A/N: It's come to the end. Its a pretty quick ending I must say, but I blame that on the fact that I hate saying goodbyes. I hope you enjoyed reading it. For the most part I enjoyed writing it lol :D

-P


The white cap on my head was starting to itch. My sweaty palms dangled at my sides. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I took in all the faces below. Some cried and some were furious. Some shouted prayers and some shouted curses. One man threw a tomatoe at me, hitting me right in the stomach. He was ushered away. After all I was the queen of England and I had done wonders for this country. Without me the Orphanage wouldn't be running and the hospital would be a ruin. But as I stared death in the face I wasn't scared. I felt a strange sense of peace. Everything was taken care of and I had nothing to lose anymore.

The day earlier I had been praying in my room. That's all I did this past two weeks was pray. I prayed for my sons and my daughter. I wanted them to know each other, to live the way I had with my brothers. I knew Adam would treat them well. Whether he they were his or not he would treat them as his own. He had a reputation to keep. Already I had learned that Margaret was introduced to the Royal courts as the kings daughter and her story told with dramatic detail about the horrible betrayal and revenge of her father. Of course Ceecee was made out to be a poor and innocent by stander, who's life had been threatened if she did not kidnap the baby.

On the day of my trial my ladies dressed my in plan black silk and placed a lace veil over my face. I wore a thick gold cross around my neck and carried my black rosary beads. Regan told me that it was the outfit most likely to get the most sympathy, not that it mattered in the end.

I was lead slowly through the town to the castle. The people were silent and peaceful. One lady reached out and gave my hand a tight squeeze. They all knew their king and they all knew that I was the one who loved them. If only they had been the ones judging me.

The courts were draped in darkness. It was a sad day all around. It was as if my fate had already been decided for me and I felt the urge to just give up and go back to the tower to await my punishment.

The room was full of old men in black robes and each one stared at me as I walked past to the middle of the room. There was a small wooden chair, which I would sit on, directly in front of my husband, who was not yet present and the men I once called friends. They talked quietly amongst themselves and left me to sit and think about my sins.

"I told you not to trust him," a voice said from beside me. I jumped and turned to face Andrew sitting on the ground.

"Andrew?" He smiled and looked up at the guards around him. They stared at me curiously and I looked down at my skirts. "Why are you here?"

"I figured you'd want someone to hold your hand through this…ordeal." He reached out and touched my hand, sending a chill up my spine. "I hate seeing them do this to you. I would've kept you safe. I tried to keep you safe but I drank too much that evening and that De Silva man was too experienced with a weapon."

"Jesse? He killed you?" I glanced at him and heard the guard cough behind me.

"He was at the Hunting Horse and he was mighty drunk too. He didn't look like he wanted to fight and he kept apologizing to me. But he was persistent and challenged me. Even gave me a sword said I could keep it if I won. Most beautiful thing I had ever seen." His eyes glazed over as he thought of the sword. I stared at my 20-year-old husband and wished I could be young again. I would've appreciated him more. I felt horror sit in my stomach like a rock.

"Are you sure it was Jesse?" He snapped out of his trance and narrowed his eyes at me.

"I have been through everything with you. I've watched you cry of happiness and sadness. I know whom I speak. The man who you share a child with is the man that killed me." The great doors opened as Adam walked in and the guards had to hold me up, for my knees were too weak. "And now I get to watch the other man who betrayed you both, send you to your death." He sighed sadly. "But don't worry. I'm here for you." He whispered through the guard and I felt the man holding my arm shiver.

Adam stood at in front of his golden throne and lifted his nose at me. He nodded to the man standing close to him.

"That's the man who murdered me." Andrew whispered and I shook my head.

"That's not Jesse."

"He told me his name was Jesse." Andrew said with a frown. "He said he loved you and that I was in the way." I looked at Andrew's sad face and wanted to kiss his frowns away, like I had done for my sons.

"Susanna McTavish, Queen of England you are here to be tried for the charges of Adultery, High Treason and Fraud." His high voice brought me back to the present.

