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dreamcatcherfication · 4 years

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Ghosts Are Just as Real as You and Me - Part 4

READING GLASSES CATHY PARR RISES!

*clears throat* Well then. Chapter four, never thought I’d make it this far. This is actually the longest chapter yet, reaching about 3250 words. Here we get to jump around and see a little bit of everyone including (what anon asked me about a while ago) Duo Moms Aragon and Jane. This chapter escalates from happy to sad to oh no pretty quickly, so I hope you all enjoy that as much as I did. Sorry for any spelling/grammatical errors, my brother was performing ritualistic sacrifices in the living room.

Writing Masterpost

If you want to send a request or a prompt, my inbox is always open! I publish a story at 8:00 AM PST everyday, so I’m always in need of new ideas (now featuring random asks). If you want to be tagged in my works, just let me know and I’ll be sure to tag you!

Prompts | More Prompts | The Trifecta of Prompts | Random Asks

Trigger Warnings: Threats of violence, Henry VIII

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

A few days passed with all the queens waiting anxiously for the storm to hit, but life went on as normally as it had before Henry showed up. All the queens became hesitant, unsure of how to support each other when Henry’s reincarnation was uncharted territory. Eventually the tension became too much and Aragon approached Jane before breakfast one morning. “Jane, how would you like to go out for coffee?”

“What?” Jane furrowed her eyebrows. “But I have to make breakfast for the girls, it’s the only time we all still eat together.”

Wincing Aragon put a hand on the countertop. “Well yes, but… I was thinking that if you and I take Kitty out for coffee and muffins this morning -”

Jane caught on to what Aragon was saying. “We’ll be able to get her mind off of everything. You know what Catherine, I actually like that idea.”

Sighing in relief, Catherine moved away from the table and towards the stairs. “Will you finish making breakfast for the others if I go and wake up Kit?”

“One step ahead of you!” Jane called as she flipped some bacon already cooking. Turning around, Aragon made her way up to the second floor and across the way to Kit’s room. Kit was never the last to wake up, but she was never the first either. Chances were she would be shut in her room listening to music or watching television, waiting until Jane called her down for breakfast.

Knocking on the door, Aragon listened until she heard Kit’s voice. “Who is it?” came from within the room, muffled through the door.

“Aragon.”

A hum of confirmation came from Kit, and Aragon entered the room. “Is breakfast ready?” Kit asked, her phone in her hand as she turned off her music.

“About that,” Aragon started, then immediately regretted it when she saw the way Kit’s face dropped. “Jane and I wanted to take you out for coffee and muffins instead today. We thought it’d be nice to get out of the house a bit.”

Eyes lighting up, Kit scrambled off the bed and shot Aragon with the most precious smile on Earth. “Why’d you say it like it’s a bad thing, of course I’ll come with you two!” Exhaling, Aragon couldn’t help the grin that grew on her face at Kitty’s enthusiasm. Lately the girl had been so down on herself that seeing her back to even a sliver of her enthusiastic self was enough for Aragon to feel proud of herself for her coffee idea.

The two of them made their way down the stairs to where Jane was setting out plates for the other queens. Cathy was already at the table with a book in her hands and her reading glasses on. Anna was out on her morning run, sure to return later, and Anne was still in her room sleeping (like she always was). Glancing up, Cathy watched as the three other queens pulled on their shoes and got ready to leave. “Have fun out there you three,” she called, turning the page of her novel.

“Do you want us to bring you anything back?” Aragon asked her God-daughter.

Pondering the offer for a second, Cathy shrugged. “If they have hazelnut muffins, could you grab me one?”

“Sure,” Aragon replied. Jane chuckled, realizing how domestic the exchange was, but she didn’t complain. Kit tugged at her hand and looked pointedly at the door, anxious to get going. It was a change to see Kit so carefree, but it was obvious the girl was trying to push away her doubts. There was still the bit of hesitation before she grabbed Jane’s hand and the cringing when either of the queens spoke too loudly, but Kit was trying. Neither Jane nor Aragon were afraid of coddling Kit when she showed her strength in working to overcome her own problems. In fact, it was a very welcome sight for the queens who had begun to worry.

Jane was the one driving, with Aragon in the passenger seat and Kitty in the back. To a passerby they might’ve looked like a family, and although none of them voiced it, they all had the thought cross their minds. “Which shop are we going to?” Kitty asked, fiddling with her phone without turning it on.

“Coffee and Creme, it’s the bakery down the street,” Jane answered, making a left turn at the intersection.

Kit gasped. “Oh I love their chocolate chip muffins, they’re always so warm.”

Chuckling, Aragon added, “Well we can get you one when we’re there.”

“Really! Jane never lets me eat chocolate in the morning,” Kit leaned forward in her seat. Jane shot Aragon a subtle glare, causing the woman to mouth sorry in response.

But it made Kitty happy, and that was the goal of the outing, so Jane relented. “Just this once, okay Kit? And don’t let us catch you telling Anne about this, or else she’ll never shut up about it.”

“My lips are sealed,” Kitty mimed zipping her lips and throwing away the key.

As Jane pulled up to the shop, she groaned when she realized the only parking spot was on the other side of the street. “Alright, you girls hop out and go wait in line while I park. Catherine if you could order for me-”

“I know your order by heart,” Kit cut in, a proud smile on her face.

The two older queens felt smiles grow on their faces without any permission. “Well then, I think Kitty’s got it down pretty well,” Aragon shrugged.

Getting out of the car, Aragon poked her head back in. “I’ll be inside in just a moment, you go ahead with Kitty,” Jane assured.

“You be quick Seymour,” Aragon ordered in a faux-stern voice. Rolling her eyes goodnaturedly, Jane pulled away from the side of the shop and drove to the end of the street. Making a legal u-turn, Jane found the open parking spot on the opposite side of the road and pulled into it. Getting out of the car, Jane made sure to lock the doors before moving to cross the street.

She froze, making eye contact with a man right next to the bakery. It was undeniably Henry, regardless of the different clothes he was wearing. He wasn’t moving, just watching Jane from where he stood. Cold fear gripped Jane’s heart as she was unable to move. Jane blinked multiple times, hoping it was only a trick of the light, but Henry remained where he stood. Taking a step forward, Jane was about to cross the street when a large bus passed in front of her.

The queen jumped back, jerking herself back into reality. Looking at her surroundings, Jane let the noises of the busy street filter back into her mind. Returning her gaze to where Henry was standing, Jane wasn’t surprised to see him gone. Why would he stick around longer than to make sure Jane knew he was watching? Henry was playing a psychological game, and Jane wouldn’t fall for it this time. Not when she had Kit and Catherine, Anna and Cathy and Anne to protect.

The bell above the bakery door rang when Jane stepped in the shop, her entrance greeted with a “Welcome!” from the peppy barista. Shooting a smile to the barista, Jane made her way over to Kit and Aragon who were seated at a corner table. Kit was happily munching on a giant chocolate muffin with a frappuccino in front of her. Normally Jane would disapprove of all the sugar, but today was an exception. In front of Catherine was a simple cup of coffee with milk and some sugar.

And at the empty third seat for Jane was her order, exactly as she always got it. It consisted of one of the bakery’s shortbread cookies cut in the shape of a heart with cinnamon sprinkled over the top. There was a piping mug of chamomile tea resting next to it, the tea bag still in the drink, just as Jane always had it. Even though Jane had come to the bakery with Kitty multiple times before, it still warmed her heart that the teen remembered her order.

That warmth disappeared when Jane once again reminded herself of the encounter outside the bakery. Clearly, Henry was trying to mess with them, get to them mentally instead of physically. Withholding information from the queens could cause a lot of conflict but, Jane reasoned, it would cause more harm to tell them than to hide it. She couldn’t let the fear return to Kit’s eyes, the fear she and Aragon were trying so hard to ward off. Opening her mouth, Jane attempted to speak, but couldn’t get any words out.

“Jane, is there something on your mind?” Aragon asked, her grin warm and inviting.

There was no way Jane could ruin this picture perfect moment with Kit and Aragon by telling them what she had seen. Instead, Jane shook her head and sat down in the empty seat. “Not at all. Just glad we’re all here together.”

On the other side of town, Anna wasn’t on her morning jog through the park. Anyone who was used to seeing her wouldn’t suspect anything amiss, she had probably just cut her run short. But Anna would have to postpone her morning run for the time being because she had more important places to be. Instead of being out in the park, reveling in the sunlight, Anna was plotting. Plotting every possible way to kill Henry before he could even make another move on Kit or any of the queens.

She had no idea how she would do it, but Anna was going to track Henry down and get to him first. She couldn’t tell any of the other queens for fear they would disapprove or in case Henry was listening (there was so little privacy in the modern world), so Anna only had the companionship of her own mind.

Her first order of business was signing up at a local boxing arena in order to get fighting experience. It wasn’t the most desirable sport, and Anna much preferred running and weightlifting - non contact sports, thank you very much - but she was willing to do anything in order to increase her chances of winning a fight against Henry.

One of the first things her instructors taught her was that it wasn’t being the biggest or the strongest that made you the winner, it was your skill and endurance. Anna would never be stronger than Henry, that was a given, but if she trained enough, her hope was that she would be able to take him down when she found him. He was slow and fat and probably didn’t have any experience. Anna was young and lean and training, the odds were against him.

In the days since Kit’s confession, Anna had been training as hard and as often as she could, gearing up for a fight that could come at any time. It was on this particular morning when an instructor pulled her to the side. The woman had a high ponytail and must’ve been in her mid twenties, but her muscles were ripped and she clearly had experience. Unable to remember her name, Anna resorted to referring to the woman as “you”, trying to get the conversation over so she could get back to training. “Why are you doing this?” the instructor asked simply, no lead up or extra commentary.

“What do you mean?”

The woman watched a bead of sweat drip down Anna’s forehead. “Why are you working so hard? You showed up less than a week ago and you’ve already advanced faster than anyone else here. So what’s your motivation?”

“I don’t have to tell you that,” Anna said defensively, flexing her hands in the tape wrapped around them.

The woman shrugged, unbothered. “True, you don’t. But sometimes sharing motivations makes it easier to see reason. To pace yourself. The best solution isn’t always working as hard as possible all the time.”

Anna scoffed and ignored the advice. “Yeah, well not all of us have time. If you’ll excuse me,” Anna pushed past the woman and moved back to her punching bag.

“Is it someone in your life?” The woman called. Anna stopped with her fist in the air, about to swing at the bag. “So it is,” the instructor continued, noticing Anna’s hesitation.

“Stop trying to get into my head, okay, it’s not gonna work,” Anna hissed.

The instructor rolled her tongue in her mouth before making a clicking sound. “Maybe you’re trying to protect someone you care about?” Once again, Anna hesitated and cursed herself when the woman’s eyes lit up. “You’re trying to be their night in shining armor.”

“You have no right to violate my privacy -”

“But why? What is threatening them that you feel the need to work so hard?” The woman kept pushing deeper and deeper, hitting all of Anna’s soft spots.

Clenching her fists, Anna swung at the punching bag and watched it go careening in the opposite direction. It wasn’t the most impressive punch, but the amount of anger behind it drained Anna. “Henry. His name is Henry and he has a lot of history with us.”

“Ex lover?”

Anna chuckled ruefully. “Yeah, something like that.” Breathing in deeply, Anna steadied the punching bag. “She’s dealing with a lot, and if I let him get to her again, I’m afraid she’ll break and it’ll be all my fault.”

“Again.” It wasn’t a question, more like an invitation to elaborate.

It wasn’t that Anna didn’t realize she was confiding in a stranger, it was more the comfort of knowing that she could say anything and the instructor would have no idea. “It was my fault the first time, it can’t be my fault the second time. I - I…”

“You love her too much to see her get hurt.”

“Yeah. Yeah I do.”

On a regular basis, Cathy tended to be pretty concerned about Anne. With her constant shenanigans and chaotic nature, it was hard not to be worried about what trouble the beheaded queen would get into next. But right now, Cathy wasn’t concerned because of what Anne was doing. No, she was concerned about what Anne wasn’t doing. Ever since Anne had gone to her room after talking with Cathy a few nights back, she had been practically AWOL.

Sure, Anne came down to snag food, but then she would immediately disappear back into her room in the attic. Cathy had seen her come from Kit’s room a day earlier, but the strange part was that Kit had been downstairs with Jane. Anne wasn’t making any sounds, but she didn’t seem to be in any kind of distress or slump.

In conclusion, something was wrong with Anne Boleyn, but for the life of her, Cathy Parr could not figure it out. That’s why when Cathy heard someone leaving later that day, she decided to investigate, praying it was Anne. Sure enough, luck was on her side and Anne’s coat was missing from its hanger.

Noting that she was the only person in the house, Cathy realized she had free reign to satisfy her curiosity. Acknowledging how dangerous her curiosity could be, Cathy threw caution out the window and headed directly for Anne’s room. She needed something, any kind of clue as to why Anne was suddenly acting as if the rest of the queens were infected with some deadly disease. Or maybe she’s the one infected, Cathy thought to herself.

Stopping in front of Anne’s door, Cathy felt her conscience kick in. Is it really okay to violate Anne’s privacy like this? Cathy knew the answer was no and if Anne found out, she’d be pissed, but in that moment Cathy knew she’d never again have this opportunity to - for lack of a better word - snoop.

Opening the door, Cathy made her way into the room. Clothes were strewn about mingled with trash and food crumbs from Anne’s meals. The bed was unmade (of course) and there was an assortment of random items (kazoos, teddy bears, a pair of heelys) in every corner. There was a nightstand next to Anne’s bed, the only thing untouched by all the chaos. Wading through the mass of junk on the floor until she stood in front of the desk, Cathy observed her prize.

It was a journal. That was the last thing Cathy expected Anne to have, but she picked it up anyway. Her reading glasses were resting on her head, so Cathy pulled them down and opened the book. The first page was a doodle (it was surprisingly intricate, Cathy noted) of… herself? The sketch was clearly Cathy, her arm above her head as she slept on the queens’ couch, her glasses askew. Blushing, Cathy read the caption of the picture. Gold star for Cathy Parr, an angel I see.

Frantically, flipping the page, Cathy tried to smother the erratic beating of her heart. She could squeal later about Anne’s drawing. The next page was another sketch, this time of Kitty with a water gun. Cathy remembered the incident over the summer when the queens were out having a water war. The teams were Cathy, Anne, and Anna versus Aragon, Jane, and Kitty. The fight had gotten down to the very end when Kit sprayed Anne, only for Anna to secure a win for her team by taking down Kit. The memory brought a warm feeling to Cathy’s chest, making her smile with a nostalgic fondness.

Flipping further into the book, Cathy came across some of the more recent entries. These ones didn’t make any sense. They were nonsense words like “Double” and “Envelope” and “Instructions”. There was no rhyme or reason to any of the words, and if anything would have been coherent, Anne had scribbled it out with a black pen.

The final page that was written in made more sense. He made it easy for me, a five step plan. I don’t want to help him or do anything he says but Kitty… I went into her room the other day. I was hoping I could find any cameras or wiretaps (I looked it up, they’re easy to get), but there were none. The only choice I have is following instructions. Especially those from the envelope.

Eyes widening as a chill overcame her body, Cathy opened the drawer of the nightstand. Inside was a single, white envelope with Anne’s name on it. Reaching for it, Cathy’s hand closed around the edge when the door downstairs opened with a loud bang!

Releasing the envelope, Cathy closed the drawer and practically sprinted out of Anne’s room. On her way downstairs, Cathy did her best to compose herself so to appear that she had not been snooping. Hanging her coat by the door was Anne, an unmarked bag in her hands. “Hi Anne,” Cathy said, eyeing the bag.

Unaware, Anne gave Cathy a smile that normally would make the girl swoon. “Hi Cathy,” she replied, walking over to the other queen. Anne lifted a hand and Cathy frowned in confusion, only to be answered as Anne carefully pushed the forgotten reading glasses up her nose where they had been slipping off.

“Are you going to hide from us again?” Cathy asked, channeling her passive aggressiveness.

Sighing Anne gave the other queen a forced smile. “I guess I am,” she said before disappearing back to her room.

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@theatergirl06

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janeyseymour · 3 years

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Old Soul

An intensely deep analysis on what qualifies Jane Seymour to be an old soul, as told through various thoughts, anecdotes, an article I found online, and a post that I saw on social media.

