"That's because you are at war with love
(These battle scars don't look like they're fading
Don't look like they ain't never going to change)

I wish I never did
I wish I never touched
I wish that I could stop loving you so much
Because I am the only one that is trying to keep us together

I wish that the good outweigh the bad" ~Lupe Fiasco and Guy Sebastian/ Battle Scars

"Never forget who you are and where you come from. The rest will not, wear it like armor and it will never be used against you." Her mother said before she let her go. Kathryn missed those moments.

The court celebrated the end of autumn. Everyone wore more masques than they usually did. The queen danced in her velvet green and white gown, Tudor colors, encrusted with pearls and emeralds to complement her beautiful eyes.

She tore her eyes away from the sight. It was too painful to watch.

They used to dance for ... in another life. She sat down and folded her hands on her lap. If anyone asked for her hand she would say no. But to her great surprise it was the king who did.

She hadn't realized he was looking.

"Care to dance?"

"Yes, my lord, it would be an honor."

Henry took her hand and led her to the dance floor. She forgot how to dance, she hadn't dance since she came to court as a child. But she adjusted so well to the tune which as an old tune, from the king's younger days.

"You don't dance so bad. Where did you learn those moves? The ones from when you danced for the first time? I don't recall anyone ever dancing like that except my brother's widow."

"I-I remembered from when my mother took me to court sire. You must remember her, she was-"

"Sir Edmund's paramour, yes I remember." Henry said, recalling his way ward knight. He had given Kathryn and his wife's father a lucrative position in Calais and he'd done a terrible job keeping what was left of English domains in France, safe.

It was a miracle that none of his offspring turned out like him. He was delighted when Katherine announced she missed her courses, but he couldn't announce it yet. His previous queen had said the same thing and he had done the same mistake by claiming they were pregnant when in fact it had been a fluke.

Katherine was the worst. She got pregnant so many times and they all ended the same. Stillborns, miscarriages. Just a horde of misery.

Kathryn saw he was deep in thought and asked if she was bothering him in any way.

"Not at all, I was lost in thought. How long have you served your sister?"

"Two months sire."

"Are you very happy to be in her service? Speak the truth child. My lips are sealed."

Kathryn smiled seductively casting her eyelashes down to hide the glee in her sapphire blue eyes. Henry found that act of humility so attractive.

"I enjoy it but ..." She paused.

"But?" Henry prompted.

"I would love to return home."

Henry became still. The pain in his leg visited him again but he ignored it. He walked better since he married Katherine. "Sex" he told his good friend Charles, "is the best medicine."

Kathryn got nervous as some heads turned their way but Henry soon regained his composure and grabbed her hands tighter.

Kathryn didn't flinch at his touch. She'd been through more than enough abuse in her life.

"You are very fortunate to be here. The ladies Anna and Elizabeth speak very highly of you and you've managed to create an impression with my eldest daughter, something that doesn't happen very often. It would be a terrible loss to me and your sister if you leave."

"Then I won't but if I could be allowed a breath of fresh air once in a while. I am not used to all of this, I prefer to be in my rooms and study-"

"Study? You love to read?" Henry's brow furrowed. He never met anyone who loved to read since his first two consorts. Maybe she wasn't all that dull as Kitty said.

"Yes, my lord. I love reading, since I was a little girl my best friends were Aristotle, Plato, Oedipus, Zeus, Athena ... Eros, Aphr-rodite ..." She said, mumbling as the king's face neared.

A sudden noise from behind them distracted them. It was cousin Mary Fitzroy or Mary Richmond as she loved to call herself. Henry let go of Kathryn's hands and she was left alone on the dance floor, enviously watching him go to where her cousin was standing, setting aside her dancing partner and taking his place.

Who was she trying to fool? She retreated to her seat, next to the queen, in between her and Anna of Cleves. Anna was also dancing so she was left with no one to talk but herself.

"Alone again?"

She turned her head and grinned. "I thought my parents told you to go away."

"Your parents loved to threaten everyone, your mother most of all but here I am. May I sit?"

"You may not."

He grinned. "Come on Kathryn, why must you be so difficult? That happened long ago. We-"

"That's where you are wrong. There is no 'us', there was never an 'us'."

"I disagree." Her paramour said and sat in the chair Anna had been occupying. She turned her head away.

"Look at them dance. We used to dance like that. I remember when you came, I was like a little boy who had-"

"Stop it right there. No one cares what you saw and if you are trying to win me over with some made-up story of how much you were transfixed when you saw me, you should give up right now."

"Wow, Kathryn how much you've changed. It wasn't some made up story, I did fall in love with you and so did you."

Kathryn gave him a sarcastic smile then it faded as she pushed her chair closer to his and leaned forward to whisper in his ear "The only thing I felt when I saw you was pride, nothing more."

"That can't be it. You loved me."

"Love. What do you know about love. You were just a little boy you said it yourself and you never saw any other girl except your little sister and even then, you were too weak to finish the act." She chuckled remembering her first sexual encounter.

That hit a chord with him and he grabbed her hand but Kathryn faced him with an equal powerful gaze and said, "Touch me, hit me like your brother would have when his wife defied him and prove to me once and for all that you were worthy of your father's defense." He let her go. "You can't, can you? Pathetic. No wonder my mother didn't want me to marry you, she knew how much your father had kept you locked up that when he finally released you, you couldn't wet your lance against my sheath."

Arthur grind his teeth, he was ready to slap her when the king came. He was quick to leave when his brother Henry told him to stay. "Master what's your name now?"

"Master Owen Meredith sir."

"You and master Culpeper are relieved for the day, you may enjoy the festivities. My lady I am terribly sorry for leaving you hanging there, may you give me the pleasure of your company?"

