Cassandra Cillian was a Librarian. She was one of the four greatest minds her world had ever seen. A gifted mathematician with the most progressed case of synesthesia the world had ever seen. She was considered brilliant, but now stuck in this time period she was little more than a court decoration.
It had all been simple, retrieve the Staff of Destiny hidden within the scepter of King Henry VIII and make the time hop before the portal closed. Her friends and fellow Librarians had no idea where or when she was, and the best life she could hope for existed within these palace walls now. That had all been two months ago, and Cassandra was adapting quicker every day. Cassandra was beautiful in every time. Her short red hair was somewhat of an oddity but the court grew to love the style, within weeks she was Lady Cassandra and was given a position in court with rooms of her own. They delighted in the funny way she spoke and how quickly she could solve the little wooden puzzles that were all the rage. Cassandra was working through one as she wandered the courtyard when she bumped into a dazzling woman in a green dress.
"Oh, I think you should focus more on what's under your feet than what's in your hands," the woman laughed as she spoke.
"I think you're right," Cassandra giggled her small laugh, "I know you don't I?"
"You couldn't possibly, I've just arrived from Hever, but I know you. My sister could not stop talking about you. Is it true they found you in this very garden? I heard you were in men's dress,"
"My carriage was robbed as I was traveling this beautiful country. I hail from Denmark. I am still working on my English," Cassandra repeated that lie so many times over the last few months. It almost felt like the truth.
"Well I am the Lady Anne of House Boleyn," The woman said with all the confidence in the world.
Cassandra almost fell over a second time. She should have known immediately. Her portrait hung in the LIbrary Annex right above Queen Elizabeth I. If Jacob were here he would have told her to expect this. He knew every important date, person, artwork, and football player he ever came across. He could probably speak the same garbled English, he could have made the time jump just fine.
"Lady Cassandra, are you still with us?" Anne asked quietly.
"I'm quite alright Lady Anne," Cassandra paused, "Would you like to walk together?"
Cassandra and Anne continued through the courtyard. They stopped to admire the beautiful work of the gardener and the birds fluttering in the sky. So much of 16th century England amazed Cassandra. The amount of wildlife, and the stars at night were two of her favorites, but there were plenty of things she didn't enjoy like the smell, and the lack of people who took her seriously. She longed for the adventures and little family she had grown so used to. If only she hadn't gone off on her own.
"What do you think of our king?" Anne asked as Cassandra stared off.
"He is a good man..." to say anything else would be treason, "...and a great king, I can't imagine meeting a king I liked better. I do love to read for him," Cassandra mused.
"Ah yes, I've heard you are quite the story teller. We even hear of them up in Hever, I think the court scribe is quite a fan… I quite enjoyed that one of the dragon queens… very War of the Roses," Anne said.
The dinner bells played and the two women's stomachs practically growled in unison, as they made their way to their chambers in the castle.
"Sit with me at the feast? I'll have the king arrange it. I am so excited to hear you perform in person!" Anne yelled back as she sprinted to her rooms. She didn't wait for an answer.
Cassandra sat trying to tuck her short locks into her French hood. The ladies and gentlemen of the court had been so kind to give her clothing and jewelry whilst she "waited" for her new luggage to arrive. Cassandra tried to leave clues everywhere for her friends in the future to find. The 'storytelling' were shortened versions of their adventures or unmistakable pop culture, but what she needed to do was get her name on a piece of history with a date. So they would know when and where to open the time portal. She put on the rest of her jewelry. She did look the part.
Cassandra strolled into the courtroom that had been set up for the feast that night. There were hundreds of warm bodies crammed together, smiling like their lives depended on it. Cassandra smiled and nodded hellos to her courtly acquaintances, when she spotted Anne sitting at the head table to the left of King Henry. His queen, Catherine, was nowhere to be found. Cassandra hadn't seen her once in her time at court. She was absent and no one dared speak of her, but she managed to get the story from a young maid. Catherine had been sent away to live out her days as a nun. Anne saw Cassandra and waived her over.
"I see you've met my story telling treasure," Henry smiled as he looked at Anne, "She was quite the find, dressed in men's clothing, just sprawled out in the garden like a flower waiting to be plucked,".
Cassandra forced a laugh, "Lady Anne and I walked through that very garden today."
Anne smiled, "I am quite taken with the Lady Cassandra, I would like to have her as my first lady in waiting,"
"A wonderful choice! She will be a great addition to the royal household," Henry spoke loudly, sure that everyone would hear, "Now lets feast! There is so much to celebrate," Henry beamed at Anne.
