First of all, I would like to apologize for how long it took for this chapter to be released. The past few months have been very difficult for me– there were two deaths in the family, I escaped from an abusive relationship, I was ill quite a few times, etc. But now I'm back, and hopefully it won't take so long for another update! I just hope that it hasn't been so long that people have lost interest.
Anyways, now we can proceed on with the story. William Brereton has been arrested, yet another attempt on the lives of Anne and the Tudor children has occurred, and it seems that Brereton has named some supposed 'accomplices' of his. But how will the 'accomplices,' as well as those in the Court, countryside, and other European countries, react to Henry's outrage?
This will be a very, very long chapter, and will cover months of plot. As an apology for taking so long, I've combined the original chapter length with the next chapter, so that it will just be one long chapter. Enjoy!
Note: For this chapter, as it will have many different point of views that sometime takes place on the same day/same time in different places, I will include the location for each section as well as the date!
May 27th, 1534
Greenwich Palace
"His Grace, the Duke of Suffolk." Henry's groom announced as Suffolk walked into the room, his gaze slightly down as he entered. It was not unusual for Suffolk to do this when he sensed that Henry was in a bad mood, something that Henry had come to notice over the course of their long friendship, but he couldn't lie to himself– it was annoying.
"Charles," Henry said curtly, giving his friend a false courteous smile as he motioned for the groom to leave the pair alone. "I trust that you are well."
Suffolk looked up as Henry spoke, although he stayed silent, unsure of what to say. Ever since the latest attempt on Anne Boleyn's life, as well as that of her children, the entire Court had been on its toes. While Anne Boleyn was fine, and was said to have recovered from William Brereton's poison, it was rumored that the younger son, Prince Edmund, had not yet fully recovered from being strangled by Brereton.
Although he hated Anne Boleyn as well as the fact that she had won, and although he truly would not care if she died, Suffolk couldn't help but feel sorry for her in these moments. He knew what it was like to lose a child, as his only child, Lord Henry Brandon, had died in March, leaving him and Catherine devastated, so he knew how Anne Boleyn must feel now, knowing how close she had come to losing her children.
"I have been better, Your Majesty," Suffolk admitted after a while, a sigh escaping from his lips as he spoke. "The Duchess and I are still mourning the loss of my son."
Henry frowned. "I am sorry to hear that." The words were genuine– although he had only seen his nephew a few times in his short life, it had hurt him to hear of Henry Brandon's death. With the young boy now dead, all of his living reminders of Margaret were gone, save himself. In times like this, times where he thought of his sister and her death, it reminded him how important it was that his siblings be raised as loving and close to each other– one day, him and Anne would be gone, and although he's prayed that that time won't come for many years, he knew that it was important to foster close sibling relationships early. After all, it would pain him to know that any of his beloved children hated each other.
He shook the thought out of his head and focused his attention back on Suffolk. "I wanted to talk with you about the Dowager Princess, and my daughter, Mary Fitzroy." Henry said finally, bringing his mind back to the original reason why he had summoned Suffolk to him.
Suffolk looked up at the King again, bewilderment and curiosity written all over his face. "Your Majesty?" He questioned in confusion. Why would the King want to talk about his disgraced wife and daughter now? They were in the Tower of London now, far worse off than they had been in their initial banishments at the More and Hatfield, and the people of England had all but turned on the pair: even now, he was sure that peasants outside the Palace were jeering and calling Catherine of Aragon a whore and a liar, all in order to put Anne Boleyn on a pedestal.
He had been with Thomas Cromwell when he went to the More to arrest Catherine of Aragon, and had likewise been with Thomas Boleyn when he went to Hatfield to arrest Princess Mary, all at the King's insistence. He could still picture Princess Mary's sobs and hysterical insistances that she had never tried to harm her siblings, as well as Queen Catherine's disbelief and insistence that there must be some mistake, and that was enough to drive him to retch. Even worse, Henry had ordered him to interrogate the pair, a task that he admittedly could not bring himself to do yet.
It pained Suffolk to know that Henry, who had once been Queen Catherine's Sir Loyal Heart and the light of Princess Mary's life, would do something so vile to her because of Anne Boleyn. Him and Henry both knew that Queen Catherine was much too pious to ever attempt to murder anyone, much less a pregnant woman and small infants, so why was Henry pretending otherwise for a slut like Anne Boleyn?
"It has come to my attention that you and your men have not questioned them yet, despite the fact that I ordered you to." Henry stated, his voice cool and his face hardening.
"Your Majesty, I.."
"Just because Catherine is my sister-in-law and Mary is my daughter does not mean that they can't be questioned, especially when they were implicated in the attempted murder of my wife and children!" Henry yelled suddenly, slamming his fists down on the table in front of him. "Anne, my precious Queen, could have died! Our unborn child could have died before it had the chance to draw its first breath! Edmund, my son, my youngest boy, is fighting for his life as we speak because that whore Catherine and our fanatical bitch of a daughter wanted to see them dead!"
He raised the nearby goblet and threw it against the wall in anger, getting a slight satisfaction at Suffolk's flinch. "There will be so special privileges for them, do you understand?" He asked, his voice urgent and laced with thinly veiled rage.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Suffolk replied.
Henry slowly sat down in the chair that he was standing next to and looked back up at Suffolk again with a glare. "You don't believe them to be guilty, do you?" He questioned, clenching his fist slightly as he asked the question. Even though he asked the question, he knew that Suffolk didn't believe Catherine and Mary to be guilty, and he also knew that Suffolk was no supporter of Anne and their children, despite acting contrary to the fact. He was not stupid, nor was he naïve– he knew that Suffolk blamed all of Catherine and Mary's problems on Anne, which was something that pained him, and deep down he knew that Suffolk likely didn't believe Mary to be a bastard, either.
