#more of him and catherine going after each other like two drag queens in the interior illusions lounge thnx

[normadeathmond]

the spanish princess ep 3 thoughts

(now with pictures!)

this week was surprisingly silly for an episode named ‘grief’, and indulging in entertainingly dumb historical shenanigans is when this show is at it’s most enjoyable. comments, complaints and lots of poking fun inside.

- i am not the biggest fan of charlotte hope’s performance in this series, but i thought she did good here, showing catherine fighting her grief before putting on a brave face. i do think she would do better in the role if catherine wasn’t written as such a cardboard strong woman™ all the time. 

- lmao i love wolsey and how low-key hammy phil cumbus is playing him, you can tell he’s having a whale of a time

- political genius maggie pole, everyone

- love that catherine’s seduction technique is to bring up wolsey, there rlly are three people in this marriage

- what even was that scene - catherine pressuring henry for sex, him calling blow jobs unnatural and then trying wank off to the sight of her neck (was that supposed to be a hint at him beheading his later wives)?? rip to whatever got left on the cutting floor to make room for that nonsense

- blah blah blah the scots are violent and barbaric, lather rinse repeat. i am always distracted by how there is not even one nursery maid in the whole of scotland

- i enjoy catherine dunking on the name barnaby, it deserves it. (surely one of them babies should be named henry after the king?)

- given that there’s a reference later on to thomas more being a great favourite of henry’s, why isn’t he hanging out in these council scenes? i’m sure he can still eyefuck maggie pole while also dispensing sound advice. and is howard just gone forever now? i was hoping he’d stick around as catherine’s begrudging ally

- his smug little face! perfection!

- ursula, possessor of this show’s singular brain cell: marrying for political power and monetary gain? sign me up!

- jokes aside, this was a good scene. i like that ursula isn’t portrayed as greedy, but instead someone who’s realistic about what she wants from life based on her family’s experiences so far, even if she is a little naïve to think money and titles will protect her absolutely. i also liked that maggie’s objections weren’t so much “but twu love!” as much as “but maybe find someone you can stand to be around for twenty years of marriage”

- catherine: i am a political genius   also catherine: *can’t keep a straight face in public for two seconds*

- honestly catherine is a real shitty friend. i get that she’s struggling, but calling lina’s kids “ordinary children” like they don’t matter and her bitchy “you’re having a girl” last episode is such mean girl behaviour. 

- the great scottish babysitter shortage of 1515 continues

- hahaha of course the one good scot™ is a raging anglophile

- also why is angus being written as such a literal angel? he’s going to have to turn into a prick at some point

- if catherine can hire lina some wet nurses do you think she can throw a few coins meg’s way for a nanny?

- please can all of catherine’s scenes just be her and wolsey cattily sniping at one another

- i really dislike how in order to make catherine seem smart everyone else has to be clueless - first advising maggie pole on how to petition the king like she’s new to court and then being the one to suggest mary pick her second husband. it’s a weak way to prop up an under-written heroine. 

- my baby ;_; (georgie really is shining as an actress this season)

- this part was very cute, i like their squabbling childhood friends with secret deep romantic feelings dynamic. i thought we would get more of mary this episode though :(

- the court musician is the babysitter now? pay one female extra to hold the baby, i beg you

- sorry to my girl meg but this speech/sing-a-long was bad. this show is just not good at the rousing speeches.

- guess everyone’s going on a road trip to france! the whole royal fam taking a nice holiday to recently enemy territory seems totally believable! 

