After their argument, their Royal Majesties more or less kept to themselves. Katherine watched from the window as Henry rode off almost daily, laughing merrily with his men, Anne Boleyn on the back of his steed. The sun glinted off of his red hair, reminding Katherine of the many times it had been her fingers running through those strands.

But at the end of the week, banners were seen riding towards the castle. Katherine was overcome by joy, knowing that these were the men accompanying her precious daughter as she returned to court. Eager to spend as much time with her daughter before the French dignitaries arrived, Katherine hurried down to meet them.

Henry too saw the banners, riding towards his castle. No matter his frustration with the Queen, he still loved their daughter very deeply and could not wait to see her. He decided to go down and meet the traveling party, and escort the little princess from her litter.

In their haste, neither considered what the other might be doing. When she arrived in the courtyard, Katherine was surprised to see Henry standing there, waiting. She considered returning to her chambers and waiting for Mary to be brought to her, but did not want to miss a single second with her daughter. And perhaps, she thought, being together as a family would remind Henry why a divorce was unthinkable.

Henry noticed nothing of his wife's arrival, so intent was he upon trying to catch a glimpse of the litter carrying his little girl. He would not have noticed anything until Mary was in his arms if it weren't for the hand that came to rest on his forearm.

"Good afternoon husband. I see that you also could not bear to wait for our daughter to be brought to you," murmured Katherine.

"Good day Katherine. I simply thought to see Mary before she is brought away to be prepared to join us in welcoming the French dignitaries. If you want to be the one to greet her, however, I can leave," replied Henry as coldly as he could manage. He was excited to see his daughter, but not if it meant allowing Katherine to believe that they were going to be a family just as before.

"No, husband, do not leave on my account. I'm sure it would please Mary for both of us to meet her this morning. After all, we are both her parents, and it has been some time since she saw either of us," she answered, not wanting to deny Henry the chance to see their daughter as well.

If the king had any objections to this situation, he did not have time to voice them. Just as Katherine finished speaking, the litter bearing the Princess's seal was brought to a stop behind her leading horses.

Any composure on the part of either of their majesties was forgotten as they flew to the litter. Henry flung aside the hangings, and scooped his little girl out and up into his arms.

"Ah, Mary, tu as grandis tellement. Tu es presque une madame!"

Mary giggled before replying, "Non papa, je n'ai pas grandis tellement que vous avez dis! Mais je vous ai manqué beaucoup pendant que j'etais sans vous!"

"Oh Mary, I've missed you too!" sighed Henry as his daughter buried her face in his shoulder. Looking over the top of her head, he caught sight of Katherine, seemingly unable to move from where she was rooted to the cobblestones. "But Mary, do you know who has missed you just as much?"

"Who Papa?"

"Your mother. She has been waiting to see you for a very long time. Why don't you go say hello to her?" suggested Henry, placing Mary gently on the ground and turning her towards where Katherine stood, waiting.

"MAMA!" shouted Mary, running at full pace and throwing herself into her mother's outstretched arms. Katherine had kneeled down the moment Mary's feet hit the ground, and when the little girl was caught in her arms she held her close, picking her up and burying her face in the little girl's hair.

"Mary, mi preciosa. I'm so glad you're finally here. Oh, my little girl, how I've missed having you here, with me." As she spoke, tears ran quietly down her cheeks, getting absorbed by her daughter's long, red hair. The little girl looked up, her eyes meeting her mother's.

"Mama, don't cry. This is a happy moment. I'm here at court with you and Papa, and we're going to have a wonderful time!"

"Yes, we will," interrupted Henry, striding to join his wife and daughter. Placing one hand on Mary's hair, he continued, "but for now, Mary, you need to go and change. The French dignitaries will be joining us shortly and there is to be a banquet to welcome them. And I think that you are old enough to attend."

"Yes Mary, your father's right. You run up to your rooms, and I'll be up in a minute to help you dress. Does that sound all right with you?"

"Yes Mama. It sounds perfect! I'm so excited to attend a banquet with you and Papa!" With that, she flung out one arm to pull her father into the embrace. The faces of the king and queen were forced together, creating the closest physical contact they'd experienced in months.

Breaking the embrace, Katherine turned to put Mary down. But as she did so, Henry turned to face them. As both heads were turned, their lips brushed against each other, a reminder of the kisses that they used to share.

Of course, the little girl noticed nothing, and turned back to grab her mother's hand.

"Come along Mama, I need to get changed for the banquet!"

Flustered by what had just occurred, Katherine shook her head and hurried after her energetic daughter, leaving Henry alone in the courtyard, staring after them.

Note: The French exchange between Henry and Mary can loosely be translated to:
"Mary, you have grown so much. You are practically an adult woman!"
"No Papa, I haven't grown as much as you say! But I missed you very much while I was apart from you"

I've got the first couple of chapters for this in my head, but don't be expecting rapid-fire updates like this for very long.
As always, thanks for reading, and I'd appreciate any reviews or comments :)