A/N: Thank you for all the support on this story so far. I'm very excited to see so many people like the story. This chapter almost wrote itself. i day dreamed the whole time and what I saw, I wrote down so it was very easy to get up. I hope you enjoy and don't be afraid to let me know where to improve. Criticism just makes you better.
Chapter 5. King of Queens
I could feel Jane's warm body entangled with mine. Her hair tickled my face, her voice soothed my ears, and her sweet scent filled my nose. But something was wrong. Jane's scent was usually more like a country breeze…not roses. My eyes snapped open and I could see dark, silky hair sprawled over my bare chest. With a sinking realization I understood that it was not my sweet Jane who lay next to me, but my wife. My Queen. I remember a time when she was the most beautiful creature in the world to me. When she was the only reason I existed. When she was my most beloved possession. When she was my rose without a thorn. She had promised me sons and all I have to show for boastful promises is one daughter, a dead child, and the enmity of every Catholic in Europe. I thought I was getting better than this. Rolling my eyes I started to shake my head, I would've sworn I had heard Jane's sweet voice. If she were my Queen we would have sons, daughters too, but sons. We would have a Henry, an Edward, and an Arthur then perhaps a Margaret and maybe even a Jane of our own.
"Your Majesty?"
I turned my head to see a golden dressed angel with blonde hair calling me. "Your Majesty, I did not mean to startle you but Mister Cromwell said there was an urgent matter that needed your attention." Her voice sounded mournful and I wanted so much to hold her and tell her it was the duty of every King to lie with their Queen, but I knew better. Anne was my wife and I would never embarrass her so openly aside from the fact that she was starting to stir and I had no intention of dealing with her temper. Not to mention I didn't need to explain myself to her; she, like Anne, had better learn to accept what George Boleyn had said, that she is not free to restrict me from taking comfort elsewhere.
"Thank you Mistress Seymour. Send in my grooms." With a curtsey she left and fetched my grooms who dressed me as Lady Nan and Madge Shelton walked in to dress Anne. Kissing her full lips I said, "My queen I would have stayed to break my fast but I must attend to Master Cromwell. After I finish would you and your ladies like to attend a hunt?" Of course I meant Jane- I could care less whether or not Anne chose to go but there was no way to get her to come without inviting Anne.
"We were supposed to be showing shirts for the poor today. I do not mean to disappoint your majesty but I wanted to do something for those less fortunate." I was surprised to hear her decline an invitation to hunt; that was something Anne had always excelled at. Not to mention she had not been inclined to miss an opportunity to supervise my actions.
"If you insist sweetheart. Then I shall take my leave of you and I will see you later. Ladies." I left hearing a chorus of 'Your Majesties' and walked to my chambers. "Mister Cromwell."
"Your Majesty."
"What is so urgent that I had to be torn from my wife's bed?" His news was not as urgent as to me as it was to him but I didn't mind. I didn't particularly wish to spend the morning with Anne and since I had gotten up earlier I could hear mass and then go for a hunt. Cromwell's monasteries could settle themselves out. As long as the money found its way into my purse it didn't matter to me the methods he used. The monks needed to understand that I was their leader in all spiritual matters not the Bishop of Rome. Their actions were treasonous and they would be lucky to escape with their lives. After I was dressed I sent a groom around to gather the young men in my court. "Tell Brandon, Rochford, the Seymours, and Norris to forgo their duties and come hunt with me."
"You're letting dinner escape men! For your King kill the beast!" After a few hours of hunting we'd had a rather successful day. Three deer and few birds the men had shot while bored were being taken back to the palace. I was tired from my excursions from the previous night and this morning's hunt. She may be an intemperate woman but Anne Boleyn was the greatest lover I had ever had. Her time in France had certainly given her insight on how to please a man and drive him mad.
"Your Majesty is very quiet", I heard Edward say. "Are you well?"
"Just thinking. I'm very tired."
"Soon we will be at the castle, Your Majesty where the servants and our wives will be there to soothe us." Suffolk's young charge was not someone I would call a wife. She was just shy of being a child. Before I could respond to Charles I saw my brother in law make a face as if that thought was less than pleasing.
"Lord Rochford, does that thought not fill you with pleasure?"
