A/N: Alright, Inknow thi is super late. Well there goes one New Year's resolution broken. Nevertheless thank you to princessElizabethtudor, OlicityxSkyeWard, gabbygrl247, Guest, Guest, Robin4, suns and stars, Mari Wollsch, tricorvus, Roberta Lozano, Guest, guest, and Lady Eleanor of Slytherin for all the reviews on the previous chapter and I do hope that you all enjoy this new one. And I hope it makes up for the lateness, I combined what would have been the next chapter in here. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Tudors, Showtime does.
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October 12, 1540
Jane would be lying if she were to say she wasn't disappointed when she saw her son.
The infant had been cleaned and swaddled before being given to her.
Unlike his elder half-brothers, Edward looked nearly nothing like his father. He had Jane's pale blue eyes, milky complexion, and a fringe of pale blond hair. He was a Seymour through and through.
But at the same time, her disappointment was overshadowed by her joy; she had a son! Perhaps she could employ a new sense of influence on Henry and persuade him to look more kindly upon Lady Mary.
...
Henry was ecstatic; the royal nursery now yielded a third prince. Though Edward was not nearly as robust as his brothers had been at their birth, he was sure to get stronger in time. In the mean time, the king had been working on marital arrangements for his children, sans Princess Elizabeth who had already been promised to the Duke of Angouleme, and for the moment Princess Margery, whom he had decided to betroth to Emperor Charles's son, Prince Philip. A princess for both of the other most powerful monarchs in Europe and therefore a better chance at maintaining cordial relationships and a balance as a result. Though the peace never lasted forever, it still helped to bring about reconciliation after all the bad blood was done away with.
Harry, the eldest and therefore the heir, was of course the one whom most monarchs would attempt to pledge their daughters or granddaughters or even nieces to. Francis didn't have any girls at the moment, at least none within Harry's age range, but the Emperor had proposed his daughter, the Infanta Juana.
As far as royal matches went, it was quite ideal. But the most satisfying part of the proposal, to Henry at least, had been the fact that it had been the Emperor who initiated it, not Henry. If Henry had been the one to initiate the betrothal, the Emperor could have publicly refused, claiming he could not wed his beloved daughter to a mere bastard. But for the last five years, the man who had once called Henry 'uncle' had not dared slander his children by Anne, nor did he try any longer to intercede on behalf of the Lady Mary, despite prompts from Ambassador Chapuys, if the letters Henry had had intercepted were to be believed.
"Your Majesty."
Henry bit back a smirk as Ambassador Chapuys bowed before him.
"Excellency," he greeted in return, slightly including his head. "Have you news of the Emperor's proposal to pledge our son to his daughter?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the Spaniard replied with barely concealed regret and reluctance, which of course only made Henry relish the moment more. "He hopes that with this new pledge, a new alliance may follow suit and England and Spain may once again enjoy close and loving relations."
"Good," Henry looked pleased. "Tell him we are in agreement on this matter and I look forward to the day he may meet England's dear PRINCE."
Chapuys felt his heart sink as a cold smirk climbed the king's lips. This and the way the monarch's eyebrows were raised in mock surprise could not have made the message clearer; he had overheard Chapuys's conversation with Queen Jane and her sisters. The stress on the so-called prince's title sealed his suspicions.
Trying to conceal his discomfort, the man bowed hastily.
"You may go, Chapuys," Henry stated indifferently as he waved his hand dismissively, watching as the man bowed once more and backed slowly out of the room.
...
Jane sighed quietly as she watched Elizabeth and Margery play.
She tried to remind herself that Elizabeth was innocent of her mother's offenses, but it still did little to quell the feeling Jane had every time she looked upon the girl whom no one would dispute was a Tudor. From her red-gold curls to her already fiery temper, Henry often said Elizabeth was a Tudor down to her bones. He had never said such a thing about Margery.
Margery's features were more like her mother's. But her father seemed to favor her eyes most, declaring them as blue as the sky on a clear day.
Henry was never cruel to Margery, but Jane knew he had been disappointed in her from the moment she was born. She was not a boy nor did she show the vigor for education that Elizabeth, and even Mary at one time, did. But she didn't fare too badly at sewing, when she could be persuaded to actually do it. The youngest princess seemed more content to run about and play than do anything indoors. And of course her elder half-sister was her favorite playmate, something Jane's sisters could not understand in the least.
A part of Jane was pleased that both Mary and Elizabeth loved their half-sister, but she also knew that when it came to royal marriages, as the eldest 'legitimate' daughter, Elizabeth would always be considered more important than Margery.
This also was true of the princes. Edward would always be seen as one of the most important children in all of England due to his status as the king's legitimate son. He would also take precedence over not only Margery, but Elizabeth as well by virtue of his sex.
But he was the third born, so while he would always enjoy the title of Prince of England, unlike Harry or even Geoffrey, he would not be as important. He would never wear his father's crown or rule his country, and he would always be behind his brothers in all things, perhaps even his father's affections.
How could things be so wonderful and so horrible at the same time? Jane had her children and she did love her husband, but she felt that even after her death, Anne still clung to the king like a nettle.
Every year since the false queen's death, Henry would visit the tomb he had had built for Anne, and if the rumors were to be believed where he himself had chosen to be buried when his life ended, and leave two roses, one red and one white.
