A/N:
I hope you enjoy this.
This was very emotional for me to do, not only because I feel a deep connection to the people I admire in my quotes, JFK, RFK, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Cesar Chavez, Obama and to others like women I admire like Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Hillary Clinton, Jacklyn Kennedy, Carolina Kennedy, Frida Kahlo, Mary Queen of Scots, Mary I, Elizabeth the Great Queen of England who I consider there has been nobody like her Queen Bess and First Elizabeth of England, and Lady Sovereign of Ireland. Lady Jane Grey, Queen Parr the first Protestant Queen. And many other women and men that I have admired for their courage to go on and for their different ideas, radicals or not.
On the Edge of The Pendulum
"You receive on what you give"-Nightwish, Amaranth (2007)
1533
September 24th.
Dauncey States: Newly Acquired Property
"Baptised with a perfect name
The doubting one by heart,
Alone without herself ..."
"My bel accident." Elizabeth whispered in french as she felt herself growing warm at the small body that lay in her loving arms. It was the body of her son, hers and Henry's, her brother.
1533, September 24th.
Locksley States. East of Richmond.
Mary Roper-More, eldest child and daughter of Margaret Locksley-Roper, daughter of the most famous man on England, perhaps greater and more famous than the King of England himself; Thomas More, lay now in a puddle of anger that overwhelmed her as she saw the Queen of England, that formidable lady, Anne Boleyn, enter her room with her most famous fashion. A mixture of Belgium, French and English fashion combined in one outstanding dress that marked her thinness and Royal figure that many called it out to be like that of a muse, women so beautiful and gifted with the talents of the arts and intelligence, that only existed in Homer's Iliad and other pagan myths.
Her mother always said not to believe in such myths. That it was dangerous to live in a world of fairy tales, because in the end fairy tales were dangerous; because they were not true. And often they idolized people into making them larger than life, and by doing that, they divided the world in black and white; making the Catholic Church and everyone they said to be 'evil' into something that was necessary to be destroyed, while they excused the "good" guys, making everything they did, even if terrible; excusable to the eyes of the people and the law just because they did not fall in the group of evils, therefore; they had to be good.
Anne with her marvelous grace walked towards Mary. Mary, watched her glance at her, she looked away trying not to look at the Queen. She felt that it was like a sin gazing at something so beautiful, so jovial, something that could only exist in fairy tales. Anne standing in front of the timid girl, calmly took her in the arms and raised her to sit by the bed, where she sat next to her.
"Mary" -She said. Mary turned to look at her for the first time face to face.
Anne sighed and then proceeded to tell the girl the good news regarding her mother. "Mary, you mum said to me that I was to be in charge of your care ... I will take good care of you Mary. I promise."
With that being said Anne took the girl by the arms once again and carefully carried her to where her carriage and servants were patiently waiting for them.
1533, September 25h
Locksley States: East Richmond, England.
Margaret, daughter of Thomas More, painfully watched the previous day when the Queen, her former friend, had taken her daughter quietly to her carriage. Margaret had said to herself; that she did not want Mary to grow in such a violent and perverted environment such as this one. The hell she was living was not fit for a girl like Mary, that still retained some of the purity that was innate in all More family members, like her and her two siblings of Cecily and John More.
The new Duchess of Locksley had watched the Royal carriage of the Queen take her only piece of innocence left, away from her; she told Anne that it was necessary for Mary to grow apart from her and Anthony.
Anthony was a boy she told Anne, and like boys they could handle these type of things, but Mary; she was a girl and could easily be traumatized by the violence that would soon follow in their new Household. She knew deep inside, that Mary would never forgive her mother for giving her away to Anne and some other family, and Meg did not blame her for any hard feelings she might feel. It was natural, Mary had always resented the death of her father, and her mother's marriage to the Duke, it had been for the sole reason that she had not fought back against the tyranny of her brother that had always bothered Mary, and Anthony too.
"War! ... Between him and the day.
Need someone to blame,
Out of her two children, her boy was the one that most hated her. Sometimes when she would spy on the diaries he kept, she saw terrible drawings of her, Mary, the Duke and Anthony holding a knife and pointing it to his mother's swollen belly. It scared Meg that he could be capable of such feelings. He was only five years old, but nonetheless his drawings said otherwise; by the hatred and fury he showed on them, it was clear that the boy was not happy with the new half sibling Meg would be delivering very soon.
