Title: Nemesis
Author: Cruelangel101
Disclaimer: I own nothing...Not the characters, not the show, and certainly not the production company…can anyone own history?
Detailed Summary: Starting from the scene where Anne watched her brother's execution, Anne finds herself pregnant with the King's child. They thought she was saved, but the King still enraged and determined to marry Jane Seymour, chose to believe the child was the offspring of one of the executed man. Anne's execution was determined to proceed after the birth of her child. A plot from an unexpected family member, rescued her from the tower and in the most bizarre chain of events she ended up as the Queen of France. All the while her rival Jane Seymour rises to the position of Queen of England. Her heart cold from betrayal and filled with hopes for revenge, what would the future hold? Can new warmth melt her iced heart or will past spark ignite once more? This time when two men battle for her heart, the consequence is war. (Queen of France and son after the tower ideas are hardly new to fanfic, but I would like take a new spin on it.)
Pairings: Anne/Francis I and Anne/Henry VIII (both in some ways)
AN: I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed and/or favorite and/or alerted this story. The support has been very touching!
Nemesis…the Greek goddess of revenge…
Chapter Six: Truth
Truth is often informative. Some truth should be revealed to the world, while for others, it is far better for it to be left unsaid, but it should be noted, whether said or unsaid the truth has the potential to change everything.
December 25th, 1537, Palais du Fontainebleau, France
Anne sat in her chambers with the Prince on her lap. She had tried to read, but she could not concentrate. The King's words in the morning had shocked her to the core. She had only nodded silently in response because she had no idea on what to say, but the King seemed to accept it. In truth, she didn't know if she could believe him. Had he not loved Francoise as well? Was he like Henry who loved what was new?
In her life time, many men had confessed their love for her, she had loved two. The first was Henry Percy, the man that she had wanted to marry if it wasn't her father pushing her into the King's way and his father forcing him to marry another woman, Anne imagined they would have been very happy together. The second was obviously Henry.
They had both betrayed her in a way, although Anne did not fault Henry Percy for his betrayal for he had little choice. Being the 6th Earl of Northumberland, one of the premier earls of England, he had been on the Jury that had convicted her. He had voted guilty, and promptly fainted. He had been carried out afterwards. She had heard that he had been absent for George's trial.
In truth, she didn't know if she believed in love anymore. She had once, but that had almost cost her life. She didn't know if she could trust men in that aspect any longer. She had known Francis in the past, as a little girl and a grown woman. Both times, she had not had the best opinion of the man in regards to carnal relations. Francis had many mistresses, even though he had only one acknowledged long term mistress. What is to say that she was not just another passing fancy?
Yet, did it really matter whether Francis spoke the truth or not? She knew that she did not love Francis; she didn't know if she was capable of loving another. So if Francis loved her, it was only to her advantage. But people in love will always want the affection returned…
December 26th, 1537, Paris, France
"What is your name?" asked Cardinal Jean du Bellay, ex-ambassador of France.
The woman before him was about thirty years old. By her fashion she was a peasant. He noted that she was very intimidated by him, which was the point he supposed. He had shown up at her room unannounced with a few man dressed in black guarding the door. "Ma...Marie, Sir," she stuttered.
Bellay nodded; he was in no mood to waste time. The King was not happy and impatient, and when that happened Bellay would certainly not live comfortably. Bellay was a resourceful man who was capable of certain darker aspects of life as a courtier despite his outward friendly appeal. It was the reason that the King made him ambassador so often. When he wasn't he served as the King's ears and eyes at court amongst other roles, positions that would never be openly acknowledged but played a crucial role in the way that politics functioned at court.
He had persuaded Montmorency's servants to recount the traveling plans for the last month. It did not take much persuasion to link the fact that it seemed that Diane de Poitiers also visited here only days ago with the fact that the person he was looking for was here. He drew out a large bag of coins, and threw it on the table; a large bang resulted from it making the frazzled woman jump, "Marie," he let the name roll off his tongue, "It has come to light that you have been speaking about our Queen's past."
Marie nodded; "I only said of good things about the Queen!" she spoke urgently.
Bellay paid her no mind, "It is not pleasing to the King to know that people who knew the Queen in the past are gossiping about his wife, people who could easily be manipulated by others to hurt the Queen." From the woman's last sentence and behavior, it seemed that she was fond of the Queen, so he changed his method slightly. After all, he was best at adaptation.
Marie's eyes widened, "Hurt the Queen? I would never!" she responded indignantly. Everyone in France loved their Queen.
"I can see that, Marie," the Ambassador softened his voice ever so slightly as if to offer a small bit of sympathy but still remind her of the danger she is in, "But you do not understand how others may wish to use you to hurt the Queen. She has enemies because people are often jealous. You don't want to a cause of injury to the Queen, do you?"
