Disclaimer: I don't own the Tudors or any of its characters. Nor do I make any profit from this.

A/N: Hi, thank you for all your reviews. I'm so glad that you're liking my story. Just a little warning for this chapter contains violence and mentions of rape.

Elizabeth Seymour:

Arranging different colored flowers into a large vase, Elizabeth Seymour was doing her best to stay focus on the task at hand, but she was having time considering that she was worried about the queen. She glanced over at the queen who was sitting her favorite chair that stood close to the fireplace, staring into the crackling flames with a hint of sadness on her face.

In all her time all her time as lady-in-waiting to the Queen she had never seen her look so somber, so defeated. Despite all her struggles in trying provide the king with a son, something no woman should go through, and would have broken most by now, so far the queen has managed to stay strong despite all her hardships.

Honestly, it was mystery to her how the queen has managed to stay so strong, but then again she was the daughter of Isabella of Castile, warrior, and who personified strength, it was obvious were Katherine own strength came from.

Elizabeth scowled, this was that entire harlots fault she had fooled them all. She wished that Elizabeth Blount, or Bessie as she liked to be called never entered their lives in the first place, maybe she hadn't the Queen would be spared all the pain that she was going through now. Her thought's turning back to the past few months.

When the girl first entered the Queen's service, the Queen had taken an instant liking to the girl; sometime she would dismiss her ladies, including her, but ask Bessie to stay so she could talk to her. She remembered feeling jealous of the girl, what was so special about her anyways?

She knew that she was being childish, but at the moment she didn't care, she was determined to hate the girl, but that only lasted a day or so. But seeing how happy, how at peace she after their talks. If anyone deserved a bit of happiness it was the queen, and if talking with the girl brought a bit of happiness to Katherine then who was she to object.

She even contemplated reaching out a hand of friendship to the girl, but little did she know that was all about to change. As she prepared for bed later that night she was surprised at the sharp rap on her bedchamber door. The other ladies knew better then to disturb at this time of night unless it was an emergency, she then began to panic...did something happen to the Queen? She quickly put on her night robe and headed towards the door.

"I'm coming," she grumbled as she heard another knock on the door. Opening the door she was surprised to see the man she had been courting for the past several months, Thomas Cromwell. Despite the dark cloak that he was wearing she could tell that it was him.

"Thomas," she gasped surprised to see him; she then stepped aside to let him. Before closing the door she peaked the hallway to make sure that no one was out there, much to her relief it was deserted. Closing the door, she then turned back to Thomas who was taking off the hood to the cloak that he was wearing, revealing his handsome face.

Just then a thought came to her and worried expression appeared on her face. "What's wrong? Has something happened?" she asked him her mind conjuring up the worst case scenarios.

Thomas was not the type of man to sneak into ladies bedchambers at night; he didn't like the scandal that often went along with it. And he had too much at stake to even risk causing such a scandal, and not only that he was gentleman, going to a ladies bedchambers went against his nature.

He had come a long way since his humble beginnings in Putney, the son of a blacksmith he expected to follow in his father's footsteps, never did he dream that he would become the secretary to one the most powerful man in the entire kingdom, Cardinal Wolsey.

Sensing her fear, he walked over to her, he reached and caressed her cheek, and she blushed enjoying his warm hand pressed against her face. "Nothing has happened, everything is fine," he reassured her softly, he then pulled her closer and just held her. She wanted to believe him, but a tiny voice in her head was telling her that things were only getting worse before they could get better.

Thomas then went on to say that he needed to tell me something, and due to his own impatience he couldn't wait until morning. He had news in regards one of my ladies. This got her attention instantly, as head maid of honor to the Queen she made it her business to know each and everything about the girls that served alongside her in serving the queen. She didn't want any type of scandal touching the queen's name, and it was often her job to get rid of the "bad apples" so to speak, if something did happened, and with the king's constant womanizing ways, it happened more often than usual, who often to like to take his mistresses amongst the Queen's ladies.

He then went on to tell her that Elizabeth Blount had had come to Cardinal Wolsey's office today. Elizabeth frowned, wondering why in the world would Bessie go visit Wolsey of all people, she knew how the Queen felt about him. Katherine despised the man, along with finding him untrustworthy. She didn't believe that he had the king's best interest at heart, and that he was only using him to further his own ambitions.

