A/N
Plot, here you will see more intrigue, some violence and Katherine and Anne will have hard times ahead!
Special Thanks to ReganX for reviewing last chapter and to Ladyredvelvet, aestheticsnarcissist, lemondropseverus all of my reviewers.
Remember it's much easier for me if you review! lol. Review if you can for each chapter that way I know what my reviewers like and dislike, also hard times ahead for Meg, will she survive and how will Elizabeth take that her favorite Governess is leaving? Intrigue and passion await you, I cried with my co author doing this. Very sensitive and sentimental this piece.
Enjoy this:
Chapter #6: Banishments and Goodbyes
"Love has a hem to her garment that reaches to the very dust. It sweeps the stains from the streets and lanes, and because it can, it must." - Mother Theresa
-- 1533, March 11th
The More
This is where I am; in the More. Henry finally grew tired of my rantings and nagging to see my granddaughters that him and his Queen sent me here. I don't know if Anne did it on purpose, or if that girl really wanted to spare me from a worse fate.
I know perfectly well that the young woman is not looking for my well-being, but for hers. And I think I know why, no! I know why. It is easy, if I die or am executed because of Henry, and Thomas too, then what safety is there for Anne?
Does she really hate me so? She doesn't, but the fact that she knows that I prevented her desired marriage to her first love of Henry Percy, and then worked hard to separate her from my son when I knew she wanted to snatch him while he was still married to Isabella; was enough for her to hate me, for the rest of her days that are yet to be.
One can easily judge as she can, this girl knows too much and her knowledge once made us great friends in a Country that we felt so foreign in. We helped each other, but that is now in the past. Now in this world we are enemies, and even if she and her family are my main enemies; I spare from that animosity her child and the one she is carrying in her womb.
I would never cause hatred or have a cause to hate my granddaughters, why would I when I love them so much both? True that at first I hated Elizabeth, but when I saw her (thanks to the Lady Governess at the time, Margaret More) I fell in love with that innocent and beautiful child, because she reminded me so much with her beautiful blond cherry hair of my elder sister Juana, who was my favorite sister and confidant before she fell into madness for loving a man so foolish as herself.
Elizabeth even if I am afraid to say it, for I know Mary will grow hateful of my words, is the exact image of me when my mother first took me to the battlefields of Granada to see our armies defeat the Mores. Elizabeth, the irony that she has the English name Elizabeth, and the fighting spirit of a warrior, marked for a great destiny when my mother too bared the same name.
(1533) March 11th
Hatfield:
Princess of Wales' Household
Margaret was once again playing with her beautiful niece, Elizabeth. Today she had been very tired, but she gladly came to attend the young Princess before Lady Brian (a new prospect Henry planned to put for his daughter once Meg was married) could come and throw a fit of all the mess the girl had caused.
She really didn't see any reason why people were always throwing fits for children.
They were innocent after all they did or said, and a trained Governess-to-be as Bryan was; she was supposed to have this knowledge and not be strict with the poor girl. Elizabeth might be pampered as long as she was in favor with the King, her father, but Bryan would always be a careful and strict Governess, in favour or not.
And that was what worried Margaret, that she would never see Elizabeth again and that she, her little Princess would be at the mercy of strictness and rules when she barely could differentiate one rule from the other.
It was not fair.
She settled Elizabeth that was playfully snuggling from under her arms, on the ground where she quietly handed her a porcelain doll, that once belonged to her daughter Mary.
Elizabeth hungrily grabbed the doll and almost immediately she began to wash her doll in a sea of red roses, that were surrounding the garden of the little girl's Household.
"My dolly ... mama ... pleases ... Mama w-will web pleased." Elizabeth said with excitement.
After she finished decorating her porcelain doll she showed it to Meg. The girl had such force that it was almost tossed to Meg's face. Meg smiled and carefully inspected the doll to see if Elizabeth hadn't put any dangerous roses on it, thankfully she hadn't and gave it back to the little girl to play.
Elizabeth continued playing with the doll, hanging it in the air simulating she was flying, but as she started to make babbling noises and words she noticed her Aunt was crying, and she slowly went over to Meg to wipe her tears.
Meg smiled at the girl's futile attempt, she touched Elizabeth's hand to say everything was alright, but cunning as the girl was; she didn't buy it and continued to wipe away her tears until she saw too many and instead she hugged her aunt with her arms around her neck.
Elizabeth being only a child, did not understood very well why was her Aunt crying on such a special day when they should be playing and laughing like they always were. She kept her little arms wrapped around her Aunt Margaret's neck; the little girl impatient that she was not being given an answer as to why she cried, boldly asked her Aunt in an innocent voice.
"Why are you cwying ... Me-eg not h-hap-py? Ub n-not hap-py?" Elizabeth inquired. Her aunt whose face was brought up in surprise at the girl's boldness, slowly and very carefully grabbed Elizabeth's little arms with her hands; both now stood face to face at the same level. Her niece continued to stare at her with her penetrating chocolate eyes; eyes that were the famous trademark of the More Family, from her father's side.
She regained her composure and tried as hard as she could at the moment, to appear strong to the little girl, who she didn't want to make sad or miserable when she gives her the news that they would soon have to walk each in different paths.
