Title: Anne Boleyn, the Witch Queen
Disclaimer: Well, I imagine if I owned either The Tudors, or Harry Potter, I would be a very rich person. But alas, I am not that lucky, and I own neither of the two. Suing me would be pointless since I have no money. I also own none of the King Arthur Characters; they are all created in legends in medieval times.
Detailed Summary: Henry VIII once stated as a reason for the annulment of his marriage to Anne Boleyn was that she used witchcraft to seduce him. Henry was not completely incorrect. In two of the Harry Potter movies, a portrait of Anne Boleyn could be seen on the walls of Hogwarts. So what if Anne Boleyn was a witch? She was educated at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in her younger years, and then served as Lady in Waiting to Queen Claude of France. In 1527, she finally returned to the Tudor court where Henry fell in love and obsession with her, seduced by her feminine charms and intelligence. Life for Anne Boleyn and Henry Tudor remained the same as in The Tudors until 1536, when a seer friend of Anne's decided to tell her of her fate early. This sets in motion a series of events, which will forever change history for the Muggles and wizards (Tudors and a slight Harry Potter crossover which is only mainly prologue and occasional mentioning afterwards, ending in the creation of AU for The Tudors.)…
Pairings: Anne Boleyn/Henry Tudor
Author's Note: Thank you all for those who reviewed or alerted or favorited this story! Happy reading!
Chapter 8: The King and The Minister
Palace of Whitehall, July 30th, 1536
Xavier Malfoy, the Minister of Magic took Anne's right hand into his and his upper body bent slightly to about 45 degrees, his eyes glowed, "My Lady, Anne Boleyn," (Maybe it was Henry's own imagination but, the man's voice was slightly seductive as he never took his eyes off of Anne who looked completely bewildered) he smiled as he raised the back of Anne's right hand to his lips and pressed a kiss on it, then "If it is even possible, I dare say, you have only grown more beautiful since we had regrettably parted," he purred. Anne's eyes twinkled as it filled with confusion and amusement. The plain woman giggled. The red head laughed and rolled his eyes. The vein on King Henry VIII's temple pulsed.
"Who are you?" asked King Henry the Eighth as he stared at the blond haired man in great displeasure. The said man was standing too close to Anne for Henry's liking so the King stepped forward and placed himself half way in between them.
Xavier was highly amused by Anne's husband's antics, "Oh, how rude of me to not have introduced myself to you, King Henry." He motioned for the other two to step forward as well "My name is Xavier Malfoy, the English Minister of Magic." Then he pointed to the red-head, "This is Pewit Weasley, head of the Magical Law Enforcement division," finally gesturing to the woman, "and Cassandra Trelawney, the most celebrated Seer of the Magical world."
Henry blinked in absolute confusion. Maybe he was dreaming. Life had been very stressful lately and no wonder he started to dream strange things. He closed his eyes several times, each time willing himself to wake up from the strange dream. Anne blinked as well because she was stunned speechless. Malfoy and the rest had just exposed the Wizarding world to the Muggle King of England. What were they thinking? Furthermore, by Xavier's greeting, he had basically announced that Anne was part of their world once, and thus a witch, and dear god, Henry might burn her at the stake for this.
"Is there something in your eyes?" Xavier asked with feigned innocence as he stared at Henry who was still closing and opening his eyes.
Henry froze at the rather rude comment, "You are a dream."
"Well, many have told me that I am quite handsome but I dare say no one was called me a dream before." There was always an elegant slur in Xavier's speech. The vein on Henry's temple pulsed again.
Anne rolled her eyes. Honestly, how old was Xavier? Being at the age of nine and twenty he really should not still be enjoying these stupid remarks. She also knew that Xavier was just taunting her Henry and perhaps enjoying it a little too much. "What brings you here, Minister?" Anne decided to cut in while her husband still gaped at Xavier open mouthed like a fish.
"Mademoiselle Anne, I am very glad you asked. You see, I just missed your radiant beauty so much that I could not stay away any longer. I am here to challenge your husband to a duel, the winner will receive your hand," Xavier stated with fake passion.
This time Cassandra and Pewit both rolled their eyes, "Really Xavier, I do believe Anne always brought out the worst in you," Pewit muttered to his friend who faked a gasp and clutched his robes above his heart.
"I was merely trying to lighten the mood, for a rather complicated and serious situation. Can't you see the tension in the air? Besides, Anne is an old friend, I am sure she can appreciate a simple jest," Xavier retorted.
Cassandra ignored her two rather childish friends and turned to Anne with a serious expression, "The Wizengamot has voted to expose the Magical world to the ruler of the Muggle world due to the concerns for the war. Our Wizarding government wishes for an alliance with the Muggle government."
"Anne? Do you know these people?" the King seemed finally able to focus as he pushed his wife farther back from who he had dubbed the mad Blonde.
Anne sighed, "Yes, they were childhood friends and are the current prominent members of the Wizarding world." There was no point in hiding it now. There was no way she was going to get away with pretending she didn't know them thanks to Xavier so she might as well approach the situation offensively.
"The what?" The King asked in confusion.
"The Wizarding world, a magical world isolated from your world." Xavier finally turned serious to the relief of everyone. He stood his ground and stared the King in the eyes, "You live in a world of Muggle normality, while we live in the world full of witches and wizards and other magical beings. In the beginning our two worlds were one until your kind got jealous of our gift and sought to destroy us. From then on, the two worlds have been in complete isolation. Yet the current situation has made it a necessity to restart a link of alliance between our worlds as we apparently can help each other. There is a war in our world and it could easily turn into a war in yours as I believe a rebellion has already started. It is a rebellion that is gaining more support as we speak."
Seeing Henry's expression Anne knew that her husband was ready to call the guards on her friends. Although she had no doubt that they would not be hurt by the guards, her relationship with Henry on the other hand would suffer severely. She placed her hand on Henry's arm in reassurance, "Maybe it would be better if I explained."
Xavier nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Well this was what they had wanted when they knew that Anne was the Muggle King's wife, "Of course, you would know a lot about the Muggle world as well."
Anne squeezed Henry's arm again as he began to asked what a "Muggle" was, instead she responded in her most soothing voice, "Henry, I will explain everything, if you will allow me?" she questioned. At a time like this, she knew that what Henry needed was a reassurance that he was King and still held power, thus by Anne submitting to him and treating him as her superior she bought them time for the rather long explanation.
The King nodded willing to give his wife the benefit of the doubt, and Anne smiled at him, "I believe you have read Geoffrey Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae?"
Henry nodded, "Yes, it was taught in early school lessons."
Anne continued, "Then we will begin the tale with King Arthur and Camelot," she looked to Xavier, "Perhaps, Minister, you could conjure up some comfortable seats for us, it will be quite a long tale."
Xavier nodded, as he pulled out his wand and with a few waves, two long green and silver couches appeared out of thin air. King Henry jumped, and was about to scream witchcraft when he realized that well, this was witchcraft probably. He had also promised Anne to let her tell the tale and the fact that these people mentioned the rebellion and the Duke of Suffolk's letter about the peculiar events played a heavy role in his decision to hear the rest of the story. He could always have them arrested later, but perhaps they can offer some insight. So Henry kept silent as his wife lead him to one couch and sat next to him while the other three shared the other couch.