However, despite all of this, he knew that he could not get rid of him. Suffolk was his friend, his closest friend, and had been that since their childhood; if he banished him from Court or took away his titles now, then people of the Court would, of course, blame Anne for it. Therefore, he would have to find other ways of dealing with him, until such a time came where he had no choice but to take real action against him.
"If Your Majesty believes them to be guilty, then I trust Your Majesty's judgement." Suffolk answered obediently, ignoring the way that Henry's teeth grinded at his answer.
"That isn't what I asked." Henry cut in, his glare becoming more tense as he spoke. "I asked if you believe that they're guilty. My judgement doesn't matter in this instance."
The silence stretched on for what felt like hours before Suffolk finally answered. "No, Your Majesty."
It was scarcely above a whisper, but despite that, Suffolk knew that Henry had heard him. He fully braced himself for Henry's wrath, although it never came, as Henry simply leaned back in his chair and stared at him for what, again, felt like hours.
"Since you can't bring it upon yourself to question the Dowager Princess and my daughter, I will find another man to do it." Henry declared. "You will send one of your men to the continent to retrieve Sir Francis Bryan– he is a cousin of Queen Anne, and a very capable interrogator. Tell him that I wish for him to return to Court, and, upon his arrival, he shall undertake the task of interrogating the Dowager Princess and her bastard. Since you believe them to not be traitors, I will give them the chance to prove it, through Sir Francis."
Suffolk was mortified. Not only was Henry going to send a man that neither Queen Catherine nor Princess Mary knew to interrogate them, but the man in question would be a cousin of Anne! Surely the Boleyn bitch herself was behind this. "But, Your Majesty.."
"You are dismissed, Charles."
There was nothing more that he could say or do, as the King's word was final, and he could not ignore the tone of dismissal in his voice. "I will do as Your Majesty commands," Suffolk said finally, bowing and retreating from the King's chambers as fast as possible.
What had he just done?
June 5th, 1534
Château de Fontainebleau, France
"There was an attempt on the life of Anne Boleyn," Queen Marguerite of Navarre reported, gently setting the piece of parchment with the news from France's ambassador down on the table in front of her and looking up towards her beloved brother. "Another one, according to the ambasaador."
François, King of France, frowned at this news, and leaned back against the chair that he was sitting in. As the closest neighboring country to England aside from Scotland, it was France that received news of the English Court's latest drama first, unless something should happen that would delay the arrival of news from the French ambassador to England. As such, he was always the first to extend congratulations, condolences, and the like to his English counterpart, and while he had no intention of shrinking from this self-proclaimed duty of his, the news that he received was especially shocking.
It was no secret that Anne Boleyn used to be unpopular among the English people before she birthed quadruplets to King Henry the previous year, but François had all but assumed that her unpopularity had faded away after the birth of two healthy sons.
"Give that here," François reached over to grab the piece of parchment off of the table and began to scan the pages, his eyes widening in disbelief as he read what was written in the ambassador's report.
The assassin in question– some groom to King Henry named William Brereton– had implicated Eustace Chapuys, the Imperial ambassador to England, Emperor Charles himself, and even the Pope in the plot to murder Anne! And, in addition to them, Catherine of Aragon and Henry's daughter, Mary Fitzroy, had also been implicated! Oh, what a scandal this was sure to turn into!
"Do you think all of this is true?" François questioned Marguerite, raising an eyebrow in amusement at his sister as he set the ambassador's report back down at the table and let out a slight chuckle.
"That Catherine of Aragon and Mary Fitzroy were involved? No," Marguerite replied honestly, a soft hum in her voice as she sat in a chair near her brother's. "However, I don't think it far-fetched that the Emperor and his ambassador would align with Pope Paul to murder Anne Boleyn; the Emperor would wish to see his aunt restored and his cousin as England's future Queen, and I believe that Pope Paul would resort to such drastic measures if he believed he was stopping 'heresy' from spreading in England." She made a point to stress her disbelief of the heresy title, as she sympathized heavily with Reformers and even shared some of their ideals herself in alignment with her Catholic faith, but François simply rolled his eyes jokingly and let out another chuckle.
"Ah, so you doubt the Pope?" He joked, before looking back down at the paper. "I agree with you– I think that Catherine and Mary are innocent, as well, but I don't think the same can be said about His Holiness and Emperor Charles."
"What will you do?" Marguerite asked, curious about what her brother's solution to the problem at hand would be. While she knew that François was a Catholic– a very devout one, in fact– she also knew that her brother was attempting to pursue another alliance with King Henry, and that anything less than a condemnation of Pope Paul and Charles would put him in a dangerous situation. Personally, she supported François condemning the men behind the attempt on Anne Boleyn's life, as she was always fond of the Boleyn girl during her time in France, but she knew that she and François could not afford to place their personal feelings above the interests of France.
François pondered the question for a moment, before finally answering. "I will reach out to King Henry and inform him that I utterly condemn the attempt on the life of his wife, Queen Anne, and that of their children. And then, I shall condemn His Holiness and Emperor Charles for endorsing the attempt– while still stressing that I am, and always will be, a devout Catholic." François added hastily. "Furthermore, I will withdraw the French ambassador to Spain– as I am sure King Henry plans to declare war– and send a marriage proposal to King Henry regarding his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, and my son, the Duke of Angoulême."
Marguerite smiled at her brother's declaration. "I think that it is a brilliant plan, François," She reassured him. "The King and Queen of England will be most grateful for allyship, I am sure of it."
"I hope that you're right, Marguerite." François sighed. "Henry can be a fickle man sometimes."
