February 13th, 1540, the first of a new generation of Seymour girls was born, and she was named Anne, of course. Anne was no where near as fond of her as she was her first son, or even her second son, whom she constantly claimed not to like as much as her "little Edward". As soon as Anne was able, she returned to court and to her husband's side, where she was meant to be, and left the children at home.

Anne was furious upon her return to court, as she had missed the awkward marriage ceremony for the King and his new wife, Anne of Cleves, who Anne referred to as the horse, based on Henry's own words. She only refrained from using this nickname when she was in front of the Queen herself, and the Lady Mary, who seemed, oddly, to be quite fond of her.

"I hate you!" Anne burst into Edward's room yelling one afternoon. She then proceeded to burst into tears, once the door was safely shut and secured behind her, of course.

Edward scrunched his brow, feeling confused. "Why's that?" he asked.

"Because you are destroying my beautiful body!" She cried, looking down at herself. Edward could see no difference in her body from several days ago. She still looked perfect to him.

"But how?" He asked, becoming a little worked up due to her false accusations. "I hope you are not telling people that I hit you, because you are very lucky that I don't. Most women don't get the treatment you get."

"I am not telling people anything, you fool." She retorted, crossing her arms. "I am pregnant again."

Edward's annoyed look turned into a happy one. He walked over to her and put his hands on each of her arms. "Well that is good news, Anne, why are you so bothered by it? Your body has recovered well after each of your pregnancies, I think."

She shook herself away from him. "It's recovered but it will never be the same! Why must you do this to me? I have barely had a break in between! I am tired and I feel old because my body is wearing away beneath me. I don't want to feel like this, I don't deserve to."

Edward laughed. "You're getting too worked up over this, and you must stay calm. You are beautiful; Anne and you are the perfect wife, the best in the world. How could I ever ask for better than you?"

She kept her arms crossed firmly in front of her, but she looked at Edward at last. "If you asked for better than me, you would receive nothing, because there is no one who would be a better wife, than I." She said, quietly, but also seriously.

"You're right." Edward agreed, ignoring her pompousness. When she was upset she was always that way, and he was used to do it, especially throughout her three pregnancies when her mood swings were at their best. He came closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. "You are perfect." He said, kissing her on the forehead.

Anne did not resist Edward's arms this time, she allowed him to comfort her, placing her head against his chest. "Thank you." She said quietly, taking Edward by surprise. It was not regular for her to be thankful for his compliments. Compliments were usually something she deserved on a daily basis, not something to be thankful for.

"You don't need to thank me." He said. "I am being honest."

"Then you really do treat me well." Anne said, looking up at him, her eyes a little red from crying. "Because it is not often that you are honest and true to people, Edward."

He laughed and kissed her nose. "You are a special woman."

Anne stayed at court until her lying in and was very thankful that she was at court to see Anne of Cleves be moved out of the palace in June. Sir Thomas Cromwell, the Earl of Essex, was also removed from the palace, but not in such a kind way; he was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London.

"I've heard the news already." Anne said as her husband came into the great hall looking ecstatic. After Jane's death, the relationship the Seymour's had with Cromwell fell apart.

"What great news it is." He said, grinning as he took a seat beside his wife.

"When will his execution be? Have they set a date?" She asked, crossing her fingers that it would be sometime in the near future, so she could attend. I am not one who loves to see blood spill, but I will not miss the downfall of Essex.

Edward shook his head. "He's subject to an Act of Attainder, so until Henry's annulment goes through, he will be kept alive, imprisoned in the Tower."

"Then it may take some time." She said, a little disappointed. She then remembered that there were far more important things to worry about. The King was having his marriage annulled, which meant there was, once more, an opening for a Queen of England. "Has His Majesty said anything of his plans for the future?"

"You mean his next wife?" Edward asked, knowing his wife too well. "No, not to me, probably not to anyone, but I've heard plenty of rumors."

"As have I. Should we share?" She asked, smiling.

"Alright." He replied. "I've heard it's one of Cleves's ladies-in-waiting he's interested in."

Anne did not need Edward to say anymore to know they had heard the same juicy information. "Catherine Howard. I've heard she's pregnant with his child."

Edward raised his eyebrows. He hadn't known that. "So, another whore will be on the throne then? Do you know how old that girl is?"

She nodded. "Seventeen. Not only will a whore be on the throne but a naïve whore, which is even worse."

"I can only imagine how much trouble this one will cause for us, being young and stupid, and related to Norfolk." Edward said, scowling. "The man's nearly on his deathbed I presume, but God knows he won't stop till he's gone."

"He's already had one failure with the Boleyn whore, and now he's wishing to place a naïve little child on the throne! He's putting too many eggs in one basket here, one very weak basket."

Edward shook his head in disgust. He hated the Howard's more than any other family, now that the Boleyn's were gone. He also hated whores, and stupid people, so this girl, who was rumored to be on the yellow brick road to the throne of England, he would despise more than anyone else. His hand curled into a fist as he thought of all the mess this woman would cause if she made her way to the throne successfully. It would be a big mess for him to clean up. "Norfolk can be quite an idiot, but he can also be devilishly wise."

Not knowing what he meant initially by the wise part of his remark, Anne considered Edward's words. Eventually she came to the conclusion that Edward thought the old Duke of Norfolk to be wise because he was sending a young girl into the arms of the King. His Majesty had now gone through four wives; perhaps a callow, young girl was exactly what he needed to keep him happy until the end of his life. "It's a shame, really."