She thought now that leaving Anthony alone with her, was a huge mistake.
Not only for Meg, but for her baby's sake, there was not telling what Anthony was capable of doing when pushed to the limit.
She knew perfectly well that George Locksley neither loved her or her children, but he tolerated them nonetheless; for their marriage's sake, and because he saw in Mary a tremendous ammount of courage that no other man, woman or child living in her situation previously had.
Even if she did not love the handsome Duke; the child that was inside her was completely innocent, of his or her mother's cowardice for not fighting back against the Duke the night he impregnated her, right after their wedding.
Meg sighed as she felt yet another kick from the life-form she carried. She rubbed her stomach tenderly with her left hand, she could feel quick movement as she did it. It was as if the baby sensed her every move.
--
Anthony who was on the other side of his mother's room; stood alone in his stepfather's study messing with his papers. He hardly cared if George came barging in with his temper and hit him, he hardly cared about that anymore. All he wanted was to return to his old life, when his father was still alive and his mother never had to be a coward when facing other men.
She always said no before, she was strong, after all; she was the daughter of the great Thomas More, she was supposed to be strong, not this weak and mousy servant to her new husband.
Why couldn't she be strong for them, for Mary and for Anthony?
Anthony hated that his sister had left them, that his own mother had preferred Mary to be saved over Anthony. Now it was no question that all the taunting that Mary told him at night that she was the favorite; was now true. His mother did not love him, like her father, his grandfather, she loved only the girls and a boy like him who she must have assumed was strong, she abandoned him to his own luck to deal with George.
"In the end,
little he can do alone ..."
He pulled the papers quickly as he saw the door being opened, but he was too late. George was already there, and was looking furious at Anthony.
"What are you doing here you little brat?" -He said as he picked Anthony up and made him sit hard on one of his spare chairs. Anthony winced at the pain he felt at his bottom. But he did not cry, he told himself that at least he, would show his mother that he was not a coward like her.
"You believe but what you see
You receive but what you give ..."
The man in front of Anthony kept pressing on with the same question, but Anthony however; did not answer him. Instead he laughed at his stepfather's fury, as if feeling he was mocked, George raised his hand and struck the boy hard on his left cheek.
Anthony's eyes filled with tears as he felt the blow. It was the first time that George had ever hit him this hard. The other times he hit Anthony and Mary, it would be with a softer blow, a blow nonetheless; but it was a least a blow that it would hardly leave any scratch or marks on their faces. But this time, George had exceeded himself with Anthony, and it was that power he had now over the boy that made him feel more manly.
--
Margaret who was patiently listening to her husband's yelling at her son, decided to barge in when she heard her son cry. What she looked at, made her regret her decision.
Anthony's face was marked by a huge blow that left her husband's hand imprinted on it, the boy was not only crying because of the pain where the mark was, but also on the huge amount of blood that escaped his lips. It seemed like George had not noticed her presence as he kept himself busy squeezing her son's shoulders, which was contributing further to the pain Anthony was feeling on his small body.
"Caress the one, the Never-Fading ...
Rain in your heart - the tears of snow-white sorrow ..."
Deciding that George had gone to far, she made herself noticed as she pushed him away from Anthony. Anthony sighed relieved as he saw his mother, she embraced immediately. Mother and son cried and hugged each others, unaware that their captor was still in the room.
George at being pushed by his wife, felt offended, and he had further felt angrier as he saw Meg pulling Anthony - the "boy" who had messed all of his important papers, and filled them with ink- into an embrace. Furious was an overstatement, he was filled with hatred at seeing his wife preferring that brat over him.
"Caress the one, the hiding Amaranth ...
In a land of the daybreak ... "
He heard as she told him -"It will all be okay, hush darling, I will take you walking"- and he knew it was enough, he had to take control once again over the situation. The Duke of one of the most prestigious families in England; would not let himself be taken by a fool, and much less by a woman! He grabbed Meg by the shoulders and then shoved Anthony away with his boots.
"Get out" He told the boy, and instantly he got out of their sights and ran up to his bedroom where he felt he would at least be safe from all the troubles that surrounded him and his mother.