WC: 7219

In hindsight, what this man said was quite comical. “You’re an old soul,” he had said. It struck Jane Seymour as odd, but what he uttered was truthful, both literally and figuratively. Jane Seymour’s soul really was an old soul- 500 years old if you will. But she also had most of the characteristics of what an old soul would be classified as.

“Oh geez,” Jane would mutter to herself quite often. It didn’t matter what she was doing, it was better than what she had truly wanted to say. Knowing that she was in the public eye and had a younger audience, she did her best to keep herself as “PG” as possible, although some of the other queens didn’t follow that mindset as much.

The blonde would trip over the carpet in the house? “Oh geez.” The silver queen would be at a loss of words during an interview? “Oh geez,” she would sigh as she tried to articulate what was in her head. The third monarch would walk into the living room to see Anne Boleyn doing an Instagram live? “Oh geez,” she would laugh before settling next to the green queen.

“And, how do you think life would be different if all of the children were brought back in this life?” the man asked. “Surely, you miss the bright young Edward.” He gave her a sympathetic look. This question wasn’t as malicious as some of the other questions were in regards to the children and her family- no, it was simple curiosity coming from the man. Almost as if he sympathized with her.

“Oh geez,” she mumbled for the third time during this interview before letting out a small chuckle. “Sorry, let me try to find the words...”

“Oh geez,” he laughed genuinely- not at her, but with her. “You say that phrase quite a bit.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she shrunk into her seat a little, feeling as though he was poking fun at her.

“Oh! Nothing to be sorry for!” the man reassured. “It’s just, not many people say that phrase anymore. It’s mostly older people, not younger people like you. Are you an old soul?”

“Well, I mean... Yes?” Jane shrugged her shoulders. Her soul had been alive 500 years ago, although she lived a short time back then. And it was alive now too, although she had only been brought back to life a few short years ago and was barely what others considered her to be around thirty, maybe a few years shy of it. Now though, her morals and character didn’t stray all that much- she still stayed a kind hearted soul who would do virtually anything to keep her family happy- a woman of empathy she remained.

“It’s not a bad thing dear,” the older gentleman responded. “It’s quite good in fact. The way you speak about your family and friends, it shows you’re doing just fine in life.”

“Oh gosh.” The blonde blushed. “Well, thank you. I appreciate that.”

Leaving that interview, she smiled, a light blush still evident on her face. She wasn’t exactly sure what qualified her to be an “old soul”, but it didn’t bother her in the slightest.

Scrolling through social media a few nights after the interview with the sweet older gentleman, Jane Seymour found an article that read “17 Signs You’re An Old Soul Stuck in the 21st Century”. Immediately curious and remembering that she was called an “old soul” and was indeed stuck in the 21st century, she clicked the link.

“There is a special kind of person in our world who finds herself alone and isolated, almost since birth.” This line at the beginning of the page intrigued her. At a first glance, she thought to herself that she wasn’t alone and isolated. She had the other five queens to navigate life with, but this would prove to mean a lot more to Jane as she read on and read into what it really meant to her.

“1# You tend to be a lone wolf”

As she read the heading, she couldn’t help but laugh to herself. Oh how this man had been so wrong. She was not a lone wolf- she was the maternal figure of her household for crying out loud!

As she read the description beneath the subheading though, it began to click more. Jane for the life of her felt as though she didn’t necessarily have a place within the queens’ friend group. Of course, the others knew this wasn’t true: Jane was their maternal figure. Jane was more interested in embroidery, knitting, among other things that older people tended to drift towards as opposed to what say, Anne liked to do. Even Catherine Parr, a woman of many written words and not as many verbal words, could relate to the activities that Anne liked to participate in. Anna of Cleves could too. Even sometimes Catalina liked to participate in the- what the third queen thought was useless- drinking nights where the other queens would have a few too many drinks and wind up the next morning with a massive hangover. Jane would sip her glass or two of wine and put them to bed before pulling out her embroidery piece.

It was hard to connect herself to the others too because she truly had been the only one to provide a legitimate son to Henry. The others weren’t resentful towards her for this of course; it was pure luck. But that distanced Jane from them.

“2# You love knowledge, wisdom, and truth”

Jane Seymour was far from the smartest woman in the group. That title went to any of the others besides her, and she wouldn’t argue with you on that one. But that didn’t stop her from trying. The blonde found herself remembering a multitude of times she had told Katherine that knowledge was power, wisdom was happiness, and truth was freedom. It was strange in that way... she had uttered those words without ever hearing them before, and here they were in an online article she had never come across before this day.

Seymour wasn’t always gravitating towards academic knowledge either, no. She would gravitate more towards emotional intelligence and was happy to do so.

“3# You’re spiritually inclined”

The third queen was always fostering love and peace in her life. Whether it be settling an argument between Kat and Anne over who had to replace the chocolate milk or staying up with one of her fellow queens during a rough night, Jane was always trying to foster a peaceful and loving environment in their home. Along with this, the woman was quite sensitive, although she wouldn’t necessarily pin herself as spiritual. The silver queen laughed as she remembered the first time someone called her sensitive and she wept openly:

“Geez Jane, you’re so sensitive. Could you take a joke? I didn’t mean it!” Anne threw her hands up in exasperation when the blonde began to pout over something stupid her predecessor said.

“I-I’m sorry!” The third queen cried.

“Oh dear God,” Catalina had sighed as she simply pulled her friend into a hug and began to rub her back. “It’s okay. Hey, hey, querida: Look at me. It’s not a bad thing to be sensitive. It’s what makes you, you.”

She had overcome the confines of her ego quite soon after being brought back to life. Jane grimaced as she thought back to the first time somewhat had put her in her place. Funnily enough, it had been Katherine.

“You think you got it all figured out, don’t you? The world according to Katherine!” Jane had mocked the pink haired queen early on.

“You think you’re so much better than us just because you had a son! Don’t you?”Kat stared at the woman. “Go ahead! Throw your rocks at me from your little glass house and then take off running! You’re no better than me! We’ve both made mistakes, haven’t we?”

In that moment, Jane Seymour was grounded by a nineteen year old girl, and she realized that she was not above any one person in this house. They had all made mistakes in their past life. Some were bigger than others, but each and every one of them had made mistakes they so desperately wished they could take back.

“4# You understand the transience of life”

So many times had Jane Seymour thought about the transience of life. How could she not? She had died before, and she would die again. It was made clear to the women that their time in the 21st century would come to an end eventually- whether they would be brought back again in another 500 years was unknown, but they had to make the most of the extra time they were blessed with on Earth. While some of the queens took approaches that, in all honesty, terrified the third queen, Jane was well aware that the decisions she made in this life counted. If she wasn’t careful, her actions could ultimately lead to an untimely death.

“Seat belts!” the silver queen exclaimed before she would move the car from the parking lot outside the theater.

“Seymour, Katherine is asleep. How the hell do you expect her to put a seat belt on?” Cleves questioned from the back.

“Buckle her in!” the blonde monarch laughed, but the way she looked at her successor through the rear view mirror told Anna she wasn’t messing around.

“Come on, just drive,” Anne groaned from the middle. “I want to go to bed!”

“No! If we get into an accident on the way home, if she’s not buckled in-” Jane shuddered.

The maternal figure in the household, in her own privacy, had many existential crises. One day, Cathy found her in the midst of one.

“Jane?” the sixth queen made her presence known, or tried to that is. When the third queen didn’t respond, she tried calling her name again.

A blank stare was quickly replaced with a soft smile as Jane came back to and said gently, “Hey love. What’s up?”

“Are you alright?”

“Why wouldn’t I be dear?”

“Do you know what time it is?” Jane shook her head no. “It’s 2:30 in the morning. You’re usually asleep by now.”

“Oh my,” the silver queen whispered. “How did this much time pass?”

“How long have you been sitting here?” The blue queen made a move to sit next to her friend at the dining room table, a mug of coffee in hand.

“You really need to lay off the coffee this late at night honey.”

“I could say the same for you and tea Mum,” Cathy joked. “But seriously, how long have you been sitting here?”

Jane turned sheepish. “Three hours,” she mumbled into her mug, sipping her now very cold tea. “I guess I just got lost in thought.”

“Why don’t I warm up that tea for you and then we can talk?” The writer gently pried the mug out of the blonde’s hand, only to set it back into her hand a few minutes later.

That night, Jane would reveal that she was terrified of going through this life only to be forgotten in history again. She didn’t know her purpose.

“Jane Seymour, I can promise you you will not be forgotten in history. You never were.”

“I’m only remembered for-”

“We all are, remember? That’s why we have our show,” the sixth queen tried to reason with her.

“Yes but,” Jane paused to wipe a tear from her eye. “Why was I brought back? What if I can’t contribute to society in a meaningful way before I pass again? I mean, we all are going to pass again, but none of us know when. Like, everyone else has already done so much in society and is making the world a brighter place, and I for the life of me can’t find my pur-”

“You stop right there. I will not hear this slander against yourself. So, maybe you’re a bit less outspoken than the rest of us, but you’re behind us every step of the way. Maybe you’re not always doing press like the rest of us, but do you know what you are doing? You foster an environment that allows us to let us be who we want to be and say what we want to say. The five of us are only doing these things because you gave us the confidence to. I mean, for heaven’s sake Jane- look at what you’ve done for Kat. She was this shy, skittish young girl when we were all brought back. She’s the sassy, outspoken, and sweetest young woman now because you helped her. So what if you’re not in the public eye as much as the rest of us? You made that choice, and that choice is 100% valid. You may not be changing the whole world, and neither are any of us. Do you know what you are doing though? You’re changing our world, and that is something none of us are ever going to be able to repay you for. You’re making our world a better place.”

Jane then understood that if she could change just one person’s life for the better, it was worth it. Of course, she was doing so much more- but sometimes it was hard to realize that.

“5# You’re thoughtful and introspective”

The third queen was never not in deep thought. She was always reflecting on the way she presented herself, handled things, and tried her best to develop a sense of self-awareness.

This started soon after she realized she had to put a lid on her temper. Yes, sometimes it would still get the better of her, but she had to get it under control- she was scaring Kat. How she hated the way the fifth queen would shy away from her for a few days after an outburst. And in the beginning, the silver queen had many outbursts, often leading Katherine to avoid her for several days at a time- sometimes even weeks.

“You really have to get your life together Seymour,” she mumbled as looked at herself in the

mirror. “You’re a mess.” From there on out, she practiced EFT on her phone, a tapping program on the right points on her body to help her de-stress and ground herself for the day. The other queens took notice to the change in the blonde’s demeanor. Jane was thankful for being able to reflect on herself and become better for the others.

“6# You see the bigger picture”

The third queen smiled softly at this one. She liked to think she saw the bigger picture. Very rarely did she focus on the trivial things in life; she focused more on how to live meaningfully and use her time to help advance her in this journey of self-growth she was going on. How would having the newest iPhone benefit her (in reality, the phone she had now was quite confusing to her still)? It wouldn’t. How would learning how to edit pictures of herself and learn all of the nifty tools on her phone help better her life? She knew it wouldn’t. It would likely consume her and take time away from her journey. Besides, that wasn’t the message she wanted to send out to her audience. She wanted to show the world that being natural and not always perfect (albeit she definitely struggled with imperfections) was okay. That was a better lesson to teach her followers. Why waste time on small and insignificant details in life when there were bigger things to focus on?

“7# You aren’t materialistic”

Jane Seymour was many things; materialistic was not one of them. Sure, she had the wealth, the status, the fame, and close to the latest tech gadgets, but did she really need them? The short answer was no.

“Janey, don’t you want the new phone too?” Anne had asked her when they all went to the store to upgrade their phones.

Jane shrugged before replying, “This one seems to be working just fine. No need to replace it quite yet.”

“Do you ever use your status to help you get somewhere better in life?” An interviewer had laughed. “It’s not an uncommon practice, I promise you.”

“People actually do that?” The blonde looked at the woman incredulously.

“I have!” Anne announced. “When I started wearing my heelys, I told people about them, and the company sent me new shoes!”

“I did it, but not on purpose. Some people asked me where I got my makeup from and the company sent me a ton of free gifts,” Kat nodded subtly.

“When I complained about my laptop breaking on a live and jokingly said that if Apple was to send me a new computer I wouldn’t complain, they did,” Cathy admitted sheepishly.

“Chocolate,” Cleves just said smugly.

Catherine of Aragon just nodded but wouldn’t reveal how she had used her status to put her up.

“I don’t think I’ve...” Jane trailed off. Had she really never reaped the benefits of her status and wealth like the others?

Materials didn’t enrich her soul the way it may others. No, the third queen was more sentimental. She appreciated the finer things in life like spending time with her family face-to-face as opposed to “Facetime” (is that what it was called?). The silver queen quickly made peace with the fact that she wasn’t materialistic.

“8# You were a strange, socially maladaptive kid”

Jane Seymour was introverted in both this life and last. Sure, she didn’t have a childhood in the 21st century, but she can’t imagine her soul would’ve changed all that much if she had the chance to grow up again. She was still very much the same person she was then... meek, mild, a bit hot tempered at times.

But even in her past life, she failed to fit into the mainstream behaviors she was set to practice. Adults never spoke to her as though she was a kid, some even referring to her as a “little adult” back then. In all honesty, now that she was thinking about it, she never even had a nickname until this life: Janey. It had a hint of a childish play to it, but she didn’t really mind it all that much. It reminded her in times where she was far too headstrong on mothering her family that she was only a young adult in reality.

“9# You’ve undergone an existential crisis”

“It’s common for Old Souls to ask deep and penetrating questions about life in their search for love, truth, and freedom. This quest to live a meaningful existence inevitably means that they will, sooner or later, experience an existential crisis.” Jane laughed- she was extremely familiar with the idea of existential crises. Point #4 easily lays out the undergoing of existential crises that the third queen has experienced. Above this though, Jane could recall many times she had wondered if life was just a product of chance.

“What are you thinking about Mum?” Katherine distracted the blonde by speaking and tucking herself into the older woman’s side.

“What is all this about, anyway?”

“What is what all about?”

“Life,” Jane replied simply. “You know, it’s funny. We all go through this life, but have you ever really stopped to think about what life is about? I mean, in the grand scheme of things, it’s about surviving. To survive you need money, and to get money you need to have a job. But to get a job, you have to be well versed in something. Of course though, shouldn’t life be about happiness? And yet here we are, in a world where many people are just... surviving. They aren’t doing something they’re passionate about and love. Are they happy? Isn’t life supposed to be about living life to the fullest and experiencing life with as much light as one can?”

Katherine could only stare at her mother figure. “Are you... is this...?”

“No, no, this isn’t about me. I was just, you know, walking around town earlier and meandered into a cafe. Do the baristas there... Are they happy with their lives? I made sure I left a nice tip for them. I always try to, but today as I thought about it, I may have left more than I probably should have.”

“How much did you leave?” Kat looked at her curiously.

“A hundred.”

“For a three dollar tea?”

“Yes, but you should have seen the gratefulness in their eyes. Young kids too, about your age. I hope they use that tip for something that makes them happy.”

“Well that’s very kind of you Mum.”

“But then I got to thinking about myself and my life,” Jane trailed off. “What is the point of everything I’ve done? In reality, I haven’t done much in either life I suppose. I mean, really. In the past, I never said anything anybody even deemed worthy of writing down despite the long lengths I went to and the hoops I jumped through to... well, survive I suppose. I wasn’t happy then. And thankfully now, I am surrounded with light and love in this life, but am I doing enough? Is there a point to everything I’ve done in this world?”

“What the bloody hell are you even talking about?” The fifth queen detached herself from the blonde to look at her. “There is absolutely a purpose to everything you’ve done in this world.”

“I mean, Katherine, I died in my past life. That’s what I’m known for.”

“But in this life, you’re known for so much more.”

“Like what Kat? You’re all making your voices heard and speaking up and out about-”

“Sure, we’re all doing that, but so are you. You’re just as much a social justice warrior as the rest of us, even if you’re not as loud about it. Have you heard some of the interviews the rest of us have done?” Jane nodded; of course she had. She would support her girls no matter what. “Haven’t you noticed that in every interview we’ve done, someone always alludes to something that you’ve said to each of us in privacy. We’re learning these social justice ideas from you. We’re just the ones putting them out in the world.”