She also questioned his loyalty to the church, a man with a mistress and two bastard children shouldn't even be Cardinal to the church. She couldn't help but agree with the Queen's assessment of the man; he couldn't be trusted, despite all that he has done for Thomas. She didn't dare voice this to Thomas who held a deep respect for Wolsey. The Queen even gone as far as warning her ladies against the man, telling them that he was not to be trusted, and to avoid him if all possible.

She didn't want to think the worse of Bessie, so she tried to rationalize why she was there; maybe Wolsey had cornered her in the hallway demanding that she come to his office. He had been known to do that, knowing that the queen didn't trust him he often tried to recruit the queen ladies into spying on her; this was another reason that the queen hated him, but so far he has been unsuccessful, none of the ladies were not willing to do it, who was very loyal to the Queen. Maybe he figured that he have more success with Bessie? She thought.

But then there was a part that had a feeling that this had nothing to with Cardinal Wolsey at all. Her fears were confirmed when Thomas told her that Elizabeth was pregnant with the king's bastard, and Wosley on orders from the king was planning to send her off to some nunnery.

Her thought's then turned to the Queen, did she know? She doubt that Thomas would know, and from the friendly demeanor towards the girl this morning she doubt that she knew either, the queen needed to know, there was no way she was going allow the queen to be made to look like the fool any longer. It pained her that she was have to tell the her this, she didn't think that she would be able to bare to see the pain in the queen as she told her this. She couldn't even imagine the betrayal that the queen would be feeling knowing that the woman she took under her wing, trusted with her private thoughts was another of her husband's mistresses, not only that she was pregnant with the child she yearned for.

She wanted to hate Bessie for her role in all this, but honestly she could not find fault with the girl, it was not the like she could turn down the king's advances, he was the king after all. You would have to be crazy or suicidal to turn down his advances.

Telling the Queen was going to be one of the hardest things that she was going to do in her life. She stopped at the door of the queen's apartment, not sure if she could go through with this, but she could not allow the Queen to stay in ignorance either. Taking a deep she entered the Queen's apartments, no sooner had she stepped through the door she was surrounded by the other queen ladies, who frantically told her that Cardinal Wolsey had sent the queen a letter, and that they didn't what the letter contained but the Queen was very upset.

Taking charge she quickly soothed the ladies telling them that she would got talk with the queen, she then ordered that they continue in their duties. Upon entering the queen's bedchamber, she spotted the queen sitting her favorite chair holding a letter in her hand, wearing a look of confusion her face.

'Your majesty," she greeted and bowed to the Queen.

"Elizabeth, I'm so glad to see you," Katherine said relieved to see her. "Please come sit by me," she quickly obeyed and sat in the chair that stood across from the Queen.

Katherine then held up the letter in her hand, " I just received this letter not an hour ago it from Cardinal Wolsey," she said not bothering her dislike of the man. "He tells me that Bessie has been dismissed from my household, he gives me no explanation whatsoever, and what right does he have in dismissing my own servants anyway! Wolsey is getting out of hand, I'm going to the king with this," she fumed, she then glanced over at Elizabeth who was practically squirming in her seat, Katherine knew right then that Elizabeth must know something.

"Elizabeth what's the matter, do you know something?' she asked her. A long second passed before Elizabeth had the courage to answer her, "Yes your majesty," she confessed, tears coming to her eyes.

"What is Elizabeth?" the Queen asked looking extremely concern. Taking a deep breath she then told her everything. She kept her eyes to the ground not wanting to see her reaction.

A long silence pass, gathering enough courage she looked up to see the queen wearing a blank expression on her face, showing no emotion whatsoever. Despite her lack of reaction, Elizabeth knew that the Queen was hurting but she too proud of a woman to let anyone see her hurt, she saw it as a sign of weakness.

Then in surprisingly strong voice she dismissed her, telling her that she didn't want to be disturbed for the rest of the day.

Elizabeth spent the rest of day keeping the other ladies busy with chores, she could tell that they wanted to ask her what was going on with the queen but seeing the stern look on her face they didn't dare. She then dismissed them early feeling guilty for working then so hard.

