Characters:

-Queen Elizabeth 'Lisbet' (1556-)

-Princess Elizabeth Tudor (1533-)

-Philip II of Spain (1527-)

-Lady Jane Grey (1536-)

-Catherine, Lady Herbert (1540-)

-Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby (1509-)

-William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester (1483-)

-Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (1527-)

-Lord Robert Dudley (1532-)

-William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1501-)

-Sir Henry Herbert, Baron Herbert (1539-)

-Lady Elizabeth Herbert (1558-)

-Lady Mary Herbert (1560-)

-Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland (1532-)

-John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford (1516-)

-Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel (1512-)

-William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (1520-)


December, 1560

The Christmas spirit was more jolly than before. The courtiers moved around excitedly, all eager to see their Queen's first public appearance.

Lisbet was equally as excited.

She was a precocious child and had learnt to speak at two years of age, and became fluent in French and a little Latin by Elizabeth's patient teaching. Even though it pained Elizabeth, Lisbet was taught the Catholic beliefs by Thomas Watson, Bishop of Lincoln who was a pupil of the Catholic martyr, Bishop John Fisher. Lisbet was also taught to play the virginals, the lyre and the lute and seemed to be an expert on the virginals like her mother was.

Elizabeth had no patience for embroidery and needlework, and that was when Jane continued Lisbet's womanly education. Lisbet's childish chatter was considered sweet and musical, and the Court musicians were confident she would be a brilliant singer.

Her auburn-goldish hair had grown wavy with attractive ringlets, the top of her hair flaming red, with the tips at the bottom a lovely gold colour.

Everyone agreed she was a striking lady in the making.

There was always a smile on her heart-shaped face and her now deep blue eyes sparkled as her infectiously sweet laughter echoed through the palace.

"My first Christmas at Court!" exclaimed Lisbet, clapping her small hands together. "Oh! Would it not be exciting, Elizabeth? Jane? All the nobles will bow to me when the herald calls my name! Do you think they will give me presents?!"

"Christmas is a time for peace," said Elizabeth, placing a silver tiara on her abundant hair. "The people bow and curtsey to you because they respect you. You must love and respect them back, and at Christmas, everyone exchanges gifts as an act of good relations."

"What normally happens in celebrations?"

"Dancing, feasting, talking and watching a pageant."

"Who will I dance with? I have learnt new court dances!"

"I know you have, poppet. Everyone will wish to dance with you, and as the Queen, you have the choice of choosing whoever you want to dance with."

"Your Majesty," said Lord Robert Dudley (Master of the Horse in Lisbet's household), at the door. "The courtiers are waiting for you."

"Thank you Lord Robert," said Lisbet, who had been practising her lines all morning, which impressed her ladies greatly. "I will be there shortly."

He bowed, caught sight of Elizabeth and devilishly winked at her.

She gracefully raised an eyebrow and said nothing.

I cannot possibly fall for him, thought Elizabeth, finding herself staring after him. It is my duty to rule fairly and look after Lisbet. How will I be able to do that if I am head-over-heels in love with Robert, or even experiencing a sort of unusual emotion towards him. Besides, he had been recently widowed a few months ago by the tragic death of his wife, Lady Amy Dudley. The Dudleys have been viewed with suspicion, and it would not do any of us any favours if we...if love exists between us. I was named regent, and I must dedicate every second of my life to Lisbet and for England.

"What do you think, Elizabeth?" said Jane, putting a tiny jewelled bracelet around Lisbet's wrist as a final touch. "Is she not so beautiful?"

"As lovely as an angel," said Elizabeth, as Lisbet swirled around in a Tudor green dress of the finest material. "Are you ready?"

Lisbet nodded, and obediently took her hand as they walked to the great hall.

Jane followed them, wearing a gown of grey instead of her usual black.

The mahogany double doors flung open as the three approached it.

"Presenting Her Majesty, the Queen of England!" announced the herald, as the courtiers automatically swept into magnificent bows and curtsies once Lisbet entered the great hall. "Her Royal Highness, the Princess Elizabeth, and the Lady Jane Grey!"

Lisbet smiled and nodded at the courtiers as she walked passed them with an unusual air of confidence and innocence for a four year old queen. She beamed more broadly when she noticed her companions, Anne Knollys, Susan Bertie and Mary Cavendish beside their parents and siblings.

Elizabeth helped her onto her chair, and the others sat down. Lisbet stood up-to Elizabeth's surprise-and the courtiers remained silent.

"Good nobles," she spoke clearly. "It is a pleasure to celebrate Christmas with you! Please! Enjoy the feast we are united together for!"

The courtiers clapped and cheered her name.

She was already loved greatly.

"Well done, Lisbet," praised Elizabeth, as the servants came in, carrying silver platters, which in turn held the cooks' masterpieces. "I see you have practised that all morning! You are a good queen. Have you tried the quail eggs? I heard they are very tasty."

