A Bed of Lillies

The Christmas celebrations were lavish and divine. She had spent all of her Christmas' trapped in either her grandmother's or father's castle. They both placed emphasis on praying during Christmas, instead of being festive and exchanging gifts.

The King spared no expense. On the twelve days leading up to Christmas, he sent her at least three dresses and numerous pieces of exquisite jewelry. Jane only hoped that he enjoyed her present half as much.

It was difficult to buy for a man who had everything. She settled on a well-made sword. There was a skilled blacksmith in the village and so Jane sent one of her ladies to get it made. She showed her father the sword and he seemed impressed, that was all the confirmation Jane needed.

Catherine wasn't attending the festivities. Jane presumed Henry hadn't invited her. She didn't feel jealousy towards Catherine, it was Anne who caused her uncertainty. Whenever she pictured her rival, Anne's face would come up in her mind, like a scar she could not berid of. Henry was finished with Catherine, Anne would always be a threat as long as she was unwed and fertile.

The Court presented their gifts to the King and his mistress. Jane quite liked the throne she sat in, it was comfortable.

They seemed to have given her the gifts that they intended to give to Catherine. The courtier's affection was so fickle, they only ever supported the winning side.

A man, a messenger, walked up to the thrones and bowed. "Your majesty," he addressed, bowing his head to his king. He held a present. "A present from the Queen."

Henry's nostrils flared with anger as he tightly gripped the sides of his throne. He got up. The room was silent, waiting for the King's outburst.

"You may tell the 'Queen'," he spat venomously, "that as we are not husband and wife, it is not proper for us to exchange presents."

Jane smiled slightly. Sometimes it scared her how manipulative she was becoming.

"But her majesty insisted," the messenger argued.

Jane winced, not out of hurt, but because she knew that Henry would not react well to the messenger's idiocy.

"Catherine is not my queen!" he roared. "Anyone who argues thus will be thrown in the dungeon, never to see daylight again!"

She jumped up from her chair and gently grabbed Henry's arm. "Henry, calm down," she whispered, before turning to the messenger. "You may leave."

The messenger bowed and left. Jane turned Henry towards her and caressed his cheek. "You must not let this bother you," she said.

"Does it not bother you?" he asked.

"Of course it does," she answered honestly. "But as long as I know you love me, I will be happy. We are to be married, Henry! And it's Christmas! Is there a more joyous time of year?"

Henry nodded silently.

A man approached them both. He bowed. "Your majesty, the ambassador for France wishes to speak with you."

He rolled his eyes and groaned. "The French, always so impatient." He smiled at Jane. "I will visit you later."

She smiled as he left. Jane always wondered what he talked about to the ambassadors or nobles. Would she have to do anything when she was queen? She wanted to be useful, of course, but it seemed rather stressful.

Thomas Howard walked up to his daughter. "You have him wrapped around your finger. Well done, Jane."

She felt somewhat guilty. She was playing the King like a fiddle, and it was dangerous to play a king. Although Jane genuinely cared for the King, she found herself desiring the notion of being queen more.

"We are getting closer to our goal," Thomas said. "Soon, you will be married to the King and the mother of his sons."

That made her smile. She would be the mother to the future King of England! He would have his father's physique and hair, but his eyes would be brown like hers...

She had never wanted something more than she wanted to be queen. It was a dangerous desire, but Jane wasn't about to give up.

Lady Rochford was staying up late with her mistress, the Lady Jane, who was inquiring continuously about her former rival, the Lady Anne.

"Is she engaged yet?" Jane pressed. "Or even enamored with someone?"

"She is living with the Earl of Northumberland in Nottingham," she said tiredly, bored of discussing her husband's sister.

Jane's gaze shot up to meet Lady Rochford's. "So it's true!" she exclaimed happily. "Anne was in a relationship with Lord Henry Percy!"

She looked at her mistress oddly. "Yes, she was. It was a courtly romance. There's no proof that they slept together."

"I bet the harlot did," Jane grumbled, sinking into her chair.

Lady Rochford rolled her eyes. "You're acting like a child; an insecure child. The King is marrying you, not Anne."

Jane sighed. "I suppose you're right." If Henry truly loved Anne, he wouldn't have fallen in love with Jane and tossed Anne aside. She began wondering about George Boleyn. "Lady Rochford, why aren't you with your husband?"

