A/N: Just to make clear I don't want to make martyrs, I don't want to make heroes, I only want to put the human emotion behind every face, I do not believe in making heroes or villains out of people, we are in an age where we get to see the other face behind the popular and bias history, and get to see the side of everybody, regardless of how we may feel or prefer, so here despite I do have some bias feelings against some characters, I will put their side of the story and the humanity behind them and each.

Chapter #25: "Nothing but a memory ... and only that."

"A person should set his goals as early as he can and devote all his energy and talent to getting there. With enough effort, he may achieve it. Or he may find something that is even more rewarding. But in the end, no matter what the outcome, he will know he has been alive." –Walt Disney (1966)

--

"All around me are familiar faces

Warn out places, warn out faces …"

Thomas was looking through the water as he saw his reflection. In it he saw the mirror image of a man who was broken from sorrow and apathy. Apathy for the world responsible to tear his family away from him.

Then in front of him; guess who to his luck appeared? Thomas Howard, Third Duke of Norfolk, standing just in front of him. And he didn't recognize him! Thomas couldn't have any more luck.

"Ha, ha" –He laughed as he walked towards the dumbstruck Duke. Clearly the Duke could not understand why was this mad man, this piece of vermin laughing at him. Who was he to challenge the Powerful Duke of Norfolk, uncle to the Queen of England of all people, and, Patriarch to one of the most prominent, and important families in all England?

Clearly this was an insult he would not let go sway by him. He had to make it clear how important it was for those lower in their class, to pay respect to their elders, especially those who were of 'Royal' ancestry and not poor miserable beggars like the old ugly skinny bloke standing in front of him.

Thomas could not help but smile. How he was going to enjoy every sense of the word 'revenge' when he came to rip this man's throat apart, piece by piece.

"… bright and early for the daily races going nowhere … going nowhere …"

Anthony was silently remembering his mother. Now that he had been sent away for such a long time from his two sisters; he started wondering if his mother –if she would see him this way– would be ashamed of him. Margaret More was a great woman and courageous at that! She would never see Anthony behaving this way, she would calm him down, soothe him with her tender voice and then tell him to be strong and proud that he was a descendant of such brave man like her father, his grandfather; Sir Thomas More.

Anthony was proud to be a More, and although he bore no last name of his Grandfather, inside he was a More more than any other. He only needed to prove to everybody else what he was capable of.

His grandfather had once told him that with great power came great responsibility. But he knew that when he had power –responsibility would not be necessary for him, for he would have all the happiness in the world and nothing more than the love of the people and the death of those two bastards and their little aunt and mother –Anne Boleyn.

That day would be the happiest in his life.

"Their tears are filling out their glasses, no expression, no expression …

Hide my head -I want to drown my sorrow,

No tomorrow …

No tomorrow"

Anne Boleyn was playing with her little toys; watching the small horse that Anthony had taken away the past two weeks since he moved. He had said that it wasn't hers and then when she responded sorry, he had said the most awful things to her. But things that were true and undeniable, finally the realization that she was a 'bastard' hit her. Her mother had never loved her, her father had loved her but he was never married to her mother; and her stepmother; Annie barely even saw her, the only time she saw her –the woman as she heard she was called –Jane Rochford, passed right by her, not even bothering to look at her. It was as if she was invisible to her family and to Lady Rochford.

It was only her grandfather of the elders –besides Anne who was the only mother Annie ever had– who really paid huge interest in her developments. Interest based on his own advancement and his family's. He even agreed with her father –when still alive– and her auntie Anne to be the legal heir of the Boleyn clan, George Boleyn (her proud father) had adopted her and his wife did not even bother to argue, she didn't care, and so the child had been given the name 'Boleyn' instead of FitzGeorge or FitzBoleyn. She was legally a Boleyn, also thanks to the King who was his Auntie Anne's husband.

After all, now that she thought of it, even if people said that she could not really inherit anything –Anne Boleyn had made a name of herself by earning and 'legally' acquiring the titles that ennobled her, then even her family, up to her becoming Marques of Pembroke –with no prior legal or Royal attachment to her father's family– prior to becoming Queen.