Even his twin sons had at least developed enough understanding to know that while their father was married to Jane, she was not their mother.
According to her sister Elizabeth, both princes had been told by their mother's family the Boleyns, who still held the most authority at court aside from the king himself, of their mother and how she and their father had been all of Europe's star-crossed lovers and that they were living embodiments of that love.
"The people would be singing a very different song had the whore only had her daughter," Dorothy had remarked once.
Jane knew her sisters hated the departed Anne and if she were being honest with herself, she was none too fond of her either. But she was dead and could do nothing now. So why did Jane feel so resentful still?
...
A part of Mary fought to keep her unhappiness masked as she watched Elizabeth play with Margery. Her father had visited them earlier but scarcely spared her a glance. Even after she had signed the oath, he still held her at arm's length. What did she have to do for him to love her again?
This was all the fault of Anne! If she hadn't been so insistent on being queen, Katherine would have remained in her rightful place on earth until she had died. If Katherine had passed and Henry wished to marry Anne, Mary would not have been thrilled but at least then she could accept that her father was merely doing his duty as king. But the so-called marriage had been performed during Katherine's lifetime. But Henry had not cared, and it had been Anne that had encouraged the affair, which in itself had led to heresy entering England.
Even now thinking of the woman who had usurped her mother of her place beside her husband as well as her title of queen still caused Mary pain. Especially now.
Elizabeth had been sent a gift by their father; a small locket bearing a portrait of her mother. Mary had also heard that the twins had both received one as well.
This only increased her resentment. Her father had given her no such luxury. Her only remembrances of her own mother were the few pieces of jewelry from the Royal House of Spain, namely a few headpieces, and a few old furs that Katherine had bequeathed to her. But even wearing something that had once adorned her mother's person was not the same as being able to look at her mother's likeness so that she would forever remember the woman she had so loved, respected, and admired.
Even the twins would know what Anne had looked like and they had been mere infants who had never truly known her. Yet they would both go through life, being able to recall their mother's face. While Mary would only have her trinkets and memories.
Occasionally, when she took walks in some parts of the palace, Mary had seen a few parts of the walls or ceiling where her parent's initials were intertwined with one another. These H&Ks were few and far between as her father had tried his best to erase any signs that her parents had once been a loving couple devoted to one another. They had been chiseled away or painted over to make way for the H&As that came when he had declared Anne as his wife. A few of those had actually remained even when Henry had married Jane.
Mary had never breathed a word of the initials lest they be done away with as well. Once she had even found a place that bore a painting of the Tudor rose and her mother's personal emblem the pomegranate, probably the last one. And as much as she wished others could see and know that it must be a sign that Henry was wrong to forsake Katherine, Mary couldn't let it be destroyed, it was one of the few things she still could take comfort in, knowing that in spite of her father and Anne's best efforts, there were still signs of the woman who had been the true queen.
If keeping it secret was the only way to protect it, then for the time being that was what she would do.
A moment later, the once princess was pulled from her thoughts as her half-brothers entered the room, those lockers about their necks.
Harry hugged Elizabeth before turning to Margery and hugging her as well, followed by Geoffrey.
Despite them being his heirs and him being super protective of them, Henry had actually allowed his sons to spend a fair amount of time at court. But Mary had hardly seen them, for they seemed to spend more time with Elizabeth than anyone.
She noticed Jane smiling as the twins bowed as they greeted her, but like previous times they had visited, the smile failed to reach the queen's eyes.
For all of her dislike of Anne, Mary still refrained from allowing her feelings toward the woman color her feelings toward the boys. But it was clear to her that Jane would not do the same.
Nevertheless, the twins made their way to Mary and both greeted her with a slight bow and Harry actually kissed her cheek, an action performed by Geoffrey as well.
"How are you, sister?" Geoffrey asked her, a sincere smile on his face.
It actually made Mary feel better that Geoffrey had called her sister rather than her still-hated title of Lady.
"I am well, little brother," she replied, deliberately omitting the boy's supposed title of prince. After all, no one could contest her calling him her brother, for he was indeed her father's son. "Have the pair of you seen our new brother?"
Both boys nodded.
"Papa says he is smaller than we were when we were born," Harry said.
Mary noticed Jane flinch ever so slightly at this, but neither Harry nor Geoffrey seemed to.
She wondered if her stepmother hated referring to the twins as princes as well, but knew better than to ask. It would do neither of them any good.
...
Henry couldn't believe how fortunate he was.
Not even ten years ago, he had believed himself to be married to Katherine and their supposed union had yielded only a daughter. He had had a bastard son, but the poor boy had passed before his fifth birthday.
And yet now, here he was blessed with three beautiful daughters, two of whom were his precious princesses, and not only one but three sons.
A superstitious part of him had worried for little Harry due to his previous sons that bore his name both dying young. But little Harry, along with his twin Geoffry both seemed to become more robust by the day.
Edward was only an infant but already Henry found himself very concerned for his health. Hopefully the child would become stronger as he grew older.
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So, I do hope everyone enjoyed that and I do apologize once more for the delay. And I promise the brand new chapter will be out on Monday, January 21st. Until then, everyone.