Marie shook her head vehemently, "NO!"
Bellay smiled at her and picked up the large bag from the table and placed it in her hands, "A gift from the King, for your silence," he was blunt because he wanted no misunderstanding on the woman's part, "The people you spoke to before are not fond of the Queen, do not speak to them or anyone else about the Queen. The money here is more than enough to allow you and your family to live a comfortable life for the rest of your life."
Marie nodded, "I promise, I do not wish any harm to come to the Queen."
"There is one other favor I must ask of you," he said slowly, "the others who were dismissed from the Pisseleu house; do you remember who they all were and where they are?" The next hour was spent with Bellay collecting all the information available from the woman named Marie who was very forthcoming.
When they concluded, Bellay thanked the woman, and before he left the room, he gave her a final warning, "The men outside will escort you and your family out of Paris and to a new home. I hope you understand. I do not wish others to bother you again. But remember, Marie, not a word about the Queen to anyone and nothing about this encounter," his friendly encounter that he had developed over the last hour disappeared momentarily, "I do not wish to visit you again or I will be force to take other actions. Don't become a scapegoat of others." With that said he turned and left the newly frightened woman in the room.
It was a simple tactic. First, intimidate, then ease her into comfortableness by friendly gestures, and follow it with a threat and ending it with blame elsewhere. He was quite certain that Marie would never utter a word of what had happened anymore, if she valued her life. He had made sure she understood that. Money was trivial in matters like this, after all nothing is worth more than one's life.
December 29th, 1537, Palais du Fontainebleau, France
"We have a big problem," Anne de Montmorency whispered to Diane de Poitiers urgently in a deserted hallway.
"What problem can there be to wake me at such an hour?" she asked in annoyance. While their plans to turn the King against the Queen had not worked out how she planned, it was a start. According to the Dauphin, the King had not been receptive to hear what he had to say because Anne was pregnant. That was a problem but not too large of a hindrance. Their goal is to stop the influence of the Queen on the King, in order to do that; they only needed to make her lose favor with the King not necessarily needing the King to order her death. Child or no child matters little. Despite what the King claimed, she had no doubt that they had at least planted a seed of doubt in his mind.
Montmorency scowled at her disinterest, "I went to see Marie, today, but when I got to the inn, she was nowhere to be found."
Diane arched a brow, "Perhaps she went to spend some of the money you gave her."
"I mean she was nowhere to be found, disappeared without a trace, all her belongings gone. I asked the innkeeper about it, and he responded rather oddly, now that I think about it. Nevertheless, he told me that she had left three days ago, without a word."
His statement had finally gotten the full attention of Diane, "Disappeared? How and why? Did someone else visit her?"
Montmorency shook his head, "Not according to the Inn Keeper, but Diane, my instinct is that someone did, someone who scared him enough to keep silent, even with offers of money."
"Perhaps you didn't offer him enough money," she speculated.
He shook his head, "I offered him more than he would make for twenty years. I feel as if he was scared rather than greedy."
"But who else would know about this? We have been very quiet on this matter."
"There are only four people in this world who knew about her and of her importance: you, me, the Dauphin, and the King. We certainly did not remove her, what about the Dauphin," possibilities started to form in Montmorency's mind quickly.
Diane shook her head, "No, the Dauphin had decided to be quiet about the matter since finding out about her condition. He has been busy with court appearances for Christmas and preparing for New Years. He would have told me if he intended to remove her."
Montmorency felt the color leave his face as one final possibility started to look more and more realistic, "Then that leaves…"
"The King," Diane finished for him. For the first time, there was some fear in her voice. They both were seasoned courtiers who fully understood the implications behind such a removal. "I don't understand, why?"
"He loves her," Montmorency spoke breathlessly. It was the only reason that he could think of.
"But he has not even talked to Marie! How could he just rule out the possibility that she may be Anne Boleyn? Henri said that the King had thought she was a disgruntled servant who was left jobless by the Duke of Étampes, but I was sure that at least some doubts had been planted."
"Disgruntled? One servant without a job may be disgruntled, but not with others. We will have to move and find the others. If we present the King with so many, he would have no choice but to believe us."
Diane nodded, but they would have to tread carefully now. If the King was protecting her, then they would need thick and solid evidence before approaching the King again.
January 30th, 1538 Palais du Fontainebleau, France
"Your Majesty," Cardinal Bellay greeted the King of France with a bow.
Francis nodded in acknowledgement. They were meeting privately, such that Francis knew exactly what his former ambassador had to say, "The matter of disgruntled servants has been taken care of."
Francis arched a brow; it was rather quick movement even for Bellay, "All of them?"
