A/N: This is just a random idea I had in my head before I went off to work, I wrote it in about fifteen minutes, enjoy!
The woman looked at the dying girl in front of her, the young child who wasn't much younger then herself; the young child she was being requested to replace with out the public's knowledge. She couldn't help but stare at the girl's pale face, stare at the girl who was supposed to be the savior of the country.
She understood what the girl's advisors were asking her, and she knew why- she just didn't know how comfortable she felt stepping into her shoes so suddenly. The sick girl was the last in line of her family and the country had been plagued by the death of five monarchs in eleven years, it's not a surprise the country was counting on this girl to save them. But no one imagined that she would fall sick so soon after her coronation. This girl has no heir, she has no siblings left alive and her siblings never had children, she only had a vindictive cousin ready to steal the throne from her. The country has changed religions and beliefs so often that the girl's advisors panicked when she fell ill, there is no doubt in the woman's mind that, because the girl has no heir, when she dies there would be a revolution…if her advisors didn't take certain measures, certain measures involving her.
It broke the woman's heart to see the beloved twenty-nine year old queen's life shriveling away right in front of her; it seems the girl's life would never be easy, not even in death. She sighed and looked at the two older men in the room with her, the two men who had asked the unthinkable of her. The men stood solemnly in the corner with defeated expressions on their faces, the woman knew the fate of the country rested in her hands and in her final decision. She sent one more grim look to the unconscious girl lying on the bed.
The girl started coughing and her body started to shake uncontrollably. The woman let out a single tear when the girl's body stopped moving.
She looked at the men, who had mirrored expressions of pain, sadness, and hopelessness. She gave a deep breath before making up her mind and ultimately deciding the fate of her country.
"I'll do it." Thirty-one year old Jane Hopsan looked at the still body, at the face that so closely resembled hers, but then that is why they chose her in the first place. She could have easily been that girl, but she was the lucky one, the real privileged one- she was lucky enough to grow up in a loving household with a caring family, a normal life; while this young girl did not have a clue what true normality was, what even love was. On March 23, 1563 Elizabeth I of England died of illness, but her reign continued through a brave young woman who was given the glory, but not the credit. A great princess died that day and a brave woman stepped up.
A/N: Queen Elizabeth really did fall very ill in 1563 (I believe) but I could not find the exact date so I thought of something relatively reasonable. I hope you like it, though it is nothing special- just a random idea in my head I wanted to write. Feel free to leave comments, but I don't really want flamers I take criticism (any kind, sad I know -_-) badly, so please be nice