"Certainly, Your Majesty." Kathryn said taking Henry's hand. He led her to his chambers where they played cards for the rest of the night.

"What is the story behind you and lady Kathryn?"

"What?"

Thomas pointed to the chambers where his old paramour and the king were now in. "I saw how you were eyeing her, what's the story behind you two?"

"You wouldn't understand. It's complicated."

"Try me."

Arthur sighed and took another sip from his ale. "Fort-some years ago when her mother brought her to court, I met her. We were the same age and my family had some money so my father approached her mother but she refused and since then it's been nothing but fights and rivalries."

"Liar. There must be more to the story."

"There's nothing more, you wouldn't want to hear it anyway, you are too invested in larger conquest just as me." Arthur said and moved away before his companion asked him more questions.

Thomas did indeed have his eyes set on a major conquest, but he was not a fool. He was going to take his time, put doubts into the empty head of that little queen and then when all was said and done, he would make her his.

He felt sorry for his friend Owen. He really did. He was a good looking fellow, too young to be serving with the rest of them but still attractive, he could have any woman he wanted but here he was breaking his head over the queen's bastard sister.

"You play very good my lady."

"I learn very fast. Mm, I don't like how this drink tastes, you should change to a new vintage."

"Ha, ha, I like your boldness." He ordered his servant to bring him new wine.

"Better?"

"Much better." Kathryn responded. "Your Majesty if I may ask-"

"You may."

"Why did you bring me here? I am a lady of humble beginnings, I have nothing to offer you and if my lady sister, the queen found out what your intentions were, she would kill me."

"Katherine is just my wife and she doesn't command me, nobody does. The truth is I have been watching you mistress Kathryn and I am bewitched by you. You remind me a lot of another lady not so long ago that I used to fancy."

"How fortunate, she must have been a lucky lady to have you."

"She was but she was too proud." Henry said with frustration, remembering the fights. Between her and Anne, there wasn't a lot of differences. Katherine and Anne believed they could do whatever they wanted; they behaved as kings when they were just queens.

He was wise to have gotten rid of them, but there were times when he did miss their verbal challenges. Jane was kind and placid but he never really knew her and as for Anna, she was so ugly in the beginning but she had become much more interesting once she became his sister (and his mistress).

Katherine Howard was a true jewel but a jewel from where you couldn't obtained any warmth and when he was with her, he felt hollow inside. He just didn't have the excitement of his first two marriages.

Being around Kathryn however, he felt that excitement. His hands caught her hands in the same fashion he had done with Anna when he had invited her to his chambers and transformed her into his mistress. "Your Majesty-"

"I did a mistake a long time ago, and so did you."

"Majesty-"

"Please call me Henry, you and I are no strangers Kathryn ..." He withdrew his hands from hers, rose and advanced to where she was, tipping her chin so she could meet his dark grey eyes. "Katherine."

"How did you-"

"I have known since you came. You thought you could fool me but you can't fool me."

Instead of being met with a nervous former wife, Katherine smiled sweetly and said "Now that we have taken our masks off then, can we resume what we once began?"

"Yes." Henry said and led her to his bed-chamber.

The next year went by very fast. Kathryn enjoyed being the center of attention. She didn't care what the rest of the people said, if that is what their opinions were of her, then so be it. She had the king in the palm of her hand, nothing else mattered.

She attended her sister's execution feeling great joy. Arthur or Owen as he insisted to call himself was there. He had no more smiles to show. He felt a deep sympathy for the fallen queen a deep hatred for his brother's actions.

He caught her on his way to his chambers after she returned from the tower of London, and tried to convince her not to do this.

"Unhand me."

"Listen to me Kat, if you do this there will be nothing to save you from the reckoning that is coming."

"I could care less about that. All my dreams have come true and very soon I will have what was owed to me, what should have been mine from the start."

She yanked her arm but he grabbed it again and brought him to her.

"I beg you don't do this."

"Do not beg Arthur, it's unbecoming of you."

"I have loved you. I have always loved you, I came from the dead just for you."

"Love? You were a scared little boy who ruined me and my daughter, I will not let you ruin me again!" She said.

"Need I remind you that you are the person who damned me for all eternity and ruined my daughter's chances of becoming queen when you boasted to your friends including that brute Brandon that you were in the midst of Spain?"

When he remained silent, she freed herself of him and pushed him against the wall. "You can tell my parents that if they try to ruin both me and my daughter I will rip them apart limb by limb and send them back into the ground where they belong."

"How can you be so cruel Catalina? What happened to you? You were kind, sweet, you were my Catalina!"

"She died! And you better get used to it because I am not going back to being that pathetic little queen everyone took advantage of." She said and turned her back on him, swiftly resuming her walk to Henry's chambers.

In her sixteen year old body, she looked the most attractive that she had ever been. Henry wanted to see all of her, so far they had just engaged in useless foreplay but now he wanted to consummate their union.

"What took you so long?"

"I had a lot to think of. My sister just died." She said with a small feigned sad smile.

"I will make you my queen Catalina."

"Do not call me that Henry, that is not my name anymore, I am Kathryn and shall remain so until the end of our time together."

Henry smiled. He was not what he once was, his gray hairs, his gray beard, the shine in his dark grey eyes having faded long ago, and his body though fit, weaker from the maladies of old age. Being with Kathryn made him feel young, invincible ... it reminded him of the time when he was Harry, the renaissance prince, the summer king.

When they awoke in each other's arms the next morning, he told her "You will be my summer queen. I will make you the most revered queen, I promise."

Kathryn smiled widely. Her plan had worked, her dreams had come true. She was Kathryn, queen invictus and before long, she would have what she always wanted ...

revenge.