"Thank you Aunt Elizabeth," said Lisbet shyly, blushing at the compliment. "I wanted to say something special tonight, and I asked my tutors for advice. Together, we came up with the message. They said it is better for a shorter sentence which I can say well in, rather than a whole speech. Enchanting the audience is the most important."

Elizabeth almost shuddered at the word 'enchanting'.

Her mother's name always preceded words such as that, 'alluring', and 'witchery'.

"Are you alright?" said Lisbet, her wide eyes watching her innocently.

"Yes," said Elizabeth, recovering quickly. "You must thank your tutors, John Fowler and Roger Ascham, for their advice and help."

"Of course," said Lisbet, maturely reaching for a slice of pie. "Education and knowledge are the best gifts a girl can receive in the world."

Jane nodded approvingly.

It was not long before it was time to dance.

"Your Highness," said Lord Robert, approaching Elizabeth. "May I have this dance?"

With a graceful nod, she rose and followed him to the dance floor, where other couples have already began twirling and dancing in time to the music. She smiled at Robert and the both of them began dancing in tune so beautifully.

"They are so happy together," said Lisbet, watching them with a naive smile. "Don't you agree, Lady Jane? I never saw Aunt Elizabeth so content before!"

"They are friends," Jane informed her, not believing she was having that conversation with a four year old girl. "Nothing more. Oh look. There is Sir Edward Stafford, younger brother to Henry Stafford, 2nd Baron Stafford and the husband of Lady Mary Stanley (daughter of the 3rd Earl of Derby). Do you think he will ask you to dance?"

"Your Majesty," said the twenty five year old Sir Edward, moving towards Lisbet with a bow. "Will you do me the honour by accepting my offer to dance?"

With a childish giggle, Lisbet accepted and went to dance.

The courtiers looked at her with admiration and love.

"That poor girl," they said to one another. "Daughter of Bloody Mary and the Spaniard. Thank heavens she is raised by the good Princess Elizabeth! Imagine what would have happened if the Catholic Queen survived the ordeal! She would have made her darling daughter a complete Catholic and ensured the child's education consisting of watching our good people burn to death! Now we must pray the Princess is able to keep the sweet girl safe from the Spaniard! He is a horrible father! The only time he will remember the girl is when he wishes to claim England as his own!"

They shook their heads at the thought.

Jane watched the courtiers dance, a little envious. She wondered if she would ever be happy again. Of course she had almost recovered from the traumatising experience in the Tower and her short, miserable marriage with the uncouth and sulky Guildford Dudley, but she wanted true happiness. That was something royals rarely receive.

"Jane!" said her sister, Catherine-now Lady Herbert-joining her at the table. "What are you doing, sitting here all alone? There are plenty of eligible men out there! You are still young, beautiful and descended from royalty! We are part of the royal family after all! At least you have discarded those plain black gowns you seemed to love to wear when we were younger! Oh look! There is the widowed William Paulet, Lord St John! Word in court, is that he is looking for a new wife. He is the grandson of the 1st Marquess of Winchester, an old man who may die any day-"

"Catherine!" scolded Jane. "Do not be so rude to your elders!"

"Of course you would say that! Oh, don't you want to be a marchioness?! Oh my! Look! If it isn't Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford! Isn't he dashing?!"

"Catherine. You are a married woman. Why don't you go and dance with your husband, or those men you claim are extremely handsome?"

"Um, for an obvious reason?"

Jane glanced her sister and realised Catherine's visible pregnancy.

"I am so sorry!" she gasped. "I did not think that you are with child! My mind was too busy thinking of other matters that I neglected to ask about your condition! Pardon me, Catherine! Congratulations on your fertility! Is it your second?"

"Yes," said Catherine, beaming with joy. "My first was in 1558. A darling girl, remember? I named her 'Elizabeth', after the Queen. She will join the Queen's household next year. The physicians say the child will come at any day now. If it is a girl, we will name her 'Anne', after the late Countess of Pembroke, or perhaps 'Mary', after the late Queen of England. If a boy, he will be called either 'Henry', after his father, or 'William', after the 1st Earl of Pembroke."

"I hope it will go well," said Jane, wondering if she would be able to carry a child to term or not. "I will pray for you and the child, dear sister."

January, 1561

With Lisbet's agreement, Elizabeth ordered a lavish christening for their baby cousin, Lady Mary Herbert as if the infant was a princess of the blood royal.

Lord Herbert was pleased with one of those rare noblemen who is placated with whatever he was given, and was never picky about precious items. When he was presented with another daughter, he was as joyous as if the child was a son.

When Elizabeth suggested the name 'Mary', he accepted it without question.

