Disclaimer: I do not own the Tudors or any of its characters. Also I do not own Mary, mine is loosely based on that actual Mary Tudor, Henry's little sister who did in fact marry Charles Brandon. On the show they combined his two sisters.
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A male heir, it was what the King prayed for daily. But his prays had yet to be answered. His wife, the queen had been pregnant five times, three of them being stillborns, a son that died 52 days after being born. And a daughter, a daughter who still lived, but was not what he needed. She was not the male heir he didn't to protect his kingdom from being taken away from his grasp. So Henry tried not to think about it, tried not to think about how his wife was getting much older, that his wife soon would not be able to carry any children at all. He attempted to lose himself in other things, events, politics, and his little sister's future.
Mary was at the prime age where she should be married, married and producing children for her husband. But Henry did not wish to marry her off to anyone, he wanted someone with power. Preferably a king or prince.
It was a perfect day for a hunt Henry thought early that morning, so he rallied up all his friends and decided that is what they would do. Of course he denied Catherine when she asked to come along, she wasn't much for hunting, but she wanted to be close to her husband, afraid his attraction to her was wearing away more and more by the hour.
In fact, it was in a way. Henry had sought out other ways to fill his pleasure, trying to forget his worries that went along with the queen's inability to produce a living child, a son. He sometimes blamed himself, thinking himself an idiot for marrying his brother's widow. Saying it was perhaps the reason he has no son.
He gathered his favors at court for the hunt, including his best friend Charles Brandon. Charles had come to the court when he was little after the death of his family; he came to be a companion for Arthur. But instead Charles and Henry formed a friendship, which could not be broken. Henry also decided to invite a few ladies of the court that sparked his interesting, including Bessie Blount, who he had sent to his room more than once as of lately.
"So Bessie Blount?" Charles asked with a chuckle.
"What can I say Charles? She knows how to keep a man satisfied" he smirked and nudged his friend in the arm as they sat on their horses side by side. "What about you my friend? You have not remarried since the unfortunate of your wife. Any certain ladies at court catch your fancy?"
"It's not if they catch my fancy or not. It is if they can catch my heart" Charles said with a sigh.
"Your heart?" Henry could not help but laugh. He patted Charles on the shoulder, "Are you going soft on me Brandon?"
Charles just shrugged and tried to laugh it off, "I don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry"
"Henry!" Mary came running over carrying a little bunny, "look at it, is it not adorable?" she cuddled it to her chest.
"Would you like to keep it sister dear?" Henry smiled adoringly at his favorite sister.
"Could I?" she smiled and stroked its fur.
"We are on a hunt, should we not kill it?" Charles said with a smirk causing Mary to glare at him.
"That is very cruel Master Brandon; this rabbit is just a poor innocent creature"
"Are they not all innocent creatures my lady?" Charles adored to annoy this girl to no end. "So what is so different about this single animal?"
Mary continued to glare and went to open her mouth but Henry began to laugh, "Enough you two, I swear sometimes you remind me of little children.."
"The only little child I see here is Master Brandon" Mary smirked then turned and retreated back to where her ladies waited for her.
Charles just laughed as Mary walked away, "Your sister has grown into quite a young lady, who ever she marries shall have their hands full"
"Of course they will, but she knows her place" Henry smirked. "But let us not talk about my sister, but instead of these fine ladies in hers and my wife's waiting.."
"I thought you had your eyes on lady Blount your grace?" Charles asked with a smirk.
"Oh I do, but that does not mean I can not continue to search. Lady Rosaline, my sisters' lady is quite a beauty do you not say?" Henry asked as his gaze fell upon Rosaline. She was one of Mary's ladies-in-waiting as well as her dearest friend.
"Perhaps" but Charles' gaze did not fall on Rosaline, but instead on the princess Mary.
"My lady, I do believe that you are being stared at" Rosaline said with a laugh, as she turned to see Charles Brandon's gaze heavily on Mary, while the king's was on her.
Mary looked in the direction of Charles and Henry and rolled her eyes, "I think you are sadly mistaken Rosaline, it is you who is being stared at"
"Only by the King my lady, but Master Brandon's gaze is upon you" Rosaline said with a smirk.
Mary's eyes caught Charles, and she could see that he was in fact staring directly at her, not at her friend.
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Catherine wanted more than anything to give her husband the son he wanted so. But she had yet to do so. She once did give birth to a little boy, but he only lived 52 days. She did however give birth to a child that survived, their darling daughter Mary. Henry did adore their daughter, but it did not fill the gap for the need of a son.
She sat in front of her fire just staring off in a daze, too many thoughts consuming her mind. She knew Henry was sharing pleasure with ladies of the court, no matter how hard he tried to hide the fact. He had not visited her bedchambers in months, and that only made her more suspicious of his acts. Her only comfortable was that of her sister-in-law Mary, she was always there for her, despite being years younger than her.
"Mary, who was on the hunt today?" Catherine turned and looked at her sister-in-law, she had come to visit her, even though it was not much of a visit with Catherine's lack of a eshtuasim lately.