- seasick wolsey is the highlight of this episode

- maggie: all creatures crave union, there’s nothing fanciful about it ♫ you and me baby ain’t nothing but mammals ♫

- ARE these two gonna fuck?? i genuinely thought it wouldn’t go beyond a lot of angsty longing looks because matthew graham compared their plotline to remains of the day and laura carmichael said something like “it’s the incredibly religious, pious people’s version of a steamy romance”, but uhhh their horny little convo in the coach is starting to make me wonder if thomas more’s cold bed isn’t going to get a little warmer in a few episodes

- also i was hoping more’s marriage would be portrayed as two pals who got married for convenience rather than his wife being painted as a prude who denies him sex

- this dress 😍 also, her face 😍

- i can’t tell if maggie is an impatient idiot or a genius who figured henry would give her everything she wanted out of spite if she said catherine told her he wouldn’t (i give this show too much credit, it’s definitely the former)

- i know groom of the king’s stool is an easy thing to dunk on for a modern audience but the royal arse wiper was a very trusted and intimate friend of the king who commanded a lot of royal favour, so maybe hop off your high horse maggie

- tudor sexpert maggie pole: don’t say yes yet, sweetie, u gotta check if you’re hot for him first   ursula: please stop talking 

- i hate myself for loving them

- i like that even though compton is an awkward, slightly creepy weirdo, his crush on maggie does seem 100% genuine. i assume he’s going to get entangled in the henry/anne hastings affair next ep and that’ll let maggie wriggle out of the betrothal somehow?

-not this show making me feel sorry for henry. i like that they’re giving him human feelings about the loss of his children and ruairi is giving a great performance. 

- this was really the best french accent they could find? but mary attempting death by pillow fight was hilarious

- no one:   bessie: your grace, I do believe charlie brandon is truly sex on legs

- lina seems absolutely terrified that she pissed off catherine, a very healthy friendship dynamic there!

- shouldn’t wolsey have a swankier outfit now that he’s an archbishop?

[forevercaroline]

French court

I was going to have these characters be a side plot in the fic Forbes but as I was writing I decided to make a whole new story with these characters. Also I was talking with @iamcarito and she mentioned that Lexi would be like Megan Markle and the ideas just started flowing from there. I wrote this yesterday. I had mentioned to @austennerdita2533 and @karinanic that I was going to have a Lexi and prince romance. Also tagging @delenastvd.

Xxx

Henri peppers Lexi neck with kisses as her arms go around his neck and she rides him. The white sheet falling off her pooling on his thighs. He thrusts up one last time and her screams of ecstasy full the big bedroom, he soon follows. She slumps down on his bare chest and leaves a sweet peck on his neck.

“It’s moving day. My prince.”

“Did you ever think you would be here?”

Lexi snuggles her head into his neck and he wraps his arms around her slim waist. “Here meaning naked in bed with the prince of France no, moving into the French palace no, or being engaged to the sexy prince of France no.”

“Engaged to the sexy prince, did I only become sexy after we got engaged.” Lexi can feel him laugh laying on him.

“Sexy the moment I saw you.” She leans up and leaves a kiss on his lips he smiles into the kiss.

The double doors for their suite open and it’s Henri’ mother the queen mother Catherine de’ Medici who like her son has blonde hair that she usually pins up. “Oh good your up and decent this morning.”

The blonde lovebirds share a look this a frequent occurrence. A few times they have been in the middle of sex when she barges in. The doors do not have a lock but guards posted outside the door but the queen mother is allowed in any room and especially her children’s quarter’s being their mother. Doesn’t matter how old or if one son is the king she will barge into their quarters morning day or night.

“What do you want mother?” As Henri has one arm on Lexi hiding her nudity behind him and pulling the blankets up to cover them.

“Charles found out about your engagement and is not pleased. He demands to see you in the throne room.”

Lexi bites her lip she has never been in the throne room, There are a lot of rooms in this palace she has not been in. Mostly she just stays in Henri’s suite, she has walked through the great hall, the ball room, and seen Henri’s older sister Claude’s room but that was only because her and Claude were going out together and Claude did not like her outfit so she dragged Lexi to her room and throw a short black dress at her and told her to change while she looked for a pair of heels.

Before Catherine leaves she tells her blanket covered naked son. “Henri please do not irritate your brother.”

Henri cracks a little smile and glances down at equally naked Lexi. “I Promise mother.”

