I'm looking for a beta to make sure you get the best possible chapters without mistakes. Anyone feeling up to it please pm me.

I'm making the Brandon's two sons Henry into one. There's a lot of confusion about when the Seymour children was born so I'm using artistic license to make Edward about 23 in this story (born in 1500), a man on the rise and less experienced than in the series. He is a less knowledgeable man than the one we're used to seeing. Jane is 17 and Thomas somewhere in between but since Edward messed up Thomas is not at court. They could not afford to send both of them. Jane's sisters are younger than her and thus not at court.

Chapter five

August nineteen 1523

The dais on the side of the jousting yard was occupied by the Queen on the King's right side and the Lady Rochford on the left. Both ladies were dressed in fine clothes and were looking dignified and regal. One of the boys who admired the two women was the young boy that was the eldest son of the Duke of Suffolk and Margaret Tudor, Queen of Portugal. He was called Henry Brandon and he had been made an Earl Earlier that day, the Earl of Lincoln. As his parents had been practically banned from the royal court for years it was the first time the boy saw his cousin's mothers and a joust for that matter.

"They are very pretty papa. Why is one called Queen and the other Lady?" It a truth universally acknowledged that young boys of seven will ask uncomfortable questions. The Duke of Suffolk looked as his wife in desperation. She smirked at him before she turned to their son.

"The Queen is married to the King. However Kings sometimes need another Lady and that is the Lady Rochford." Her son nodded at his mother, not entirely happy with that explanation but he knew he would not get another answer. If he did get another answer it would be that horrible answer that he would understand when he was older. He wanted to understand now!

While the young Lord Lincoln was pondering the unfairness of the world and admiring the royal ladies and the jousters, Edward Seymour was busy plotting. He needed to get back into the King's favour. He had been foolish and risked too much all these months ago when he tried to ally himself with the King's mistress. She had gotten him banished for a year and he would get revenge. Not only had he been unable to be at court for a year all of his ally's and friend's were avoiding him now. The stench of royal displeasure on him had yet to be washed away. He had desperate little means to get back into the King's favour again. He could not joust, an activity the King liked very much for a King without an heir, he noted while clapping as the King rode in and received the favour of the Queen.

The Lady Rochford smiled and clapped in her chair. The thing about the Lady that made him the most annoyed was that she was so well liked. She seemed to make the King stable. She did not cause trouble at court but kept herself outside of the court politics. She cared for the Princess and respected the Queen and had won the love of them, the court and the people. Most thought she was the best solution. Wolsey did not like her too much since the King was actually being King now and that made it impossible for him to take money from the King. The ambassador from Catherine's nephew even liked her since she treated the Queen and Princess so well and refused to act in a way that would hurt them by giving the King her favour for example. He hated her and all of her apparent charms. He had a good place at court before his banishment. He had an office of state and was seen as a future member of the King's Privy Council. Now he was pariah. His political abilities seemed to be unwanted by the King as he was not forgiving of those who offended him unless he was excessively fond of them, like his sister and Charles Brandon.

The King won and everybody cheered and most missed the calculating look in Edward Seymour's eyes as they looked at the King kissing the Queen's hand.

The court was celebrating the King's and everybody else's victory at the joust. The King's friends, Sir William Compton and Sir Anthony Knivert both made knights during the evening, were enjoying themselves and Sir Anthony was dancing with Lady Rochford young Lady in waiting, Margaret Howard, who had now become eighteen. The young girl came from a good but impoverished family as her father was a younger son of the old Duke of Norfolk. However she had to rely on her cousin Lady Rochford for a dowry. While none thought that she would not be generous as she had done much for her impoverished cousins no one wanted to become the one Margaret's father tried to stay and eat at for the next decade. The man was lazy, proud in all the wrong ways and stupid.

Margaret's brother Henry was a man on the rise as the King had acknowledged him as an intelligent man and employed him as his secretary. His younger brother William was already a part of the King's household and had gone from being the King's page boy to being a junior groom. Henry had impressed people at the joust today so he had in company with the King's friend become a knight today. As a replacement for her cousin Henry, Mary had solicited the services of a young man on the rise a Mr Cromwell. He had applied for a position in the cardinal Wolsey's household, but no place was available. Mary had been impressed by the man's intelligence and offered him a place in her household and informed him that she was fully aware that he most likely would advance away from her household eventually.

The Queen and Lady Rochford spent the evening eating at the high table with the King and later on dancing with his Majesty. As they were exhausted after the day and the dancing the Queen and Mary watched as the men and women of court continued to dance long after midnight while the King was discussing things with his councillors.

"I am sorry Catherine, for my placement today. I've tried to tell him I wish to be more in the background but for the past months he just keeps pushing me forward." The Queen discreetly took Mary's hand in her won and smiled at her.

