Author's note: Welcome back to King Arthur II! I'm glad everybody enjoyed the last chapter, even though it was short, and sorry that this chapter took so long to get up. Thanks to all my reviewers and to everybody who read the last chapter and alerted/favorited. You are all so amazing!
Disclaimer, of course: Historical liberties will be taken. This story is a work of fan fiction, meaning that it is in no way accurate at all. Bear with me here guys, you've all been so great! Finally, please note the time jump at the beginning of the chapter, I know I had one last chapter but I needed one to happen again.
Without further ado, the fourteenth chapter of King Arthur II! (Can you believe it?!) Enjoy!
Hatfield House
September 3, 1520
"The Princess Mary is a credit to your majesties in every way, she has long since outgrown her elementary lessons and is so intelligent that it is staggering, especially at her tender age of four," Lady Salisbury praised the young daughter of the King and Queen, and their only living child, with an animated face that showed her pride in her young charge. It was clear to the doting parents that their child's governess was not fluffing up her reports in order to please the royals, a notion that pleased them both.
"Thank you for the care you've given my precious girl," Arthur replied, smiling warmly at the governess. When Katherine and he decided to visit Hatfield without warning, he was pleased to see that the manor his beloved daughter was residing in had been well-kept and that Lady Salisbury was as charming as ever. It was rare that he was able to free up his whole day to see his daughter, and he was pleased that today was a relativity calm day in the kingdom, and he trusted his chancellor to handle the matters that occurred while he was visiting Mary.
"Can she be brought down to us?" Katherine requested eagerly. She was so pleased when Arthur suggested the idea of a visit earlier that morning. She usually kept herself occupied with matters concerning the kingdom, the matters that Arthur left in her capable hands, and that freed little time for her to visit her precious daughter and her only living child.
Although it was a disappointment that she had no son, Mary was everything she could ask for in a child, and Arthur never even broached the topic of having another child after Katherine's fifth miscarriage. He was concerned for her health more than anything else, even if that meant leaving Mary as his only heir.
"Mama! Papa!" Mary exclaimed, breaking free of her governess' grasp and rushing over into her father's outstretched arms, forgoing her well-practiced manners for a moment. It had been too long since she had seen them, and wasn't about to waste time curtsying to her father and mother, even if it was the proper thing to do.
"Everyday I look at you, my precious, I see your mama in you more and more," Arthur complimented, beaming at his daughter. Although it was a common compliment, Arthur wasn't lying when he spoke those words to his daughter. Mary looked like Katherine from head to toe. Her hair was the same color and as she grew older and her hair grew longer, it framed her face the same way Katherine's did. Even though his beloved wife was getting in years, she was still the most beautiful women in the kingdom in Arthur's eyes, and was pleased that his daughter shared her traits.
Mary smiled and clapped her hands at the praising words from her father. Arthur held her firmly with both of his arms, even though he was weak by nature, his daughter was not a large girl by any means, in fact she was smaller than most children her age. "Papa, Lady Salisbury says that I'm the brightest four-year -old she's ever known! Isn't that great?" Mary inquired with all the innocence of a girl her age, searching for more praise out of her beloved papa.
"That's the best news I've heard all day, and your mama agrees. That's why we are going to get you a special new tutor, one that will teach you more things. You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Arthur asked, smiling at Katherine when Mary nodded her head eagerly. He had discussed the idea of engaging a tutor for Mary when Lady Salisbury's reports stressed how clever their child was, and although Katherine hesitated at first, thinking Mary far too young, she agreed eventually. Arthur wanted her to have the best education he could find, despite her sex. He only wanted the best for his precious daughter, and if she was going to be his only heir, he needed her to be educated as well as any other male heir would be.
Arthur had yet to pick a tutor for Mary, but he had a few in mind. Henry was seventeen now, and had long since outgrown the use of a tutor, so Sir Thomas More was on the top of his shortlist. He had done an excellent job educating his younger brother in the ways of the world, and had a great reputation around court, even though he chose not to reside there. Arthur liked the idea of More becoming his daughter's tutor.