Bellay nodded, "I relocated the most dangerous one, those that had the most contact with her, but I left others who saw her rarely in Picardy, it would raise suspicions if the Duke's old servants all disappeared suddenly. The Duke's other servants that made it past the dismissal are very loyal."
Francis nodded in approval, "And you have ensured that they will not talk?"
"The servant that spoke to the Dauphin will not talk. With the others, I had judged it more dangerous to warn them not to speak. For the ones that were relocated, the situation was manipulated enough for them to believe that they had made their own choice. They do not know about the situation and it would raise questions as to why I am asking for their silence. The same can be said for the ones left in Picardy. I left two of my men in Picardy in case other goes looking where they should not," he explained to the King.
"Has others gone looking?" Francis questioned, he knew the answer from Bellay's tone.
Bellay nodded, "Lord Anne de Montmorency has sent more men to Picardy. I was given permission to care of the servant situation, but I seek Your Majesty's advice on this matter. I have only stalled the investigation by his men. He and Lady Diane de Poitiers were the ones who met and introduced the servant to the Dauphin."
Francis did not immediately respond. Montmorency was useful to him, capable and loyal to France. Diane de Poitiers…was favored by his son, someone he had thought with enough of a shrewd mind to be of some influence and aid to Henri. Yet if he left them alone, it would not be long before Bellay's effort would have gone to waste. It was a matter of time before they needed to be dealt with. He really should curb the threat before it completely corrupts his son. "Do what you see fit." He dismissed Bellay with a wave of his hand.
When he was left alone he got up and poured himself a drink. He had never outright stated what he knew, but he and Bellay had an understanding. Bellay knew better than to question him straightforwardly, but Francis had no doubt that Bellay had more than a guess. In truth, his suspicions of Anne de Pisseleu's real identity had never ceased, but rather he had admitted temporary defeat when he had little evidence and far more important thing to worry about when they had met initially. Then he needed her to win back Paris. By that time, it was too late to do anything, even if it became known of who she was. It would be the greatest scandal in the history of Europe if his Queen used to be the convicted Queen of another. France could not afford such a scandal, not when they were on the edge of a golden world, a world where France would become the superpower of Europe and beyond. Anne still served the same purpose she had served at the beginning of their marriage. The only difference now was his feelings for her. All of this meant that he did not need to know Anne's past or doubts about her identity, but that didn't mean he didn't know. Francis prided himself with his very subtle observational skills.
Initially, it had been suspicion that he had not voiced since meeting her, but those doubts were confirmed easily. Anne was a good actress, but not as good of an actress as she believed herself to be. His suspicions had increased when he mentioned about Jane Seymour's marriage to Henry Tudor. Her breathing had gotten erratic and her body had tensed. She had been furious, the reason behind it, he could only draw one conclusion. Although she had tried every hard to keep in control, the changes were long enough for him to catch sight of.
From that point on, he made sure to inform her all about England. In a way it was to offer her a peace of mind, and also served for him to judge her reactions. The next time he had mentioned England was in regards to the English Envoy, Charles Brandon. He knew that Anne was well aware of who he was. He had partially asked her to join him in his greeting to the ambassador and the special envoy, the other reason was because he wanted to see if she actually would. Charles Brandon knew Anne Boleyn well, and it was of little surprise that she had excused herself in subtle fashion.
From the time they spent together on September 7th, he recalled her being especially moody. Later he would recall that the date was Elizabeth Tudor's birthday. Her interaction with Charles and Margaret was also informative. He had noted that Anne had the unmistaken look of a mother in her eyes. She had needed no time to adjust herself with the idea of becoming a mother. To his knowledge, Anne de Pisseleu had been married once, but the marriage had last little time and she was never pregnant. But Anne Boleyn had two children.
Her interaction with Charles Brandon had been interesting. There was no doubt that the Duke had been utterly shocked at the sight of Anne and she had been uncomfortable receiving his audience. She had played her part well, but Francis knew what he had been looking for.
He had hinted to her that she needed to be careful in the selection of her ladies in waiting because of her special circumstance. Then, her reaction to Anne Boleyn's son had been as expected as always. By the time he was reading her the letter from the Ambassador he had already no doubt in his mind of who Anne used to be. But he knew better than to reveal it. No good at all would come from that. Anne as Anne de Pisseleu was a hero in the French people's eyes, and sometimes the truth may just need to be hidden in order to keep the hearts of the people. Anne as Anne Boleyn would be a diplomatic nightmare, and the people of France would feel utterly betrayed by the monarchy. Thus he would never reveal her identity and would become her silent enforcer, to see that her identity remained forever a secret. He would never admit out loud to anyone about what he knew, for other wise he could not ignore the crime that it was. His love for her had little to do with this decision. He was a King before he was her husband.
