A/N: Here's another story, focusing more on Amelia's life after the death of her father. You saw the short summary of the future in the previous story, An Endless Supply of Rubies. This story will pick up right where the last story left off.

In real life, Henry VIII did not name someone as Lord Protector. He left the governance of the nation to a Regency Council. On 4 February 1547, the Council decided to create Edward Seymour Lord Protector. He also gained the titles of Governor of the King's Person and Duke of Somerset. Since the show ended with Henry declaring that Edward was going to be Lord Protector, we will stick with the show on this one.

Anyways, here's a short chapter to start things off.

29 January 1547

It felt as though her life had fallen into shambles once again. When Charles had died a year and a half ago, it had hit Amelia hard. Charles had become her best friend, her husband, the father of her children. Together, they had raised six children of their own, as well as Amelia's two half-siblings and their friend Edward Seymour's son.

And now, her father, the King of England, Ireland, and France, had died as well.

At first, she had not had a tremendous reaction to it. Amelia had barely seen or spoken to her father since his death. There had been a rift that had been created between them, with Amelia realizing more and more how tyrannical her father had become. She was not summoned to court when her father lay dying, and, somehow, she was okay with this.

Now, she had returned, all of her children in her wake.

It had been a long time since Edward had seen her. Amelia had gone mostly into seclusion after her husband's death, and since Edward had not been able to leave court, he had been unable to visit. Now, she was nearly thirty years of age, and carried herself with all the dignity and grace that a Queen would. Her children all stood by her, dressed in solemn black, ranging from Elizabeth, the eldest, at nearly fourteen years of age, to the youngest, Philippa, who was now almost four. It amazed Edward to no end that the woman maintained her sanity.

He approached her silently, a somber expression on his face, and saw the sadness in her eyes as she turned to face him. Wordlessly, she offered him her hand, and he kissed it gently. Amelia offered a sad smile in lieu of a greeting.

"I must offer my condolences, my lady," Edward said softly. "How are you?"

"I am doing as well as I can for one who has lost so many in such a short period of time," Amelia replied, her voice holding strong.

"There is a matter that I must discuss with you, no matter how hard it is for me to say," Edward stated. "Perhaps we could speak somewhere a little more private?"

Amelia tilted her head to one side. "Anything you wish to say to me, you also much say in front of my children," she said quietly. "After all, John is now the Duke of Suffolk, and Edward soon to be the King."

"His Majesty King Henry, may he rest in peace, has determined with his will that I will serve as Lord Protector of the Realm until His Grace reaches the age of majority," Edward told her.

Amelia nodded. "I figured that my father would appoint you," she replied. "After all, you are His Grace's uncle."

"There is another thing," Edward said, fidgeting slightly. "His Majesty also decreed in his final will and testament that we are to be married before I can become Lord Protector. The Council wishes that I am named Lord Protector in a week, and also wishes that we are wed before that date."

Amelia balked at the idea at first, her face paling as a thousand thoughts rushed through her head. "My father really asked this of you?" she asked quietly.

Edward could only nod, not able to bring himself to meet her gaze. It was a hard and strange thing to ask a person, to marry them the next day. Perhaps there had been stranger marriages arranged. But the fact that no one had informed her of her betrothal was what bothered him. "I am sorry that no one told you, my lady," he said quietly. "His Majesty did not want to see you married until after his death."

"If His Majesty decreed it, then it must be done," Amelia whispered. Edward's head snapped up, not believing that he just heard her agreeing. "I assume this will be a rather casual affair, something small. On which day?"

Edward smiled. "Anything you would like, my lady," he replied. "If the Council plans to declare me on the fourth of February, perhaps we shall marry the day before, and allow you to prepare

2 February 1547

Amelia held her old wedding dress in her hands, her fingers rubbing the fabric gently. She had last worn it nearly fourteen years ago. She had just tried it on, completely surprised that it still fit well. Tomorrow, she would wear it again when she married Edward Seymour.

She had almost laughed when he had told her of her father's plans. It made sense when she thought about it from a political perspective. Marrying his daughter to the man who would act as Lord Protector to his son would mean that very few would question Edward's legitimacy as a temporary ruler.

Setting her mind towards marriage, however, was a very difficult task. As a young girl, she had been raised to turn her mind towards marrying Prince Hans of Denmark. When she had returned to England, it had not been hard for her to imagine herself married to Charles. He had been kind to her, and helped her to adjust to England more than anyone else. But Edward Seymour was different. Amelia had known him for many years now. She believed that Edward held some love for her. After all, he had asked her to raise his only son. Edward had been kind to her, and respected her, where others had dismissed her.

Yes, Amelia definitely felt a certain amount of love and respect for Edward. Perhaps, once they were married, her love would grow.

"Mama, are you alright?" a voice asked her. Amelia turned to see Elizabeth standing in the doorway, John standing not far behind her. "There are tears falling from your eyes, mama," Elizabeth whispered.

Amelia touched her face, and felt the trails of tears that fell from her eyes. "I am fine, Elizabeth," she responded with a small smile on her face. "I was simply thinking about the last time I wore this dress. And you know that I am not your mother, right?"

Elizabeth nodded and looked down at her feet. "I know," she responded quietly. "My real mother died when I was very young. You are like my mother, and I will continue to call you 'mama.'" Elizabeth paused for a moment. "Will I be married one day as well?"

Amelia smiled widely. "Of course, my darling," she replied. "You will one day be married to a very handsome and kind man, I am sure of it. Perhaps you shall even wear this dress. Of course you will be much older than you are now."

"What if I do not want to be wed?" Elizabeth asked softly. "You know how father treated his Queens. I do not want the same to happed to me."

Amelia stood and walked to stand in front of the girl, kneeling down in front of her and raising her hand to cup the teenage girl's cheek. "Do not worry, Elizabeth," she replied. "There are more men like Charles and Edward than there are like father."

"What about me?" John asked from behind Elizabeth. "Will I be wed one day?"

A wide smile spread across Amelia's face. "You already know the answer to that, my son," she said. "You know that you are betrothed to Frances Hastings."

John grinned. "I know," he replied.

"Come on now," Amelia said to them, rising to her feet. "There is much we need to do before tomorrow. We mustn't be idle."

She herded both of the young adults out of her chamber, leaving the silver gown sitting on a table, waiting to be worn the following day.

3 February 1547

"Are you happy, Amelia?" Edward whispered as he came to stand behind her at the window. He was delighted to finally call her by her Christian name without worrying about seeming forward or impolite.

She felt one of his hands caressing the small of her back. "I suppose I am, Edward," she responded, turning to face him. She hesitated for a moment. "Do you love me, as a man should love his wife?" she asked quietly.

He froze, unsure of how to reply. When he had first lain eyes on her, he had thought her to be beautiful, perhaps more beautiful than his own wife, Anne. While Anne had been bold and opinionated, Amelia had been much quieter, although held the same fire that Anne held. Amelia's beauty had been what drew him in, and her personality had entranced him completely.

"I suppose that I do," he admitted quietly, taking her hands in his. "I understand if you do not love me in the same way. I have had time to accept our marriage, and realize the love that I felt for you."

Amelia was silent for a moment, simply staring into his eyes. "I think I love you too," she whispered. "Although I have not thought about loving you for very long, I think that perhaps I do."

He smiled widely, and she smiled in return. "Really?" he asked, barely believing his ears. She nodded in response. "May I kiss you?"

She laughed. "Of course you may," she replied. "We are married, are we not?"

He simply pressed his lips against hers.