"Many people your grace," Mary smiled, "Harry has many friends at court"
"What ladies were there?"
"Oh," Mary knew where this was leading, and hoped desperately it would not. "A few of my ladies.."
"What of mine?"
"Well, there was…" Mary looked at the faces of Catherine's ladies, who were lost in their needlework. "I do not know all your ladies names my grace, I do know Lady Blount was there, she stayed close to me though. All the ladies stayed close to me" She saw Bessie Blount in the corner give her a sympatheic smile. She was not blind, she knew that her brother had taken the Blount girl as his mistress;
"Ah, I see.. Thank you Mary" Catherine reached her hand out and placed it on Mary, "You are a good sister. Even if we are only related through me being your brother's wife" She sighed, "I love you brother very much, I just get worried sometimes for his well being"
Mary nodded, "I understand"
"I hope one day you will be able to experience love"
Mary sighed sadly and looked toward the fire, "My brother is not interested in my finding love, but a suitable match"
"You know he loves you, he would never marry you off to someone you did not wish"
Mary turned to look back at Catherine, "Perhaps, but he is not interested in whom I love.." She quickly stood causing her own ladies that accompanied her to stand as well, "I am feeling rather tired your highness, I think I shall retire to my room now. Good evening"
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Mary was beginning to regret taking the rabbit in, spite it being utterly adorable. The creature was frightened, and anytime anyone went close to it, it would attempt to run away. Up to that point Mary had always been able to catch it, even though it tried to fight terribly hard. Well tonight that was different, when one of her ladies had opened the door to remove something, the bunny ran for it. All the ladies, including Mary who was in only her nightgown.
"Grab it!" Mary yelled at her ladies, but the rabbit kept slipping through their hands. She decided to take matters into her own hand, she darted passed her ladies after the rabbit, "Where are you? Come on bunny, it's me, your friend Mary. Do not be afraid" she was almost crawling on her hands and knees trying to catch this animal, that was until she stopped suddenly seeing two legs in front of her, legs of a man.
"Looking for this?" Mary looked up to see Charles holding up her rabbit to his face, a huge smirk on his features.
Mary stood up and cleared her throat, "um yes I was.." she held out her arms for it, "Thank you"
But Charles did not return the animal to her. He gripped it with two hands and stared into its eyes as it twitched it's nose. "You were correct, it is quite an adorable creature. But perhaps this exact rabbit should not be kept inside," he smirked and looked at her, "He seems a little wild"
"He is" Mary sighed, "I think he would rather enjoy being in the wild than in my chambers"
"Well if you were dressed like that all the time he would probably like it much more" Charles smirked as he stroked the rabbit's back.
Mary suddenly remembered that she was standing in front of Charles in nothing but her nightgown. "I.. Master Brandon you should not speak to me like that"
"Apparently from your blush I would say you like it" he looked at the rabbit again, "you need a indoor pet perhaps, something loyal and loving.."
Mary reached out and grabbed the rabbit from Charles, "Good evening Master Brandon" She turned on her heel and stormed down the hall, leaving Charles standing there with a huge smirk on his face. Once she made it back to her room she found all her ladies back to what they had previously been doing, "Well thank you so much for helping"
Rosaline stood up and went over to her and took the rabbit from Mary's grasp, "Where did you find him My lady?"
"I did not, Master Brandon returned him to you"
"Master Brandon saw you in your nightgown?" One of her ladies Anne asked with a giggle, "I wish he would see me in mine"
Another one of the ladies, Margaret began to giggle as well, "He would rather see you out of your nightgown Anne"
Mary placed her hands on her hips and just stared at the girls, did they not realize that she was standing right there, "Ladies! I will not have such talk in my chambers! You are dismissed, I wish to go to bed" she turned and walked into her bedchamber, slamming the door behind her.
"You heard your mistress! You are dismissed!" Rosaline yelled at the girls before going after Mary.
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Henry thrusted in one more time before pulling out the Blount girl and rolling over onto his back. They both were breathing quite heavily, "I suspect you enjoyed yourself Lady Blount?"
"Of course your grace" she smirked as his fingers lightly ran up and down her bare skin. "Your wife was asking questions today"
Henry's smile faded as he raised a eyebrow, "and what questions would that be?"
"She asked your sister Lady Mary of the hunt, and what ladies had come.. Your sister said hers, as well as me and a few others" Bessie told him, but quickly added "she did however say that we stayed in her company the whole time, the queen seemed pleased"
"Well my sister knows not to mess with my affairs. And my wife should know the same" Henry started to kiss her stomach before slowly moving up until he reached her breast, he took the left nipple in his mouth while his hand massaged the right one, "but let's not talk about them, I think we should continue our fun"
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A/N: well here's the first chapter, it's shorter than I wished, but that is because I have a lot more planned I didn't want to have it all in the first chapter. Please read and review so I know if you want me to keep continuing thank you.