A/N: Finally officially on summer break. Sorry for the brief hiatus, but studying for finals takes precedence over everything, including sleeping and eating. Enjoy!

24 February 1547

After a weekend of celebrating the coronation of the new King, it was time for Council meetings to begin to look at the state of affairs of the nation. Amelia knew that the nation was a mess. They were fighting with Scotland and France, their valuable trade links with the two nation with both nations completely decimated, and many internal affairs were not as they should be. She smoothed the front of her skirt nervously. Although many women had started to wear more and more elaborate fashions, Amelia still preferred the simple styles of earlier years, her dresses lacking the slashes and jewels that many of her contemporaries wore. Today, she was going to sit in with the Council, and she did not wish to bring attention to herself.

"Are you ready, Amelia?" Edward whispered, appearing at her side and offering his arm.

Amelia paused and looked up at him. "I suppose I am, Edward," she replied softly, taking his arm as they began to walk towards the Council chambers. "You know they will not accept my presence," she whispered. "They will call me a witch and ask to have me burned."

"You are the daughter of the King, the widow of a great Duke, and the wife of the Lord Protector, as well as the sister of the King," Edward responded. "You are untouchable. Let me worry about the attitudes of the Council members."

Edward's words did not do much to comfort her. When her father had been King, no one in the Kingdom had been safe from his wrath, not even her or Mary, or his wives. Even now, Amelia still felt slightly unsafe entering the Council chambers. It was not a place for women, even women of her status, to be.

As Amelia and Edward entered the chambers, all the men rose and bowed, before they began whispering, and then shouting about Amelia's presence, boldly accusing her of being a seductress or witch for entering the chambers with her husband.

Edward simply stood at the head of the table, his face stoic. The men around the table eventually quieted and settled down when they caught the look in his eyes. "The Princess Amelia will be joining us," Edward said with conviction, as if he was the ultimate authority. "The will of King Henry VIII, may he rest in peace, stipulates that the Princess is responsible for all decisions that concern the welfare of His Majesty, and therefore she will be present at all Council meetings. Is there anyone who would like to disagree?"

There was a pause in the room, as the men murmured amongst themselves.

After a few moments, Edward spoke again. "Seeing as there are no objections, we shall continue with business," he said, and launched into the meeting.

Amelia sat at his side quietly, listening to the discussions about war. It was going to be a long one, for sure. The lords who spoke were mostly in favor of war, for various reasons. They wanted revenge against the French for kicking their butts, and to retaliate more against the Scots for rejecting their offer of a treaty. There was anger and resentment in the room, but Amelia noticed that not a single man was concerned about trade or the merchant class. Why wasn't the welfare of the common people being addressed.

"May I speak, my lord?" she asked her husband softly, so no other lord could hear her request.

Edward turned to look at her strangely, wondering what she could possibly have to say on the matter of war. Eventually he quieted the men down, and allowed Amelia to rise and address them.

"My lords, many of you are probably wondering why I have chosen to speak on such a matter that reaches far beyond the knowledge of my sex," Amelia said, choosing her words carefully. "I believe that the matter of war, and who England chooses to fight it with, will forever reflect the reputation of King Edward, as it has with so many Kings in the past. Your reasons for going to war are admirable, but they do not take into account the common people of England, whom you must not overlook in your quests for glory. My lordships, the wars fought by my father destroyed the valuable trade that our merchants spent lifetimes building, and helped to cement his reputation among other nations as a tyrant. I do not want the reputation of King Edward to be the same. I would rather have him remembered as a peaceful King who brought about a period of reformation and restoration to England. Therefore, I must beg your lordships to reconsider the decision of war, and instead focus on England's internal state of affairs."

When she sat again, the faces of the men surrounding her showed complete surprise and shock. Edward himself was surprised. He knew that his wife was intelligent, but he had never imagined her to be a skilled diplomat as well. Her points made sense, even if she was noting more than a woman.

"Why should we listen to you and care about the common people?" one of the older earls asked from the other end of the table.

