October 23rd 1517
Dowager Queen's Chambers, Blutenburg Castle, Germany
Dowager Queen Angelique POV
I (red hair, slanted green eyes, full lips, diamond shaped face, button nose, and a pale complexion) am lying in bed, knitting as my stepson, King Cornelius I has me on bedrest and will not let me get out unless I have to use the loo.
As the former Queen of Germany, I knit and sew clothing for all seasons for the poor as I will continue to do until I am too old to do it.
As Cornelius' betrothed is two years younger than he, he will not have to wait long.
As I think about his upcoming nuptials, my water breaks and one of the maids gets the midwife as another maid makes sure to put pillows under my legs and get me ready for the coming birth as if I haven't done this before.
When the midwife arrives, the first babe is crowning and I cannot stop myself from pushing any longer.
I push and push for hours until all eight babes are born.
I black out and come to later only to find out that I can never bare another child and I cry as that is all a woman has. (A/N I don't really think that but back in those days well they would be used as baby machines until they were either dead or barren.)
Cornelius (a mix between Maximilian and Bianca) comes in at that moment and asks what their names will be.
''The firstborn shall be named Maximilian (looks like a male Angelique), Duke of Munich after his father. The secondborn shall be named Isabella (a female Maximilian in looks), Duchess of Nuremberg after my dear friend. The next will be named Finnick (red hair, slanted brown eyes, oval shaped face, tan complexion, thin upper lip, and his father's nose), Duke of Dusseldorf and his sister will be named Lilium (blonde hair, monolid green eyes, pale complexion, full lips, diamond shaped face, and a button nose), Duchess of Fussen. The next shall be named Felix (blonde hair, monolid green eyes, pale complexion, full lips, oval shaped face, and button nose), Duke of Koblenz and Mila (looks exactly like Angelique), Duchess of Wurzburg. The youngest shall be named Emil (a mini Maximilian), Duke of Potsdam and Anna (red hair, monolid brown eyes, diamond shaped face, thin upper lip, button nose, pale complexion), Duchess of Trier.''
As Princess Anna (mini Angelique) is Duchess of Baden-Baden, Princess Gertrude (red hair, slanted brown eyes, full lips, golden tan complexion, oval shaped face, and a Grecian nose from my mother's side) is Duchess of Bamberg, Prince Anthony (black hair, almond shaped grey eyes, roman nose, pale complexion, thin lips, and diamond shaped face. He took after his grandfather on his mother's side)is Duke of Bremen, Princess Amelia (looks like her mother) is Duchess of Lubeck, and Cornelius was Duke of Hanover before becoming King, they cannot take their siblings titles.
They are the last piece of Maximilian I have left tied to here on Earth.
And now they have to have betrothal contracts signed.
Isabella is betrothed to Fernando Alvarez de Toledo y Pimentel as he is only ten years her senior.
Maximilian is betrothed to the unborn daughter of Primrose and Esteban Garcia as they would make an excellent match.
Lilium is betrothed to Prince Afonso of Portugal, son of King Manuel and Queen Megan.
Finnick is betrothed to Lady Titania Belle's newborn daughter, Mary.
Mila is betrothed to William Graham, second Earl of Montrose.
Felix to the newborn Mary Howard (making her older).
Anna to one-year-old James Hamilton.
And Emil to Catherine Howard (again making her older).
October 30th 1517
King's Chambers
King Cornelius I POV
I think of my new siblings and think of how sad it is that they won't get to know our father except from paintings and stories of him.
We almost lost mother again, this time to the sweating sickness but she is a fighter and always manages to survive.
Queen Megan is with child once more as she conceived two months ago and Prince Nathaniel, Prince Manuel, Princess Joana, Prine Afonso, and Prince Luis will have a younger sibling, as Queen Megan after delivering Afonso and Luis in December of last year, had been told that she most likely couldn't have any more children.
I see an old letter on the desk and I open it and read it.
Dear Angelique,
Henry wants to name our first son named after him but I spelled him to have our first son named Beauregard instead so that my family's tradition of naming the firstborn child a French name continues as I will have it no other way. I wish Edward had been King and my husband as I love him so much. As soon as anyone else reads this if they do, they will forget and see another letter altogether so do not worry as no one can find out what I have writ.
Your friend,
Queen Isabella
As soon as I am done reading it, the spell kicks in and I forget everything and burn the letter.
After I do, I go back to my desk and write a letter to my betrothed, Hedwig and I send with it a necklace to show her how much she will mean to me.
The necklace is shaped as a heart with a ruby as the heart.
I send both with the messenger and I know that Hedwig will get it in time.
November 5th 1517
Passau Manor
Lady Hedwig Engel POV
I see a messenger coming with a letter and a parcel to give to either me, mother, or my three sisters as we are four girls out of seven children.
When he asks for me by name, I know it is from King Cornelius as we are to marry when we are of age.
I cannot wait until my twelfth birthday as I will marry my King who will treat me well and I shall give birth to his children until I am barren.
Talia, Felicia, and Susan are jealous of the necklace that my betrothed sent to me as I am the youngest daughter.
Susan, who is thirteen is married to Lord Albert, Duke of Prussia and is with child and has to return to Prussia before she is heavily pregnant as she is only two months along.
Talia, who just turned twelve is to marry our fifth cousin, Anton Engel, Earl of Cologne.
And Felicia, who is ten is betrothed to Francis Talbot, the next Earl of Shrewsbury.
Our brothers are seventeen, fifteen, and fourteen respectively.
Leon, the eldest is married to Margaret Engel nee Stanley and has three sons by her, Alaric, Klaus, and Finn.
Ansel is married to Isabel Engel nee Hay and has one son, Maximilian.
Aurik just married Anne Engel nee Manners, daughter to George Manners, eleventh Baron of de Ros.