Disclaimer: If I did I would be Goddess Supreme.

For all of those wondering yes, Fenrique is the second eldest, in the previous chapters though he is twin to Carlos, it is never cleared but merely assumed because Carlos is a head taller, he is the oldest but he is not. Fenrique is.

Also sorry for the confusion corrected the date last chapter, 1574 not 1543, that was intended for my next story.
Thanks to Dani, we wrote a small fragment of a scene in this chapter almost a year ago.

Chapter 57: They Are Not One Of Us

"Everyone who isn't us, is the enemy"

~Cersei Lannister, GoT season 1.

1574, July 9th.

England, London Borough:

Richmond

Nothing grand. Court had moved from Hampton to Richmond, on such short notice. Usual complaints from the courtiers, not enough time to pack. William had his way, all he had to do was give them one of his charming smiles and they were won over.

Margaret smirked. My brother is an idiot. Keeps his advisers to close to him, people were beginning to wonder if he had a cock in that tight clothing of his. And if he would please his wife ...

Before the month was over, Burghley as always, butted in the King's business with a new proposal for marriage. William had preferred his proposal over their grandfather. The battle for these two men over dominance had turned almost laughable -into child's play.

Erzebet Bathory ... Her name already tasted terrible to the English tongue who whispered foul things about her family. Her family was a staunch Calvinist and it was not the only reason why Cecil chose her. She was related to the Sultan and her family was the richest in Hungary and they brought a great dowry.

Margaret stood at the head, waiting for this brat to arrive. All eyes were on her expecting no less from a true Princess of England who was their mother's daughter in every way. The foreign Princess would not be able to match her.

But she did and in more ways than one.

Erzebet or Beth as she preferred to be called now, to avoid confusion with the great many Elizabeths at court, took one step forward into the great hall of Richmond and raised her chin, her chocolate brown eyes meeting the King's light blue.

Her hair was parted at the center, puffed high over the forehead and keeping with English tradition she wore padded shoulder rolls and full sleeves with golden rings on each, with gold and silver embroidery on her white, gold, and red gown. Her bodice had a low square-neckline and she wore a pearl choker around her neck with two more necklaces falling to the middle of her dress.

William was impressed with the level of dedication and her mastery, despite her pronounced accent -which he was sure she would get rid of- of the English language, and to learn their ways from gestures, to fashion.

"Your Majesty" She said bowing gracefully.

The rest of her party followed their mistress and bowed to his presence.

"My Lady" William brought her hand to his lips. The ladies behind Beth brushed their hands to their mouths to cover their giggles, one sharp look from their mistress, they grew quiet.

Beth flushed at his next words -"Your portrait did not do you justice My Lady. You are a head taller than most of your ladies and far more beautiful."

"Your Majesty does me much honor" She said keeping her voice steady, her eyes wandered to the older Bess, the King's Aunt and his Lord Protector. They watch her every move, the Lord Protector especially. She turned away from them to William. He was expecting her to return his flattery. Typical of all Tudors. Old Nan told her. All they want is flattery and a pretty thing such as you -with him- does nothing more than boost his ego.

"Excuse me for my forwardness Your Majesty -"

"Oh no, no," William interrupted, excited to hear what her delicate rosy lips had to tell about his generosity. "Please speak your mind, this is a free land, your land it will soon be" With me -he thought.

Her smile widened "This is a great moment for me. I was told so little of you from your Ambassadors, my former governess did not offer me much. They only told me you were the handsomest Prince of Christendom ..." she licked her lips and looked down, abashed, "...but they told me nothing of your godly looks"

Oh please. Margaret thought. William could not swallow that.

William threw his head back in laughter, the court followed. He led his betrothed to the dais where she sat, and was given the full honors as if she was already crowned. He loosened his grip and caressed her soft skin which was warm at his touch.

"You are nothing short of a goddess yourself Madame, all you see here will be your Olympus. You will be my Mentis and I your Zeus."

She bit back a giggle. She was not going to ask mindless like the ladies her mother forced her to bring. "Forgive me My Lord but Hera was the wife of Zeus."

"No" he said rather quickly. "Hera was his second wife, a shrew, a witch, his sister" His face twisted in disgust. "Mentis was his first wife and bore him the great goddess Athena, who became his favorite child above even those of Hera and of his illegitimate unions with goddesses and mortal women."

"And does My Lord think I possess the same grace and beauty?"

"More." William replied, unable to keep his eyes from her. "But I did not say beauty, her daughter had beauty, Mentis did not. You on the other hand are a perfect blend with Hera's beauty and Mentis' docile, gentle character."