“I guess,” Jane shrugged. “But I don’t have much to offer to those who aren’t you guys and-”

“That’s not true either,” the pink haired queen cut her off quickly. “You provide the audiences a light and a heart and soul. Think of all of those people, especially the sweet young girls who come up to you and tell you how much it means to them that you give off a maternal aura. You give them this space that feels safe and loving. That’s a lot more than you think.”

“I suppose.” The third queen worried her lip through her teeth a bit.

“I promise you, it is. There is a point of everything you’ve done, even if you can’t quite see it.”

“Thank you love.” Jane pulled the younger woman into a tight hug.

“And you’ve done so much for me,” Kat pulled back a bit to look the older monarch in the eye. “You saved me, and I can never repay you for that.”

“10# You see life through a poetic/contemplative lens”

It was no question that Jane Seymour saw everything through a poetic lens. Yes, she was not the most well versed when it came to actual poems with words, but her outlook on life was quite poetic in itself.

The blonde had settled down on a park bench, happy to observe the others playing a round of catch. Sitting down, she noticed the way the trees swayed gently in the breeze, almost as if they were dancing to the sweet whistle of the wind. Instead of opening up the book she had brought along with the intention of getting through at least a chapter, she closed her eyes and felt the slightly cool breeze on her cheeks, inhaling the sweet oxygen that surrounded her. The sun was warm on her face, creating almost a glow around her to the others who had stopped tossing the ball around to look at the sweet woman in her element. She felt the green grass that snaked its way in between her toes, giggling slightly as it tickled her gently. Nature really was a beautiful thing to Jane Seymour.

The group of five had continued to play their game, leaving the blonde to revel in the beauty surrounding her. Jane opened her eyes at the sound of a child’s laughter. A young boy, about three, had taken to playing with her family- a young boy that looked like a spitting image of the portraits of her Edward. She stopped and drew it in, savoring the sweet little one’s laugh, before heading over herself and placing herself into the game.

“You wanna play?” Cleves looked at her. The third queen nodded with a soft smile before catching the ball and tossing it gently to the little tike, who giggled. Jane couldn’t help but wish that she had these experiences with her son. This was a good time too though.

The group had long since returned home, and Jane settled in her room, a pang now in her chest as she longed for her boy, for the night when she heard a quiet knock at the door.

“Come in love!” She called, fully expecting it to be her Kat. And it was, but Anne was with her too?

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” She quickly wiped away a tear that had escaped, hoping the two at the door hadn’t noticed.

“Uh,” Kat shrugged before settling herself into the bed she so often found herself in. Anne also made her way over to the bed, although she sat a bit awkwardly.

Boleyn looked at her in a way that made Jane uncomfortable. It was almost as if Anne herself was uncomfortable in the room, but she had been the one to put herself in this situation.

Coughing slightly, she spoke, “That little boy looked a hell of a lot like your Eddie at the park. Wanted to make sure you’re alright.”

“I’m alright dear. Yes, it hurts a bit to think that I don’t have my little boy with me anymore, but I have you all, now don’t I?” The silver queen pulled her predecessor into a tight hug with one arm, the other already wrapped around the pink monarch.

“I know. It’s just... different, you know?” Jane nodded. She knew Anne felt the same about her sweet Elizabeth.

“His little laugh was just so sweet, wasn’t it?” the blonde said softly, lightening the mood in the room immediately.

“Where’s Mum?” Kat asked Catalina. It was about time they started getting ready for the show.

“Did you check the stage? You know how she likes to sit there sometimes. Check the seats too.” The first queen suggested. Katherine shook her head and ventured out into the theater. Lo and behold, there Jane was, sitting in the back of the theatre deep in thought.

“Mum? Choosing the back of the house this time?”

“It’s nice once in a while to have a change of perspective, both literally and figuratively.”

“You’re so weird sometimes. You know that right?”

“And yet, you still love me.” Jane ruffled the girl’s hair quickly before smoothing it back over.

“I do. You know, we’re supposed to be getting ready for the show about now,” Kat informed the third queen.

“Yeah. I don’t know. I just needed a moment to think I suppose. You know?”

“I do. Do you think I could sit here with you, just for a few moments before we have to go backstage? Maybe I need a change of perspective too.”

“Of course love. You don’t have to ask. You’ve done it many times with me before.” The blonde wrapped an arm around her daughter and pulled her close, pressing a quick kiss to her hairline. Settling back into her position, she got lost in thought again until the golden queen would come out to tell them they should probably be getting ready now.

“Thank you Mum.”

“Of course love.” She kissed her forehead once more before offering a hand to help her up and guide the two back towards the dressing room.

“11# You tend to overthink everything”

It was no secret that the third monarch was quite an overthinker. Many times the others walked in on Jane practicing the way she walked, spoke, held herself. You name it, there was a good chance Jane Seymour had practiced it in the mirror.

“Seymour?” A slightly sleepy Cleves knocked on the door. “Are you in there?”

“Cleves!” Jane whisked the door open, a bright grin painted on her face, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes the way it usually would. “What are you doing up at this hour?”

“I could ask you the same,” the red queen retorted back.

“Oh no, did I wake you?”

“No, no. I had to go to the bathroom, but I could hear the small squeak of the floorboards, and someone talking to themselves. Are you alright?”

“Just fine love. Just practicing the way I walk.” The fourth queen looked at her in disbelief. “I’m serious! I just... don’t want to come across cocky and rude!”

“I swear, you’re the queen of overthinking. I’ve never heard of anyone doing that before. Get some sleep, yeah?”

“I will. I promise.”

“Now,” Cleves shot her a look before patting the door frame and walking back to her bedroom.

“Just a few more minutes,” Jane sighed to herself, making a note to walk more quietly.

“Jane? You’ve been staring at the two containers of granola for the past ten minutes. Just pick one, why don’t you?” A slightly disgruntled Catherine Parr had the... honor... of accompanying the resident grocery shopper and was beginning to get antsy. They had been in the store for over an hour, and Jane had only made her way through a quarter of the list of things they needed to pick up.

“But there are so many different reasons to buy both! Which is more healthy? Which one would taste the best? What is the best value for the price? What if there’s a price drop tomorrow? Is it in environmentally friendly packaging?” the third queen rambled on.

“Oh my,” Parr looked at her friend who was now in clear distress. “Why don’t we,” she paused to take the containers out of her hand before continuing. “Just buy both and you can decide which one you like more at home? Then, you can continue to buy just that brand. Sounds like a plan?”

“But that means we’re spending more-”

“None of it is going to go to waste though. You make sure nothing in our house goes to waste hun. Just, come on. We still have a majority of the list to go through, and we need to be back in time to make dinner before Annie decides to try to cook.”

That sped the process up. She didn’t need her overthinking leading to Anne Boleyn destroying her kitchen again.

“12# You struggle with anxiety in social situations”

Jane knew herself well enough to know that anxiety was heightened in social situations. Yes, she was a star in theatre and was always in the public eye, but she was a self-proclaimed introvert.

In this new life, it was quick to show itself when she entered the room where she would meet the other five queens for the first time.

“Jane Seymour,” she spoke quietly when it was her turn to introduce herself. The others mingled, but anxiety had reared its head and left the blonde to deal with the side effects. She considered the way that she held herself. Sure, she had a kind and inviting aura surrounding her, but she was still nervous. Adjusting her posture, she noticed that she was the only one not eating the snacks that had been provided (because she feared that the others would watch and judge the way she ate). Upon this discovery, she grabbed a plate along with a small sandwich before nibbling at it just a bit. Chewing, she held a hand over her already closed mouth subconsciously. Glancing around the room, she noticed she wasn’t the only one who had distanced herself from the larger crowd and was standing in a smaller circle. Katherine Howard, although she hadn’t said much, stuck by her.

“This is a lot, isn’t it?” Jane whispered after she had swallowed her food and taken a small sip of water. The fifth queen could only nod, eyes wide and ridden with anxiety. “Would you like to perhaps get to know each other out in the hallway where it’s a bit quieter? We can maybe eat our sandwiches without feeling like everyone else is staring at us.”

The grateful look the younger woman gave her told her everything she needed to know. This girl was too frightened to say anything, but a mere hour later, the two had already formed a strong and intense connection. Jane had a warm, maternal presence, and Katherine needed someone to mother her and bring her out of her shell. They shared many of the same values, which shocked Jane considering the upbringing Katherine came from as she learned. But in reality it made sense: they were both trying to fill holes in their lives- Jane trying to regain what she once had, and Katherine chasing after what she had always wanted. Kindred spirits, it was if destiny brought them together.

“13# You easily fall into the role of advisor or counselor”

The blonde, now glued to this article, couldn’t help but laugh out loud at this one. Of course she was the role of advisor or counselor. Her girls came to her for so many reasons. They didn’t all call her “Mum” (jokingly or not, they still all had at one point or another) for nothing! She remembered all the times Catalina had come to her in regard to Cathy and how to handle her sleep schedule, the times Anne had come to her crying because she thought she had ruined her relationship with Kat after the two had fought (they were cousins, but they acted more like sisters), the times Anna had come to her with the same ideas she had about not rightfully being placed among the other queens, the countless times Katherine had come to her looking for comfort, advice, and someone to vent to, and the times Cathy had trudged into her room begging her to help her with her writing (Jane couldn’t write or necessarily articulate the way Cathy could, but the two bouncing ideas off of each other always helped the writer process what she wanted to say). Without a second thought too, the third queen had put herself into this position. She never minded either. It may be a lot sometimes for the queen because she was a bit of an empath, but the overwhelmingness of it all was worth it if it meant she was able to help guide those in need.

“14# You enjoy the company of those much older than you” The others didn’t know this, but every Sunday early in the morning, Seymour would head down to the local cafe- long before anybody else was awake. There, she had a friend who was many years older than her (in relative terms. The kind elderly woman at the cafe knew that Jane had been reincarnated, but it hadn’t dawned on her that Jane’s soul had been around for many more years than she expected). Rosemary was her name, and the blonde couldn’t help but be drawn to her from the moment Rosemary sat down across from her.

“Hi?” The queen looked up and down at the older woman now sitting in front of her. “Can I help you?”

“You’re no later than thirty. What has you up and at the cafe this early?” Rosemary didn’t waste any time.

“Just trying to soak up the peacefulness of this beautiful Sunday morning before the rest of my housemates wake up. Gives me time to reflect and think. And you?” The woman dressed in grey smiled invitingly at the wrinkled woman.

“I’ve been up for hours now. Been coming to this here cafe for forty years. Used to come here with my dear husband before he passed. But back to you: you looked to be in deep thought. Care to chat about it?”

The two were fast friends. An unlikely duo? Maybe, what with Jane’s being mild mannered and her newfound friend telling quite the stories at times- not to mention that significant age gap between the two of them. But it was right. The two would trade stories, some from their distant past (or pasts in Jane’s case) and some from the not-so-distant past. Jane had learned so much about the modern world she sometimes felt trapped in, learning that she wasn’t the only one who felt somewhat out of place in the new century.

Above all though, Jane had felt grounded. When she was with Rosemary, it didn’t matter that she was a popstar starring in a show that was making waves around the country. She didn’t have to run around like mad trying to keep up with the antics of Anne Boleyn that always kept her on her toes. No, she was just another human living her life. It didn’t matter what she had or didn’t have. Together the two could have a good old-fashioned chat in the cozy corner of a cozy cafe on a peaceful Sunday morning over a cup of tea.

“15# You crave simplicity”

Jane Seymour, although living a life in the public eye, led a simple life. She craved the simplicity in the often complex world that she lived in. Being drawn to minimalism, it made its way into her everyday. She liked when things were easily read and plain. “Plain Jane” mocked her at first, but she had learned to take pride in it. What was so bad about being plain and well read? It was truthful, and shouldn’t the truth be simple?

“16# You’re attracted to all things vintage”

Vintage drew her in. Maybe it was because some of it reminded her of the times that she lived in before, but it didn’t have to be Tudor era-esque. Really, anything that was a bit older made her feel more at home. She had collections of records to play on her old record player. She had dresses that maybe were a bit more vintage than she was willing to admit. She loved watching programs that showcased antiques. While her co stars would gravitate more towards the newer store, she was drawn into the vintage boutiques and antique shops. She loved the historical sights that she was able to see- some of them holding rich history that she could intertwine herself with. It was simply a wonder to her.

“17# You just “feel” old inside”

“Throw away the ‘Old Soul’ label for a moment and focus on how you feel inside. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? Those who realize that they feel much older than their age reflects are often Old Souls at heart.”

Jane Seymour read over this a few times, truly trying to get a sense of how old she really felt in the times of now. It seemed as though she didn’t reflect a woman in her late twenties. No, she felt as though she reflected a woman who was in her late thirties, and although this wasn’t necessarily the biggest age gap, the difference of a 29 year old to a 39 year old was immense. And then she remembered how deeply she could relate to Rosemary- a woman who was easily forty or fifty years older than her.

“Common feelings that accompany being an Old Soul usually include a feeling of world wariness, mental tiredness, inquisitiveness, watchful patience, and the sensation of being an “outsider looking in.”

The blonde deeply resonated with the feelings that an old soul typically felt.

Later that night, the silver queen was curled up in bed, reading glasses slipping down the tip of her nose as she scrolled through social media mindlessly. She was about to retire for the night when she heard a small squeak from her door.

“Hey Mum,” Kat sighed from the doorframe. “Mind if I-”

“Not at all love. I was just winding down for bed, and I would love it if you joined.” Jane moved over in her bed and patted the space next to her, opening up an arm. Almost immediately, the pink haired queen bolted under the covers with her.

“You look so cute with your glasses on,” Kat commented sleepily. “What were you reading?” She tucked herself more into her mother’s side, if that was possible.

“Oh I was just scrolling through social media.”

“Well, don’t let me stop you. I’m just gonna get in my Mama cuddles.”

“Love you my dear.” The third queen pressed a firm kiss to the younger woman’s head before gently playing with her hair in hopes of lulling her to sleep- Katherine looked like she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in days.

“Love you too Mum,” the pink queen murmured as she dozed off.

Jane held her phone in one hand and her daughter in the other. A few more minutes of scrolling through social media couldn’t hurt.

“Those who experienced childhood trauma are often referred to as ‘mature for their age’ or ‘old souls’ when actually we were children having to adopt intense coping mechanisms in order to survive as adults.”

In this moment, Jane realized the truth in that statement and connected it to the statement at the beginning of the article she had read earlier in the day. She didn’t feel as though she was alone and isolated, but maybe she was a bit more than she had initially thought. She had come from a rather big family in her past life, but she had always felt alone, never being able to relate to her other siblings. And in this life, she was surrounded by five wonderful women who would have her back no matter what, but she couldn’t help but feel slightly different from the rest of them- even if she was one of the younger queens.

In her past life, she had simply found coping mechanisms needed to survive. And those coping mechanisms had made their way into this life too. She rarely had to rely on these mechanisms now. Her heart was open to the five other queens she had the blessing of sharing a home with.

So, maybe being an old soul meant she had some trauma from her past life- she wasn’t there anymore. But being an old soul wasn’t such a bad thing as she walked through life. Maybe, she wasn’t as “stuck in the 21st century” afterall. Being an old soul was rare, and those who surrounded her loved her dearly for it.

#six the musical #six musical #jane seymour #six the musical fanfiction #six the musical fanfic #six fanfiction #six fanfic #six musical fanfic #jane seymour six #six jane seymour

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politics-notmything · 3 years

Text

We fell in love in November

YEah, we back at it with another one shot... I don’t normally write these but after my recent post and the Parrlyn discord, now could I not 👀 Anyway, this took wayyyyyy longer than i thought it would - Part 15 of She Used to be mine is out tomorrow :)

Tw- implied nudity (nothing over PG-13), bad language, coming out.

The euphoria Cathy Parr felt around Anne Boleyn was extravagant. Even now when they lie in bed together trying to come down from their high, Cathy still felt energised. The writer rolled over to face her girlfriend, with the bedsheets pulled up to her neck and subtly smiled. Cathy ran her left hand through the Boleyn girl’s hair and cupped her cheek with the other.

“You look so beautiful,” Anne opened her eyes and grinned when she met with Cathy’s.

“As are you.” she simply replied as she moved forward to tenderly kiss her girlfriend. No one could’ve expected that Catherine Parr and Anne Boleyn would become a thing in their second life. Heck, they didn’t even know they had the possibility of a second life! Anne paused their kiss and Cathy looked unexpectedly at her gremlin, “You should tell Aragon.”