"I have a present for you, one that I think you will like very much," Katherine announced, motioning for Maria, who had traveled with her in case she needed anything, to bring out the small gown she had her seamstress make for her daughter. Katherine didn't know much about fashion, she wore what she thought was proper, but one of her new ladies, Mistress Elizabeth Blount, helped her pick out fabrics and a design for Mary's new gown so that it would be a suitable gift for the young Princess.
Katherine was fond of Mistress Blount, who preferred to be called Bessie, and was joyful that she had a lady in waiting who understood fashion. Katherine always brought some sort of gift when she visited Mary, hoping to pacify the guilt she felt over not being able to see her as much as she would have liked and hopefully helping Mary forget about the pain of missing her two parents. She wished she could be a better mother to her daughter, and she wished that Mary could live at Whitehall, but she was a Queen, Mary was a Princess, and that just couldn't happen.
Maria handed the miniature gown to Katherine, as Mary was not quite old enough to wear the heavy gowns of a woman. Katherine smiled at her young daughter as she presented the beautiful purple gown and matching broach. Mary beamed in return. "Thank you mama!" the young girl exclaimed.
"Your most welcome sweetheart, I'm glad you like it. Next time you come to court to visit, I figured you could wear it," Katherine suggested, eager to see her adorable daughter wear her co-creation with Mistress Blount.
"When can I come to court, mama, and papa? I miss you; it gets so lonely here without you," Mary asked, her lower lip quivering and tears threatening to fall. The only thing holding the young Princess back from weeping was the remembrance of her lessons on how to act around her parents.
However, Mary's clear agony did not go unnoticed by her mother and father, who felt fresh guilt spring into their already heavy hearts. "Soon, my precious, very soon, and I'm sorry you are so lonely here. Is there anything I can do it to make it better?" Arthur soothed, picking up his distraught daughter and cradling her in his arms, forgoing all dignity he had as a King for a moment. He would not be like his grandmother when it came to his daughter, he would not allow his status as a royal prevent him from comforting and loving his child. Despite the lessons of his father and grandmother, he was still a human being even though he was the King of England.
"Come visit more often," Mary replied, offering her simple solution to her own problem.
Arthur and Katharine managed a smile at this, despite the solemn moment. "I wish we could sweetheart, but your papa and I have lots of work to do at the palace, and that prevents us from coming to visit you as often as we would like. However, that doesn't mean we don't think about you all the time and hope for reports from Lady Salisbury on how you are progressing daily," Katherine explained, kissing her daughter's soft check. Much as she would have liked to have played a more active role in Mary's upbringing, she understood that being a Queen was more important than being a mother at times.
Mary nodded, understanding the situation a bit better now. Her mama and her papa were the most important people in all of England; they were the King and Queen. Lady Salisbury explained to her a long time ago that they were in charge of every person in England and in charge of running Whitehall Palace, where all of their important subjects lived. Her governess told her, in no uncertain terms, that this was the only thing that would keep them away from so often and that their busy life did not change their love for her.
"Where's Uncle Harry? He usually comes to visit me" Mary inquired, looking up at Arthur for an answer. Her Uncle Harry was very kind to her, even though Mary found him a bit strange. He brought her sweetmeats and told the best stories. Mary enjoyed his visits very much, even though her mama didn't like it very much when her uncle came to visit her.
"He had promised his friends he'd go hunting with them today, but he sends his love and one big kiss," Arthur explained, kissing his daughter in place of his brother, causing her to begin a series of giggles. Although Henry was clearly jealous of Mary, who was heir apparent, Arthur was touched by his love for his young niece and his lack of bitterness towards the innocent girl. Katherine, however, did not take Henry's affection for their daughter at face value. She believed that Henry had an ulterior motive, even though she was not sure what it was, she did not perceive his visits as a good thing and always was in a sour mood when Henry accompanied them to Hatfield.
"Hunting seems boring, do you like to hunt papa?" Mary asked, climbing from Arthur's lap to Katherine's, hoping for a story out of her papa. She looked up at her father with the adoring eyes of a child, waiting to hear his answer.
"I used to, but I don't have time for it any more," Arthur explained, sugarcoating it for his young daughter. Although he did not have time to usually accompany the hunting parties that left everyday, that wasn't the only reason he didn't hunt. The long hours in the saddle did nothing for his health, and he had to take frequent naps throughout the day at times as it was. It was something that touched his pride deeply, and when his brother or one of his other favored courtiers invited him to hunt in a familiar sort of way, Arthur often declined and used his work as an excuse, even if he didn't have much on that particular day.