"The betrayal of your grandmother, my mother refused to give me much detail, but is it true My Lord?"

"Sadly yes" William revealed, giving a deep sigh, sinking into his chair. He looked at his future Queen, "Beth" he brought her hand forward to his lips. Beth watched with a smile curling on her lips. It seemed an action he did not tire of.

"A delicacy to my lips as to your cheeks" He said. "Beth, there is no need for us to be so formal. This is to be a union between equals, you are my equal Beth not my subject."

The thirteen year old leaned forward and what appeared to be a kiss, was a lick to his earlobe. "If I am to be your equal, I shall be on top of you in bed as in governmental affairs."

William blinked. Was she out of her mind.

"If you want" She crossed her arms. "I could go back to my poor province in Nyirbator, back to Esced castle disgraced where I shall be forced to spend the rest of my days married to some old warlord who will take his pleasure on me as many times he wishes and when our children are old and chubby he shall raise them to be killing machines"

"You are overreacting."

"And in the meanwhile that I am forced to see history repeat itself" She continued, "I shall grow old, embittered, and spend the rest of my days looking back on what cannot be." She finished with a long sigh and a sad glance.

He brought his hand to her face, brushing the sides of her lips with a familiarity as if they were husband and wife already.

The young women were gave out sighs, their stomach doing flip-flops, feeling a bit envious that the foreigner would be the lucky one to be deflowered by their handsome King. Others, the men, hands joined behind their backs recoiled as the young King brought his hand down to her knee. They could not see it, the mantle blocked their view but they were sure -the King's look was one of pleasure.
The girl with her dark brown hair and large chocolate brown orbs was something new to them. They had never seen such beauty. Only their fathers who had been alive at the time remembered a beauty of similar features who also enchanted the King.

wild laughter, large enough for everyone to hear.

Margaret braced herself for the blow. The blow never came, in one splash of wine that William intentionally threw, he let out a merry go round of laughter. Margaret covered her ears and gazed down on the rest of the court.

She turned her eyes from them.

Her daughter clinging on to her arm, shared her mother's dismay. Beth whirled around to meet the Duchess' eyes. In all the laughter the attention had diverted from William unto their future Queen. One act like that, thought Ana of Austria, in Spain and they would be locked forever!

England was a very strange country filled with strange people. Ana's eyes fell on her daughter. Would she turn into a stranger?

Her eyes shifted from her to the future Queen. Such delicacy. Bah!

What went through William Cecil's mind when he proposed the offer to his grandson? Furthermore, what was going through his grandson's mind when he accepted? Eustace thought. The lady had no refinement, no manners and she was brash and forward like, like ...

"Like an Englishwoman" Bess finished his thoughts, knowing what went on in his mind.

He said nothing to this. He continued to watch intently the two interact. William was hopelessly smitten by her and Beth was brash and forward to kiss him in the cheeks and temple, and bold -when no one was looking- to suck on his earlobes.

He began to search his mind for a back up plan. Queens had been divorced, exiled, and beheaded on a regular basis. There was no reason to try ...

Beth's high pitched laughter resonated through walls of the Great Hall. Her ladies were taken by a fit of giggles. The young women that were chosen to be her ladies in waiting could not wait to keep her company and share in all the strangers' gossip and see for themselves, when the wedding came, the bloodstained sheets as proof of her previous maidenhead.

July 11th

Lower Palatinate

"So that is how the King plans to win a few handful of people by usurping true royalty's worth and exchanging a good German Princess over that barbarian woman!"

"Careful mother" Albert chided lightly throwing darts at his subject. He made a wooden figure who served as his totem. He imagined he was throwing arrows at his enemies, namely William and King Philip of Spain. "That Barbarian woman is thirteen years old and she has already had her blood. She comes from an ancient family and she is a staunch Calvinist at heart."

His dart flew right into the totem's eyes. "Bullseye!" He cried.

Gertrude rolled her eyes at him. You do not see that William is toying with us as the Hapsburgs and the longer we wait for the French support the less guarantee we have of the German Princes and the Netherlands. It was a huge setback that William of Orange's son was held captive by the Spanish King. Otherwise Gertrude and Albert could use him as their banner to fight against the Hapsburg injustice and have more countries join their cause.

"It does not do us any good that now England has the support of Hungary and Spain has given a large dowry to the King of Navarre." She said.

"Marriages are dissolved as easy as dreams mother."Albert chuckled."The King of Navarre wants nothing to do with Philip II. He will dump the English bastard soon enough and we will have England in our hands and France to back us up. Ho! Bullseye again" Albert cried when he hit another one of his targets.