Anne nodded gratefully to Xavier. She could have conjured the couches herself as well, but there was no need to shock her already shocked husband anymore with her doing magic. When they were all situated, Anne began again, "Tales of King Arthur rose long before Monmouth wrote the Historia Regum Britanniae, but he was one of the first none Welish authors to write down for the tale and was quite accurate in a few accounts. The Vulgate cycle written near a century later also offers some insight to the tale as well. What I am trying to say is that although these earlier written records inspired many writings later, it is back to these early writings that the truth is hidden. The legend of King Arthur was not a tale but a history. The time before Arthur until after Arthur's death as a time that magic and non-magic existed in one world. The story I am about to tell you will be mostly a repeat of what you already know except perhaps with a few twists. You will remember that Monmouth had stated the origin for Merlin to be a child born from a mortal woman and an incubus and thus retained magical powers and became a powerful wizard."
Henry nodded in confirmation, and Anne continued, "In truth, Merlin wasn't really born from an incubus; instead he was born from a non-magical woman also called a Muggle, and a wizard. He was a good advisor to Uther Pendragon and a better advisor to King Arthur until his advices were no longer listened to. Let us start with Uther Pendragon then. Uther Pendragon was the youngest son of the King of Britannia, Constantine II. The King's eldest son was then murdered by his advisor, Vortigem, who seized power and took the throne while Uther and his brother Aurelius Ambrosius fled to Brittany. Years later, Vortigem fell from power and Uther and his brother returned and Aurelius became King. Uther with the help of Merlin became King after his brother was mysteriously poisoned. As King, Uther secured Britain's frontier and expelled many of the Saxon uprisings. All was well until at a banquet, he became obsessively enthralled with the wife of one of his retainers, Gorlois, Duke of Cornwell who had helped him many times in battle. Igerna, Gorlois's wife immediately told the Duke of the King's intentions and the Duke and her quickly left Uther's court unannounced and without permission. This of course gave Uther cause to start a war with Gorlois. While Gorlois was besieged in one town, Igerna was placed in the castle of Tintagel, a supposed impenetrable ground. Uther still in lust of her, consulted with Merlin and the wizard gave the King a potion that is known today as the Polyjuice potion. This potion will allow the drinker to take the appearance of another. Under this disguise, Uther entered Tintagel and bedded the ignorant Igerna and impregnate her with Arthur. At the same time, Gorlois was killed in battle and Uther happily married Igerna.
"After the marriage, the King sent the three daughters of Igerna and Gorlois to a convent. Of these three daughters, only two are of any importance, Morgause and Morgan le Fay. It was during her time in the convent that Morgan le Fay, angry at the turn of events, came to study her magic for self-protection. Upon Uther's death, Arthur with the help of Merlin succeeded to the throne despite heavy protests from the other noble lords. You will remember that Arthur was conceived before the Duke of Cornwall's death and thus technically a bastard despite his parents marrying later. The nobility at first refused him of the throne until Merlin let Arthur to the sword Excalibur stuck in a stone. With Fate's help, Arthur pulled the sword out and the people accepted him as King. Once he became King Arthur he brought his half sisters back to court. Years of loneness, caused the beautiful Morgan le Fay to fall hopelessly in love with one of Arthur's knights. Their affair was finally discovered by Arthur's young wife, Queen Guinevere. She thus expelled Morgan le Fay from court and caused Arthur to behead his knight. Morgan le Fay was heartbroken and vowed revenge on the young Queen. Years later, when Arthur's anger at his sister subsided, he allowed her back to court. Morgan thus began her plans for revenge. Queen Guinevere had by this time fallen in love with one of the Knights of the Round Table, Sir Lancelot. Their affair continued without the knowledge of the King, and Morgan tried many times to expose the affair subtlety but without success. Impatient for her revenge, Morgan le Fay start to concoct a potion, a potion that will make the drinker completely obsessed with the intended object of desire. Thus, Morgan le Fay invented the potion known in the magical world as Amortentia, often mistaken for a love potion. She had originally planned to make Arthur even more obsessed with his wife so that he would want to know where she was every second of the day and would always want to keep an eye on her. However, there was an accident, and instead of becoming obsessed with Queen Guinevere, he became obsessed with Morgause, his other half sister. His lust for his half sister became so great that he raped her. Horrified at what her hatred had caused, Morgan le Fay quickly reversed the potion's effects, but it was too late. Morgause had become pregnant and on May Day gave birth to Mordred. At this time, a Seer prophesied that a child born on May Day will cause Arthur's downfall. Merlin had seen through Morgan's hatred since the beginning and often counseled the King to send her away but to no avail. Angry that his words of wisdom were not adhered to, he left Camelot and traveled the world.
"In fear of his life, Arthur gathered all the children from the nobility and placed them on a broken ship and the ship sank, everyone died except the baby Mordred who was saved by Morgan le Fay. She took the child away to a secret land and raised him, teaching him magic among other things. Although the child was not innately magical like Morgan le Fay or Merlin, he was a bright child and learned the arts of potion making from his aunt. She also told him of his origin and the ship, causing the young child to develop a strong hatred for his father and vowed revenge. Eventually she led Mordred back to his parents where Mordred rose quickly in Arthur's court. Soon after, Arthur finally discovered his wife's unfaithfulness with Lancelot at a banquet exposed by Mordred with the help of Morgan le Fay. Arthur was then forced to condemn his wife to be burned at the stake and Lancelot was forced to flee. The burning of the Queen was eventually unsuccessful and Sir Lancelot rode in and interrupted the execution. Afterwards, Arthur declared war on Lancelot and went to France to fight him leaving Guinevere and the Kingdom in the care of Mordred. Mordred then took the opportunity to seize the throne. Upon hearing of this news, Arthur immediately returned to his Kingdom and challenged Mordred to a duel. He managed to slay Mordred but was mortally wounded himself. By this time Merlin had also heard of the news and rushed to Arthur's aid, but he was too late. Morgan le Fay then began to move to secure the throne for herself but Merlin challenged her to a duel of which he managed to severely wound her. She was able to flee with her life, however. The throne then passed to Arthur's cousin who became King Constantine III. Again, Merlin offered his services to the new King, but Constantine III had grown afraid of Magic. These magical people in the kingdom he began to view as threats to his own throne so he outlawed the use of Magic. He was not magical and became increasingly jealous and afraid of its use so he came to hate it. Depressed by the new King's ignorance, Merlin left again to travel the world.