Mary nodded, bored already with the subject of hunting. The couple spent a few more hours alone with their daughter, a rare treat for the family, as Mary clamored on about how her lessons were going and how much fun Lady Salisbury's games were.
"Forgive me, your majesty, but it is getting dark. You asked me to warn you when the sun begins to set," Maria interrupted, feeling guilty. She knew that Katherine was eager to see her daughter, and although Katherine and the King had been visiting Mary for nearly five hours, the sun was setting and it was a long ride back, one that they shouldn't make in the dark.
"Thank you Maria. Saddle up my horse and his majesty's and we'll be right there," Katherine commanded, smiling at Mary as soon as Maria left. "I'm sorry sweetheart, your papa and I have to get back to work now. Soon, you'll be able to visit us at court, I promise."
"You promise?" Mary pressed, holding back tears.
"Yes, I promise," Katherine solemnly repeated, kissing her daughter one last time before she left.
"Goodbye, my precious. I'll see you soon," Arthur said after Katherine had left, picking up Mary and kissing her one last time and allowing her to hug him before setting her down and leaving her with her governess.
As they began to ride back, both of them couldn't contain the tears that were threatening to fall from their own guilt, and both parents vowed they would do whatever they could to make it up to their precious daughter.
Whitehall Palace
Katherine had enjoyed her visit with her daughter, as it gave her a chance to see how clever Arthur's only heir was.
It was a failure to her to have only given Arthur a single living child, and a girl at that. She would never trade Mary for the world, but there was a piece of her missing without presenting Arthur with the future King of England. She was sure that Mary would be able to rule England as ably as any man, it was in their family's blood to have strong female rulers, but that didn't mean that Mary's rule would be easy. England was not like Spain, they would not respect a woman in the same way they welcomed her own mother, and Mary would have a hard time securing her throne, especially against her own uncle.
Henry was growing old now, and was no longer the precious little boy that greeted her upon coming to England. He was seventeen, with an independent streak that made it highly unlikely that he'd accept his fate in the church willingly. Sir Thomas no longer tutored Henry, as he was too old for a tutor, so Henry had a multitude of time, which he used to hunt, ride, and practice archery. Whatever he wanted it was his because of his large inheritance from Margaret Beaufort which Elizabeth of York turned over to him the previous year. Henry had even begun to build estates of his own and had a band of followers which included Charles Brandon, Anthony Knivert, and William Compton.
Although Elizabeth and Arthur both assured her that Henry meant no harm and that these were just boyish antics, Katherine didn't trust him for a moment. She feared that he was setting himself up as the next heir, ahead of her daughter! She had to do something, she had to show the whole country that Henry was not next in line and that Mary was, even if Mary was a young girl and that Henry was a man at the peak of vitality.
It was a stretch, but she had to believe that Arthur felt the same way, at least a little bit. She was to dine with Arthur tonight, where she would present her plan and she prayed to God that Arthur would see that she was correct in proposing it.
"Hello my love," Arthur joyfully greeted Katherine as soon as he entered her apartments, drawing Katherine from her anxious thoughts. She accepted his kiss and dismissed all of her attendants but a few, who would stay to wait on them.
After a few moments of idle chatter about the state of the kingdom, which was always positive news as Katherine and Arthur had ushered in an era of peace and prosperity for England, Katherine figured it was the right moment to propose her plan. "There are still some people who see the Duke of York as the next heir to the throne," she began with a loving smile.
"I know, and it's a problem. I think it's just because Mary is so young, I'm sure it'll pass once they see how able she is," Arthur dismissed with his usual coolness which irritated Katherine a bit, but she didn't show it in her face.
"I don't think that's it. I think it's because Mary is simply a Princess of England, she isn't anything special, while Henry holds a royal title. If we were to invest Mary, with lets say, the title of Princess of Wales, it would show people that she was your heir, not Henry," Katherine proposed. It made sense to her, Henry truly was second in line, and if Mary held the principality of Wales in her own right, then Henry would still be seen as second if he held the title of Duke of York.