Gertrude slapped him and dug her hands into her chin and forced him to focus on her eyes, brown met dark blue.

"You never take seriously, it has fallen on me to keep this family together. The more you sink yourself into your silly games, you begin to lose eyesight."

"Let me go mother" He said with a firm voice but Gertrude ignored and continued pressing her fingers, her nails drawing a little blood. "I said let me go!"

"Until you listen to me, I will take control of your little affairs and escapades or you believe me ignorant that I do not know where you go at night." Finally she let go and Albert turned away ashamed.

"Your father was a great and callous man. He never took everything lightly and thanks to that you and I are alive."

"He still died" Albert said "Product of treason."

"Product of a mistake. Everyone who tells you otherwise is a liar and wants nothing mare than your favors. Your father had he been discovered he would have been hanged, stretched, and disemboweled. He was a traitor plain and simple and his only flaw was that he failed in his plot and that he helped us escape."

Albert wheeled to face his mother. "What are you saying?"

Gertrude brushed her hands down his shoulders. "Everyone who is not us sweetling is the enemy." She said her smile turning wicked. "Your father's true mistake lay in us, if he were not married and so worried for our welfare he would have succeeded and placed himself as King. It is a hard lesson to come by but you must learn it. The more people you love, the weaker you are and his love for us is what ruined him not the bastard Queen's treason. The same which ruined your grandmother and brought her to madness."

She smirked knowing her words were successfully drilled into her son's head and left.

July 19th

Spain, Valladolid.

"I hope you are happy Carlos, we are stuck in the middle of nowhere with goofballs for servants and all thanks to you. For once you could have stand up to your father and be a man instead of a jelly!"

"Shut up woman!"

"I took you for a Prince, a weak one but a Prince nonetheless and look what I got. A jelly and a dimwitted fool!"

"One more word Catalina"

"And you will strike me." She finished for him. "Your words fall on empty ears."

She threw her hands in the air and went for her favorite fan and hit the back of her husband's neck.

I could be in England right now married to George, enjoying red haired babies with their beautiful brown or my emerald orbs, but no. I have to be stuck with this fool!

She tried getting pregnant, God knew she did but these last years he had grown so disgusting to her that it was impossible to lay together without wanting to vomit.

It was a wonder that her children were even conceived at all. Ha! When she thought of how nervous he was when he came to her ... he had gotten softer after their twins, Carlos and Fernando Enrique, but it was never enough. He had to take her by force and hear her moaning his name for him to let go.

Disgust spread across her face as she remembered the last time they lay together, the night they conceived Maria. It was the last time, thankfully, and she bowed never again ... But now that that bastard taken her children she was willing to conceive -if only to spite her.

Carlos rubbed the spot where she hit. He turned his back on her.

She laughed even harder as he grumbled.

"Let us turn the clock. A year ago, your father would not dare to take our children away. What happened? I will tell you what happened, that bastard happened and now that she has our children, they will be brainwashed into loving her and be her willing disciples her servants as much as Felipe."

"I will never allow that."

"You?" She threw her head back in laughter. "Who are you but the Prince of nothing? Your father can do whatever he wants now. Thank you very much Carlos, you have yourself to blame, our children are taken from us and turned slaves to Annie's children but I guess that is alright because you will do something."

"I can at least try." Instead of bickering like you -he wished to say but he didn't have the courage.

"Try, try, try, that is all you ever do. There is only one option to our problems and you know what that is."

"You are mad."

She advanced to him and lowered her fan, her emerald eyes pierced his dark ones. "There is only one option and you can't back down, not now when we have everything to lose and everything to gain."

Carlos sighed. She was mad but he would rather hear it so he would not have to be pestered by her for the entire week.

Catalina drew a frustrated growl. She expected her husband to say something, but he was so aloof to her plans that she had to spell it out for him. "Murder" she hissed "Kill your father and it will be the end of our problems"

"And how do you recommend we get rid of my father?" He asked wiping a tear from his eyes, not from cowardice but laughter.

It has finally happened, she has finally gone mad ...Now there was one person madder in this house he could complain about.

"Weeping that is all you do isn't it?" She adjusted her golden coronet. Catalina as she was called since her arrival to Spain, always outshone her eldest sister in all of the events she organized for the Spanish crown. It wasn't hard anyways, being the youngest and more desirable of the two. And it was regrettable she would never be allowed back in court ... she'd love to see her dear sister's face, old and weary by her pregnancy, as she made her grand entrance and mesmerized everyone with her youth and beauty.