His father, the Earl, was quite content with another granddaughter.

Of course a grandson would be more ideal than a granddaughter, but as long as the child was healthy and well, he was satisfied.

The Earl's contentment with life was to such an extent, that he asked Elizabeth for letters patent that will allow his eldest granddaughter (Lady Elizabeth Herbert) to succeed to the earldom of Pembroke if she had no brothers.

Lisbet was named a godmother for baby Mary Herbert.

It was a ceremony she would never forget.

April. 1561

"We have a problem, gentlemen," announced Elizabeth, in another council meeting. "I have received a letter from the King of Spain. It seems he will be visiting England shortly."

"He must not return!" said Winchester adamantly. "The King of Spain must not set foot in England, unless he is by himself with a few Spaniards! Write back to him, Your Highness, stating that! Otherwise, all our ports will be closed to him!"

"That will be a sign of hostility," Elizabeth pointed out.

"We were never on good relations with Spain anyway," grumbled Pembroke.

"We were," Elizabeth corrected him. "When my late father married Catherine of Aragon, relations with Spain improved greatly. Yes, the Spaniards are unreliable, but we cannot just allow a foreign monarch to be stranded near our ports! Our enemies will be immediate allies with him! However, I am willing to write to the King of Spain, stating that no more than a hundred Spaniards (including himself) will be allowed on our lands. What say you to that, gentlemen?"

"That is more fair," agreed Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland. "Our troops are more superior, and this is our land. If the King of Spain wishes to discuss another treaty with England, that can be arranged, but if he demands the position of regent, well...Your Highness? What do you say to that? I doubt you will relinquish your position as regent to him!"

"I will not," answered Elizabeth. "I will die before handing over English rights to a greedy Spaniard! The last thing I want is Spaniards crawling through the streets of England!"

The councillors nodded in agreement.

"He doesn't have any brothers," said Derby helpfully.

"True," said John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford thoughtfully. "Thank heavens! If he did, he will most likely betroth the Queen to a loyal Spaniard nephew. What else is mentioned in the letter, Your Highness? I am certain three pages of parchment are not only full of his idea of visiting England!"

A couple of councillors laughed.

"It includes a marriage proposal," said Elizabeth quietly. "Philip II offers to marry me for the sake of peace between the two nations. He wrote that if I agree to it, he will allow me to remain as regent until I have a child. Then we will hypothetically rule together on behalf of the Queen. He has his own heir, and I am the Queen's heiress. I doubt the King of Spain will murder his own daughter to be King of England, but what if we have a son? He may support his rights more than the Queen's."

"What if another lady is chosen to be his wife instead?" suggested Northumberland. "What about the Lady Jane Grey? She is unmarried, and the great-niece of Henry VIII. Let us say Philip II marries her, she must convert into Catholicism and swear on her life and those of her descendants, not to challenge her claims to the Throne as she did before."

"She was a pawn the last time."

"Indeed, but this time, she must swear not to challenge the Succession."

"If both parties agree to it, then very well. However, I do not think either Lady Jane Grey nor the King of Spain wish to marry each other. For one, Lady Jane Grey is not a princess, and she is a Protestant. I doubt she will give up her faith for peace with Spain."

"Lady Jane Grey is aware of her duty to the state, and if she is to marry the King of Spain, she should be grateful and honoured!"

"Exactly," agreed Derby. "It is not often a noblewoman can marry a king!"

The others nodded and murmured softly.

"What about the Queen?" called Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk. "If the King of Spain is coming, would he not wish to marry his daughter off for an alliance to his advantage? She is the Queen of England, but she is legally his daughter."

Elizabeth bit her lip.

What Norfolk said made perfect sense, but what kind of father would leave his daughter all alone without sending her loving letters?

She had often wondered if Philip II sent Lisbet any letters.

She remembered his delayed letter in 1556, requesting his daughter to be christened either 'Isabella' (for his mother), 'Mary' (for the Virgin Mary) or 'Philippa' (the feminine version of his own name). She was given the awkward the task of writing back, stating that Mary had already named their daughter 'Elizabeth' and it was too late to change it.

He did not write back.

"The King of Spain had lost custody of his daughter for a long time," declared William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, slamming his fist down on the table. "He had refused to attend his wife's funeral, the Queen's christening and coronation and plotted with our enemies! The Queen is no Habsburg! She is a Tudor! A Tudor! Here me?! England is her dowry, and she is not to be used as a pawn for the plans of a scheming Spaniard! I rather her the daughter of a bloody, cruel Catholic Queen of England than the daughter of a sly, heartless Catholic King of Spain!"

"YES!"

"A Tudor! The Queen is a Tudor!"

"We will have no Spanish king on the English throne again!"

"Indeed, a Tudor Queen!"