"That's a big step, don't you think?" Arthur asked, apprehensive to do something so drastic. While he loved Mary and wanted only the best for her, he wasn't sure that investing her with his old title would be the best idea. It was a title reserved for the wife of a Prince of Wales, and no woman ever held it in her own right.
"Think about it this way, Mary is going to be Queen, we agreed on that a long time ago. No woman has ever held that title in her own right successful, correct? Well, if Mary gets some practice holding a traditional male title I think it would do her good when she inherits someday," Katherine rationalized.
"She's too young to run a real household…" Arthur began but he was cut off.
"So were you, and your father was anything but brazen when it came to these things. We don't need to send her to Ludlow right away, though I think it would be best to, that decision is yours alone. I just think it would make sense to invest that title on your next heir," Katherine pressed, unwilling to let this go. This was her daughter's future and it was so important to her.
"I will make the arrangements, and summon Mary to court so she can be elevated," Arthur agreed after a short silence. It was a big step, but Katherine was correct when she said that Mary would need practice so when she inherited England one day, she would be ready.
"Oh, I knew you'd agree! Mary will be so pleased, and you have made me very happy," Katherine crowed, impulsively pulling her beloved husband into a kiss.
If Katherine had married another foreign Prince, she was sure that he couldn't be nearly as generous of a husband to her that Arthur was. Another man would have hid behind his pride and blamed her for the lack of male heir, but Arthur never reproached her or even questioned why Mary was their only child. Another man would have scorned their daughter, viewing her as unable to run a country by herself due to her sex, and continued to risk Katherine's health by trying to conceive a male heir, while Arthur understood that it was better to keep his beloved Queen happy and healthy then to try in vain for another child. Another man wouldn't even have considered heaping great honors onto a daughter, even if she was their heir.
Even when they were the scared young Prince and Princess of Wales, after their early fights, Katherine saw herself as being very content in the future with her husband. He always treated her as an equal; saw her as a partner rather than a consort. Her early fears, when Henry VII kept his son close to him when he neared death, almost seemed futile now. She never imagined that her life could be this glorious in England, with the way that Margaret Beaufort and Henry VII treated her, but after they died her life had been wonderful, sans the miscarriages.
England welcomed her from the start, and continued to praise Katherine and Arthur as the founders of a great new dynasty in England, even though it was really the Old King Henry that founded the Tudors as a royal family. Katherine was sure that they would welcome Mary as Princess of Wales and Queen of England, given how fond they were of Arthur and her, once they saw that it was their intention for Mary to inherit, not the Duke of York.
"Sweetheart, just remember that Wales is far away, and that we may not be able to see Mary as often as we want to," Arthur rationalized, hitting a more personal note with his wife and himself. Given how little they saw her now when she moved to Wales, a long ride as Arthur remembered all too well, it would be hard for them to leave for extended periods of time, unless they were on royal progresses during the summer, leaving them separated from their daughter for what Arthur viewed as too long. He never believed that he would make that great of a father or husband when he was younger, but once he married Katherine and Mary was born he couldn't imagine life without them both.
"I know," Katherine replied quietly and dropped her head in sorrow. When she looked back into Arthur's eyes, her own eyes were full of determined blue steel and just a hint of sorrow glazed them. "It's worth it though. Her future is more important than our own feelings, even though it's going to be hard to be separated for so long." She had thought that part through well enough, not liking to dwell on it. She wished that England was more like Spain, where it was okay for the royal family to be under one roof, but if Mary was Princess of Wales it would add to her creditability and make her future much smoother. She felt like it was the best thing she could do for her daughter, although it would be hard to be separated.
Arthur smiled, admiring her love for their daughter. "Then it is the right thing to do," he replied, hoping that he could believe himself.
Henry's look was absolutely distracted when Charles Brandon came to visit his friend since boyhood in his rooms at Whitehall.
Since they had grown up, Henry and Charles were inseparable, and Charles could think of no other person that he wished to spend time with. "Your grace, I figured we could play a game of tennis later, if you are up to it," Charles began, not sure what kind of mood his friend was in. Usually he had no trouble reading Henry, but on this particular day Henry seemed moody and distracted.
