Birth Of The Last Grace
~o~
"That the woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be loved."
Mathew Henry, Notes on Genesis
Her next child was anything but easy, Katherine was in bed all day. It was not the same when she had given birth to Bella. That had been a miracle. Nor with Hal, her darling Prince Hal, Duke of Cornwall who had been everything she and Henry had dreamed of, everything she had hoped for to secure Henry's affections to her.
After she lost their child in the battle of Flodden, after she gave Henry, James' soiled coat and handed the victory to him his affections began to wane. Woman after woman –it served as a reminder that he was tiring of her and if she did not bring him a son he would leave her for good. Her lack of beauty was no help. It started to fade after the loss of her son. She got paler and fatter. Henry was disgusted with her, every time he lay with her it felt like an obligation.
She could see straight in her husband's soul when she looked at his eyes.
If this child was not a boy she was doomed, this was her last chance.
Bella paced back and forward in her bedroom, she confessed to her mother's chaplain, Friar Diego who was sick in his own chambers and screaming to cure him from the dropsy. She asked him if she could be saved?
"From what child?" He asked her harshly. Couldn't she see that he was aching? Why, did the Lord bless their Kingdom with this pale and noisy child and take their Prince?
It was another of God's mysteries he dared not questioned.
"Well speak it out!"
"I prayed last night and wished that this child would be another girl like my sister, baby Mary."
"She is hardly a baby anymore, the child is two and from what I hear healthy, you will surely have a brother this time."
"But what if I not? What if God gives me another sister? I would like another sister. I do not like boys, boys are stupid and they play stupid games, they are not even good at their games, I win every time-"
Friar Diego threw his head back in laughter. "You stupid girl, and you are the granddaughter of the Catholic Kings! Your father needs a son, your mother needs to give him a son. Perhaps nobody has told you but there is a reason why your father does not visit your mother anymore. Why you see him running around with all his whores."
Bella was appalled at the man's use of language and what he accused her father of. "My father does not go running around with women, he loves my mother. He has said so on many occasions!" But Friar Diego kept laughing.
"He spends his time frolicking with women, it is what all men do, what every King shall do when he grows up and tires of his wife. Mark my words, when you become a wife."
"I will never become a wife" She suddenly said, making the sick man jump.
"What did you say? You ungodly child –" He started walking despite the physician's protest to the child, gripping his cane tighter as he neared but Bella was in not in the least intimidated.
"I will never become a wife you heard me. I will not be some stupid mindless girl waiting for her husband to pick her up, to lift her spirits, I will be my own mistress." And she turned on her heel and started running.
And that is where she was now, in her chambers sobbing clutching her doll tightly. It was not until she saw the doll for what it was –a symbol of purity, a symbol of chastity a symbol that every girl should follow and suddenly she realized that it was not his lack of sons that his father was mad at but her mother because she did not follow this role model, the role model her parents wanted her to be!
"No!" She screamed. "I will never be this stupid doll!" And grabbing all her dolls including the one she held dear to her heart she threw them down an open window and all her trinkets, all her jewelry and then wiped the tears and went to her mirror and took out all the silly pins and jewelry and let her hair cascade down her shoulders.
"Isabella? My Princess" His father stopped in mid sentence watching his daughter dump the dolls he had carefully picked out for her and her beautiful head pieces out the window.
"Bella" he spoke more harshly, but she refused to look at him, she hid her head in her pillow.
He walked to her crying form and placed his hands on her shoulders, she shook with disgust but did not shy when he brought her light form to his arms. "What is wrong?"
"Bella please tell me"
A king brought supplicant by his daughter's tears it would have amused Charles, a man Bella often heard her mother remark, of little wit. But this was his daughter Bella, his heir apparent.
The King needed to be soft with her, she was his little girl and his favorite just as Mary was her mother's favorite. She was everything he wanted in a boy, everything he wished she was not.
"Bella please I am your papa, I am your papa, you can always tell me anything."
You can always tell me anything. His words echoed in her brain, speaking of nothing but betrayal and lust.
She heard Friar Diego's words, they met with refusal of what she heard of her father.
No, no! She twined her arms around his neck and whispered everything the Friar said.
Mary who was at a close distance heard and watch her brother turned scarlet red. He would have a private chat with the Friar later.
"Have I told you of the time you were born Bella? Your mama kept bleeding and she sunk to her knees asking for a miracle when the doctors came to me and told me that I could only save one of you, but I did not have to, moments later you were born and your mother and I could not be happier, she said to you "Hello Bella, I am your mama, you are everything I ever dreamed of" then she gave you back to the nursemaids, but you would not let them clean you, I had to take you in my arms and convince you. You are not a doll Bella, you are my pride, I am never ashamed of you. I could have all the Princes in the world in the world and I would still prefer you."
He said and she believed him until a servant came and told them the disturbing news.
Bella's marauding eyes moved from her father to his servant and then to her Aunt. "Does this mean Mary gets to be a big sister like me now?" She happily whispered. Her tears all vanished.
Her Aunt did not answer.
They had all hoped…
"What do you mean she has delivered another girl?" Henry roared.
"Majesty I-"
Henry grabbed the man by his collar and pushed him against a wall. The world around him was forgotten all he could see was red, his future looked more bleak. "What use do I have of another useless daughter?"
Bella covered her ears and started screaming again.
"Stop crying!" Henry looked at her then at his sister for support "Tell her to stop crying." He commanded.