Cassandra shuffled to the seat Anne gestured to. She knows the implication of those words. She knew enough history to know of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII secret marriage. She knew what the left seat at the table meant. Lady Anne would soon be Queen Anne, "Should I tell a story?" Cassandra asked, eager to take the attention off the couple. The king nodded and smiled. Cassandra began,
"Let me tell you a story about the world's greatest thief and his love for a thing that could not be stolen. Ezekiel Jones loved a woman from afar for many years. She was a beautiful, but a sad woman, alone in the world. Time passed and Ezekiel had to move away from this Lady. He kept only a portrait of her and looked at it fondly. Ezekiel stole priceless art, jewelry and more. He took from those that had too much and gave it to those that had too little. Years of thievery went by and he all but forgot his lady love…" Cassandra went on about the very real adventure her and Ezekiel had had, where they had discovered his crush was controlling a community with a love potion. It wasn't her best work, but she hoped someone somewhere in the room was writing it down. She needed to get back home, and the only way to do that was to make herself something so well known The Library itself could not ignore her. She needed to be history.
Her story finished and the whole room erupted into applause. The Labyrinth had been easier to navigate than court life, but everything had a pattern, and every pattern could be manipulated by Cassandra Cillian. Anne gestured to the seat next to her and Cassandra sat down.
"If only loved potions existed," Anne said raising an eyebrow at Cassandra, "The world would be a much different place."
"I don't know if it would be.." Cassandra muttered.
"I hear your embroidery is quite good," Anne said changing the subject.
"You flatter me," but Cassandra was being modest; embroidery was like a complex code. She could see the pattern and every mark, and her hands were just as quick as her mind.
"There is quite a lot to flatter," Anne said whispering into Cassandra's ear.
Cassandra really looked at Anne for the first time. Her beautiful brown hair hung out of her french hood. Her eyes looked so much older than her 28 year old face.
6 Months Later
Anne had been crowned queen and properly married to Henry just a few short months ago. Anne was in love with being queen, and Henry was in love with the idea of Anne's pregnancy bringing a son to rule, and Cassandra was in mourning. She mourned her own time, her dear Anne's life ticking away. Cassandra knew that Anne Boleyn would never have a son, and there was little she could do to protect her friend from the false hope the King was blustering with. It was her job as Anne's chief lady in waiting. The other ladies spent hours sewing little outfits for the future prince, but Cassandra made and hid a little pink dress. She came to court with a plan, and she needed to become history, but her darling Anne was a victim of history.
"Cass! Will you have the kitchen bring up my dinner? I am starving and I cannot wait a second more," Anne joked.
"Oh certainly My Queen! My heart would break if your stomach were to growl!" Cassandra laughed hard as they made faces at each other. It was a game they liked to play. Anne glowed from her pregnancy, and Cassandra glowed just from looking at Anne, for a moment she hoped she wouldn't be found.
1 Year Later
Anne and Cassandra walked with Princess Elizabeth in the courtyard. She cooed and smiled back at the pair as they moved her pram. It was their last day all together. Anne was pregnant again, and Henry wanted all her energy to go into creating a son's life. Elizabeth was being sent away to stay and be raised by a noble woman.
"I am going to miss her so much," Cassandra piped in, looking at the sleeping princess.
"Don't be sad; it is her destiny," Anne said with absolute certainty, "I dream every night of her leading all of England," Anne said, sounding almost wishful.
"She would be the most happy," Cassandra said softly.
The pair walked on a moment before returning to the castle. Anne handed the pram to the child's nanny, "Kiss her everyday," Anne said to the team of people already fussing over Elizabeth. Cassandra and Anne walked back to the chambers they shared, "I think there is only one thing left to do for the day," Anne said as she turned to have her corset laces undone.
"Is that so?" Cassandra asked.
"A game of chess," Anne said smiling.
"You'll only lose," Cassandra laughed. She could literally predict every move. She was a champion chess player in her own time, let alone this one.
"Insulting your queen is an act of treason!" Anne shouted playfully.
"Losing at chess so many times ought to be an act of treason too," Cassandra jokes. They played many games ending all the same for Anne.
The day turned to night and Anne yawned, "Stay with me tonight?" She asked Cassandra. Her other ladies had been sent away hours ago after her third loss.
"Of course," Cassandra said. The pair got ready for bed and laid down in Anne's luxurious bedding, Cassandra stared at the back of Anne's head while she stared out the window. All Cassandra could think was that her beautiful head would someday be removed from her body.
"We are going to be okay, right?" Anne asked softly, as she rolled over, Cassandra noticed tears leaking down Anne's face.
"Someday," Cassandra said as she took her thumb to each tear, her hand resting gently on Anne's face. She tried to hide the lie in her voice. Their fates were intertwined and Cassandra knew that she could never be okay without Anne. She leaned in and kissed each cheek. Those poor cheeks that would rot on a spike much too soon. They stared at each other for a long pause. Cassandra leaned in and kissed Anne's lips. It was a reserved quiet kiss, and that is where it ended. They did nothing more than fall asleep in each other's arms. The way they had done countless nights before.