Xxx

Before they enter the throne room Henri holds out his hand and smiles down at Lexi assuringly she smiles up at him while she places her purple tipped nails in his outstretched hand his thumb runs over her princess cut engagement ring there are three rows on each side all diamonds the two outer rows are white diamond and the middle row is yellow diamonds. Leading up the big raised yellow diamond in the middle. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They enter to find Charles having a meeting with his spies and generals. Out of the corner of his eye he spots them. “Everyone out I need to have a word with my brother. If you see Nicole send her in too.”

Charles is shorter then his brother Henri but not by much. Where as Henri is tall blonde and has scruff and looks sexy, Charles is shorter, shaggy brunette hair and is clean shaven. Henri has a more gentle looking face he is fun loving where as Charles has a little bit of an evil face meaning that if something goes wrong people look to see if Charles did it because his face does not look innocent, he is a good king it’s just his face makes Lexi uncomfortable. Although that might have been done by their one and only encounter a year ago. The big difference between Henri and Charles is the crown upon Charles head.

“I am told you proposed to this woman last night.” He gestures to Lexi who scoffs at him.

Henri squeezes her hand to give her strength and to silently tell her he has this.“Yes I proposed to Lexi last night and she accepted we are going to move her into my suite later today.”

He doesn’t even look up from the map on the table to tell them. “I did not approve a proposal there for you two are not engaged nor did I approve of her moving into the palace.”

Lexi mouth drops open she is speechless this is not happening.

“Charles, Lexi and I love each other and want to get married.”

“You want to marry a commoner?”

Henri rolls his eyes the promise he made to his mother running through his head. He takes a breath and Lexi squeezes his hand to give him the strength he gave her earlier in this conversation. “Yes. I do not care if Lexi’s parents own a boutique in Paris or she is a heiress. We’ve been together for a year and a half but we knew the moment we saw each other that we had been looking for each other and we finally found each other.”

Charles looks up at the blonde couple and a small smile spreads across his face and he sticks his hand out. “Nicole.”

“My love.” Nicole is Charles fiancé, she has long brunette hair and brown eyes in heels she is the same height as Charles.

Nicole looks at the blonde couple first at Henri with love in her eyes then at Lexi with daggers in her eyes. Charles looks back at the blonde couple. “Your dismissed.”

Both blondes are pissed they were engaged this morning and just because Charles the king didn’t give his approval they not only can not get engaged but she can not move in with Henri. They get to the doorway when Henri turns around a wicked smirk on his face. “Brother why not this afternoon we play a game of tennis.”

Charles looks at his brother even though there is space between them they are looking each other dead in the eye. “What game are you playing brother?”

“ You’ll just have to accept and see.”

The older of the two looks back at the table full of maps and papers then at his blonde taller brother. “I accept.”

Xxx

“I love you Henri and I want to marry you but I do not see this ending well.”

Henri lifts the passengers side of his black Bugatti eb 110 he leans in and tells her. “Trust me.” He leaves a kiss right below her ear.

Once he is in the drivers seat she looks over at him as he puts the luxury sports car into drive. “I trust you.”

With one hand on the steering wheel he entwines his other hand with one of hers and kisses the back of her hand. “We will be married even if we have to disobey the king of France.”

Lexi loves Henri not just with her whole heart but she feels it in her bones this is the man for her. The way his smile can not only make her smile but make her feel like everything is going to be ok. From their first meeting they have had this connection. Henri was walking down the streets in Paris and walked past her mothers boutique and saw Lexi in the window fixing a mannequin. He was totally enamored by her beauty he almost walked into a guy walking towards him. Henri came into the boutique to find out what her name was and that night they had their first date and they’ve have been together ever since.

They pull onto the street where her apartment is and Lexi looks around. “Charles said I couldn’t move in and all my stuff would not would not fit in this car.”

He pulls into the parking lot of the apartment building. As he shuts off the car he tells her with a smirk on his face. “Well what Charles doesn’t know won’t kill him. And if it does your looking at the new king who wants to live with you.”

Lexi comes around to his side of the car and leans up and pecks him on the lips. “How did I become so lucky to fall in love with such a sexy, clever, ambitious and lovely man.”

He shrugs as he smiles down at her. “I have no clue but I fell in love with someone who is insanely beautiful, just as ambitious and clever as I am.”