Her expression immediately shifted to rage at the mention of George. Although, she was surprised that the Lady Jane even considered somebody other than herself and Anne Boleyn.

"We have separated," she said. "He suspects that I have something to do with the fall of his precious Anne. He's right, of course. And thus, we decided to live separately for the time being." She let out a derisive laugh. "It's a blessing, really. I hate him. You know he raped me on the night of our wedding? Then he left me bleeding on the bedroom floor, without so much as a glance on his way out."

Jane reached out her hand to touch Lady Rochford's arm as a gesture of comfort, but the abandoned Boleyn wife simply looked at her hand oddly. Jane pulled back her hand. "I am sorry," she said sympathetically.

Lady Rochford scoffed. "Don't apologise. Men are men: they only think about themselves and their needs."

Their was truth in her statement. Jane began brooding. Her father told her to never think, the best decisions women make are either made on whim or an instruction given to them by a man.

But it was shocking how true it was. Men never cared about anyone save themselves. Jane would have to armor herself against them.

Progress was being made. Before they were even two days into February, the King was already crowned 'Supreme Head of the Church of England.' Her father said that it was heresy, completely overlooking that it was beneficial for them due to his religious views.

Jane didn't bother herself with religion. Henry would tell her of his qualms with the Catholic Church, and while she found some of his issues interesting, most of the time he just babbled on about how unfair it was that the Pope practically ruled Europe, that he ruled kings.

While she was chatting with Lady Rochford about trivial matters such as the weather, Henry stormed into her chambers, ordering everyone but Jane to leave. She had never seen him so enraged before. Jane was terrified.

"Your majesty-" she began, startled at his sudden entry.

"Nothing is going how it ought to," he began to rant. "The crown has lost money due to the delegation we sent to Rome, and the Pope is refusing to fund it! And that bastard, Fisher, is constantly challenging me! My rule! He's challenging my rule!"

"Henry, calm down," Jane urged.

His face was red with rage and his hands were balled into fists. "I am letting the nobles and clergy rule me," he muttered, pacing Jane's chambers. "I am letting them control me! If I show them that they have no power..."

Despite her ignorance in relation to diplomacy, Jane knew that stripping the clergy and the nobles of their power would be detrimental.

"Is that really wise?" Jane said, turning around to face him. "The nobles are an important part in any king's rule-"

"No!" he exclaimed. "I am the king, I ought to be allowed to do as I please. Catherine was married to my brother and the Pope made a mistake, I am simply trying to correct that mistake!"

"I know that," she assured him. "But, Henry-"

"And England needs an heir!" he insisted. He spun around and marched towards her before placing both of his hands on her shoulder. "A son! You can give me a son!"

"Yes, I can," Jane agreed. "But you mustn't lose your mind over this. Henry, you're worrying me."

He backed away from his mistress, steam practically emitting from his ears. "Are you suggesting that I am insane?"

"Of course not, I-"

"I will break from Rome," he declared. "And I will execute any noble or clergyman than dares oppose me. They will burn at the stake for questioning their king! And any man or woman, whether noble or of common birth, who questions the legitimacy of our marriage or our children, shall become a head shorter."

It was becoming more and more clearer to Charles that his friend was going mad.

His logic was terrible. The King believed that he was saving his country, that England needed a son, but what he failed to realise was that by instating himself as the Head of the Church of England, he was destroying his country.

The King marched down the halls of Greenwich, Charles chasing after him. "Your majesty," he said, calling after him. King Henry was ignoring him. "Your majesty!"

Suddenly, the King whipped around, impatience etched on his tired face. "What, Charles? What could you possibly want?"

"You're exhausted," he noticed. "You must rest."

He scoffed. "Is that what you wished to speak to me of? My health? I assure you, Charles, I am fine."

He commenced walking to his destination yet again. Charles walked behind him. "No, I did not - that wasn't my purpose," he stammered, trying word his sentence properly. If he offended the King, who knows what might happen? Henry was becoming unpredictable. "I want to speak to you about your new position as Supreme Head of the Church of England."

Henry laughed. "Are you going to give me advise?"

"No. I'm going to try to persuade you otherwise." The Duke of Suffolk stopped in his tracks, and after a few moments, the King too stopped.