"The fraud charge was dropped." I said and everyone stared at me. Apparently it was rude to interrupt. Adam smirked.

"I wouldn't worry about whether it was dropped or not. It wont be the deciding factor." Andrew whispered. "Better to just stay quiet."

"Bring forth the first witness, Lady Regan Meducci." Regan shuffled in a side door and sat in a wooden box to Adam's right. She wore a gown three sizes to big for her and it was falling off her shoulders. Adam stood up and smoothed out his crimson robe.

"Lady Regan, how are you?"

"In good health Your Majesty." She said kissing the hand he offered.

"Explain to us why you think Her Majesty's charges of fraud should be dropped." Regan looked at me. Her eyes were red and tired, tears at the brim.

"Because she's not just a poor farm girl. She's my granddaughter." The courts erupted in noise. I stared at the woman who was my closest confidant with confusion. Was she going mad? She was getting fairly old but her mind was always sharp.

"Your granddaughter you say?" Adam said with a smirk. "How do you propose to prove this?"

"Well it's quite the story actually. You see when I was much younger; in my childbearing days I had three children, two boys and a girl. Well one day I had taken my daughter out for a walk and stopped under a tree."

"Is this going to be a long story Lady Regan? We don't have much time." He smirked at the court and she frowned at him. She looked at me and shook her head.

"Your mother was my daughter. The people who took her…they must've been farm hands of ours. After she went missing I did notice that a kitchen staff went missing but I never thought anything of it. After my husband fired everyone in a fit of rage I never had the chance to question anyone." I thought of my mother.

"How?" I asked and Adam scowled at me.

"I ask the questions." He snapped and the whole court went quiet. Andrew grasped my hand tightly and I bit my tongue.

"I know you are getting quite old Lady Regan but surely you do not imagine that I would believe this?"

"She has a birth mark on her shoulder." She took a deep breath, her hands clasped tightly on her lap. "A winged bird."

"So she has a mark. Many people do." He said sarcastically getting a few more sniggers from the crowd.

"My daughter had the same mark. And I have that same mark." She pulled down the shoulder of her dress and turned to the crowd. Adam blanked and shook his head.

"It's exactly like mine." I said more out of shock than anything else. Adam turned to me and scowled.

"I didn't know until the day of her wedding when I was putting her gown on. Since that moment I kept it a secret, knowing that it wasn't a secret that needed to come out. It would've done no good."

"Thank you Lady Regan you can go." She looked away from him and blinked.

"But she.."

"The charge of Fraud has been dropped. You are dismissed." Tears rolled down her face as she was ushered out of the box and away from me. The only piece of my mother I had left.

"Next witness, Lady Cecily Thompson." I wiped the tears from my face and watched as my best friend scurried into the box. She wore black in mourning of her husbands near death.

"Explain to the courts what you told us yesterday. Not of the kidnapping of the treason." Adam said more quietly. He touched her shoulder and she took a deep breath.

"Susanna, Jesse and I were once very close friends. We could tell each other everything." I snorted and looked away. She paused for a second and I heard her take a deep breath. "I feel horrible for betraying her trust, Your Highness."

"Of course you do. But your duty is to protect the King." He said sadly. His acting was perfect. "Please continue." He winked at me and my stomach turned.

"One night we were at the Black Bucket. At this point Susanna was just one of the staff, she had talked about wanting to be queen but had not made any movements towards it." My mouth fell open and I was completely flabbergasted. "We had always joked about becoming the queen and what we would change, what kind of parties we would throw. I never thought that one day…it would happen." She was lying and it was clear to everyone that this was a rehearsed speech. One that she was butchering by shaking, whispering and crying.

" We had been sitting around joking about the kingdom and the king, to my deepest regret. We were drinking ale and talking about the parties that were coming up. All of a sudden Jesse got into a right state and started talking, out of anger about how much better the country would be without the king. I didn't think anything of it and didn't want to think that my dearest friends would want to kill the king. It wasn't until the winter festival that I knew they were serious. When Susanna had been reunited with her daughter Jesse convinced her that the King was in the way and needed to be…taken care of." She looked down at her dress to avoid the horrified look on her face.

