So sorry for the years it had taken for this chapter and for it not being my best work but I am determined to finish this story now!

Prince Harry felt his stomach turn as he watched his father kiss his young bride on the lips. As he felt the bile in his stomach, Harry also cursed under his breath the assassin who had tried to kill poor Catalina - why could murderer not have been trying to kill his father. If only the arrow had hit his father, then Harry's life would have been perfect-he would be King and Catalina would his queen. But life, Harry felt was constantly being cruel to him, taking first his mother and now his wife-to-be was married to someone else. Life was a constant battle for Harry!

'Madre looks so pretty,' shrieked Mary, so loudly that Harry nearly dropped his wine down his blue silk doublet with cloth of gold, 'when I get married I want to look as pretty as her!'

'Oh Mary,' sighed Harry, downing his wine in one gulp, 'please stop being such a baby!'

'I am not a baby!' cried Mary, shrilly with tears in her eyes, 'I going to tell father!'

Harry laughed as he saw his youngest sister jump off her chair and run over to where their father and new step mother were sat. There was one good thing about Mary now being sat on her father's lap, telling their father about how wicked Harry was as it meant his father was no longer kissing poor Catalina.

'I don't know how you can be so quiet,' Harry said to his older sister as he poured himself another wine, 'you ranted about how much you despised this union and yet now you say no words about it'

Margaret did not reply, nor did she look at brother. Instead she got to her feet and with her navy blue skirts traveling behind her, she approached the royal couple.

'Your Highness,' Margaret said in a loud, clear voice as she swooped down into a curtesy, 'I was wondering if your new wife, the Queen of England, would accompany me in a dance,'

Henry smiled and nodded his approval as he looked over at his new wife for her to give consent.

'I would be most honoured,' replied Catalina, getting to her feet with a smile as she joined her new stepdaughter and let her lead her to the dance floor.

Henry smiled as he watched his daughter and wife dance together, enjoying see his young wife laugh and seeing his oldest daughter smile in a way that Henry had not seen for a long time. Also Henry enjoyed the fact that the whole court were witnessing this sign of unity between two members of his family, who had once been at odds with each other, now completely united. Getting to his feet, Henry applauded loudly as the music came to a halt and descending the deises, he approached his new wife and eldest daughter.

'People,' said Henry, his voice loud and strong, 'my wife, the Queen of England and my daughter, the Queen of Scotland, together in union through treaty and blood. They are the embodiment of the new peaceful world-of a new stable and prosperous England!'

The crowd of nobility, clergy and servants all cheered and applauded loudly, the noise getting even louder as Henry took his bride and daughter by the hands and proudly showed them off around the great hall.

'Charles!,' hissed Harry, grabbing his closest friend by the sleeve of his doublet, 'quick, I need your help!'

Before Charles could ask any questions, he found himself stood by the King's chair, holding the King's goblet of wine.

'Harry?' he gasped as the Prince of Wales produced a tiny purple bottle from his sleeves and poured the entire contents of the bottle into the King's wine.

'Shh,' whispered Harry, 'it's a sleeping potion. I have been assured it will put my dear father into such a deep sleep it would be impossible for him to consummate his marriage tonight!'

Charles went to protest that this was a ridiculous plan-what was Harry going to do, poison his father every night and not let him out of his sight during the day. But he did not have a chance as Henry called his son and Mary over to him to join the family group. Seeing that Harry was now distracted himself, Charles scanned the room for Thomas, who was talking to Lady Margaret.

'Thomas,' said Charles as quietly as he could so that Lady Margaret did not hear, 'do not ask any questions! Prince Harry has poisoned the King's wine with a sleeping potion,'

'Why...,' Thomas started to ask but thought better of it. With his eyes firmly on the Royal Family, he slowly moved towards the Henry's goblet. As quickly as he could, praying that no one was watching, Thomas switch the King's goblet with that of the Prince of Wales'.

'I am very proud of you, Margaret,' said Henry to his eldest daughter as they returned to the top table, 'you will be a credit to England when you are in Scotland,'

'I hope to be a credit to my father as well,' replied Margaret in that cold Tudor manner as she stared ahead to see a small approving smile on her grandmother's lips.

'Margaret...,' started Henry but the words got stuck in his throat as he tried to express how proud he truly was of his eldest daughter and how much he was really going to miss her. He tried to start again but before he had the chance, Margaret had wandered out of hearing. Instead Henry turned his attention to the Earl of Oxford, 'Oxford, the assassin from this morning is currently being held in the dungeons. Take Lord Stanley and Sir Rhys and get as much information out of him as you can. You have my permission to use any means possible to get the information-do you understand?'

'Of course, Your Highness,' replied Oxfords solemnly with a bow before turning on his heels. Henry frown for a moment, wondering if he should lead the interrogation himself but then suddenly he felt a warm hand take hold of his.

'Come Henry,' smiled Catalina, her red lips lighting up her face, 'let Oxford and the others deal with him tonight. It is our wedding day after all,'

Henry laughed and leaned forward to kiss his new wife as his mind was now on happier thoughts, especially as he noticed that the darkness of night was starting to creep into the great chamber and they would soon be retiring to bed. However before his lips could meet Catalina's a cash from the top table caused everyone to jump and Henry to let out a loud groan as he saw his son lying face down in his food, snoring loudly!

'I think the Prince of Wales has taken too much wine,' laughed Thomas as he pulled his sleeping nephew, to his feet, 'I will see to it that His Highness is safely put to bed. Charles will you help me?'

'Of course,' laughed Charles, taking hold of Harry's left arm and slinging it over his shoulders, 'I think the Prince of Wales was just enjoying the celebrations a little too much!'