"Excuse me?"

It was easy to anger the King. He always had a temper, but ever since he began seeking an annulment from Catherine, his rage worsened. The simplest of things would set him off and questioning his authority as King of England was one of them.

"The common folk love Queen Catherine," Charles said. "As do the majority of the nobles. Anne Boleyn was hated because she posed a threat to their beloved queen, and the Lady Jane Howard will be despised as well."

The King clenched his fists by his side. "Jane is not Anne."

"But the English shan't see it so," he argued. "They don't care if the Lady Jane is the Virgin reincarnated!"

"Things will come together with time," he insisted. "The people of England will see that this is for the benefit of our country, and they will accept Jane as their queen and they will view me as the Head of the Church. The Pope will have no power here."

"You do realise that by naming yourself Head of the Church, you are effectively reforming the Catholic faith in England!" Charles pointed out.

He glared at his friend. "Perhaps the church ought to be reformed. The Pope is corrupt, as is most of the clergy! I would be doing my country a favour by rejecting the Pope."

"Many won't see agree," Charles stated. "They will simply see it as a king wanting more power."

The King looked as though he wanted to punch Charles and throw him in the Tower. "Charles, you are one of my most trusted friends, but undermine my rule, and I will have no other choice but to dispose of you."

He turned around and began to walk away. Charles stared after him. The King and it's country were changing drastically, and everything seemed like it was about to topple.

"Your mother begs the King for your return to court everyday," Eustace informed the Princess Mary.

Mary smiled. "I do miss my mother. I pray for her. She is caught in a web full of liars and Howard's."

"I believe the two are synonymous, your highness," he quipped.

The brown-haired princess laughed heartily. Eustace was her friend, the only person she could trust other than her mother. She was beginning to realise that the world was not fair. It was filled with dishonest men and ambitious women who care so little for others or God.

"I hear my lord father has named himself the Head of the Church," Mary said. Her voice became a whisper. "Does he not realise that this is heresy?"

"He is blinded by his love for the Lady Jane," Eustace said. "Who seems to be just as adept at keeping the King's affection as Anne Boleyn was."

Mary furrowed her eyebrows together. "I thought she is stupid?"

"Oh, she is," he said. "There are rumours at court that she is illiterate, that she is barely able to write her own name."

Mary was shocked. "How could my father love a stupid, impious woman?"

It was a question Mary often asked herself. She knew the answer, but it seemed that sometimes she needed to hear it from somebody's else's tongue to fully understand. A queen was supposed to be devout, kind and intelligent, not frivolous, egotistical and spoilt.

"Because she is pretty," Eustace replied. "And his majesty seems to have shifted his attention from well-learned, intelligent women to silly girls."

"It seems unrealistic to hope that my father will reconcile with my mother," Mary said, a trace of sadness and hope in her tone. "But I do. Is it foolish of me?"

Chapuys gave her a small smile. "No, your highness. It is never foolish to hope."

"My lady."

Jane looked up from her book and at one of her ladies, Lady Mary Scrope. She was a mature woman with an air of wisdom about her. "Yes?"

"A messanger came with this for you."

She offered her a letter. Jane eyed it carefully. Perhaps it was a love letter from the King. She accepted it from the woman. "Thank you, Lady Mary."

Lady Scrope curtsied before leaving Jane's bedroom. Almost hungrily, Jane ripped open the letter. It was not from the King. Jane had become so accustomed to his love letters and poems that she knew immediately if it was his writing.

She skimmed to the end of the letter, which read: Lady Elizabeth Howard, Duchess of Norfolk.

Jane was worried immediately. Her mother was a firm supporter of Catherine of Aragon and had hated Anne Boleyn. Would she hate her too? She began to read her mother's letter, knowing full well that she was about to be insulted and degraded.

To my eldest daughter, Jane,

Only one year ago did I send you to court to find yourself a suitable husband. Although it pleases me that you have found happiness and comfort, it brings me great displeasure that you have found it in the arms of our sovereign, who is married to a much beloved queen.

I have always been disgusted with my lord husband's love for power, but it the fact that my eldest child and daughter has inherited this lust sends me to an early grave. I have refrained from sending you a letter within the past year with hope that you would see your wrongdoings and settle for a simpler life, married to an earl or a duke.

