Chapter Three

Dance Class Disaster

A/N: Remember how I said I would go through the episodes? Well, that may not be for awhile. Not only am I taking a summer class at university, but I have to finish a part of another story and am eager to start an Elementary fanfiction.

Anyway, for this chapter in particular I cut the song because it made no sense in context since I eliminated the talking animals. Other than that, there's not much to explain. Except…If you can, take the time to review. I'm getting annoyed with seeing 200+ visitors and the constant favourites and follows, and not ONE little review. Please and thank you.

After her lonely supper, Anne ended up setting aside her dishes in favour of looking over some of her lessons and eventually moving to her bed to sleep for the night. She found it far more comfortable without the extra pillows and easily fell asleep.

The following morning, the maids entered as they had before, this time with more caution. They tried to be careful and quiet for fear of scaring their mistress again. With them was a man who went about the room looking over Anne's papers and glancing at his pocket watch, stopping when he heard rustling from the bed.

"Should we…say something?" One of the maids asked as Anne forced herself awake.

"I do hope you're joking," Another said. "Did you hear the way she screamed yesterday?"

"I'm not going to scream…" Anne muttered as she rolled onto her back and opened her eyes, letting out a startled shriek at the sight of the maids as she pulled the blanket over her head.

"You heard us?"

"You are standing right in front of me. Who are you?"

"I am Wyatt, your personal steward," The man said.

"I thought Cromwell was the Steward."

"He's the castle steward, but I'm yours. I keep your schedule together and am to assist you with your extra lessons."

"And I am Margaret," One of the maids said, gesturing to the other two as she continued. "This is Joan and Alice."

"Madam," Joan and Alice said as they curtsied.

"What are you here for?" Anne asked.

"We're your personal maids. We're charged with tidying your room, preparing you for any and all functions and waiting on you whenever you request."

"Alright…" Anne muttered as she finally stood and moved behind the shade in the corner by her gown cupboard.

"Here, let us…" Alice said as she and Margaret grabbed Anne's gown and moved behind the shade with her.

"Now that we have been formally introduced, there's something I want to speak to you about," Wyatt said as Anne threw her nightgown over her head.

"Not now, Wyatt," Alice warned as she helped Anne slip into her petticoat. "She has to be dressed for school."

"You may speak freely," Anne said. "I encourage it wholeheartedly. I've always believed in being honest and frank when it comes to feelings."

"Alright. Now, riddle me this, Mistress Boleyn. Why do you think we do these jobs?"

Anne thought for a minute, letting out a started gasp as Margaret tightened her corset. "I always assumed you simply enjoyed the courtier lifestyle."

"We do, but it is about more than position and power. The fact of the matter is, we need to live, and most importantly eat, and you have the food."

"Pardon?"

Wyatt sighed. "When servants rise as high as we do, we expect a little more than a simple 'thank you.' We're fed, of course, it's part of the service, but it's not nearly enough. Do you know how difficult it is to live off of soup and some scraps?"

"I do, actually," Anne admitted as the last lace on her gown was tied. "I know all too well what it's like to be hungry and wondering if you'll be fed. I grew up noble, but had a lack of attention from my father. He didn't starve me, of course, but I somehow always ended up with less than him and my brother," She explained as she finally stepped out and then sat on her bed. "Things got better when my mother and I began to live in the country, but we had our seasons where there was little to eat. She always made sure I had something, but it still wasn't enough sometimes. I was lucky enough to be in a sharing community, so we had help when we needed it…but still…"

"So you understand where I'm coming from."

"Not quite."

All of her staff sighed as Anne stood again and sat in front of her vanity so her hair could be done .

"We're asking for extra. For something more than the basics to feast on," Wyatt finally clarified as the ladies finished.

"Is that all?" Anne asked as she gathered her belonging and then headed out, everyone following close behind.

"Excuse me?"

"If it's food you seek, you came to the right princess. I told you, I know what it's like to be hungry and how much it can hurt. Follow me," She ordered as they reached the stairwell, where she opted to take the banister. Once downstairs, she led them around the corridors, quietly poking her head into the kitchen when they reached it and motioning them in after noting the clear space.

They snuck in one by one, Anne grabbing a basket along the way as they made a path for the courtyard, where they set a blanket down, all waiting until Anne emerged with a full basket.

"Let me see…" She muttered as she set out and portioned plates. "How is this?"

"Perfect," Wyatt smiled.
"This is just the start. I will make a note to speak to His Majesty about improving your conditions. I promise," Anne said as she picked at her own plate, stopping once she heard the familiar sound of the coach pulling up to the door. "I guess I must go…" She sighed.

