AN: his is Greenfield's , to Paradise by Coldplay...she says it's just an Elizabeth, but I think it's more an Elizabeth/Anne fic in a way!

When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach so
She ran away in her sleep
and dreamed of
Para-para-paradise, Para-para-paradise, Para-para-paradise
Every time she closed her eyes

The Princess Elizabeth – no, Lady Elizabeth, she reminded herself – stood by the window in her white nightgown, gazing out upon the night sky. Her red curls flowed down her back and she wore a small jewelled bracelet around her narrow wrist. Today, her life had been changed forever. She was not quite three years old.

Her mother was dead.

Elizabeth's dark eyes filled with tears as she pictured her mother's face; she had been very pretty. They had very similar faces, she and her mother, and she hoped she would grow up to be that pretty. She heard her mother's ringing laugh in her head and, knowing that she would never hear that laugh again, she wrapped her skinny arms tightly around her body and hugged herself fiercely, rocking back and forth on her heels. A glowing bolt of lightning crashed across the black night sky, quickly followed by a terrifying rumble of thunder that seemed to shake the very flagstones that Elizabeth was standing on. She ran back to her bed and leapt into it, pulling the covers up to her chin. Her big dark eyes peered over the top of the linen sheets, filled with tears of fear and bereavement. She wanted her mother, so badly.

She closed her eyes and tried not to hear the horrific storm outside, concentrating on the image of her mother, all in white like an angel, with a crown upon her head.

When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
and the bullets catch in her teeth
Life goes on, it gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly
Every tear a waterfall
In the night the stormy night she'll close her eyes
In the night the stormy night away she'd fly

and dreams of
Para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise

She dreamt that night, a dream that would become a recurrence throughout her life. She was with her mother, in a paradise that she soon realised to be the Garden of Eden. Trees grew rich, luscious green leaves and emerald grass shot up to her ankles. Flowers of every colour imaginable lined pathways of golden-brown brick. Fruits and vegetables blossomed everywhere the eye could see, and each time she turned a corner Elizabeth could see strange exotic creatures; an antelope, gambolling over the grass; a lion cub playing with its father; a butterfly settling on a dew-dropped crimson rose. She was wearing a gown that she had never seen before, a very grand gown of cloth of gold, with ermine lining and sleeves. She felt something pressing down on her head and, when she lifted her hands up to investigate, she withdrew the magnificent crown of Saint Edward. With a gasp, she dropped the crown onto the springy ground, where it clattered in circles for a few moments before being picked up by a pair of pale, elegant hands with tapered fingers.

She recognised those hands.

And, sure enough, when she looked up, her mother stood before her, in the yellow gown that Elizabeth had seen her in last, her dark eyes sparkling, her hair loose and raven-black. Uncle George stood a little way behind her, seemingly deep in thought, gazing down into a singing, rippling lake. Neither of them showed any signs of the gruesome fate that had befallen them; in fact, they looked even more beautiful than Elizabeth remembered, and quite at peace.

"Mama?" she whispered, her little face bright. She flew herself into her mother's arms and felt those arms wrap around her in a warm, perfumed embrace that she did not ever want to break. But Anne did break the embrace, and crouched down to look her daughter in the eyes. She held the crown balanced on her palm.

"Do not reject the crown, Elizabeth" she said softly, "Do not refuse the power and influence that you could wield so well"

Elizabeth looked, wild-eyed, at her mother, "But Mama – "

"No buts" Anne put her finger to her daughter's lips, then raised the crown and placed it back on top of the blazing red hair. Elizabeth staggered a little under the weight, but Anne grasped the child's small hands and held her still.

"One day, my darling Beth, you will be a great Queen" Anne continued, her voice firm, her eyes suddenly fixed on the crown upon Elizabeth's worried little head.

"But Mama, my little brother the good Prince Edward is to be King" Elizabeth replied, in a phrase that she had heard many times. Anne shook her head.

"No, my dear. Edward will still be King, and your sister Mary too, but when that is over, you will be Queen"

Oh oh oh oh oh oh-oh-oh
She'd dream of
Para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
Oh oh oh oh oh oh-oh-oh-oh

Elizabeth's lips trembled for a few moments, for she knew that for her to be Queen her Papa, brother and sister would have to die. Then she squared her little shoulders, looked in her mother's eyes, and nodded.

"Yes, Mama"

"Good girl" Anne kissed her daughter with tears in her eyes, and moved away in a cloud of French perfume, disappearing with her brother into the gardens of paradise.

This dream entered into Elizabeth's unconsciousness every night as she slept.

And so lying underneath those stormy skies
She'd say, "oh, ohohohoh I know the sun must set to rise"

Fourteen and a half years later, Elizabeth was seventeen years old. Her brother, Prince Edward, was on the throne, and she was living at Hatfield House with her childhood friend and playmate, Robert Dudley.

They were seated outside as the night drew in. Elizabeth was shivering in the cold and her dear Robin had put his cloak about her slender body and had his arm around her to keep off the chill, though this only sent a very different shiver down her spine. Robin was stroking her hair, an intimate gesture that she should have discouraged, but could not bear to. She had grown into the beauty of her mother and Robin had noticed, just as she had noticed his handsomeness.

They sat in companionable silence until they felt the first spots of rain and they plopped onto Elizabeth's green skirts. She gasped and leapt up from the grass.

"Oh, do let's go inside! I can't bear to be out in the rain"

Robin laughed at her, rising languidly without any hurry, thoroughly amused, "It shan't hurt you, my Lady"

"Elizabeth!" she corrected him crossly, as the rain pounded down in heavier droplets. She cried out and began to run, pulling Robin's cloak over her head to cover her elaborately styled hair and holding up her skirts with her free hand to allow to her move faster. The sky had darkened rapidly and there was a distant rumble of thunder. Robin was running along beside her, still chuckling at her horror. They were nowhere near the stately home. The sky flashed a brilliant, blinding white. Elizabeth screamed; she had never been outdoors during a storm before. Robert laughed at her again and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her under a large tree. A few drops of rain tumbled from the leaves, but otherwise they were quite dry. Elizabeth clutched her chest, panting, and looked with fearful eyes up at the sky. Robin laughed and pulled her to him.

"Don't be scared. A little fall of rain never hurt anybody"

"I don't like storms" Elizabeth retorted sharply, pouting, but her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him. Thunder exploded overhead, and a slash of lighting followed. She shrank closer to Robin and felt him slide the tip of his finger under her chin, tilting her face up to look at him. She gasped, but no longer from fear. His lips neared hers and her breath caught in her throat. She had never been kissed before, he had never so much as touched her hand before.

As their lips touched, sparks flew between them. She did not notice the next roar of thunder or flash of light, or the increasing pounding of the rain. They stayed intertwined beneath the tree for a long time, until the rain cleared and the stars began to shine once again.

Elizabeth thought, in that moment, that maybe the paradise in her dream wasn't paradise after all. Maybe paradise was this, having Robin's arms around her and his lips covering hers and the stars twinkling above them.

Maybe there could be paradise on earth after all.

This could be
Para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
Oh oh oh oh oh oh-oh-oh
This could be
Para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
This could be
Para-para-paradise
Oh oh oh oh oh oh-oh-oh-oh