“Well don’t we make a good match.”

“I think so.”

Xxx

They put all her stuff in the moving van that Henri had ready outside. They return to the palace and Henri orders the guards to discreetly put her stuff in his suite.

When they go out to the tennis court in the back of the palace they see Charles, Nicole and Claude. Lexi kisses Henri for good luck. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Lexi takes a seat next to Claude, Nicole is glaring daggers at her, Lexi is ignoring her. Both brothers pick up a racket before they start Claude stands up and goes over to the net. “Shake hands.”

Claude is older then both of them so they come to the net, Claude like her brother Charles has brunette hair that she usually wears up and curly. “Any wager between you two?”

“Now that you mention it sister yes. If I win I would love to marry Lexi but I know you will not grant that so If I win I want the king to accept that Lexi is going to move in with me.”

Charles glares at his brother and Claude looks at him. “Charles?”

“If I win Henri gives up this dream of marrying Lexi and gets serious.”

Henri and Claude share a look why is Charles so against this marriage he is getting married himself and his fiancé Nicole he met in a barn one of the times he ran away from court because it was to much pressure. Plus before he became king he was a party boy in Spain. He came back to France to be taught how to be a king by their older brother Francis before his death.

“Deal.” Both brothers shake and Claude goes back to her seat. “Go.”

She leans over and tells Lexi “Someone needs to keep the peace of this game might as well be me.”

“Aka Leith was busy and you were bored.”

Claude glances over at her and smirks “I hope Henri wins just so we could have a chance to be sisters. And I don’t say that to everyone.” She lowers her voice and leans in closer even covers the side of her mouth. “I didn’t tell Nicole we could be sisters and they are getting married.”

Lexi leans in to Claude. “Thank you for the compliment I hope we get the chance to be sisters too and that Henri wins. Also have you been clubbing behind my back with Nicole?”

Claude lets out a little laugh “Never your the only woman in this palace that enjoys sex and clubs as much as I do.”

They turn back to the tennis match and Henri scores a point Lexi cheers and Charles side eyes her she stops. Charles scores and Nicole smiles and claps her hands. After a couple more rounds the game is tied 5-5. Henri serves the ball and Charles almost misses it but hits it in the last second, Henri nearly missed the ball but hits it.

Claude is getting bored watching them play tennis. “Ok next point wins.”

“Don’t worry Henri you’ll find another woman you never had a problem finding one.”

“How does Nicole stand you at least my fiancé loves me.”

All everyone hears is Charles’ angry yell a racket hit the ground and him charging at his brother. All three ladies jump up from their seats and run over to the brothers who are now actually fighting each other well Charles is trying to strangle Henri who is trying to hold him back.

“Charles!” It takes Nicole and Claude to get Charles off Henri. Lexi checks him out and he picks up a tennis ball and weighs it in his hand. “Henri no don’t add injury to insult, he is still the king and your brother.”

“He will never let us marry more over he wants us to break up.”

Lexi swallows and pulls her hand away from his hand with the tennis ball. She turns around so she doesn’t have to see he throws the ball and it hits Charles straight in the nose he cries out because his nose is broken.

“Henri!” Claude looks back at Henri who says “Looks like I won brother.” She then looks back at Charles who is holding his bleeding nose and shooing Nicole’s hands away from his broken nose.

Claude notices Charles getting ready to pounce on Henri again. “Lexi get Henri out of here.”

“Come on Charles we need to get your nose looked at.”

As Charles passes Henri if looks could kill Henri would be dead ten times over.

Xxx

Lexi gets Henri back to their suite she closes the door and leans against it while he sits in on the chaise in front of the fire place there are boxes of her stuff all over the big bedroom. “Your mother said don’t irritate him you promised. And now you broke his nose. He is going to hate us.”

Henri puts out a hand and she walks over and places her hand in his he guides her to sit on his lap. “I know I promised but he called you a peasant and said that I’ll have no problem finding another woman.”

She lays her head on his shoulder and kisses his neck. “Dinner is going to be real fun.”

