January 3, 1559
England
As Mary stood on the pedestal, her ladies lacing up and adding finishing touches to her white and gold dress, she stared out the window to the cloudy skies of her new kingdom. It was coronation day, and she could hardly believe that she made it this far. This coronation would not completely solve her problem of Elizabeth, but it is much harder to overthrow an anointed monarch. Even still, she could not help but feel like the worst was yet to come. She had asked Lady Elizabeth to be in the ceremony, in order to display unity and loyalty, but Elizabeth refused. This would certainly send a message to the Protestants of England that they should not recognize this coronation, or Mary's reign.
However, she was lucky to have the Grey sister's by her side. Their loyalty meant the world to her, and certainly helped to ease tensions with the more moderate Protestant factions of England. In addition, Mary felt a since of comfort with her cousins. Their friendship had made this transition easier for Mary. "Your Majesty?" Catherine asked, snapping the Queen out of her trance, "Are you alright?"
The Queen nodded and forced a smile, "Yes, I am all right, thank you." Placing her hands on her belly, she knew that this day would define most of her unborn child's life. Upon birth, her baby would be the heir to English and Scottish Thrones. If it was a boy, it would also be the heir to the French throne. Three countries with a history of eternal warfare, finally united by her unborn child, and she was the key to all of it. If she failed. If she took one wrong move, then her child's future could be completely derailed. She needed to do this right. She needed to be the best Queen possible.
"Your majesty," A maid said, entering the room with a deep curtsy, "It is time to start the procession."
Mary looked in the mirror. Her white and gold dress almost shimmered in the light coming in through the window. It contrasted nicely with her auburn hair which fell elegantly on her shoulders. She looked very bit the Queen she was supposed to be. She even looked almost god-like, as if she personified the Greek Goddess Hera herself. With all the pageantry and glamor, you could easily forget to look at the girl underneath it all, and the fear she carried in her eyes.
Mary and her two cousins walked outside and stepped into the carriage. She wished Francis could be here, but he was not English royalty, so he was not allowed to be a part of the ceremony, he could only watch. In Scotland, Francis was granted the crown matrimonial, making him the King of Scotland. However, the English privy council refused to grant him the same honor in England, not that either of them pushed the issue. Mary knew that her own crown was unstable, so she would not expect the english to grant her French husband any sort of honors.
As the carriage exited the palace gates, Mary could finally start the see the crowds of people, cheering for her. As she rode past them, she made sure to smile and wave. The people were what made all of this worth it. She knew that she had the power to help them and make their lives better. However, they were also what she feared most. Her role relied on the loyalty of the people. They are all cheering for her coronation today, but tomorrow they could be calling for her execution. Especially in England of all places, Mary knew that she always remain vigilant for plots to turn the people against.
In this moment though, Mary did not dwell on those negative thoughts. For so long the people of England felt hopeless. They watched a brutal old Queen try and cling to the antiquated ways of the old world, but in Mary Stuart, they saw a young, vibrant, and modern Queen. In Mary, they saw someone who could change the world and bring England into the modern era once again, and restore their place as a European power. "I wish Elizabeth was here," Mary said to her cousins, "Imagine the power of a unified group of Tudor women."
"But we aren't unified," Lady Mary grey replied shyly, trying to focus with the roaring of the crowds in the background. Unlike the people of England, Lady Mary's hopelessness was not alleviated by the new Queen, because she knew what was really going on. Their cousin could be preparing for a Civil War ten times worse than the War of the Roses for all they knew, and it seemed they were powerless to stop her.
"It will be ok," The Queen said with a smile, grabbed her cousin's hand. The Queen was so charismatic, so mystifying, that Lady Mary almost believed her, even though she knew the Queen was lying. None of them knew it was going to be ok.
As they reached the abbey, snow began to fall and the crowds roared again. Once again, this snow symbolized new hope, and as the new Queen stepped out of the carriage with the light flurries falling around her, the people once again believed in the divine right of Queens. Stepping into the abbey, her cousins held the ends of her dress. Walking down the aisle she felt as if she were marrying England. She could only see a few faces as she continued, her mother was one of them, but she desperately tried to find Francis. She could use his kind smile right now.
