If you asked it started with Arthur Tudor. Artie, the wonk who was always meant to be a politician - always meant to be President. Henry was the younger son - the golden boy to the world yes, but he had none of the focus or the want to be groomed for politics. Politics tended to impact on him only in that he enjoyed charming everyone. It was Arthur who had the ambition and the brains - though none of the charisma.
He'd been jealous of Henry, not least because Henry was liked. People looked up to Arthur, you couldn't not (he had money, brains and yes, looks) but they adored Henry. Handsome, clever, charming, athletic Henry. Henry the captain of the soccer team, Henry the guitarist. Henry the star point guard on the varsity basketball team. Henry who could dance as well. Henry the straight A student who restored motorbikes in his spare time. Henry Tudor, the favourite.
Even though Arthur was much older (he'd been eight when Henry was born) he'd still found himself desperately envious of this boy. You could see it, if you knew where to look for it. And then eventually it centred on Charles.
Charles ("seriously, call me Chaz") was the son of Arthur and Henry's fathers best friend - common as clay Penn mining family but Will Brandon had been Harry Tudor's NCO way back when and had saved his life several times over. Charles was too young to be a friend to Arthur and so he and Henry had grown up together, by and large. It helped that Charles was just as charming as Henry - handsome, funny and smart (except when it came to the number of girlfriends he seemed to have going) and talented enough on the football field to have talent scouts lining up around the block.
And there was Catalina, later. They'd all been amazed when Henry found a girl he couldn't charm at first (rumour had it she'd actually slapped Charles Brandon) and thought it good that Henry was finally, finally making some more female friends. She was fifteen then - having moved to Pennsylvania not long ago - her father Ferdinand 'Ferdy' Aragon wasn't just the returning Supreme Commander NATO forces Europe (though that was impressive enough) - he was a decorated veteran. There were streets named for him in various corners of Europe. Her mother Isabella came from one of the most powerful liberal democratic families next to the Kennedy's and the Clinton's. There was a reason why it would have been ideal for her to have married Arthur.
Arthur had felt he could have loved her, he really could have done.
But then of course, Henry happened. Henry, Henry who fell in love. They were so happy together - the golden high school sweethearts.
And then Arthur was killed (car crash) and suddenly Henry inherited the mantle of continuing on the Tudor political name. It was truly a fragile one - Harry Tudor had risen largely on talent to become Governor but the way in which he had fought a bitter battle for the Democratic Primary nomination had meant that he simply could not be considered for national office, even after he defeated the incumbent, the unpopular Richard Plantagenet. It fell to his son to carry on his legacy and to plan a shot at national office, at the Presidency.
Henry Tudor would be entirely perfect - charismatic, brilliant and charmingly possessed of a loving, intelligent and beautiful young wife who he'd met in high school.
Thomas Wolsey became his chief of staff of course. After, when Henry had assumed the state senate vacated by his mother. That was where he had met Thomas More, a man not too much older than Henry himself but one who was making a name for himself in the progressive caucus and as an intelligent, principled legislator who was tipped to become a national representative before too much longer. Charles had followed him as well, though largely as an informal advisor - to get an idea of what he might do after his football career.
After again they write their stories in facts and figures.
Annie Boleyn (Annamaria but she tended not to use that, even less than Anne). Nan Boleyn. She'd been born in the US embassy in France and spent much of her life between France and London (French day school and then English boarding school and then Oxford). Brilliant and dazzling and just like Catalina she'd refused to be charmed by Henry, at least at first.
Jane Genevieve Seymour.
She should have known, Jane thinks later. Though she was suspicious she chose not to see, chose to see just Henry. He'd come to her clinic in an official delegation and she'd been, truth to tell dazzled.
Young and stupid, Jane thinks with a sigh later. And dazzled by who Henry was on that trip, how good he was with the babies and yes, the people.
She'd come back with his ring on her hand, determinedly believing what he told her. It should have tipped her off that her brother was delighted but, Jane thought, she'd lost track of politics while with MSF.
Henry plans a wedding and it's all well. And then it isn't and Jane, Jane reads about More and wonders, is this what will happen to me? She leaves after Edward is born, not just because of what Henry did and didn't do but his terrifying sense of triumph. She does not want that, not for Edward.
They met over laundry, oddly. He'd looked up and seen a, well he could never decide if Annie was beautiful or stunning or just striking but she was arresting, even sitting on a dryer, dressed in sweatpants.
They were reading the same book. A book by Professor Pole, actually on the importance of grassroots movements and classism in American voting groups. She'd looked, smiled and thus a friendship was born.
His twin, Annie. For all that he's decidedly American white trash and she's American blue blood (though not blue enough for some and she's European Socialist Raised) they are alike.
Tom and Annie (and occasionally Annie's big brother George, who becomes a friend as well). That's how it is. They have fun around England - and thus the legend of him always managing to lose her shoes and paying for new ones and telling Annie the stories of their losing over cups of tea and biscuits in their kitchen. They've never slept together (in the 'shagging' sense anyway - cuddling, yes, all the time) and Liz adores Annie and it's all entirely understood. So they cuddle and talk about voting trends and the need for pragmatic political and policy solutions with all the passion of political geeks in their early twenties.
Tom had always been fond of, as Annie put it "obscure indie rock bands he can be adorably hipster about' So Rachel wasn't surprised when she pried out of him that he'd sung in a band in college. And then gone home early to look after Greg, but he'd never told her that.
It hurts to see, how much he'd given up for the sake of Henry Tudor (Lawrence hated Henry, which was a bit to do with his father and more to do with Henry's status as the crappier kind of deadbeat dad. He'd dragged Mary through months of saying she wasn't his, refusing to talk to her because Mary sided with her Mom. Let alone Elizabeth, dumped. Like Annie who he'd served divorce papers after she'd miscarried and was still in hospital).
And Tom. Tom who she was nursing through his second Manhattan. Who'd defended Henry to the last, almost ("Rachel, he's...he's not a paragon but he cares. Thoughtless but brilliant") and been dumped.
She wondered when Henry would come round to regretting it.
"Don't mess this up for us J. I love you too much"
About then Jane Seymour had decided to leave because frankly, in all the mess of charm and lies her husband has given her this? This is the moment when she sees.
It was like Senator More must have seen, she tells Rachel later. Being Henry's most beloved is terrifying. For perhaps he will always love you but you can never be yourself around him.
Jane left and knew Henry would always grieve. Would blame Annie for manipulating her in to leaving, blame Tom for helping & perhaps Edward for not preventing it.
Jane goes because she cannot bear it anymore. Especially seeing how he treats Mary, let alone how he speaks of little Elizabeth. She goes and is allowed to be herself again - to be friends with Cat and Annie and to know Ed would know his sisters.