A/N: Hi everyone! I'm afraid I have to say that postings may be less often than usual from me from now until summer, as the semester is just beginning. We'll see how long it takes for me to be bogged down with schoolwork :P Until then, please enjoy this new chapter!
With King Henry, the Doctor found himself in the midst of a swell of testosterone, despite the silly satin tunics and slippers. During the afternoon, the King and his men went to the hunting grounds surrounding the palace. The Doctor was an expert at both horse riding and archery (being trained by Robin Hood himself), and enjoyed himself quite well. He wondered how Rose was getting on with the ladies, but one of the other men, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, had explained to him that there would be a banquet tonight, and they would be accompanied by the Queen and her ladies. It was then that the Doctor noticed a miniature around King Henry's neck.
"And pray tell, Your Majesty, whose likeness have you around your neck?" He asked.
"See for yourself!" The King exclaimed, handing the Doctor the miniature portrait. It was of a lady with dark brown hair, wearing her famous 'B' pearl necklace.
"Is this the Lady Anne Boleyn?"
"Very well spotted, Sir Doctor!" The King laughed, "If all goes well, I shall bed her tonight." He whispered to the Duke of Suffolk.
"But what would the Queen say?" The Doctor asked.
"Oh, Catherine knows." The King replied, "The whole matter will soon be done with and Anne will be queen. Besides, a ship can visit many harbors, can it not?" He added. The Doctor shook his head out of view from both of the other men. Times change, and he was glad that Rose wasn't subjected to this growing up. Mickey may have been an idiot, but he sure as hell was faithful. The Doctor smiled as he imagined her already living the life of a Tudor lady, with fine dresses and needlework to pass the time. She was most likely bored out of her mind, but at least she looked good doing it. He couldn't wait to see her at the banquet tonight.
"And you, Sir Doctor, I couldn't help but noticed that you came with quite a lovely one. Tell me, who is this Lady Rose?" Henry asked. Oh no you don't… The Doctor thought.
"Lady Rose is a…close friend of mine. She's been my traveling companion for quite a while, and…"
"And have you…visited her harbor?" Suffolk laughed.
"No…we're….we're just friends, Your Grace."
"Keep telling yourself that, Sir Doctor." The King smiled. Just then, a deer came into view and Henry fired, hitting it right on.
Meanwhile, in the ladies' part of the palace, everyone was buzzing with excitement over the new arrivals.
"Lady Rose, Her Majesty tells me that you arrived with quite a handsome man. Sir Doctor, I believe she said his name was?" Asked one of the other ladies.
"I saw him as well." Lady Anne smiled, "When I was looking at him through the window." She laughed.
"I guess you can say me and Sir Doctor…are just friends. Nothing more."
"I saw the way you looked at him. There's no hiding when a woman is in love." Said Lady Anne. The Queen gave a pointed glance in Anne's direction. "Come on then, we must get dressed for the banquet. Lady Rose, I must see you dance with Sir Doctor. If not, then we shall never be friends, and I would hate to start our relationship on such a rocky footing." She added, taking Rose by the hand and leading her away.
Hours later, the ladies had dressed and the men had made themselves presentable after a long afternoon of hunting. Rose had found a beautiful pink and blue satin gown in her small closet, along with a small pearl headband. She looked the epitome of a Tudor lady, her hair pulled back in a braided, elaborate style. The Doctor wore a blue doublet that he had selected because of its resemblance to his TARDIS, with tall boots and a gold collar around his neck. The groups of men and ladies made their way to the Great Hall, where servants dressed in black uniforms, embossed with the red and white rose that served as a symbol of England even still in Rose's time, passed through the hall with heaping platters of pork, goose and roasted swan, feathers and all. This was, of course, the epitome of Tudor dining, but Rose couldn't help but feel out of place without her familiar forks and knives. The whole court ate with their fingers, washing them later in the small gold-plated bowls that the servants provided for that very purpose. Rose looked over at the Doctor, who sat with the rest of His Majesty's men. He smiled at her and went back to enjoying his roast swan. Being a time traveler, he had been to Tudor-era England many times, and this was one of his favorite delicacies. Rose, however, stuck to the more familiar offerings such as roast pork, dipping it discreetly in the sauces as she saw Lady Anne do.