He nods as he moves his hand up her back.

Xxx

Just as Lexi predicted dinner was awkward Catherine sat at one end and Charles who had to get his nose reset so it can heal properly. Is sitting at the other end. Henri decides that the best place for him to sit is right next to Charles and across from Nicole with Lexi next to him and across from Claude and Leith.

“Henri don’t you have something you want to say to Charles.”

“Your right I do.” Lexi and Claude share a look they know this will not end well. “Charles I’m sorry, I’m sorry for breaking your nose. The soup we are eating tonight is supposed to help keep people strong. More importantly I am sorry people pity you and think your a weak king.”

Lexi rubs her forehead so close. Charles yells out in anger pins Henri on the table soup is spilt and he is choking his brother. Lexi, and Claude are trying to get Charles off Henri. Catherine stands up from her end of the table and looks at the mess her children have made. “Enough!”

[ihatecoconut]

Working it Out

Cross Posted to AO3

Phillip was staring out the window when she stepped into their room. He hadn’t even remembered to loosen his tie, which was odd because he hated wearing them and always removed them as soon as possible.

“Hey.”

He turned, smiling slightly when he saw her, “Hi.”

Martha stepped up behind him, hooked her chin over his shoulder and looked out to what he was staring at. Henry and Alex were in the courtyard, holding hands, Bea with them and they were all laughing.

“They look happy.”

Phillip nodded.

She pulled him away from the window gently, sitting them both down on the ornamental sofa which he had once told her was probably more decorative than functional, and took his hands in her own.

“What are you thinking?”

“They released their photos today.”

“Alex and Henry’s?”

He nodded, staring down at their joined hands.

“Hey,” she said, nudging his chin up so he was looking her in the eye, “I thought we were supporting them.”

“We are,” he replied almost instantly, “of course we are, I want Henry to be happy.”

Martha nodded, carefully, “So what’s the problem?”

“Have you seen them? The photos?”

She shook her head, “Why?”

Phillip glanced back towards the window. “They looked happy. Real. Like they were actually in love.”

“They are.”

“I know!” He cried, pulling away from her. “And so are we!”

“Pip, love,” she rose to stand in front of him, “I don’t understand.”

He sighed, dropping his head onto her shoulder and making a small noise when she ran her fingers through his hair. “Ours looked fake.”

“Our photos?”

She felt him nod.

“And you’re… jealous?”

He stiffened slightly, raising his head. “Yes. I suppose I am.”

“Is there something else?” she pushed gently, seeing his eyes stray back to the window again.

“He- Henry- he said he wanted to live his truth.”

“By being gay.” she prompted.

He nodded, absently, as if that wasn’t what he was trying to convey. “And Bea, too, she can be open now about her addictions.”

Something clicked in Martha’s head then, “Both of them are able to be themselves after being supressed.”

“I did that.” He said miserably. “I didn’t mean to, but I did that. And I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Do you want to be someone else?”

He paused, drawing away from her and walking over to the mantlepiece, “Will you always love me?” He asked, suddenly the quiet, shy boy she had first met who was mostly overshadowed by the prince.

“Always.” She replied. “Even if you tell me that you’re also gay, I’d be very heartbroken, but I’ll always support you and love you.”

He laughed slightly at that, “No, no, I’m not…” he frowned, turning serious again, “I don’t like children.”

“Alright.”

“And I don’t want to be a father.”

“We don’t have to have children.”

“But the monarchy-“

She stepped forward again, cupping his face in her hands, “You have two siblings and plenty of cousins. It doesn’t just fall on us.”

He nodded, not meeting her eyes, “I just feel like something will go wrong if we don’t.”

“Things could go wrong anyway.”

“I suppose. I wish I could talk to them.”

They had somehow managed to drift back to the window and were looking out again on Henry, Alex, and Bea. Catherine had joined them, and she hugged both her children and Alex fiercely.

Martha paused, “I might have a solution for that.”

*

“Family therapy?” Bea repeated, a little incredulously.