"Scotland has made its intentions clear!" shouted Elizabeth, as the racket died down. "They Scotsmen have married their Queen Mary to the Dauphin-now King-Francis II of France! We have agreed that an alliance with the Habsburgs is a mistake and clearly will not happen! We must have allies! The religious turmoil in the reigns of my half-siblings have not helped either! The Queen will eventually need a spouse, and we must decide which country is the most important to have a firm alliance with! I will not have her married to a ruler of a turncoat kingdom!"

The councillors nodded in firm agreement.

"If you ask me, France is the only kingdom close and reliable," said Norfolk doubtfully. "It is the only other powerful country that is not Habsburg dominated."

"I am afraid Lord Norfolk is right," agreed Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel, whose daughter, Lady Mary, was Norfolk's first wife and mother of Philip Howard, Earl of Surrey. "Unless you believe the Austrian Habsburgs are willing to cut an alliance with Spain, France is the only strong option to form a good alliance with. I can imagine the old King Henri II of France's delight for two of his sons married to the two queens of Scotland and England."

The majority of councillors murmured with approval.

"France..." said Elizabeth distantly.

"Is there something wrong, Your Highness?" inquired Derby.

"What if the chosen French prince claims England as his own?" asked Elizabeth.

"We can put terms in the marital treaty," said Winchester, a smile spreading on his face. "Yes, that is what we shall do. The chosen French prince will be addressed as 'His Royal Highness, the Prince Consort/Duke Consort' unless he somehow happens to succeed to the French Throne. Let us say that to cement the treaty permanently from threats from Spain, a marriage between an English prince or princess and a French royal will be made in every generation to come."

"Yes!" said Oxford, in full agreement.

"We will draft a copy of it," decided Northumberland. "As quickly as possible."

"Very well," said Elizabeth, standing up. "Once you have agreed on the terms, give it to me for the final reading. I will write to the King of Spain. We will discuss this matter again tomorrow. My Lord Burghley, please gather a list of suitable candidates to be the Queen's husband, no matter who it is, Habsburg or no Habsburg. I want it by the end of the day, or at the most, tomorrow morning."

"Yes Your Highness," said Burghley, with a deep bow.

"This meeting is adjourned," said Elizabeth, striding out the room in a most unladylike fashion, too occupied to notice the bows of her councillors.

She immediately sent for Jane.

"What is it?" said Jane at once. "Are you alright?"

"Where is the Queen?" said Elizabeth anxiously. "Is she safe?"

"In the schoolroom..." said Jane curiously. "Of course she is protected! There is a guard in the classroom and at least three or four outside. She is the Queen! We will never lower her guards! Why? Is there a problem, Elizabeth? You look as pale as a ghost!"

"Oh thank God she is still here! Ensure her household does not move castles without my notice. Does she receive any letters from anyone? Even when she was a young infant? Any at all? Does um, she speak of her father at all?"

"Elizabeth, what is with those odd questions? Lisbet had started writing when she was three years old, and I suppose some of us do send her letters for fun, as she seems to enjoy writing back. Lisbet finds it amusing to ask her servants to deliver letters to us and other nobles. Of course the servants don't read the letters, as there is nothing incriminating or important for her to say-"

"What about from the King of Spain?"

"Does Lisbet even know her father is the King of Spain?"

"We hardly mention it, I suppose. We are too focused on her education."

"All the important letters go through me first, and I never received one from the King of Spain, or any other ruler or foreign delegate. Lisbet can hardly write complex sentences and has not learnt statecraft properly yet. What is going on? Please Elizabeth. Tell me."

"The King of Spain is visiting England. His intentions aren't fully clear..."

"What? Does he wish to govern England in Lisbet's name?"

"Yes. That is only one part. Either he wants to be regent (or appoint his own Spanish regent) or...in a

letter, he offered to marry me for the sake of peace between our great nations. A marriage proposal."

"To marry you?!"

"If Lisbet dies without issue, I will succeed her as queen of England, and he will have the opportunity to be King again. If not and we have a son, he will most likely be a Habsburg, and he will have allegiance and a strong relationship with his Habsburg relations. England will be no more."

"Did you accept?"

"I am still deliberating on it. However, the councillors have other ideas..."

"Like what?"

"They proposed the idea of the King of Spain marrying...you instead. You are royal, but not in the first three positions in the Line of Succession."

Jane stared at her, horrified.

Another marriage?! Her first was daunting enough, but to live in Spain, in a court of foreigners?! By God! She cannot even speak Spanish!

"I doubt it would come to anything," Elizabeth reassured her terrified cousin. "The King of Spain is a proud man and I do not think he is willing to marry a noblewoman of royal blood and is a Protestant. He is a more fervent Catholic than Mary. As long as he does not keep in contact with Lisbet, I am certain that all will be well. That is until Lisbet begins asking those questions..."


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