Then many things later, like the King becoming Head of the Church; so if all that could happen what could prevent him or her Aunt from making Annie heir to Boleyn fortunes. If people saw only parliament or that it was impossible then they were dumb, intelligence is not limited to capacity and silly legal limits, people made history like Anne Boleyn now Queen of England, and King Henry VIII by making themselves Head of something, and to limit one's capacity to say Parliament needs this or that … Well!! They did not need Parliament they said something, eliminated their enemies with a hand of iron and did it! And then Parliament agreed because they said so! Because it was first Henry and Anne and not Parliament and then King and Queen! So if they could tip the scale than so could she.

Annie did not care much about that fortune now; since all she wanted now was happiness, she wanted to feel the warmth of her Aunt, who as of now would become her mother and Elizabeth her second sister after her first natural sister Mary.

'Mary' She often thought of her and that the reason why Mary was never tired of Annie was because Annie not only resembled George, who was always good to Mary Roper –her sister– and Anne Boleyn –who had also become her sister's surrogate mother and caretaker, but also their mother's father; Thomas More. In that child's face there was more of Thomas More than anyone else could find in any other of is grandchildren or his past heirs, except maybe John More the Third –whom the children did not know of his existence; they only knew him as the 'bastard' child of the past Queen –now 'Princess Dowager's' son.

Annie thought that maybe one day she could see Thomas More –if she prayed hard enough– and ask him so many questions … like what was he like? … And was her real mother with him? Had her mother forgave her own daughter for being born?

Would she love her own mother even after knowing that the woman that brought her in the world was more from obligation than by sweetness and tender like Anne had brought safely Elizabeth in the world, or, Katherine when she brought Mary Tudor in the world; once again, by loving hands … would she experience that bond if she hath ever known her mother?

Her mind said no, but it was no surprise to Annie anymore. Her mother was gone and the reality was that she had to grow up and stop living in fantasies and start seeing the world by what it was -cruel, harsh, and cold.

The place of Hatfield which overlooked the safety of Anne's two wards and her child, was also overlooked with the callous eyes of the past Sir Thomas More; who remained outside the Palace, carefully watching from a distance his beautiful granddaughter Annie Boleyn as she prayed for his safe return, and asked God if she one day could meet her absentee Grandfather.

She did not know the truth, but Thomas More was closer to her than what she thought.

"I find it kind of funny; I find it kind of sad that the dreams in which I am dying,

are the best ones I've ever head …

I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take …

When, people ran in circles is a very mad world

Mad world …

Mad world …

Marie Watson watched as Thomas More, her former love interest, hid away part of the body that he had butchered from Thomas Howard. She was not by the least surprised that Thomas had done this … but she did not like either way, for one because she wasn't told! Two, because it pained her to see a man, even one as disgusting and dreadfully emissary of Satan Himself as that trash Thomas Howard … dead on the floor, with no honors and no sacred chanting from the Church to save his soul.

Then there was also Thomas, who was not turning away from the sight. He was eyeing Thomas Howard with hatred, imagining seeing Thomas Boleyn.

On the other side was Carolina, who weary by her own sickness of seeing a man being butchered by platonic love; Thomas More, she nearly spilled all her stomach insides. The thought that one man could be so cruel did not stop to amaze her, and it was not fair that Thomas had to do this to a man -who even if he was evil enough, did not deserve to be mangled and severed from small sections of his own body parts!

"Did Thomas not think …?" –thought Marie; of what hatred he was causing? He was basically applying the old law of an 'eye for an eye … tooth for a tooth …' –What kind of life and base philosophy is that?

Even no matter how much disdain she had for the old duke, who had caused her much pain to her and her old dead father, she still could not kill him, not in that way, she would rather see him disgraced and handed out to authorities and pay to God and to the proper men for his sins, not this way. It was not right.

And someone needed to talk to Thomas.

1536, April 25th.

Norfolk States …

"Children waiting for the day they feel good …

Happy Birthday

… Happy Birthday"

Anthony Roper was looking at the night sky, as he used to do once when he was alone, his grandfather had said that he used to do this a lot with the King, and that maybe one day he would do it with Anthony to; to teach him the ways of life and the ways of the living.

Anthony had been too young to understand, but now he knew, but of the most things he had distrusted of all his family; was his mother's adopted sister, Meg Giggs, who was also his Aunt, not by blood but by the 'love' she had sworn she had for Anthony. Even now after all the catastrophe, Anthony had always wondered why was it that on that day, Meg was not there, but now he knew as he was introduced in secret to his Aunt Cecilia Heron, who he always knew she was alive – that Meg had no intention of attending that party nearly 4 years ago; she had missed it because she knew.

