Hello! Thank you so much for reading! Just a warning, there will be frequent time skips in the next few chapters!

April 12, 1559

Spain

King Philip's Annullment to Elizabeth had been accepted by the Church only four days earlier, and Catherine is already getting married. It is true, the annulment took longer than expected. This is because Philip wanted his child with Elizabeth to remain legitimate. This was an odd request but the Church was careful not to upset the extremely catholic and extremely powerful Hapsburg.

It seemed even an ocean away and divorced, Elizabeth was still worrying to Catherine. King Phillip's teenage son and heir, Carlos, had displayed unsettling spell of violence and mental instability. Catherine had even heard some nobles speak about cutting Carlos out of the line of succession. This meant that if Elizabeth gave birth to a boy, he'd be the future king of Spain.

The situation with Carlos worried Catherine on another level as well. In order to reinstate the alliance that France and Spain were supposed to have, Philip betrothed Prince Carlos to Princess Elisabeth of France, Francis's sister. Catherine did not know the princess, but she knew anyone related to Francis and Charles was probably a good person. She feared on how Carlos would treat her.

However she couldn't think of that now. She was getting married to the Spanish king, only months after marrying her beloved Edward. In honesty she did not resent this. She missed Edward dearly, but King Philip was a kind man, she thought maybe she could find love with him again.

Philip commissioned a grand dress to be made to mimic the white dress that Catherine's cousin, Queen Mary wore on her own wedding day. The wedding was not a grand one, only high ranking members of Spanish court were there. However, Catherine was able to have her little sister, Lady Mary, come to Spain for the wedding.

Wedding Celebration

A small celebration and feast had been arranged for after the wedding. Not much could be done because Philip did not wish to push the wedding back further, but Catherine did not mind. The simpler festivities reminded her of her more humble upbringing, she certainly was not born a royal.

Now she was a royal. Not just a minor royal, but the Queen of Spain. The fact that in technicality, she was Elizabeth's successor of Queen Consort, left a bad taste in her mouth. Out of all of them, Queen Mary including, Catherine probably hated Elizaebth the most.

After having the first dance with her husband, Catherine walked over to her sister had hugged her tightly," I am so glad you could make it!"

Lady Mary grinned and hugged her sister," Well it is not everyday my sister become a Queen!" Of course she had not realized it until after she said it, but when her eldest sister became queen, she had lost her head.

Catherine smiled and pulled her sister to the side so they could speak in private," I must confide to you dear sister." She whispered.

Mary was now afraid of what her sister had to say," What is it? Is something wrong?" She asked worried.

"It is not a bad thing, but something that must be a secret," she whispered," I am with child, it is philip's and it is very recent but I am with child!"

"What? Why did you not wait until marriage?" Lady Mary asked, suddenly realizing why their wedding had been so rushed.

"I did not want him returning to his mistress, I was afraid I was going to enter a marriage where the king had a mistress," Catherine said and looked down," I lost the love of my life, but I think I could love Philip someday."

Lady Mary nodded as she understood. She knew that Charles would never take a mistress, and he would always be faithful, however not everyone was like that." Well I hope he grows to love you as well!"

England

Mary had worked vigorously for months, trying to secure her place on the throne. She had won the battle, however there were still those who doubted her. It also did not help that her mother kept meddling in English politics, which the English nobles did not approve of.

She felt exhausted all the time. However, her determination did not falter, it also helped that Francis was always so supportive. He was not king yet so he did not have to worry about France. She resented the day when he would be king. She knew part of his attention would have to go to running his nation, and she feared without his constant support she would fail.

As she sat at her vanity combing her hair the door opened and through the mirror she could see Francis enter." Hello my love," she said and smiled as she stood up," You in late. Is everything alright?"

He nodded and sat down on their bed," I was just debating with my mother on why we cannot go to France for my sister's wedding next month. I tried to tell her that stabilizing England will take time. But she says if we go we show unity."

"Elisabeth is your closest sibling," Mary said and sat down next to her," We would never want to miss her wedding. We can go to France for one week and see your sister get married. My mother will take care of England."

"Are you sure? Your mother is barely popular in Scotland, let alone England," Francis replied.

She nodded and smiled," Yes, my mother can be in charge for one week. Besides, by then the threat will die down! Catherine is now married to King Philip, and Elizabeth should be arriving in Scotland any day now, England is stabilized." Mary had sent Elizabeth to Scotland to give birth to her child. There were two reasons she made the decision. One was she could not stand to be around Elizabeth any longer. The other, and probably important reason was that if Elizabeth was in Scotland, she was not in England, and if she was not in England, she was not as much of a threat.

April 14, 1559

Scotland

Elizabeth hated Scotland. She always had. It was cold, far colder than England, and rainy, more so than England. The people were proud, more so than the English. The native language sound like a strew of made up words, not like the sophisticated and elegant English language. Elizabeth knew the reason the Scottish and English always fought was because they were so different. The only thing they had in common in her eyes, was the same wretched Queen.

Her feelings of Scotland had not changed since her carriage had crossed the Scottish border. On the contrary, she thought she hated it more. The ride was rough, and her Scottish escorts were rude. She wondered how ant Scotsman ever found a suitable wife, they were all horrid.

However, she was not allowed to leave the country she hated with a burning passion. Mary did not want her in England, and Mary gets what Mary wants. Perhaps the worst part about this was that she would have to endure Scottish court, which was always more gaudy and obnoxious than English court, and remain in the custody of Mary'w half brother, James Stewart. Not only was he a Scotsman, whom, as previously stated, Elizabeth hates, but he was also related to Mary, and not through a good bloodline like she was.

As Elizabeth stepped out of the carriage the servant announced," Her Grace the Marquess of Pembroke." Mary had let her keep her title, so it could be passed on to her daughter. Though Elizabeth knew Mary only did it to show everyone unbearably nice she was.

Elizabeth waited on the courtyard until a tall and handsome man walked up to her. She knew this must have been James. She hated to admit it, but he made her blush a little. There was something about him, and there was something about the idea of them that made Elizabeth smile.

"Good day your grace," he said with such a politeness Elizabeth blushed again, perhaps the Scottish weren't so bad after all." Welcome to Scotland."

Then she realized something, she could have it all. She knew James was not married, and, other than her recent conviction of treason, Elizabeth and James were of equal standing. After all they were both illegitimate children of kings, and they'd each have something to gain. If they got married, James would ensure his family have a standing in English court as well as Scottish, since Elizabeth would pass down her title to their children. Elizabeth perhaps gained the most, she would be wife to the regent of Scotland, the closest thing she'd ever get to Queen now, and Mary could never kill her brother's wife. Additionally, they were both Protestants, which was hard to find. She knew her life and legacy were secure if she made him fall in love with her, and if she fell in love with him, so be it.