"Think Carlos, your father will supplant our sons, even the one he claims is his immediate heir, Ligo, anyway with the bastard Queen's sons."

"That is not true I am his son. He will pass the crown to Felipe, our Ligo, because he is my son-" he began to stutter, frowning at the prospect that his father could go so far. But he had gone far already stealing his oldest son, Don Felipe Diego from him and Catalina.

Catalina recognized that look and pointed something else "Are you really going to let that bastard queen who has not given Spain and England as much sons as I have steal our sons' inheritance. Are you going to let your siblings be ahead of our boys?"

She continued when he grew silent. "Your father has always diminished you! Remember what happened with that Flanders post? You thought you would get it and then he gave it to Farnese a bastard? And when you were little? For how long he cared for you? He always loved his bastards children more and he loves his girls...girls for God's sake! More than what he loves you! You are the one who is supposed to be his heir"

"And I am"

"Really?" she smirked pitting her fan against his cheek. "I have given you four boys, the first which is on her custody and calls her mama and your father papa instead of you! I have given you two girls as well, what has she given England and Spain hmm? One boy who rules England and is so green? Two boys who are your half siblings, one who is very sick? What has he done with your inheritance? Given it over to Ligo and turned our son against us. How farther will she go Carlos tell me? "

"Her son William is King you said it yourself" Carlos replied. "She would not need to ambition for another son to be King"

Catalina nodded "Bright lad. But he is fifteen, and he has not reached the age of majority. Yes a cunning and conniving child-like his true grandfather the lord protector, but a child nonetheless. And our poor child, our eldest child who we were not allowed to keep? What will become of him when he outlives his usage?"

"If he is with them it must be because my father believed it was for his safety" Carlos commented never feeling brave enough to stand up to his father. And he desperately wanted to see his eldest son, Felipe whom he named in honor of the King; that he could not afford making the King angry.

"You mean for the bastard Queen safety. All she is a liar, pathetic, usurper, don't you get it? She has raised Felipe as her own, your father calls him his son instead of you and why? So he will grow used to serving your half siblings and our sons and daughters serve theirs as well!"

"No!"

"Yes Carlos, it is the sad and cold truth" Catalina said putting her fan down.

"Felipe Diego will be King! My father decreed it!" Carlos cried "And what you said...it's not true!"

"Your father always preferred others to you!"

Carlos let his head fall into his hands. It was so difficult to think now

"You must do something about it, Carlos"

She whispered against his ear moving her lips to his ear lobe where she licked it, and Carlos moaned feeling her hand come to his member. It was difficult to concentrate when you were the victim of desire and her manipulation.

She threw more poison in his ears and suggested evil things that he wasn't able to hear any longer.

He momentarily broke free of her manipulation and took a step away from her.

"You talk nothing but lies! My father would not dare, he needs the council support -"

"For what to throw one mad man's son away from the line of succession?" She laughed madly and took her fan again. "Please ,are you not aware what EVERYONE thinks of you? What they say of me? They call me the red haired witch, while the bastard is treated like the Queen of heaven. Your father has even broken his holy vow to the Inquisition, he has angered many of the true faith. Are you going to let a heretic cloud your father's mind?"

"No! That cannot be!" Carlos suddenly said "That cannot be"

"It will" Catalina insisted "There's one woman whose heart is made of iron, who is cold enough to make our son's death appear like an accident. One day he can catch the fever or something worse, and they will say our dear Felipe Diego died of natural causes then our other sons will follow, and then our daughters whom you love very much. Maria ... poor Maria ..."

"She would never."

"You don't know my sister, her father was one of the more conniving men under your namesake. She is very capable" Catalina muttered "But I guess we will just have to cross our arms against our chest, after all you are willing to sit by while her son, William in England helps his middle siblings take away all that is our sons."

She turned her back on him, a deep insult for a king's son, but she did not care. He had to see reason, her reason.

And Carlos started indeed to see reason. He had always hated his father. He had never gave him the liberty or pay him the respect that he deserved. He never believed in him, he never took him as the heir that Spain would eventually have, that was why he was always looking for another wife, to get more heirs, to push him away from his rightful place. Something had to be done

And then there was no more room left for discussion. The unsaid order had been given.

And honor bound them to obey, for themselves and their children.

It went farther than that. She intended to help her nephew Albert gain the English crown and in return helping her gain the Spanish one for her second son, Fenrique, bringing Annie down once and for all.

She promised she would pay dearly for what she did to her and Catalina never backed down from her promises.