That was a fundemental fact, and Marguerite could not deny that. However, she could not help but hope that the King of England's fickleness would not affect France, which she valued above all else, or the life of Anne Boleyn, who she still considered as a close and personal friend.
God knows that Henry had affected the lives of so many others already.
June 25th, 1534
Rome, Italy
William Brereton named him.
At first, Pope Paul could not believe that Brereton would do something so reckless and careless, not when he knew that the fate of Christiandom laid in his hands because of his mission to murder the Concubine, Anne Boleyn. However, when Campeggio brought him the news of Brereton's arrest, torture, and subsequent confession, he knew that he had no choice but to accept the inevitable: England would be lost to heresy forever.
There was no chance that King Henry would ever bring England back to Catholicism now, not when he himself had been named as a conspirator in the assassination plot against the so-called Queen Anne, as well as her infant brats. And, as his bastard son would likely become the ruler of the country someday due to Henry's inability to accept that Anne Boleyn was a whore, he would never reinstate Catholicism when he learned that a Pope had supported the assassination attempt against his mother. Even Princess Mary, who was one of the most devout Catholics in the country, would not be able to express support for him now without being suspected of being a traitor. And, if she ever became Queen because of some miracle or another, she would also never be able to bring the nation back to Catholicism without invoking uprisings in the English countryside and losing the love of her people.
Oh, he was sure that the Lutheran heretics were enjoying this. Already, he had news that the heretics were spreading the news of the Boleyn scandal around Europe, publishing pamphlets and the like with information surrounding his involvement in thr attempted assassination attempt as well as that of the Holy Roman Emperor, something that likely filled the heretical German Dukes and Princes with delight, as well as those Turks.
Not to mention that the French King, Francis, condemned him as well, although he stated that he was still a devout Catholic and recognized him as God's representative on Earth. King Francis had also extended condolences to the nation and offered up an alliance between the countries against Spain, which he guessed that King Henry had eagerly endorsed. And, while there had been no official response from Spain yet over the Emperor's implication as well as the Spanish ambassador, he was sure that Emperor Charles was eager to get back on King Henry's good side.
The scandal that was resulting from this was almost too much to bear. He would have to do something to appease King Henry, and as much as it hurt him to do so, he knew that he had no choice.
There would be no official response from him. Instead, three Papal Bulls would be issued: the first of which would reverse the decision that he made regarding King Henry's Great Matter, stating that the Curia had made a mistake in the investigation into Henry's Matter and that his marriage to Catherine of Aragon was, in fact, unlawful. Therefore, his marriage to Anne Boleyn would be declared valid and its issue legitimate, while Princess Mary would be regarded as nothing but a bastard. The second of which would condemn and excommunicate William Brereton and Eustace Chapuys, denouncing the two as madmen who sought to bring England to ruin. The third and final Bull would remove the threat of excommunication from King Henry and his advisors, ensuring that Henry would no longer have to live with the threat of excommunication hanging over his head, whether he brought England back to the Church or not.
It pained him to do so, but it had to be done. It was the best that he could do under the circumstances.
England would be lost forever now, and it was all William Brereton's fault, but despite the fact that he helped bring ruin to the prestige of the Church through his foolishness and recklessness, he could not help but pray for the poor man's soul.
July 1st, 1534
The Tower of London
Catherine of Aragon, the true Queen of England and true wife of King Henry, was elated when she found out that her husband had summoned her to London– at least, until she found out why she was being summoned. When the guards and Henry's men had first arrived for her, she had optimistically assumed that they were there to escort her back into the city in triumph, to return her to the side of the husband who had recently been so cruel to her. But no, she was to be escorted to the Tower of London as a traitor instead of a Queen, an accomplice to attempted murder instead of the daughter of two great monarchs and the aunt of another. Henry had not even been decent enough to grant her a carriage to escort her back to London, instead having her ride in the same open cart that all traitors travelled in.
She was horrified to learn what all of the charges against her were, as well as the identities of her supposed accomplices. William Brereton, one of her husband's grooms, had confessed to attempting to assassinate Anne Boleyn on two separate occasions, once while she was pregnant with the quadruplets that had been of such damage to her and her daughter, and once not even two months ago. He had also been caught attempting to murder one of the sons that Anne Boleyn had given her husband, the youngest boy named Edmund, by Anne's brother, George! Surely, there was no question of his guilt, as he had been caught in the act, but the accomplices made her feel even worse about the ordeal– Chapuys, who had once been a true friend to her, had been named, as had her nephew Charles, the Holy Roman Emperor. But above all, her daughter Mary had been named, and so had His Holiness, the Pope! At first, she had been indignant towards the Pope's supposed involvement in the whole affair, but alas, Master Kingston had informed her that there was apparently overwhelming amounts of evidence condemning Chapuys, her nephew, and the Pope in the attempts on the lives of Anne and her children. It was disgusting.
Thankfully, there was supposedly no evidence that condemned her and Mary yet, so she would be able to rest easily as long as herself and her daughter were safe. And her room in the Tower was lodged nicely, at least; she heard from Master Kingston's wife that Chapuys had not been afforded such a luxury, being tossed in a part of the Tower that was so dirty that it filled to the brink with rats and other vermin. She was given good food, or at least as good as the food was able to get, and she was given a Catholic priest for her prayers. Still, she could not believe the charges that were presented to her. Surely her husband knew that she would never try and hurt an innocent child, even if it was the child of Anne Boleyn. Catherine herself knew the pain of losing a child, as she had suffered stillborns and miscarriages aplenty, and a few of her children had been short-lived, too! She would never wish that on any mother, even if it was her long-time rival. It was all wrong.