"But you said –" It was no use, Henry was past reason. Her Aunt held her tight. Charles looked at his niece and felt pity for the poor girl but he felt more sorrow for his old friend who had been promised the world if he married the Spanish Princess and had received nothing.
Three little girls were not enough to keep the realm safe. Henry had enemies everywhere, the Queen of France had given birth to a son months ago and was said to be in good health despite her deformities.
He left the room in a hurry. Charles followed, leaving Bella and Mary. What had happened to her sweet and loving man? "What happened Aunt?" Bella asked.
"I do not know sweetheart." Aunt Mary whispered in a helpless tone "I do not know …"
Her entire world came crashing world in a second. She stared at the little baby in her mother's arms. "Not to fear" she said "This is your sister, blood of my blood" she went on in an odd voice with words she could barely understand.
She carefully placed her in Bella's arms and she stared down at her little sister, the girl responsible for her father's hatred towards them.
Instantly when the little girl opened her eyes, Bella found she could not stay mad at her.
Her eyes were a beautiful sapphire blue, the color the English sea when in winter, ironically the season she was born into.
It was like it all been preordained.
God sent her this little critter, to take care of. "To watch over her" Her mother said, somehow knowing what went through her head. Somehow … possibly, Bella wondered. Could she have known of her conversation with her Aunt Mary? Did Aunt Mary tell her?
She carried her little sister to her bassinet, finishing the ceremony of the christening.
"Sister" Mary who followed close behind spoke, creating gasps of shock from everyone present. She had not yet begun her lessons and she was very silent and lady-like unlike Bella who was always the first one to speak in Royal fetes whenever their parents let her attend. Her governess beamed with pride at her young charge and Bella could not help but too.
The Spanish Ambassador who was present, felt all this too familiar with something his predecessors had described in their letters before he departed from his home in Spain.
He watched closely as the heir apparent, the unofficial Princess of Wales showed her sister off, and made everyone turn heads when theirs simultaneously turned to face their mother.
"Ma Bella" The little Princess Mary picked up by her governess -Lady Bryan- exclaimed once again trying to free herself of the old woman's restraints. They said she was the girl that never cried, while her older sister kicked and screamed and could never take 'no' for an answer. She was the pearl of her father's world, a perfect daughter, a dutiful daughter of Spain of England with not the stain of sin or curiosity. She was the Queen's favorite child.
Bella 's eyes locked with her sister and extended her arms to her governess, taller than most girls her age, she had a commanding presence. This was indeed Henry the Eighth's daughter. Lady Bryan had no choice but to hand her over.
"Ma Bella" Mary chanted and pointed her tiny fingers to the recently christened babe who was stealing all her attention. "Brother. Papa says brother."
"Sister!"
"Papa says brother."
"Well it is not." Her words came out harshly but Mary did not cry. She looked past her shoulder at the little baby and waved her hand.
"'Hello." she said doing her best to pronounce the last bit "Wells" stealing the title that belonged to their older sister and giving it to the youngest.
"Close to it, you will do better once you are grown" Katherine had all her hopes for beauty and virtue in her second oldest child.
She was going to be a beauty no doubt. She embodied all the examples of a Renaissance Prince -if only she had been born a Prince. Katherine thought with longing, Mary seemed so much like the Prince they had lost.
"Mary that is not your brother." Bella scolded but Mary continued to call her "brother" instead of "sister". When it became too much for her, Bella took her from Lady Bryan's arms set her down and whispered in her ears the first real lesson she would receive from her sister, "He is not your little brother, your brother died when you were still nesting in father's breeches. SHe" She emphasized on the 'she "is not your brother, understood?" Mary stayed silent, her eyes bulging. "You are never going to have a little brother. Never!"
"No brother?" Mary asked innocently, her dark eyes glistering.
"There is no Prince of Wales and there never will be!" She shook the little girl violently causing her to spill her tears but afterwards that Lady Bryan grabbed her and tried to soothe her against her wild sister's harsh words, she did not speak. She opened her mouth but no sound came out.
Motionless she watched her mother and her sister tend to the newest addition to the Tudor cradle.
This was likely, the last child her mother would bore and their father did not want to see her for fear of getting angrier, seeing his wife's greatest disappointment.
A month following her birth, Mary sneaked into her room. And, after they had washed and dressed her for the occasion of their parents' visit she picked up her up and rocked her like she had seen her wet nurse do so many times. "Don't sad ... brother" She still insisted, Bella had just found it pointless. Mary was stubborn, in that she was like their father.
"Ello baby" Mary quickly corrected when her sister enter the room. "Baby"
The baby made gurgling noises that sounded to Mary as if she said -'I love you'.
"I luv u tu" Mary said in her shaky pronunciation, making the baby giggle.
Bella rolled her eyes, she explained the baby said nothing but Mary ignored her and continued with their pointless 'conversation'.
"Brother Wales" Mary resorted to calling her again when Bella left. "Brother Wales ..." she repeated until she called her "sister". After that she had stopped being Brother Wales and was simply her sister, and she was forbidden from accessing her room for fear of their mother dropping her.
A/N: There were was a lot of tweaking regarding Fray Diego and his years of service when Katherine became Queen, all the necessary changes are due to the plot ;).
There are going to be other time jumps, if you feel uncomfortable just say so and I will put up the dates. Your opinion is important ;)
For anyone interested, their births are as followed Isabella is born February 1500, Mary historical birth 2/18/16 and Margaret All Souls day 1518.
R/R