"My Lord if my wife were like yours I would not mind it. A woman as pretty, passionate, funny, and clever as my sister would please me greatly. Lady Rochford would be more suitable as the wife of a confessional. She would have as much gossip and control as she likes." Rolling his eyes he continued, "Please God when I put a child in her belly she'll forget about me and tend to our child."
As one we all burst out laughing and I could not help but feel some sympathy for them. For George I understood what it was like to have a wife you could not tolerate being around and for Lady Rochford I could not imagine having a spouse who hated me so. Thinking on that made me start to feel rather guilty. Anne was everything George had said; she was beautiful, clever, funny, passionate, everything I had ever wanted in a bed mate. Though she had started to become everything I hated in a spouse; she was spiteful, quarrelsome, jealous, meddlesome, and hadn't given me son. Elizabeth was beautiful but one daughter was much like next and at least Mary is at marrying age. Still I would be lying if I said some of her actions were endearing. It pleased me to know that her loved for me caused her to react so passionately.
"Lord Boleyn you sure seem to idolize your sister. If I didn't know any better I would think the King had cause to be jealous." Tom's voice cut through the laughter and my thoughts bringing all attention to him and George. Of course I knew that the two families were enemies, everyone knew the Seymours and Howards hated each other, but I didn't think now was the time to do this.
"If Her Majesty Queen Anne were not my sister I would love her anyway. As I said she is beautiful, clever, and more intelligent than any woman I have ever met and most men that I've conversed with. It is the duty of every man to love their Queen just as it is the duty of every brother to love and honor his sister."
The Seymours could only smile and nod in return and I challenged everyone to a race back to the palace, which I won by a slight margin.
Dinner was rather strange that night. Anne was so quiet that at times I had forgotten she was there and Jane was nowhere in sight. Their respective brothers and family were their normal selves but I had begun to wonder if there was something I was missing. I asked Anne repeatedly if she felt alright and she had assured me she was well. Eventually I stopped asking for I did not want her to think that I wanted her to excuse herself. For the first time in a long time her presence next to me was not cause for irritation.
After dinner I received a letter from Brandon requesting we go on a hunting expedition like we used to. It would mean a night away from court, it would mean a night away from Jane. She wouldn't be bothered anyway seeing as I was told she had went back to Wolf Hall that afternoon with her father to attend her sick mother. She was all but a saint.
As I was readying my horse to leave I heard someone announce the Queen. Rolling my eyes I kept working as she walked to me.
"Where are you going?" Her voice was an accusation. "I want to know how long you will be gone."
"I will be gone as long I'd like. If it pleases me to spend a year away from court I will do so. Go back inside."
With a hurt face and deep breath she tested my impatience one more time, "I did not come to you to quarrel, I came for your permission."
"What for?"
"To have Elizabeth at court. I thought you would like to see her and I miss her terribly."
"If you want to see our daughter you can go to her, and stay there if you'd like."
With a deep breath she curtseyed, "Your Majesty I shall see my daughter another time then. I simply wanted your blessing before summoning her to your court. Forgive me." She walked away with all the dignity and grace of a Queen but I caught up to her before she got too far.
"Forgive me my love. If it pleases you to have our daughter her then send for her and when I return in two days time we will have a feast to celebrate." Her answering smile was blinding and her kiss would have made a eunuch mad for her touch. I watched her walk away, got on my horse and headed for the country.
That night it had gotten late and Brandon and I had yet to find a place to settle in for the night. "Well Brandon? You've gotten your king in the woods at night without a place to sleep. Is this part of your plan?"
Laughing he retorted, "No Henry it wasn't but as luck would have it, Wolf Hall is less than an hour's ride from here." Needing no more encouragement than that I dug my heels into my horse and rode toward my beloved.
A/N: I tried to stretch this but it refused to comply lol. I noticed while typing the next chapter, which will be much longer and will be up hopefully before the week is out, that there were a few more piece of info I left out. One, Richmond (Bessie Blount's son) isn't dead if you haven't figured that out already. Two, Compton and Knivert aren't dead...or randomly missing. I'll summon them back from whichever foreign court or from the country whenever I decide where they're currently located lol. Hope you enjoyed and I've already started the next chapter so look for it soon.