After supper, it was time for the dance. A rather handsome-looking man got up, took up his violin and began playing a lively country tune. Rose immediately felt a slight bit of attraction between him and the Lady Anne. She couldn't say she could blame her.
"Who is that?" Rose asked.
"That, dear Lady Rose, is the Dance Master, Mr. Mark Smeaton. Believe me, I know." Anne replied, "And it appears that the dance has begun." She remarked as one of the King's men asked one of their fellow ladies to dance. Then, Rose saw the Doctor approaching. He gave a small bow in Rose's direction.
"Lady Rose Tyler, would you do me the immense pleasure of dancing with me?" He asked, extending his hand.
"Of course, Sir Doctor." She said, taking his hand as he led her onto the dance floor.
"I knew it." Anne Boleyn whispered under her breath, giving a slight nod of the head.
On the dance floor, however, Rose was completely lost.
"What is this dance?" She asked the Doctor.
"It's called a Volta. Just follow my lead."
"I don't think you have to worry about that one." Rose replied. The Doctor gave a deep bow, which Rose returned in the form of a curtsey as she had seen the other ladies do. She let the Doctor lead her through the fast-paced dance. "Y'know, I could get used to this whole Tudor lady thing. I kind of like having you bow to me." Rose said, her tongue peeking through her teeth as she smiled..
"Don't get too used to that, Tyler." The Doctor replied. "Just when people are watching." He smirked. Rose gave him a flash of tongue.
"You know, the other ladies asked me if we were…how would they say it? Courting?" Rose said, "I haven't given them an answer…"
"The King and the Duke of Suffolk asked me much the same thing." The Doctor said, "I guess for all intents and purposes, in Tudor terms, we are. We've been in close proximity for a while, and I suppose that…"
"Suppose that what?"
"I suppose that I wouldn't mind courting a girl like you." The Doctor smiled. Rose laid her head on the Doctor's shoulder, and all suspicions were gone. The whole Tudor court now knew that Sir Doctor and Lady Rose were an item. The King laughed to himself, the Queen beside him smiling, and Lady Anne chuckled. The song ended, and the couples pulled apart, bowing to one another. The Doctor bowed to his own lady, who bowed back. He took Rose's hand, leading her off to a corner of the Great Hall. The other men and ladies looked on with jealousy. All the ladies envied Rose's evident relationship with this handsome newcomer, and all the men wanted to be him. Just then, King Henry approached the Lady Anne, asking her to dance. They took to the dance floor as Master Mark Smeaton played a soft, slow tune. Rose, however, was looking at the Queen. Catherine looked at the couple with disgust, and Rose's heart broke for Catherine of Aragon. It was one thing to read about it in History books, but it was another thing altogether to see it happening right in front of your face.
"I feel so sorry for her." Rose said with a nod in the Queen's direction.
"There's no changing history," the Doctor said, "King Henry's 'Great Matter' effects so many things in the world later on. Without it, the Church of England would never have been founded, Elizabeth I would never have been born…"
"So that's it, then, Catherine's just a victim of history?
"I'm afraid so. History doesn't always take the kindest path. In fact, in my experience, it rarely does." The Doctor said. Rose looked again at Anne and Henry, thinking how, in just a few short years, Anne herself would be climbing a scaffold at the Tower, a victim of history. Henry would marry 6 women in all, making 5 such victims. The Doctor took Rose's hand and led her back out to the dance floor. It was odd to Rose to think of this as history, when it was so alive. It was right in front her face for her to reach out and touch. Anne Boleyn was the woman she had just gossiped through the afternoon with. King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn were dancing just feet away from her and the Doctor at this very moment. But for a moment, Rose was able to forget the weight of history and just dance with the Doctor. Even the tight corset and restrained ability to breathe didn't matter. She felt lighter than air as she twirled on the floor. Nothing could spoil this perfect evening.