Disclaimer: Really if I did I would be Goddess Supreme then wouldn't I?
I do not own nothing, the characters own themselves, the rest belongs to Showtime, OCs, Diana, Pippa, the royal twins, Felipe, Catalina among others are mine.
Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, or put this fic on their favorites or their alerts. I really appreciate it and this chapter was beta read by Velocitygirl1980. Thanks velocity for your help, prior to its posting. Hope you all like
R/R!
Chapter #40: Move Along
"Go ahead as you waste your days with thinking
When you fall everyone stands
Another day and you've had your fill of sinking
With the life held in your
Hands are shaking cold
These hands are meant to hold
Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
Move along
Move along
So a day when you've lost yourself completely
Could be a night when your life ends
Such a heart that will lead you to deceiving
All the pain held in your
Hands are shaking cold
Your hands are mine to hold
Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
Move along
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
When everything is wrong we move along
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
When everything is wrong, we move along
Along, along, along
When all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
(Move along)
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
Right back what is wrong
We move along"
Move Along by All American Rejects
August 29th
England, Richmond:
"Ale" Mary ordered. Her servants brought her a cup of ale. God how awful it tasted! But nothing could else could have made her forget about George or their child. Where is he? Just when I need him, he disappears.
Well it is your fault. You decided to leave from court remember? –Her mind retorted.
No I didn't. It was George! –she answered, debating with her mind –George! Him and his little minx Katherine, they are the cause of it all!
If so –her brain answered- why are your knees buckling? Why is your mouth twitching? Why have you fallen on your knees? Why are you writhing in pain?
Every bone in her body was aching. She was on her knees while listening to her conscience accusing her of being weak.
It was not far off.
"Mary!"
"Marie Jesu!" The Scottish girl exclaimed in French. As it was the language they had become used to since their arrival to France. She saw her mistress curled in a little ball. Her maids and midwives followed Mary and helped her move her to the bed where the labor pains began.
"Ah!" Mary screamed. "Don't leave ! Don't leave me please!" She begged to her friend, Mary Seaton. Although Mary suspected that she was not referring to her.
George, the carriage door opened by his wife's chamberlain Maurice, got down and ran into the house without waiting for introduction.
"Mary!" He called. He did not expect his wife to show up. God damn the woman. He thought. She was too proud but alas! He loved her.
He searched everywhere for her. He stopped on his way up when he heard the screams of her labor.
"Mary!" He ran to her chambers but was stopped by one of her women who –dared to- put his hand on his chest.
"I am sorry My Lord, but Her Majesty is in labor and it is unadvisable for you to enter at this moment"
"Why not?"
"'Tis is a woman business" She declared. Was this man an idiot? This was not his business! The Queen was a divine creature but God had given her a woman's body, therefore she was subject to pass through Eve's pain alone.
Who was this man to say otherwise? Even if the King of England himself were to show up here, Alienor would not allow him passage. 'Tis was strictly a woman's business! Who was he besides? He was nothing but the Queen's consort. So went the ballad that Scotland got a King in their holy Mary while a dullard effeminate in the guise of a man!
Mary the fair, Mary the strong
Georgie the willy, the willy who lacks his willy
she is the husband, he the wife
there is not a question in all his wonders
God grew tired and switched their sexes
Not unintentionally she then began to hum and he recognized the tune. He was well aware of that ballad. Normally he would have lashed out the woman and have her and her companions whipped, but he was more worried about his wife and his child's welfare.
"Listen to me wench I want you to move or by the life of me I will smite thee!"
The woman looked to the man as if he was a dangerous rogue. She stood protectively between him and the door to her mistress' chamber.
"I shall-" But before she finished George pushed her away and stepped inside slamming the door behind him.
His wife was sprawled on the bed, her legs being forced open by the midwives and the French physician she had insisted since months prior to her confinement, to bring to Court. Since he had been highly recommend by her old friend, Elisabeth de Valois, Henri II's daughter.
The doctor looked at George in shock, he held his hand up and pointed his eyes at his lovely wife. The doctor turned his attention back to his patient. Clearly this wasn't the time to think about right or wrong when she and the child's lives were at stake.
"Ah!" Mary clutched the hands of her ladies in waiting harder, digging her nails into their flesh, drawing out blood. One of them screamed but bit back as she watched her mistress' face that was contorted in pain. Mary Seaton did not scream. She'd been on the edge of danger and through many battled with Marie, she did not fear death and she was sure that her friend was going to come through this ordeal alright.