The jailor opened the door that led into her room, and a man that she had never seen before entered the room, along with the rumored heretic Thomas Cromwell. He looked young, or at least younger than she remembered Henry to be, with nice dark hair and an eyepatch over one of his eyes. "Dowager Princess Katherine," The unknown man greeted her. She tried to hide her disdain at the false title given to her, but even she knew that if she attempted to claim the title of Queen while still lodged in the Tower, she would earn herself a one-way ticket to the block. "I am Sir Francis Bryan, and it is His Majesty, King Henry's pleasure that I question you about your parts in the grievous attacks on Her Majesty, Queen Anne, and the Princes and Princesses of England." He spoke sternly and smiled smugly, as if he had never seen a more entertaining sight in his life. Cromwell, who was standing next to him, looked emotionless, although Catherine could still see the same look of pity in his eyes that she had seen in the Duke of Suffolk the last time she had seen him, back when he was helping to escort her to the Tower.
"Of course," Catherine nodded, her right hand moving to circle on the small cross that hung around her neck. Thankfully, she had been allowed to keep her cross, as she heard from Master Kingston's wife that Henry had not allowed the same of Brereton, Chapuys, or Mary. She shivered at the thought of her precious daughter being locked in the Tower. Hopefully, she was not suffering too much, and had been allowed to talk honestly with the two men, if she had even spoken to them yet.
"The testimony of William Brereton, the assassin in question, states that you were not only aware of his plans to murder the Queen and her children, but that you encouraged the acts in the hopes of being restored to your once high office– he also states that Ambassador Eustace Chapuys communicated with you about his plans. Do you deny it?" Sir Francis asked, crossing his arms.
Catherine nodded her head. "I must confess that I do not even know who William Brereton is, my Lord," She said honestly, her face blank and betraying no emotion. "Alas, I have not been able to receive any visitors at my home, the More, nor have I been able to send or receive letters."
Sir Francis growled. "Your Highness should know that we have evidence that you have, in fact, sent several letters to your accomplice, Eustace Chapuys, as well as your daughter Mary Fitzroy, where you refer to yourself as the Queen of England. We also have evidence that you have told your daughter that she is a legitimate daughter of King Henry, and that your false marriage to him was legal and valid according to the Pope, all of which constitute high treason. As I'm sure you're well aware of, the word of the Pope is not valid in England, as His Majesty is the one and only Supreme Head of the Church." He turned to Cromwell, who was writing down everything that they had been saying, and mumbles something to him that Catherine had not been able to hear. "Furthermore, we have letters written to you from Chapuys and Mary Fitzroy where they both refer to you as Queen, and use the title 'Lady Anne' or 'the Concubine' for Her Majesty, among other terrible things. Yet you claim that you have not sent or received letters?"
It took all of Catherine's energy not to gasp in shock. How had they discovered her letters to Chapuys and Mary? They must have gone through her possessions at the More after her arrest, as well as the possessions of Mary and Chapuys. She opened her mouth to say something, although Sir Francis did not give her the chance to speak before he continued. "With these, as well as the testimony of Mary Fitzroy, in which she repeatedly called herself a Princess and a Tudor, we have enough evidence to charge you and all of your accomplices in England with high treason, for which there is only one punishment– death." He said bluntly, smirking at the look of horror that emerged on Catherine's face. "And His Majesty is prepared to follow through with it, even if it means executing his bastard daughter; as I am sure you can imagine. The near-death of the Queen and their children have left him heartbroken, and he is prepared to bring all of those responsible for the acts to justice."
"I would never betray His Majesty," Catherine swore, clutching the cross around her neck tightly as she spoke. "I love the King, and I would do anything to please him." She declared solemnly, looking up at the two men before her with misty eyes. "I would never plot murder against an innocent child, nor would I ever attempt to murder.. an innocent woman," She finished, finding a compromise so that she would not have to address Anne Boleyn as Queen. Calling her an innocent woman was a false statement in itself, but it was still better than calling her rival Queen.
Sir Francis Bryan and Cromwell looked at each other and whispered things for a few moments, before Sir Francis turned back to her. "The King thought that you might say that," He sneered, grabbing a piece of parchment from Cromwell and shoving it towards her. "Therefore, you shall have to prove your loyalty to him. The King commands that you sign the Oath of Supremacy, which states that the King's children by Queen Anne are legitimate and that the King is the Supreme Head of the Church of England. If you sign it, you shall be cleared of all of the charges against you, and be treated as befitting your rank as Dowager Princess. You will be welcomed back to court as the King's Beloved Sister, and will be set above all other women at court, save Queen Anne and her daughters, the Princesses Elizabeth and Eleanor."
Catherine stared at the Oath as Sir Francis placed it into her hands, reading over each word carefully. The document made her stomach churn. How could she betray herself and her daughter by giving up her claim as the true Queen? How would she betray her cousin, who had fought so hard for her rights, and the Pope, who had been so kindly as to personally send her a copy of the Papal Bull which declared her marriage to Henry valid? "Alas, I cannot do that," Catherine said silently, looking at the indignant looks on the faces of both Sir Francis and Cromwell.
"Your Highness, I beg of you to see reason," Cromwell spoke carefully. "If you do not sign the document, you will be put to death, and because Mary Fitzroy will likely not sign the Oath unless you do, so will she. At this point, the evidence against you two in the assassination plot is not much, but there is enough evidence that the two of you have denied Queen Anne her rights to convict you both of high treason."
"And, given the King's outrage at the crimes against Queen Anne and the quadruplets, I doubt that His Majesty will be so kind as to grant you the merciful death of a beheading. No, instead, he might be prepared to have you burnt at the stake as a traitor and a participant in incest, and your daughter hanged as an accomplice to murder," Sir Francis chimed in.