“Yes.” Phillip was standing opposite the three of them, Alex having been sent back to America, and desperately wishing he had brought Martha with him.

“Oh, so after all those years of…”

“I think it’s a great idea.” Catherine interrupted loudly, cutting off whatever angry rant Bea was building up to.

Phillip glanced over to his brother who had remained silent for the whole discussion, “Henry?”

Henry startled at the sound of his name, as if he hadn’t been expecting to be called on. “Uh, I agree with mum.”

“You do?” Bea asked.

He nodded, “I think we need this.”

“Need what?” Bea demanded, “some stranger digging around in our issues?”

“It’s more some stranger helping to solve our issues.” Phillip offered, shutting up when she sent him a glare.

“Well,” Catherine said, attempting to stave off an argument, “that’s three votes for yes. So, we’ll try it.”

“Were you going to invite gran?” Henry asked, glancing at Phillip and then away again. He still seemed incredibly awkward around Phillip, but then Phillip had a lot to answer for.

“No. I don’t think she would…”

There were general mumbles of agreement from the other three.

“Alright.” Catherine clapped her hands together, as if sealing the deal. “Pip, did you have any in mind, or would you like to look together?”

“Martha recommended a few, I thought you might like to look at.”

“Then we’ll look.” She smiled at him, proud of his planning and it hit him in the chest like a bullet.

*

“You think that was the first time she had smiled at you in a while?” the Doctor asked once they had finished recapping how they arrived at family therapy.

Phillip nodded, not meeting anyone’s eyes.

“Alright.” She made a few notes in the notebook she had brought.

Phillip used that moment to look around the room. They had managed to choose a therapist who was willing to come to them, so they didn’t have the security risk of them all leaving the palace together, and Catherine had volunteered one of her rooms to be used. She had called it a ‘neutral area’, but it just seemed like a reminder of what they had lost.

He hadn’t been in her rooms in years.

“Beatrice,” the Doctor continued, looking up,

“Just Bea, please.”

She tilted her head in acceptance, “Bea. Why did you have such a strong objection to this?”

Bea wriggled slightly. “I had to see therapists when I was in rehab.”

“Bad experience?”

“They just dug around in my head and kept asking questions about Dad that I didn’t want to answer, but they forced me to.”

The Doctor’s brow creased slightly. “That won’t be what this is like, you only have to share what you’re comfortable sharing,” she paused to glance around at them, “all of you.”

“Thank you.” Bea mumbled. “But I do think we should start with the death of your father.”

Phillip looked around at their reactions- Bea was steadfastly looking at a spot on the wall over the Doctor’s shoulder, Catherine was attempting to be open and make eye contact, but the effect was mitigated by the tension in her shoulders, and Henry was the only one of them who looked ready to sit through the session. Apparently having individual therapy helped as a preparation for family therapy.

He thought the Doctor might have drawn the same conclusions because she turned to Henry first, “How did you see everyone else’s reactions?”

“Mum pulled away,” he began, quiet but strong, “Phillip was on the other side of the world anyway, but he seemed to think he needed to take over, and Bea became addicted to cocaine.”

She nodded, “It was cancer, yes? So you knew it was coming?”

“That didn’t make it easier,” Catherine objected.

“No, not at all.” She paused, setting her pen down. “In some ways that actually makes it harder, the feeling that you could have saved him in some way or the feelings you get from watching him wither away are ones that you don’t get if people die in sudden and unexpected ways.”

Catherine relaxed back in her seat, frowning down at her hands, as if considering the Doctor’s words.

“So, Henry, you didn’t tell us how you reacted to your father’s death.”

Henry froze, obviously not expecting that question, “I saw everyone else’s reactions.”

“And you lived your own.”

“I guess I just pushed myself to be perfect.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “I’m seeing some similarities here in your reactions: both Catherine and Bea pulled away from reality while Phillip and Henry tried to control what they could.”

“I didn’t pull away!” Bea objected, “I was always there for Henry.”

“Except for the time that you forced him to track you down and talk you into going to rehab.” Phillip found himself firing back.