"Come on Your Majesty you can do it! You can do it!"
But Mary Seaton's words were not enough to be encouraged. Her eyes remained closed through the whole process. It was when she opened them, wondering about the mysterious voice that called her name that was so familiar, that she saw him.
"Jesu! George!" She exclaimed cursing herself mentally for her blasphemy.
She could not help but free herself off her ladies' grip and extend her arms out to George. He immediately rushed to her side and gave her a powerful embrace. "Jesu George I missed you, don't do that to me again!"
"Don't worry I won't" He said silently and let go only to see her cringe when she tried to sit up. He pushed her back down, gently. "Lie down sweeting, I will take care of everything." He would make sure nothing happened to her.
Mary listened vaguely to him, she was guided by his voice during the entire pregnancy.
There was the head, the midwives screamed. Now they only relied on softer pushing. She kept breathing but it became difficult when the child appeared to be reluctant.
"Mary you are almost there, almost there" He said, talking to her as if he was talking to a child. For, through all her strength and her mavericks, she was still a child and she certainly looked like one now.
Mary kept her eyes centered on George whom she held on to as when they were making love. "It is alright to scream. Scream darling all you want, I won't hold it against you." He said. She opened her mouth and released a powerful scream. The child's body slid from her legs covered in blood and other fluids.
George pushed Mary back to her bed and turned back to see the child. The midwives had the babe wrapped in hot blankets after they finished cleaning him.
"Well …" Mary said raising herself up after she'd been cleaned and her sheets changed to new ones, helped by Mary Seaton "what is it?"
George gently took the baby from the midwife and walked to his wife.
"'Tis a boy sweeting." He said. Her eyes lit up and shed tears of joy as she looked at the peaceful face. "Our little Prince!"
October 2nd
Spain, Valladolid
You know how annoying that sounds? Annie gripped her stomach and wondered at the child's insistence if it or they as everyone insisted, were giggling or were too annoyed by their baby uncle's tantrums.
The baby refused to be handled by anyone save for his surrogate mother. The Queen doted on the child and she let everyone know that she was his mother in all things except name.
"There, there" she said to the silent child. It scared her how silent he was, he was like Philip. It was said his mother did not utter a sound except: "I shall not cry by God I shall not cry" and: "I will deliver a son!" when she gave birth to Philip.
She wondered if every trait this baby had of his solemn grandfather had to do with this small factor? Had Isabel passed this trait unto her great grandson? She hoped not, a baby needed to laugh, to smile. He needed to be a child.
Be a child Philip … was his mother's last words to her father. Diana tugged on her mother's sleeve, which she stopped when the Duchess of Alba scolded her, and asked if she could rock the child?
"Diana he is too small." She chided but Diana was not discouraged.
"You would not want your step-nephew to catch a cold and look-" she pointed out at her dirty hands "you have not washed yet you know how your father does not like when you don't wash" Annie said, there was no use calling her stepfather, Philip, as Diana had recognized him as her father just as he as his daughter. The two had grown very close since that, Annie was glad. Diana deserved happiness more than anyone, after her biological father's tragic death.
"But mama" she said ignoring her governess' cleared throat. She hated titles and saw no reason why she should repeat them after her father had insisted that there was no need for them when they were not in public. She told her mother in a softer yet still insistent voice how she would not drop the child, that Philip had let her before "and he said that I would be a good auntie to my nephew, so you see I should carry them. How I will learn then, if when I am to have a family of my own?"
Annie and the rest smiled at the Infanta's eloquence. Her governess was very surprised but suddenly became very aware of the child's intellect. If not for her gender she would have been considered a scholar by her male peers and to be on par with the intellectuals of the past such as Erasmus, Cornelius Agrippa (despite the use of his dark arts), Fernando de Rojas, Petrath, Ficino, Sir Thomas Moore (who was a native of her homeland) and many more. Whose works marked the beginning of a golden era.
Maybe the Infanta would grow to become a translator of His Majesty, or, she would live a glorious and exciting life like her ancestress, Isabel of Castilla. Time would tell.
"Very well but just for a minute and be careful Diana" she warned as Annie handed the child to her daughter.
Diana rocked him and tried to sing a song Philip taught her but her pronunciation at Portugese was horrible, it earned her the laughter of several of the court ladies, including her own.