The moment was ruined.

Cathy tensed as she sat up, pulling the duvet with her and laughing when she pulled too hard, so Anne was left bare, “What?”

“I said-” Anne smirked as she deliberately rolled onto Cathy’s chest, making her blush, “You should tell Aragon.”

“What if I don’t want to tell Aragon…” Cathy whispered, not looking away from Anne’s eyes.

“You can look at my tits, Cath, I don't mind.”

“ANNE!” Cathy profusely blushed and shoved the Boleyn girl to the side,

Anne snickered and pulled the writer into a cuddle, “It isn’t like you haven’t seen them before.”

“But seriously,” Cathy hummed when she went back to being serious, “I don’t want to tell my godmother, she might not like it.”

“But she came to pride last year and threw confetti at that proposing gay couple?”

“That’s different. Not only am I her goddaughter, but I’m also dating the woman who stole her crown.”

“Yeah, I feel a little guilty for that,” Anne confessed.

“You shouldn’t. ‘Lina isn’t mad about it now because we know you were forced to do it,” Cathy snuffled closer, “but it still doesn’t change history.”

“She’s family Cath. I told Kat, now you should tell Aragon.” Anne gently kissed Cathy’s curls before removing her grip around the writer’s waist, allowing her to go downstairs.

“I might.” Cathay smiled as she grabbed her underwear and a towel from Anne’s floor, “I love you.”

“I love you too, Cath.”

Both queens had been dating for a significant amount of time, and their story started when they ‘accidentally’ made out in Cathy’s dressing room after Anne trapped them for an hour. After that, there had been a series of confessions, secret glances and planning from both parties, so they didn’t come across as suspicious. Then, once they felt ready, Anne told Katherine who has been a useful distraction when the lovers want some alone time.

One of the first things Catherine proposed was developing small ‘habits’ that the others would believe. For example, Anne was known to sleep in, so they both took advantage of that when Cathy would sneak out of her room and cuddle Anne in the early morning before heading downstairs for breakfast. Another trick was when Cathy ran out of coffee and needed to take a last-minute trip to Tescos. Anne would always hide the coffee and midnight then plan a Tescos trip the next day when Cathy would happen to tag along.

And it worked surprisingly well.

“Morning Mija.” Catalin de Aragon was at the head of the kitchen table, reading a novel and drinking tea, alone.

Cathy walked over to her coffee machine, “Morning ma, where is everyone?”

“They decided to go on a walk. Katherine said something about trees helping you live longer,”

Cathy suppressed a laugh, Anne...

“Yeah, I read that too.”

“Of course, in our second lives, no one wants to take any chances!” Aragon continued, oblivious, “Knowing Kat, she probably just wanted to look at the dogs.”

Catherine picked her fingernails, and her stomach churned over, “Can I confess something?”

“Of course…” Her godmother removed her reading glasses and gestured for Cathy to take a seat.

“I’ve been seeing someone,” A beat, “romantically.”

The confession slipped out and jumping the first hurdle was surprisingly easy, but unfortunately, it wasn’t as straightforward as that.

The godmother corrected her posture and licked her lips, “Oh? For how long?”

“About 4 months.”

“And you never told me?”

“I didn’t think it was necessary,” Cathy replied, sheepishly.

While Catherine may not be her mother, it didn’t change how she acted like one. One of Cathy’s strongest memories was when Aragon comforted her every night after she was reincarnated.

“What’s his name?”

Another hurdle appeared that Cathy had to somehow jump over - the gay hurdle.

“He’s a she.” Catherine wouldn’t say she was scared of her godmother, but she certainly valued her approval and beliefs.

The Spaniard paused to think this over before leaning back in her chair, closing her eyes, and smiling. The smile grew, and a flower of hope blossomed in the Survivor’s chest. Aragon then opened her arms for Cathy to hug her, and the writer reacted all too quickly.

“I’m happy you felt comfortable enough to tell me.”

“Does this mean you’re okay with this?” Cathy mumbled into her shoulder,

“Of course Mija! Now, who is she?”

“Okay, okay” Cathy could burst with excitement! Even though her godmother didn’t know it was Anne, Cathy could still describe her lover in perfect detail. “She has dark brown hair, which has a subtle wave at the end. She is pretty pale, so her freckles stand out but her cheeks are always red because she is somehow always blushing!” Cathy continued to gush, “Her eyes are grey, but they change with the light, and her favourite colour is green-”

“You told Aragon yet?” Anne Boleyn leaned in the doorway with a giant smirk on her face, “or are you just going to keep describing my facial features?”

Silence.

Anne stopped as she realised what she’d said.

Cathy looked between Anne and her godmother. She loved the gremlin, but she really needs to learn to read a situation.

Aragon stood and looked between Anne and Cathy. Her brain slowly puts the puzzle together in an organised fashion. The hair, the skin, the freckles, the blush, the eyes and finally, the favourite colour.

The history hurdle.

The grinding of Cathy’s chair against the kitchen floor wasn’t enough to pierce the tension between the 1st and 2nd queen. The writer took Anne’s hand, and cautiously walked her over to her godmother.

“Anne, this is my Godmother. Ma, this is-”

“I know who Anne is.” Catherine’s voice was a deadly monotone.

The awkwardness had obviously got to the Boleyn girl who proceeded to bite her lip as she glanced around the room, eyeing the wall tiles with great curiosity.

“Boleyn.” Anne’s head snapped back to the situation as the Spanish queen addressed her. “Are you dating my goddaughter?”

“Well-” Anne didn’t know what to say, and thankfully, Catherine didn’t want to hear it.

“Catherine Mary Parr.” Cathy flinched at the use of her full name.

“Your middle name is mary?” Anne tentatively asked before Aragon shut her off.

“Are you dating the woman who stole my husband?”

“Well, when you put it like that…” Cathy trailed off as her godmother rubbed her temple.

“After all these years?” Aragon tried so hard to keep her composure, she really did. But some situations are just too much. “No puedo creerlos a los dos!”

“I can’t fucking believe you both.” Cathy translated.

“Después de todo lo que hago por ti,” The Spaniard flung her arms around, “así es como me pagas?!”

“After everything, I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me?”

“Mierda, mierda, mierda, odio a los malditos franceses!” She turned to Cathy “Te estas follando ella?”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, I hate the fucking french, and I verbally can’t repeat the final phrase.”

“Are you?” ‘Lina demanded to know the answer.

“sí señorita.” Cathy’s reply was quick and timid.

Catherine turned to Anne, “First, you stole my husband, then you stole my crown, and now you steal my goddaughter?!”

“Oh, I stole more than that from her,” Anne winked at Cathy who couldn’t hold her laugh as she remembered the recent events. She buried her head in the Boleyn girl’s shoulder to try and stifle it. Forgetting all about the angry Spaniard, Anne kissed the top of Cathy’s curls and smiled fondly down at her.

That wasn’t normal. Catherine of Aragon knew how Anne Boleyn worked when it came to a relationship. She would look at her target with a seductive smirk and a classic wink, she would follow them around before leading them out the room in the dark and alone. Anne Boleyn would destroy families and ruin a country. Manipulate the king and destroy the church, but she would never look at someone with such value.

In all the years Catherine had been alive she has never seen Anne Boleyn blush as much as she did now or look at someone with so much compassion and… love?

“No me importa que seas gay” Aragon finally sighed.

Cathy swiftly removed her head from Anne’s shoulder to translate, “I don’t care that you are gay.”

“And I shouldn't care who you date either.” Catalina looked at the interlocked fingers. “Forgive me for being so crude, it was a shock.”

“It was a shock to me too!” Anne quipped but received a slap from Cathy.

“I apologise for my use of language too, it was-”

“Descriptive?” Cathy finished.

“Extremely.” It was still a little awkward between the trio, but ‘Lina was determined to settle things, “I just want you to know that I accept you both as family and as lovers.”

“Thank you, ma.”

“I really appreciate it.”

“Now, I know the others will be getting back soon so we should really get started on breakfast.”

“Let me reheat your coffee, babe.” Anne carefully took the mug from Cathy, who whispered a ‘thank you.’

“I have to admit,” Aragon cleared her space on the table and handed her goddaughter the placemats, “You make a pretty good couple.”

“Right?!” Anne beamed with delight,

“Does anyone else know?” Catherine continued,

“Only Katherine and you. We both wanted to keep it on the down-low, but Anne said I should tell you because you’re family.” Cathy explained.

“Well, I’m glad you told me, even if it took some convincing. And know that I’m here for the both of you if anyone tries anything!”

“We’re back!” The younger cousin’s voice echoed off the walls, and she bounced into the kitchen to see Cathy kissing Anne’s cheek as she was handed her mug and ‘Lina placing the apple juice on the table.

“Did the air work?” Cathy asked Kitty as she took her seat next to Anne around the table,

“I feel younger already!”

“I’m definitely going to be immortal by the end of the century.” Anna threw her hoodie over the back of her chair and poured herself some apple juice as Jane finally walked in.

Once everyone was sat, Anne nodded at Kat from across the table and tried to suppress and smile as Cathy subtly linked their arms together. A small gesture of affection which had humungous meaning.

#parrlyn #anne boleyn #Catherine Parr #Anne Boleyn x Catherine Parr #six the musical #six #catherine of aragon #Katherine Howard #anna of cleves #jane seymour #we fell in love in october #parrleyn #OneShots #one shot #parrlyn fanfiction #parrlyn fanfic

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oratonom · 3 years

Text

Beheaded Nightmares - Swapped AU

@ender1821 @arithebroadwayaddict @percy-the-penguin @mega-heir-of-heart (sorry I keep @ you guys specifically but you’re the other minds behind the au—)

So, I made a thing. It was really to experiment a bit with personalities (and I also just really wanted to write a bit for that idea I made for the Beheaded queens). I hope it worked out well, if not then I’ll just work on getting personalities and the like right in the future.

(All Swapped!Queens go by their last name. Original queens go by their first.)

TWs: nightmares, mentions of arson/setting fires, past beheading, language

——————

Seymour grumbled under her breath as she was pulled along.

This night had not been going as planned. Her life wasn’t going as planned, being perfectly honest.

Her first life she got beheaded. Then she woke up in a strange house with Henry’s other five bitches. Seymour liked being brought back, but five (four) pains in the ass and constant nightmares were really shitty.

Seymour appreciates chaos, she would even say she thrived in it, but the arguments were starting to get old.

And just when things couldn’t get any fucking weirder, they were sent to another universe.

Another universe with a different version of her.

Another version that reminded her too damn much of her old self. Quiet, demure, anxious, motherly. Seymour hated it.

(She didn’t know if she hated Jane as a person. But she surely despised the memories. And this woman being another version of her who had died before breaking her chains certainly didn’t stop Seymour from pranking her and setting fire to one of Jane’s shirts.)

Apparently, Seymour’s group was supposed to learn to get along or some shit.

Seymour still doubted extremely that it would happen. They were all bitches and Seymour couldn’t see herself getting along with them. They were either scolding her for the arson and general chaos she brought with her or intimidating. She supposed Cleves was alright, she’s started to help her with some pranks (it turned out much later that Seymour adored Anna, she was much more than ‘alright’)

Parr was the only one of her group that she could stand.

The woman was quiet, almost mute. She had constant nightmares and always looked so anxious. But she was also so nice, a sweetheart. And when Seymour wasn’t causing her usual amount of chaos, she could usually be found by Parr’s side.

And it looked like Parr latched onto her in turn.

Seymour would never admit it out loud, but she could even go so far as to say she was very protective of the younger woman. She cared.

Maybe that was why she was letting herself be dragged through the hallway by the mentioned former queen.

That and the nightmare she had.

Seymour had actually been in the kitchen when Parr found her. It was a rare night when she actually decided to sleep in trade of the chaos. The following nightmare had left her scratching at her throat and creeping from the room she shared with Jane.

Seymour didn’t need her counterpart’s pity.

At some point, she decided to distract herself. By seeing how many glasses of water she could chug. Seymour was on her second cup when Parr found her, the former still scratching at her scar with one hand. In fact, Parr herself was also scratching at her scar, tears on her cheeks.

She was next to Seymour before the third queen really had a chance to process seeing her, curling into the taller woman’s side.

Seymour didn’t hesitate before wrapping an arm around Parr’s shoulders. The usually chaotic queen was silent.

Soon Parr pulled back slightly to look up at Seymour. It was the older of the two that asked, “nightmare?”

Parr slowly nodded, her hand still over her exposed scar.

“Same here. It’s really shitty, huh?” Seymour laughed. “Fuck that fat bastard!”

Parr smiled slightly. “Yeah.”

“Want to help me ruin more of Aragon’s sweaters? I need to vent on something.” Seymour asked, pulling the lighter from her pants pocket and lazily flicking it.

Parr stared at the flashing flame for a moment before taking Seymour’s hand. “Come with me?”

And after a teasing remark of acceptance, Seymour found herself being carefully pulled through the house. The former queen wasn’t entirely sure where they were heading, but she could definitely say she was surprised when they stopped in front of the Annes’ door.

(Seymour didn’t know about Parr and Anne meeting in the kitchen one night. Both of them had nightmares and had to calm each other down. A friendship blossomed from there and Parr usually went to Anne for nightmares now.)

Then, Parr gave her familiar, quiet knock, one as if the door would fall if she knocked any harder (hmm, that got Seymour’s mind buzzing. How many knocks or how much force would it take to knock the door down? Something chaotic to test, it seemed).

There was muffled conversation and then shifting from within the room. Then, the door opened to show Anne.

(Anne was someone Seymour actually could call herself friends with. The two had quickly begun making chaos together, much to the chagrin of their counterparts, more so Boleyn than Jane.)

Seymour hummed with a tilt of her head upon noticing the scar around Anne’s neck being scratched just like theirs were.

“Are we bothering you?” Parr asked softly, keeping her hold on Seymour’s hand.

“Yep.” Anne gave them a grin.

Parr laughed, as if that response was normal. Seymour only stood there, gaze flitting between the two as Anne let them into the room.

Kat sat on Anne’s bed, her own choker off and neck in the same state as theirs. Boleyn was nowhere to be seen.

It was still strange to see their faces but yet so different. Different styles and personalities. To not be called a ‘cretin’ or ‘that one bitch.’

“I guess we’re all having bad nights, yeah?” Kat asked with a rather bitter chuckle.

“None of you losers look nice tonight.” Seymour said with a snicker.

Anne grinned at her. “Right back at you.”

“Nice pair of scissors on your desk there.”

“Oh yeah?”

Parr grabbed onto their arms, giving the both of them pleading looks. “Please don’t.”

The two relented, but gave each other smirks over Parr’s head.

“You two get the shitty dreams too?” Seymour pasted a smirk on her face. She needed to hide that twinge of fear still in her chest.

“Yeah, didn’t know the great, chaotic Seymour got them.” Anne looked knowing. “But then again, losing your head really does hurt more than a broken heart.”

“Poetic.” Seymour snickered.

“Isn’t it?” Anne easily matched her grin. “Parr and Chaton have come to me before, haven’t seen you until now.”

“Who needs nightmares when you can have chaos?” Seymour sneered. Usually after a nightmare, she would destroy something as an outlet. Be it setting it on fire or ripping it to shreds.

“You, my friend, are speaking my language.” Anne agreed with a laugh.

“Oh god, this house better be scared of you two teaming up.” Kat looked more amused than worried, Parr now at her side fidgeting anxiously with her hands but smiling at the conversation. “The arsonist and the prankster.”

“Bold of you to assume I’m not an arsonist!”

“I can prank your ass off, just watch! I’ve done many pranks!”

The four fell into a bit of laughter before falling silent.

They all joined Kat on the bed, sitting in a circle. They were all quiet, Anne fidgeting with the blanket and Seymour still flicking the lighter.

“Do you guys… want to talk about your…?” Kat trailed off, gesturing silently to her own scar.

Parr and Seymour both tensed. Parr began to rub worriedly at her scar and Seymour snarled.

“And if we don’t want to?” Seymour snapped immediately.

“Then we won’t make you.” It was Kat who shrugged.

“The fuck?” Seymour muttered, fixing them with a suspicious stare. “You won’t make me talk?”

“We know how hard it is to talk about things sometimes.” Kat gave her a smile.