George looking at the locked door, decided he would deal with the boy later, for now he needed to make some things clear to Meg once and for all.
"Meg" He said not taking his sight from her. "You are my wife. Not my Council, my adviser or the Governess of the boy, but my wife! If he needs help let the Governess of this house deal with it, otherwise leave the boy to me. If I ever find you again interrupting my beating of the boy; I swear that by the dirt you are standing on with your dirty shoes; I will send you down to eat it. Understand?"
He waited for her answer and to his satisfaction, she nodded her head miserably and sank her sight to the floor where she avoided to look at her Master.
1533, October 13th.
More Household
Chelsea State/ Kent.
"Apart from the wandering pack ...
Saying that Thomas was furious would be exaggerating. He was not furious or angry, but he was annoyed. Couple of hours ago he had received a letter from his grandson Anthony; the boy knew how to read and write well but his distorted calligraphy, told him the boy had been in a hurry when he wrote this letter.
Mary who was of a better sight, translated the letter easily to him in plain English.
She said that he needed to go and help Meg and his grandchild to move away from George, her husband, and bring them here instead.
"In this brief flight of time we reach ...
For the ones who ever dare ... "
As much as Thomas would have liked that; he patiently told Mary, his eldest granddaughter, that he couldn't, to do that would be suicide. As the King himself, had given explicit orders that he was not to interfere in any part of Meg's marriage, despite the consequences. Mary who was a bit of a radical when it came to helping others, told him that it was his duty as her father and grandfather to help them both.
"Please Grandfather do this! ... He will kill them if you do not!"
Thomas' stomach twisted as he thought of all the horrors they might be facing right now, and the future ones too if he didn't act. But how could he act? Henry himself had given explicit orders to the Duke, that if Thomas ever dared lay a finger in their marriage, he would have him cut a head short. Yet, his daughter's marriage was something that concerned him, she was his eldest daughter, and at times like these when Henry was showing himself to be a tyrant over his own family; his worldly jewel. He could not let her go along with this suffering, something had to be done.
Looking at Mary who was watching him expectantly, hoping he could have some plan of action to rescue her Aunt and her little cousin from the evil hands of which her own father had been guilty of placing them.
Thomas brown eyes met piercing blue; he knew what he had to do, and the consequences he could face.
"Caress the one, the Never-Fading
Rain in your heart - the tears of snow-white sorrow
Caress the one, the hiding Amaranth
In a land of the daybreak ..."
Thomas reached the More, the only place where he could find Katherine and talk to her about what was best for him and her to do regarding Meg and his youngest, Elizabeth.
As always; he was received by her maid of honour, Elizabeth. She let him in and he passed in freely, led to see by his own conviction the one time strong Princess, Katherine of Aragon.
"Caress the one, the Never-Fading
Rain in your heart - the tears of snow-white sorrow ...
As he entered his first wife's apartments he saw her pale face and her stressed eyes, for the first time, she looked older and really worn out, truly her age.
It was what Thomas feared that might have happened to her if she went to the More.
All of this just for him, for Henry; the son he and she had cherished and formed into the man he had become. A man that when his face was seen; was one of promise yet also of disappointment and failure. Failure because Thomas knew that he was never meant to be King, Henry was always too emotional, too far light headed to ever take things seriously, even in the absence of a son he still took things carelessly, and so far that had been his downfall, not Anne.
"Caress the one, the hiding Amaranth.
In a land of the daybreak
He bowed his head over to her presence, she nodded to him, and told to him to sit right next to her. Thomas did not argue with her proposal, now it was time they both settled all of their affairs in order, he feared that in few months time; he and Katherine would no longer have their feet on this Earth, and that he would be walking on the condemning steps on the Tower, awaiting his death at the hand by the son he had loved the most.
It saddened him to think that it would all come to that, but the seeds of treachery were already planted in Henry's mind, and they were beginning to sprout with madness that was taking his son's sweet gentle form and transforming him into something else, into a monster.
Thomas took his old wife's hand and kissed it, there was no passion or romantic gesture involved, only pity and Katherine was smart enough to notice that she pulled quickly her hand away from him. He did not say anything but remained neutral to her suffering.