"Don't be so down," Alice said.

"It is hard to not be when your peers wish to trick you and then laugh."

"I wouldn't fret about them," Wyatt said. "Just keep your mind on your goals."

"Hm…Perhaps I will. I'll show them that I can be a princess," Anne decided, thinking 'And if they don't like me…The problem lies with them.'

"Thank you Wyatt."

"You can thank me by having a good day."

Anne simply smiled in response as she stood and quickly ran off for fear of being late, keeping everyone's advice in mind.

Once the coach landed, Anne took in a breath, anxious about redeeming herself after the previous day. She entered with a mix of fear and determination and went through her lessons with ease once she settled down. She eagerly showed off her French skills during her language lesson, gave new insight to a recent historical event and challenged her religious studies professor, earning a decent debate in response. However, while she was excellent in academic areas, she struggled in etiquette lessons.

She grew frustrated when asked to practice her wave with the class, finding hers still quite boring and failed three times when asked to demonstrate a proper curtsy. The first time she held her skirt wrong, the second, she turned too far and tripped, the third, she bowed her head along with it, making her peers think she was confused. Then, finally, she took in a breath and went over her remaining memories of court in her head, letting it come back to her as she finally made the proper move, earning applause from the class and a warm smile from Mistress Parr for her persistence. Later, during tea lessons, she tipped the pot too far and ended up with a cup full of lid, much to Mistress Cleves' disappointment. She even began to open up a bit to her peers, who were starting to accept her after realizing her determination. At first, they thought her to be a peasant simply posing as a royal, but began to step back when they found that she was simply troubled and needed extra help. Francis even took the time to introduce her to his usual group during their fresh air time, much to Catalina's chagrin.

She returned home with a newfound confidence that quickly turned to surprise as she walked into a mess of servants and courtiers running about with trays, plans, and decorations.

'What is all this?' She thought, stepping aside to not get run over.

"Sweetheart," Elizabeth interrupted. "How was your day?"

"Better than the last," Anne sighed.

"Anne?"

"I thought being a princess would simply come to me. That I would remember with a few simple lessons, but…It's harder than I thought."

"These things take time, Anne. I know it looks easy, but you must remember that prince and princesses are conditioned from their birth. You have only just begun, Sweetheart."

"I know, but it's frustrating to feel so behind."

Elizabeth smiled. "I know what you need," She said, brushing a strand of hair out of her daughter' face as she spoke. "Come with me."

Anne followed, both confused and intrigued as her mother led her through the corridors to the garden maze. In the middle of a clear area was a tea table with two familiar faces.

"Nan! Aimee!" Anne gasped.

"I thought you could use some familiar faces," Elizabeth explained, earning a wide smile from Anne.

"Thank you, Mama. Nan! Aimee!" Anne called, running foreword as they did. "I'm so glad to see you," She said as they pulled her into a warm, sisterly embrace, uttering compliments about her attire here and there as they settled down at the table.

"How many gowns do you have?" Nan inquired.

"Quite a few," Anne replied, not having taken time to count them.

"We've missed you, Anne. The town is far too quiet without you," Aimee said.

"I've missed you too, trust me."

"How many tiaras?!" Nan asked eagerly.

"Five…Maybe six?" Anne said as she picked up the teapot and concentrated on keeping it even, sighing when some of the tea splashed out of the cup.

"Let me," Charles insisted as he steadied the pot.

"Prince Charles…" Nan and Aimee sighed together.

"Why are you here?" Anne snapped.

"I have come to apologize. I have been far from a decent prince and brother. I want to help you."

"With what?"

"Preparing for your ball. I can assist you with some of the protocol you've forgotten. We can begin with the tea," He said as he picked up the kettle and carefully poured a cup for Nan.

'Prince Charles poured my tea…' She thought with another sigh.

Anne laughed as Charles held out his hand. She hesitated, but took it and let him lead her away from the table, where he assisted her with her posture, small talk and her curtsies and cues as his sister strolled the garden behind an adjacent hedge, stopping when she heard the laughter.

'What is this?' She thought, glaring once she looked through and opening.

"Perfect. Best one yet," Charles praised as Anne curtsied to him. "You should be alright now. I'm sure that once you step in that room, you'll find your place again."

"There's one other thing…" Anne admitted. "I cannot dance, not the way the king wants."

"Didn't you learn the dances of the court in Aquitaine?"

"I did, but it's been such a long time that I…"

"You'll do fine. We have a dance lesson with Professor Cornish tomorrow."

"But the ball is tomorrow night."