6 Months Later
Anne was sentenced to death. It was a short trial. Her only real crime was her inability to give her king an heir, but Henry trumped up a million other charges. Cassandra had always known it was coming and on the night before Anne's sentencing she begged Anne to run away. She came clean about her past, and told Anne that she knew the future. Anne just smiled and said, "I always knew you were not of this world,".
1 Month Later
"Cass, I don't know how to describe what a comfort you've been to me these past few days," Anne said as she dabbed away her tears with a handkerchief Cassandra hand embroidered with 'The Most Happy', the irony wasn't lost on the pair. "I just hope you can get back to your own time," Anne cried out. The knowledge of what awaited her on that wooden platform was only a fraction of Anne's fears.
The time the pair had spent in The Tower of London was coming to an end. They had grown used to life there in the weeks they spent. It was the last night. It was their finale. Cassandra had almost forgotten her desire to go back to The Library. Her years with Anne had been the best ones of her life, but she had always known how this would end. "How could I ever go anywhere without you?" Cassandra asked sincerely.
Anne gave a sad smile, "What should we do last night?"
Cassandra pondered a moment, "Well, there is only one thing to do. Let us have a drink!"
"Cass I always knew you were the smartest woman in all of England," Anne offered as she poured the drinks.
"I may be the smartest, but you are by far the most remarkable, history remembers you dearly, you know? So many authors tell your story-"
"Is Elizabeth okay? I mean will she be okay?" Anne cut Cassandra off.
"She lives a long life, and is considered England's greatest queen… she never marries," Cass added. It was the first time Anne had asked for the future.
"Good for her," Anne stated plainly. Anne and Cassandra continued their question and answer game, Anne was satisfied by the time they had finished the bottle, and had exhausted all of Cassandra's historical background.
"I really tried to save you Anne. My group.. We aren't supposed to do things like that. We are supposed to protect history, not change it," Cassandra cried softly as she spoke. One slow tear falling down her cheek, one after another.
"Shhhh, it's okay. I am ready," Anne said patting Cassandra's back.
Cassandra looked up at Anne who cried no tears. Anne looked tired. She had spent three years fighting a biological war with a royal man child. She had spent her entire life living a courtly lie. She played the game and no one played it as well as her, but eventually all games get tiring. She wanted to give Anne something real, she reached up and kissed her. It was different from the first time, no one was holding back, and no one was scared. They didn't stop kissing, not when they got up from their chairs, not when they fell backwards onto the bed.
They lay in bed hours later. Their hair entwined, a sea of red and brown. It was almost dawn, "I have to get ready now," Anne said sleepily, "help me with my gown one last time?'
Cassandra was moving to get out of bed when she heard a loud buzz. It sounded familiar. It sounded like her past. It was then that a swirling electric portal gave way through the middle room, and none other than Flynn Carson and Eve Baird stepped out, "Cassandra!" Eve yelled. Eve and Flynn looked the same as she remembered them that last day in the library, down to their clothes.
"How the hell did you find me?" Cassandra asked shocked. She had all but given up hope that her friends would ever come rescue her. She had stopped leaving clues months ago.
"Well, I think I helped," Anne piped up, " I put your name down in my bequeathment, You needed your name in history, and I thought 'what would be preserved like a royal document?'' Anne smiled at her own cleverness, and moved to get dressed for her execution.
"Come with us!" Cassandra practically screamed at Anne, "Don't die today. Die with me someday long within the future,".
It was then that Flynn piped up, "Cassandra, we can't do that. We can't change history," he said softly but firmly.
"But we can! What's the difference if you die or disappear? None! Anne's death warrant is already signed. Her time of death is already placed," Cassandra shouted practically crying. It was then that humming electricity was heard again and another swirling portal opened within the room. Two old women stepped out.
One white haired and one grayed, "it's been so long since we've seen these rooms." the white haired lady said.
"Excuse me but we need that dress," The gray haired one said pointing at the gown the literal queen of England was stepping into. Cassandra looked at the freckles across their skin, the fine lines, the wrinkles. It was all simple math, and she would know Anne's eyes anywhere.
"You are us aren't you?" Anne gasped after Cassandra spoke and handed her future self the dress.
"I'm here for my fate," The older Anne smiled, and put on the gown, "Do you still remember how to do all these damn buttons, Cassandra?" she asked the older Cassandra, who smiled and moved to button up the back of the dress, "Oh, I almost forgot," and she pulled out a tiny bottle and took a sip, and in an instant the older Anne looked just like the younger. She looked at herself, her twin, "It's time for you to go," She smiled.
Flynn and Eve stood mouths agape as they heard footsteps approaching the locked room, "You heard the old ladies! Time to move it," Flynn said confidently.
Cassandra looked at her Anne, "Are you coming. My Queen?"
Anne looked at all the people in the room. She smiled at how the other Cass and her futureself held each other. She decided not to say a word, and with her trademark grin she just walked through the portal.