“I was surprised too.” Parr whispered to Seymour. “But they’re telling the truth. I promise. Or at least Anne is…”

“Then what the hell do we do instead…?” Seymour questioned with a frown.

“Why don’t we just get to know each other?” Anne offered. “What do the two of you like to do?”

“Reading is nice, and Cathy’s been helping me write again…”

Seymour gave them another suspicious glance before perking up slightly. “I like chaos. Setting fire and destroying shit!”

“I’m not saying that’s a bad thing to like, but maybe calm down on the arson a bit? I’m pretty sure you can get arrested.”

The four talked into the night, laughter and banter taking away their fear and worries from earlier in the night.

“Okay, watch the lighter! I like my bed!” Anne jokes as Seymour almost dropped the lighter mid-flick.

Just as Seymour was about to retort, both Parr and Kat let out yawns. The two glanced at each other and began to laugh.

“Looks like it’s time to try and sleep some more, yeah?” Anne said, a soft smile on her lips in trade for her usual chaotic smile.

“Guess so.” Kat hummed, already moving under the blankets. Parr was soon to join her after reassurances from both Anne and Kat. Seymour blinked, standing now, as Parr willingly burrowed into Kat’s side.

Anne joined them and all three looked back at Seymour, as if waiting.

“Aren’t you going to join us?” Kat asked after a moment.

Seymour snorted. “What, sleeping together? Why the hell would I do that?”

Parr frowned at her, reaching out slightly from her place between Anne and Kat. “Please?”

“Us beheaded queens have to stick together, you know.” Anne said.

Seymour watched the three for a moment. Then, a smirk crossed her lips. “Alright, fine! But don’t think this will be a more than one night thing! I’ve got chaos to cause!”

“Hell yeah you do. Now get over here.” Anne grinned right back.

Kat rolled her eyes and murmured something to Parr that had the blue queen giggling.

Seymour wasn’t entirely sure about sharing a bed with these three, no matter how friendly they were. But their warmth and the arm Anne had curled around her quickly worked to guide her to sleep.

For once, Seymour rested well, no nightmares or chaos in sight.

#six the musical #swapped six au #anne boleyn #katherine howard #Swapped!Jane #Swapped!Cathy

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seven-homosexual-dinosaurs · 4 years

Text

Don’t let me go

Chapter 5: Some feels and shit

Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Chapter 2 Chapter 1

The door opened to reveal a tall, dark woman. Whilst she was slightly taller than crow, Cathy was still taller than her. Her curly hair landed on her shoulders, spread evenly across her shoulders rather than swept to one side like Cathy’s.

“Hello, how can I help-”

Her eyes landed on Cathy.

“-you....”

Both women stared at each other, each frozen in shock. Crow looked from Cathy to Lina, attempting to decipher their expressions. Lina wore a blank expression, eyes widened in shock. Cathy bit her bottom lip nervously, fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve. It suddenly occurred to crow how odd the two must look, with their muddy (and slightly bloody in Cathy’s case) uniforms and their strange scars. Crow tugged on a strand of her hair nervously, sweating at the growing tension.

Finally, crow spoke up.

“Erm, are you Lina?”

Lina nodded blankly, eyes fixed firmly on Cathy.

“Okay. Um, I’m crow, and this is-”

“-Catherine,” Lina finished breathlessly. Cathy looked up from the ground, eyes shining with tears.

“Hi Lina,”

Lina launched herself at Cathy, who stumbled backwards in surprise. Crow tensed, ready for combat, before realizing they were hugging. Lina wept openly into Cathy’s arms, who pat her back numbly as thick tears ran down her face. Crow stood to the side awkwardly as sobs filled the air, awkwardly looking into the distance. Finally, Lina spoke up through her heaving sobs.

“Catherine Parr, where on earth have you been!?”

Her voice lacked any sort of conviction or anger, too heavy with relief to seem cross.

Cathy sniffled, burying her face into Lina’s chest.

“It’s a long story,”

The two sat there in silence, muffled sobs filling the air as they held each other tightly. The sun set behind the cottage, illuminating the group with it’s pink-blue hues. As the wind picked up, dust began moving through the air. Rubbing her eyes, crow sneezed as a gust of wind blew into her face. Jolting up, Lina looked at crow as if seeing her for the first time.

“Oh-uh, where are my manners? I’m Catalina,” She rubbed the redness from her eyes, not quite succeeding in composing herself, not that crow would ever bring it up.

“Crow,” she nodded politely, shifting her weight awkwardly. Catalina and Cathy stood up reluctantly, still holding each other tightly. The two headed towards the cottage, Catalina ushering them all inside.

Stepping inside, Catalina led the girls towards a small room, a birch table surrounded by four chairs sat in the center. Crow looked around the room, observing the paintings and writings littering the wall. Stepping towards a crinkled piece of paper lying on the counter, crow smiled at the name scrawled messily on the corner.

“Cath, you wrote this?”

Cathy looked towards the paper, groaning in embarrassment as she realized what crow was referring to.

“Ugh, yeah. It’s a story I wrote when I was small. You can read it if you want, just don’t expect it to be any good,”

Catalina rolled her eyes fondly, pulling up a chair as she sat down.

“Well I think it’s plenty good. You two should probably sit down, I’ve got the feeling we’ve got a lot to talk about,”

If anyone noticed the tear stains littering the page, no one mentioned it.

As the two sat down, the door creaked open in the other room. Cathy and crow both jumped, while Catalina’s eyes lit up.

“I’m home! Kitty’s eating with Anna today, so we don’t have to wait for her,”

As Catalina moved to greet the voice, crow felt her entire body tense. The voice sounded..... familiar? But, she reasoned, that would be impossible. How would she recognize the voice if the researchers never spoke and her memories of before were gone? Unless-

Her train of thought was interrupted as Catalina reentered the room, followed by the voice’s owner.

“I- you’ve gotta see this Jane,”

As Jane entered the room, she froze as her eyes landed on the girls.

But she wasn’t looking at Cathy.

Her eyes rested solely on crow, who felt unable to look away as the two stared at each other. Blond hair fell past her shoulders, resting near her lower back. Although she couldn’t be past her mid-twenties, there was a certain fatigue to her eyes that gave her an older look. Her figure, short and plump, was frozen in shock as the women stared each other down.

Finally, she spoke up.

“....Anne?”

Crow felt dizzy. Anne. That name was familiar. But from where? Was that her name? Did she know this woman? But from where? Who was this woman to her? A friend? Family? A peer? Clutching Cathy for support, crow (or was it Anne?) forced herself to meet Jane’s eyes.

“.....do I know you?”

Crow flinched at the harshness of her words, mentally kicking herself. As silence enveloped the room, Cathy spoke up.

“....I think we all need to talk,”

------------------------------

Sat at the table, the four stared at each other warily. Cathy gripped crow’s hand tightly under the table, though crow couldn’t tell if she was doing more for herself or crow. Catalina tapped her fingers awkwardly on her table, the sound resonating through the room. Jane’s eyes rested firmly on crow, who soundly avoided her eyes. Sitting up, Catalina cleared her throat awkwardly.

“So, while there’s definitely a lot to talk about here, I think first thing’s first. Where have you two been these past few years?”

The question wasn’t asked harshly, rather, it was spoken gently but firmly, leaving no room for dodging the question.

“Well we-”

“You see, I-”

Cathy and crow both looked at each other, erupting into a fit of giggles. Catalina rolled her eyes good naturedly as Jane smiled fondly at the two. As their giggles died down, crow motioned for Cathy to continue.

“Well, we- first of all don’t freak out-”

Catalina and Jane both raised their eyebrows.

“We- we were kind of in- um- a human experimentation facility?”

A horrified silence followed her declaration. Cathy and crow both glanced at each anxiously as Jane and Catalina both stared at them blankly, processing the new information. As Jane’s mouth opened, Cathy hurriedly continued.

“I got there a bit after crow, and we kinda became friends? Well, as friendly as we could get with giant panes of glass between us. Anyways, crow stole a key card off of one of the security guards and used it to get us out. We managed to get our bearings and made our way to Shidgherd before finding our way over here.”

Ignoring the horrified looks the older women gave them, crow spoke up.

“I don’t have any memories of anything before the facility and Cathy thought calling me “G-2″ would be depressing, so we settled on calling me crow, “

As she finished, a single tear rolled down Jane’s face as Catalina’s hand raised to her mouth in horror. As Jane hurriedly wiped her eyes, crow felt a jolt of guilt run through her.

You made her cry

Crow’s mind buzzed as she attempted to make the woman feel better. While she wasn’t sure how she knew the woman, she knew seeing her sad made her sad.

“Jane, right? You knew me before?”

Jane nodded quietly, a pained expression on her face.

“Could you maybe tell me about that?”

Jane nodded once more, inhaling shakily.

“Right, so, I don’t suppose you remember Kitty? Yeah, I guess not. So-um-,”

Jane cleared her throat awkwardly.

“You used to live with me and our younger cousin Kitty before you were taken. We were all cousins with bad families, so we ran away together. You were four, Kitty was two, and I was fifteen when we ran away. You were both so small, but there was a certain.... incident... in the family, and I needed to get you two away from your parents,”

Jane didn’t elaborate and Anne felt too afraid to ask.

“I had to do some work for some.... not too great people to support us. When you were seven, one of my bosses came to talk to me. I knew the conversation might go south, so I told you and Kitty to play outside while we talked. I managed to convince him not to fire me, but when I went outside to get you and Kitty- she-”

Jane was openly sobbing now, taking in deep, heaving breaths in an attempt to steady herself. Catalina placed her hand on Jane’s reassuringly.

“I went out to get you two, except you were gone and Kitty was in hysterics saying someone took you and begging me to bring you back. I managed to make out that someone came up to you two and asked Kitty to come with him. After she kept on refusing, he tried to take her by force. You got him to leave her alone by offering to go with him instead, and told Kitty to wait for me and then left with him. I- I thought you were dead,”

Jane finished with a sob, hugging herself tightly with her arms. Anne stared at her blankly, processing the information. Anne stood up abruptly, her chair falling the the ground behind her with a clatter.

“I- I need some time to think,”

The three women stared as she sprinted out of the room, the sound of the door slamming shortly following. Catalina wordlessly followed, leaving Cathy with the sobbing Jane.

#six the musical #six #six the musical fanfiction #six fanfiction #fanfiction #don't let me go #dlmg #parrleyn #parrlyn #parrlyn fanfic #anne boleyn #catherine parr

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exauhstedsunflower · 4 years

Note

Aragon & Parr fluff, maybe one of them gets sick or period pains or just difficult emotions and the other takes care of them?

I am always down to write Aragon & Parr anything!!! Here you go!

The thing about Thursdays, is that most of the queens love them.

Kitty always pulls Anna into her room with marshmallows and a movie on the third Thursday of every month. (No one is sure why it’s that particular day. And according to the two’s refusal to elaborate, no one will ever know.) Anne and Jane just objectively like the way the day sounds verbally. (Also, when asked they will say it is totally not because they hate the way Wednesday is spelled.) Cathy usually has her show day off on Thursday, so she usually spends it reading a book or throwing herself into whatever she’s been waiting to have time to research. Catalina has no particular inclination towards the day, but her family loves it, so she’d usually say it’s a fine day.

Yes, Thursday’s have been a particular joy for the queens as a whole. Until today that is, because Catalina has just decided that Thursday is the day that God himself must have forsaken. Thursday is now the devils day, and no, she will not take constructive criticism on this. Another sharp pain radiates through her uterus as if to solidify the demonization of this particular day of the week.

‘It couldn’t have been a Wednesday? Everyone hates Wednesday!’

Truthfully Catalina’s periods are usually pretty painful; it has nothing to do with the day of the week. But hatred is a way to be able to have any clear thought through the cloud of pain, so fuck Thursday.

Usually she’d call for someone to get her some pain meds and her heat pad. But everyone is off to the theater today. She had to call out of the show today due to the pain to come. As soon as she saw the blood she knew it was going to be a bad day, she’d already had a minor headache coming on.

She attempts to move, maybe she can get her medicine herself, but the slightest movement only made it worse for her.

“Here, Madrina.”

Catalina looks up through her fogged up vision and sees her goddaughter standing there with water and two pills. She tries to sit up, she really does, but the pain is draining all of her energy. Cathy has to put the items aside to help her move around the bed.

She holds the pills out to Catalina, and then helps her drink from the glass. Normally Catalina would be super mortified to rely on anyone this much. But she can hardly spare that a thought with the pain shooting through her body. Her back hurts! Why does her back hurt? Ridiculous.

Cathy looks at her, likely trying to gage what is needed from her. Catalina meets her eyes and beckons her closer. The woman takes a seat at the edge of the bed, facing Catalina and ready for request.

It takes a hell of a lot of energy, but it’s totally worth it. She grabs Cathy’s hand tightly as another pulse of pain goes through her body and she whispers with purpose.

“Thursday’s suck, Cath.”

Cathy snorts, reciprocating Catalina’s hand holding.

“This particular Thursday, maybe. Don’t let Anne hear you say that.”

Catalina curls back up in bed the way she was before sitting up. To Cathy the contortion might look uncomfortable, but a woman’s gotta do what she’s gotta do when she’s in pain.

“I can already hear it. ‘Better than Wednesday, it is. Have you ever written Wednesday? It makes no sense. At least Thursday makes sense!’”

Cathy laughs once again, this time at the mockery coming from her godmother. She even went as far as to imitate the diction of Anne’s accent. The dedication to the bit is astounding, considering she’s contorted like an acrobat in an attempt for pain relief.

Catalina huffs a small laugh of her own. Although it’s soon taken over by a whimper.

“I’m gonna go and get your heating pad, alright?”

She hardly waits for a response before leaving. Catalina takes the time alone to try and think. She doesn’t want to hold Cathy back today. The woman usually spends the day alone in her room, relishing in her only time to be in solitude. But how to get her to go and do what she wants to do? Cathy would never willingly leave Catalina like this.

Her goddaughter comes back in with a familiar small fuzzy pad with an attached remote to adjust the heat emanating from it. She immediately starts to fuss over getting Catalina up so she can place it under her. Instead of letting Cathy assist her, she lifts her body herself despite the protests coming from her body. After that, she takes another sip from the glass of water for the pills.

Immediately after this show of independence she feels incredibly nauseous.

Thankfully Cathy saw the rising bile coming. She lunges for the trash bin by her desk, and gets it to Catalina before she can make a mess of her blankets. If she’d thrown up on her bed she'd just throw away all of the blankets and sheets. And she doesn't have any replacements, so that’d suck. Because Catalina is in no shape to leave to buy more.

Cathy offers a look of sympathy when Catalina is finished puking and looks up at her miserably. Her nose scrunches at the stench, but she doesn’t dare move to get the bin away. No, no more moving for her.

When Cathy takes it away, (Placing it close enough to grab if again needed.) Catalina lays back down slowly. The heat underneath her is calling to her, and it soothes her cramps and back a bit upon direct contact.

“Y’can go if you want.” She murmurs, eyes closing. She’s not by any stretch better, but she’s more comfortable now.

“Lina, I’m not going to leave you.”

She sounds incredulous. As if the mere suggestion was the strangest thing to hear.

“M’fine.”

“You are not.”

“Go and,” she waves a hand in generality to signify that she could do whatever she wants. “Go read a book or something. Whatever you usually do on your day off. Don’t let me stop you.”

There’s silence for a bit. It’s long enough that Catalina actually starts to doze off. But then Cathy stands and she’s suddenly aware again.

“Gimme a sec.” She says, briskly walking into the hall.

Then she comes back. So fast that Catalina couldn’t even process the absence. Cathy sits on Catalina’s bed against the headboard and pulls her godmother into her, arms wrapped around her in a gentle manner. She holds up a book.

“This is what I was planning on reading today. I can do that here.”

Catalina would normally protest at being held, she's not a child after all. But she’s so comfortable, and warm, and the medicine is kicking in so now she’s kind of drowsy.

And then Cathy starts reading her book out loud, and that’s the last thing Catalina hears before falling asleep.

