One of the courtiers led Jocelyn to the court's grand dining area. There were two candles at each ends of the table lightening the whole room up. It was a large table furnished in wood. King Henry and Anne Boleyn sat at each end.

"Your Majesty." The courtiers bowed. Not being accustomed to bowing down to anyone, Jocelyn did a weak bow.

Henry was displeased at the way he bowed. He had never seen someone with such little manners; especially not a Boleyn. The Boleyns bowed gracefully as if they were totally devoted to their king. With the way they bowed down, it was clear that they were trying to please their king unlike the new Boleyn in front of him.

"You may stand."

"I present to you, Jocelyn Boleyn."

Jocelyn took one look at Anne; his half-sister. Anne returned his glance. She didn't know what to think about him. Should she have brotherly love for him or should she hate him because he was the product of her father's extra-marital affair?

This was the first time Jocelyn saw the king and his half-sister. King Henry was a tall, sturdy man with a very intimidating presence. He could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't too fond of him. Jocelyn didn't care. No father of any girl he had ever courted had ever liked him so he wouldn't be too surprised if the king didn't like him either.

His half-sister's eyes resembled his own father's and Jocelyn knew instantly who she got her "evil stepmother" traits from. She was tall wearing a dark green gown with a pearl necklace. Jocelyn smirked when he saw the pearl necklace.

"You want my daughter's hand in marriage, Jocelyn Boleyn?"

"Yes, I would love to marry your beautiful pearl, Your Majesty," said Jocelyn grinning radiating confidence; confidence which most in his position would lack.

Henry was a little saddened by his answer. It was a pretty long time since anyone referred to Mary as his pearl. It was a long time since he referred to her as his pearl.

"And if you married the Lady Mary, what would you do?"

"I would love her like no man has ever had your majesty."

"Would you keep her in her place and persuade her to sign the act of Supremacy."

"I'll try to," lied Jocelyn.

"How come I have never seen him before? He never comes to court with your family, Anne and I have never seen him around here."

Anne looked at Jocelyn. "That is because he went to study in France with our sister Mary Boleyn and I. While Mary and I were serving as a lady-in-waiting to the French court, he was getting an education. Our father had enrolled him to the finest academy," Anne lied.

Jocelyn glanced at Anne and lightly chuckled. Anne looked angry and flustered at his reaction.

"I hadn't known that your father had such money. Anyways, Jocelyn welcome to our family. Keep my daughter happy. You may leave now."

"Your majesty, will you come to our wedding. It would make her happy."

"Maybe."

Henry raised from his chair and left the dining area. Jocelyn was also about to leave but Anne called his name.

"Jocelyn."

"Yes?"

"You're my brother!"

Anne came closer to him. Anne caressed his cheeks with her thumb smiling up at him. "You have my father's nose."

Jocelyn pushed her hand away. "I am nothing like your father. Do not refer to me as your brother. I'm only here so I could take the Princess's hand. Your dear father had made a deal with me. If I marry your step daughter, I will inherit most of his property,"

Anne was stunned. "Mary is not a princess. She's a bastard and as for our father, he said no such thing. You should not talk to me in that tone. I'm your queen and I'm your older sister," Anne ranted.

"I would not like to hear such things about my betrothed in the future, sister. As for you being my queen, I don't abide to anybody's rules. I make my own rules."

"You heretic. You will take that back right now. If you weren't my brother and weren't helping me get rid of Mary Tudor, you would be sent to the tower by now."

"Sister, who said I was helping you get rid of Mary. I was just helping myself to your beautiful step daughter and to some of yours and your sibling's inheritance."

Jocelyn smirked at Anne's outraged face.

"You shameless bastard."

"That I am, sister. It was nice talking to you. Now if you'd excuse me, I'm afraid I have to leave."

Without a bow, Jocelyn walked out of the room leaving behind an angry Anne.

It was her final day. It was the day she would get married. She had always wondered what this day would be like. Mary always thought that she would be getting married to a prince; not a Boleyn. But she thought about him often. He was handsome and she had never seen a man stand up for her like that.

Rosalie was lacing up her wedding gown. It was a simple beautiful creamy-white dress that swept to the floor as she stood there and examined herself from the small mirror that hung on the dusty walls in her room. The dress hung tightly on her bosoms and her waist, accentuating her curves making her realize how much she had grown up. Her dark curls hung freely from her linen veil. Her blue eyes were lined with dark lead which brought out her eyes at the contrast of her dark eyeliner and dark, long lashes.