No sooner had they left, the door opened once more in charged the king who looked very pissed off, this came to no surprise since the queen had sent her to deliver a message to the king telling him she didn't want to dine with him that evening.

She quickly bowed, but the king barely acknowledged her presence and walked into the Queen's chambers without knocking, slamming the door behind him.

Soon she could hear angry shouts coming from the both the king and Queen, she was appalled to hear the king blame Katherine for all of this, How was this her fault? "Bessie pregnancy only proven that I can father a child that the problem does not lay with me but with you," he accused her.

Just then she heard the Queen yell, her voice filled with hurt, it was obvious what the King said wounded her. "Unlike you Henry I don't think I'm god, and can get pregnant through Immaculate Conception, maybe you visited my bedchambers more often I would be pregnant by now. But considering that you haven't visited it over two years why are you surprised that I'm not pregnant."

An eerie silenced followed afterwards, just then a shiver ran down her spine at the King's next words. "You want me to visit your bedchamber, share your bed, fine I'll share your bed," he hissed angrily.

"No Henry," she heard the Queen plead, "not like this." What Elizabeth heard next would haunt her for the rest of her life, she covered her ears with her hands trying to block out the sounds coming from inside the Queen's chambers, she wanted to do something, anything, but what could she do? She never felt so helpless in her life.

Tears ran down her face, finally the queen's screams of mercy all died down and there was nothing but silence

Just then the door opened and out stepped the king adjusting his breeches, he looked over at her their eyes meeting she quickly looked to the floor in submission she then heard the door shut after the king. She then got up and quickly made her way towards the Queen's chambers, she didn't even bother to knock she just walked in. The room was dark she could barely see anything; she could make out a figure on the bed.

"Majesty," she called out hesitantly, she then walked slowly over to the bed, as she got closer she could see that the gown that queen had been wearing was damaged beyond repair, it barely covered her naked flesh.

She noted that the Queen was awake but all she did was stare off in space, more tears came to her eyes, she knew this sounded treasonable but damn the king to hell, how could he do this, how could he hurt the Queen like this.

She wanted to get a doctor, but what could he do other than to make the Queen more distress then she already was. Not wanting to leave the queen, she stayed with her the rest of the night.

(0)(0)

A month had passed since that terrible night, the Queen spent most of her days in prayer, and sometime she would visit Mary at Hatfield. The rest of the ladies were terribly worried about her, they believed that the Queen was distressed by the news of Bessie recent departure. They wanted me to talk with the queen, hoping that I would be able to draw her out of this melancholy mood she was in. She told them not to worry that in a few weeks the queen would be back to her old self, they looked at her like they didn't believe her but took me at my word. I of course hated lying to them, she doubt that queen was going to get over what the king did to her in a few weeks, who could?

Finishing my chores, she walked over to the queen and bowed, she noted that the Queen was holding an un-open bible in her hands; she seemed to be lost in thought. Looking away from the queen she noted that there was some expensive looking cloth, the king had must of sent that so the queen could make more shirts for him, how dare he! Fuming, she turned back to the queen, who was coming out of her stupor.

"Elizabeth," the Queen greeted her quietly, " your majesty do you need anything?" she asked, the queen seemed to hesitate, "I have no one to talk to, no that I can trust, except for you" she confided. "I have endured so much," her voice filled with pain. "But none as hard as Henry forcing himself on me, at that moment I wanted to die, but strangely enough I kept hearing my mother's voice telling me to stay strong." She then stared off the in the distance, "I'm with child," she said suddenly.

Elizabeth eyes widen in shock.

She watched tears run down the Katherine face as she stared into the crackling flames. "I've been praying for this for so long, and now I have it I don't want it. I know that's wrong?"

"It's no wrong my lady, you're not in wrong in not wanting a child that was created from violence. The only wrong person here is the king for what he did to you. In the book of Matthew, Jesus said, "And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Later that night, before she got in bed Elizabeth pulled out a book from under her mattress, Thomas had given it to her; she knew that if anyone should discover she had it she could be in some serious trouble. Her thought's turned back to the conversation with the queen, she knew that she was playing with fire, considering that the Queen was very loyal to Rome and the Catholic Church, but for some reason she wasn't scared.

Be continued.