As the commotion in the grand hall happened, Lord Strange took the opportunity to slip away unnoticed. He laughed to himself as he imagined the frown on his step brother's face as the Prince of Wales was carried drunk to his bedchamber.

'Poor Henry,' chuckled Lord Strange as walked down the long stone stairs to the kitchens, 'his one moment to shine and that silly boy of his wreaks everything. No true Prince of Wales would have ever acted like that! A true Prince of Wales would be able to hold his ale no matter his age!'

Despite his hatred of his step brother, Lord Strange still felt angry about the events of that morning. How foolish did Henry think think him to be? Lord Strange wanted Henry to suffer that was true but suffering the way previous unspurers had done by having their throne snatched from underneath him and meeting a violent demise. Lord Strange's had no intention of hurting the Spanish princess, for the diplomatic repercussions would be too much to bare. He needed to keep Aragon and Castile sweet for his plans to work. Lord Strange has been around long enough to know that any change in government was going to need international support to survive and he would not get that from Isabella and Ferdinand if they felt England had killed their daughter.

No, the attempted assassination had nothing to do with Lord Strange's men. But there was something personal about killing a man's wife-to-be, for it was designed to torture the survivor not the victim. Such an attack could only be the work of a jilted lover.

Lord Strange made his way across the kitchens to a small room. He knew from the Breton voices coming from the little stone room that the people he was seeking were behind the wooden door.

'Roland,' cried Katarin, her eyes stained red with her endless crying, 'what were you thinking of, saving that whore?! You could have got yourself killed!'

'Mother,' replied Roland, knocking away his mother's arms as she tried to cradle him, 'she is about my age! How could you seriously have wanted to kill her?! It's my father you should focus you anger on! He is the one who has betrayed you!'

'My sweet Roland, don't you understand? It's all that whore's fault! If she had not tricked her way into you father's affections then he would be with us now! Roland, she has to die to break the spell!'

'Mother!' pleaded Roland, wanting to scream at his mother that this supposed whore had nothing to do with his father's abandonment. It was clear that being King was more important to him than being with his first love and the son they had created together but before Roland had a chance to, he noticed that Lord Strange had slipped into the room.

'Sorry to interrupt your family quarrel,' hissed Lord Strange as he came further into the room, the candlelight making his features seem near sinister, 'but I was hoping to have a word with you about that little drama you decided to stage in the street this morning Madam de Velville,'

'I don't know what you mean,' protested Katarin, in her thick Breton accent, turning away from her visitor and staring into the flames of the small fire in the heath, 'all I know is that my poor son could have been killed,'

'Lord Strange,' started Roland as his saw their visitor starting to descend on his poor mother but once again he was signalled into silence.

'Oh I think you do, Madam de Velville,' continued Lord Strange, moving so close to Katarin that he was now looming over her, 'because I have never given any instructions to hurt the Infanta of Spain. In fact although I was originally opposed to the marriage, I now think she might be useful for my plans. Always useful to have a bargaining chip when dealing with international powers. Besides the only way I want my dear brother to suffer is by seeing him lose his throne and eventually his life! I could not really care two figs about him weeping over the loss of another wife. No, the only person that would care about such things would be another woman. A woman who possibly was once a lover of that man, who had perhaps also had a child by him!'

'How?!' gasped Roland as he frantically slammed door the shut, praying that none of the other servants had heard his secret.

'Oh come on now,' smiled Lord Strange, turning back to look at Roland, 'it is not too ease to deduce, you are the mirror image of him. The face you pull now is the exacted same face I have seem my dear brother portray when he has been taken by surprise. I just think myself a fool for not noticing it sooner but I guess that makes my beloved brother an even bigger fool for not realising his favourite servant is actually his son!'

'My Harri is no fool!' cried Katarin with anger. Her Harri may have been taken in by a seductive young harpy but to Katarin he was no fool. He was the cleverest man she knew, for he had taught her to read and write in Breton as well as some English. He was not foolish to have his head turned by a flirtatious little whore-he was just a man! With that running through her mind, Katarin frantically hit Lord Strange with clenched fists on his back, 'he is not! He is not!'

'Oh be quiet you silly woman,' hissed Lord Strange, turning around and grabbing hold of Katarin wrists and pushing her off of him, 'be quiet and both of you listen to me! There will be no more idiotic schemes to kill foreign princesses. From now on you both dance to my tune!'

The chamber was still now that everyone had left them alone. The only reminisce of the crowds that had only moments ago had been gathered around Catalina's bed was the sweet smell of incense that still lingered in the air.

Henry looked over at his young bride, who was sat in her nightshift beside him, her fingers seemingly to play nervously with her lose auburn hair. She looked even more beautiful in the candlelight, the golden flicking light making her even more alluring as it highlighted her naked body underneath the white fabric. But Henry had to remember that she was still a virgin and despite outward appearance would still be nervous.

'Catalina,' started Henry, placing an arm around her and pulling her to him but before he had a chance to say any more, he found Catalina had her lips on top of his and had started to slowly kiss him. Without any prompting Henry started to kiss her back. Slowly at first to match his bride's pace but then suddenly he felt her rhythm change, becoming fast as her tongue went even deeper into his mouth. It caused Henry to let his senses take over as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her on his lap and holding her so tight her breasts were crushed against his firm chest.

'Catalina!' Henry gasped as they finally pulled away from each other.

'I was told that if I let you kiss and stroke me all over then it would be easier later,' smiled Catalina confidently as she put her arms tight around her husband's neck and pushing herself on to him, 'that is right, is it not?'

'Catalina,' chuckled Henry, his eyes fixed on Catalina's red lips, feeling the heat build even more between, 'that is very right indeed!'