"It's fine. One class with Cornish and you'll be dancing circles about the ball room. I have no doubt that once you hit the floor and hear the music, it will all come back to you."

"How would you know?"

"When I was younger, I had to quit tennis for a long while on father's orders. He was concerned about my arithmetic. By the time I improved and was allowed to go back to sport, I was convinced I forgot everything. Granted, I did fumble around quite a bit, but once the game got going, it came back."

Anne smiled warmly. "Alright. Thank you."

"You don't have to. It is simply what brothers do."

Behind the hedge, Catalina sighed and then smiled slyly as she got to thinking. 'So…She cannot dance…Hm…'

The following day, Anne walked into her dance lesson curiously, eyeing the pupils as they prepared and then taking note of the provided dancing shoes on a shelf. She eyed then carefully, fully prepared to pick out a pair when Catalina stepped up.

"Oh, Anne. Don't you dare touch those worn shoes. I've brought and extra pair for you."

"Thank you, Catalina," Anne said as she took the shoes she offered, a bit suspicious of her sudden change in attitude.

"Oh, de nada," Catalina said with a wave of her hand as she walked off.

Anne raised an eyebrow at her and then took to looking over the shoes, not noting any obvious issues. After one more look, she deemed them alright and sat to put them on, finishing just as Professor Cornish called the student to the middle of the room.

"So, you believe yourselves to be dancers?" He asked, moving into series of elaborate dance moves. "We shall see. I need a volunteer."

Charles pushed Anne foreword.

"Oh, the new girl. Perfect."

"My name is Anne," Anne insisted.

"Yes, yes. Come now, follow my lead," Cornish insisted, holding out his hands.

Anne took them with some hesitation, knowing it would help.

Cornish gestured to the musicians and then slowly led Anne in a common couples' dance.

She stared at her feet for much of it, making sure they were in the right places, smiling when she realized that she remembered and could do this dance. All she needed was a bit more practice to perfect her steps. She then looked up, following his steps perfectly until her feet started to have a mind of their own. Against her will, she pulled away from Cornish and found herself twirling across the length of the floor. When she stopped, she sighed and was soon hopping about like a rabbit, catching the confused stares of her peers.

"What…Is…This…?" She gasped as she went on, being pulled into more fancy foot work, long jumps and finally, another twirl, catching Catalina's smug smile just before she found herself running across the room, finally stopping when she tripped over the resting pillows scattered in a corner. She pulled herself up with a huff and quickly pulled the shoes off, giving a nasty glare to Catalina as she pulled her own shoes back on.

Everyone stared in confusion and worry, wanting to help, but staying, as Anne only exuded rage as she stared down her stepsister, who gasped along with the crowd. But, while theirs were genuine and worried, hers were clearly fake and an attempt to cover up her wrong doing.

After another look, Anne simply stomped off, knowing that if she stayed, someone was likely to get hurt. Unlike before, she wasn't truly hurt, but angry and absolutely sick of Catalina's attitude. She had tried to be kind, and get on her good side, but wasn't even given a chance, which not only stung, but made her look at her sister a lot differently than before.

They didn't see each other again until it was time to leave. Anne sat in one corner of the carriage, arms crossed as she scowled at nothing, noting how Catalina sat down with a smug aura about her.

"Oh, Anne. I must have grabbed a pair of Wolsey's trick shoes by mistake. He's always scattering his stuff about the palace. Sorry about that."

"No you're not," Anne snapped, her anger still clear in her eyes.

Catalina blinked a moment, surprised by the attitude before turning foreword. "Coachman, can we hurry it up? The ball starts in for hours. I'll barely have time to get dressed."

The man nodded and took off and, once at the palace, Catalina and Charles headed off to their chambers while Anne opted to take a walk instead to work out her anger. She wandered about for a good two hours or so, soon ending up in the ballroom, where Cromwell was looking over the setting from the top of the grand staircase.

"Princess Anne," He said as she stepped up behind him. "The ballroom is just about done."

Anne nodded and then gasped as she curiously glanced over the banister. Elaborate ribbons and garland decorations hung from the ceiling, candles glowed from both stands and chandeliers, and in one area by the window stood an elaborate, decorative fountain surrounded by tables that were to be prepared with small, simple dishes. Banners hung from the walls, both in royal colours and hers, with both crests together.

"It's…Beautiful," She gasped.

"There is only one piece missing. The princess. It's your time to shine, Anne. I am eagerly anticipating your first royal dance."