#six #six the musical #Six the musical Fanfiction #catherine of aragon #Catherine Parr #period pain #cramps #Soft #soft aragon #soft parr #I love them

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siobhans-roy · 3 years

Text

Answer 30 questions and tag 20 people you’d like to get to know better!

tagged by @goinesjennifer, thank you so much love 💕

name: giulia

gender: female

star sign: aries

height: 168 cm / 5'6″

time: 12:41 am

birthday: march 21st

favorite bands: hippo campus, the national, lcd soundsystem, belle & sebastian, fleetwood mac, the strokes, the vaccines, glass animals, etc.

favorite solo artists: lorde, taylor swift, tove lo, sufjan stevens, hozier, etc.

song stuck in my head: george harrison’s i got my mind set on you

last movie: the trial of the chicago 7

last show: a discovery of witches

when did i create this blog: august 5th, 2020

what do i post: mostly tv and film

last thing i googled: a discovery of witches season 1 recap lmao

other blogs: n/a

do i get asks: sometimes

why i chose this url: im rory/amy trash forever

following: 91

followers: 0

average hours of sleep: 8 to 9

lucky number: 11

instruments: none :(

what i’m wearing: tank top and skater skirt

dream job: honestly idk.....millionaire lmao

dream trip: i'd love to visit paris (or rome again tbh)

favorite food: lasagne bolognese

nationality: brazilian

favorite song: hmmm ribs by lorde

last book i read: technologies of gender by teresa de lauretis, for school (kinda fucked up that i dont remember the last book i read just for pleasure)

top three fictional universes i’d like to live in: doctor who, narnia and - not really a fictional universe but: soulmates AUs??

tagging @ameschreave @elena-gilbert @cathy-parr @lilapittss @gownegirl @hannahgrose @melordamas @millakunis (it's not 20 people but i'm on mobile and i already want to die sorry lol)

#tag games

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dannineedsfriends · 4 years

Text

As shown by a previous post of myself (@dannixy), a group chat was created of a few parrlyn writers. Together, we are cooperating in writing a (very big) set of AUS and will, hopefully, be posting unscheduled updates contributing to the tag: #Parrlyn AU Multiverse

Or, in some wise words:

SO GET YOUR BEAUTIFUL QUEEN ASSES READY FOR A PARRLYN OVERLOAD

Everyone involved in this project will be linked just below:

@thenameisnoone @little-bit-lost-and-found @sarahzarahh @all-my-love-cathy @politics-notmything @toomanyfamdom @dannixy

TRIGGER WARNING:

- sex, porn, flirting, nudity, my bad spelling smh

"So you're Katherine's cousin?" Parr asks, tilting her head to the side and taking a sip of the wine that had been set out on the table. The restaurant was lovely; the most exquisite decor and the food was supposedly the best in town. It was atmospheric to say the least - with the quiet chatter and the dimmed lights and the candles. A perfect first date.

"Yeah- she told you 'bout me?" The girl across from her, Anne, asked, cocking a brow. Though the girl was well dressed in her striped green, black and white jumpsuit, from a first glance she was definitely not well spoken.

"Many things, yes. All good though, for the most part anyway." Catherine smiles, charmingly, tilting her head and allowing a curl to bounce over her shoulder. "You clean up well for someone who can't use a toaster without burning whatever is inside it."

"I could say the same for you- you- you scholar-" Anne tries, rolling her eyes playfully, thumbing with the napkin in front of her.

Parr tilts her head, watching her with a careful gaze. Her eye glints. "I always tend to ask for another spare napkin on the table if I ever eat out."

"From what I've been told, you're pretty gay for women so-"

"Oh shush. I'm no stranger to that but I always make little birds out of the napkins. They're cute and I always leave a tip with them." She smiles, turning her focus to her own napkin. "Would you like to know how to make one?"

"Have a few more glasses of wine and then I'd like to see you show me." Anne tries, eyebrows raising teasingly and running her finger gingerly over the rim of her glass.

"By the time I've had a few more glasses of wine." she begins to flirt, lips curling into a smile. "We'll be on our way home."

"'We'll'? You're planning on taking me home with you? I'm touched, I really am but Kitty's got it wrong, I'm not actually homeless." Anne shakes her head, shrugging and leaning back in her hair, hand leaving her wine and moving to her neck to fiddle with the black choker that resided there. Catherine couldn't help but stare at her exposed skin: her shoulders only interrupted by a thin strap, protruding collarbones casting silky shadows and Parr longed for the thought of laying a hickey just there-

"Really? I couldn't tell." She lies, blatantly. Though she had her own nonchalant tone, she was truly trying her hardest not to smile. She was pretty, like Howard had told her; less pretty and more gorgeous. What her friend had failed to mention was that her cousin was practically a goddess, apparently.

"Wow," Anne scoffs, rolling her eyes once more, before making a show of raking her view down her body "Rich coming from you, if I do say so myself."

"I'll have you find, to your astonishment apparently, that I have received many compliments on my dress, this evening, none of which have been from you." Parr notes aloud. She had been wearing a light blue dress with a sweetheart neckline, not frilled but smooth. Not skin-tight but the bodice seemed to hug her curves just right to do them justice. Her skirt, however, unfurled in waves around her thighs, flowing down to the space just above her knee. It swayed as she walked and she felt elegant doing so, poised and prepared for any possible obstacle that tonight would throw at her. Over her shoulders, though, draped a thin cardigan, definitely unfit for the coldness outside, but judging on the fact that Anne was cloaked in the thinnest paper-ish material that there was, she didn't think herself foolish to be inappropriately dressed. It wasn't that Anne was cheap, or even looked it- her jumpsuit was just thin. If she stared hard enough, she could see her-

"My eyes are up here, babes." Anne's shit-eating grin stretched miles across her face. Was she getting some kind of satisfaction out of this?

"I was only enjoying the view." She counters, raising her glass to her lips again to stop herself from letting out a childish grin. Parr couldn't remember the last time she had continuously flirted with someone, let alone a person that she had just met. It felt nice to finally have some chemistry to get her going, if you would.

"And yet if I did the same, I would be reprimanded?"

"That's the biggest word I've heard you say all night."

"Yeah. I read." She snorts, one shoulder shrugging, fingers twitching to twiddle with the fork in front of her.

Catherine draws her brows together. "Where's the waiter, anyway? Surely we should have been at least served starters by now."

"And we were!" Anne admits, eyes lighting up. "And I did try and save some for you- but you were running late and I didn't want it to go to waste if it was cold…"

"Really? Are you kidding me?" She pinches the bridge of her nose, shaking her head.

"Hey- if you keep frowning like that, the wind'll change and you'll stay that way."

"If I'm spending more time with you, it wouldn't need to be any different, I shouldn't think." She teases, closing her eyes momentarily to guage her reaction, and- her contact was sitting uncomfortably on her eye. When in doubt, blink until it magically gets fixed.

"You alright? You're almost crying…- if you're that upset about the starter I can just order another-" she looks genuinely concerned, and reaches to grab Parr's hand over the table. Catherine happily allows her hand to be taken by the girl in green.

"Of course not-!" She says, perhaps a little bit louder than she should've, and then stares around her, paranoid that people were looking. They weren't, for reference. After, though, she lowers her voice. "Of course not- my contact's just moving around-"

"Contacts? You wear glasses." Anne says, an accusatory statement.

"I figured that wearing my glasses weren't the way to go, when attempting to look pretty." Cathy shrugs, hand moving to fiddle with a golden necklace that had previously been resting against her chest.

"What kind of frames do you have?" She asks, suddenly, slightly startling Parr from her soft stupor.

"Plain black. Classic nerd glasses."

"So you're telling me that you could've come looking like a sexy librarian?" Anne cocks an eyebrow, looking at Parr from beneath her lashes with a disapproving countenance. "And you didn't?"

The wine got caught in Catherine's throat, causing her to almost splatter it absolutely everywhere. Her cheeks burned ruby, flushing and suddenly her entire body was hot, the whole restaurant seemed a bit too close for comfort.

"I think you've been watching too much porn." She remarks, having recovered and taken in more wine. Anne's smug smirk drops from her face, reaction completely priceless. It was a moment Catherine wanted to pause and live in just for a few more seconds, few more minutes: from what she could tell, Boleyn didn't get out-witted very often - and when she did, she had no idea what to do with herself. "What's wrong, Annie? Cat got your tongue?"

"Only your cat, I'd hope."

"Oh how bold of you."

A comfortable silence seems to pass over them, hands still connected over the table, grasping onto one another with no intent of releasing them.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Anne breaks the gap, squeezing her fingers and downing the last of her wine, upon spying Cathy's empty glass.

"Let's go."

Anne had been giggling the whole way back to Catherine's house, giddy, and even as they stumbled up the steps she was euphoric. Her ripples of laughter only stopped when they had reached the bedroom, having already kicked off her shoes, there was hardly a moment wasted before Anne was pressed into the wall next to the door.

Cathy had elevated her, Anne's legs wrapping around her hips, falling naturally into place as much as they could, hooked and secure as Parr's hands found her thighs. She kissed her softly at first, their first binding of intimacy short and sweet and, completely insane, she might add later. Quick dabs of kisses planted across the Boleyn girl's cheek, only to be met with a teasing grin as she finally reached her lips.

Parr moves one hand to cup her jaw, never allowing her gaze to shift from her mouth and her thumb grazing across her lips, lips painted scarlet to perfection. The perfect arch of a cupid's bow and she was sure that it was impossible to be so beautiful. She just grins once more before finally kissing her; it was warm and she just knew that she was about to be covered in her lipstick, not that she cared. If Catherine woke up with her entire body covered in Anne's red lipstick, she would be over the moon.

Their lips moved in sync against each other, never quite at rest and it was a entirely different atmosphere when Cathy pulled away from her this time- it felt like a whole different universe. She chews on her bottom lip, lips curling mischievously as she pulls Anne off of the wall, fingers sliding across valleys of smooth skin to find the zipper at the back of her jumpsuit.

She left a gentle kiss against her shoulder, ever so brief before helping her lover out of her clothes, leaving her practically bare and exposed to her. But as Cathy's hands find her waist again, she shakes her head and Anne grins.

"You're not getting away that easy." Bolelyn smirks, waggling a finger teasingly and allowing it to trance down her partner's face and neck and body. And, imminently, places she had not before imagined.

Cathy had awoken rather early, not by anything in particular, just naturally awakening with the softest smile playing across her lips. In front of her, lays Anne Boleyn, the sheer covers falling and resting over her hip, leaving exposed her back and shoulder blades.

She smiles, arm reaching out, pulling herself closer to the Boleyn girl and wrapping itself around her, snug. Catherine buries her face in the crook of her neck, gently kissing the area and using her spare hand to move her hair, having been resting on her elbow.

Anne's neck, however, was practically red-raw and turning purple in places, all over her shoulder and collarbone and she dared not check anywhere else in the girl's slumber. It was a lot more than she remembered leaving, just put it that way. That didn't stop her from gently covering her skin in kisses to wake her up.

It took a bit longer than expected, but eventually the sleeping goddess' eyes cracked open, smiling and leaning back into Catherine's embrace.

"Good morning~" Parr hums into her neck, giving her one last kiss before pulling away. Anne, who had previously been facing away from her, turned around and pushed her face into her lover's chest, shaking her head tiredly. "You still tired, my love?"

"I suspected you'd be a top but I didn't think you'd be that good." Anne admits, and Cathy realised she was hiding the humiliation, not just her face. Her arm still rested around the Boleyn girl's waist, holding her softly in place.

"And you don't think I thought the same? I can't remember the last time I was topped and genuinely enjoyed it." Catherine sighs, closing her eyes softly as the other girls arm wraps over her.

Anne lets out a small laugh, voice still low and drawling and sleepy, before yawning and bringing her face away so that she could look at Cathy.

"I'm glad that I finally listened to Kitty and took you on a date." The gremlin speaks decidedly, a smile spreading across her lips as Catherine meets her eyes before kissing her softly and slowly. "You're rather affectionate, huh?"

Catherine recoils slightly, many alarms sounding in her head. She was just someone Anne had slept with, not a partner or a girlfriend or anyone that would get affectionate.

"Yea- yeah-" She gulps, time seeming to slow. Her eyes dart across her face rapidly, frantically searching for a sign of displeasure, discomfort, annoyance. She found nothing, though. The only thing she was sure of was Anne closing the gap she had created between them, and running her fingers to draw playful drawings across Parr's exposed back.

"So… how would you feel about a second date?"

#Parrlyn AU Multiverse #catherine parr x anne boleyn #parr x boleyn #boleyn x parr #parrlyn #parrleyn #anne boleyn x catherine parr #catherine x anne #catherine parr #anne x catherine #six fandom #six fanfiction #six the musical #six #six fanfic #Tiefs are real and valid

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seasonal-obsession · 4 years

Text

Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten

Summary: it takes reaching adulthood twice for Jane Seymour to find out she is dyslexic

Can be read on AO3 or down below

She came from a noble family, albeit not a prominent one, but yes, she could've had a formal education even back then. Except Jane never enjoyed her reading and writing lessons, she'd much rather work on her embroidery, and such womanly duties were preferred at the time. A lot has changed since then, and yet Jane, here in the 21st century, still doesn't like reading more than she used too.

Sighing, she drops the book on the kitchen table. She places her hand to the centre of the page. Maybe if her finger follows the lines she'll be able to focus enough to finish this paragraph. Catherine's old writing is full of the complex flourish that was so popular at the time, and the words keep tangling in Jane's head.

“Not quite to your taste?”

As if summoned, Catherine Parr appears at the dining room's door. Jane startles by the sound of her voice and blinks up at her; it's odd to see anyone home so early in the afternoon.

“—Sorry, what?”

Catherine drops her backpack in the chair in front of Jane's and proceeds to take off her coat. Smiling, she answers, “the book. Pretty outdated, I imagine”

Oh, she must have been glaring at The Lamentation of a Sinner a bit too hard then.

“Anna and Catalina seemed to like it anyway” Jane reassuring smile suddenly turns sheepish, “I... haven't gotten far enough to say”

“Do you mind if I join you?” when Jane shakes her head Cathy sits down and pulls out a book from her backpack. After that, they both remain quiet.

Jane finds herself taken aback by the comfortable silence between them. It's a pleasant surprise; after all, they aren't that close. They don't normally spend time together, apart from the shows and the rehearsals (well, at least not alone, sometimes they do hang out with Catalina together). Maybe that's why Jane, despite her unliterary tendencies, decided to read the other queen's book in the first place, to get to know her better. Writing had been an important part of who Catherine was in her past life, which she reminded everyone when she sang on the stage.

…Jane might be the last to take this into account; apparently, the rest of the queens had already read it.

Minutes go by, the silence only broken by the sound of Cathy turning pages. Jane begins to feel a little self-conscious, Catherine is such an avid reader and she still hasn't finished the page she was reading when the other queen arrived. Out of some self-imposed pressure, she tries to read faster. But the more she hurries, the blurrier the words get; letters fussing together beyond recognition, and she has to give up and start that sentence again, and again. A headache is beginning to form behind her eyes. Suddenly, she closes the book and stands up from her seat.

“I'm going to the kitchen to make some tea, do you want anything?”

“I'll have some coffee” Cathy replies, glancing up from her book, “if we still have any”

“It was Anne's turn to do the groceries this week, wasn't it?” Jane says with an amused smile as she puts the kettle on, “where do you guys keep this stuff?”

“Top left cabinet”

“Hmm... I can't see any”

“Let me see", Catherine walks up to the cupboard, "—oh. It’s this other one”, she notes before opening the left cabinet’s door.

Stupid.

“I sort— eh, sorry I… must've not been paying attention”, Jane mumbles, subtly averting her eyes.

“Don't feel like you have to apologize. It's fairly common for people with dyslexia to confuse left and right”, Jane is giving Cathy a perplexed look, so she continues, “Oh, I thought you knew? It happens to you sometimes, like when they teach us new dances or when you're driving and we give you directions”

“But that's just… me, messing up”, Jane replies confused, “because I'm not paying enough attention”

“No, no it's fine” Jane dismisses it quickly, trying to seem nonchalant as she shakes her off. She didn't know all her little slips were that obvious, shit. “I guess I just need to make an effort haha...”

