July 15, 1525

"Anne!"

She turned to her father's voice. She had arrived today at the Palace. She'd been told she would not have to work for the day, a piece of information she could not be more welcoming of. She simply did not have the energy to serve the Queen today, and she simply wanted to read.

She slowly unpacked what she'd brought from Hever. She chose to leave some things there, for the time she would be able to return home and enjoy her friends' company. She hadn't seen them often since they were all little girls. She'd spent time in various international courts from the time she was twelve. She was twenty three now. She was at the marrying age, she knew. Yet, she'd been so stubborn about finding a husband. Her father probably thought she'd end up in a nunnery. He called it a waste.

"Yes, father?" His smile was apparent when he asked, "Why was the King asking about you?" It was despicable. If he thought he would be able to hand her over to the king like he'd done to Mary, he was mistaken. She would rather be in a nunnery than be someone's mistress, which said quite a bit because she was not a big follower of monasteries and thought many church leaders were corrupt. She didn't think nuns stood by the values they swore on, anyway.

"I danced with him at the masque." Her brisk tone seemed to irritate her father, but he kept the stupid smile on his face and hugged her. "Oh, my darling! You have made me so proud. You must find a way to keep his attention. He tired of Mary too quickly." There was a short pause as he seemed to be contemplating what to do. Another smile came upon his face, "Make him love you."

She turned sharply, "Just because you are my father do not think that I will be so stupid as to follow in Mary's footsteps. I will not become the king's mistress." Her father grabbed her roughly, "Anne. I am your father. You must do as I tell you. The king has shown interest in you. Think of what this could mean for our family!" Anne glared at him. Her dark eyes looked as if they were on fire. She pushed away from him, "No."

With that, she walked away.

------

As she wandered the halls somberly, she walked into a man. How she could have done such a thing was beyond her. She was always graceful, even without trying. Perhaps her anger blinded her. It was not the King that she;d walked into, fortunately. She recognized the man as the new Duke of Suffolk, Charles Brandon.

She curtsied, "Your grace."

He smiled at her. "What's a lovely girl like you doing all alone?" She knew he was appraising her and she was well aware of his reputation. She knew his first thought would be to lay with her, as was the first thought of many men like him. She could not understand why men did not value virtue in their women, but she supposed that they would want a virgin when they married. She thought it was horrid that they would not wait for their wife and yet expected her to be pure. How unfair. Yet, these were not thoughts she should be having, so she pushed them to the back of her mind. Men did not follow the same rules as women.

"I have nothing to do. The Queen has dismissed me for the day and I am not keen on the company of some of the other ladies." He laughed at her arrogantly, "Ah, too good for them, are you?" She remained silent and sent him a glare. "Come, I am going to play a game of chess with the King and some of the other men. You can come watch."

She nodded. She tried to hide her excitement. She adored being in the company of intellectual people and surely the king surrounded himself with those. She also loved chess. She wished she could play with them, but she knew it would not be an option.

It was three hours later and the king was playing chess with Brandon. He contemplated which move to make next out loud. She watched intently and quickly made her decision of what the best move would be. "Anne, what do you think?" It was the first time anyone had spoken to her other than the first five minutes when she'd entered.

"I think you should choose the latter option, Your Majesty." He smirked, "Good, so do I." He was so infuriating, always smug and acting as if he were God's gift to humanity. Of course, she held him in high esteem, for he was the king. He was a very good king, too. Yet, she wondered if that was enough to excuse him from all that he did that was unholy. He committed adultery all the time and always coveted what belonged to his neighbor. Still, perhaps the world needed a king as he was. He ruled somewhat like a tyrant, but she knew that he had a kindness somewhere in his heart. A boy who believes the moon talks to him. She was sure his father had been the one to call him mad. She herself knew how difficult fathers could be and she suspected that His Majesty's father neglected him, believing he was simply the Duke of York and not as important as his brother. She'd felt that way when Mary had been in the bed of nearly everyone and their father had doted upon her. The family reaped benefits whenever Mary was satisfactory to whomever it was. No wonder she was called 'The Great Prostitute.'

She noticed that His Majesty had won. He thanked her for her help, although she knew it was out of courtesy, and it seemed to her that he was mocking her. She felt the urge to yell at him but restrained herself. She was a lady and she would behave in that manner.