"In his travels he came across Morgan le Fay again who had healed from her wounds. At first the two remained bitter enemies, but eventually they journeyed together out of loneness. Years later, when they returned to England, they found that the King had started to prosecute all magical beings. So together they gathered the magical people and beings and created a hidden world away from the non-magical people who they named Muggles. The two worlds thus completely separated, one never learning about the other. Thus Magic and Non-magic once again lived in piece each ignorant about the other this time around. This occurred more than a thousand year ago. During this long time both worlds started new traditions and became set to live in their own way. No one remembered the happy and peaceful times that the two existed together." Anne paused briefly to let all of the information sink in then she began again to introduce the three others formally in terms relating to the story she had just told, "In the new magical world, as years passed, a higher order of status began to establish. The term purebloods originally referred to the ancient group of people that Morgan le Fay and Merlin gathered together but eventually came to include others as years passed. Muggleborns were magical people born to Muggle parents. Half-bloods were those born between Muggles and purebloods or Muggleborns and Purebloods. Blood status became an ever present importance in the Wizarding world just as the station of one's birth is important in this world. The government of the magical world is established around the Wizengamot or the Magical world's court where laws are passed and people are tried. The original members of the Wizengamot were Merlin, Morgan le Fay, Dame Brusen, Niviane of Nomberland, Sir Gawain, and Sir Lancelot, all of which are from the origin of the Wizarding world and their descendents continue to preside over the Wizengamot now. Collectively they are known as the six Lords. The head of the Government was not titled King but an elected position called the Minister of Magic.
"Merlin was elected as the first Minister of Magic and the chair seat or first Lord of the Wizengamot. Morgan le Fay became the second Lady of the Wizengamot. The third Lady was Dame Brusen, one of the most powerful enchantresses of the time and the one that helped Elaine trick Sir Lancelot into bedding her and thus conceiving the son who found the Holy Grail. The fourth lady was by the name of Niviane. You will have heard of her as well Henry. She was also known as Viviane, or Nyneue or Nimue. She was the daughter of the King of Northumberland but more commonly known as the Lady of the Lake who had given Merlin the sword, Excalibur to be placed in a stone in order to establish Arthur's role as the rightful King. Merlin was hopelessly in love with her, but the feeling was not returned. You will have remembered that she is often credited with the downfall of Merlin. Merlin tutored her in Magic, of which she later used to entrap him in a cave causing his eventual death. The fifth Lord was Sir Gawain, the son of Morgause and King Lot of Orkney and Lothian and the nephew of King Arthur and Morgan le Fay. At the time, although born with Magic he had never cultivated it choosing instead to become one of the Knights of the Round Table. He was known to be a brave and good man although a bit rash at times and was a great healer, in other words, a great potions maker due to his extensive knowledge of herbs. The final and sixth lord was Sir Lancelot himself. He is perhaps the least educated in Magic of the six, but due to being born innately magical and his high position in the Knights of the Round Table, he received the last spot.
"Lord Xavier Malfoy," Anne gestured to the blonde Lord who had been quite intrigued by the tale (as he often paid little attention in the History of Magic class unlike Anne who always listened diligently and did much research outside of class), "He is the descendent of Damn Brusen. Lord Pewit Weasley is the descendent of Sir Lancelot. Trelawney was a descendent of a pureblood family added to the magical world later on."
"You will have heard of my ancestor as well," to Anne's surprise, Cassandra cut in, "If I am not mistaken, there is a book in the Muggle world called The Iliad written down by a blind man named Homer. In the epic, there was a detailed description of a Trojan seer named Cassandra, a Princess of Troy. After the fall of Troy, King Agamemnon took Cassandra with him back to Greece and it is their child that was my ancestor. Cassandra of Troy was the most powerful seer of her time, but she remained afraid of her gift. Her father and family rarely ever believed her warnings, and eventually Cassandra stopped believing in them as well and it drove her mad." Anne stared, Xavier stared, and Pewit stared. All three although friends with woman had never actually heard her mention her family much, but Anne had remembered once that Cassandra had stated that she had been named after an ancestor long ago.
There was a long moment of silence before anyone spoke. Finally the King asked, "So what you are saying is that not only was the Legend of King Arthur real but the Trojan War as well?"
Anne nodded, well, she hadn't known about the Trojan War, but it was just as likely as the Legend of King Arthur, "I know it is a lot to take in, but I have only spoken the truth to you."
"There really is Magic then in the world. The devil's work?" asked Henry.
Xavier frowned deeply, "I don't do what you mean by devil's work exactly, but that hardly sounds pleasant. Magic is a gift from nature. It makes our kind what we are. Our kind has not interacted with yours for more than a thousand years; you will not have seen any magic or heard of any magic before this. I dare say you know nothing of us. Similarly, we know nothing of you."
Anne was a bit disappointed that Henry still called Magic the devil's work but it was what she had expected it as well. She can't expect Henry to simply change his mind about something that has long been taught to every Muggle.
Henry thought hard about the situation. There were so many details that he was just told about. He turned to Anne, "And you are one of them?" he asked accusingly. He just couldn't shake the feeling that maybe Anne had bewitched him somehow using that same potion Morgan le Fay used on Arthur.
Anne winced slightly at her husband's tone and felt the small sharp stab of pain in her heart. She had thought that their relationship was better now, but she really shouldn't have been surprised, Henry was never one who liked bad surprises, and this was definitely a bad surprise for him. "She didn't use any enchantments on you," Cassandra spoke disapprovingly to Henry.
Anne sighed, "You are right that I was one of them once. I went to school with them and learned to control my gift. It is because of magic that I am still alive today. I would have already died three times if it wasn't for magic. But I swear to you, Henry, my love for you is real, and I have never used any Magic on you. Think about it Henry, if I have used Magic on you would you even have turned to Jane Seymour?"
That made sense to Henry. He had strayed so many times after he and Anne had married that if she had been using magic then she may never have needed to fear for her position but Henry knew that in the last year of their marriage, Anne had always lived in fear. But what if Anne's magic had started to fail instead of never using it. Could she be lying about this? From her eyes, Henry wanted to say no, but in the almost ten years they had been together, Anne had always kept this secret. Henry couldn't help but wonder what else she had been keeping from him. Then there was also her coldness. Since the day she had caught him with Jane Seymour, Anne had been cold to him and Henry had a feeling that the coldness had little to do with Jane. Even now, Anne would be awakened by a nightmare, and she would be distant for days afterwards. Whenever Henry wanted to speak to her about it she would just pull away. Henry knew whatever it was, she didn't want to speak about it, and so he never pressured her. Her actions confused Henry and now adding in the fact that she just admitted she can use magic, Henry felt they were related. Also, what was her relationship with the three people sitting in front of them? How had they met? Where had they met? And why was the Xavier Malfoy looking at Anne with such a look in his eye? Henry felt physically that this "magic" was pulling him and Anne apart just when they were beginning to reconcile.
Despite his current mixed feelings about his wife, Henry thought about the immediate issue that had brought this group of strangers. These people wanted to talk about the rebellion. This uprising had been causing Henry a great deal of headaches and now, Henry had suspicions that it truly was a supernatural event. If it is the case, perhaps he did need to consult with them. He needed to converse with them more and observe them more before he could make a judgment of whether they are Satanists, but at the very least he could tell that they wanted to help. On that level Henry, was willing to hear what they had to say, "You spoke of the rebellion before, is it your people?" his tone was cold. He didn't like this new group as they were just so strange, but conversing about the rebellion was better than thinking about Anne's situation currently.