Now Catherine did gasp. Was Henry truly prepared to see her and Mary die? At first, she was indignant to Sir Francis's declaration, refusing to believe that her husband, who had once been her Sir Loyal Heart, would ever put her or their precious daughter to death... before she thought about everything that happened up to now. Because Catherine did not have a healthy son, Henry had cast her aside for Anne Boleyn, the daughter of a knight whose only claim to the nobility was through his mother's side, as well as the fact that Henry was infatuated with his daughter. He had broken from Rome because two Popes had been unwilling to grant him the annulment that he spent years waiting for, and he had taken everything away from her daughter just for defending her and her rights as true Queen! There were no limits to what Henry would be prepared to do to get his way, even if it meant putting her and Mary to death, and Catherine was sure of that.
After being silent for a few minutes, she bowed her head in remorse. "Okay," She mumbled. "I will sign it."
If signing the Oath was the only way to keep Mary safe, then she would do it– even if it meant risking the damnation of her own soul.
No less could she do for her daughter.
July 1st, 1534
The Tower of London
Sir Francis Bryan strided back into the room of Mary Fitzroy with a triumphant smirk on his face, his joy at the process of events overwhelming. Behind him was Thomas Cromwell, who, although not showing his happiness as Sir Francis was, felt every bit of triumphant as the other man with him. At long last, Catherine of Aragon had signed the Oath, freeing herself from submission to Rome and giving up her false claim to the title as Queen. Of course, he knew that in her heart, she still believed herself to be the Queen, but that was little compared to the fortune that would surely follow her public acknowledgement that her marriage to King Henry was null and void.
Mary looked surprised as the two men entered her room, standing up defensively once she saw the look on Sir Francis's face. "What?" She asked crossly, her resentment plain on her face at the men before her.
"Mary Fitzroy, I have come to tell you that your mother, the Dowager Princess of Wales, has signed the Oath of Succession, recognizing her marriage to your father, King Henry, as incestuous and unlawful, and also acknowledging the King as the Supreme Head of the Church of England." Sir Francis Bryan announced smugly. "As you are now eighteen years old and therefore an adult, His Majesty also asks that you sign the Oath in your own right, acknowledging yourself as illegitimate and renouncing Rome. If you do, it will surely be presented as a sign of your loyalty to King Henry and Queen Anne, and you shall be cleared of all of the charges against you."
Mary's look of disgust quickly turned into one of shock as she processed the words of Sir Francis. Her mother, her good, saintly mother, had signed the Oath that her father made and declared their marriage to be unlawful. Her own mother had basically signed away her claim to the throne! Even worse, her mother recognized her father as Head of the Church, turning her back on God and Pope Paul. How could she do such a thing? How could she have given up so easily after fighting for so long?
No doubt it was the fault of Anne Boleyn. Ever since she came back to England, Mary's life had been filled with pain and misery. Even now, the near-assassination attempt on the life of the Concubine had put Mary in a most appalling position! While she loved her half-siblings to death and would never wish harm on them, Mary was almost disappointed to find out that Anne Boleyn survived her poisoning. When Mary had learned that her cousin, the Emperor, had been named as one of the accomplices of the plot against the Concubine, as well as Chapuys and the Pope, she was astounded that her father did not see reason and decide to cast away the witch. Surely if the Pope himself agreed that the Concubine's death was God's will, then it should be so! But, then again, her father was not the man that he used to be, all thanks to the Boleyn slut.
"As much as I love my father, the King," Mary began, her words already drawing a frown from Sir Francis and Cromwell. "I cannot risk my immortal soul for an earthly king."
Sir Francis rolled his eyes. Of course, only a kinsman of Anne Boleyn would be so rude. "I don't think that you understand, Miss Fitzroy. If you do not sign the Oath, your father may yet proceed with the charges of treason against you." He said coldly, his eyes completely devoid of sympathy. "He would see you put to death as a traitor, along with that madman Brereton and the Imperial Ambassador."
Mary shook her head. "My father would never put me to death," She said defiantly, glaring at the man who dared to speak to her in such a manner. "And surely, he would never approve of my signing such a document if he knew that it was against my conscience. You might have been able to bully my mother into signing it, but you will not bully me."
Sir Francis tutted as he grabbed a document from Cromwell, walking over to her and setting it into her hands. "This, Mary Fitzroy, is a letter in the King's own hand, in which he gives his support to your execution if you do not submit yourself to himself and Queen Anne. He knew that you would not bend to his will as easily as your arrogant mother would, given your treasonous nature while you were serving the Princes and Princesses at Hatfield, so he decided that he would dictate this to you to show how serious he is."
Mary stared at the letter, her hands trembling as her eyes scanned each word. She tried to convince herself that her father would never write such a thing, and that Anne Boleyn had forced him to or forged the letter herself, but there was no denying that the letter was in her father's handwriting and his own distinct way of wording things. Now, her entire body was trembling. Her father, the man who had once been her mother's Sir Loyal Heart, and the man who had called her the pearl of his world, had given his support to her execution if she did not recognize a heretic as Queen and her bastard half-siblings as legitimate! The realization that her father would sooner put her to death than accept her back into his life as a Princess was heartbreaking, and it brought her to tears.
"This is your only hope to be restored to your father's side," Cromwell said bluntly, his face showing no empathy at the tears that began forming in Mary's eyes. While he did feel a bit bad for the girl, he did not forget that she thought he was a messenger of the Devil, nor did he forget that she was a fanatical Catholic, perhaps even more so than Bishop Fisher and those sheep in Rome. "Do not throw it away, Miss Fitzroy."
"Princess Mary," She corrected him as the tears flowed down her face freely, holding her head up in defiance.
