Anne was walking into the children's room, smiling at the cute sight. Her graceful mother and lovely sister sat near little Elizabeth and taught her French. "Maintenant, Lizzie, relisez ce passage et faites très attention à la prononciation. (Now, Lizzie, read this passage again and pay close attention to the pronunciation.)" Mary said calmly with a slight smile.
The little girl looked at her aunt with those mesmerizing black eyes of hers which she had inherited from her mother, and began to read the passage slowly but judiciously. She is a very gifted child.
"Merveilleusement! (wonderfully)" said Lizzie's grandmother, Anne's mother, with satisfaction.
Anne happily approached them and took four-year-old Elizabeth in her arms, kissing her red curls. The little girl smiled happily, and the fact that she was missing a couple of teeth made her even more adorable.
"Mommy!" she shouted.
Anne's mother gave them a slightly reproachful look for interrupting the lesson. But she would rather not interrupt such a beautiful moment.
Anne sat on a chair with Lizzie in her arms, who was playing with her rings. She said slyly, "Right, I see you two are getting along nicely!" Mother and Mary looked at each other in embarrassment. The two never had a close relationship. Mary attracted attention from a young age due to her beauty, which led to her becoming a concubine. Proud Elizabeth Howard definitely couldn't accept that her daughter was a whore. And so the estrangement between mother and daughter was born. However, ever since they were kicked out of court and moved to the family's Hever Castle in Kent, their relationship has become so much better. Who would have thought that Henry's childishness and selfishness could lead to something beautiful, right?
Mary, ceasing to blush, said uncertainly, as if dreading the next subject brought up.
"Father, he said there's an excellent chance we'll be back in court next year."
Anne frowned as Lizzie began to play with her necklace, clearly getting bored with the rings. Why do they have to go back to court? They are doing great here, living nice and quite isolated from the rest of England. They hang out more often, and family relationships have never been a problem. Plus, Anne is afraid she might strangle Henry if she sees him again.
She doubted that this man could annoy her even more, but he did it without doing anything. Okay, he insulted her and dumped her for Catherine's son. Maybe she could forgive him (by forgive, Anne means not to attack and hate him). But the fact that he didn't do anything about Lizzie almost made her want to pull all the hair out of her head. Her daughter! Such a charming and talented being, has a ruined future. Everyone, absolutely everyone, knew it was his child. But Henry couldn't care less! No, he has his golden prince, he doesn't need her angel! He refused to acknowledge her and pretended she didn't exist. If nothing, he could at least name her Fitzroy, like his now-deceased bastard son, that would give her some nice marriage chances.
She sighed to calm herself. Being angry won't help her. She didn't even know whom to be angry with, Henry or her father, who was persistently trying to bring them back to court.
--
"My lord, More and Cromwell have gone to visit his royal highness the prince again." his servant informed him.
Thomas Cranmer was not surprised by the information, although he was disappointed. Both More and Cromwell were very gifted and busy people, but again they used their spare time to revolve around the child.
Cranmer did not understand them, he even tried to do so, visiting Arthur. He wanted to know what made that boy so special that the two of them were buzzing around him like mosquitoes before the light. His disappointment could not have been greater. The boy, in his opinion, is mean and thoughtless. He shows no respect for his elders, he can't hold a cultured conversation, and he keeps looking at him with those damned blue eyes of his that seem to be trying to discern the very essence of the soul. Everything around him is creepy and strange. Cranmer even got information from the maids that the prince often runs away and does antics in the castle. Thomas has since sworn that he will never visit Arthur Tudor again unless forced to do so. Cranmer does not realize that he has missed an exclusive opportunity to become the third Thomas.
His bad opinion of the boy was definitely helped by the fact that his birth prevented reforms. Reforms in which Cranmer firmly believed and held them to be true.
Even crazier was the fact that More was planning to leave his position as high chancellor to become the naughty child's teacher. The king did not like the idea at first, as he considered More a close friend, but he soon relented when he saw that More would not give up on it. Cranmer undoubtedly couldn't figure it out. Especially since his resignation would mean that Cromwell would most likely get the position. But Thomas Cranmer underestimated the older man, More seems to have planned to be replaced by his son John. Although John was an educated and reasonable man, he is certainly not like his father, and definitely cannot deal with Cromwell. The question is how long he will be able to keep his position.
He sighed, tiredly and irritated. Thomas swears that Arthur Tudor will be the reason for his downfall. Not only are two intelligent people obsessed with him, but the boy's father is also a king. Reportedly, Henry tried to make Arthur's birthday a public holiday until the Queen convinced him that the birth of their son, although a joyous event, was not worthy enough to receive a holiday. Yes, Thomas Cranmer already knows that in the future, everyone will be running after that child.