"Turn around, let me look at you." Mary turned around.

"You look very beautiful, Mary."

Mary's eyes shone with tears. She didn't know if she would get to see Rosalie again. Rosalie had taken care of her in Hatfield as an older sister would. She would protect her from Lady Bryn and many of the other ladies-in-waiting. It was clear they were the outsiders of Hatfield. But that rarely mattered when they had each other. But now, she was leaving her all alone.

"I'm going to miss you so much." Mary embraced her friend.

"I'm not going to let you go that easily. I will definitely visit you."

"What if my husband and in-laws do not let me see you?"

"Then we will sneak out to see each others like most lovers do."

Mary giggled at her friend's remark. She was definitely going to miss her friend's keen sense of humour.

Mary left her chamber with Rosalie following. Lady Bryn glanced at her with envy.

Mary and Rosalie entered Elizabeth's chamber and observed the young infant sleeping peacefully. "I will miss her so much."

"And I'm sure she will miss you."

"Rosalie, promise me that you'll take care of her."

"I will. She will be taken care of well. Who I'm worried about is you. Take care of yourself Mary. And if anything goes wrong, please do tell me."

"Thank you Rosalie."

Mary couldn't believe that she was being separated again from the last person that still cared for her. She treated her better than her own kin and she would always try to repay her kindness.

Interrupting Mary's thoughts, Lady Bryn burst into the room.

"What do you think you are doing? I thought I told you once to leave the Princess Elizabeth alone."

"I think she has a right to see the Princess Elizabeth, Lady Bryn. That's her sister and I think you should be reminded of what Mary's betrothed had said. If you ever dare speak to Mary with disrespect again, he will take action against you. So you better watch what you're saying," said Rosalie bluntly.

Lady Bryn stood there stunned at Rosalie's reply. She was right. Jocelyn Boleyn could take action against her if she disrespected Mary in anyway. Lady Bryn just walked out of the chamber.

While Mary was finally leaving Hatfield, she wished everyone farewell but Lady Bryn didn't have the courage to look into her eyes.

Jocelyn was standing at the altar. A few people sat on the seats at the church. A few of his close friends and their wives, his mother and Mary Stafford with his husband were all present. He hadn't met his older half-sister yet. He had heard many things about her. He didn't like how she had been two king's mistresses and he knew that his future wife wouldn't be too delighted to see her present either. However, he was fond of her presence rather than Anne Boleyn's. Her presence was more humble and she married for love rather than for wealth and power unlike his older sister.

Mary was just outside the church. Her father hadn't come to see her even on her wedding day. It was Thomas Boleyn who was going to walk her down the aisle. She didn't know what she did to deserve this treatment from her father. She didn't accept Anne Boleyn as queen but how could she when she had stolen her father from both her mother and her. Nobody could have replaced her mother in her eyes, or England's. No body could take her mother's place as queen. But despite their differences, her father should've shown some affection especially after her mother died. He should've at least shown up today to give her his blessings.

Mary entered the church arm in arm with Thomas Boleyn. She gulped in nervousness. For the first time in her life she was scared. She was unsure about her future. She missed her mother very much and she didn't know whether or not her cousin, the Emperor would help her get through this. She was entering her enemy's family. She was becoming a part of the Boleyns.

As Jocelyn's bride entered the altar, his breath was taken away. He stood there looking at her attentively, not once taking his eyes off her once. He thought that she was the most beautiful girl that he'd ever seen. Her blue-black hair descended swiftly in curls glistening at the light of the church. Her blue eyes still looked distressed, yet they shone beautifully in contrast to her darker features. She was a sight to behold.

Thomas Boleyn led Mary to the priest where Mary stood opposite to Jocelyn. Mary glanced at Jocelyn and instantly avoided her gaze. She felt uncomfortable at the way she was getting stared at. It reminded her of the gazes that would be exchanged between men and women at court which she witnessed when she was only a child. Now that she thought about it, she was disgusted. The priest carried on his speech while she thought about how much her life had changed. She had gone from being loved and cared for by both her parents and all of England to Hatfield, only being accustomed to the care and kindness of one person; Rosalie. Now she was going to enter the one family that had ruined her life. Her life was getting worse day by day.

"I do," said Jocelyn.

"Mary Tudor, do you take this man to be your wedded husband? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health, remaining faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

"I-I do."