If only his son could fully grasp everything, then he would finally feel fully confident to leave things in his hands in time. But that did not seem to be the case. He was still too young and too inexperienced and thus easily manipulated by the courtiers that surrounded him. Yet experience only comes with time. His first son Francois had been ready, but he had died, pushing Henri, a prince not prepared for the role into his position. There was much he must learn still.
February 2nd, 1538, Palais du Fontainebleau
Cardinal Bellay had debated on which to approach, Diane de Poitiers or Anne de Montmorency. Eventually the answer had become clear to him. While Diane de Poitiers was a formidable part of their plans, without Montmorency, she could do little. He was the one with the men and power to send out. Without his help, she could only speculate.
"My Lord," he smiled warmly at Montmorency as he led him to the table. The Marshal of France had accepted his invite to dinner quickly. It was no surprise there. While Montmorency was greatly favored by the King for his military and political mind, he did not share the same understanding that Bellay had with the French King. Montmorency knew of the different kind of trust that the King placed in only a very few select individuals, and thus often endeared himself to them. "I thank you for dining with me on such short notice," he told him as they both took their seat.
"It is my great pleasure to spend the evening with friendly company," Montmorency replied politely.
Bellay made small talk as the servants served them dinner. He did not wish for them to hear the conversation. Servants were often the cause that information at court never stayed secret. By the time they had finished their courses, he dismissed the servants and the only thing left on the table was their wine. It was then that Bellay finally began to address the issue, "I heard that you had sent men to Picardy."
The statement had caused Montmorency to look up from his wine in alarm. He took a few seconds before responding, "There was some business I had to attend to there. Trivial matters really, regarding some of my estates and holdings there."
The answer was vague, "I see. How did it go?"
"Not well, I had recently lost an important asset, but it will be a matter of time really, before I regain some others," he responded.
Bellay nodded with a smile, but his voice became quiet and lower, "You will find that your business is not in the interest of the King. Perhaps you should just concede defeat in the loss of one asset, rather than risk the King's fiery and lose a much more important asset." He gave him a pointed look, the friendly smiled never leaving his face, but Bellay had no doubt that Montmorency was starting to find the smile more than disconcerting by now.
Montmorency was a well experienced courtier, and thus simple intimidation was of little use on the man. It would be much more effective to leave interpretations loose to his imagination. The creepiness of his actions served to enhance the image he wanted to produce. It was clear that this tactic was working as the Marshal seemed to be more frazzled. "My business is not in the interest of the King? But I conduct my businesses with his interest in mind."
"No doubt that you would feel that way, but what is to say that you understand what exactly the King's interests are? What if you misunderstood?" Bellay pointed out evenly.
"What do you believe the king's interests are? Has the King informed you?" asked Montmorency.
Bellay nodded, "Why, the same interests as France of course!" Bellay responded in a tone that made it seem that this was obvious, "Your current business will hurt the King's asset, and of course that might make your lordship lose your most important asset." He drove the message hope by gesturing to the Marshal's head. Montmorency nodded with a tight smile. Bellay poured him another drink.
February 3rd, 1538, Palais du Fontainebleau, France
"It appears we must cease our investigations into the Queen's past," Montmorency whispered to Diane de Poitiers at the Banquet in honor of the Queen's pregnancy which has finally been officially announced although everyone at court already knew.
Diane looked at him in confusion, "Why?"
"Bellay informed me that the King was displeased by our investigation," he explained honestly.
"But he made no public order for us to stop," she noted.
He nodded, "The King would make no such order if he wished to keep things quiet."
"But how can you be sure that Bellay is carrying out the orders of the King? What if he is doing it out of his own interest? After all, we have nothing from the King to indicate this," Diane questioned,
"You are right, but Bellay does not have the courage to lie about orders from the King right under his nose. He would not risk us directly approaching his majesty about the situation. He is telling the truth," Montmorency concluded.
"But why is he protecting her? Is his Majesty so in love with her that he has no suspicions?" she asked.
Montmorency shook his head, "I can't be certain, but Bellay's tone suggested that His Majesty views her as an asset of France currently, To touch her would be against the interest of France."
"The interest of France?" Diane repeated in question, "She is viewed by the common people as a hero. They love her. To out her would be catastrophic for the Monarchy." It suddenly made sense, "If he thinks that expressing concerns for Anne de Pisseleu's background was dangerous, then he must have more than a few suspicions about her identity himself," then it donned on her, "His Majesty doesn't suspect, he knows!"
Montmorency felt himself pale despite the fact that he had also came to the same conclusion, but to hear it said out lout, only made it truly real, "We will have to find another approach if we wish to continue with our plans." He had the courage to go against the Queen, but hardly against the King, especially as he had to admit the King was right, their actions are a threat to France.