"It causes me no pain Mary. You're family now. Do I wish that he had no mistress yes, but that will never happen and I must acknowledge that. I like you Mary you are loyal and more dignified than most other women at court. You will never try to harm me and Mary and that is more than I can say for many of the people at court. Even young Seymour, whose mother used to be my most loyal Lady in waiting apart from my old childhood friends from Spain, even tried to plot with you about our replacement. You do not meddle in politics and you have become my friend. I thank god for having sent you to me instead of another Bessie Blount." Mary smiled at the Queen and gently squeezed her hand.

The next day saw Mary sitting outside with Anne and Margaret their cousin. The ladies were sitting under a canopy to avoid the sun on a blanket on the grass. Their quiet feast of cold meat and peaches were consumed while they enjoyed the solitude.

"So Margaret what do you think about Sir Anthony? I think you danced half of the dances together." Margaret blushed and looked resolutely at the rose bushes in apparent admiration.

"He is a pleasant man. He dances very well." Anne and Mary smiled at her and let the matter be. If anything more serious would come out of it Mary was sure Margaret would tell her about it. Margaret however was not as sure that her cousins would let her get away with that answer and looked around for a distraction. She did found one, one that surprised her.

"Look my ladies, it is the Queen and Princess Mary. I did not know that she would come to court. Do you think she has my sister with her?" Mary smiled at her cousin's excitement even if she still wished that some day it would feel natural for Margaret to call Mary and Anne by their names instead of their titles. Soon enough the Queen had arrived with the attendants and children. While Mary, Anne and Margaret was curtsying the children did not care and Margaret's sister Mary threw herself in her sister's arms while the Princess Mary and Lord Wiltshire flung themselves upon Mary.

"When did you become so big? Surely my little boy cannot have become this dashing boy?" Her son, who at twenty months was quite an able little boy, smiled at her.

"I big mama." She smiled at him and tickled his stomach causing him to giggle.

"Yes you're very big now, my dear. Oh I have missed you. Have you been a good boy for Lady Bryan and your sister?" Mary smiled at the Princess who was leaning against Mary's shoulder and giggling at her brother's antics as he hung from his mother's arm and dangled his legs.

"He's very good. I like having a little brother living with me. He's very fun, even if he can not play all of the games I can." Mary smiled at her.

"That is the way with younger siblings, your Highness. I loved your last letter, how did Lady Bryan react when she found out that you loved the swing so much that you decided that you would need to swing at night as well?" the Princess giggled and blushed a bit.

"You should call me Mary, Aunt Mary. Papa and mama tell me that you are one of the people who can call me that. Papa wanted to surprise you and mama so he told us that our visit needed to be a secret. Did we surprise you?" Mary hugged her and watched her son play with a ball with Mary Howard.

"You surprised me Mary and it was a very pleasant surprise. Have you met my sister?" the Princess shook her head and soon Anne had moved towards them and curtsied to the little Princess.

"Mary this is my sister Anne. She is married to the Earl of Northumberland, Lord Percy."

"Is very nice to meet you Lady Percy. You look a lot like my aunt Mary, you are both so pretty. Since you are sisters can I call you Aunt Anne?" Anne smiled at the little Princess who her sister was so fond of. The little girl was a miniature courtier with the way she acted and for the first time, Anne truly realised that perhaps power was not always preferable.

"I would be honoured your Highness. You are very pretty too." Marty smiled at her and soon Anne was teaching her how to tie flowers into crowns to place upon one's head. The Queen approached Mary and smiled.

"I think the King managed to surprise us both did he not Mary." Mary agreed while smiling at her son's antics as he had somehow found a little puppy to play with.

"Walk with me." Mary quickly rose and started walking next to the Queen. They looked out over the wonderful scene of their children playing.

"I think your sister and Mary will have made flower crowns for all of us before the day is past." Mary laughed.

"It would not surprise me. Anne has always loved that. She used to ask me to make her one and I grew tired of it so I taught her. Now I think sit still itches in her fingers every time she sees flowers to start binding them together." They walked along the walk ways until they were out of hearing distance.

"What do you think about the King's new dedication to ruling?" Mary schooled her features to not show any untoward emotion on her face since she knew that while people might not hear them they could see them.

"I do not know. He seems to be determined to make sure that he is the one who rules, which I see no trouble with. It is his right. Do you fear that he will get too used to the power?" The Queen shook her head in response to Mary's question.

"No. I am simply unsure where this will lead or if it will continue. I do not care much for Wolsey, but he has been efficient. I prefer Henry being in control he is after all a student of Erasmus, the humanist. I trust in my husband." Mary smiled at her.

"Then we feel the same. We will simply watch and see." Mary fell silent unsure if she should continue. Gathering her courage and prying that this would not pain the Queen who she admired so much and cared for.

"I think I am with child again. I am so sorry." Mary smiled sadly at the Queen. They both knew that this could disrupt the peaceful calm and stability they had had since the Queen's miscarriage. The King had taken that news very well but what would happen if Mary had another son?