Chapter 12:

Jane felt her knees weaken, thankfully she was standing near her bed and so her ladies laid her on it as soon as they saw her finished reading her letter.

She was back.

Henry had taken her back, and if her source were accurate, he'd begged her to return to him.

She'd succeeded in the end.

She'd given him his heir and another daughter too.

And Jane couldn't help but think of all that she had lost and will never have.

She was alone and all she could do was weep for how her life had taken an unexpected turn.

She had been back for two weeks and Anne felt like she had travelled back in time, a time where she loved the court because everyone praised her as she was the King's sweetheart.

But now she knew better, she knew that the people around her were as fickle as the King and so she found herself not caring for their opinions about her anymore. It wasn't like she cared before and she wasn't going to start now.

She will however, not make the same mistakes she did regarding the courtiers. She will no longer show her true feelings about them. Anne realized her mistake of being arrogant last time and so now, she will be diplomatic when dealing with the people around her. She no longer cared who is her ally or who will benefit her more, so long as they can achieve her ends, she will treat them well.

Currently, Anne was walking with the King in the gardens. It felt odd to her, that the path they were taking was the same path she had taken when she had begged Henry for one more chance with Elizabeth in her arms but she chose not to say anything. Henry had been very kind and gracious and attentive toward her ever since they had reconciled and while she does still truly love him, a part of her still feels scared and wary that he might neglect and treat her the way he used to before she left.

Henry had reassured her though, that it would never happen again, and if he ever strayed from her again, she could leave him and take the children with her back to Pembroke, of course, the children would still be the rightful heirs to the throne, especially little Christian but he would let them stay with her and she would raise them as she saw fit. Anne knew that even if that would happen, she could never deny him their children, she couldn't deny her children their father. She knew how much family was important to Henry and so she could not do that to him, even if he had been the one to almost ruin their family.

"Sweet heart." Henry said, causing Anne to break away from her thoughts and looked at him.

"Yes, Henry?" Anne asked she had noticed that a few of their servants had stayed a few paces back from them. She'd also noticed that he'd led her to the maze where he once declared how much he wanted her to be recognised as his rightful Queen by introducing him to King Francis when he brought her to France with him all those years ago.

"You've been happy with me, right? This past few weeks have been a big change for the both of us but, I want to- no, I need to know that you have no regrets with us being together again." Henry asked.

Anne stared, she didn't know what to say, of course she had no regrets, but she could not discount her fears, she loved Henry so greatly that she had miscarried her previous pregnancies prior to the twins when she saw him with his mistresses for it broke her heart too much. She knew that there was a possibility that Henry could fall in love with someone else, she knew that he might find it in himself to want to take a mistress in the future. She feared losing his love, but regret? She did not regret being with him nor did she regret returning to him. She knew deep in her heart and soul that even after all the heartache, her love for Henry ran so deep that she would never be able to regret her decisions when it came to him.

"No. I don't have any regrets, Henry. I have never regretted being with you, fighting for our love. I told you once that I would only stop being unhappy if you ever stopped loving me, but never have I regretted loving you as much as I do."

At hearing Anne's answer, Henry immediately pulled her closer and placed one hand at the nape of her neck and then the other around her waist and then pulled her in for a passionate kiss. Upon finishing their kiss, King Henry continued to hold Anne's nape as he leaned and placed his forehead onto hers while both their eyes remained closed.

"My love." Henry said in a whisper. Anne remained still as Henry had yet to let go of her neck. "Marry me."

At this, Anne's eyes immediately shot open and she stared him in the eyes, "What?" she asked.

"Marry me. Anne, please do me the honour of proving my love for you once and for all, let us renew our vows, I promise to honor them and you as I should have." Henry said, Anne was too shocked to even notice that Henry had knelt before her, with a ring raised as he waited for her answer.

"yes."

The invitation to the wedding was sent to all the noblemen and noblewomen of the land, she was with her father and brother, Thomas when the invitation arrived. When it was handed to her, her father and brother immediately asked her what was wrong.

"I have received an invitation from the King." Jane said, staring at the letter, her back facing her brother and father who was currently sat in her study.

"An invitation? Back to court?" Her father asked wondering what this could mean for their family.

"Indeed. It is an invitation to his renewal of vows with The Duchess of Pembroke." Jane spoke as she handed he invitation to her brother who immediately took it and read its contents.

"How dare he! After he divorces you? He expects you to attend his wedding to her?!" Thomas said, she knew her brother well enough to be angry about this, not only did it hurt her, but attending such an occasion can only bring further humiliation to their family all because she could not bear a child.

"Oh brother, have you forgotten? All of England's nobility are invited. I highly doubt the King ever even gave it a thought when this invitation was sent, I am after all a Duchess." Jane said, trying to placate her brother. It was true, Henry had probably ordered the invitations to be sent out to all noblemen and women in the land without thought that she would be sent one too. It was further proof to Jane that the King had not really loved her as deeply as she loved him. He wouldn't have forgotten about her so soon.

"If you excuse me, father, brother, I am feeling rather tired and I shall like to retire to my room for a bit of rest. Stay as long as you like, you have rooms here always." Jane said as she left them to discuss what is the proper thing to do at a moment like this, weighing the pro's and con's of Jane attending the wedding or not.

She did not give them a chance to talk to her for she immediately left the room and headed to her own chamber.

When she was finally alone, she unfolded the note she had kept hidden from her father and brother and began to read it.

Anne was in the nursery surrounded by her ladies as well as the ladies in charge with the care of her children. She was currently watching them play while at the same time designing their gowns and outfits for the wedding. Anne had insisted that the children attend their renewal of vows and Henry had wholeheartedly agreed. This renewal was to serve as the reunification of their family, after all.

The seamstress had just arrived when Anne had finished the last sketch of Alice's gown and after all the formalities have been given, Anne showed her design to the seamstress who had informed her that while the design was intricate and complex, it was nothing she wouldn't be able to do and have done in time for the wedding.

Happy with the reassurance of the seamstress, she immediately settled on watching her children be measured one by one.

As Anne returned to her chambers from the nursery, she received a letter from one of her ladies.

AN: Hiii! Super belated Happy New Year everyone! I meant to get this chapter out over the holidays! I was really dead set on having chapter 11 be the final chapter, but I felt that it was getting too long and too many things were happening that I just decided to cut them up again and have maybe chapter 12 or 13 be the final chapter!

on other non-fan fiction related news, I finished my first term in law school and thank God I passed all my subjects! I would have cried had I failed one! any way! I hope you guys like this chapter, its quite short but I think its a nice chapter, a bit of a filler but it shows a little bit of how Jane is faring.

Also, I'm not quite happy with my Anne and Henry scene here, I had Anne being wary of her new relationship with Henry and then Henry proposes marriage again and then Anne says yes despite her fears, I wish I could have done it better but what I was trying to convey was that despite her fears even though Henry had promised her, and had taken measures to prove to her that he would never treat her as he did before, her love for him and her want for her family to be complete over powered her fears.
I was just so busy with school that I couldn't properly think of a way to have that clearly written down so please forgive me for the terribly written and wasted scene. :'(

Let me know what you think? :)

PS. I still do not own and will never own the Tudors. :)

xx
Unamedhpauthor