"It confirms her identity though," Diane pointed out. While they were nearly sure that the Queen was Anne Boleyn of England, there had always been somewhat of a doubt present as they could hardly believe such a scandal had actually happened. It was nearly impossible for a woman to become Queen twice over, "It calls into question of the legitimacy of her marriage to the King and her position as Queen."
Montmorency laughed humorlessly, "But that all doesn't matter anymore. The King may very well have known before he even married her. She is far more useful as his Queen than another rival's. Besides, you forget, Anne Boleyn is dead, even if she wasn't, King Henry annulled their marriage."
Diane snorted, it was of little secret that she had a rather low opinion of the King of England. He had been an idiot to set aside a Princess twice over, no matter how much she hated Spaniards, a princess was a princess. He had set aside his wife for years for another woman. Diane had to acknowledge that she had a grudging respect for the woman who changed a Kingdom. But nevertheless, she was not able to hold on to her husband's affections. Henry VIII had made a fool out of himself when he set aside the woman that he had torn his kingdom apart for. He was made a laughing stock in the rest of Europe when he decided to kill his second wife with a charge of adultery. Charges so ludicrous that even people in France could see right through it. Then after Diane didn't think his intelligence could sink any lower, he had his marriage to his second wife annulled before her execution. It was idiocy at best. For someone who desperately wanted an heir and secure the succession, he had bastardized two of his daughters, ones that he could have made alliances with had they still been princess. Not to mention, how could his wife commit adultery if they were never married? Even if she had committed adultery, it only reflected badly on the King of England, he was obviously not able to satisfy his wife that she had to seek comfort elsewhere. There was no gain in his actions.
Nevertheless, Anne Boleyn, whatever her marriage status to the King of France was, there was one point that Diane could not let go, "She had been crowned Queen in England. She was an anointed Queen."
Montmorency nodded, "But so was the Katherine of Aragon, yet she was forced to die in exile. The English King had made himself the most powerful man in England, his word is law.
Diane suddenly started laughing as a strange thought struck her, "Imagine what if the King of England met our new Queen. It would certainly be more entertaining than fireworks."
Montmorency sighed, "Fireworks it may be, but what will it do to France?"
February 5th, 1538, Palais du Fontainebleau, France
"You must return to your wife's bed," Diane urged her lover once again.
Henri, the Dauphin sighed, "Must you always do this?" He just wanted to spend time in her company, yet each time she always begged him to return to his wife's bed, a wife he found unappealing.
"You must provide a son as the Dauphin of France. You are fertile, you have proved that to your father, but it is little secret at Court that you have abandoned Catherine's bed. The King says nothing now, but surely you can feel his displeasure. He may be unhappy with Catherine in the aspect that she has not provided an heir, but it takes two to make a child, Henri. You will soon feel the displeasure of the King if you do not return, especially as the King does not seem to have any intention of setting Catherine aside. You are stuck with her and you must have a son with her."
"You have made the same case before. We have tried for the first three years of our marriage; there has been no heir, not even a daughter, what difference would it make now?" Henri retorted with slightly annoyance.
Diane sighed, "Your brother, the Duke of Orleans is growing up. Already many courtiers favor his outspoken personality. You do not want to offer your father any more reason to replace you. If you do not have a son, Charles becomes the heir presumptive and how can you be sure that someone won't be ambitious enough to skip you all together."
Henri sighed as he finally conceded defeat after months of persuasion by Diane, "Fine, if it will make you happy and simply just enjoy our times together, I will return to her bed," his face scowled. In a way he respected Catherine as his consort, but he could hardly accept her as a companion let alone a lover.
It may have been odd for a mistress to urge her lover to visit his wife's bed often, but that was the relationship that Diane and Henry shared. Catherine de Medici was a cousin of Diane, and she would much rather that Catherine remained as Henri's consort than someone else. It was simple really, Catherine was rather plain and Henri was far from attracted to the woman leaving his sole attention to her. If Henri divorced Catherine and married some pretty new princess, the outcome became uncontrollable. Besides, Catherine was family wasn't she? All three of them knew exactly how important it was that a legitimate Prince is born.
February 15th, 1538, Hever Castle, England
He went riding to clear his mind. His son's recent illness had offered him little breathing space. He had almost been lured into a false sense of security as the child remained healthy for almost two month. He had even started to plan the ceremony to crown Edward as the Prince of Wales, but it was not to be. His most recent illness almost took him away from him, leaving Henry terrified.
This had happened three times already. Every time he wanted to invest the boy with the title of Prince of Wales, he gets sick. He was beginning to think that maybe god was trying to tell him something. Now that he thought back on it, Jane had never received a coronation because a plague had broken out in London. There were just too many coincidences. Yet Jane had given him a son, but then again so had Bessy Blount.