What would happen, had been entirely on her account because she had a deep scorn over his Aunt Elizabeth who had slept with her husband and begotten a child of him, a child that Thomas More had protected while Meg wanted the child dead, and truth to be told, Meg was always the victim of the spoiled brat of his Aunt Elizabeth, so he really did not blame his Aunt Meg Giggs for that hatred, but why could she not pass on the message of the massacre to his mother?

But then he heard, once again in secret, his Aunt Cecilia speak to that 'heretic' Archbishop Cranmer (who people because of his openness now, called him the White Knight) that her surrogate sister had always thought of Meg as too spoiled and that one day she would raise her children to be mindless Catholics and what her surrogate father had done was disgrace, that it was best to rid of all evil … Anthony was shocked!

He had loved his Aunt Giggs, well Clement since she no longer bore in her last name Giggs as first; but still, he had loved her! She had given him gifts and loyalty, she had been there when his father and grandfather were always absent from their work.

And yet, now he had figured out that because she thought he would be evil, she had sacrificed him and his true sister … as lambs to the slaughter!

'No!! Mom where are you? Why, why … I am not bad! I am not bad! Why are we deemed bad … it is not fair!' –His mind screamed, as he, for the first time, cried and succumbed to his knees, hugged by his own misery; unaware that a dark figure was watching from afar his own grandson cry for the betrayal of the daughter he had loved at times, even more than his own natural daughter –Meg More.

1511, January 1st.

Chelsea States, More Household:

More (Thomas) was sitting outside the study of his home, in the hallways, playing with his small daughter Margaret; she was happily conversing with her surrogate sister, Meg Giggs. He smiled at both, knowing they both would become very close and attached to each other, he just hoped that one day it would be not him who would separate him for his own ideals.

But his ideals, he often thought, were too important just to be separated and if needed sometimes would separate these two sisters, not by blood but by love, and it would be a test to see who was loyal to their father and God to the true Faith.

"Made to see that every child should sit and listen …

Sit and listen"

"Went to school and I was very nervous, no one knew me …

No one knew me …

Meg was silently playing with a small doll that cracked and was replaced by another and then another, she was silently playing once again, letting no one bother her, until her sister Meg named like her shouted "I lost!" and Meg became enraged and told her surrogate sister that she wished she would have lost so she would learn humility.

"You are very silly …" –the Giggs girl replied.

Meg shook her head happily and in a funny, and annoyed tone, she responded; "No, I am not funny or silly I am Meg More, daughter of a great man, aren't I daddy?" Thomas More nodded his head but then in an equally opposite gesture he shook it, trying to demonstrate to Meg the importance of honoring both mother and father, while recognizing their mistakes at the same time.

She giggled but did not refute her own argument and continued fanatically to put her own father in a pedestal; while the other Meg, silently made her own comments about her surrogate relatives.

While she was close, Thomas could see, that the girl thought that he was a fanatic and old man who would one day cause his own doom. How right she was.

Thomas had caused his own doom, by his own mistakes and by being so naïve in life; while his natural born daughter he had loved too much, he had always loved (unknown to Meg More) Meg Giggs a little bit more, for even if she was defiant at this time; he loved her sense of free spirit.

Something he wished his daughter sometimes had that, instead of being to dependant on the false image she had of her father More and of her happy family, and the failing sense that they lived in a fairy tale, masking her life that in the end nothing would ever happen to them, and that they would be alright.

Present

April 28th.

Rich-Ville, Guest Manor.

"Hello Teacher, tell me what's my lesson, look right through me …

Thomas slept in Rich-Ville, once again in Vera's Guest Manor room. Only this time he had hidden in one room where Carolina had told him it was only made to house special guests or to hide down people when somebody important came into need or in assistance of her help.

She had helped him so far, but he could not help but notice that close attachment to her, he had loved her, truly loved her. As a brother loves a sister, as the natural love a best friend would have for another best friend, but he feared that Carolina often confused that love with that of true love; and that was something he did not want for a girl who had lost too in life, too much.

"Look right through me,

As Carolina walked through the Kitchen and received the last payment from all her past guests, she cleaned through the whole house until she could see in the mirror her reflection. It was going to be empty, this place, for six months, but it was worth it; she had hardly spend any money at all for herself, and because she had worked endlessly housing more guests than she needed; she had received fairly good payment that would help her survive for nearly more than fourteen months, but part of that money and part of her parent's inheritance she would use to help Thomas.

