Prologue: 1545
Looking back at my life you could call me lucky. In times where many people who came to court where never seen or heard of again. I remained the constant at the Palaces- a face in the background but also one of the most trusted men to the King. I am Charles Brandon, a man of who from arriving in the year of our lord, fourteen hundred and ninety-one, at court as a young boy with no expectation of power and status to a man who became the Lord President of the Council to the King, of course after many years and close friendship with both of the Tudor Kings. It may not have been that way though when I came to court as a young boy after the death of my grandfather who had raised me up until then. He was not expected to either but after my mother died giving birth to me and my father had died being a standard bearer for King Henry VII on the battle that brought him the crown Bosworth. My grandfather had very little choice I can still remember a few things he used to tell me about how men should behave, gentlemen and how correct it was to treat a lady- the rules that I still hold true to my moral standings to this day. I should have been concerned when I arrived at court but I was not. Call it an arrogance that I guess I still have I felt as if I was going to a place where I belonged the moment I saw Henry VII sitting on his throne, his statute looking at me and his wife Elizabeth smiling softly towards me as I bowed towards them I felt at ease. I did not know it then but I could have been turned away, I was a child with no legal claim to a title or peerage of the realm but I was saved by King Henry VII who placed me in his son's household his second son one not expected to be King. Henry, the spare, but a man who had all the airs and graces of a strong prince of Europe was whom I was taught with. Oh the trouble we used to get into when his father would get us tutored we would often be skipping a lesson because we were be Knights this was because although Henry kept his head down in his studies- something that he still does. Was never meant to be King and if he was honest with himself the concept often would leave a bad taste in his mouth.
Harry unfortunately was thrown into this world of being the next in line to the throne when his brother died. Arthur the son to his father was the bringer of a new age the 'new Camelot' we had been told of the stories since we were children of knights and kings and chivalry although it was the old thing to be chivalrous now, it was ingrained into us. We were gentleman as well as knights and that was the way that a knight or now prince for Harry was to behave. His father although heartbroken when Arthur died began to teach his son, in my opinion too naively, while the King Henry VII gave Harry all the help he needed to be King and how to keep counsel he never taught him how to be a leader. Although Harry was well versed in literature, Latin, Greek and things that his father was never taught after the years that he spent in exile in Burgundy. The King did not teach his son the science of how he became King- It would seem that Henry VII did not seem to think that Henry VIII would face any opposition when he was to come to the throne although history taught us differently maybe he thought that himself uniting the Yorkist and Lancastrians together through the marriage and squashing anyone who had a too close to the claim to the English throne that his son, Henry would not need to be in fear of someone usurping his throne. He also did not teach him how to cope when someone said no to him although I can say that Harry is pretty terrifying man to say no to, I am sure that maybe five hundred years time people will still utter the words of 'King Henry VIII' and somehow tremble in fear or awe. But to me he shall always be Harry, Harry who would keep me up at night talking to me about being a fighter like the great men before us. How he was going to be a man that would not walk in the shadow of his brother or his father he was going to be remembered for being the King, and the bringer of a golden era. I still sometimes see the look in his eyes that he still believes he is bringing a golden era about in monarchy's history. Although while some would agree others would see this as a time of uncertainty and a time of a lot of bloodshed Henry VIII, Our Lord, was someone that you remembered.
The times for us being children changed and we were faced with many challenges that tested mine and Harry's friendship to the limit and had sometimes caused me to bite my tongue about many of the King's decisions. The time when I married his sister, my third marriage, to the sister of the King was not something I thought I would do but I was a youngish man and I fell in love with her. I thought she would be my last marriage- how wrong I was. Mary and mine relationship was fiery and passionate Mary had the Tudor temper in that respect one minute she would throw something at me declaring she hated me. The next she was collapse in my arms telling me that she loved me and never wanted to let me go. I know that I may not have treated her as well in the end as I could have done but I was always her husband, not only because she was the King's sister I did love her, but unfortunately my heart was not in love with her anymore. I was a different man then I was when I married her. I know now that this was my own form of heartache watching my heart for another woman and my loyalty to the woman I married almost tore me apart.
I had to also watch my king but most importantly my friend go through a number of heartaches from his love of his first wife queen Katherine of Aragon, a beautiful woman who as soon as Henry a young man of ten- coincidently as a page to her at his brother's wedding, loved her although she was never meant for him. But as I know many people have come to realise that Henry when he sets his mind on someone they are unlikely to say no. I watched him marry her after his brother died even though his father who had originally seen the match as a good one cooled off it something to do with her dowry- but Henry made it one of his first calls when he was crowned King that he married Katherine. I saw them love and create a court where family was important to them both. I also watched him cast her aside because she did not give him a son although I understood my friend for his decision to do it but I still never think he got fully over the loss of his wife and the cruelty he bestowed on her. But he was a man of practically and he knew that he needed an heir. A girl could not rule over England - it was unheard of. And he could not well have his Bastard son Henry Fitzroy, son of him and his mistress Bessie Blount, also hold the throne- that could have been the start of a civil war. I watched him marry a number of different times but never finding the one thing he craved for a woman who loved him without an ulterior motive of a wanting of wealth for her family or advancement of herself. Perhaps only the late Queen Jane fitted this so well but alas we would never know how that would have turned out because of the untimely death of her being snatched from this world- God rest her soul. But she did do something she gave him the heir he so desired Little Prince Edward, my Godson. Three more marriages followed after the death of his beloved Queen Jane and with each we lost people that had been in power along with the Queen's if you aligned yourself with anyone but the King you were in constant danger of getting caught into a faction that if it went wrong could end up one of the one's on the block.
