A/N: Ok so long time no write, I know. But to be honest, i didn't have a SINGLE review for my last chapter! where did you all go? Still reading or is this to a ghostly audience? Anyway. Back to Anna...

Anna had to admit that she was a little nervous, she was being presented to the most famous royals in history... by the one that split them up. Not strange at all. Wait till Luke hears this! The castle wasn't the plush imaginings of the Phillippa Gregory's and the film-makers of the 21st century, but there were tapestries on the wall, the chairs were velvet and the people were the most lavish of all! The reed bed floor was a bit of a strange one to walk on but she would just get used to it. The people, well, they laughed and joked at an unnatural pace. Their clothes were flamboyant and lined with fur and velvet and gold thread and buttons of pearls. The more extravagant the dress code, the more ambitious they were seemed to be the unspoken rule. Anna felt positively underdressed with her plain, simple dark blue day dress. The most extravagant item was a white band on her hood and a gold ring on her finger (which felt odd just being there). Hardly a big spender!

But the royal couple themselves were a direct contrast in themselves! The definition of opposites. Queen Catherine of Aragon – the Spanish Princess, a devout catholic, dressed in the dark and demure, everything covered up dresses that she was renouned for. Her gold cross around her neck for all to see. Her husband, the most famous King in British history, dressed as an exceptionally gaudy courtier with the glossiest and sleekest blonde beard Anna had ever seen. He boomed at his own jokes (at least everyone knew when to laugh alongside him) and slapped his thigh and talked under the loud assumption that what he was saying actually mattered. Of course, it did, but Anna found him to be rather incredibly arrogant and actually rather irritating.

"Your majesties," Anne Boleyn cried over the hubbub of women and men chatting idly. She curtsied deeply as Mary prodded Anna to stand just behind her. "If I might present Lady Anne Thyme to you, she arrived late yesterday evening."

Anna stepped forward, recognising this as her cue and dropped into a curtsey of her own. "Your majesties," she said, standing and offering them her most dazzling smile "My husband has often told me of the honour of serving two such noble and beautiful royals such as yourselves and I am so very pleased that you allowed Lord Thyme to bring me to court this Winter. However, if I may plead ignorance for the ways of court, I apologise for my defect but hope under the tutalge of yourselves and your ladies, I might become an asset rather than a burden to the court of England." And she curtseyed to finish Talk about brown-nosing...

King Henry seemed to be rather pleased with the pompous little speech – or maybe with what he saw rather than what she said (the latter was more likely anyway) – but the Queen seemed to be surveying Anna with suspicion despite the smile on her face. Seemed fair. But they welcomed her warmly and allowed her to mingle into the crowd of Ladies-in-waiting and Chambermen (or whatever the male equivalent was) to be introduced to far more people than she could possibly ever remember.

One face stuck out in her mind though his name evaded her. He had a thin ratty face with a black moustache and beard. But it wasn't important. Anna passed this niggling feeling to the back of her mind and continued on with the (rather dull) workings of court. That night there was a masquerade ball and Anna fell into bed, pleasantly tired and thinking that if her stay were to continue like this she would consider it a holiday.

...

Some days later, Anna finished her morning sewing with the Queen's ladies and begged to be excused from the afternoon hunt. She waved Anne and Mary off, hoping that Anne caught the King's attention today and herself had to bat off the unwelcome advances of George Bolyen. Again.

To avoid the all piercing eyes of the court, Anna picked up a volume of poetry (not recognising the author, it was French) and hurried to the upstairs gallery. She had an ulterior motive for being there, not just hiding. While taking a walk around the castle with Her Majesty and the other Ladies the day before, Anna had noticed that the room didn't seem to quite fit with the era. Something didn't fit but, at the time, she hadn't been able to work out what. Now she was back again.

Starting at one end of the long wood panelled room, she pretended to be admiring various portraits and ugly landscapes while instead closely analysing every piece of art, furniture and upholstery in the room. She had just passed a beautiful renascence vase when she noticed a thin, decidedly metal wire snaking behind a piece of panelling, almost too thin to see. She stepped in for a closer look when the door at the end of the gallery opened.

Anna jumped back and immediately started admiring the picture above (rather unfortunately a gruesome battle landscape, why people thought that was beautiful she would never understand!). Luckily, it was just Tyler.

"What can I do for you?" Anna asked curiously. She had spoken to him just the day before.

"Not here," he panted, glancing around him to the empty room "This way!" and promptly dragger her down a servant corridor.

"How risqué..." Anna muttered to herself. Louder she said: "Tyler what is it?"

"You know how you told me about the conversation you overheard first night?"

"Yes?"