She too wanted the Country of England under different leadership than those of the Boleyn Family or the Catholic Church. It was time people needed to know that if they placed their faith in one fanatic faith with different name but with the same cunning attitude as the previous one, the Country and maybe humanity in a whole was destined to fail.

Although she knew that Thomas had other reasons, like revenge and retribution also that he was more opened to other suggestions and his pen and books had begun to be distributed around the other Countries and lower sectors of England, thanks to her and Marie; his ideas of a republic, free government, and independent mind from Protestantism and Catholic had been causing havoc as even the Humanists had said that such book were too tolerant and irresponsible, for the people since as ignorant as they were, they could not govern themselves lightly and there would always be a Sheppard to guide them, whether a King or God. To which Thomas More in his alias as the Dark Knight; had responded with another book and essay, saying that if the people were ignorant it was only because of the corrupt institutions of Humanists who only interest was to educate themselves and pride themselves with their sophisticated language while laughing at those who had less education than them and treat the poor like experiments, instead of actual people, and then to the Protestants he had said that they were nothing more than hypocrites but they were thankfully imposing scientific and atheists thought as many people were beginning to be more disappointed in God and turning to reason, while he said to Catholics, last but not least, that the reason for doing rash and horrible things is because they too were desperate and in decay which he added in the end the Protestants and both together would be too on the same boat, hanging with hands for survival while others stabbed them for their corruption and hypocrisy too.

He had not gotten on the golden pedestal of Saintly Hood for this, but Marie and Carolina could not expect any less coming from a man who had done much more to upset all the rich, powerful and corrupt.

The only thing Carolina did not agree was Thomas helping Anne, she did not agree. But he said that she was a woman who he knew, she did not know of his family's true murder and that she had been a good mother and care for his grandsons and a good woman, politician and maybe one day a good Queen if God would will it.

But both they and Marie knew that God would not will it, Thomas did not believe.

And he knew Henry would never accept Anne, because for that she would have to be perfect, and that would never happen, Katherine had never been perfect; and neither is Anne, because what Henry wants nobody can give it to him, and Thomas only said a prayer because he was in front of them and because that was what Katherine would have wanted when he was in front of Katherine, his now present wife.

Yet Thomas still had his problems with Katherine, as much as he loved her, he hated to admit that the woman in the end was ambitious and would do anything to protect her first young and even John whom the Spanish Ambassador often told Thomas; that Katherine could not stop playing with John. She loved him, more than life itself.

"And I find it kind of funny, kind of sad,

that the dreams in which I am dying are the best ones I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take,

Thomas who saw Carolina enter the room he nodded to her to come in, he did not need to. This was her house and it was her right to come in, to give the orders who came and who didn't, not him; but the man's coldness was so persuasive that she did not need to fight him. His eyes were dark pools that entrapped a tragic soul that was half shattered by others who had ensured his family's demise.

"When people run in circles it's a very, very … mad world"

"It is done …" –She told him.

He nodded. "Fine, I will kill the other, I just cannot have Boleyn living, I am sure you understand and also Brereton, he has attempted to kill Anne against my advice to Chapuys; and I cannot let that man harm the child or Anne, she does not know that I have made that man fail many times, but tomorrow I hear he is planning to poison or kill her, perhaps even kill Elizabeth too … (Carolina flinched), I will see to it that he is punished by my hand … No one will die here."

Carolina nodded but then in came another; it was Marie, her red-strawberry-blond hair shining brightly with the light, it would have made a perfect contrast had she had a smile, but ever since her own tragedies in life; the woman hardly smiled, like Thomas.

"We need to talk, it's urgent" –She told Thomas. He only shook his head and went away. Marie sighed and went to follow him but he just ran away, telling her to go and let him be.

--

"Mad world …

Enlarge your world … Mad world"

As Thomas was walking to his daughter's resting place; he saw that she had once been a girl, paved with sorrow, but hidden in denial with the fairy tale world he had built falsely around her. He only wished he hadn't, for in the end when the fairy tale was destroyed for her, she had realized just how cruel life can be, and she became mad and withdrawn from her children.

What were the last words she had said to him when a child of five? "My soul may be gone father, but my body will always remain, here with you dada …! (Laughter)" –Indeed; he thought, her soul had left her body, but her body remained with him, stuck with him till the end where there would be no more bloodshed, no more sorrow, and finally, no more darkness.

Until the end –where he would be gone and no more would be left, but a memory.