"Elizabeth ... " She struggled to say the next words, but she knew that she had to be strong; for her. "Honey I am not sad, but soon I ... we will have to part Elizabeth. No honey hush hush ... Shh! Don't cry ... " She gently wiped away Elizabeth's tear drops. "Honey it is not a good bye." The girl's face lit up at her Aunt's words.
But then Meg sighed and Elizabeth who wore a happy face, instantly wore out as she heard the sigh from Meg. "Honey we knew this would come ... It is meant to be, I have my own life and soon you will have yours little Bess, we are all part of the lines that God draws from off ... You may not understand now Bessie; but soon your destiny will call on you and whether you like it or not, you will have to face it alone, that is the order of all things. Just promise me you will be strong, all right?"
Elizabeth nodded her head and said a small 'yes'.
Margaret no longer able contain her sadness,grabbed Elizabeth and cried as she held the little girl in her arms. The little girl that was Elizabeth could not really comprehend the situation very well; she was to small to understand the forces that were behind her Aunt's sadness. Even her own words she didn't understand. But nonetheless, every detail of those words she kept them to mind, vowing never to forget them as she swung her arms over her aunt's neck protectively to prevent any harm coming to her.
Aunt and niece kept struggling with themselves against pulling away. Even if she was a little girl, Elizabeth was no naive fool; at some point she knew Meg would have to pull away from her and say goodbye. But she didn't want to so they both remained together in their embrace, for as long as they could.
March 11th.
Hampton Court Palace
Henry was slowly congratulating his Noble men and Council for the latest Progress on their Reformation.
If everything was going as planned, then in the coming months the King would be receiving large quantities of the Treasury they had commissioned to be taken from the monasteries, and be transferredto him to be later used by his own hands, and be spent as much as he desired, with no limits or restrictions from Parliament that they could stop him to do from what he wished. He was fully King this time, and as he declared the night before March; he was Head of the English Church and the Pope in Rome had no authority over him and what he wished to do in his matters of State.
"Let the Pope rule his own House, and I will rule mine" He had said previously as Parliament had granted him absolute Power, he was now a fully functional King without the help of Parliament to do as he wished, and he would answer to no one but God. Nobody could judge the King of England but God, Anne had said this to him once and he believed it to the full extent.
Had it not been for Anne, he would still be at the mercy of the Pope, his mother, and the Catholic Church to do with him and pamper him as they wished and later persuade him as a form of favors, because the was how they viewed the world in favors, to give them a big percentage of his monaesteries' Treasury and also his own. Well now Henry calmly told himself that he answered to nobody but himself and God. Now it was as Anne, his May Queen had said; Total Monarchy and neither his father, her or his mother could do anything to stop it.
Henry was in power and as Master Cromwell intelligently said to Henry. He would become much to the envy of the other Princes of Christendom; the richest King and Prince in all Europe.
The King broke away from his thoughts as he dismissed all of his people from his conference room, except one; the Duke Locksley who wore a proud and arrogant smile on his face.
George Locksley who owned the new Locksley lands, close to the borders between England and Scotland bowed his head in respect for his King. "Your Majesty" He said humbly.
The King smiled as his subject showed him respect. "Locksley, I want you to promise me that when you marry the Lady Margaret, treat her with ... care and remember." He said in a low voice grabbing Locksley by the shoulder as he whispered to his left ear. " ... If you have any problems with her father, the ex-Chancellor. Tell me so immediately and I will promise that if you serve me correctly Duke, you and your wife can live within your domains peacefully for the rest of your days."
George smiled at the King's last words, knowing exactly what they meant. And being the cunning man that he was; he knew that he was to thread a fine line with the new bride he would be acquiring soon, he did not need no dowry for the King had been gracious enough to provide him with that, but he did expect the King to follow his word keep his future bride at ease and where she needed to be, at home.
He desired nothing more than to see Margaret, his half sister walking down the aisle and face her new life alone in solitude with no help from her father or her sisters. It was a shame if the Duke did not like her little brats from her previous marriage, but it was a sacrifice he regretted he would have to do to make his sister be punished for being lucky and receiving all those gifts that had been denied to him and Elizabeth for so long.
The Duke continued to smile as he pictured his bride, he was told how beautiful the lady was, and how fertile too she still was, so in his mind there was no problem for her when the time would come for both of them to make children, children whom he hoped would be all boys, or girls whom could help him in his future plans for acquiring lands and titles.
A/N:
I know short chapter compared to the others lol, but I wanted to focus on Meg and the relationship as well as the pain (Sad I know, I had such a hard time doing it, almost cried) of having to say goodbye to her beautiful niece, Elizabeth is only two years and a half almost but she is very smart and even if she cannot comprehend yet, she knows she might see her Aunt again.
Between George of Locksley and Henry VIII, they have in common the belief that they need a male child to carry on their inheritance and of vital importance for their last name and "dynasty" (Especially For Henry) to survive. The difference is that George Locksley sees girl more as an advantage in certain cases and here is where he like many Courtiers of his time, is capable of selling his soul or his own daughter's (as he thought, if that is the only result by his and Margaret's marriage) to the devil or to some ruthless maniac just for the sake of Power and lands.