"Found out who it was Milady," Tyler paused, "From what I've gathered, it was Ole Lord Carborough, his daughter married Percy o'Northumberland after the scandal with Lady Anne."

"But surely he would want His Majesty to notice Anne if there is a scandal, she would be disgraced."

"No milady, that's not how it works. His Majesty King Henry finds suitable husbands for his... fancies. And if they bear him a son, the higher the position they receive. Lady Anne, if she could secure King Henry's fancy, would be a very powerful woman indeed," Tyler paused, checking around him again "And the only woman at court more powerful than the Queen is the wife of the Duke of Northumberland. But Carborough is certain that Lady Anne would accumulate power to put his girl out of power. The Percy's are a powerful lot but they have never sought the throne."

"So he wants me, a married woman, to divert the King's attention," Anna felt outraged. "I most certainly won't do it! I love my husband and it would disgrace me to dishonour him so! I –"

"That's the other part Milady," Tyler interjected "He thought because you were young and impressionable that you could be convinced to...use witchcraft..."

Anna felt truly gobsmacked and probably looked rather unladylike with her mouth open.

"How did you find this out Tyler?" She whispered, eyes wide, "His serving boy is obviously poorly paid if he will allow his master to be accused thus!"

"I heard it from his own lips," Tyler said seriously. "He asked to speak to me, knowing that I was newly employed by your husband and thinking that my allegiance had not yet been formed. He asked what your opinion of King Henry was and began hinting at ... the tricks of the weird sisters. He proposed to pay me quite a substantial sum of money and to purchase my discharge to a forge if I would attempt to convince you, or feed him information. I was disgusted."

"What did you do?"

Tyler's face broke out into a grin, "Took the money and came straight here to tell you what happened. Be on guard Milady. I thought that we could conspire to feed him untruths so he does not get suspicious about my allegiance. I would never betray you cousin. But this way, he is paying for my removal to my home to take over my father's forge at very little inconvenience to yourself or Lord Thyme!"

"Well, well well!" Anna giggled back, feeling like a true member of the court now she was deceiving someone (and no, the whole deceiving the entire court that she was someone she was not didn't count, she had to do that in everyday life anyway!) "I think we have an arrangement then Tyler! If he wants to know anything, come and ask me before you give him an answer."

"I will Milady."

Anna turned to walk away, but remembering the wire, stopped and turned back. "Tyler!" she called. He sprang back instantly like the good servant he had been trained to be. "I need to ask you to look at something."

Much to his confusion, Anna dragged him back out to the gallery and pointed to a hairline crack in the paintwork.

"What do you think that is?" She asked.

"A crack. Happens you know, we can't keep up the entire house all the time, and this room has badminton played by the King," Tyler explained patiently, wondering why this was being drawn attention to. Anna gave him a strange look.

Perception filter

"It's a wire, a thin strip of metal, much thinner than usual," She said, matter of factly. Look at it out of the corner of your eye and tell me what you see."

Tyler expected that little would change and that this fine lady was actually hiding a form of insanity, what was a wire? But to prevent dismissal, he complied.

"What trickery is this?" he gasped. Anna nodded to herself, there was no way he was faking that response. His eyes were practically bulging in shock. "Is it witchcraft?"

Fair enough, Tudor's still have one foot in the dark ages!

"Of a sort," Anna said drily. Tyler turned to her, fear in his eyes. "I know of a branch of witches from the Northern lands across the water who use such tricks as this. My husband and I are on a continual lookout to protect England from their evil grip. We are great authorities on their habits. And now Tyler, I have decided to ask for your help."

"To fight witches?!" He asked incredulously "Or to aide them?"

"Tyler, I am not a witch, I fight the dark forces that plot against our king and against our God," Anna reprimanded quietly, a steely, no nonsence tone to her voice. Tyler seemed satisfied, if still a little doubting.

"What do you need me to do?"

Anna was amazed at how quickly he had accepted her story and his readiness to help her. One day, she was sure that his courage and his loyalty would get him killed. That was a sad thought.

"There may be other images such as this, these 'wires', possibly in a higher concentration in some areas than others. As a servant, you have access to most parts of the castle and it would be less suspicious if you were to be peering closely at a wall as you could be cleaning it. I would look out of place in such a situation. But you must remember not to go looking for them. If you see something suspicious, look out of the corner of your eye and see if it changes. I know how to deal with the witch."

"Yes Milady," Tyler said "You can count on me to defend honour, England and King Henry."

"Thank you Tyler, I do believe I can," Anna said genuinely smiling, "Let me know if Lord Carborough asks any questions so I can contrive some suitable response! Let's have some fun with this!"

A bell rang within the depths of the castle, signalling the call to lunch. Tyler paled.

"Cook is going to box me for this! Excuse me Milady!"