“Jane you're the most dedicated person I ever met, if you're not making an effort then no one is” Catherine states firmly

Jane looks at Cathy's serious expression and gives herself a moment to consider, to really think about it. What if all of it, reading, writing, memorizing; what if it wasn't as difficult for everyone else as it was for her? She thinks of her teachers, of all the times she heard “you are smart Jane, but you need to apply yourself more” or when she would get scolded, how they said that she needed to stop being ditsy or lazy to pass their class; and she always thought they were right, thought “I'm not trying hard enough”. Dyslexia …it makes sense. That's why she makes spelling mistakes no matter how thoughtful she is, why reading takes so long, and sometimes the letters seem to blur. Did she even need her reading glasses? Everything the same and somehow it feels like her whole world shifted, just a little, and at last the picture's properly framed.

The noise of the boiling kettle breaks her out of her thoughts. She finally answers, voice barely above a breath, “…is it not meant to be that hard?”

Catherine shakes her head; she's staring at her with sympathetic eyes. Oh, she must look like a mess and over such a little thing.

“Were you never diagnosed?”

“No, I mean, I always… struggled with it but I thought it was normal, you know? So I never said anything”, Jane rambles, trying to explain. And even though she thinks she's not making any sense, she doesn't feel foolish at all because Cathy's there, leaning against the kitchen counter, listening attentively and nodding along like she knows exactly what Jane means, “how did you notice?”

“Your handwriting was a bit of a giveaway.” Jane slaps Cathy's shoulder lightly and they both giggle.

They make themselves their drinks and move back to the kitchen table. Sipping her coffee, Catherine stretches her arm across the table; she absentmindedly traces one of the edges of the book's cover with her fingertips. It’s an old edition, not from way back when she wrote it, but close. She wonders if they kept all her words intact or if she would even be able to tell if they changed them, after all this time.

“I think I want to read this.”

Jane puts down her teacup and moves to hand her the book, “Oh sure, here let me—”

“Do you mind if I start back from the beginning? I know you said you were only a few pages in, but I’d like to reread the entire thing”

"I don't…? —Cathy, you don't have to", Jane stutters a bit ashamed.

"I want to."

And Jane can't help but believe Cathy's being sincere, because her voice is warm and she's looking at her with kind eyes. Trying not to feel overwhelmed, she answers with a small tentative smile, "I guess it will be just like listening to an audiobook?"

Cathy returns her smile fully, "and with the author's exclusive comments too."

Then she turns to the page and starts reading aloud.

#jane seymour #catherine parr #six fanfic #six the musical #six the musical fanfic

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sweetestrequiems · 4 years

Text

Time for a Getaway!

Requested by: One of you lovely Anons! Thank you for sending a letter. <3 Prompt: 80) “What do you mean they escaped?”

Character(s): The Beheaded Cousins (Anne Boleyn / Katherine Howard) Catherine Parr / Jane Seymour

Summary: Anne and Katherine generally cause a bit of chaos when the two hang out together. But, push came to shove one day and Jane Seymour had decided they needed to take a day to themselves. She thought the two would listen, as she acted like the authority figure most of the time, but this time? The two cousins hatched a plan to get out of the house and have a little bonding moment.

TW: Very short and brief mention of past CSA (Howard references her past life, but not in detail).

A/N: IT’S ABOUT TO GO DOWN! As Gloria Estefan once said... “DONDE ESTA MI GENTE?” cause y’all, I am so happy to have been able to have the chance to write Beheaded Cousins chaos! This is also oddly wholesome chaos, too? Like they’re not even causing trouble. They’re just stargazing and acting like siblings. So yeah, this is what we call wholesome Beheaded Cousins with Angry Mom at the end.

––––––––––

“Katherine Howard! Anne Boleyn! Get down here this instant!”

With arms crossed across her chest, and the not-so-friendly furrowing of her eyebrows, it was evident Jane Seymour was not a happy woman at the current moment. The two queens, one in a green tracksuit for some unknown reason, and the other one in black sweatpants and a pink hoodie, ran down the stairs. The two had smiles on their faces, but that quickly faded when they saw the scowl on the blonde woman’s face. Normally, this was the part where Katherine pulled her “I’m too cute.” card, but the unwavering Seymour was scaring her just a little.

“Yes, Jane?” Boleyn glanced over to the side, seeing her cousin hide behind her arm just a little. “What could we have possibly done to get–” Then she spots it. A laugh comes out of the green queen with the pink one giggling a little. Harmless prank, but a messy one. The two cousins had somehow managed to get about a solid row of six glasses, all upside down, with water inside of them and on top of the table. One could spot a rather upset looking Catherine Parr behind them, with her clutching onto a folder.

There was the heavy Manchester accent, and it only came out when she was talking a lot, or when she was rather angry. “I can’t put this down out of the fear that if we even move one of those glasses, it’s going to be nothing but a huge mess! And these papers are important! D’you know what, ladies?” A hand stops her. Jane speaks up. “Yeah, d’you know what? You’re both grounded. Yes, both of you. In your rooms, not a single peep comes out of you both until dinner time. Are we clear, you two?”

There was a nod from Katherine, but from Anne? Just another bout of laughter as she walked away. It was safe to say Anne did find the harmless prank on them hilarious. Even better was that Kitty was giggling the whole way back to her room. The two always pulled pranks on the queens, but this was the first one that actually would leave a mess behind. At least it was water, so it wouldn't be too difficult to clean up.

“Those girls are the epitome of chaotic energy,” Anna of Cleves let out a small chuckle. “Come on, let’s figure out how to get these glasses empty without a huge puddle o’ water.”

––––––––––

It was maybe around 10:30 at night when the house grew silent.

The Beheaded Cousins had made a plan to go out and enjoy some of the nightly sights before dawn, as to not get caught by Seymour. The two met downstairs, all suited up in matching tracksuits for some odd reason, and went on out the door, closing it as quiet as possible. Once outside, the two began to laugh. “We did it, Kit! We actually snuck out for once! Alright, where to?”

“This feels awesome. Just us hanging out and not having to worry about anything! D’you know what, Anne? We should go to the park! We can go stargazing! Surely, that’s gotta be... well, interesting! It’s the night sky with no lights around,” Katherine began to jog on ahead of her cousin. Taking a moment to process it, it didn't hit Anne that she was being left behind. “Hey! ‘Old on a sec!” And the green queen chased on after her cousin.

For the two, spending time was something they cherished once they were... well, gifted the new bodies. They didn't really know too much of each other in their past life. And needless to say, Anne was rather happy to be able to have built a good relationship with Katherine. “Jesus, Kit! You got right on ahead like it was nothing.” “Yeah, well, catch up, slowpoke!” A laugh. The two truly shared a relationship that was unlike any other.

A fifteen minute walk–– which was shortened to maybe twelve minutes since they jogged the first three minutes–– came to a stop once they crossed the entrance to the park. With a deep inhale and heavy exhale, Howard opened up her arms and smiled. “I love it here. It’s nice and quiet. The sky looks gorgeous, too! More than it did in the lights. There’s the North Star right there, Annie,” pulling her cousin next to her, a lithe arm pointed up in front of them as they paced about the trail.

A soft chuckle. “You aren’t kidding, Kit. This is gorgeous. How’d you discover this spot?”

“Well, I sometimes sneak out of the house when you lot are in bed and just walk around. It helps ease up the nightmares and stuff. Makes life... easy for just a few minutes, even though I spend like an hour outside.” Pulling on her cousin’s sleeve, Katherine guided Anne over to the bench she normally sat at. “I tend to sit right here. Close enough to the light that I can see London’s nightlife, but far enough that you can still––” “See the nighttime sky. Yeah, I get that. Sometimes it’s a whole lot easier to breathe with actual fresh air. I wish you would’ve told me, though. I worry about you a lot. You’re the only living family I have left, and... I’d be devastated if anything happened to you. One of my regrets from my past life is not taking the time to meet you properly. We only ever spoke in passing. Shame, though... that I had to meet an untimely fate and couldn’t save you from the hell you went through.”

“Yeah, I sometimes wish I was brave enough to have spoken up about it. But, times were so drastically different back then. Speaking up would’ve gotten my head chopped off a lot sooner. But this day and age? It makes me proud to see the people that come out with their stories. There’s so many survivors, and... I can’t help but get overwhelmed sometimes. It feels nice knowing our voices are finally heard, y’know?”

“D’you know what, Kit? Talk to Cathy. Maybe you could write a memoir!”

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12:00 am on the dot.

Catherine Parr was the sleepless one of the group. Most of her nights consisted of her staying up at her desk, either handwriting or typing out anything that came to her head. In this case, she was finalizing the first draft of a series of memoirs. That series, of course, being about the six of them as the wives of Henry. Having been sitting in the living room, Parr found it a bit odd that the house was quiet. Standing up from the table that had been cleaned off hours ago, she stretched her arms upward and yawned.

Katherine and Anne both normally had some form of music playing in the background when they slept. Or some form of ambient noise. There was none of that, and it was driving her insane. Pacing carefully as to not make that much noise, Catherine headed down the hallway. Boleyn’s door was ajar, and Howard’s was wide open. Pushing the ajar door open, Parr’s eyes widened and she immediately looked into Howard’s room. “They’re not here. Jane’s going to kill them. But Jane also loves them too much to do that. Those two always know how to cause chaos...”

With a heavy sigh, the blue queen just let her shoulders fall as she headed towards Seymour’s door with a bit of dread. This was either where Jane lost her mind, or became a worried mom, or both. Only time would tell. Reaching the door, she just gently knocked.

“Come in.”

Seeing that it wasn’t Katherine, but rather, Catherine, Jane Seymour sat up and put the bookmark inside of her book. “Catherine? Why are you––... never mind, don’t answer that. Better question is, why are you in here?”

“Kitty and Anne. They’re not in their rooms, Jane.”

Parr saw her expression become deadpan. No emotion, nothing to read. She became a true statue at that moment. But just as quickly as she could blink, the grey queen was up on her feet and pushing past her counterpart. The silence was almost bothering Catherine, and she wrote in utter silence. It gave her a cold shudder, before a frustrated groan echoed in the hallway. “They escaped their rooms, huh.”

“What do you mean they escaped? I would more-so call it sneakin’ out, Jane. It's not like they were cooped up in there for long, anyways. Come on, I have a bit of an idea of where they could be. Maybe.”

“Did you help them?”

“No, Jane. Cleves and I have gone out to eat at a diner this late before. It was the one night we got back from Edinburgh really late and didn’t want to wake you lot up. There was a really cozy diner in London and we’ve been to it a bit. Grab a jumper, let’s go. I’ll take you to it.”

––––––––––

That diner Parr had mentioned was exactly where the Beheaded Cousins were.

And they weren’t even really eating, they were just sitting in there since they had gotten chilly.

“We’ve got to come here during the day some day, or maybe after a show. It’s all cozy and... retro. I think that's the word, anyways,” Boleyn let a laugh out, with her cousin giggling. “Seriously though, Kit... thanks. For, well... y’know, showing me that spot in the park. I wish I would’ve brought a camera. I feel like it would yield some wonderful pictures.”

“I’m glad I got to share it with you! I’d love to tell the other queens, but I’m scared they’re going to be worried as to why I go out so late at night. Especially Jane. But I do think she’d quite enjoy it!” Howard gently tapped on the table. “D’you know what, Annie? I’d love love love for you to help me maybe convince the others to––”

“Sneak out like you two did?” And looking down upon them with what could’ve been described as the Mom Stare was Jane Seymour. The blonde woman furrowed her eyebrows, unwavering in her position and demeanor. “You two have a lot of nerve t’do that. At least nothing bad happened to you two. Come on, we’re going home.”

Looking at each other, and at the door to see Catherine Parr, the cousins both just laughed it off. “Relax, mum. We’re bringing all of you next time. I really want to show you this nice spot in the park when it's dark outside.”

“It's really nice. Kitty’s got taste for picture perfect places. Literally, she does.”

A groan from Jane. “Fine, but next time... tell me you two are going out late. You both gave me a heart attack.”

#Kano Drabbles #anon letters #six the musical #six the musical fanfic #anne boleyn #katherine howard #beheaded cousins

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darkdisrepair · 4 years

Text

what was left unsaid

hello hello hello, i’m back and writing to keep my mind off the stress of coming back to school and being told that i have two tests next week! why study when you can write fanfic???

in this episode, anne misses kitty. a lot.

panic attacks below, just as an fyi

Usually, Anne loved traveling. She loved the thrill of new situations and loved stepping outside of her normal bubble. Everything about it made her feel so alive. As much as she loved London and getting to do what she loved there, sometimes the city felt like it was suffocating her.

But that was before they had Kitty.

She was only two days into her week-long stay in New York City, and she desperately missed the little girl. She missed Kitty’s bright smile and getting to have bubble fights in the bathroom. She missed coming home from a show and seeing Cathy and Kitty asleep on the couch, waiting for her.

Her vacation time had been long in the making- she was the last of the leads to get to take a week off, and her body was ready. But mentally she wasn’t prepared to be separated from Kitty for that long.

Since Kitty had arrived, they’d never been separated for more than a day.

She was starting to get ready for the next day when her phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Anne, it’s me.”

Cathy.

“What’s wrong?” Anne asked immediately, setting her hairbrush down immediately and turning away from the bathroom mirror.

“Kitty’s on her fourth panic attack today,” Cathy said, her voice low. “Cleves is with her now, but we’ve tried everything- the warm milk, coloring... It’s never been like this before.”

“Did you call Jane?”

“You know that she’s in that meeting with Seventh Enterprises today. It’s too important for her to miss, even though she would miss it if she knew.”

“What about Aragon?”

“She already took off yesterday, I can’t exactly ask her to do it again.”

Anne exhaled, rubbing her forehead. “I don’t know how to help you, Cathy, I really wish I could, but I’m all the way across the ocean right now.”

“It’s really, really bad,” Cathy said finally. “I’m not asking you to come back. I would never ask you to do that. But I’m not good with kids, and Cleves isn’t, either... you’re the one who’s familiar with this kind of thing.”

With panic attacks, Cathy meant, but she didn’t say it. She didn’t have to. Anne knew exactly what the other girl was referencing.

“Did you read to her?”

“Yes, and we tried a dance party, too, but that didn’t work. It’s like she’s shut down.”

Both girls were quiet now. Anne had never wanted to be back home so much in her life. She wished she could Apparate, like Harry Potter, so that she could be there for Kitty, but she couldn’t. It would take hours to even get a ticket and hop on a flight, and by that time it might have been for nothing.

“Anne?”

“I’m still here. It’s going to be okay, just... put me on FaceTime, and give the phone to Kat,” Anne said finally, leaving the bathroom and slipping on a pair of boots.

“Alright. I’m switching over now, see you in a sec.”

Cathy appeared moments later on the screen, frizzy-haired, with a pencil stuck behind her ear and glasses perched on her nose. “They’re in Cleves’s room at the moment, I’m just going to go get her...”

A few moments later, Kitty’s face filled the frame- but she refused to look at the screen. Anne’s heart broke at the sight of the little girl’s tearstained cheeks and haphazard ponytail. “Hey, Kitty.”

Anne was almost to the elevator now. “I just thought I’d pop in and see how you were doing. Things must be kinda scary, huh? I know what that’s like. It happens to me, too. But I saw something I thought you might like the other day in a shop.”

Kitty made no indication that she’d heard. She was sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees, breathing hard, head turned away from the phone that Parr must have been holding.

“New York City is kinda crazy, you know?” Anne continued, saying everything that came to her mind in an attempt to help Kitty silence whatever voices were in her mind. “There’s a ton of people, and they all walk really fast. They’re super serious, too, kinda like Parr when she’s writing-”

Parr made a noise at that, but said nothing.

“But guess what? The best part is how colorful it is. Times Square is really bright and flashy. I’m walking past there now, do you want to see? Look, there’s banners for all of the best musicals. Phantom of the Opera, Hamilton... and the Lion King! Maybe someday I’ll get to be on one of those.”

Anne felt a little self-conscious talking to no one as she walked down the street, but she kept reminding herself that everyone was too self-absorbed to even notice. “And here’s the shop that I found yesterday! It’s called Schmackary’s. They make all kinds of fun cookies here. They have chocolate chip, red velvet... here’s a funfetti one, that one made me think of you...”

Slowly but surely, Kitty’s breathing began to slow. Anne got a text from Cleves halfway through.

keep up the good work, it’s helping a lot, miss you bud. you’d better bring me back one of those damn cookies.

Anne stayed on the phone for hours after that as she shopped for the cookies first, then some clothes and books. Kitty had calmed down after about an hour, but Anne couldn’t bring herself to hang up on the sad little girl.