"You may now kiss the bride."

Mary's heart started skipping a beat as Jocelyn came closer. Her eyes dilated as she looked at him. Mary had never kissed a man before. She had no idea what she would do if he ever wanted to consummate their marriage. She knew that no matter what happened she would stay away from him and not let him consummate their marriage but she couldn't help but wonder what would happen if things didn't go her way. She knew that she was meant to be a queen, not a commoner's wife.

Jocelyn caressed Mary's cheeks and moved a strand of hair and he moved forward and instantly locked his lips to Mary's. Jocelyn kissed her softly, keeping his hands caressing her cheeks. He knew how reluctant she was but he was happy that she didn't fight back or show any disapproval in the way they kissed. Mary's raspberry lips were plump and soft and Jocelyn just couldn't help himself. Mary was the first to pull back. It was apparent that the feelings that she felt were foreign to her.

After they exchanged bows, it was time for their wedding feast. Mary and Jocelyn sat beside each other. Gay music played in the background and some of Jocelyn's friends were dancing with their wives. Mary even spotted Rosalie dancing with one of Jocelyn's friends. Mary Stafford and her husband, Thomas Boleyn and his mother were all present at the feast.

"Jocelyn, Mary, I would like you to meet Mary Stafford, my first daughter and her husband."

Mary remembered her clearly. She was the beautiful lady-in-waiting that had captivated her father's heart for a short while. Her mistakes were accountable although she was much nicer than her sister and conventionally the more attractive one out of the two sisters.

"Hello, Mary. You have grown so beautifully. You look stunning."

"Thank you" was all she said.

"Hello, sister," Jocelyn said. He was in a happy mood. He had married a beautiful girl and he was going to receive money as well as inherit property.

"Hello, brother."

Mary Stafford didn't want to make it apparent that this was the first time that she and her brother were meeting. She didn't want questions to rise now. She knew Mary would find out sooner or later, who he was but right now, she wasn't planning on exposing the truth.

"Mary I want you to meet my mother," said Jocelyn.

Mary glanced at his mother. That wasn't the Lady Howard. It was another woman. She was a tiny woman with bright brown eyes and a plump face. She smiled at her.

Despite her questions, Mary said "It's a pleasure to meet you, your grace."

"I have heard so much about you, your highness. It is a pleasure having you as my daughter-in-law."

Thomas Boleyn was offended at his former mistress addressing Mary as "Your Highness." She was nothing but a bastard of the king's and now his poor son's wife.

"No, please call me Mary."

"Only if you'd call me mother."

Mary smiled at her reply. She didn't know why Lady Howard wasn't her mother-in-law, but she knew that she preferred this friendly woman over her.

Jocelyn smiled at his mother and Mary getting along. He didn't know that despite being a princess, she was so humble. His mother was the most important woman in his life, and he knew that if Mary wasn't kind to her, he would definitely annul the marriage just like she wanted.

Everyone was quiet at the table. Mary stared at the entrance.

"Your father's not coming," said Jocelyn.

"How would you know whether the king is coming or not? How could you speak for the king?"

"If he was coming, don't you think he would be here by now and not miss the most important part?"

Mary was silenced by his reply. He was right. She was expecting too much from her father that had stopped caring a long time ago.

Jocelyn held her palm and caressed it lightly.

"Come on, don't spoil your mood on your wedding day. Dance with me."

Mary pulled away her hand. "There's many women out here. You should find someone to dance with yourself."

"But I have my eyes on you, Princess. Come on, dance with me." replied Jocelyn with a smirk.

Mary's cheeks flustered. "No, I really don't feel like it."

"Come on, love. Say no, and I'll ask you to dance in front of everyone and I don't think you want to hear my father's blabbering when you deny me." Mary giggled.

"Okay, but just this once."

Jocelyn held her hand and pulled her to the area where everyone was dancing. He pulled her close to him and held her in his arms as they swayed to the music.

Mary had never been that close to a man before. His hand lay tightly on her waist and Mary never felt so protected before.

He lifted her chin. "I am going to introduce you to some of my friends. Okay?"

Mary nodded.

As he stumbled by Hatfield, riding his horse with his friend Charles Brandon, he went inside to visit his daughter Elizabeth. He held Elizabeth in his arms. "This girl is going to roam in empires some day."

Henry spotted a beautiful lady-in-waiting. "Come forward."

