Anne smoothed the curls off of Elizabeth's (finally) peaceful resting face. It had taken her quite a while to soothe her daughter after that torrid affair with Henry and Mary. She was furious that Elizabeth had been witness to such a screaming match. What had Henry been thinking having them both there? Her poor little girl had been so frightened seeing her normally smiling papa so angry. And Anne wasn't so sure that Elizabeth couldn't understand her older sisters words against her.
Henry should have known that Mary would not back down easily. Having Anne present sure as hell didn't help matters. But she was surprised to see Henry react as strongly as he did even when faced by Mary. She was still a young girl, barely a woman, and she had spent so many of her formulative years alone, forced away from her mother. When Mary had first entered the room, Anne had been shocked at how much she had grown and how thin and pale she was. Princess or not, this was the King's daughter and she had been neglected-there was no other word fit. Anne had allowed Henry to banish Mary from court when she would not bow to his will. She had let him keep her from Katherine without a word of protest. Looking at her own sleeping daughter before her, Anne didn't know how she had been so cruel. When Henry had decreed that Mary wait on Elizabeth, Anne had spoken against it, yet had still allowed for it to happen. She had been determined to reach out to Mary the first time that she went to visit her daughter, but when Mary had spoken to her so insultingly all desire to stand up for her had faded.
Still, she had tried to not think of Mary at Elizabeth's household, forced to serve her little sister. Thoughts of it only brought on guilt and when Katherine had died it was next to impossible to keep her out of her mind. Then everything had happened. The rumors, the charges, the trial...then the ultimate release. Mary had been completely forgotten until today. As soon as she had seen Mary's thin face, all the guilt had come back tenfold. Then Henry had started yelling. Anne was shocked that he would speak so harshly to his daughter. She didn't think him even able to do so, but recently nothing Henry could do would shock her. He was not the man she had loved so fiercely. As she sat looking at her beloved daughter, she was so glad that it wasn't Elizabeth who had been in the line of fire. Katherine must be rolling in the grave seeing Mary treated like this.
The door clicking behind her interrupted her thoughts and she turned to meet eyes with the King. She immediately moved to rise, but he waved it away, sinking into the chair opposite her. He looked down at the sleeping little princess and his eyes softened. Smiling, he brushed his fingers over her soft cheek. He looked up at Anne and smiled at her, but she only returned it warily. How could a man who was so angry and harsh only a few hours ago now come in and treat his second bourne so completely differently. He was even looking at her warmly. She had witnessed his lustful looks at her often, but it had been years since he genuinely looked at her with affection as he was now. Anne stayed silent, waiting for him to break the silence. He seemed content to just sit comfortably for a moment, looking at his daughter. She almost jumped when he finally spoke.
"May I?" He was gesturing towards the decanter of wine between them. Anne quickly nodded and Henry moved to pour them both a glass. He offered one to Anne and then raised his glass, "To our beautiful princess" Anne smiled at him before they both drank deeply. He then looked at her queerly, as if expecting something from her. She furrowed her brow in confusion. "Well?" He asked "Aren't you going to berate me on what I just did?" The earlier warmth was gone and he now spoke in almost a mocking tone. Anne kept her silence and just kept eye contact. Henry's glare just melted away and he took another sip. "Since when do you have nothing to say?" He chuckled.
Anne rolled her eyes. "It is not my place to advise you anymore" she dared, to which he scoffed. "You should have known that she wasn't going to give in, though".
He growled frustratedly. "She must! I have been nothing but patient with her! I swear, Anne.." she stiffened at his informal title. He had not spoken to her like this since they were happily married. "...she will obey me, or she will face the consequences."
"What more kind of consequences could you give her?" Anne interjected. "You have made her live in near poverty, wait on her little sister, insulted her mother at every step and now threaten her to her face!"
"There's the Anne I remember" he grumbled, looking into his cup. They sat again in silence again and Anne chewed her lip, determined to keep her temper in check. She couldn't believe that he could still upset her.
"I could always throw her in the tower" his whisper cut through the silence and for a moment Anne thought she had imagined it. When his words sunk in, she glared at him fiercely.
"No, Henry, you can't." she stated coldly and Henry glared at her. "Look at Elizabeth. Look at this precious little girl. Could you ever throw her in the tower!" Anne could feel her voice rising and lowered it to a harsh whisper. "Mary is your DAUGHTER! Just like Elizabeth. Only she is all alone in the world" Henry had the grace to look slightly ashamed. "She needs your guidance, not your punishments! How long has she gone without your affection?!"
"Since when have you given a damn about what happens to Mary. She has never been a friend of yours." Anne wanted to slap him. He was acting like a spoiled child.
"I'm just saying the truth. If I had died last year...If I had died then Elizabeth would be all alone as well." He voice broke slightly as she imagined the possibilities and Henry's guilt shown on his face.
"She is not alone" he said soothingly. They both took a moment and looked at their daughter. "She has us both. She is safe, Anne. So are you" Anne met his eyes and scrutinized his expression. He was looking at her softly again and it confused her but she was still comforted by his words.
"Henry, you can do what you want with Mary. But I know you love her and I know that it must hurt you to treat her so harshly, just as it must hurt to hear her denounce you. I promise you, if you show her tenderness it will work better than this." She looked at him pleadingly before he reached over and patted her hand.
"Thank you, Anne. I had forgotten what great advice you give" He got up and left the room, leaving a bewildered Anne Boleyn behind.