She looked up at them indignantly but not for too long. Remembering she was holding her step-nephew she returned her gaze down. Her sky blue eyes bore into his light blue eyes.
He and Philip could have passed off as twins, and they certainly looked like younger and older versions of each other. Felipito (the given nickname by his family) even had his white almost translucent skin! At first glance it seemed like he would break because he was made out of glass.
He raised his chubby fingers and set them down on her left hand that was very close to his face. He did not squeeze her fingers or pinch her like he'd done to the rest of them, even his nursemaids remarked how strong was his grip. And how his mouth although lacking teeth and sharpness was pressed so tight on his wet nurse that it hurt her nipples when he detached his tiny pink lips from her swollen breasts.
"You are a strong one"
"He is, he will grow to be just like his namesake" Annie said much to the delight of the people present who had no wish to see this little one turn like his mad father or his great grandmother Juana. The last and ill fated Queen of Castilla who had been abandoned and betrayed by everyone, including her father and her son, Charles V, and having been declared mad, he locked her up in Tordesillas were she was never seem from again.
The curse of Juana, it was said ran in the family. And Annie was not unaware of the close blood relation she and Philip wore and that they were –before being man and wife- cousins through her mother's side. Although in Philip's case it was more alarming, he was related to her through both his parents.
She prayed, secretly ignoring the Catholic dogma when he was not present, that she bore a healthy child who would be anything but Carlos, but healthy as his son.
"Mama do you think he hates it when I call him Felipito?" She asked but then rephrased when she saw the Duchess' stern gaze "Lady Mother, does he hated it?"
"I do not think he hates it and even if he does, he will grow into it."
"But he tightens his grip around me when I call Felipito. Ow! You see!" She remarked slightly letting go of her hand yet holding on to him. Before she could suffer more of being his play thing, Annie took the child gently from her arms. It was not that she did not trusted Diana but she did not want an accident on her hands, and Felipito besides was too precious.
Don Felipe Diego Hapsburgo, future Prince of Asturias, who'd someday become Philip Diego I, King of Spain, ruler of half of Northern Italy, the new world and the East where his grandfather was battling for control; lay in her arms tilting his head occasionally, imitating her movements. It was so funny, Diana thought.
"Hush little one, Felipe there you go …" After a while she decided on a different nickname, one that would bring him better joy and would sound better and more mature than "Felipito" seeing as he could not be Felipito forever "Ligo"
The baby peered curiously into her light blue eyes which her daughter shared, and hopefully she wished, her child inside her belly would as well inherit. And smiling at the Queen he revealed his opinion that he did like the new nickname.
"It suits him" One of her ladies, the Countess Paredes, offered as the others nodded their heads.
"He is a charming Prince" Pippa put in coming from behind Annie, she grinned as the baby winked at her.
"And I see he is a charmer and a discrete one" Like his father, she wanted to say.
"He will be away from the court ladies for a while then, we would not want one of you ladies stealing his heart"
The ladies share d a laugh with their mistress at her jest. She gave the babe to his nurse and she and the others headed out the room.
Diana decided to stay, Annie said nothing before she left.
"Your Highness you have not touched your plate since we left" The Duchess of Alba said after they'd gone to her parent's chambers where all the family –except the two obvious ones- dines. "You barely even said a thing"
Diana raised her shoulders and gain back her composure. "I have been thinking about Ligo" She merely said her gaze shifting uncomfortably from her parents to her governess.
"May I ask what is wrong Your Highness?"
Sure, Diana shrugged. She did not mind. "I am going to miss him, and he did not cry or try to wiggle himself from my arms"
William had tried to free himself from her arms. His Grace, the Lord Protector said because he was a baby and not yet acquainted with her. But that wasn't it. The baby didn't like her and he cried whenever she was in the room. It was hard already having her mother asleep, now she had to play second fiddle to her younger siblings. They rushed her out of the room whenever they started crying. She believed at that time their whole purpose was making her life miserable.
Now with Ligo she wanted to make up for lost time with her siblings. And she had already made a promise to God that she would make a greater effort to become a good Aunt and sibling to Ligo and Philip's children respectively.
Annie now understanding stretched her hand across the table and joined her daughter's hand, "Oh Diana you will not stop seeing but you must let Ligo be Ligo. He needs to grow up and live his life just you but you will still see each other. I am sure he is happy to have a surrogate sister like you" She said and let go of her hand and folded her hands on her lap. Diana did the same pushing her back up straight and her chin up, to avoid showing weakness. Inside she was weeping for she had never felt close to any sibling her mama had before.