--
"There's something wrong?" Mary asked him, confused and a little worried. The two of them were sitting in the parlor. During one of her many visits. Arthur asked her to teach him to sew. In a past life, he never got it right. His stitches would be sloppy and too slow, and one never knows when he might bleed to death. His sister obviously did not understand this unusual wish of his. For a moment, he almost started to discuss about the usefulness of it, but then he remembered that he shouldn't know that. Although Arthur is not cautious with his knowledge, (I mean, whose first thought would be, this kid must remember his past life?) he still knew not to give away everything he knew because that would lead to pointless explaining. But today, his bleeding fingers are not the reason for his strange mood. This is the first time that her presence has made Arthur uncomfortable.
He sighed, and smiled as best he could to banish his sister's worries. "No, just a bad dream."Bad dream was an understatement. It felt so alive, like he was trapped in another version of the world and couldn't escape it. Arthur wasn't dreaming of random nonsense or people from his past life as usual. If only it was that.
The strange dream began with a woman whose wrinkles and gloomy expression made her look older and crueler than she was. Her clothes were dark and serious. On her slender fingers were numerous gold rings with jewels. Red hair was covered by a French decorated headdress. The small cross was clutched tightly in the woman's white hand. The woman's walk was dignified and calm. The whole atmosphere around her was gloomy. Arthur couldn't stop thinking that this woman was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
The next thing he remembers is the scene of that same woman with her husband. The man, short and round-faced, again the only thing Arthur could look at was a chin (why do people have such strange chins in a thousand years? Is it some trend he's not aware of?). The dark woman's eyes danced. And on her face appeared an expression that only lovers have. Arthur wanted to scream in his sleep because that one gentle look was enough for him to understand who the woman was. Was it Mary? He tried to do something, anything. But all his attempts at action did not bear fruit, he was only an observer. Her husband, although he had a decent and gentle expression on his face, one could see the unattractiveness towards the dark woman. Arthur frowned, now that he was almost convinced that this woman was Mary, he couldn't stand this false expression on the man's face.
The scene changes again. Plenty of people are present, sensing from the surroundings that this must be an execution. A young girl with a white blindfold tries to find a block with trembling, pale hands. Suddenly, the maiden cried out worriedly, "What shall I do? Where is it?" A man helps a poor thing. And she utters her last words, "Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit!" The ax falls, severing her head.
The next scene was so bloody that Arthur thought he was back in one of his battles or that a dragon attack was taking place. They were people burned at the stake. The scene was like from hell. Their painful faces, screams, sighs, desperate calls to God for help touched the Former and Future King so much that he himself was not aware of what he would do. Arthur knew that he would remember and carry the last moments of these people forever in his soul. A soft and familiar voice whispered in Arthur's ear "Bloody Mary" All the horror of the sight was gone, his body working mechanically. He hastily turned around, and all his instincts told him to put the sword to the unknown person's throat. He didn't have a chance.
The last event, a sumptuous room in which a gloomy woman sits. Mary looks so lonely ... ... ... ...so lost. Arthur finally realizes, the people burned at the stake and the executed maiden were her responsibility. Because only a person with so many regrets and sins can be so destroyed in the soul. His heart sank, watching a loved one lose himself was like being stabbed with a sword a thousand times. She will die, from the cruelest disease in the world, a life without love and human lives on her shoulders. Mary herself seems aware of this, for her, death is merciful because it will stop all her suffering and problems. Death is the only way out, the only salvation.
He approached her, she couldn't see him, but he was hugging her. He would never forget all those lives she took, but she is human and deserves love as such. Arthur ended people himself, he's not proud of it. He could never be proud of his actions. A king sometimes needs to destroy a part of himself for his kingdom, of course, that's not a justification, just his motive. And so much for being a knight king. A single tear fell from her dark blue eyes, he wiped it from her face. He doesn't know when the dream ended, he doesn't even remember getting up that morning.
When Mary came to visit him, Arthur was trying to find traces of the dark woman from his dream. His sister was as sweet and attentive as ever. Speaking in a soft voice, moving gently and her whole face was shining. No dark woman's endless pain.
"Mary, this might sound strange, but know that I will always be there for you. Even if you become a lonely woman, cold-hearted, charmed by a younger man who is not good enough for you."
Mary blinked, once, twice, looking at Arthur in wonder. Then she laughed, she couldn't stop laughing, even clutching her stomach in pain. She recovered a bit and noticed Arthur's sulking look, he obviously didn't like that his sincere words were mistaken for a joke. She shook her head, "What kind of craziness did you dream? That would never happen. Your description makes me seem like a rich, ugly and bitter widow dreaming of some immature young man. Oh, Arthur, that's absurd" she says, amused and reassuring him at the same time.
He relaxed a bit and laughed to himself, "Yeah, you're right." Mary will never become that lonely woman. He won't allow it.
"Ouch!" Damn those needles!