Author's Notes - NaNoWriMo is coming up, and I'm actually going to attempt it this year. My newest story, For the Love of the King, will be my NaNo project this year. As always, thank you for all your lovely reviews! You all rock! Yes, Henry is still a tool as always.

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The second Hever Castle had been spotted, Henry felt like turning right back around and heading back to Whitehall. Katherine had been persistent in telling him to go, insisting she was fine. Their child had finally quickened much to their mutual delight. This surely had to be a sign from God, Henry had told her excitedly as he felt the child move beneath his hand. He'd done the right thing, discarding Anne and returning to his lawful wife and was now being rewarded for it. Now if only he didn't have to see his bastard daughter, things would have been perfect.

Then, Katherine had reminded him of his promise to acknowledge the child. He'd hemmed and hawed and tried to come up with a convincing argument as to why he shouldn't see the girl but in the end, his wife proved to be the victor in this match. So now, accompanied by Charles, they made their way to Kent to see the girl. "I will want to leave right after we've seen the child," he instructed Brandon who looked back at him with curious eyes.

"You won't want to spend more than a few seconds with the girl?" the duke questioned cautiously. Mary had pleaded with him to make Henry see sense. If he was to acknowledge the child as his, surely he should do more than just lay eyes on her the once and then never see the girl again. The scowl that crossed Henry's face told Charles all he needed to know.

"The child's mother obviously bewitched me. Why else would I have nearly turned my kingdom upside down in order to marry her, only to end up with another useless girl?" With that, Henry set spurs to his horse and rode ahead, eager to get this over with.

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"Maybe we should have one of the maids present the child to him," George suggested, glancing towards the nursery where Anne was busy making little Elizabeth presentable. When the child had been born, he'd offered to hire a wet nurse. Anne had looked at him in horror, pointedly demanding that she be the one to nurse her own child. When he had tried to point out that she wouldn't have been allowed to nurse the child if she'd become queen, his sister had promptly threw a book at his head. Elizabeth was her daughter, she'd screamed at him, and by God, she would nurse from Anne's breast and no others.

"You think that she'd let that happen?" Mark questioned, following his lover's gaze. No matter what the people of England thought about Anne, there was no doubt she was a devoted mother. The child wasn't even toddling yet, but the young woman made sure everything was perfect for the little girl. "After the way she reacted to your suggestion about a wet nurse, I don't think she'll take too kindly to that suggestion."

"Touché," George agreed, grimacing slightly at the memory. He'd never seen Anne so furious, not even when Mary had run off and married without the family's knowledge. "You think the king will want to see Anne, though?"

Mark thought for a moment and then shook his head. "Doubtful. He clearly did not wish to see her when she was with child. Now that she's given birth, I don't see why that would change anything."

"Alright, we're ready," Anne's voice broke both their thoughts and almost as one, both men turned to face her. With Elizabeth in her arms, she stood before them nervously. Henry had not once made any desire to see her, but that did not matter. What mattered was that he was coming to see their Elizabeth. Fussing with the cap on her daughter's head, she turned her gaze to George. "How do we look?"

"Beautiful, as always, sister," George told her warmly, bending to kiss first his niece and then his sister on the cheek. Little Elizabeth gurgled at him, waving chubby arms at her uncle. "Do you want to have a maid present our little Elizabeth?"

Anne let out a slight sigh before shaking her head. "No, George. I will bring her before the king myself. If he can't bear to see me, then he won't see Elizabeth." She'd briefly pondered asking one of their maids to pose as her daughter's nursery maid but in the end had decided against it. What would be the point? Most of the women in their service would likely be too nervous before the king and may well let it slip that they were not the child's maid. Better that she face the king herself, than taking the cowardly route and having a maid do it for her.

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Henry stared at one of the many tapestries lining the walls in the room which he'd been shown into. Completely lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice when the door to the room opened. The sound of a throat clearing jarred him back to reality. Whirling around, he stopped short when he saw who Brandon escorted into the room. Anne had not changed at all, he noted with something akin to wonder. The raven hair was pulled back into a modest snood, the French hood resting atop her head like a tiara. Her dark gaze met his for a brief second before they dropped in respect. "Your Majesty, Lady Anne Boleyn," Charles intoned with a bow, before stepping aside.

"Your Majesty," Anne greeted, dipping a small curtsy as best as she could with Elizabeth in her arms. "May I present to you your daughter, Elizabeth?"

With an impatient gesture, he motioned for Anne to hand him the child. With obvious reluctance, she did so, stepping back a few inches. Red curls had escaped the child's cap, marking her Henry's child like nothing else could. She had most of her mother's features, he noted as both father and daughter observed each other for the first time. The hair and eyes were definitely his, he mused as he gently brushed a curl of hair under her linen cap. "You've done well, Lady. She is a fine child," he finally told Anne as he handed the child back.

"I thank you, Majesty," she agreed, inwardly seething at how he seemed so ready to leave. She loved her daughter dearly, but couldn't help but wonder how this meeting would have turned out had she had a boy. Taking her daughter, she smiled at how Elizabeth watched the king curiously even as she returned to her mother's arms.

"I expect letters on her health and progress from now on," Henry instructed coolly, avoiding looking directly at Anne. She had bewitched him once with her charms, but she wouldn't get the chance to do so again. "Good day to you both." With that, he motioned to Brandon to follow as he stalked from the room, clearly ready to leave now that his duty was done. With a sympathetic look back at Anne, the Duke followed his king, leaving mother and daughter standing alone in the room. When the door shut behind them, Elizabeth began to cry. With a choked sob of her own, Anne cuddled her little girl close.