"Because if you keep the common people happy, my lord, then they will not rebel," Amelia responded smoothly. "Except, this time, those who rebel would be merchants with money rather than the peasants of the North."

The earl had no further questions.

27 February 1547

"Mary!" Amelia exclaimed upon seeing her older sister for the first time in a while. "I am so happy to see you. They tell me that you are doing well and enjoying your time in Hunsdon, yes?"

Mary did not smile or share in her sister's enthusiasm. "My family is doing quite well, thank you," she replied stoically.

"How are your daughters?" Amelia continued, leading her sister over to the chairs by the fire. "Margaret must be your pride and joy. She was such a clever little girl the last time I saw her. And Annis and Katherine must be getting to big! How old is Katherine now? Nearly two years old, yes?"

Again, Mary's face betrayed no emotion. "My daughters are fine," she responded. "Margaret, Annis, and Katherine are all fine girls who will do us proud one day."

"What is on your mind, Mary?" Amelia asked, sensing her sister's foul mood.

Mary sighed deeply and turned to look at the fire. "He should not wear the crown," she whispered softly.

"What do you mean?" Amelia replied. "He is our brother. He has every right to be the King."

Mary turned back to look at her sister. "His mother was never crowned as the Queen of England. She never had her coronation. Therefore, I believe that our brother is nothing more than a bastard," Mary stated quietly but fiercely. "I should be the one to wear the crown. Our mother was the true Queen of England, and we are the true heirs to the throne. First me, then you, then Edward. That's the way that it should be."

"How could you say such a thing against Queen Jane?" Amelia asked, rising to her feet. "She was a virtuous and lovely woman, with the kindest and purest soul. Even if her coronation was never held, she was still a Queen. And what about our sister Elizabeth? Does she not have a place in the line of succession?"

Mary scoffed. "Elizabeth has no place in the line of succession," she said. "Her mother was a witch who was never really married to our father. That makes her the bastard daughter of sorceress and and adulteress. Her name has no place among ours."

"How can you say such things against your own family?" Amelia whispered, barely understanding how this cold and heartless woman in front of her had once been her sister. "We are your family. We love you. Edward is our brother, and now he is the King. You should be happy for him, not trying to bring him down."

"You will never understand the struggles that I went through," Mary replied in a low voice. "Father always favored you. He saw you married to the most eligible man in the kingdom, even though we had the brand of bastard burned into our names, and then he saw you married to the most eligible man again after his death. You gave him grandsons, whereas I only gave him granddaughters. When is it my turn to be in favor, Amelia? When do I get to have my day?"

Amelia just looked away, unsure of how to respond to her sister, tears beginning to spill from her eyes.

"That's what I thought," Mary said with venom in her voice as she turned to leave.

Amelia was still sitting in her chair beside the fire when Edward returned home.

"My sister came to see me today," she said hoarsely, not even bothering to look at him. Her body was tired and dehydrated from crying.

"I take it it was not a happy reunion," Edward said, taking the vacant chair across from her.

Amelia finally turned her head to face him. "She's unsatisfied, Edward," she replied. "Mary still only has daughters. She believes that the crown should be hers instead of Edward's. She thinks that father always favored me much more than he favored her."

"You took the oath all those years ago, and she did not," Edward reminded her quietly. "His Majesty took that oath very seriously."

"I suppose he did," she replied.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts, before Edward rose. "The Council has voted to send envoys to Scotland and France to talk of peace, not of war," he told her with a smile. "Your speech left quite the impression. Guess who they have decided should go to France to speak with the French King?"

Amelia rose, an expression of disbelief on her face. "Are they sending you?" she asked.

Edward smiled and shook his head. "No, they believe that I must stay here and begin to manage internal affairs," he replied. "They have asked if you would serve as England's ambassador."

A wide smile spread across Amelia's face. "I am honored to accept the position," she said, masking the great excitement that she felt. "When am I to leave?"

"In a few days' time," Edward responded. "You will, of course, be accompanied by several noblemen, as well as Elizabeth, John, and Owen."

"I cannot wait," Amelia whispered, embracing her husband. She only hoped that the French would accept her as an ambassador.