"You come here again! ... you have pity over me, incredible; never in a million years would I have thought you would have pity on me, I would be flattered except I do not want your pity so before you tell me because I know! That you want this over with me because you fear for your wife and your family, tell me now why you have really come."
"Katherine! Be reasonable, you really think that Alice would not find out? She will, and one day when she does she will take it out not only on me, but on you! I have seen you suffer and I cannot stand the pain to see any further suffering, I cannot Katherine. I truly cannot!"
She did not nod, but saw the familiar face of her first love and Husband! Trying to do his best to lie to her. Did he really believe that after all that she had faced; Flodden Field, her son rejecting her as his mother calling her a harlot in front of that former friend of Anne (his wife now) and then having being yelled at by Thomas' savage wife; all of that she stood for with her head held up high and her figure head still tall, would she really back down after all those victories and strife against her? Did he really think her that stupid?
"I know your wife came and visit me! She was there when we did our little love act. She saw it all"
"She did not tell me ... B-but ... you told her didn't you? It is that what you want?"
"How dare you!" She said almost wanting to get up and slap him right in the face, but the weakness in her body could not force her to move her body even if she wanted. These past weeks of fighting and bleeding literally for her life had been hell for her, especially when there were no doctors, midwives or healers to help her in her condition.
The only help she got was from Elizabeth, but even Katherine had to admit that she did little good in having trust in her Lady. She could not help Katherine, anymore than what Thomas could help himself right now with his own family, including Katherine who was very much a part of him as she was a part of Henry. All three family members in thee were connected into one huge circle of mis-happenings and chosen fates.
"Reaching ... searching, for something untouched,
hearing voices of the Never-Fading calling! ..."
What hurt Katherine the most was not that she could not move her body or being placed in this awful place at the More, no, but it was the fact that the stress and her immobility in her mind and body could not force her to act against the man she loved, and against the son she now realized had caused her much pain when she had been the one who had sold her soul to the devil so he could keep his throne, by means of her lie that he was Arthur's son.
"Caress the one, the Never-Fading
Rain in your heart - the tears of snow-white sorrow
Caress the one, the hiding Amaranth
In a land of the daybreak
"Katherine ... please, you and I know that soon, very soon our son might discover us and all in which we work for will be ruined. I love Henry, I swore I would never spoke my words to him, but silence and ink are more powerful than words altogether my Lady." -Thomas replied with a cynical smile. But to Princess Katherine, it was not out of cynicism that he replied, for he knew the consequences he would be facing if he continued to write in his private study of the King's many (illogical) responses against the Church, and a form of government -that in Katherine and Thomas' views-was nothing more than another form of anarchy disguised completely as absolutism, by Henry putting himself as the Head of the English Church.
"Caress the one, the Never-Fading
Rain in your heart - the tears of snow-white sorrow
Caress the one, the hiding amaranth
In a land of the daybreak."
Down the end of their conversation, Thomas and Katherine considered back to their first marriage. If they had so much as fought then, against all the tide of their evil schemes, her mother and his father, they would have gone out hurt and while Katherine and Henry would be seen as shameful mother and son, with luck; she and him would have lived now with Thomas, and all would have been different. They, who had been so miserable without each other, would have had a normal life, living out in the open of the empty fields of the Country, alone and in peace. But, Thomas thought and he thought hard; that if he had been married to Katherine and go along with their illusion, England would be thrown into civil war for the lack of male issue. She and Henry would be in the middle of it, and Henry VII and his anger would have used both as sacrifices to be the lambs to the slaughter. Innocent and pure, but nonetheless; blood shred by his dirty hands, so he had no choice but to let them live, in their own separate world, building a lie for themselves in a throne so hollow as its King and Princess.
"They blame me for your fall." She said desperately. "All of Parliament does, even if to Henry both of us were guilty of our love ... " -Katherine broke off as she tried to cast aside her son's awful words at her. Thomas knew perfectly well how inconvenient Henry's conscience was to him, if any slight amount of guilt was found within him, it was immediately to be deflected at somebody else. In this case Katherine, had been the one whose blame was deflected at her.
He chafed her hand nestling in his, seeking that he could calm her down withhis soothing words. "Nay Katherine, I swear to you." -He said nestling her hand harder as he spoke. "You are no more guilty of my fall than I am for falling in love with you. Never in Christendom has there been a woman like you, so courageous and brave -the Princess who stood up against the King himself, both he and his son could not destroy your spirit. Neither has your son; you who crushed for him all the armies in the battlefield of Flodden my Lady!"
