A/N: I do not own anything you recognize. Chapter nine is here, readers!
Summary: A second son, a Duke of York, but still equally beloved.
Edward
He wasn't sure if he was named after her mother's ancestors, the previous kings of England or after his father, but decided to just think it was both (as he was far too nervous to ask his mother).
He didn't remember much of his time being a baby, of course he didn't, and then he was sent to live in Hatfield with his other siblings (though Harry left when he turned six).
As a boy, he was closest to his sister, Victoria. Though he'd have preferred it to be Harry, and it was Harry until they turned six, the older boy going to Ludlow was the point when he started staying more in Tori's company. He was sure he was secretly his father's favourite, after all, Prince Consort Edward of Portugal himself knew of being only the brother of the future king.
But his mother, he had always felt that it was Harry who was her favourite: Harry the Prince of Wales, Harry the firstborn, Harry the eldest. He was always Edward the Duke of York, Edward the second-born, Edward the second-eldest.
But he always wore the title of Duke of York like a badge – it belonged to his grandfather and great-great-grandfather, it was still a title bestowed upon him by his mother, but... he preferred being Ned Tudor to Prince Edward, Duke of York.
And sometimes, when he saw his mother smile and call Tori her 'little empress', he wished that he had a moniker too. Harry was the eldest, and the eldest son, with Tori still her eldest daughter.
He, too, was four when he was told that he was to marry Lady Anna d'Este. It was a purely political marriage, and he naively asked why he hadn't met her.
"You are a Prince, Your Highness," his governess gently taught, "Royalty doesn't marry for love; they marry for politics. Your brother is going to secure an alliance with Scotland by marrying their princess and two of your sisters are going to secure a Hapsburg-Tudor alliance, just as you are to secure one with the Duchy of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio."
"But Mama and Papa...?" he asked.
"Your mama, Her Majesty the Queen, married His Royal Highness, your papa, to secure an Anglo-Portuguese alliance that was more than beneficial towards trade and navy. Before that, there had been talks of a marriage between Emperor Charles and herself, or one between her and a Royal Duke of the Low Countries."
That was a shocking revelation to say the least, he'd always thought that Mama and Papa had met one day and fell in love like in the stories. But they still loved each other, and Ned was firm in that belief.
Every Christmas, all the royal children were called to court for celebrations, and the Christmas of 1539 was no different, except for the fact that this time there'd be two queens instead of one, what with Meg being the new Queen of Scots.
Her mother was there, with his father by her side. And another girl he didn't know was there, who quickly sought him out and curtsied after the celebrations began, "I am Lady Anna d'Este, Your Highness; I will be introduced after a while, but found it prudent to meet your highness beforehand."
Having been taught the perfect behaviour and decorum befitting a prince, he bowed, not very low (she was the lady daughter of a duke while he a prince), and kissed her hand, "'tis a pleasure to meet you, My Lady. I hope we shall be further acquainted in the future," and if he saw his mother smiling mysteriously at him, he wasn't bothered. He knew there were things Mother had never told anyone, even Father, Aunt Marie, Grandmother Katherine or any of her children; but, she was a very busy and important person, and thus probably had confidential work to do.
But, he stopped those thoughts, and continued chatting amicably with Lady Anna. Perhaps having her as his Duchess of York wouldn't be too bad.
He could already see Father smirking at him when he thought Ned wasn't seeing for some inexplicable reason that Mother knew and constantly smacked his arm playfully for, but there was also mirth in her eyes.
When he came to court again when he was twelve, his parents were not acting with each other like they usually did: Mother was colder and Father was more formal towards her.
He didn't like it.
A while later, Isabella died due to the flu that had been going around lately, and Ned swore he'd never seen his mother more grief-stricken. Then, a year later, his brother just had to do that stunt, which caused Mother's fury to unleash in all its glory, and boy, oh boy, did those groomsmen get a horrible penalizing.
Ned had determined one thing, though: Mother and the Queen were two different people under one person; Mother would smother and chastise you, while the Queen was far sterner.
(Ned sorely hoped confronting 'the Queen' wasn't on his cards)
Unfortunately for him, the Queen was on his cards, but at least she wasn't cross with him, and at least both Harry and Tori were there with Ned.
"I want you three to check what exactly is going on with the schools and colleges; quietly of course, as I've had certain information they're not being run by my instructions. Perhaps this will teach you more of the realm as well."
Well.
That was an odd way of education, but who was he to question his mother? She always had a plan.
So he, Harry and Tori secretly infiltrated one of the many schools that Mother had set up in order to educate English children – both nobles and commoners – better, and lo and behold: it wasn't being run per her instructions.