Needless to say, Kitty practically got to tour the entire city by the time that Anne could gather up the strength to press the end button on the call- but they texted almost nonstop after that, and FaceTimed at least once a day.

When Anne got off the plane five days later, she barely registered Parr’s smiling face before Kitty ran to her, throwing herself into the brunette’s arms.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too, Kitty.”

They stayed like that for five long minutes before Cleves tapped Anne on the shoulder.

“So where’s that cookie I asked for?”

#six the musical #six the musical fanfic #tiny tiny kat au #anne boleyn #katherine howard #catherine parr #anna of cleves

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kiarcheo · 4 years

Text

Ultimate cousin / best friend ever

Me: Oh, this is a great incorrect quote for Parrward! *900 words later* Me: Well, ficlet more than a quote I suppose...

Also on Ao3.

_______________________

Anne doesn’t necessarily mind that her best friend has a crush on her younger cousin. For all her protectiveness she knows that Cathy wouldn’t hurt Kitty. And she personally thinks that they would actually be quite good together. But just because she doesn’t mind, it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t love messing with Cathy.

‘So,’ Cathy leans against the bench Katherine is sitting on in what she hopes is a nonchalant manner, backpack slung over one shoulder. ‘I heard you like bad girls.’

Kat looks up from her book, reading glasses on her nose. ‘Uhm,’ her face scrunches, slightly confused. ‘Not really?’

‘Oh thank God,’ Cathy mumbles, sitting down on the bench not as gracefully as in her intentions. ‘Mind if I read with you for a bit?’

She takes Kat’s smile as an encouragement and grabs a book from her backpack. She steals a look at Kat. ‘You look cute with glasses.’

‘Thanks. You do too. I mean– when you wear them,’ Kat stumbles a bit on her words, blushing.

Right. She fishes them out from the backpack and sheepishly put them back on. It’s not like she is blind without them, but she usually wears them. Except that glasses don’t exactly give out bad girl vibes. She might have forgotten that Kat knows she usually wears them because of all the times she had seen her with them while hanging out at Anne’s house.

Their eyes meet before darting down to their books. They quickly get lost in reading, falling into silence.

‘Hey nerds!’ Anne’s shout breaks the quiet. They both raise their heads, one smiling, the other glaring at the newcomer (because guess who had told her that Kat was into bad girls??). Anne looks confused for a second at that, before shrugging it off. ‘Come on, hurry up, I’m starving!’

‘You know that I was waiting for you, right?’ Kat points out, putting away her book.

‘Yeah, yeah.’ Anne waves it off. ‘Want to join us for lunch?’

Cathy hesitates.

‘I’d like it,’ Kat smiles at her shyly.

‘I don’t want to impose on your cousins time.’ Yes, that’s actually a thing with the two of them.

‘I spend time with her every day anyway.’

‘Wow, Kitty, really feeling the love here,’ Anne’s outrage doesn’t last long. ‘Come on, Parr, you can try Kitty’s favourite thing in the world.’

------

Cathy swallows at the expectant look on Kat’s face. ‘It’s,’ she clears her throat. ‘Interesting.’

‘I know, right?’ Kat bounces slightly in her seat at the kebab shop.

‘Is it like…salty yogurt?’ she comments hesitantly. Kat nods with a smile. ‘Unfortunately I’m trying to be dairy-free to try and figure out food intolerances…’

Anne tsks as Kat leaves after profuse apologises to get Cathy another drink. ‘Lying to my cousin, Parr? I seem to remember you having no problems eating ice cream two days ago…’

Cathy turns to glare at her best friend. ‘That thing is an abomination, a crime against taste!’

‘Oh, I completely agree,’ Anne grins. ‘You should have seen your face!’ She laughs.

Cathy is ready to have words with her when Kat reappears. ‘What did you do?’

‘Me? Why do you assume I did anything?’

‘You just did your evil laugh. Also…when don’t you do something?’

Anne gasps in mock offence. ‘Slander!’

‘Kitty.’ A male voice interrupts their banter.

‘Her name is Katherine,’ Anne hisses.

The guy acts as if he hasn’t even heard her, leans on the table and smiles at Kat. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I’m chaperoning a date between these two,’ Anne replies, completely ignoring the fact that he is ignoring her in turn.

He scowls at her, looks at the two other girls, both blushing and looking anywhere but at him or at each other. He turns away and leaves without a word.

‘Maybe now he’ll finally leave you alone,’ Anne mutters.

‘Is he bothering you?’

‘He has been very…persistent,’ Kat admits and Cathy finds herself glaring at the direction he had left. ‘I don’t know how he can believe that I’d let Anne come on a date with me, though.’ She adds as an afterthought.

‘Hey! I set up this date for you and this is the thank I get?’ Anne stands up with a dramatic flourish. ‘I’m going to get some ice cream to drown my sorrows…and none for Cathy Parr!’ She proclaims, pointing her finger at her best friend.

‘I’m very sorry, I hope this isn’t making you uncomfortable,’

‘Oh, no, no, don’t worry,’ Cathy rushes to reassure her.

‘It’s just that…she is just taking the mick, she knows that I like you and you know how Anne is…’ Kat trails off.

‘You like me??’

Kat doesn’t look at her but nods, biting her lip.

‘I thought she was messing with me because I have a crush on you.’

‘You do??’

Now Kat is peering at her from under her lashes and Cathy fights the urge to look away. ‘I do.’

‘Wow, I leave for two minutes and you’re already at that point? I knew lesbians moved fast but didn’t think it would be that fast!’

Twin glares focus on Anne, who just pops a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. ‘Do I finally get my thanks now or…?’ She trails off. She looks at them expectantly with a grin. ‘Aren’t I the ultimate cousin slash best friend ever?’

Kat shakes her head, her lips pursued in an effort to suppress a smile. ‘You’re certainly something.’

____________________________

A/N: I might be biased but girls with glasses are just... *chef's kiss* Also Kat and Cathy being soft nerds is the hill I'm going to die on.

The salty yogurt? It's a Turkish drink (at least I first discovered it in Turkey) called ayran. All the people I know who tried it either love it or hate it...like Kat I absolutely love it.

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lovequinn · 4 years

Text

idr who tagged me in this but it was in my drafts so if you did remind me LMFAO

AIR

i have small hands / i love the night sky / i watch small animals and birds when i pass them by / i drink herbal tea / i wake to see dawn / the smell of dust is comforting / i’m valued for being wise / i prefer books to music / i meditate / i enjoy learning new truths from the world around me

FIRE

i don’t have straight hair / i like to wear ripped jeans and overalls / i (used to) play an organized sport / i love dogs / i am not afraid of adventure / i love to talk to strangers / i always try new foods / i enjoy road trips / summer is my favorite season / my radio is always playing

WATER

i wear bracelets on my wrists / i love the bustle of the city / i have more than one set of piercings / i read poetry / i love the sound of a thunderstorm / i want to travel the world / i sleep past midday most days (only for the pandemic) / i love dimly lit diners and fluorescent signs / i rewatch kids’ shows out of nostalgia / i see emotions in colors not words

EARTH

i wear glasses or contacts / i enjoy doing the laundry / i am a vegetarian or vegan / i have an excellent sense of time / my humor is very cheerful / i am a valued advisor to my friends / i believe in true love / i love the chill of mountain air / i’m always listening to music / i am highly trusted by the people in my life

AETHER

i go without makeup in my daily life / i make my own artwork / i keep on track of my tasks and time / i always know true north / i see beauty in everything / i can always smell flowers / i smile at everyone i pass by / i always fear history repeating itself / i have recovered from a mental disorder / i can love unconditionally

tagging: @erikahenningsen @cathy-parr @anneboloser @robmcclure @barrett-weeds @prettylittlesestras @charmandrr @reginald-george and whoever else

#personal

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andsjuliet · 4 years

Text

tagged by my dear @jostenminyards

AIR

FIRE

i don’t have straight hair / i like to wear ripped jeans and overalls / i play an organized sport / i love dogs / i am not afraid of adventure / i love to talk to strangers / i always try new foods / i enjoy road trips / summer is my favorite season / my radio is always playing

WATER

i wear bracelets on my wrists / i love the bustle of the city / i have more than one set of piercings / i read poetry / i love the sound of a thunderstorm / i want to travel the world / i sleep past midday most days / i love dimly lit diners and fluorescent signs / i rewatch kids’ shows out of nostalgia / i see emotions in colors not words

EARTH

AETHER

tagging: @auroracycle @dancingwithourshandstied @cathy-parr @afterastorms& anyone who wants to do it

#post: about me #post: tag yourself

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cynicalrainbows · 4 years

Note

I am sending this again because I don’t know if it went through, tumblr said it didn’t. But my vague request is a fic where Katherine is sad about something and a queen of your choice helps her through it.

Thank you for the prompt, kind anon! I hope this ok- I wrote this pretty quickly, but it was nice to do. I feel like there isn’t enough stuff with Kitty and Parr!

Cathy’s light is still on.

Cathy’s light is always on- even when she’s sleeping- and it’s usually enough, seeing the thin strip of light under the door and being able to imagine Cathy hard at work (bent over her desk, fingers flying over her laptop, or curled up in her armchair and buried deep in a book, pen in one hand, ready to make notes. She is the only queen to have been blacklisted from the library and Aragon has to check out books for her.)

Usually, it’s enough just to know she’s not alone, that she’s not the only one awake at this hour…. But tonight, no matter how many times she finds a reason to go down the corridor just so that she can pass Cathy’s door, the scared, shaky feeling- like she’s made of glass, or no , tissue paper, ready to be torn and crumpled and discarded- doesn’t abate.

It’s ridiculous, of course- there hasn’t even been anything to trigger it.

For once. (Not that she hasn’t had her fair share of actual traumatic flashbacks and nightmares- it isn’t every night that she wakes up with her throat raw from screaming and her hands clenched into fists so tight that her nails leave bruises in her palms and Jane’s worried face hovering over her…..but it’s enough.)

Tonight though….she just feels….flat. Empty. In a way, it’s even more scary because she can’t explain it, the way it snuck up on her without warning or reason. She didn’t see it coming, so it’s harder to imagine it ending too.

‘Kitty?’ The door opens and Cathy’s slightly tousled head pokes out into the corridor. ‘Are you alright?’

She hadn’t actually meant Parr to hear her, she hadn’t wanted to disturb anyone- that was partly why she was just walking the landing, rather than going in to Jane. Even Anne or Anna- she loves them all, she’s grateful for them all….but she knows she relies on them a lot. Too much, perhaps, although they all vehermently denied it when she’d even hinted so much in the past.

‘Of course you’re not a trouble Kitty!’

‘Never even think that!’

But of course they would say that.

She isn’t stupid enough to think that she could do without them- she knows she couldn’t. But it doesn’t mean that she wants to bother them for every little thing- espeically something like this, that doesn’t even have a particular cause.

‘Are you sick?’

She shkaes her head. Cathy doesn’t look convinced though.

‘Should I fetch Jane?’

‘No!’

Kat’s cry stops Cathy even as she’s taking a step out of her room.

‘No- don’t wake her. I’m- I’m fine.’

She is, she really is- there’s nothing she could actively say was wrong with her, she’s in good health.

There’s absolutely no reason for her voice to shake like that, there’s no reason at all for her eyes to be stinging. She’s just being silly.

Cathy though looks, if anything, more worried.

‘Are you-’

‘Please Cathy-’

She has to brush at her eyes with the back of one hand; she looks as pleadingly as she can at the other girl.

If Cathy wakes Jane, Jane will worry. She will worry it’s more than what it is- that Kat is trying to hide the real reason.

It occurrs to her, as Parr bites her lip and consideres, that she’s lucky it’s Cathy who’s awake and not one of the others

Aragon, Anna too, even Anne- like Jane, they’d all assume she was upset about something concrete, something past-related. She supposes it makes sense. After going through all that she’d experienced, why bother to be sad about nothing when you have so many good and genuine reasons to be upset?

Cathy though is….quieter, somehow. She speaks less, she thinks more- she doesn’t feel less but she definitely keeps more of a lid on things than the others. (It’s hard to tell what she’s thinking- on more than one occasion, the other queens had gently enquired as to whether she was quite alright, only to have Cathy blink at them in confusion and tell them she was absolutely fine, happy even. It worked the other way too of course- Cathy going about her day perfectly normally and then collapsing into Aragon’s arms in tears seemingly out of nowhere.)

‘….Alright. I won’t. But….’ She tilts her head back to her own room. ‘Come in for a moment, at least? I have tissues…’

She scrubs at her cheeks roughly as she trails behind Parr into the softly lit study-bedroom. Perhaps it’s the books- or the row of plants on the windowsill (hadn’t Aragon said something about plants being good for the soul?) but Cathy’s room somehow always manages to feel peaceful, even if the rest of the house was in chaos.

‘Sit down’ Cathy passes over the box of Kleenex from the bedside table and makes herself comfortable at the head of the bed. Slightly hesitantly, Kat settles herself at the foot- while she sleeps in Jane’s bed often, and enjoys having sleepovers in Anne’s room, she’s never had much occasion to spend time in Cathy’s room.

‘Did anything happen?’

‘No.’

She waits for Cathy to ask her more- to demand a better answer. She waits for Cathy to roll her eyes even, at the fuss Kat is making over nothing at all.

‘….Do you want some hot chocolate?’

The question catches her off guard a bit- it’s unexpected- but Cathy really is holding out a steaming mug- her own (blue, just as Anne’s is green, as Kat’s is pink.) It smells wonderful.

‘I only just made it- I haven’t started drinking it yet.’ When Kat hesitates, she leans over and pushes it into her hands. ‘Take it- you look like you could do with it more than me.’

She takes the drink, mostly because if she’s sipping she’s not answering questions, and Cathy smiles.

‘I’m reading about the greek myths- have you hear them before?’

‘No.’

‘It’s fascinating- they’re nothing like the Christian stories at all…’ Cathy launches into an impasisoned explanation and it seems that all Kat has to do is sit there. She finds she’s listening though- partly to the stories themselves but partly just to the cadence of Cathy’s voice, the rise and fall. It’s soothing- it’s something to focus on over the hollow feeling in her chest- and after a while, when Cathy notices her drooping a bit and makes space against the pillows, she crawls up and settles next to her without a second thought.

Cathy feels warm next to her.

After a while, Cathy pauses, half way through the Trials of Hercules.

‘Are you ok, Kitty?’

It’s softer, gentler, than before- less heavy with expectation. Perhaps it’s the combination of the warm bed and the cozy room, Parr’s soothing voice wrapping her up, but she feels safe enough for honesty and gives a small shake of the head.

‘No…but I don’t-’ She snatches a breath, her throat feels tight again (again, for no reason). ‘I don’t know why-’

‘Just…sad?’

‘Yes.’

Cathy nods like she understands. ‘That sucks.’ She wraps an arm around Kat’s shoulders and pulls her close, then picks up her story again- at another time, the response would feel like a brush off but right now, it occurs to Kat, it’s just what she needs to hear.

Having Cathy accept it- react like it’s normal, is profoundly comforting. Tucked against Cathy’s warm side, it makes Kat feel more like this feeling is something that will wear off, rather than her new state of being.

The hollow feeling doesn’t go away, but she dozes off eventually anyway, and when she wakes up, she’s covered with the duvet and Cathy is sitting up in bed next to her, reading. Sunshine streams in through the gap in the curtain and downstairs, she can hear Jane calling them down for breakfast.

‘Good morning.’ Cathy looks down at her with a hint of a smile.

‘Hi-’

She’s not sure if she should feel embarrassed or not- luckily, Cathy seems to have made up her mind for her- she doesn’t look uncomfortable or pitying.

‘Jane made pancakes, I think.’ She pauses. ‘Do you…want to go down?’

She can hear the unspoken question there- are you ok to go down? (She has a strong suspicion that Cathy would stay with her if she were to say no, but she isn’t planning on testing it.)

‘Ok.’

She pauses in the doorway.

‘Cathy?’

‘Mm?’ The girl is mostly concerned with untangling the cord of her dressing gown.

‘Thank you.’

‘It was nothing.’ Dressinggown secured, she sends Kat a small smile.’ My door is always open. If you ever need….again. I mean, not literally open but-’

‘Thanks’

‘I’ll tell you about the Roman gods next time.’

And she does.

#six the musical #six the musical fanfiction #six

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