As your mother, I foolishly cling to the belief that your lord father has forced you into doing such a sinful deed such as seducing a king, as it would pain me to think that you would willingly enter a damning relationship with a married king. If you have entered this willingly, then perhaps you believe that marrying a king will bring you more happiness and love than I have with your lord father, but this is not true. King's can be fickle, and you will have set yourself on a road of heartbreak and turmoil if you choose this life.

It is a sin in the eyes of God to have relations with a married man, so I pray that you have not yet done so. I also pray to the Lord and the Virgin Mary that you will see that what you are doing is a horrible mistake and if you continue with this ignominy, you will bring shame and ruin to our family.

I do hope you reconsider before it is too late.

Your loving mother,
Lady Elizabeth Howard, Duchess of Norfolk

Jane threw the letter across the room, tears streaming from her eyes. Her own mother practically called her a whore; a seductress. Perhaps the Duke of Norfolk's claims were true and Elizabeth Howard truly was mad. The alternative was too depressing. The thought that her mother considered her to be a harlot.

She picked up the letter and read over it, trying to detect any signs that her mother was mad. In truth, she didn't know what she was doing. She simply wanted to be reassured that marrying the King wasn't an 'ignomity'. Jane realised that looking in her mother's letter for reassurance was counter-productive.

The door opened and a large figure stepped through the threshold. "Jane, what happened?" her father asked, rushing up to her. She had asked Mary Scrope to fetch him. "Did you have an argument with the King?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. She handed him the letter. "Read it."

He quickly skimmed over the letter and scoffed. "This is your mother's doing," he said angrily. "She's planting seeds of doubts in your mind. This is why I have that wretched woman locked up!"

Norfolk slammed the letter on Jane's dressing table. The noise of his fist colliding with the wood made Jane flinch. "What if it's true?" Jane argued. "What is I am setting myself and our family up for ruin?"

"You will be queen, Jane," he replied, brushing off her statement. "Our family will rise, there will be no ruin."

The higher one rises, the further the fall. She remembered hearing someone say that once. It was always nagging at her when her position became more important, as she became more important. It made her frightened.

"Your mother is a firm supporter of Catherine of Aragon," Thomas continued. "She is stupidly allowing her love for the Dowager Princess blind her. We are so close, Jane. If you allow your mother's words to inflict pain or doubt, then we will fail and we will fall. And I will never forgive you for it."

Author's Note: Things are moving quickly. I've made a plan for the rest of the fanfiction. I always had an idea where this was heading, but now I'm pretty certain. Henry and Jane won't marry in 1533, I'm thinking of moving the date to late 1531 to early 1532, which means that the events of 1531 and 1532 will be mixed in together. This basically means that Henry develops the 'I don't give a damn about the Pope' and the idea that he can do whatever he likes about two years earlier.

Do you think that the story is going too fast? What I'm thinking of doing is having three months in a chapter, with a few exceptions. I don't want to draw out the annulment process, but I don't want to rush into it either. There is something that is going to happen in the next chapter which gives Henry an incentive to speed up the process.

Steelegirl19: Thanks for your review! Jane can be a strategist, and she can be manipulative, but usually she is genuine. That might change, though. ;)

fairydaisy777: I can't make any promises. :P But one of your two requests will come true. Hope you enjoy the story!

Kittenallie: There's a diverse combination of opinions about Jane. Sometimes I hate her too. Her marriage to Henry won't be a perfect, that's for sure. Hope you liked the chapter!

The Dreamer: Precisely! I decided I wanted to impose a feminist aspect into this fanfiction. 'No means no!' with absolutely no acceptions. :)

quinnofhearts: I hope you enjoyed the update! I love Jane's manipulative side too, it makes her more real to me. She's not perfect, and she will never be.

Katerina Morgan: I love writing the two of them when their together. I was always fascinated by Katherine Howard, but Jane is sort of a mixture of Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, which makes her all the more fun to write!

Amaranthe Athenais: I have a pretty cruel future in store for Anne. It won't happen for a while, but she will be happy after she becomes accustomed to it. Thanks for your review!

And thanks to RHatch89, HermioneandMarcus and Nona Decima Morta for your reviews! Hope you guys liked the chapter!

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