The lady-in-waiting went forward frightened. She knew the way men looked at her. She was only seventeen and she had a husband. She didn't want to be another mistress of the king.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Bess, your Majesty.?"

Trying to divert Henry's attention, she said "Your Majesty, Elizabeth had been crying all day long."

"Why had she been crying?"

"Because the Lady Mary is gone. It's her wedding day today and it is Mary who had taken care of her since she was a baby so Princess Elizabeth misses her dearly."

Henry was happy to hear that Mary had taken so much care of Elizabeth. He never thought his two daughters would become this attached. The last time Henry had seen his daughter was when she was thirteen years old and now she was getting married. Now she would be someone else's now. Henry couldn't figure out if that was a good thing or not, yet he still wished to see her one last time. When Henry got back at court, he immediately told one of his courtiers to go to her wedding and give her a beautiful pearl necklace. He used to call her his pearl and he hoped that giving her this necklace would mean something to her.

It was finally time to go to her new home. The guests had left. Her new mother-in-law had gone to stay at her sister's at the discomfort that she had felt with the Boleyns present.

She was about to step into the carriage when a courtier approached her. "Lady Mary, I want to present to you a gift from his majesty."

For a moment, Mary's face lit up at the mention of her father but then her rational thoughts immersed. He was only sending her a gift to make up for missing her wedding. This was nothing but pure obligation; a mere reflection of the slightest love he still had for his daughter somewhere deep inside his hardened heart.

Jocelyn stood right behind her as he stood there watching her face light up one moment, only to seem completely shattered the next. Jocelyn slid his hand onto her waist and asked "You want me to put it on you, Mary?"

Mary nodded in reply and Jocelyn took the necklace, moved her dark hair over her shoulders, observing her creamy back and slipped the pearl necklace on.

Thomas Boleyn stood watching the proximity of his son and the former princess. He didn't know about Mary but he knew that Jocelyn was infatuated with her.

Mary and Jocelyn entered the carriage followed by Mary Stafford and Thomas Boleyn occupying the seats at the back. Thomas wanted to escort them back to their cabin, so he could talk to Jocelyn and give him his next set of instructions.

The carriage ride was absolutely silent other than the few whispers between Mary Stafford and her husband. Eventually, they were stopped by a young orphan, apparent that she hadn't eaten in days. "Your grace, would you please be kind enough to offer me some charity?"

"Move along, child," answered Thomas Boleyn.

"What's your name child?"

"My name is Isabella." Mary took off her pearl necklace and without over thinking it gave it to the little girl.

"Isabella, go to a jeweller and sell it and then get some food for your self child."

The girl was awed at the expensive piece of jewellery that was given to her.

"Thank you so much, your grace."

The little girl walked away in disbelief. Thomas Boleyn, Mary Stafford and her husband all sat shocked at the unfolded scene.

"That was a present given by his majesty. How dare you give it to a mere orphan on the streets?"

"Thomas Boleyn, that mere orphan was in need of charity so I had given it to her. If you would like, you could go tell his majesty. It will make no difference to me."

Jocelyn was amused. "It's great that you had given it to her, princess."

"Why?" Mary questioned.

"I know it's not much but I had bought this for you and was thinking about giving this to you when I returned home but I think now is appropriate."

Jocelyn got a tiny box out and opened the cover only to pull out a beautiful gold necklace with a locket. It looked a lot like the necklace that her mother used to wear around her neck before all her jewellery was taken away by Anne. But what Mary didn't know was that Jocelyn found this necklace in court, picked it up and hid it in his pockets. It was the same exact necklace as her mother's.

"Jocelyn, this is beautiful. I love it."
"I got it for you."

"Thank you so much."

Jocelyn lightly put her hair behind her shoulders and slipped the necklace on.

Mary turned to face her husband.

"This one suits you more."

Mary looked at her neck. "I guess it does."

"It looks like your father had forgotten your taste of jewellery."

"Pardon me?"

"You didn't look too happy when you received the pearl necklace."

"That is because I hate pearls."

Thomas Boleyn sat behind in awe of his son and daughter-in-law's conversation. Nobody 'till this day had no courage to even think something bad about the king and here his rebellious son was making implications about him to the king's very own daughter. He knew that this type of behaviour from him had to be stopped. Being married with the king's daughter, he will sooner or later have to associate himself with the king.

I know I should be putting up another chapter of Never let me go but I really just wanted to get publish this chapter. I promise you'll get another chapter of Never let me go by next week or the week after.