A/N: Here we are with chapter 25, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you so much to Frog1, QueenAnneTudor, Guest, Crockeet Rocket, hateme101, Robin4, CrystalKaouri, Vwchick, QueenofTeeth, emilia. lozano. el, tricorvus, Guest, the dark euphie, and IWantColouredRain for all the reviews on the last chapter, as well as an additional thanks to the dark euphie for the additional review on chapter 23. I hope you all enjoy this brand new chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Tudors, or any of the characters, Showtime does.

...

January 10th, 1544

Anne of Cleves sighed and set down the piece she had been embroidering.

She was pleased that she had been lucky enough to accompany Phillip back to England, for not only was she fond of King Henry's family, but the country of England itself as well. She found that she could quite easily live there if given the chance.

But alas, that was not to be. She knew her brother Duke Wilhelm would never allow such a thing, particularly when she had already been pre-contracted to marry Duke Francis of Lorraine. Even though it had been over ten years with no official renewing of the betrothal pledge, she had been told by Wilhelm that she was still promised to the duke. And so, she couldn't even entertain the notion of living a life in England.

She soon found a more cheerful topic to occupy her thoughts however; she was to sup with Princess Elizabeth that evening.

Despite being fond of all six of King Henry's children, Anne found that Elizabeth was by far her favorite. The young princess possessed a keen intellect, as well as a maturity far beyond her years. In fact, Anne found that the charming, graceful, and academically-inclined princess was everything that she herself wished she had been at that age.

The king's other daughters, Princess Margery, and Lady Mary, possessed their own charm as well, each uniquely different from their sister and one another.

The Lady Mary, while quite serious and religious, could also be graceful and quite amiable, at least that was what Anne's cousin Phillip said. He had also said that the lady's piety added to her virtue, as did her generous and gracious heart. Unlike her sister however, Lady Mary was a bit more subtle in her intelligence, almost as though she were attempting to hide it to a point. Of course, having grown up around her male relations, most of whom believed women to be far from a match for men in terms of intelligence, Anne could understand the lady's reluctance to reveal her true intellect.

Princess Margery lacked the solemnity of her elder sisters, instead choosing to openly express her thoughts and feelings. And while a part of Anne admired the girl's sense of honesty in revealing her true feelings, she also knew this was a sign of the child's naivety, which unfortunately would have to be quelled purely through her own experiences.

...

"Your Highnesses," George smiled that boyish smile of his as he greeted his twin nephews and his niece.

"Uncle!" the boys both shouted excitedly as they rushed into his arms.

Elizabeth stood and curtsied gracefully before joining her brothers and wrapping her arms about her uncle's waist.

"I have a surprise for the three of you," George said. "Can you guess what it is?"

"Is it perhaps a new book for Lizbeth?" Geoffrey asked, casting a sidelong glance toward his sister.

"No," George turned and beckoned to someone in the outer hall.

All three children were pleasantly surprised to find the newcomer was none other than their aunt Jane Boleyn, and in her arms, lay a little bundle.

"Children, meet your new cousin, William Boleyn," George said, smiling at his wife and child.

Jane gently stooped down slightly, still carefully supporting her baby, so that the princes and princess could properly see him.

"He's so tiny," Geoffrey murmured, staring into the infant's dark eyes.

"You were that tiny once too, Geoffrey," Elizabeth reminded him.

"Was he just born?" Harry asked.

Jane shook her head.

"He was born on the seventeenth of October," she explained. "But your uncle and I wanted to wait until he was a bit bigger to bring him to meet you."

Elizabeth said nothing, but while her brothers began to protest and ask why they had not been told before, she understood. As hard as it was to accept, children did not always survive infancy, or even the birthing process in some cases. And given the twins', and even her admittedly, tendency to grow impatient, it had been better for the baby to have already arrived safely before they had known.

"You could have at least told us you were expecting a baby," Geoffrey said, frowning slightly.

"Remember what Lady Bryan said, Geoff," Harry nudged his brother. "Princes do not sulk."

"I wasn't sulking," Geoffrey replied.

"You were looking cross, which is very much the same thing," Elizabeth pointed out. "Now, let us meet our new baby cousin without your sour complaints."

As Elizabeth laid eyes upon the infant, she immediately noticed while he possessed George's dark eyes, he also greatly resembled his mother.

"Sir Francis is to be a father as well," Jane said, stroking the baby's curls. "He wanted to keep it a surprise, but I suppose given that we kept William a surprise, it seems only fitting that you be informed of this one."

"He and Ursula expect that the baby will arrive sometime in spring, God willing," George added.

"We'll pray for them," Harry said with a smile.

Geoffrey's sullen expression immediately became a smile as well as he nodded.

"Every day," he promised. "Several times a day."

Though it was almost force of habit for Elizabeth to offer to pray for a boy, she also knew that her cousin Francis would not be likely to pressure Ursula for a son as her own father had done to her mother. Of course, Francis wasn't a king and so the matter was an entirely different one.

...

"Have you told your mother yet?" Ursula asked her husband with a wry smile, already anticipating the man's answer.

Francis chuckled and shook his head.

"I have not, but I have a strong suspicion that George has already done so for me," he answered, before planting a kiss atop his wife's head.

"Have you spared any thought for what you wish the baby's name to be?" Ursula then asked as she lay down beside her husband, her head atop his chest.

"I confess I have not," he answered truthfully. "This particular circumstance has never been my area of expertise. Have you?"

The new Lady Bryan nodded.

"Should our child be a boy, Edmund," she said, to which Francis gave an approving nod. "And should it be a girl...Anne. For the queen."

Immediately a wicked grin spread across Francis's face.

"Anne," he spoke the name softly. "For the queen. I like it."

"It will honor your departed cousin," Ursula pressed a kiss to her husband's lips. "And it will no doubt unsettle the Seymours. In fact, were it not for that imbecile Thomas Seymour, I would have suggested the name Thomas for your father."

"My father," Francis snorted derisively. "A man I barely even knew, much less felt any sense of affection or kinship for."

"Well I have every confidence that our son, or daughter, will hold you in much higher regard," Ursula replied. "After all, someone has to."

"My dear wife, you wound me," Francis said, feigning sadness, only for the charade to immediately give way to laughter.

...

At first, she didn't dare believe it to be true. But now there was no doubt.

"I am with child again," Jane whispered softly as she sat with Dorothy and Elizabeth.

"Truly, Sister?" Elizabeth asked, hardly daring to believe it.

Jane nodded.

"I will sup with His Majesty this evening, and I am quite certain he will be pleased," she said, with a slight air of pride.

"Should this be another son," Elizabeth's voice lowered to a whisper, "Perhaps the king will be inclined to look more upon Edward and Margery as well. They are after all, his only legitimate heirs."

"But what of Princess Mary?" Dorothy looked puzzled. "She is legitimate as well."

"Lady Mary is nothing but a bastard," Elizabeth scoffed. "And betrothed to a heretic as well. Really, Janey, it's better to wash your hands of the girl. Like Edward said, think of your own children."

"I have thought of my own children for some time now, Bess," Jane said softly. "Lady Mary was indeed a good and loving stepdaughter...but she is not a princess as Margery is. And of course there is no question Edward would make a fine king someday were it not for his being so much younger than the twins."

"There's a simple solution to that little dilemma," Elizabeth stated with a slight smile.

The cold way in which her sister said this actually unnerved Jane. Was her sister truly prepared to take the matter to that point?

...

...

And there is your first cliffhanger of the new year, and I promise the next chapter will be out, without fail, on Tuesday, January 14th. Until then, everyone.