"No I'm not, but thank you Charles. Have a seat, if you'd like, although I don't think I'll be very good company right now," Henry replied, looking up at his friend with a wan smile. He didn't want to talk about the piece of disturbing news he had heard earlier in the day, but he figured it would do no good to keep it bottled inside of him for too long.
"If I may, would you like to talk about it?" Charles asked, his tone of voice revealing his concern and nerves regarding his friend's mood. Usually, this was caused by Henry's visits with both the King of Queen, and his disgust as being treated as the spare heir, as usual.
"Arthur told me that he is going to make Mary the Princess of Wales, in her own right. I should have known this was going to happen!" Henry exclaimed, burying his face deep into the palm of his hands.
Henry was fond of his niece, it would take a cold hearted person not to be fond of Mary, but that didn't mean that he was pleased about news of her elevation. Even though Katherine always made sure to stress his status as second in line, there were many courtiers, although they hide it well, who supported him over Mary as next in line. They also told him that many of the common people would rather see Henry become the next King over a female, even if they were fond of Arthur and Katherine.
By giving Mary this title it would drain what support Henry had and make it harder for him to ever become King. It was something he didn't like to accept, and it was something that he had discussed with his mother already, who scolded him for ill-wishing Mary. His mother stressed that even though some supported Henry as heir, Mary would still inherit and the only way that Henry would ever become King after that is if Mary was assassinated, if she died childless, or if Henry waged civil war and won. Although some of these options were tempting to Henry at times, he would never even consider going through with them, as he was far too fond of Mary to harm her in any way, not to mention the pain it would cause Arthur and Katherine, as well as England. Henry wasn't that selfish.
"I'm sorry, but at least they didn't change their mind about the church, did they?" Charles asked, remembering a year or so ago when Arthur informed Henry that he didn't have to enter the church if he didn't want to. Apparently, the Dowager Queen, Wolsey, and More had all been able to champion in Henry's defense, saying that although Henry had a wonderful grasp of theology and Latin, his place was not the church.
"No, but I'm sure that's next. The Queen is not fond of me," Henry replied sharply, his anger evident. Katherine was suspicious of Henry and never did much to try and conceal her distrust. Arthur was, at times, so easily swayed by Katherine that he was sure that if she did enough coaxing, Henry would be destined for the church again. Henry wouldn't be surprised if it was Katherine's idea to invest Mary as Princess of Wales, and not Arthur's.
Charles nodded, trying to think of something that would get Henry's mind off of the terrible topic of succession and titles. "A walk, perhaps?" Charles proposed after a few minutes of painful silence.
Henry smiled slightly and nodded, thinking he would like to get some fresh air and get out of this stuffy palace that felt like it was constraining him. He got up and followed Charles, and to the young men's dismay, it was a raining. "Well, that's alright, we can just walk around the palace," Charles optimistically replied, although he was disappointed by the rain as well, he refused anything else to mar Henry's sour mood.
The two men talked and walked for hours, mostly about things that didn't really matter, things of a trivial nature. Arthur, Katherine, Mary, or anybody else who would stress Henry out were not brought up.
The two were not paying close attention to the other people that walked, and as Henry was telling a humorous story of how Compton almost fell off of his horse, he ran smack into one of Katherine's ladies in waiting, a young woman he had never seen before.
"Your grace, forgive me," the young woman replied, dropping down into a curtsy, horrified once she figured out who she had ran into.
"No, no it's quite alright, I should have paid closer attention. What is your name, Mistress…?" Henry asked, admiring the woman for a second. She wore the traditional gown of all of the Queen's ladies, but something about the way she carried herself made Henry far more drawn to her. She was very attractive, with blue doe eyes and curly blonde hair that was eloquently tucked within a French headdress.
"My name is Elizabeth Blount your grace," Mistress Blount replied, sweetly smiling at the handsome young Duke and his companion.
"Well it is a pleasure to meet you, Mistress Blount," Henry amended, kissing her hand and smiling up at her, while Brandon looked on, pleased with the scene unfolding before him.
Ahh! Sorry, it's short again! Well, I hope you enjoyed it, and next time they'll be some more royal family cuteness and the like. Also, side note, I'm not sure if Bessie Blount knew ANYTHING about fashion, but I needed to introduce her somehow. Please don't forget to review if you enjoyed it, and until next time my friends :)