Xavier didn't seem to be at all fazed by Henry's Kingly tone of coldness, "The people rebelling are Muggles, your subjects to be sure. But we have reasons to believe that a group of our kind is aiding them in some way. This same group was the one that murdered my father a few months ago. It appears that they have exposed magic to the Muggles and thus making many think that they are angels of some sort."
This story sounded like the one that Cromwell had informed Henry of. "If I am willing to listen to you, what are you proposing?"
"We will have to all sit down and make a formal alliance between our world and your world. On a grander level, we are proposing to work together but with you targeting the Muggles, your subjects, and we arresting our subjects. The exact details will have to be worked out after we sign a formal contract and for that you will have to meet the rest of the Wizengamot. We came today to as a formality so that you may be eased into this new knowledge. If you are in agreement to work with us then let us meet again formally in two days time."
Henry took a moment to think the issue over. It was true that he still knew very little about these people, but at the very least they seem to be sincere. If Anne's story was true then there really was a time when they are lived peacefully together, perhaps he need not rush in his judgment. He had been too rash in his acts before and everyone suffered for them. Sir Thomas More was a prime example. More was his best friend but to secure Anne's place Henry had ordered him to be executed, a decision he started to blame Anne for. But he had learned with Mary. He was more patient with her and took the time to explain the situation to her and she had accepted the oath. So King Henry made up his mind, "In two days time, then."
Palace of Whitehall, July 31st, 1536
Lady Katherine Howard could not contain her excitement. She knew that the dowager duchess viewed her and her siblings as a burden and wanted to get rid of them, but she could hardly believe her good luck that her Uncle Norfolk would help arrange for her a position in the Queen's household. She was being led to the Queen's compartment now by Lady Mary Stafford, the Queen's sister. Catherine would be one of the younger Lady-in-waiting to the Queen at only the age of thirteen which would be normal in other lesser royal households. Even the Queen herself had served as a Maid-of-Honor in Margaret of Austria's household at only the age of seven, but usually the ones to serve the Queen was a little older. Catherine was well aware that if not for the Queen was her cousin, she would not have received her place and she was very grateful toward the Queen.
When they did reach the Queen's chamber she saw that the Queen was already sitting on one of grand chairs doing needle work. She was dressed so beautifully in a dark blue dress and Safire in her hair that Catherine almost mistook her for a goddess. Her cousin, although at the age of nine and twenty was still a very beautiful woman and the way she carried herself was so very elegant. Her cousin Anne looked every inch a Queen of England. Lady Mary Stafford dropped into a curtsey in front of Anne, "Your Majesty, the Lady Catherine Howard," Catherine immediately dropped into a curtsey of her own.
The Queen placed her needle work aside and smiled at Catherine, "You may rise, Cousin, how was your journey here?"
Catherine felt in awe being spoken to, "It was a very pleasant journey, Your Majesty." The Queen's smile was very warm and instantly put her at ease.
The Queen nodded, as two more ladies stepped into the chamber, each dropping into a curtsey. The first one spoke up, "Your, Majesty, the Lady Catherine Neville."
Anne smiled, "You may rise, another Catherine? What shall I do?" she laughed bemusedly. Lady Catherine Howard thought it was a very pretty laugh like bells.
"If Your Majesty pleases, you can call me Kitty," Lady Catherine Howard blurted out. Several of the Queen's ladies looked at her in disapproval. Catherine had grown up in Lady Agnes Howard nee Tilney, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk's household but it had been a very lax household as the Dowager Duchess was often away at court. There were many males and females of noble birth whose parents could not afford to raise them there and without strict supervision; there was a great deal of things that happens there that Catherine would never speak of outside of the Household. She had seen her siblings and others do very improper things but she had not reached the age where she would attract many men. Catherine's own piano teacher, Henry Manox, had started to show great interest in her. No doubt if Kitty had stayed there, something would have come of it but the relationship had ended before it started because of the Queen. So, as a result, Kitty tended to be more informal in regards to everything.
The Queen, however, did not seem to mind, "Kitty then" her smile was infectious as Catherine smiled back at the Queen. The Queen then turned her attention to Lady Catherine Neville. "Have your luggage been properly stored away, Lady Catherine?"
The Lady nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty. Lady Shelton showed me to my new room."
"Very well then, Lady Shelton will show you the Lady Mary Tudor, the King's Daughter's room as well," the Queen informed her and as an afterthought, she added, "I hope you will be a good companion for her."
Lady Catherine curtseyed, "I will try my best to please the Lady Mary, the King's Daughter." The Queen nodded and dismissed the two.
Once they had left, the Queen rose from her seat, "I am feeling a bit tired, so I will retire for a few hours." She paused before reaching her inner chamber, "Cousin Kitty, My sister, Lady Mary will show you to your room and explain your duties to you." With that said she stepped into her inner chamber and shut the door.
Once inside, Anne went to her trunk and brought out a small bag of powder that her grandmother had left behind and took a seat near the fire place. She drew out her wand and casted a silencing charm around the room and quietly locked the door. Then she drew out a small amount of powder and threw it into the fire place as the fire turned green, Anne spoke the directions, "Abby Corner."
It took a few second before there was an answer and Cassandra Trelawney's face appeared in the green fire, "Anne, to what pleasure do I owe this call?"
Anne frowned, "We need to talk."
Cassandra nodded, "Of course, move over then, and I shall step through," Anne did what she was told as Cassandra squeezed herself out of the fireplace. Then she turned to Anne, "Now what is it that you wanted to speak about?"
Anne didn't smile at her long term friend, "Why did you guys suddenly appear in front of Henry? Why wasn't I warned of it at all? I am his wife, I should have been told. Should the meeting have gone wrong, you, Xavier and Pewit can easily disappear but I wouldn't have been able to. Things were returning to normal between Henry and I and the three of you have effectively ruined it." Anne was extremely angry. The last day had not been very pleasant for her. After the trio had left, Henry had gone back to his own chambers and has not spoken to Anne since. The lack of communication was making Anne's stomach knot and flip. Her husband had just found out something so drastically different and without speaking to him to understand how he was feeling, Anne didn't know what to think. Henry had not immediately called the guards and even now there was no sign that he was going to arrest Anne, but Anne couldn't help but worry. To make matters worse, she dreamed that dream again, making her feel sick to her stomach. In a way it was good that Anne didn't see Henry currently but it did nothing to sooth her anxiety.
"The Wizengamot would have contacted your husband regardless. Is there really a way to ease him into the situation? When he finds out that you are a witch, he would react how a Muggle would react. If we were present for the revelation however, and mentioned the rebellion, your husband, as King would have to pause and consider more than just his innate fear of something different," Cassandra retorted.
Anne knew that in a way Cassandra was right, but she still didn't like the situation she was placed in, "And why was it necessary that the Muggle government know about the Wizarding world at all?"