Bea paused, eyes wide, and then turned to Henry as if she had just had an enormous realisation. “I’m sorry.” She whispered, “I never thought…”

“That’s why we’re here.” The Doctor pointed out gently. “To think about each other.”

Bea nodded, but she was still watching Henry, unsure of his reaction. The Doctor let her for a few moments before moving on.

“You also said that Phillip seemed to think he needed to take over, Phillip do you think that’s an accurate perception?”

“Yes.”

They were obviously all waiting for him to say more, but the words were half forming inside his head and leaving again.

“Alright, why did you take over?”

He paused, remembering the days after his father had died, when their mother had pulled away and refused to leave her rooms and the Queen had dragged him into her position, filling his head with finances and rules.

“Gran said that Mum broke a rule.” He began hesitantly. “She married someone the crown did not approve of.”

He heard his mother’s slightly horrified gasp before she spoke.

“Are you saying she said his death was a punishment for breaking a rule?”

Phillip looked down at the carpet, willing the Doctor to ask another question or change the subject. She didn’t.

“Yes,” he heard himself reply, as if from a distance, “that’s what she implied, she said if I ever broke a rule, things like that would happen to me, and cancer can be genetic so I thought…” he trailed off, the words getting stuck in his throat, but Bea filled in the rest for him.

“You thought me or Henry would die if you stepped out.”

He risked looking up, expecting to be mocked for his stupid ideas, but all he saw was Henry, looking at him like he finally saw him through the façade he always put up.

“And you thought if we stepped out of line, something bad would happen too?” Bea asked, Phillip looked at her and saw the same understanding that had been in Henry’s eyes.

“And something did go wrong.” Henry said, quiet, hushed. “The emails.”

“I just wanted to protect you.” He found himself whispering back. “I’m sorry.”

[themidnight-ghost]

Try

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three

Anne Boleyn lost everything when she accidentally resurrected Henry VIII. Now it's all up to her to fix her mistakes, but hopefully, she won’t have to do it alone.

Anne Boleyn was usually a heavy sleeper. She slept and continued sleeping until around 10 am when Jane would practically drag her out of bed. But tonight, on Cathy’s floor, Anne was restless.

Earlier, the 2nd and 6th queen had a heated discussion about who would sleep on the floor and who would sleep on the bed. Anne refused to go anywhere near Cathy’s mattress until she’d made things right with everyone, and they both knew Anne didn’t deserve the treatment she was getting anyway. Cathy eventually gave up and pulled out a book.

Now, the Boleyn girl was tired yet unable to sleep - everything was a distraction. Cathy’s rhythmic breathing, the occasional taxi which sped past the open window, the drunk shouts of men walking home from the pub down the road and of course, Anne’s thoughts.

Eying the open window, Anne thought back to a time when everything was okay. She’d spend hours on the roof with Anna talking about their inner demons and the guilt they felt. For Anna, it was surviving and having a good life. The 4th queen always thought she shouldn’t be the one crying. As for Anne, it was more to escape the prying eyes of her family and country; they all painted her as a failure.

Anne was the quietest she’d even been as she tiptoed over the floor and past Cathy’s papers so she could reach the window. Upon arrival she pried the latch open and slid under, grasping onto the ledge as she made her way towards the highest point. Anne let the occasional whisper-curse slip from her lips as she adjusted her footing amongst the tiles. It was harder not being in the attic.

Reaching her destination, Anne propped herself against the sloping walls and drew her legs close to her chest, hugging herself. The air was fresh and pure like it was filtering through a fan, Anne gazed up at the stars with longing and a spark of hope in her eye. She enjoyed being alone with the moon shrouding her face. It helped her make sense of her thoughts and contemplate her actions, or in this case, the rising feelings she had for Catherine Parr.

With or without Anna, Anne remembered when she wrote poems about Cathy once she discovered her feelings. Anne never imagined that it would work out, though. They were reincarnated Tudor queens who had been previously scared by love but found comfort in each other. Cathy was the only person who succeeded in breaking down her defences and the only queen Anne had a real connection with when dismissing Katherine.