Unable to find him, she reached the altar with the priest. Kneeling in front of him, she took a deep breathe, and tried to remember the different aspects of the ceremony. She did not want to mess this up. The priest picked up the crown and began asking Mary to recite her oath. Her voice was shaky at first, but she managed to grow more confident as she spoke, promising the people of England that she would honor them. She truly meant it, and she hoped she could live up to that promise. "I know pronounce you, Queen Mary the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of England and Ireland, Defender of the Faith. Long may she reign." Normally King of France was included in the English monarch's title, dating back to a previous king's claim to the English throne. However, Mary had it taken out, seeing as her husband was the future king of France, so she did not want to delegitimize her own husband's title by claiming his crown. Even if it was just for show. Besides, when Francis became King, then Mary would become Queen anyway, permanently uniting the two counties, leaving the old claim useless.
With the ceremony over the palace reception in fully swing, Mary did not feel the sense of relief she expected. In fact, she felt more dread now than ever. She called her cousins, including Elizabeth into a private room. She had been planning this gift since she got here, and she also hoped it would ease Elizabeth's thirst for power and status. "Thank you for coming here," She smiled, gesturing to three papers she laid out in front of her.
"Of course your majesty," Catherine replied and they all fell into a deep curtsy.
"Now that I have been coronated, I feel comfortable bestowing these gifts upon you," She smiled and leaned down, signing each one of the papers. "As of right now, Lady Catherine Grey, I formally return all your family lands and titles back to you, and create you the Duchess of Suffolk and Marquess of Dorset. You will have your old family's estate and possessions returned to you, and you have been created with this title in your own right, and it is to be inherited by your heirs male upon your death."
Catherine and Mary Grey were almost speechless at this declaration. Their family lands and wealth had been stripped from them when their sister tried to become Queen. Since then, their family had practically nothing, but now they had just been given all of it back. "Your Majesty is too kind. Really and truly, thank you so much!"
"Of course," The Queen said with a genuine smile, "I reward loyalty," she added, quickly shooting a glance at Elizabeth. "For you lady Mary, I have decided to create you the Countess of Cambridge, with an estate and annual income as well." She could tell her cousin was shocked and excited at the same time. "Now Elizabeth, I did not give you a dukedom, for I thought this may be more appropriate. I have created you the Marquess of Pembroke. This is the title your mother received from King Henry."
"I know that," Elizabeth scoffed, but she'd be lying if she said this didn't make her happy to be the true heir to her mother.
"In addition, I am currently working on giving the old Boleyn family lands and your grandfather's title, to Baron Hudson. Since he is the eldest son to your grandfather's eldest child, I felt he would be the appropriate recipient," Queen Mary said with a smile, hoping this recognition and restoration of her family's honor would appease Elizabeth enough. With an estate, title, and family prominence, Elizabeth could secure a good marriage, perhaps even to Lord Dudley, her rumored lover. Mary could only hope she's realize this and retire to the countryside happily.
"If you are trying to buy me off, trying giving me the crown instead," Elizabeth snapped, dashing Mary's hope for appeasement. "Your reign is already on borrowed time. I am the rightful Queen of England, and you can give me as many titles as you want, but I will not stop until I hold that one. And I don't care if I have to kill you to get it." Lady Elizabeth stormed out in a rage. She was offended that Mary offered her something as trivial as a title to make her happy. This wasn't about titles or even power. This was about honor and birthright. This was about her mother.
After hearing Elizabeth's threat, Mary sank back into her chair, feeling almost sick. Her eyes filled with tears as she tried to process the explosion she had just witnessed. She wants to kill me she thought to herself. Previously, this had been the unthinkable. She and Elizabeth were family after all. They may fight for power, but murder? She could not even imagine.
"Your majesty?" Catherine rushed to the Queen's side, knowing this was all too much for her. "What do you need? Can I get you something?"
Mary wiped away her tears, trying to pull herself together. It was now time for a strategy session. The situation had changed with Elizabeth's threat, and she needed to be prepared for anything. "Go get my mother," the Queen mumbled as she continued wiping away her tears.