Cassandra sighed and took a seat on Anne's bed, "Our worlds have been in long isolation, and although I am inclined to believe that the isolation is good, I am forced to acknowledge that letting the head of the Muggle government know of our existence is a wise choice. The current rebellion may not be the only one that spills into both worlds, there are going to be times when we need to deal with things together. We never liked Muggles or even Muggleborns as you will remember from your early years at Hogwarts, but circumstances have forced us to do things that we would not do under normal conditions. We dislike and perhaps some would argue hate the Muggles, but that does not mean that we can't work together."
"How bad is the situation in this rebellion?"
"I do not believe that I am the best person to ask for that. You should ask Xavier or Pewit instead as they are the ones working in the Ministry. All I know is that this group was strong enough to infiltrate the ministry months ago and assassinate four members of the Wizengamot."
"But you are a seer; do you see nothing in regards of the war?"
Cassandra shook her head, "My visions are unclear whenever I try to look into the rebellion or the war. Perhaps Fate has declared this war as necessary, and does not want me to interfere much. Perhaps the Wizarding world has experienced peace for too long. Fate has always worked in her own way; your grandmother was living proof of that. Imagine a Slytherin falling in love with a Muggle and then sacrificing herself for you. You are an example as well. Despite being proposed to by the Malfoy heir, you chose to return to England and married a Muggle. I believe that you have once said that your return to the Muggle world was because of an unexplainable call that tugged you back and led you to your husband."
Anne felt slightly stunned, "Why did my grandmother sacrifice herself for me? Was it necessary?" she spoke mainly to herself.
Nevertheless Cassandra answered her, "When I gave you the potion to protect your son in January, the very same day, Regelus Black died." Anne looked to Cassandra sharply, this was not something that she had been aware of, and Cassandra continued, "It is a life for a life. I saved one Black, and then another had to die. Similarly with you, you were meant to die on the Nineteenth of May, but your grandmother was able to save your physical body; however, that placed you in a limbo of sorts. To pull you out and allow you to live, another black had to die again. So she sacrificed herself."
"A life for a life, the balance of life," Anne repeated as she recalled learning about this once, "Yet if I remember correctly, several men were sentenced to die with me, I don't recall any immediate death in their family to save theirs? George is perfectly fine and I see no one died for him yet."
Cassandra tapped her chin in thought, "The men other than your brother, were all purely Muggle, thus the balance of life is not exactly the same. You brother however is technically a squib, but I suppose, since he was a squib his magical core is empty and thus would be considered a Muggle by Fate," the seer drew a strand of her long hair between her fingers and twirled it before speaking again, "I suppose I can explain it better if I explained the Balance to you first. Hogwarts only lightly covered it but many Pureblood families have been taught it in much more detail. There had always been only a certain number of magical people at any given time. You will have noticed that when the pureblood numbers decreases due to low birth rates, the number of Muggleborns will increase. When there are just too many witches or wizards alive, the number of squibs also increases. Because of this small scale, any change in one person would tip the scale drastically. Keeping you alive shifted the scale to too many magical people around and thus one had to be eliminated to return the two sides back to balance. However, there are so many more Muggles, and should we save a few individuals, the scale would not be noticeably shifted and thus there would be no consequences at least not very apparent ones. You are a witch and thus fall under the first category. Saving your life probably set in motion a string of events as Fate tries to balance it out. We are the few in the world that have received a gift from nature but as you know gifts do not come free. We generally do not escape our destiny, you and your son being perhaps the only living example of an exception. And often, our world is frequently ransacked by war after war, and lives are lost; another price we must pay for our gift. The peace that our world has felt in the last fifty years or so has been an exception, and thus it is only expected that Fate calls for blood now."
"You gain some, you lose some," Anne found herself thinking of an old Muggle saying.
Cassandra looked at her strangely, "What?"
Anne finally smiled at her friend's confusion, "It is an old Muggle saying." Cassandra only nodded in response as if that explained everything. Anne remained silent for a few moments, then, "There is something strange that happened a few days ago. Someone magical attacked me in the gardens. I managed to get his or her wand though," as she spoke she went to her drawer and pulled out the long piece of wood.
"Someone came inside the attacked you here?" Cassandra asked in alarm.
Anne nodded as she handed Cassandra the wand. The Seer's eyes fogged out as she took the wand into her hand. A few moments later, she returned to normal, "Andromeda Black attacked you. How strange, why is she of all people working with that group who had dubbed to themselves to be the saviors of the Muggle world?
Anne looked at her friend skeptically, "Since when could you see the past?"
Cassandra smiled, "Since the beginning. Why exactly did you suppose I was so confused all of the time in school? I saw both the past and the future and as a result I just never knew if I was in the future or the past or the present. But that is hardly the point of important now." Cassandra rose from her sitting position and began pacing, "How did she get in at all?"
"What are you speaking of?" Anne questioned completely confused.
Cassandra frowned, "When we realized that the enemy was incorporating itself into the Muggle world, Xavier ordered for wards to be put up around your residence. People can't just apparate in or even portkey in without either splinching themselves or alerting the ministry. Even magic itself is not able to work at its fullest, especially if you are not adjusted to the ward. You live here every day so you would not notice the difference much; however, Andromeda or even I will feel as if a heavy curtain has fallen upon us making our movements less free."
"That's why I was able to get the wand off of her so easily. I remember her to be a rather good duelist and I have been out of practice. I had been surprised, but this would make sense. But the Ministry did not hear anything?"
Cassandra shook her head, "No, they heard nothing at all; she must have walked in from outside of the wards. It's the only way, as she is not nearly powerful enough to break the ward by herself and not to mention the Ministry would know if the ward fell. But this wand…" Cassandra's face lit up in a smile "is an excellent piece of evidence that would at least let the Ministry issue an arrest warrant for Andromeda Black. Perhaps from her we can infiltrate this group…"
Suite of Lady Mary, the King's Daughter…
Lady Mary Tudor, the King's Daughter, looked up in surprise as her herald announced Lady Madge Shelton and Lady Catherine Neville. Two women stepped into her chamber, one of which she knew to be Anne's lady-in-waiting, the other Anne had mentioned would be placed in her household. She was Lord Parr's daughter who was on her second marriage to Lord John Neville.
Lady Shelton immediately dropped down to a curtsey and Lady Neville quickly followed suit, "Your Highness," they had to address the Princess Royal first as Court protocol required, then "My Lady Mary."
Elizabeth gave them a solemn nod indicating they could rise. She had currently made herself comfortable in her sister's lap and did not have any inclination to move.
Lady Shelton turned to the Lady Mary, "My Lady, this is Lady Catherine Neville; she is to be one of your ladies starting today."
Mary nodded, "Thank you Lady Shelton," she dismissed the lady and after she had left Mary turned to Catherine, "Lady Catherine, welcome to Court. I hope you will find your stay here enjoyable."
Catherine dipped into a quick curtsey again, "Thank you, my lady."