She did not nod, her face was pain-raw and he felt a sudden insensate urge to shake her and make her see just how great she was, had been and still was, and probably will be upon her imminent return to London, but if she continued to strive in her nagging sense that she would give up for unwarranted fear; then all very well for Thomas and Katherine could already be lost. They both depended on each other and their trust, as their faith and intelligence, to survive this new battlefield layed at their feet by their dualist son's 'new' Heretic faith. Thomas More took a more softer tone at her rallying.
"Perfidy! You cannot know how the King is Thomas. He has changed ever since he met that girl, she pretended to be our friend and yet she went behind my back like all of his past harlots. Oh! But she was different! She was ... so in my ignorance, a girl of great intelligence, one who promised to be chaste and never to follow a married man, yet her father and our son had a different agenda." -She stated.
His tone becoming more mechanical, and after much more debate between them; Katherine started to notice his staged and rehearsed speech, that she tore her hand from his in an immediate and desperate gesture.
"Between us there is no hypoc-crisy ... I know that you say to me to be better, and that I probably am. But you do not know the hell I passed and the things I had to do. Step over others to achieve myself and my son a secure place in this world, and it now goes all to rot as that shameful creature Anne Boleyn arouses the whole Court and my son with her masquerade."
Thomas grinned sardonically and used once more, his use of charm and softer tones to calm down her rallying.
"Katherine you can still come the victor, I promised I would be here for you, and I will, you just need more time. I need more time, you will see that in the end when all is lost, a phoenix will come and undo what our son has done on this land. I have seen it in our granddaughter -Elizabeth's- eyes, she bears the name of a great monarch, and like Isabella, your mother -" He paused, smiling at the great Princess before him, holding her hand once more. " - she will make and rule a greater England than any male Henry begotten by Anne or any other."
"I promise" -He finally said.
Katherine did not tear her hand this time, she was sure enough that all he spoke was true, when his daughter Meg had brought her Elizabeth, she was sure enough she had seen the same sturdy gaze and strong eyes her mother always had in her reign as full Queen of Castille and Consort of Spain.
Katherine joined in his words with a silent laugh that was tied with hope as she asked. "And Mary? Will she be a great Queen too, she is now below Elizabeth my youngest granddaughter. I would not desire they now put sister against sister just for their folly play of power."
"She will. She is yet another great granddaughter and descendant of Isabella and Fernando of Spain, what less is there to expect of greatness?" He responded in yet another mechanical tone that was hidden away by falsely smiles.
In an exasperated gesture, she raised her head up to him and smiled, believing every lie he told. Clinging to every last bit of hope to the man she loved, and the first one she gave herself to said. She knew they were all lies, that Mary had little chance of becoming Queen and if she did; her self pride, and her mistreatment at the hands of Anne Boleyn and her father as well as Protestants, would be too much for her to handle in the long run of perils yet to come for the young, and still-innocent Princess.
His face dropped in defeat at Katherine's ardent hopes that their two granddaughters could one day rule together as one, and bring England into the new dawn of a golden Era. But he as she recognized the importance of keeping Mary safe, and the wisdom she would have to risk to give up in her title, all her claims as 'true' Princess of England, and legitimate daughter to Henry VIII.
Katherine sighed in defeat and spoke vehemently in a tone of resentment. "I have always felt that woman would be my death, or as I have heard that she tells the Court that she would rather see me dead. She will have the last laugh over me once I am gone."
"So you shall fight back Princess, do not let her or our son intimidate your will. You are grander than him, already you were fighting the world and the deception around you at his age." He spread his hands around her face, while drawing her closer he dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Coax them all into thinking you are in defeat, but never submit to their will Katherine. Promise me you will fight."
"Yes." She did not argue or protest any further. She recognized the stringent wisdom in his voice as he reasoned to her their best options.
He put his arms around her neck drawing her closer while they kisses passionately on each others mouth. Neither noticed a silent figure standing motionless in the doorway, ambitious and crazed eyes staring at the old couple.
A/N
Hope you like it.
You know the drill from Anna and DVW.