All the men, except Brandon and her brother George, had left within the next two hours. She waited so that George could escort her back to her room, she was bound to get lost in such a large palace. Not that she didn't know she could simply bat her eyelashes a bit and get someone to help her. She was alluring in that way, and she knew it. She wouldn't have so many suitors if she wasn't.

"Anne." Her brother's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Yes, George?"

He rolled his eyes in annoyance, "The king asked you a question." She turned to look at Henry, "I apologize, Your Majesty. Would you please repeat your question?"

The king laughed, "I asked if you wanted to play a game of chess with me, Lady Anne." She disguised her shock and feigned nonchalance. A small smile graced her lips as she sat down.

Henry stared at the beautiful girl before him. To say that he'd been surprised when Brandon brought her in was an understatement. He assumed that Anne would avoid him like the plague once she knew who he was. He'd also assumed the same would apply to Brandon. He'd been surprised when she'd picked a good choice for him to make, a choice that quickly led to him winning the game. Her intellect seemed to go beyond that of an average woman. He wanted to see if she could play chess.

She looked like an exotic angel. Her raven hair was flowing down her back and she wore a pretty pink gown. She looked seductive and yet innocent. He did not at all know how it was possible to do both at the same time.

Her eyes held such a complexity as she began playing. It took him an hour to realize she was very good. Charles and George stared at the pair playing chess. George had a small smile on his face but Charles remained stoic. Henry moved his piece smugly, he had a plan. Only two more pieces needed to be moved and he would win. His smug expression disappeared when a wide smile crept upon her face. She moved her piece and announced triumphantly, "Check mate."

The three in the room stared at her in shock. They hadn't seen it coming. They thought she had no chance of winning against Henry. Even George, who'd taught his sister to play and knew she was intelligent, didn't think she had the capability of winning.

"That was a good game, my lady. Congratulations. How would you like to be rewarded?"

Anne stared at the king in shock. Sure, she had expected to win. She always played with George but she always let him win. It would hurt his pride to have his younger sister beat him. She always beat Mary, though. She'd beaten several courtiers in France, too. She was more intelligent that people gave her credit for. She knew she was more than a pretty face.

She had been cautious about winning. She did not want the king to be angry with her for she knew his temper was volatile. She'd taken the risk but the last thing she'd expected was a reward.

"A reward, Your Majesty?" She spoke slowly, to give the king a chance to change his mind. "Yes, you won, you should be rewarded." She blinked. There was a pause as she contemplated her options. She didn't have a particular want for anything. She tried to refuse, "Your Majesty is a most kind prince, but I am unworthy. I only won a simple game of chess. There is no need to reward me for my luck."

She hoped she sounded convincing. She didn't think herself as the best actress. A smile came to the king's lips, "You are being modest. That's a very good quality to have." He paused. She supposed he was thinking about what to give her.

"I shall name you Marquess of Pembroke." Anne noted that George's eyes looked as though they'd fall out of his head. Her own shock was hard to suppress.

Charles. She could not determine whether he looked angry, confused or surprised. He was difficult to read. She assumed he was just good at hiding his expressions and feelings, as he should be.

She realized that she should say something. She thought about her next words, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I am most unworthy of such high honor."

Henry laughed, "You are really something. George, where have you been hiding her?"

George snapped out of his reverie and looked to the king. He spared a quick glance at his sister and thought about what to say. He hadn't even been at court very long and he had yet to accomplish his goal of impressing the king. He wasn't as intelligent as his sister, it seemed. She always knew what to say. She smiled softly at him and he saw in her eyes what she wanted him to say. Nothing. He understood. He laughed with the king and said, "Your Majesty is most kind."

He looked to his sister again when the king's attention was occupied by Brandon. Her eyes held approval. He couldn't help but notice how regal and young she looked. She looked like a princess. It did not take him too long to notice how the king was looking at her. First in admiration, which he'd noticed before when she won, and then he saw the lust creeping into the king's eyes. He had to keep from smiling. Anne would be his next choice of mistress. The benefits for the family would be wonderful. His hopes collapsed when he remembered Anne's disgust with mistresses. She would never lay with the king. They wouldn't benefit from this and he only hoped they would not suffer for her lack of cooperation.

A/N: I hope it was pleasing to all of you. As you can see, Thomas Boleyn is still an ambitious prick. George is a little more ambitious than in the show, but he loves his sister.

Review and tell me what you think. It makes me update faster ;)