He sighed with frustration and urged his horse on. He knew that his doubts came because he had had a tough week, and a little country air would do him a lot of good. As he rode farther and farther away from the palace, he become quickly aware that he had started to take a well known path that he had not taken in a long time, the path to Hever castle.
When he arrived unannounced at the home of his ex-father-in-law he had given him and his family quite a scare. Thomas Boleyn had quickly rushed out to greet him while frantic ordering servants to ready the house for a visit from the King. As he was warmly ushered in, Henry noticed that the place had changed greatly since his visits when he had been wooing Anne. Now, it seemed that Thomas Boleyn had hardly the funds to live as he once had. Half of the servants that ushered around the room last time were gone. Several decorative pieces were also missing from the mantles. No doubt that the Boleyns had suffered a hard financial hit after the fall of Anne.
"Can I offer your majesty a drink?" asked Thomas Boleyn, the Earl of Wiltshire with a bow.
Henry nodded, "Please." It felt rather odd to speak to the man again. While Henry had given Thomas permission to return to court months ago, he had had no interest in him. He had brought the man back simply because Norfolk claimed he needed some assistance. Henry in actually could not care less. They had not spoken to each other since the man's return to court, except two weeks prior when the man had asked permission of return home because his mother had been gravely ill.
Thomas quickly poured him a drink, his best wine, from his cabinet and offered it to the King. Henry took it with a nod, "Thank You," he took a sip of his wine. Everything felt so strange yet familiar. There was a pregnant silence that left Henry feeling uncomfortable, "How is your mother?" he asked instead.
Thomas Boleyn bowed, "She is well now, thank you, your majesty."
Henry nodded again, feeling awkward again. He didn't know what to say to the man. He didn't know how to act. He had killed the man's son and ordered his daughter's death. In these days, he had never thought of the possibility of Anne's innocence. He had been so convinced of her guilt, but he could not deny that he missed her. He missed her fire and the way that only she could incite such passion in him. But now that he was sitting in Thomas's house, the house that Anne had grown up in, he felt slightly sick to his stomach. But why should he? She was found guilty by the Court and she had died not because of him but because of an accident. Yet that gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach would not go away.
The awkward silence continued and was finally broken by the laughter of a small child. The noise jogged Henry out of his thoughts. "What was that?" he found himself asking his host.
Thomas Boleyn seemed to be slightly surprised, "It is William and his nurse, Your Majesty. He likes to play outside around this time," the Earl explained.
"William?" Henry questioned, there was something in his stomach again, but he didn't want to admit to it, "Who is William?"
Thomas Boleyn replied in a calm voice, "William is my grandson."
Henry knew that George had no children, "Is he Mary's son?"
The Earl almost rolled his eyes, the King was coward, but then again so was he. Any braver man would have avenged his family, but here he was bowing low to the man that murdered his heir. He had put his dignity away for his ambition, and he was going to get what he wanted, "No, he is Anne's son."
The answer really had not been a surprise for him. Anne's son had become a ward of the man after all. "I wish to see him."
Thomas nodded, and left the room with a bow to retrieve his grandson. The King's visit was a surprise, and left him with little time to make any plans. Nevertheless he had managed to ensure that the King had heard William after instructing his nurse on what to do. It didn't take long to pick up his grandson from his nurse and bring him before the King.
William was just over a year old and was rather curious of everything. He stared at the man that he had never seen before for several moments before quickly losing interest in him and played with his grandfather's collar instead.
While William was too young to feel the tension in the room, the two adults were not. The King could not take his eyes off of the young boy, a boy who was nearly the splitting image of himself but with Anne's eyes and dark hair. The resemblance between them was uncanny, so much that there was no denying the fact that William was his son.
He approached the boy carefully. "May I?" he asked the Earl who nodded and handed the boy over to the King. William was bit surprised by the shift in the person carrying him but quickly got over it as his new carrier seemed to have much more interesting things to play with, tugging on his collar, and pretty pieces on his cloth.
King Henry felt slightly in awe. The boy was strong; he could feel it, far healthier than Edward. It was a pity that he had been born to Anne. If he had been Jane's son, he would have been more than proud to invest him with the title of Prince of Wales, "Hello William," it was the first time he had spoken to him.
William's small hands found its way into the King's hair and tugged with a sudden jerk in response, making his father cringe with pain.
March 12th, 1538, Hampton Court, England
Edward stormed into the Queen's room in hurried steps, with Thomas trailing begrudgingly behind him. This sudden entrance sent the Queen's ladies in a flurry of surprise, quickly gathering up their needle work to prepare for the visitor. The Queen's brother always failed to follow protocol when calling on the Queen, but this had happened so often that they have become rather accustomed to it.
"We need to speak to your majesty in private," he spoke urgently to Jane.