Henry VIII and his fiery temper which on more than one occasion has gotten many a person into trouble get on the wrong side of the King and the likelihood of you being alive for a number of years was very slim. A few times he threatened me with the block- his oldest friend, almost it was as if we were brothers, but even I was not safe in times when the Kings moods were about as predictable as the weather you never really knew where his mood or where you stood. Although he had many faults without the King I would not have found something I was looking for. I would not have met the love of my existence, my wife. After over two decades together she can still make my heart skip a beat as I look into her eyes, her beautiful blue eyes, our children- the many that we have been blessed with are now grown and my first grandson has just been born from my beautiful first born son. I know I am one of the lucky ones in this world because I survived this time when many of my friends or associates did not. I survived and I was able to find peace with a woman that I knew loved me. I can still remember the first time that I met her as if it was only yesterday.
I sat in the Gardens of Greenwich Palace it was the year Fifteen Twenty- One and into the twelfth year of the reign of Henry VIII. I usually liked this palace but for some reason this day it was a place where I did not want to be. Yes I was a courtier –probably if you believed many people I was one of the most prestigious so I should have been in my element but in the previous years I had been able to escape the hustle and bustle of court life feeling much better going to my lands and staying there until I was needed or for a better word summoned by the King- which would be very seldom as it was before he needed me more and more by his side. But my wife Mary had wanted to come to see her brother the King and her sister the Queen. I pulled the fur lined coat around my body the winter chill from a harsh winter for our realm caused my body to shiver- I can still feel the crispness of that air now. I watched as a few women, Ladies in waiting, it must have been time for the Queen to have a few new ladies as I did not recognise any as I looked at them as they disturbed my peace and came into the garden. Giggling and very impressionable many of the new ladies always were. They seemed to think about how they could advance themselves in a court where you gained a great number of wealth if you were connected to the right people. I admitted that a few of them were pretty many too innocent not that I was really paying attention of course that was until I saw the woman in a red cloak who eyes sparkled with something so beautiful that my heart did a loud thud, her blonde hair tied back with a Spanish hood the fur on the rim framing the cheeks of her face. Which had a rosy hue as the change in temperature of her coming from the warmth of the palace which the King always insisted upon so himself and his beloved Queen never caught a illness- not while the only heir that they had was their daughter The Princess Mary – who would later be known as the Lady Mary, named after my wife, to the coldness and crispness of the gardens where a little dusting of snow was still visible. I could see the wave of her hair fall slightly it seemed that wanted to escape. She was a thing of beauty and I wanted her.
Charles Brandon the Duke of Suffolk, wanted to see that woman who I did not even know her name. I was looking at another woman which I had not done for many years. There seemed to be something about this one though that I needed know her. In years to come I am still unsure whether I am able to grasp exactly what it was but I knew that there was something that I was not going to be unable to escape.
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'Charles' her soft voice pulled me back from my memories her hand reached for mine as I looked into her eyes which always sort for mine. Even after all these years the beauty of those eyes still drew me from the depths of hell in times of darkness and we have been through many dark times she would always have a way of bringing me back and reminding me that together her and I will be able to do anything and a lot of the time we had.
'Lizzy' I smiled softly, encompassing her tiny hand in mine, as she sat in the chair beside me. She's been worrying about me she says I need to see a physician soon if the cough that seems to be sticking around on my lungs although I keep telling her that I am perfectly fine and that it did not matter. I know that look in my wife's eyes she was not for a second believing me that I was well and it was nothing for her to worry about. I loved her more for her constant worrying about me. It would make me remember that I had someone in my life that I have always pushing me forward and pulling me back if I needed to be. Mostly with my temper in regards to the King and if our tempers would lock, it would be her I would vent my frustrations out with and her who would be able to reassure me. She would also remind me of who I was and who she was to me. She enabled me to find the peace when the world was falling in and both the future of ourselves and the system we knew were caving in on us I knew while I had her by my side I was going to get through it. 'I love you'
'And I love you Charles, have done for a number of years now'
Although our beginnings were not as easy as two people falling in love with people it should have been simple a man and a woman fell in love and should have been able to get on with their lives together of course it was not that simple. We had fallen in love while one I was still a married man. And also at a very unstable time in the history of England, we had fallen in love just at the beginning of a moment of History that will be seen as monumental for years to come. We fell in love when Henry VIII decided that he was going to change the course of English power forever.
'I made you a promise all those years ago, Lizzy and I am not going to take it back now, I promised to look after you and protect you'
'And you have Charles we have been truly blessed but you have to let me look after you too' she looked to me.
'I know and you do, more ways than you know' and she did more than she would ever know even now she looked after me so well.
'Mother' Our youngest daughter of ten looked to me and my wife.
'Yes Katherine' she answered.
'Will you and father tell us about the stories of court?'
'You have heard them all before Kat'
'Please'
'Alright but only if your father agrees'
I smiled to my wife. 'It all began long ago….' I started.