Philip rose and held a hand up to stop his family from rising up, and walked to his stepdaughter's place and petted her cheeks. "Ligo will always have you, no matter where you are if in separate households, you two will have each other"
"You promise?"
He smiled "Would I lie if I said yes and kissed your hand My dearest Lady?"
She shook her hand and brought her hand to his lip, he kissed it as a chevalier from Arthur's round table would. He returned to his seat and gave one last hard look at Diana "When Felipe Diego changes households you will be the first one to know and since you are his godmother I will leave you to decide on where you want place him."
Diana squealed holding her hands up, a sign of her triumph.
The Duchess of Alba was surprised that their King was allowing such liberties to a child that wasn't even his. But seeing how determined she became when Philip told her about her responsibilities as the future King's godmother, she realized that exhilarated, outgoing, outspoken child as she may be, she was all in all a dutiful daughter and born to be a Spanish Princess.
"I will not disappoint you father, I will be the best godmother" she declared cleaning all her plate slow and carefully with newly refined manners she had not shown before.
Philip was pleased with her change of conduct. He decided to switch subjects and asked Diana about her studies.
"They are going fine" She said quickly.
"But?" Philip asked with a lingering tone, sensing there was more to Diana's telling.
"But I struggle with math. But Dr. Siliceo that I am improving I only need to put a stronger effort"
"I know you will do. At least you admit your mistakes, I was terrible at mathematics, sums, subtractions –all of that- they were a dreadful subject on me. Nothing to do with statecraft but despite I did poorly I never neglected my studies"
"Funny that is not what I heard My Lord husband" Her mother said with a mischievous smile giving a familiar wink at Diana she'd seen only from the Lord Protector.
She giggled and turned to her father, her look query.
"Well" Philip suddenly struggling with passing his food. He drank nearly all the wine, afterwards when he regained his and having passed all his food, he replied: "That was not true, I was a dutiful student, but I was a Prince and had important duties to attend to when I was not studying"
"Such as?" Annie inquired.
"Jousting, statecraft, reading, learning to dance, draw, languages …" He lost count of the many things he told and did not realize he started to repeat himself "then there was the tedious task to read books and learn new tongues and …"
His voice broke as they heard Annie's strong cackle "Philip, see Diana this is the reason why girls must learn math so they can tell their fathers and husbands to make up their mind, it becomes a mess after a while"
Diana covered her laughter with her mouth, her eyes becoming thin slits as it overtook her and she could no longer bare to hide it.
Her laughter made Philip less annoyed of his wife's probing and little joke at his expense.
He extended his hand and reaching out to her he ruffled her hair causing her pearl and diamond adorned tiara to fall off her hair. "Papa!" Diana said going to pick it up, she sat down again, not realizing her outburst had brought a warm feeling in Philip as this was the first time she called him 'papa'.
"Serves you right Your Highness for defying the Black Prince"
"My papa is no Black Prince, he is Prince charming and my mama is Princess of the world"
"And what does that make you?" Philip asked intrigued by her naïve, yet cute, line of reasoning.
"The First Lady after mama" She said puffing up her chest proudly.
Philip could not help but chuckle, here was such a curious but touching child. "The things you say Diana but you cannot be First Lady yet until you finish your studies and prove yourself a capable woman like the Tratasmara in our family"
Diana smiled, Annie beamed at her husband and daughter with pride swelling in her heart. She never felt more proud than siring a beautiful and intelligent child and marrying a strong man like Philip.
"Wear that smile my Princess, one day you will make not only your husband but everyone in Christendom happy with that smile"
"Oh you think so papa?"
"Nay, I am sure of it"
Diana got down from her seat and forgetting all decorum she ran to her surrogate father and then jumped, locking him in a powerful embrace he responded to almost instantaneously.
He kissed her pale yellow hair. She would not grow into a great beauty but there was that arresting look that emanated from her eyes like her mother, which made her very especial.
The man who would wed her would be lucky, Philip felt it was his responsibility to protect her from the evils of the world and love her, not just because she was his responsibility because of his marriage to her mother, but because he felt she was his daughter.
Diana took her child who'd fallen asleep in her husband's arms while she told him of a few phrases Ruy and his wife, the Princess of Eboli, had taught him of Portuguese, and took her to her chambers.
