"I AM NOT BARREN!" yelled Katherine of Aragon, Queen of England and daughter of their most Catholic Majesties Ferdinand and Isabella, "I AM PERFECTLY ABLE TO PRODUCE A CHILD. I BLEED STILL!"

"You – you – what?" demanded Henry, thrown by his wife's outburst.

"Exactly what I just said to you husband. My courses are as regular as they were the day you married me. The day you took me, in intent and action, to be your true wife," was the reply from an obviously annoyed Katherine.

"But I was told – and you never said-"

"Said what, Henry? Told you that the Boleyns, Wolsey, all of the people surrounding you were lying? Would it have really made any difference to you Henry?"

"Katherine, please. You have to give me time. To be told that you can still have a child, that what I've thought for years, isn't true … well, it just takes time."

Instead of answering, Katherine sighed, blew out the candle, and lay down, facing away from the king.

"Don't turn away from me Katherine. I am still your king, and your husband. You will do as I command!"

"If you wish to act as my husband now, Henry, then by all means, go ahead. If, however, you desire only to continue to attempt to 'process this information', then I am tired and shall go to sleep. Good night," replied Katherine, tired of humouring Henry whenever he decided to invoke her duty due to him as her husband.

Henry, for his part, was completely taken aback by his wife's announcement, as well as by her uncharacteristic loss of temper. The woman he married was endlessly patient, who did not show her emotions even to the source of them. Not wanting to further disturb her, he settled back to sleep. But his mind was active with this new revelation and rest would not come.

Noticing that her breathing had evened out, he gradually sat up and looked down at Katherine. By the moonlight coming in from the window, he could see her face. In her sleep, void of all worries and stress, she looked younger and more relaxed than he had seen her in years. In fact, was it not for the faint tear tracks he could see on her cheeks, she could have been the Catalina of years past, asleep beside him after making love or imagining together their future, the children that they would have and the things that they would do as king and queen.

"Did I do that to her?" thought Henry. "Am I the one who destroyed that optimistic, relaxed Spanish Infanta?"

And what, he wondered, was he to do with the knowledge he had gained that night. Did he abandon his Great Matter, and Anne Boleyn besides, in the hopes of conceiving a child by his current wife? But she had failed so many times before, lost so many children. Who was to say that any new pregnancy would last, would result in a healthy son and heir? For there was no denying in Henry's mind that only a son, a strong boy, could inherit the throne.

As he settled back against his pillows, he imagined a healthy son to continue the Tudor Dynasty. Maybe even two or three, in case the ill chance that had befallen his father should also affect him. Strapping boys, athletic and poised, with his red hair and impressive build; he could picture them in his mind, running around the grounds at any of his palaces. Exactly the family he'd once imagined, planned even, with Katherine. Before allowing sleep to take him, he looked over at his wife's sleeping form. Perhaps, he thought, deciding how to approach this new matter, could be dealt with at morning's light, after he'd had a chance to sleep and truly consider the decision he was now faced with.

Oh my goodness, I can't believe how long I left it before updating. If anyone is still tracking this story, I promise that I'll actually update with some regularity from now on. I just couldn't immediately get this chapter to work out how I wanted it to, then got distracted by exams, the holidays and the start of a new term. Then, honestly, I kind of forgot about it for awhile. I think now, though, I've got it kind of planned out, so I'll try for updates every week or so. I know this is kind of short, but I'd prefer to have my chapters somewhat self-contained, so most of them likely will be. If you're still reading this, thanks so much for your support and for putting up with me, and I look forward to reading your reviews and feedback!