"For God's sake, woman, you're never going to be a Princess again, much less the Queen of England!" Sir Francis yelled, resisting the urge to shake the girl in front of him like a rag doll. "By God, if you were my daughter, I would-"
"Now, now, Sir Francis," Cromwell cut in cooly. "Miss Fitzroy has made her decision. If she wishes to die in vain, we cannot persuade her. But, I hope that you know that you shall not be able to become Queen of England if you are dead." He turned to Mary, his eyes blank and a frown settling on his face. "I must go inform the King of this. I shall pray for your soul, Mary." He declared, before he turned away and began to leave the room. Judging by the footsteps that followed him, he knew that Sir Francis was following him, and as soon as he rejoined his side, he mumbled in a voice that was so low Mary could not hope to hear. "She shall agree to sign the Oath by the time the jailor comes."
Sir Francis's mouth gaped in surprise at the man beside him, but the look of surprise slowly twisted into a grin. "You're a bloody genius," He muttered, before raising his voice. "JAILOR!" He shouted, rolling his eyes as Cromwell jumped back from the shock of the sudden scream. And, just as Cromwell predicted, the jailor came almost as soon as Mary whispered a quiet wait to them.
Sir Francis and Cromwell turned around around to face the girl. "Yes, Miss Fitzroy?" Cromwell asked, his face still free of any emotion.
"I will sign the Oath," Mary mumbled, her voice shaking as the sobs overcome her. "Please tell my father, the King, that I am his most humble and obedient servant."
The world around Mary faded as she took a quill in her hand, dipping it into the inkwell on the table and scrabbling Mary Fitzroy onto the document, before folding it and handing it off to Cromwell. "As long as I live, I shall never forgive myself," She said, her voice low and her head hung in defeat.
She had betrayed everyone. Her mother, Chapuys, the Emperor, the Pope. But most importantly, she had betrayed herself. Now what was she going to do?
July 1st, 1534
Greenwich Palace
"They both signed the Oath?" Henry asked, staring up at Thomas Cromwell in surprise as he looked at the documents in front of him. He could not believe his ears when the Earl of Essex announced that Catherine of Aragon had signed the Oath at last, and he felt as if he would fall out of his seat once he discovered that his daughter, Mary Fitzroy, had signed the Oath as well. He was relieved, of course, but he could not admit that he was shocked as well. After asking for more than a year for his sister-in-law and daughter to submit themselves to his will, they finally had. And now, he did not know what to do.
He had evidence that Mary and Catherine had both refused to accept Anne as Queen, even after the birth of their precious children. And, more importantly, the traitor and fanatic William Brereton had implicated them in the assassination plot against Anne, their unborn child, and the quadruplets, though he was reluctant to accept the validity of the man's claims once it came to his attention that there was no substantial evidence to support Catherine and Mary being involved, while there was plenty of evidence to support the involvement of Chapuys, the Emperor, and the Pope. But they had finally submitted themselves to him, a sign that despite being misguided at first, they were no traitors, and would now happily accept Anne as his one true wife and Queen.
Still, he could not be so trustworthy. He would need a plan.
"When they are ready, I wish to invite the Dowager Princess and my daughter, Mary Fitzroy, to court. I wish for them to be properly reunited with our family, as do I wish for them to publicly accept my beloved wife, Anne, as the Queen of England." He declared, rubbing the ring on his long finger with his thumb. "In time, when she proves that she can be trusted again, Mary Fitzroy may also be granted the title of Countess of Lincoln, which previously belonged to my nephew, the late Henry Brandon. For now, however, she will be returned to her courtesy title of Lady– Lady Mary Fitzroy."
He would grant her a duchy when she could be trusted, as he had to Henry Fitzroy, but he was still not entirely sure if he could ever fully trust Catherine and Mary again, after all of this– and, anyways, a bastard daughter was not as important as a bastard son and legitimate daughters. Not to mention that by making her a duchess, she might try and claim the throne after he's dead, due to having one of the highest peerages in the land. Perhaps, if she was able to prove herself for years to follow, he would raise her as a duchess after Elizabeth and Eleanor were married and had families of their own. Or, perhaps, he could put in his will that he wished for Edward to make Mary into a duchess. Either way, the solution was a good one.
"As Your Majesty commands," Cromwell nodded and bowed respectfully. "And what is to be done about the Imperial Ambassador and the traitor, William Brereton? They have been imprisoned in the Tower for over a month now."
Cromwell wanted to shudder at the thought. He could never imagine being in the Tower for so long, much less in the awful quarters that Chapuys was lodged in; Brereton, on the other hand, had no lodgings, and was condemned to various torture machines day and night on the King's command. It was a miracle that the man was still alive after all that he had gone through. In Cromwell's mind, no one deserved such a fate, even if it was a madman that attempted to kill the Queen.
Henry growled slightly at the mention of the two men who had dared to plot against his wife and children. "What was the outcome of Chapuys's trial?"
"Guilty." Cromwell explained. Brereton had not been given the mercy of a trial– he had been sentenced to death via act of attainder, despite being a madman. As he was no longer a gentleman, he would either be hanged, drawn, and quartered, the death of a commoner, or boiled alive as a poisoner.
The King's glare went away as he heard the outcome. "Good. Brereton is to be boiled alive, as he attempted to poison Queen Anne and our unborn child. Chapuys, however.."
Cromwell swallowed the lump in his throat as Henry trailed off. While he had been keen for an Imperial alliance before, there was to be no hope for it now that it was discovered that Chapuys conspired with Brereton to murder Queen Anne, and that the Emperor encouraged him. "I advise Your Majesty to be careful with what you decide to do with Chapuys. He might be a traitor and an attempted murderer, but he is still a foreign agent, and his execution might spark ire in the Emperor."