She kissed her daughter one more time before returning to her chambers where Philip had left as they had agreed she had taken long to be into confinement with all the previous excitement of Katherine's pregnancy and the birth of Ligo. Now it was her turn to bare the heat and the boredom of her closed chambers. But she would gladly do it for the child nestled in her womb, or children.
"Someday you will come to me" Hopefully soon "so I can tell you how much I love you and how I have dreamed of this moment since before you were born. I have waited for you forever. You are so lucky, you do not know how fortunate you are to be born to a father who loves you dearly, an uncle who will be your playmate and a sister who will always be there for you and to protect you"
She only wished her father could be here, but he was in England with her other children, protecting them from evil and the influence of her mother.
She hoped for her daughter's sake whom she had barely seen since her birth –she no longer remembered how she looked even- her father had done something to take her from her grandmother and if not that he would at least try.
"Sleep well my children and one day when you wake up from your slumber you will come into this world, and there will be much we will do together"
She did not have to wait long to await their birth. The babies were born on October fourth, year of our lord 1559 when she only had only been one week in confinement since they'd moved to Valladolid.
Annie gazed at her children in wonderment. These were her children. Her children. My children! She thought, these were children she and Philip had created out of their passion and love for each other, and now that they were finally here she did not know what to say.
Where should she start? After they cleaned and changed her, she waited for Philip to come. It didn't take long, he was followed by Diana and of course Ligo with his nurse-maid.
"Ligo is not crying" Diana pointed out. He was silent and watched aware of his surroundings at all the inhabitants in the room, his eyes seemed to be searching. No doubt, Annie though, for the source of the mysterious cries.
Unlike he, her son and daughter did not bother waking the death even when they were in the arms of their parents. If they were not crying from anguish it was for happiness. Philip was glad either way, it was a sign his children were healthy.
Philip sat near Annie's bed and took one of the children the midwives had handed to her, from her arms. Their little boy whom they decided he was to be named "Fernando" after the last glorious Fernando V of Aragon.
"Ligo" Philip said as he invited his nurse-maid to sit next to them. He pushed his son close to his grandson "this is your baby uncle, Fernando. I hope you two can be friends" And not enemies –it was clear what the King of Spain was trying to convey. That in order for his empire to be united he had to have all his eggs in one basket, he had to make friends, cement alliances, amongst his family otherwise he would risk a great rivalry that would end into a terrible civil war such as the one that ravaged England less than hundred years ago.
Ligo looked curiously at this so called uncle. He did not see any difference between him and the new baby, maybe he was his new baby brother? The baby thought wildly and began laughing, giggling. He was followed by silent cries from Fernando who wondered who was this new kid? And why was his papa not letting him play with him?
"Seems like we have a pair of Gemini and troublemakers on our midst"
"Oh no" Philip said with mock worry "another Ruy and Philip just what the world needed!"
Annie's eyes widened with horror "Dear Lord what have I gotten myself into?" She said in mock worry.
Philip laughed and so did Diana who said "I shall teach them to be more and more like me" she turned to Philip "Don't worry My Lord father, I will make them the perfect mold of you and Ruy!"
"Oh dear Lord" Now both parents muttered.
Just what trouble had they gotten into with these new critters? Ligo smiled at his 'papa' and then to his 'brother'. He had to be his brother, his eyes were different but his nose and high cheekbones were the same. Brother, he pointed out to him. Brother! Fernando pointed out to too, and spread his arms, holding them out desperately to him. Out of the two Fernando was the more vulnerable and he grew anxious when he did not see his brother for the whole day. But he was comfortable in his basinet, joined with his silent sister whom they decided to name a full of three names –Isabel Clara Eugenia. It was in honor of their great grandmother the great Queen of Castilla, and the others were chosen simply because they fit her heart shaped face and her father's light blue eyes and the almond shaped eyes that were just as their mother's.
"Clara" They looked up to see their mother point their finger at their bellies, playing with them.
Clara moved away but when she felt the warmth of her father she raised her hands and she became a different child altogether and hit on his fingers which roughness was nearly the same as her own.
This one would be a great beauty. Philip judged based on the fleshy tone of her skin and reddened cheeks and her heart shaped face. Her eyes were the same color as his but with a difference, their shape were almond shaped as her mother's and she had a smile that could captivate the hardest of hearts.
"My little Clara, you are going to be such a charmer. You are the true Spanish rose, my Spanish rose."
Up ahead there will be a darker scene, read and review!