Catalina is sitting with her ladies and sewing. I stand by the doorway, waiting for King Henry to arrive. When he arrives, I curtsey. "Lady Catalina," King Henry says. "I wish to tell you about the line of succession. Princess Elizabeth will come first, followed by any other children I may have with Queen Anne, then followed by Princess Mary."
Mary stands up. "You mean I am no longer illegitimate?"
"You are not illegitimate."

Princess Mary falls to her knees. "Your Majesty, this is the greatest gift I have ever received. How can I ever thank you?"
"I am arranging marriage negotiations with anyone who will accept you, no matter your religion."
"Your Majesty," I say, "I am afraid I must protest against such—"
"What have I told you?" He yells at me. "I do not wish to know the future."
"But Princess Mary—"
"Enough!" King Henry turns back to his eldest daughter. "You may also marry whomever you wish, whether they are man, woman, human, or hybrid. So long as you ask my permission first."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. You have always been kind to me."

King Henry smiles and begins to leave the room. "Oh, and another thing. Bishop Fisher is in the Tower for refusing to accept me as head of the Church of England, as is Sir Thomas More."
More is in the Tower? I sit down. It will not be long until he is executed.

Will I go to the execution? No, I won't. I walk over to a seat and sit down. More killed me, and I would not wish him harm. But I knew this would happen if King Henry would remain in power. "What about Queen Anne?" Rocky asks. "Is there any news?"
"Nothing yet, but I will let you know if there is." King Henry leaves.

"There is nothing we can do for them," Catalina says, "but we will pray for More and Fisher." She stands up. "I will go to chapel. Do you want to come with me?"
Most of the group join her.
"My Lady," I say, "I do apologise, but I will not join this time."
Catalina nods. "I know you and More never saw eye to eye, but at least keep them in your thoughts."
"While I know what will happen, I will hope for the best outcome."
Catalina smiles and leads everyone else out of the room.

I miss Mum and Mummy. Court is strange without them. I find myself crying to sleep at night and struggling to do my stays so I can hide my tentacles. If only one of them were here with me. "I want my Mummy." Tears sting my eyes, and I flee from the room.

Everywhere reminds me of my parents. How does King Henry expect me to stay at Court and remain happy when neither of them are here? The mere thought makes me sick. I run out into the gardens, towards the river. I sink to the ground just before I reach the water. Is King Henry punishing me for wanting to kill him, or is this something different? I cannot, will not, bend to his will.

I stand up and jump into the river. The water closes above my head, and I start thrashing for the surface. I kick my legs, but my skirts are dragging me down. I rip them from me and swim for the surface.

The currents are taking me downstream, away from the Palace. The river smells of death, decay, and poo. But I'm free. I am nowhere near Court, and I will let the river carry me wherever it chooses. I float onto my back and close my eyes, blocking the world out.

When I come to, I am lying on a shoreline, the water lapping at me. I shakily stand up, only to fall back onto the sand. Sand? I must be by the coast. But which coast? Where am I? I start crawling towards the banks.

When I finally climb up towards a village, I hear a voice. "That was impressive," a feminine voice says. I turn to find a woman wearing white robes and a golden halo standing behind me. "No ordinary human would know how to do that, and most would have panicked and slipped beneath the surface. Then again, you are no ordinary human."
I open my mouth to speak, but she holds her hand up to silence me. "Now, let me think, what was your name again? Emma Smith? No, Emma Smith-White."
When she said the name Emma Smith, I felt my heart soar. While I love Mum, the name Smith-White no longer reflects who I want to be. Can I change my surname here? Is that possible?
While I could do it, history records me as Emma Smith-White. If I change my surname, it could change a small amount of history, and no one will believe I was a former queen or a Titanic officer. Maybe I will change my surname in the twenty-first— "No," I whisper. "If I do, I will no longer be a Murdoch."
"I'm sorry?"
I didn't realise I said that out loud. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that."

I continue walking towards the village. "Wait," the woman says. I turn back to see feathery wings unfold from her back.
"Great, now I'm seeing things." I may be immortal, but I can still go mad. At least, I think I can.
"You are not seeing things." The woman—angel—approaches me. "I am here to help you."
"I made it through twenty-six years in Tudor England without help. I can make it through the rest of it."
"Listen to me." The angel's voice becomes desperate. "You cannot continue this path. If you try and find your mother—"
"I need her!"
The angel shakes her head. "If you go to her, she or you could get executed."
"We're both immortal. The threat of execution doesn't scare me."
"No? It might scare her."

Mummy's face fills my mind. I imagine her getting burned at the stake. God's teeth, I cannot let her go through that. But I must find her. I won't return to Court without her. "If I get executed, fine, but I will ensure she gets left alone."

The angel sighs. "Emma—"
"I'm done listening to you." I walk to the village and wander through. People point and whisper to each other, but I hold my head high. All I need to do is find the closest Torchwood. They'll help me.