AN: Okay, I know that Mary wasn't there when Henry toasted to 'Good Queen Katharine' or when Henry gave Jane Seymour's lands to Katharine. But lets pretend she was. SLIGHT SEASON 4 SPOILERS. BEWARE. This came about when Henry toasted Katharine Howard and it made me miss KOA terribly and I was like, how could Henry forget about her??? So I did a oneshot through Mary's eyes.
" To Queen Katharine!" Henry Tudor, King of England raised his goblet and, like a mirror image the rest of his court followed.
All but one.
Mary Tudor, Princess of England and the King's daughter could not find it in her heart to raise her goblet, she could not paste a smile on her face, as she had done so often before and be happy for her father.
It amazed her how both he and the rest of the court had such short memories. Less than 10 years ago the only mention of 'Queen Katharine' was her sainted mother, Katharine of Aragon. Back then England would have never dreamed of golden King Henry daring to take another wife.
But now here was number 5.
And even shorter a time had passed since the death of Anne Boleyn. While Mary was the last person in the world who had a reason to be sad about this it was more than a little unsettling that her father, who had professed to love, or at least be in lust with the Lady now acted as though she had never been.
As though Mary had not suffered for years at her hand.
Even the mother of the jewel of England, Prince Edward was forgotten. Kind, sweet Jane, who had been almost like a mother to Mary, who had reunited the family and was a true believer of the old religion was gone. Her lands, which still belonged to the Seymour's, were now given to Katharine Howard.
In fact the only difference between Katharine of Aragon and Jane Seymour was that wile Jane at least, got an official day of mourning every year, the day of Katharine's death, the 7th of January was forgotten.
Only those who truly supported Katharine's cause and who had loved her still wore black on that day.
It was silently understood that although Mary was still residing at court and was an unofficial lady in waiting to the Queen that on that day, she did not do anything. She went to Mass, once in the morning, once in the afternoon and once at night and prayed for her mother's soul.
She went to visit the convent where her mother had been buried. But apart from that she did not do anything, she did not see anyone, she just stared blankly ahead.
She remembered all too clearly.
If she happened to glance at anyone on that day usually she would find all eyes turned toward her some sympathetic, some gleeful, but most, had truly loved the Queen.
Once or twice during that day, every year, she could feel the King's eyes on her, when she met his thoughtful gaze he nodded.
He understood, although he could not bear to say it aloud even to himself her father understood, he had loved Katharine and a large part of him still did.
That was until this year.
As cries of 'Queen Katharine!' filled the air, Mary shook her head.
It was disgusting.
It was an insult to her mother's memory, to Anne's memory and Jane's. As though they had never sat in the place where the most unfit girl to ever wear the crown now sat.
How quickly they forget.