."
"I don't know." I sighed, flicking a stray strand behind my ear. "I am not nearly half as beautiful as I remember her. I fear I have nothing of hers but her ring."
Kat hummed slightly as she began to place my hair into a bun with her well practiced fingers.
"Well, my dear I can tell you that this is indeed not so. For you have your mother's eyes, deep, sweet brow. And you have her gracefully slender body and by golly do you have her tough skinned persistent spirit."
I chewed the inside of my check while I considered this.
"But almost everybody I have ever met has spoken of how alike my father's my spirit is." I argued.
Kat stepped back as she finished, placing the hood I had left on the bed upon the top of my head and placing the net on the back of it in position.
"For it is true my love. You do resemble our beloved King Henry, god rest his soul. But what the others differ to mention is that your mother and father where very similar, they where as fiery as one and other. It is a dear lesson to learn, Bess. Fire must not meet fire, for it shall burn out of control and consume all who stand in the way."
"So I am akin to fire?" I asked nervously.
"Pet, you are a raging, bight blaze. Fire is dangerous, but without it we would freeze to death, what a horrid world with would become without fire. You simply must choose wisely who you choose to burn."
"I would not burn anybody!" I cried. "For it is not my place to judge, that is the prerogative of God."
Kat smiled kindly and place a hand on my shoulder.
"God's; and a Queen's."
"Don't be so silly Kat, Edward is King, and while I sleep well at night in the knowledge he will live long and prosper our great nation, if something where to befall him by some unknown horror, Mary would become my Queen."
Kat simply smile knowingly at me.
"My dear Miss Ashley, what on earth would make you smile so?"
"Once, they said that about your father. That his brother would rule long after the death of their beloved father, but alas he never even made it to the throne and instead your father succeeded his father."
I flapped my hand at this nonsense and took to my bed, sitting on the very edge and fixing Kat with a glare.
"For shame, Kat. To even suggest that-"
"Oh Princess, forgive my forwardness but you underestimate yourself so. Not only are you a Tudor gem, shining with beauty but you also have the fire in you, a fire that can burn which ever way you want it. Harness this, Bess and you shall go as far as you dream with but a bit of luck and all your determination."
"This is treason, my lady! And I shall speak of it no more. Please, leave me; I have much to think on."
Kat bit her lip, but curtsied and left my presents. I huffed out a long breath as I saw the door swing shut behind her. Standing up I rushed back over to my looking glass and threw off the cloth, undid my perfectly arranged hair and let it swing lose. I glared at my reflection, running my long slender fingers threw my fire red hair.
"A little bit of luck and all my determination." I repeated softly to my self. "And much fire, defiantly fire."
Once again, this has been edited to the best of my personal ability seeing as I have no beta. I like writing this, it flowed, it felt easy and maybe its not my best work but I felt like something channel. Hope everyone enjoys. Feel free to review
November Envy xox