Children of higher class were more favoured, girls were discriminated, and all in all, noble boys were the only ones who came out unscathed (in the metaphorical sense). And a cane was being used in two of the fifteen schools they were to 'judge' upon despite the Queen's clear ban on it.
Mother was not happy. No, scratch that, she was absolutely raging.
He'd heard her once say: Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus which translated to 'never tickle a sleeping dragon' and couldn't help but relate.
Still, within weeks, the problems were solved, and Ned admired his mother's efficiency as Queen.
Then, Bedfordshire happened.
It was frightening, and it gave him a peek into a sovereign's life – and not the brighter part. A monarch is always in constant danger and fear for their life, his mother once said; it seemed so real after the plot...and so wrong.
As if that wasn't enough, baby John (well, at least Mother had planned to name him John) was miscarried when Grandma Katherine's death's news reached them.
He saw from the frontlines with his older brother and younger sister (Tori) as their mother had every single relation of Bessie Blount thrown in the Tower to be questioned thoroughly, as she stripped the Blount, Tailboys and Clinton families of all their honours and titles, making them nothing more than disgraced relations of a traitor, as she unflinchingly signed the death warrant of every single person in on the ploy.
The only unharmed person in all these was his uncle, Henry Fitzroy, which was quite ironic, as the plot was to catapult him on the throne. But Mother knew he was innocent and acted the merciful queen with him, "reputation needs to be maintained" as Machiavelli explained in his book and his mother taught her children. But, he was now just Viscount Fitzroy (to maintain his noble status, his mother explained, people will scorn him otherwise) instead of His Grace, Henry Fitzroy, Earl of Durham, as they couldn't have him gaining too much influence through rebels.
Every male in the plot was to be hanged, drawn and quartered, just as every female (including Bessie Blount) was to be burnt.
"We can't afford to go easy on traitors, especially when they killed an honoured member of the royal family – the Queen Mother at that!" she explained.
Ned kept that little piece of advice all his life: can't afford to go easy on traitors.
When he thought about it, his mother's advice was heavily relied upon by everyone surrounding them, but that was to be expected.
Sometimes, he felt overshadowed by Harry. He would be King Henry IX in the (hopefully far away) future, bearing the names of people like Henry VII and Henry VIII, continue to reign as King of England, continue their mother's legacy, the Tudor legacy; he would be Prince Edward, Duke of York, the spare, who would play a part in his brother's court.
At times like these, Mother inevitably noticed. Ned was always flustered, no matter how many times it happened, and was content enough to get a bear hug from her, no matter how old he got.
"That boy," Mother would say fondly about Harry, "Will need someone who can stop him from declaring war for every little insult and keep him in line, not doing anything foolish. I think you and Meg should work together on that," she would add.
He felt a glimmer of pride for himself then, because he was the sensible one.
But when he is sitting on a table, having dinner with the whole family – cousins and aunts and uncles and all – being a second son doesn't matter, he is still Elisabeth Tudor's son, and he knows she is the best possible mother he could ever ask for.
Elisabeth Regina-Elisabeth Regina-Elisabeth Regina
Seven years after his baby sister's birth, having reigned thirty-three years as Queen of England, having lived for forty-four years, with her eldest children in their late twenties and having children of their own, Mother dies.
Everyone had been expecting it: the first seed was Jacquetta's difficult birth, followed by not only her age and number of children she gave birth to, but the amount of fatigue she might get from working so much. Still, it was a shock, and a slap to the face to know Mother was dead.
And if he cried himself to sleep, and for the first time since he was four referred to his mother as Mama, then no one knew.
Two decades later, he was the new King of Portugal. He'd never expected it; after all, he never ever thought he'd be King of England, where his mother reigned, much less Portugal. And if he'd ever even thought about being a king, he always believed he'd have Anna by his side, as his queen. Alas, Anna was dead, and even if he married twice more, they were not Anna.
He'd happily remain celibate forever in Anna's, except just two children as heirs, even for a second son, weren't considered enough.
A few years later, he knows he is doing the right thing by leaving his and Anna's firstborn, Charles, as King.
A/N: Phew! This chapter's done! So, tell me what you felt about Ned in the reviews! Constructive criticism, as always, is welcomed.
Next up: Victoria!
In this chapter, I've made a small reference to one of Harry's less liked character traits: he's rash; he has perfectly good intentions, but he's way too reckless. As for Ned, he has the second-son thing.
If you are curious as to my activeness when I all but said I'd be a ghost, check out the next chapter. Yes, two chapters in a day. Yay moment.