Jane nodded and everyone but Elizabeth Cromwell nee Seymour stayed, "What is it?" She did not keep the tone of annoyance out of her voice. Edward and Thomas were her family, but she was the Queen of England. She wished that they would at least pay mind to the respect that they needed to offer for her position. Do they not understand that others often whisper but the impropriety of their actions often? They were the brothers of the Queen, and Jane desperately wished that they would set a good example to the rest of the court. But alas, it seemed that favor had gone to their heads.
Edward scowled fiercely, "How can you just sit here?" he picked up the pillow piece that Jane had been embroidering and frowned with disgust, "sewing, when your husband is bringing his bastard son to court?" he threw the piece away, letting it clatter to the floor.
Jane felt her eyes wide, "Bastard son?"
Thomas nodded grimly, "It appears that the King has decided to acknowledge the Whore's son as his own," under normal circumstance he would have made a jest about the boy being the result of an incestuous union, but even Thomas knew that Anne Boleyn had been innocent of the crimes that she had been charged with.
"He is acknowledging him?" Jane asked.
Edward looked at her in annoyance, "Must you repeat everything we say? Yes, the King has told servants to prepare for the arrival of and I quote, his son."
Jane gasped. She could not believe the turn of events. Only months ago, the King had never mentioned the boy, but now he was bring him to court, "Why?" she whispered.
"Why else? Because Prince Edwards health causes the King great concern," Edward told Jane.
"Is he to take the name Fitzroy then?" asked Thomas.
Edward shook his head, "The King has made no statement in regards to the last name the boy shall have."
"What other name can a bastard expect to receive?" Elizabeth questioned,
"Tudor," the answer came from Edward. It was a speculation really but it made the occupants of the room all gasp in surprise at the scandalous nature of such a statement.
"But he is a bastard! Lady Elizabeth was allowed to keep the name Tudor because she had been wrongfully known as a princess at the time of her birth, but the King knows better now," argued Thomas.
"That may be the case, but the King may have another intention if he gives the boy the name of Tudor," Edward explained, "Jane's health has not recovered to conceive yet and the Prince Edward's health has been shaky at best. He wishes to prepare for the worst. This may involve legitimizing his bastard son."
"Legitimize?" Elizabeth gasped this time, "But he is a bastard! The King cannot legitimatize him!"
Edward snorted, "Sister, you forget that the King is the most powerful man in this country. He can do as he pleases."
Elizabeth shook her head in denial, "But the people would never accept the harlot's son as a legitimate Prince."
Edward arched a brow, "You will find, sister, that the people may be more receptive than you believe. While the people bored little love for the harlot, her death did not sit well with them. Even Master Cromwell had to admit that the harlot's sudden death after giving birth had been costly to the Monarchy. Most common people knew that the charges against the harlot to be ludicrous. They had not believed that she had committed adultery; their only disgust with her was because of Katherine. Now, with the harlot dead, her children are free of the taint from her. The people will soon forget the offenses of the mother when they can only see the connection of the father and children. Not to mention, they would much rather have a healthy and lively prince than a sickly and hidden prince."
"Children? Do you think the King plans to restore Lady Elizabeth to the line of succession as well?" asked Thomas.
"She was innocent?" Jane asked with her eyes wide, completely ignoring the path of conversation that the rest of her family had followed.
Edward shrugged, "Nothing has been decided. We may be all over thinking this. The King could very well have no intention of doing anything to the boy other than perhaps bestowing a few titles on him. He has not forgotten the harlot's crimes." Edward turned to his sister, the Queen, "There may only be three people who believes that the Whore was actually guilty. Lady Mary is one, because of her hatred for the Whore; it was her duty to hate the harlot because of her mother. You are another. Sister, you have been at court long enough, surely you can see what's real and what's not by now? The last one is the King himself. He had deluded himself into believing the charges he had triumphed up. Every once in awhile, he may have some doubts when his guilt over rides him, but he always convinces himself otherwise eventually. If the boy had not looked so much like him, he would have never acknowledged that he was his son."
"But a court tried her," Jane argued. She was still in disbelief.
"A court who does what the King wants for favor," Edward told her, "They would likely convict us of treason for something we had done before we were even born if it pleased the King. Everyone knew that the King had wanted the whore dead so he could marry you. They gave him what he wanted."
A hand flew to Jane's mouth. They had never talked about Anne Boleyn's crimes and trials, so Jane had always believed that since she had been found guilty at a court of law, then she must have been guilty. Then there was the King's reactions, he was always thrown into fits of temper whenever she was mentioned. Jane had been so sure that while the King might have missed her, he had hated her as well. She had always believed that his hate was because he had felt betrayed by Mistress Boleyn. She had been so sure…a husband knows his wife best, and Jane had thought if the King had believed in Mistress Boleyn's guilt then it must be true.