"She ventured up to one of the wings in the Vacation House and started a fire, in hopes that the King would be too drunk to get himself out. She and Jesse were the first ones to notify people that the house was on fire and they were the last ones to go and find the King to make sure he was safe."

"Who was the first one?" Adam asked staring at me.

"I was." She whispered and held her head up. The first woman to open her legs for him, but she was not the first one out of the building.

"Of course she was." I mumbled and shook my head.

"Something to say?" Adam smirked at me.

"You were not even in the building. I made sure that you were outside. I sent the children out with you." I spat at him. He stood up and narrowed his eyes.

"You admit to starting this fire though?" A voice came from the crowd and spotted Elizabeth. She smirked at me and I shook my head.

"Did you start the fire?" Adam asked, amusement on his lips.

"Yes." I said and the room filled with noise. "But it wasn't with intent to kill the king!"

"You murdered the Duke of Cornwall?" He looked shocked, actually shocked.

"He touched my daughter. I had to protect her innocence." He narrowed his eyes at me and then smiled.

"Which daughter do you speak of?"

"Addison."

"The daughter, which is not biologically yours? The daughter, which is in fact my bastard?"

"She has royal blood. Royal blood must be protected."

"A royal bastard does not take place of a Duke." He looked at his courts. "The charge for High Treason is dropped. But the charge for Murder is now laid." He stood in front of his chair as the crowd shouted again. "Susanna McTavish, Queen of England, you are found guilty by the courts and your King of committing murder of a royal. You will be beheaded as of dawn tomorrow. Do you have anything to say?" The room went eerily silent and Andrew nodded at me.

"Rot in hell you evil bastard!" I said and spit at him. The room erupted in shouts and curses as I was pushed through the doors and ushered into an iron cage. The cage bounced down the road as people watched sadly from the sidelines.

That night I never left my bedside. I prayed relentlessly. I listened to the shouts and the curses from the crowd below as dawn approached. I closed my eyes and felt tears burn them. My ladies dressed me but I do not remember. They walked me to the stand but I do not remember. They removed my coat but I do not remember.

"Any last words?" The massive executioner said. I looked out at all the faces and sighed.

"God help me." I whispered. "Pray for me! For I have done wrong and sinned against my king. Pray that the good I have done continues through my children. Watch over them and keep them safe as I have done for you." I looked at the people, tears in my eyes. "I love you and thank you for all you have taught me. To God…" I looked up dramatically. "I am in your hands."

I was bent down and my head placed on a wooden block. I closed my eyes and tried to block out the cheers and chants from the crowd. I took three deep breaths and listened as the executioner grunted with the weight of the axe. I opened my eyes and caught the glimpse of green eyes. My mother! I wanted to reach out to her. I wanted her to tell me it was going to be alright, to hold me like she did when I was a babe. It took two seconds for the axe to fall on my neck and then the world went black.

I awoke in my old bed. It was bright and warm I blinked at the white light coming from my window and thought maybe it was all a dream. I opened the door and crept downstairs. The fire crackled and a woman was singing in the kitchen. When I stepped into the room I almost cried.

"Good morning my darling." She said smiling at me.

"Momma?" I fell to the floor.

"Oh my poor darling." She came and sat in front of me. She brushed the hair from my face and smiled.

"I missed you." I said.

"I'm here now." She kissed my forehead. "You're safe now."

"But my children? My family? Who will take care of them?"

"We will." She said looking over her shoulder. Standing behind her was everyone I loved. Papa stood young and sprier than every. He smiled and waved to me. Then there was Spencer who held Timothy in his arms, both smiled at me as if I was gone forever. Andrew stood close behind him. Arms crossed and grinning as if he had brought home the prized boar from a hunting tournament. And last there was Jesse. He stood closest to Momma. His eyes were bright and he smiled at me before sighing. I stood up and went to him.

"I've always dreamed of being in your arms again." I said as he wrapped me in his embrace and bent his head to mine.

"It's been too long."