He dashed off, leaving Anna alone, staring at the wire which most definitely did not belong to Tudor England. She had a feeling that both she and her nemesis had shown their first cards...

...

"Lady Thyme!" A reedy voice called as Anna was sashaying her way down a corridor towards the garden. She turned, to see a tall, ratty faced courtier hurrying towards her.

"Lord Carborough," she said through gritted teeth. He had approached her several times about becoming Henry's mistress, offending Anna severely in the process. How many no's did this man need to get through his obviously thick skull? "And how may I help you today?"

"Young Tyler has been spotted looking at some unusual rock formations in the shrubberies," He smiled, reeking breath flooding over Anna. "Tell him to desist unless he wishes to experience an unpleasant surprise."

And he walked away, leaving Anna seriously annoyed with the cryptic messages people felt the need to give her. At least she knew Carborough was involved now, even if it was just a hypnotic control or something.

Tyler had found several wires, and Anna another. Together they were slowly forming links. Anna suspected that they led to the cellars under the castle, but didn't really want to tell Tyler this. Foolish, headstrong boy would probably go down with a stake and holy water! He was definitely related. And of course, it would be the cellars – how terribly gothic and mysterious. And if nothing else, given the merry dance she and her bloody antagonist were having (for she was certain that he knew who she was, even if she didn't know him) he enjoyed a good dramatic turn of events. And she refused to become the damsel in distress if he would insist on playing the tyrant.

"You there," Anna commanded to a serving girl who looked just about ready to faint from the shock of being addressed by a lady, however harshly. "Could you find Tyler and tell him that Lady Thyme is looking for him? Thank you."

...

"So, you think she will take the bait?" rasped a distinctly out of place recording unit. Carborough nodded, his eyes glazed over.

"They have been piecing the wires together, and it is only a matter of time till she investigates," he intoned.

"Excellent...excellent... Have the Warden stationed here till she comes..."

...

"We need to stop," Anna commanded. "Carborough is involved somehow and I need to continue alone before it gets you hurt."

Tyler looked ready to refuse, or to be a noble, self sacrificing hero and demand the right to save fair Maid Marion. Anna held up her hand.

"I go alone Tyler. I forbid you from assisting. I do not relish in using an unwarranted power over you, but here I must insist. I know where I must go and to fix this I must go alone."

"But ...witchcraft Milady!"

"I shall be safe, I defeat one and it halts all but it is a quest one must traverse alone to be effective. Am I entirely clear?"

"Yes Milady," Tyler muttered reluctantly. Anna handed him a sheaf of parchemnet. "What's this?"

"Your dispensation to return home, to your forge, and a sheaf of notes as payment for your admirable services for my family."

"You are dismissing me?" he asked incredulously.

"No," Anna replied, "I'm freeing you to live the life you want to lead. I am saving you from being trodden on your entire life. And following this endeavour I will be going to France, and joining my husband. I very much doubt that we will return."

"Thank you Milady, but I cannot accept this!"

"You must. Now, go. And godspeed Tyler."

"Godspeed Lady Thyme."

...

Anna took her leave of the court like a good courtier, begging forgivness from their majesties but she wanted to blah blah blah. She had one more night to stay at the castle before a coach would take her to an inn some miles away from the city where the Doctor would *hopefully* pick her up on time. She had yet to call him.

One more night to bring the concerto to a crescendo.

And that was why she was creeping down the stairs to the cellar in a pair of cream jodhpurs and a brown jacket, nice and toasty against the chill of a stone castle with no central heating. And throwing caution to the wind in having a small flashlight rather than the lamps used by everyone else.

Only one door. Hmm, three guess which one... Anna thought wryly, glancing around the dark and dinghy corridor. Gothic mania much?

She pushed open the door slowly, prepared to pull her gun but not wanting to show her cards too soon in the game. A flight of stairs. Anticlimax much? Anna could practically here the background music of life increase in tempo. Ooh, spooky.

At the bottom of the stairs, another door. Anna was certain this was supposed to be the maze of cellars but obviously had been adapted for some psycho's use as a playground.

Anna approached the door slowly. One foot in front of the other. Ready to run if necessary. She controlled her breathing – wouldn't want the enemy to know she was scared – tensing her muscles to fight if necessary. Didn't start when the door swung open of its own accord.

Anna crept forwards. Slowly, oh so slowly. Flashlight in hand.

"Hello Morgana," Drawled a voice, cold as steel and just as hard, "I am the Warden."

...

A/N I would like to point out that this is not historically accurate but that I made up all events and names. This is also a really long chapter because I am eager to get to the end of the Tudors and bring back the Doctor. I should hope that this hasn't killed you, but Anna is only in the Tudor period for another chapter, if that! R&R I suppose!