"Good," Henry snapped. "I hope to make that coward angry. He supported the attempted assassination of my beloved wife, while pretending otherwise in public!" His voice raised slightly. "I plan to raise a new alliance with King Francis, as well as the Protestant League, so that we all might unite against this Emperor and end his tyranny once and for all. As soon as I hear back from the representatives that I have sent to Cleves and Bavaria, you shall draft a formal declaration of war."
Cromwell nodded, his spirits slightly lifted as the King voiced that he would plan to align himself with the Protestant League. While it was not as promising as an Imperial Alliance might have been, perhaps it would help persuade the King's heart more towards the true faith, and away from the superstition of popery. "I more than wholeheartedly agree with you, Your Majesty."
Henry mused over for a second, rubbing his thumb on the ring again, before he looked up. "Chapuys is to be executed– as he was found guilty of high treason. I want him publicly hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn, and after the deed is done, he shall be beheaded, with his head placed upon London Bridge. I shall show the kingdom, as well as the rulers of Europe, what will happen to any man that dares to plot against me or my family, no matter how great they might have been before." He spoke sternly and cooly, making it clear that he would accept no argument against his wishes. "Examples must be made of traitors and fanatics."
As Cromwell nodded again, Henry smiled. "I think I shall go and visit the Queen." He said suddenly, his heart soaring as he thought of Anne and their kids. In the aftermath of the assassination attempt, Anne had recovered remarkably from Brereton's poison, as had Edmund from the force of the man's hands, although Edmund's recovery had taken far much longer than Anne's had. To soothe his wife, he had declared that the children were to stay at court until after their next child was born, after which the new child will join the household at Hatfield. Truthfully, he was glad that the children would stay longer, although he was still very paranoid about the ordeal that transpired to the point that most nights since then, Anne had to persuade him into leaving her apartments so that he could get rest.
"I am sure that the Queen will be more than grateful for the company," Cromwell noted.
Henry chuckled. "I am sure of it as well, Your Grace," He said, standing up and departing from the room. He made his way to the Queen's apartments as fast as he could, smiling at his wife and their children as her ladies all curtsied to him. "My Queen," He said to Anne.
"Your Majesty," Anne smiled back at him. "How gracious of you to join us." She put a hand on her stomach and rubbed it gently, trying to hide the fact that her lip quivered as she did so. Ever since the assassination attempts, Anne had been on edge, not only about herself, but about their children. Thankfully, Henry agreed to keep them here until after the birth of their next child. At the moment, they were all playing on the floor with each other, within arms reach of Anne, should anything happen.
"I have excellent news, sweetheart," Henry announced. "The Dowager Princess and my daughter have signed the Oath, finally."
"Catherine and Mary?" Anne did not know what to think about it.
When she learned of Catherine and Mary's being implicated in the assassination attempts against her, she knew that there was no way the allegations about them were true– or, at least those about Catherine. While she knew that her rival thought of her as the scandal of Christendom and herself as the true Queen, Catherine of Aragon would never harm an innocent child, no would she attempt to murder a pregnant woman. Mary, on the other hand, vehemently hated her, and she would not put it past her to wish her dead, but Mary was also a fierce Catholic and, as far as she knew, loved her half-siblings too much to try anything against them.
She also knew that they would never truly acknowledge her as Queen, nor would they ever renounce Catholicism. How could Henry believe that they would truly yield so quickly after refusing to submit for so long?
"In time, when she can be trusted, I will grant Mary Fitzroy the noble title of Countess of Lincoln. But for now, I've decided that she will remain without any title save that of the courtesy title Lady, and I shall settle Hunsdon House upon her for her use. Catherine will be allowed Kimbolton Castle as her residence." Henry continued.
Anne nodded and rubbed her stomach before being handed Edmund by Madge. Since the assassination attempts, she had been terrified of letting Edmund out of her sight especially, as Brereton had almost succeeded in killing him before George stopped him. There was no doubt in Anne's mind that he had meant to strangle Edward, but it was still terrifying to know that someone would be willing to hurt her children because they didn't like her.
"What will happen to.." She trailed off instead of finishing the sentence, hoping that Henry will get who she meant.
"Don't worry about them, sweetheart," Henry reassured her, a smile on his face. "Everything will be taken care of soon. For now, we should focus on your health– and that of our children." As Anne nodded again and smiled, Henry looked down at Edmund, who cooed at him. "How is our son?" He questioned, a hint of concern in his voice. Like Anne, Henry had been exceptionally worried for Edmund's sake, as Brereton attempted to strangle him after mistaking him for little Edward.
"Strong," Anne replied.
Henry chuckled. "Much like this mother, I'm sure."
Anne giggled slightly at this. "And our next son." She stated, rubbing her stomach and smiling again as Henry leaned over to give her a kiss. "I'm absolutely dreading going into my confinement soon." She admitted once Henry pulled away, readjusting Edmund so that he was more comfortable.
"Really?" Henry asked in curiousity, sitting near the edge of the bed near Anne. "Why so?"
"It's so boring!" Anne exclaimed and fell into a fit of laughter, which Edmund and little Elizabeth had gladly joined in on. "And, I won't be by your side everyday." She reached one of her hands over and squeezed Henry's hand, before she pulled Edmund closer to her and kissed his forehead.
"I promise to visit you everyday," Henry vowed, his voice switching between fake seriousness and a chivalrous tone. "No less could I do for my Queen."
The two laughed together, and for a moment, it felt as if nothing else in the world existed except for them and their children. Finally, Anne looked up at Henry, sincerity in her tone as she spoke. "Do you think that this will be a new start for us, Henry?"