She felt strange knowing the truth. She didn't know if she wanted to know. Since she had met Mistress Boleyn, she had disliked her, because of what she had done to the Great Queen Katherine and poor Princess Mary. Despite signing the oath, she had still believed Katherine to be Queen, never seeing Anne Boleyn as the King's wife. When the King started to pursue her, she had been so flattered, but she had also been terrified. Scared of what Anne Boleyn would do. Much to her relieve, the King was able to protect her from the worst of woman's actions. Then the woman had been arrested. She had felt so sorry for the King then, how much hurt he must have gone through to have someone he trusted betray him.
She disliked Boleyn but she didn't want someone innocent to die. The King had done it for her…did that make her guilty as well? Was this the reason that God was punishing her son now? But her son was innocent; he should not pay for his parent's sins, just like Lady Elizabeth should not pay for her mother's sins. She could comfort herself with the fact that God had not taken her son from them though, for that would have sealed all of their fates.
So did she feel guilty now that she knew the truth? Perhaps she did a little. She wondered if she would have done something different back then if she had known Anne Boleyn was innocent. Would she have told the King? Her family would never have permitted her to. But that was just a cover. If Jane was honest with herself, she would have to admit that she would choose to remain silent as well. She had wanted to be Queen. That was the simple truth. She had fallen in love with the King and she had wanted to be his wife. Was it wrong to fight for her happiness and love? Was it wrong to have ambitions of becoming Queen? Did this make her a bad person? Jane didn't know. After all, was she not being punished now? Forced to watch her husband parade his bastard son of her rival around. Forced to watch her husband frolicking with others. Would she be forced to allow her own son to be put aside if the King wishes to make her rival's son Prince? She had thought that when she married the King of England, she would be the happiest woman alive, but Jane couldn't help but notice that she was hardly happy.
March 14th, 1538, Palais du Fontainebleau, France
"Your Majesty," Adrien de Pisseleu, the Duke of Etampes bowed to his 'daughter.'
Anne smiled and rose from her seat to greet him, "Father."
"May I ask your permission to speak to Your Majesty privately?" asked the Duke formally.
Anne nodded immediately and dismissed her ladies with a wave of her hand, "What is it?" The Duke never asked to speak to her privately.
"I went back to Picardy to attend to certain matters of my house a few days prior and it has come to my attention that others have looked into the matter of your past identity. In fact, according to others, Marie came to Paris in December and soon after, her entire family disappeared. Since then, many of my past servants that I had dismissed just before Anne's death also left Picardy. In such a short amount of time, I feel something strange has been going on," he explained his concerns.
Alarm bells had started to ring in Anne's head long before Adrien finished his explanation. She had not known that Diane and Montmorency had struck so quickly, "I will see to it," she needed to get to the bottom of this matter quickly. She had a feeling that something was not adding up right. Nevertheless, while the King still showed her great favor and promised never to ask about her past, Anne wasn't sure what Francis would do if the truth is displayed right in front of his face? He may love her and have been trying hard to please her, she was sure that even he could not ignore the crime for what it was.
Adrien nodded and took out a few letters out of his pocket, "From Thomas Boleyn. I wanted to ignore them because I did not want to be seen writing to him, but there are so many here that I feel that this must also be addressed. I didn't know what to say to him, but I'm sure that you will know what to do."
Anne nodded.
Author's Notes:
There aren't many Anne scenes in this chapter because while she is at the core of the truth being seen, the truth is for the people around her. That and next chapter will be heavily focused on Anne and Francis as the final set up is completed for the war of the Kings.
A few chapters ago, I wrote about how Anne felt about her predecessor, now you see how Jane felt about hers. To be honest, it's all not that different. Jane may be an idiot compared to Anne, and as much as I hated her in season two (constant need to throttle, I mean constantly) I don't believe the real Jane was a bad person. Similarly, Katherine's situation could be blamed on Anne as much as Anne's situation on Jane. I love Anne, but were her and Jane's situations reversed, I don't see her coming forth about her rival's innocence either. No one is perfect after all. So I tried to write a Jane that was more three dimensional than the one in season two. That being said, Anne will not see things as I do. I am a third party who although biased, am still not in the situation. Anne has gone through too much not to hate Henry and Jane. There are just things once done that could not be taken back. This is a revenge fic after all…
Bellay kind of morphed into a new person, I kind of had fun with that.
Please review! Let me know what you liked, what you didn't like, what was done right, what wasn't. I really like to hear my reader's view on the story. Constructive Criticism is also welcome.
I posted this chapter so quickly because I am going on a trip for a few days and likely won't have internet or my computer. When I return, I will be attending to three exams, so the earliest next update would be next Sunday. So I gave away a few hours of sleep and this is my present to you all for all of your support for this story.
Until next time,
Cruelangel
