chapter 11:
"ITS HAPPENING MY LORD!" The King sprang from his chair and the crowd applauded with delight and the King ran to Mary and Richmond.
"My darling Lady Richmond I pray would you join the Queen so that you may also give thy strength to my beloved wife and support her in our endeavour?" Fitzroy noticed the discomfort on the face of his wife after all she had spent hardly any time with the Queen, only a short visit two days before which was thought proper as the couple were attempting to improve their relationship. Mary nodded to the King and replied.
"Of course your majesty, I go straight away." The Duchess curtsied and quickly left the hall.
"Henry, you will stay with me the waiting for news can be hell." Richmond nodded and the pair took a seat in the greeting chamber. Music and talk exploded in the hall. Suddenly a barrage of ambassador's and dignitaries approached for an audience to give their congratulations and convey the regards of their masters. "You see of hellish this is and it will last for days all this grovelling." Richmond could not help but laugh at the King's whispers. "Send for my Lord Suffolk!" An usher immediately ran to carry out the King's command and within minutes Brandon was approaching the chamber.
"His Grace Charles Brandon the Duke of Suffolk." The Duke bowed and the King motioned for a chair to be placed the other side of him for his old friend which Suffolk took without question.
"How are you your Majesty, the long wait has begun." Both Brandon and Richmond smiled at the comment because both knew that the King always hated to wait for anything.
"This is my Lord, worse than some tedious council meeting." Both laughed and Fitzroy said,
"I believe that is my Lord Chancellor father, every time he speaks I fear another speech." They all grinned in agreement. For hours the three men joked among themselves in between speaking to all those who approached. Day turned to night without any of them really noticing. Food and wine flowed among those who had gathered and all celebrated the coming news. Richmond only retired to his chambers after the King had collapsed of drunkenness as the Duke rarely drank any great quantity. When Fitzroy woke the next morn around ten he found it strange that he had not been awoken with the news of the child's arrival. "Thomas! ... Thomas get in here." After a few minutes of smashes and bangs Henry's usher Thomas Greene entered the Duke's bed chamber.
"You called my Lord."
"Why have I not been woken of the news of the child?" Richmond's voice was impatient.
"There has been no word of it your Grace." A stroke of fear went through Henry at that moment,
"Fetch my clothes now!" As soon as the Duke was dress he left for the Kings privet chambers. As he approached he bellowed.
"Open the doors!" Henry almost flew through them. "Father!" As he turned the corner Richmond saw the King slumped within a chair in front of the fire with Brandon and Edward Seymour stood behind him. "Father ... what has happened?" His worry for his father could be seen by both observers.
"Nothing ..." The Kings eyes bulged with tears. "Nothing has happened. The Queen is still in her labour pains. The doctors' ..." The King could not finish his words. Richmond looked to the onlookers and both were still and deadly quite.
"What is to happen my Lord Hartford?" Seymour's cold eye's shifted from the King's shadow to Fitzroy's face.
"We wait your Grace ... But if there has been no change and the Queen ... continues to weaken." Henry was shocked as he had no clue that Queen's health had began to diminish also. "Then your Majesty you may have to choose between ... the life of the mother and ... that of the child." Even though Seymour was careful with his words it struck Richmond that he extremely cold especially as he was speaking of his own sister. For hours Fitzroy did not leave his fathers side who did not move an inch. Another night turned to day and no change and Hartford returned for a decision.
"Your majesty please. You must decide or they both die." Finally Edward Seymour seemed to feel the stress of the situation but the Duke was still suspicious of the motive. Fitzroy turned to the King to join the plea.
"Father ... I know what this means but you must act... or its certain that you will loose them both." The Kings face portrayed a fraction of his pain and it almost killed his son inside. "Please father." The King nodded slowly and then collapsed his head into his hands. Henry turned to Hartford and nodded once and the Earl fled the room. Richmond slumped to the floor in front of his father and the pair trembled an fear. Neither knew how long they waited for news but it felt like hours had passed then once again the Earl of Hartford burst into the room.
"Well... well!" The King's words hurried.
"The Queen has given birth to a ... health son."
"A son! ha a SON!" The King grabbed Seymour and then turned to Henry.
"Lets see how this Edward is?" As they entered the Queen's chambers the Lady Richmond approached and curtsied.
"My Lords. You should wait until things have been cleaned up your majesty." At that moment a babies cry. The King stepped forward but Fitzroy stretched his arm out to block his fathers path.
"Perhaps you should listen to my Lady your Majesty." The King stepped back and waited for the all clear. As they entered the bed chamber the first thing Richmond noticed the crowd around the bed. Fitzroy looked out his sisters, he only saw Mary he managed to shift himself to her as the King swooped to the bed. As he moved Fitzroy could finally see the Queen. She was pale and had dark arches under eyes. She looked as though she had all the life sucked out of her. In whispers he spoke to his sister when he had reached her.
"Where is Elizabeth?"
"I sent her to our chambers when things looked be unclear." Henry turned to a maid and told her to fetch his younger sister.
"What happened?" This question was as quite as he could possibly make it.
"... She did not have enough strength to deliver the Prince and it was worse with every moment ... They cut the Prince out or so I am told I was in the other chamber as the doctors had instructed." This had shocked Richmond as it was known to be a rather risky procedure even though he knew the King had given his permission it still seemed reckless in its design. The Duke then watched the King with the child such a small creature and he noticed an affection that none of his sisters of he had never truly known. At that moment Elizabeth entered, curtsied and joined her siblings at the side of the bed.