"Mhm." He replied, looking around at the other people in the hall. He wondered if the little Catherine girl was somewhere in their midst, and he wondered if any of the rumors they had both heard were true.

On the 9th of July that year, the marriage between Henry VIII of England and Anne of Cleves, was annulled, which meant that Cromwell would finally meet his end at the chopping block. He was executed at the Tower on the 28th of July 1540. On that same day of joy for the Seymour's, came the truth about the rumors. Henry and little Catherine Howard were married the day of Cromwell's death and that news certainly turned Anne and Edward's smiles upside down. Their worst fears were confirmed, and they would have to begin working on a new plan of action with the child on the throne.

Edward noticed with haste that the King was quite happy with his new Queen at his side, despite her age and immaturity, which Anne was keen to point out when ever possible. If the King was happy, there was not much Edward could really complain about. Just because he did not complain, however, didn't mean that he liked the Queen, he was merely willing to deal with her as long as she was keeping His Majesty in good spirits.

"I don't find her that awful." Thomas said one afternoon as he sat with his brother and sister in law in the gardens of Whitehall.

Anne shot him a disgusted look. "You are one in a million then, Thomas."

Edward laughed, happy to hear and see his wife reacting appropriately to his brother. "Is she your type of woman then, Tom? Do you like them young these days?"

Thomas scowled at his brother. Had Edward not been there, he would have responded to Anne's words, but he was too nervous to say too much now. He imagined that he was still high up on Edward's hit list and he wouldn't dare to provoke him. "No, I don't." He replied coldly. "I just don't think she's as bad as you two think she is."

"But she's a threat to us!" Anne exclaimed. "She's a Howard girl, like the Boleyn one was."

"And why do you get the idea that she's going to try and overthrow us?" Thomas asked.

"Who wouldn't? Jane died four years ago and we're still here. Don't you think other families will recognize the fact they we clearly have some sort of grasp on the King?" Anne retorted, annoyed with Thomas's lack of common sense. Just when she was beginning to think he actually had a brain…

"I didn't think of it that way." He replied quietly, acknowledging the fact that he hadn't used his brain before speaking.

"Well, you need to learn to think the same way as we do, because court life is not easy Thomas. It's not a game, and not everyone is happy and kind. I don't know what twisted version of the court you've been seeing this whole time, but it's wrong." Anne explained, her voice a little louder than normal. "We cannot let anyone ruin what we have built from nothing. We have to hold onto our spots at the King's side and in his favour, as best we can. Little Catherine is a threat and so is everyone else in the world. Each family is on their own, and with one mistake from any one of us Thomas, everything we have worked so hard for will come crashing down on all of us. You must use your head!"

Edward sat silently beside his wife as she ranted on and on to his brother about his behavior. He did not want to interrupt her while she was on one of her hormonal pregnancy rants because he feared her reaction would not be a good one. Anne loved to hear her own voice, especially when she was yelling at someone, and she hated when people cut in, so, Edward stayed silent until she ended her rant. "Anne is right." He said, supporting her points. "We cannot risk having any faults in our performances, do you understand?" His words were like the cherry on top of Anne's speech. He could always finish her rants with a nice manly threat.

"Of course I understand." Thomas snapped back. "I will tread through the palace like I am walking on water."

Anne nodded her head firmly, hoping he truly did understand what she had said. "You best. Now, what can we do about the little queen?"

"We'd do best not to act too quickly. She has the King wrapped around her pinky finger. We need something solid to bring her down." Edward said. "We'll have to keep our eyes and ears peeled for any rumors about her, anything strange at all. Thomas, if you like her so much, you may do best to spend some more time around her."

Thomas shot his brother an irritated glance, and then turned away. He couldn't look into Edward's eyes and speak to him, it made him feel strange. "If that's what I have to do for the family, then I will, but I'm not doing it just for your amusement. Plus, I don't even like her! I was just trying to be fair."

"Life's not fair." Edward replied, staring his brother down. "If you just stick around her when you can, you might overhear something."

"Alright, I'll do it, but like I said, it's for the family, not you." Tom replied in a huff. He looked to Anne for a moment to see her reaction to their argument, since he knew how much she hated when they argued. She was looking at Edward with eyes he had never given Thomas, and he grinded his teeth in jealousy.

Edward laughed, he hadn't caught Thomas's quick glance at his wife this time. "You're a fool." He said, shaking his head. He then looked to Anne. "Should we take a walk? Leave Thomas alone to his thoughts?"

Anne nodded her head, putting a hand to her belly. "It would be good to stretch my legs a bit before I am confined to my stupid room for a month again!"

Edward chuckled and stood up, putting his arm out for Anne to take and steady herself with as she stood. He looked back to Thomas with a grin. "You could get started early on eavesdropping if you'd like. Perhaps you'll find yourself a wife amongst the little one's ladies." He teased.

Thomas grumbled and stood up himself, saying nothing more to Edward before he stalked off towards the palace. Anne watched him walk away and Edward gave her a curious look.

"Don't worry, I'm just wondering why he's so moody. It's as if he's pregnant too." Anne joked.

"He's always been like a woman." Edward said, rolling his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Anne demanded. "You don't see me whining like he does, do you?"

"Well…" Edward began, smirking a little. When she was pregnant Anne was certainly a hand full, but she was never a whiner. "I'm kidding. You are not just any woman Anne, you know that I don't categorize you with the rest of the female population."

She beamed and encouraged him to begin walking. "I belong to a category all of my own."