Henry leaned over and kissed Anne again, chuckling softly as he saw the gleam of her dark eyes once he pulled away. "I hope so, my love. I hope so."
July 27th, 1534
Greenwich Palace
The last time that she had been to Court, she was a beloved Queen being wrongfully exiled so that her husband could live with his Concubine. Now, she was returning to Court as the Princess Dowager of Wales, the widow of a man over thirty years dead, and a woman who was, until recently, suspected to be a traitor and an accomplice to murder.
She was not returning to a Court that would welcome her warmly– no, she was returning to a Boleyn Court, run by the family of a woman who all but despised her. And, while she knew that Anne Boleyn was not solely to blame for the actions of her husband, there was no denying that Anne Boleyn would probably be happy to see her submit to her husband publicly, finally giving up her claim to the title of Queen and accepting defeat. Luckily, she would not be subjected to such humiliation, as she knew that Anne Boleyn had recently went into her confinement, awaiting the birth of her and her husband's next child with eager.
At least Henry had waited a few weeks before summoning her, as opposed to inviting her to Court as soon as she exited the Tower.
Catherine could not stop the butterflies from forming in her stomach as she walked into the grand hall of the Court, holding her head high as all of the courtiers stopped to stare at her. The gossip of the courtiers meant little to her as she was led by Henry's groom into the throne room, however, although she did have to stop herself from listening to some of the things that the people were saying about her.
"Poor lady," One woman whispered. "All of those pregnancies and no sons, while Queen Anne birthed two sons and two daughters in a single pregnancy!"
"I don't feel bad for her," Another woman whispered in a blunt tone. "God has shown who He sides with, and it wasn't her. There was no need for her to make it harder on herself."
Those words had hurt the most, but Catherine quickly moved them to the back of her mind as she reached the throne room, and, for the first time in years, she saw the two people in life who meant more to her than anything: Mary and Henry.
"Oh, my Mary," She could hardly contain herself as Mary rushed over to give her a hug, tears quickly beginning to flow down her cheek as she held her beloved daughter close for what felt like centuries. "Oh, how I've missed you."
"I've missed you too, my Lady Mother," Mary held her close to her as well, her voice serious as she pulled away from the hug and wiped her own tears away. Catherine smiled at her daughter, her beautiful daughter, before turning to Henry, who seemed emotionless at the scene.
"Catherine." He said sternly. "It has come to my attention that you wish to submit yourself to my will. Our daughter, the Lady Mary Fitzroy, has already done so, and now it is my wish that you do the same."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Catherine curtseyed, then began to speak the script that she had rehearsed in her head a million times before she arrived. "I am the Dowager Princess of Wales, the widow of your brother Arthur, Prince of Wales. As such, I was mever truly your wife, and our union was unlawful; as such, your marriage to Queen Anne, formerly Anne Boleyn, is valid and lawful."
"And?" Henry raised an eyebrow. "Do you accept me as the Supreme Head of the Church of England?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Catherine repeated.
"Good." Henry smiled, satisfied with her response. "I hope that you will forgive my wife, Queen Anne, for not being here– she entered her confinement recently, and her labor unexpectedly began a few hours ago."
"I pray that Her Majesty will have a quick birth, Your Majesty," Catherine declared, to which Mary smiled calmly.
Silence settled into the chamber, before Henry gave another curt smile and crossed his arms some. "Are you aware that the Bishop of Rome issued another Papal Bull, Catherine?" He questioned. "In it, he declares that he made a mistake in the judgement that he made on my Great Matter, and that he, too, agrees that our union was invalid– although we already knew this, of course, and the rulings of the Bishop of Rome have no weight in this country."
It took every ounce of willpower that Catherine had not to gasp. Pope Paul himself had made another ruling against her marriage to Henry? No doubt it was because he was trying to save face in the wake of his involvement in the attempt on Anne Boleyn's life. But she didn't understand: the Pope was God's representative on Earth. How could he?
"I agree, Your Majesty," Catherine said, although her statement was interrupted by Thomas Boleyn, the Earl of Wiltshire, practically bursting into the throne room.
"Another son, Your Majesty!" Wiltshire exclaimed enthusiastically. "Her Majesty has delivered another healthy son!"
Mary let out an involuntary gasp at Wiltshire's statement, watching in disbelief and rage as the man began to explain how that Boleyn woman had birthed another bastard that was taking her rightful place in the succession. She mumbled something out– she didn't even know what she had said, as she was too lost in her own thoughts, but judging by the fact that her father and the Earl of Wiltshire did not reprimand her for it, she guessed that it was something along the lines of a congratulations. She looked up at her mother who, despite her stony, emotionless face, looked absolutely heartbroken in her eyes, something that filled Mary with despair and anger towards Anne Boleyn.
As her father exited the room along with Wiltshire, eager to get to his so-called wife and his new son, Mary could not help but laugh bitterly. Her father, the man who she had praised for so long, abandoned them there to go visit his Concubine, despite the fact that it was the first time he had seen either of them in years. He chose to go to his Concubine and his false family rather than stay with his true wife and his true, devoted daughter.
He chose living in sin with Anne Boleyn over a good, pious life with her and her mother.
He chose them, and Mary knew that he would always choose them.
Forever.
And, there you have it. I'm sorry if this chapter seemed rushed, or if the ending was shitty, but I promise you that the story will pick up more from here. In the next chapter, there will be a small timeskip to a few months later, and it'll introduce a few of the new conflicts in the story.. Jane Seymour, anyone? ;)
Now for another poll: What fate do you all want Jane Seymour and her family to have? I have their plotlines done, but their fate remains an open question. Thank you so much for all of your help, in advance!
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
-Nan 👸