The Princess Royal studied her sister's new lady with some interest. The lady was handsome, and she seemed to be like the other ladies that Mary liked so in a few moments she lost interest in the lady and began to dose off in Mary's arms. It was after all a place she felt safe and comfortable in as Mary continued to make small talk with her new lady.
Lady Blanche Parry immediately stepped forward as she noticed the small princess falling asleep in order to take her from Mary and place her back into her nursery. Mary stopped her conversation and motioned for her to stop and lowered her voice, "It is alright Lady Parry. Elizabeth can take her afternoon nap in my room." Then she slowly shifted the small girl in her arms and proceeded to carry her to her own bedchamber. Lady Neville felt very touched by the display of affection between the sisters. Since she stepped foot into court she had often heard that the Lady Mary and the Princess Elizabeth were very close and now that she had seen it with her own eyes she had no doubt it was true. At first when she had thought that others had only been jesting as she can't imagine Mary being kind to a child that has displaced her from her Princess position, but she knew differently know. It was sweet how the bond of sisterhood and blood could overcome the strain of differences set by their parents.
Although Catherine knew she and Mary had different views on religion, she was still impressed by the way that Mary carried herself and respected her. For a girl who had gone through so much hardship in the last couple of years, she was still able to carry herself befitting a princess. Catherine respected Mary immensely for that. When she had first arrived, the Queen had drawn her aside and told her in confidence, that the Lady Mary was often lonely at Court and had little friends. In her years of hardship she had come to distrust most people. Of all the ladies in her household, Mary was only attached to one maid named Susan Clarencieux who had been her favorite since she was still a Princess. She was also extremely attached to her younger sister, but the Queen pointed out that Mary needed someone closer to her own age to talk to. A child of not three years is hardly fit to be a good listener or good advice giver to the problems that Mary would be facing at her age. Catherine herself was about four years older than Mary and the Queen had hoped that Catherine would be able to help Mary out of her shell. Lady Catherine had been extremely flattered that the Queen would single her out for the task and spoke to her in confidence. She had promised herself that she would let neither lady down.
Palace of Whitehall, August 1st, 1536
King Henry sat high in his throne as he received the new group of strangely dressed people. His wife, Queen Anne sat in the throne next to him dressed in royal purple. To be honest, they have not really spoken since two days ago, as Henry didn't know what to say to his wife just quite yet. He still needed more time. However, as he was meeting the rest of the Court of these strange people, he needed Anne by his side. He also summoned the Duke of Wiltshire as he was Anne's father and he knew about this peculiar issue as well. Everyone else had been completely kept out of the loop until Henry could figure out if he wanted to make the alliance or not. If he were honest with himself he would say that this whole magical world idea was fascinating to him, but he was also afraid of it. It was not something he could do and definitely was not something he knew how to defend himself against. A large part of him, thus just wanted to banish these people and try them for witchcraft of which they would be surely guilty, but he also knew that the current situation demanded that he at least listen to them. The Duke of Suffolk had written to him again and stated the rebels were growing stronger and Henry needed a way to get rid of these rebel's helpers. No matter what his personal feelings are on these people, he needed to protect his throne first and foremost.
So he chose to meet in the throne room with Anne by his side and Thomas Boleyn standing beside her as they waited to receive the guests. The throne had long been a symbol of Royalty and demanded respect and today especially he needed to show these people who he was as the King of England and France and he wanted to do it in the most regal manner possible.
The group standing before the three were in total seven people, three of which Henry had met two days prior. The other four were two older men and two men who appeared to be around Anne's age. They had all appeared out of nowhere only moments ago causing Henry and the Duke of Wiltshire to jump. But years of experience as a monarchy taught Henry to mask his surprise and fear quickly. He was not about to show these people fear. The leader of the group who Henry recalled as Xavier Malfoy stepped forward and headed toward Anne. Henry knew he was about to take Anne's hand to kiss again, an action that caused Henry's stomach to clench and feel incredibly irritated so he stood up and cut in front of Anne and extended his arm, "Minister," he said formally.
Xavier's mouth almost twitched into a Malfoy smirk at the Muggle King's actions. This King was by no means a stupid fool and of course knew about Xavier's intentions toward his wife. Anne Boleyn had been a secret obsession of Xavier's since he had first met her. In their first year, she had been known as the mud-blood who somehow got sorted into the Great House of Slytherin. Xavier had been fascinated by it. He wanted to know how she managed such a thing but didn't really know how to talk to Anne so instead he often picked on her just to be completely amazed with the witty comebacks she would bite back. Then Anne slowly became a close friend. There could be no doubt that Anne was a powerful witch and absolutely brilliant despite her blood status. When they first became friends, Xavier had told himself it was because Anne was powerful and intelligent thus worthy to cultivate as an ally and as a true Slytherin he had to surround himself with the best of the best. Yet, slowly, as the years passed, he realized that he had fallen in love with her. She was a beautiful woman who had eyes that were like dark hooks for the soul. She was intelligent, cunning, passionate, brave, and witty. She made a great conservationist and occasionally had a few good traits from the other Houses not that Xavier would ever admit openly that there were good traits in the other houses. In Xavier's eyes, Anne was the perfect woman and would be an excellent wife (well, maybe not completely perfect as she was still a disgraced half-blood, but Xavier was willing to look over that). He had proposed to Anne toward the end of their seventh year at Hogwarts despite the expressed disapproval from his father. Xavier's father had even gone as far as threatening to disown him but Xavier still followed his heart. Yet Anne rejected him. It had come as a huge blow. As the Malfoy heir, Xavier had never been truly refused before and Anne's reject hurt more than he would like to admit. So he cut off all ties from her. Perhaps if he hadn't Anne would have eventually considered marrying him, but this is how fate works. Years later, he never married because every match proposed to him just failed in comparison to Anne. Then by a twist of fate, magic has reunited them. He had order wards to be placed on the Muggle palace once Orion Black had suggested that the Muggle royal family may be in danger. Well at least that was the excuse he used. In truth Xavier didn't give two Knuts about Anne's Muggle husband and from Cassandra's recount of how he treated her, he would have preferred to just cast the killing curse at the man.
He had been very excited to see Anne again, and couldn't help but make jests at her husband who Xavier didn't like on principle. He wanted to steal Anne away, but he knew that was not a possibility, at least not now. She was the Queen of England and her husband the King. King Henry, although a Muggle, had the greatest influence in the Muggle world and they needed him currently. As the Minister of Magic, Xavier did not need to mortally offend the King by taking his wife. Not to mention, he could see that Anne was completely in love with the Muggle. It was really a complete mystery to him as to why. Nevertheless, Xavier put on his Malfoy smile and shook the Muggle King's hand, "King Henry," he replied equally polite and coldly as he also gave the King a curt nod. As their eyes met the two ended up in a staring contest, each challenging the other to back down. There was a fire in both of their eyes as each stood their place. It was a silent duel. King Henry VIII was demanding to be treated as the King of England and most importantly he was demanding for the man in front of him to stay away from his wife. Despite the King and Queen's current cold war with each other, Henry wanted no one as handsome as this man near her. The Minister of Magic's eyes were equally challenging. He was refusing to bow to Henry like a mere subject and refusing to submit to his wishes. He was daring the King to do something about it. On a different level, it could be said that the two was challenging the other to acknowledge their own superiority. The King viewed the Minister as one of his subjects and it was most improper of a subject to treat the King of England as an equal or something below him. The Minister viewed the King as just another barbaric Muggle. He did not acknowledge Henry as his King. For almost hundreds of years, Wizarding kind has viewed Muggles to be far beneath them; the King should be already incredibly flattered that he was being treated as a near equal.
