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Welcome back to 'The Legacy of Queen Anne'!
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BlackRose999
The Legacy of Queen Anne
Chapter Two: Family Ties
Anne rocked her son, smiling and rubbing her finger gently over the smooth skin of his cheeks and breathing in the faint whispering smell of lilacs he gave off. It had been five months since the birth, and for so long she'd fretted and worried over the safety of her son, even going so far as sleeping in a chair in the nursery with him so she knew for sure he was safe.
The longer he lived, the longer she was sure he would remain to live. Absently, she began humming and singing to him. She gently laid his little head against her breast, letting him feel her humming and her heartbeat, and smiled when he stopped squalling. She failed to see Henry smiling from the doorway, she didn't hear anything but the sound of her son's breathing, the dark brown eyes taken directly from her, and Henry's golden-brown curls.
"Ah my love, you are so fortunate. You have a father who cherishes you, and a mother who'd die for you…" Henry chuckled, letting himself be known, "Henry…" She murmured, extending her hand toward him as he kissed it. "He looks like you, such a perfect little thing… So tiny." He smiled, "He'll be fiery like his mother though." A knock at the door pulled them from the moment of bliss, and a page entered, "Forgive me your Majesties, the Lady Catherine sends her congratulations and asks of his Majesty's health, and if she could see her daughter."
Anne felt flush with annoyance, then watched the temper rise in him and sneakily moved their newborn son closer toward her protectively. She knew without a doubt Henry would never lay a hand on their son, but things happen, and an inadvertent injury to a newborn could, and likely would be fatal.
Henry slowly moved toward the now nervous page, who took an unconscious step back. "Catherine… is not to be mentioned in my court again." He said lowly, a dangerous tone in his darkening voice. He launched himself at the page, striking him hard in the jaw. "She is NOT… MY… WIFE!" He screamed with each punch, then he grabbed the poor man by the collar and hauled him to his feet. "Tell the whole fucking court if I or the queen so much as hear her name, the person speaking will be executed in the goddamned streets! Am I understood!?"
"Yes, sire!" The man squeaked and hurried out of the room. Henry panted, his darkness ebbing away before disappearing entirely when his son let out a hearty cry. He smiled, and Anne relaxed upon realizing the threat was gone. "I'm sorry…" He said softly. "Don't apologize." She said once more, echoing the last time he reminded his servants that Catherine was nothing to him in front of her.
"My son should never have seen that, you should not have seen that," Henry murmured, looking ashamed. "Forgive me, Anne." Anne stood and glided over to him with airy steps, their son in her soft arms. "You are the king, you are God on earth and the father of England. To hell with Catherine, to hell with anyone who supports her both in secret and in plain view. You have a son, a living, breathing son. Something that ridiculously pious woman could not give you." She leaned into him, his forehead against hers.
"You are loved by your children and me, and always will be."
Henry sighed, "My children…" he repeated under his breath. "Mary. Something must be done about her. I've sent her away yes, but…" "But she remains unyielding." Anne finished for him. "Give her time, she has to come to terms with both her new status and her mothers. I'd happily welcome her in our court, call her daughter, if she would only accept me as her queen."
Henry smiled at her, giving her that dizzyingly bright-eyed grin that made her weak at the knees and sped her heartbeat. "You're too generous. And for that I love you." Anne smiled brighter and kissed him deeply, "Always my love."
Mary sat quietly beside her mother, still abed and ill. She'd been escorted to the More a few weeks after she'd been imprisoned in the Tower, and yet she still felt imprisoned here in the warmth of her mother's chambers. "My daughter, why are you so sad?" Mary jumped at her mother's raspy voice. "Nothing mama, go back to sleep." Catherine smiled and reached out to hold her hand, "You can't hide what you feel from me, Mary, do you not trust me?"
Mary felt her lip quiver, and she scooted closer to her mother. "He's chosen Anne and his bastards over us, his family. What God would let him do such a thing?"
Catherine patted her hair, resting her head against her daughters and feeling her own eyes water. "God will never abandon us, my love, have faith in Him. He will provide." "Yes, mama." They stayed that way for some time before a knock interrupted their almost sleep-inducing spell of maternal comfort. "Forgive me, your Majesty," her lady said quietly, making Catherine smile. Here, amongst her Ladies, she was still the queen of England. "A letter for Lady Mary, from His Majesty the king."
Mary eased herself off the bed and strode across the room, hope blossoming in her chest. "I hope it's an invitation back to court, I hope it's an apology and the reinstatement of my mother." She declared. She ripped open the letter, flinching as the parchment sliced open her skin, and greedily read the letter. Before long, her hand shook with anger and tears dripped down her face.
"I'm to come to court, to sign the Oath of Succession and declare Anne Boleyn as my lawful queen… Or I'll be declared formally a bastard and forbidden from the court." Her mother sat up, pain etched into her face. "Go to court, show him you are his Pearl, and remind him of his true family. With any hope, he'll come to his senses and return us to his loving grace." "I don't want to leave you here alone." Mary said quietly, fearing that in her absence, her mother would slip into God's hands without the comfort of her family.
Catherine smiled and made a shooing gesture. "Go, child, and show that french harlot you are the true heir to the Tudor throne."
Hampton Court was alight with preparations, guests would be arriving any day now and the grand ballroom was being fitted with every regal and elaborately carved ornament possible. The birth of the Prince was a celebration to which no expense was spared. Anne was glowing, Henry hadn't strayed since little Harry's birth and she was absolutely sure that after five months of relentless, joyous lovemaking, she was with child once again.
She'd felt her belly quicken last week, and again yesterday, she was about four months now, just barely showing, but it was enough to make her giddy. "Anne!" She turned and grinned at Henry striding towards her, giving her that smile that she loved so much. "My love," She murmured against his lips. "I have a gift for you."
He arched a brow and looked about excitedly, "Where?" She giggled, and took his hand, slowly placing it on her belly. "Here…" He looked down, looked back up, and down again. "You're sure…?" She pulled him into another kiss. "Very." He whooped with joy and spun her around, gently placing her back down as if reminding himself she carried precious cargo within her. His joy didn't go unnoticed, and soon her family surrounded her. "Is it true?" Her father asked quietly, excitement all over his face.
"Of course! Why would I lie about this?" "Because Henry has a tendency to stray and you fear losing your station," George said bluntly. Anne immediately bristled, "How dare you!" "Anne, relax. Remember who you're talking to and who put you where you are -"
"'Who put me where I am'!?" Anne hissed quietly in her father's face, "I put me where I am! I made the king love me and kept him for years! I bore him a son. I dethroned that Spanish bitch and showed Henry real, honest love!" Her father took an unsure step back, and she used that to get closer. "I know how I got here, I know what it took, and damn you all for making me upset in my condition. If anything happens to my child after this… I'll hang you all."
Anne shoved her father aside as she strode past him and her brother, snarling under her breath "Family ties be damned."