Anne glanced down at the floor of the mention of it, unsure if she could really do such a dance since her lessons had been ruined before she could fully learn or remember a thing. 'Wait…' She thought. 'Perhaps Sir Wool-sey can help. He must have some sort of dancing spell in that mind of his…' She smiled at her idea, bid Cromwell farewell for the moment and headed off in search of Wolsey's workshop. She ended up running around in circles until some servants finally guided her in the right direction. She followed their instructions exactly and soon ended up in front of a huge, wooden door underneath the ground floor of the palace. She took in a breath as she knocked, hoping she had come to the right door.

Wolsey opened the door with a frustrated sigh, confused until he looked down.

"Hello Sir Wool-sey," Anne greeted.

"It's Wolsey."

"May I come in?"

"Must you?" He asked as he opened the door wider and allowed Anne in. "What is it?"

"I was wondering if you could help me."

"With what?"

"Do you have anything that can make me a decent dancer? It's for the ball tonight and I'm afraid of humiliating myself."

"Hmm…" Wolsey said as he thought, ready to say "no" until he analyzed the situation. 'The ball…everyone will be there…I think I have an idea.' He smiled warmly and calmly made his way to the spell book on his desk, casually paging through it so to not cause suspicion. "Ah, here we are," He said, quickly grabbing a quill as he came to the proper page.

Anne looked it over once he handed it to her and proceeded to read, "Somnaipa…"

"No, not now. You must wait until the dance begins. Once you've said the words you will become one of the best dancers in the kingdom."

"Thank you, Sir Wool-sey. I'm not sure what I would do without your assistance," Anne said as she headed out.

'That makes two of us…' He thought, stopping when Moore squawked at him. "Don't give me that. You don't truly think I gave her a dancing spell, do you? When she utters those words everyone in the ballroom will fall into a deep sleep, including her family and I will only wake them up if she hands over the necklace. Then, the kingdom will be mine."

While Wolsey relished in his thoughts, the remaining palace residence bustled about getting ready for the ball, Catalina included. She sat in a new, elaborate, blue ball gown while her maids finished brushing out her hair, part of which had been pulled back into a braid circlet adorned with a pearl diadem while the rest hung down. The gown consisted of a light-blue underskirt and corset, the skirt being adorned by a short, royal blue overlay that stopped halfway down the skirt, the colour matched that of the sleeves, which ended in a ruffled, bell opening the top of which was trimmed with pearls that ran from the length of her shoulders to the bodice.

"Simply lovely, Miss Catalina," One of the maids said. "Perfect as usual."

Catalina smiled as they stopped at the sound of Charles' footsteps. He too had gotten dressed up, and exchanged his everyday clothes for pair of new, black breeches and a royal purple doublet, adorned with well-set jewels and brooches.

"I'd like to speak to my sister," He requested. "Alone."

The maids curtsied and headed out, leaving the two alone.

"How do I look?" Catalina asked.

"Usted ha engañado a propósito Anne," Charles said, ignoring her question. (You deceived Anne on purpose)

"Usted ha engañado a ella también," Catalina argued. (You deceived her too)

"Lo que hiciste fue más que un simple engaño. Ella necesitaba esas clases de baile. Usted está tratando de arruinar ella partido y sé que la razón." (What you did was more than a hoax. She needed those dance lessons. You're trying to ruin her party and I know the reason).

"¿Ella no tiene cabida en nuestro mundo?" (She has no place in our world?)

"No. Porque todo el mundo le gusta ella más que a ti y, a partir de hoy, me siento de la misma." (No. Because everyone likes her more than you, and as of today, I feel the same.)

"Eso no es cierto," Catalina insisted, hoping she was right. (That's not true).

"Sí, lo es," Charles snapped, turning and leaving as he finished. (Yes, it is.)

"Charles!" Catalina called after him. "Charles!" She practically screamed, stopping when she heard a distinctive rip. Gasping, she looked down and found a huge tear in her skirt due to it being caught underneath a leg of her chair. "My dress!" She whined, quickly grabbing her bell. "Marie! Bella!" She called, heading into the corridor when she received no response. She turned down the hall towards Anne's room, where chatter and laughter could be heard amongst praises.

"Look at you, Anne," Alice said as she carefully brushed her hair.

"Oh, Anne, you're gorgeous," Marie praised.

"Simply stunning," Margaret insisted.

"The most beautiful princess in the kingdom," Bella said with a smile.

Catalina didn't want to believe her brother was right, but had known it all along. Even her maids liked her new sister better, having run off to her rather than stay where they were supposed to. 'No…no…no…' She thought, her heart dropping as tears formed in her eyes, without a second thought, she turned and ran back into her chambers, throwing herself on the bed with a pathetic sob.