Anne quickly stepped down from her throne as she noticed the two. Honesty these men were like children sometimes. They both knew that they needed each other's help and yet they both cannot help but live in competition of each other. It didn't help that both thought the other was beneath them. She linked her arm with Henry's and smiled at Xavier, "Minister, I believe introductions are in order?" The men's attentions immediately turned to her and their staring duel ended for the moment.
Xavier Malfoy smiled at Anne, "Of course you are right, my beautiful lady." He turned back to Henry, "You have met the sixth Lord Pewit Weasley and Cassandra Trelawney. These four are the rest of the members of the Wizengamot, the fifth Lord Harrison Potter, the fourth Lord Orion Black, the second Lord Hector Mortimer and the first lord Alfonso Dumbledore."
As the strange Minister introduced each of the people to him, they all greeted him in their own way. The fifth Lord Harrison Potter smiled at him and gave him a nod; it was the warmest greeting Henry had received from this group so far. The fourth Lord Orion Black studied him with intense eyes as if he was judging him to be worthy or not. Strangely his eyes reminded Henry of Anne's eyes. The second Lord Hector Mortimer made no motion to acknowledge Henry at all but Henry noticed that his lips seemed to curl in disgust slightly at him, a fact that irritated and angered Henry immediately. The first Lord Alfonso Dumbledore smiled at Henry as well when they were introduced and stepped forward and shook his hand, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Your Majesty." Henry decided this one wasn't so bad. At the very least he was the only one to address him as a King ought to be addressed.
Anne smiled at her mentor, "Professor, I am so happy to see you again."
Dumbledore turned to his favorite student, "Anne, indeed it is a great pleasure!"
Henry turned to his wife in confusion and Anne immediately knew what he wanted, "Henry, Professor Dumbledore was one of my teachers at Magic school. He is the descendent of Merlin." Henry turned back to the man in surprise. Despite not understanding Magic at all and being secretly afraid of it, he had read enough of the King Arthur stories to know how Merlin had helped found an empire and thus Henry felt slightly in awe. Anne smiled at both and continued, "Lord Potter is the descendent of Sir Gawain, the first honorable Knight of the Round Table. Lord Black is the descendent of Lady Niviane, commonly known as the Lady of the Lake. Lord Mortimer is the descendent of Morgan le Fay." It was slightly amusing that most people in the Magical world had grown to forget about the original ancestry of the six lords of the Wizengamot, instead each of the six's families had grown to be respected in their own name. In the case of Hector Mortimer, he despite being a descendent of Morgan le Fay was much more known and respected as the heir of Slytherin. Yet despite forgetting the past if you are not careful, the past was ingrained in their innate nature in regards with the way they treated each other. Lord Potter and Lord Weasley had never gotten along. Lancelot had killed Gawain's brothers as he tried to save Guinevere causing a deep rooted hatred from Gawain that passed on to his descendents. Similarly, Lord Potter also disliked Lord Hector Mortimer as Gawain had blamed Morgan le Fay for the rape of his mother. The animosity between them of course is nothing compared to their ancestors and Anne secretly mused if in another five hundred years or so the Potters and Weasleys would become best friends and maybe the Weasleys and the Malfoys would become rivals. That would hilariously ironic and something none at present would ever believe (well perhaps except Cassandra as she probably knew about it already). Even Lord Potter's personality was similar to that of his ancestor, brave and honorable but at times too rash and in today's terms, too Gryffindor like. Xavier and Pewit were friends although their ancestors had a rather complex relationship. Lancelot dislike being tricked into bedding another but he had been thankful for the birth of his son. Lord Dumbledore is like a copy of his ancestor, a Muggle lover as the Wizarding world would call him. He had always believed in equal rights for both worlds.
"Well then, shall we discuss the issue at hand?" Alfonso Dumbledore asked jollily as he drew out his wand and caused a large round table and ten seats to appear (almost a copy of the table in the Wizengamot except four extra seats). The King and the Duke of Wiltshire jumped again. "Shall we all sit down? Would anyone like some tea?" He waved his wand again and a teapot and ten cups appeared and the teapot began to pour its own contents into each of the cups.
Anne internally cringed. She knew that Professor Dumbledore meant well and he was someone who would treat Muggles as an equal but he was also not aware how strange magic would be for someone who has never seen it. He didn't understand the dangers of showing a man as powerful as Henry such things and risking it frightening him so badly that he would turn to hatred. He didn't understand that as the King and Head of the Church of England, how much power that he had in his hands. But then again, how could the professor know? Almost no one in the Wizarding world had ever had contacts in the Muggle world. There would occasionally be a few Half bloods at Hogwarts but Muggleborns were so rare. This was no surprise of course, Muggles were taught to hate Magic and they burned witches, Anne can't imagine a Muggle family sending their children to Hogwarts; they would more likely burn the child instead. Anne cringed again at that thought.
King Henry and the Duke of Wiltshire stared at the magical feats being performed with open mouths. The King although having seen seats being conjured before, was no closer to seeing it as a norm. The Duke although born to a witch, had never truly seen controlled magic such as this. The most he had seen was Anne performing accidental magic or immature magic as a young girl.
The group took a seat in an arrangement of the Minister and the King facing each other, and then Cassandra on Xavier's left and Pewit on his right. Anne sat to Henry's left and her father sat on his right. Next to Anne was the Orion Black and between him and Cassandra sat Harrison Potter. Alfonso Dumbledore sat next to the Duke and between Dumbledore and Pewit sat Hector Mortimer.
Once everyone was situated, and cups of tea was passed to each (not that Henry was going to drink any of it), the discussion began. Lord Xavier Malfoy, the third Lord of the Wizengamot and the Minister of Magic of Britain spoke first "From our informants, the Muggle group of rebels are receiving help from a group of wizards and witches who have set themselves up as divine intervention of a corrupt world. They have won the hearts of the rebels through their work but we do not believe that this group has the best of intentions any longer. The person who tried to kill Anne in the gardens a couple of days prior by trying to make a pillar fall on her was identified as Andromeda Black, a witch who has always been very vocal in Muggle inferiority, yet she is helping this group. So we have reasons to believe that this angelic appearance this group has shown to the Muggles is only a facade and their true intention is gaining control of the Muggle Government."
Henry's eyes widen slightly. First he had jumped when he heard that the pillar incident was no accident. Despite his anger at Anne for not telling him about herself, he felt a big jolt of worry for her safety, "Why did they try to kill Anne?"
This time the Seer answered, "They tried to kill Anne for the same reason of wanting to control the Muggle Government. Anne is a witch," Henry cringed visibly at the last part causing the entire table save the Duke of Wiltshire to frown and look at him disapprovingly, but Cassandra ignored him and continued, "Anne is a witch, and thus she knows that this group is not what they claim to be. She is your wife and thus has considerable influence in the Muggle government. This group would not have access to you as they know Anne would protect you. As a result they needed to get rid of her first."
"And what can be done about it? How will my wife be protected?" Henry could not help but direct the word 'wife' at Xavier Malfoy who only smirked in return.
"We have already placed wards on the palace, so they can not appear like we had moments ago. Our theory is that the assassin came inside the palace by walking in and confounding the guards. Should this alliance go through then we will place Aurors around to protect you and Anne as well. They will remain hidden and be discreet of course so incidents like the previous one will not happen again. We can also increase the level of the ward on the palace." Pewit Weasley replied.
The King just stared blankly. He did not understand what the red haired man had just said at all. Anne sighed; the wizards and witch just didn't understand that Muggles don't understand the terms they used so she explained "You can see the Aurors as the Magical world's guards. They protect the members of the Wizengamot and arrest people when necessary. Wards are like an invisible bubble that would surround the palace and keep the bad magic away."
"So you are offering protection in return for our help?" Henry questioned.
Alfonso Dumbledore shook his head, "Not protection in exchange for help. We are proposing a plan in which we are to work together to eliminate a common threat. The protection is merely a symbol of our friendship."
"What plan are you propo…" Henry cut of as he stared wide eyed in horror at Cassandra Trelawney, the woman's eyes started to change. Mists that looked like clouds started to roll in them and quickly covered them making them all white. The King couldn't help it but stutter accusingly, "Wi...Witch." It was an innate reaction.
Cassandra turned her head towards him (although Henry was unsure if she was actually looking at him as her eyes were still completely white), "Why yes, I am a witch."
Anne placed her hand on her husband's arm, "Henry, Cassandra is a seer and she is seeing a vision right now."
Henry nodded at his wife as he forced himself to remain calm. He didn't want these people to look down on him saying that he was afraid and unworthy. He was King and would show them no fear.
The entire tabled waited in silence until Cassandra's eyes returned to normal, "Jane Seymour is pregnant with your son." Her tone was icy as she viewed Henry was disgust and contempt. She had always been blunt about what she saw regardless of whether the matter needed delicacy. This time was no different as she just went to the point.
Henry didn't really know what to think or what to say. He felt Anne tense beside him as she released his arm. He wanted to grab her arm and apologize but in front of so many people, Henry was not willing to lose his dignity as a King. He couldn't very well beg his wife for forgiveness in front of them. He also didn't see why Jane Seymour was of any importance currently. In addition, he had a hard time believing this woman saw the future and could see 'visions'. Anne spoke up and distracted Henry from his thoughts, "What does Jane Seymour have anything to do with this meeting?" Anne voiced Henry's question.
Cassandra frowned at Anne, "Your husband has blinded your intelligence Anne. Use your mind, and think. If this group's goal was to control the Muggle government, what better way is there than to set Jane Seymour's son up on the throne as King? They would get a puppet Muggle government and be worshiped as gods."
"Mistress Seymour's son will never be the King of England. He is but a bastard." Anne retorted back. The news of Jane Seymour's disappearance had disturbed her but she had thought little of it since. Now, it seemed like she had gotten too lax in her actions. She should have realized the situation better.
"Yet, if I understand Muggle politics correctly from my visions, your marriage to him," Cassandra shot a look at the King in disapproval, "is still viewed by many in this country to be untrue and thus your children would be like that of Seymour's, bastards in their eyes. This group has set themselves up as Divine beings, once Seymour's son is born, I have no doubt they will champion him as the heir to the Muggle throne. They have taken her from her prison and showed her to some already. The initial steps of their plan have already been set in motion. The people will believe their words then if we do nothing."
"What are you proposing to do then? I will not have a pretender be set on my throne after my death," Henry finally spoke up.
"We fight fire with fire," Anne's voice was firm but soft. For the first time since they had met these peculiar people, Henry heard Anne use the word 'we' in regards to her and them instead of her and him.
Xavier regarded Anne with a smile, "What do you suggest?"
"This group has made Muggles believe that they are divine and thus can name another heir to the throne, but are we not magical as well? We can make the people believe that my children are the one's favored instead."
Orion Black clapped his hands together and laughed, "Yes indeed, and I know just how to do it, if Fate is on our side."
Henry looked at him, "How?"
The man snapped his fingers, "Kobby," and a very ugly creature appeared out of nowhere causing Henry and the Duke some fright. Thomas Boleyn although completely silent so far inwardly wished the King had not asked him to join them today as really he was getting too old for anymore of these surprises. Orion turned to his house elf, "Bring me the sword." The elf disappeared immediately and within seconds reappeared with a large stone and a sword stuck in it.
Henry's eye widened as did everyone at the table excluding Cassandra who was smiling secretly to herself, her eyes laughing at the exchange that she knew was going to happen. "Is that…is that the…."Henry found himself stuttering in awe. This couldn't be what he thinks it is. It didn't exist, but then again, a few days ago he didn't know a magical world existed.
Orion smirked, "Yes, this is Excalibur, the sword that makes Kings."
Author's Notes:
Well I had planned to end this chapter much later but it was already so long so I split it in two.
As for the age of Catherine Howard, her exact date of birth is unknown and often sited to be between 1521 and 1525, so let's use the average between that and we get 1523, this makes her 13 currently and in the original time line she would have married Henry at the age of 17 and died at the age of 19. With Catherine Parr, her birth date was recorded to be November 11th, 1512, so she is currently 23 about to be 24. Mary I was born February 18th, 1516, so she is 20 years old making Catherine Parr a god companion.
I wasn't going to write a Mary or Elizabeth scene in this chapter, but I couldn't help it. I just spent an hour watch clips of the two in the Tudors on YouTube and have been thoroughly inspired and heart warmed by it. To be honest, I stopped watching the show after Anne died, so never really saw the older interactions, but now that I have, I must say I really like Mary all of the sudden. Similarly I'm starting to hate Henry, oh dear…so must remind myself to don't hate him for the purpose of this story.
Finally, I'm probably wasting space in gushing about this, but I just watched The Tudors Final, just because Anne was going to be in it. Is it me or did it seem that Henry still loved Anne? Of all the wives that Henry seems to see, Anne was the only one he called out to before they left. I may be just deluding myself here, but it really seemed like that before Anne disappeared, Henry said, "Anne, don't…." I'm gonna assume he was going to say, "Anne don't go." Lol
Next Chapter: The Sword and the Heirs- More intensity between Henry and Xavier (I didn't get to do much in this chapter sadly) and of course Jane Seymour and Anne's side strikes back! Also, Negotiations between Muggle and magical worlds continue.
So if you want updates, shoot me a review…they give me motivation and inspiration.
Cruelangel