According to history, the whole thing was bullshit. But you should’ve seen Cathy’s face when Anne kissed her after their performance at The Olivier awards and opened up to the writer about her feelings. The youtube clip had been watched 13 million times and the gasp from the audience when Cathy finally nodded and admitted that her feelings reciprocated always made Anne chuckle.

“Boleyn?”

Anne squealed at the arrival of another person and quickly tensed up when she realised it was Cleves.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Anna’s tone wasn’t malicious; instead, it was quite humorous, and the 4th queen chuckled as Anne fumbled for an answer.

“It doesn’t matter.” Anna sat beside Anne before looking up at the stars, “I figured it was only a matter of time before Cathy smuggled you into the house again. She couldn’t stop asking about you - it drove Jane bonkers. How long have you been here, anyway?”

Anne was taken aback at Anna’s hospitality, “It’s my 2nd night here.”

“Weird that-” Anna hesitated, “Cathy stopped mentioning you about two weeks ago.”

“She found me living on the street and decided to help by giving me money. Eventually, she couldn’t hide it anymore and started talking to me herself.”

“The street? Jane said you were in Malibu with henry?”

“Malibu? You have to be shitting me!” Anne scanned Anna’s face for any sign of a joke. “I left that wanker the moment he wouldn’t stay true to our deal. The plan was to resurrect the kids for the good of everyone else, but he bolted. When Jane kicked me out, I went looking for him so we could continue our deal. I found him in a local pub, running away from everything.”

“Damn, Jane really hates you.”

“Are you serious?” terror traced Anne’s face, “I always thought that was a stage act?”

“Oh, it was. But now, Jane really hates you.” Anna responded nonchalantly.

Anne froze. Jane hated her? Anne may have done some terrible things, but she never wanted to hurt anyone and surely didn’t want anyone to hate her. These people were her family! To know Anne caused them pain was an unbearable thought, and the Boleyn girl could feel her walls crumbling. Let’s just say there was a reason for the cuts on her wrist.

“Do you hate me?” Anne’s voice cracked, and she pressed her nails into her biceps to stop her tears.

Anna stopped to contemplate the 2nd queen’s question. Unfortunately, this pause was too long, and Anne's walls tumbled.

It started when a tear-streaked her left cheek and Anne cupped her mouth to prevent her sobs echoing into the night and waking the other queen’s. With all boundaries gone, Anne turned and cried into her friend’s shoulder,

“Am I a bad person Anna? Please don’t hate me.”

“What the-” Baffled by the sudden emotion-explosion, Anna pulled the 2nd queen closer to her chest, “You’ve never been a bad person, babes. And I could never hate you.”

Anna was never good at comforting anyone and often referred back to her own experiences. However, she had always been there for Anne before and wasn’t stopping now.

“Besides, I’m technically the bad one here; I couldn’t stop Kat from hurting herself.”

“Kat hurt herself because of me?” Anne’s heart broke before falling further into her stomach, giving the Boleyn girl a sick feeling of guilt and sorrow, “I’m the villain in this story, not you.”

“Woah,” Anna turned to face the 2nd queen, “Don’t say that, you didn’t mean to hurt her!”

Anne curled into herself, “But I still did! It being an accident doesn’t change anything!”

“Anne, listen.” Anna held Anne’s face, so they looked into each other’s eyes, “There isn’t a villain here, just a bunch of kids who made mistakes.”

“But I-”

“The thing with us is that we’re not bad people. A bad person is someone who deliberately causes harm or pain to others. You may be painted as a bad person to some, but it doesn’t mean you’re genuinely a bad person. Mistakes happen. Get over it and start living your life.”  

“You should hate me?”

“But I don’t.” Anna brushed her hair back with her hand, “And you shouldn’t either.”

With that, Anna of Cleves slid down the roof and back into her room, leaving Anne alone under the stars.

With no more tears left to cry, Anne felt empty. She didn’t intend to disclose everything to Anna, but it did feel good to get everything off her chest. She briefly closed her eyes in silent prayer and wallowed in the silence, palming the roof tile to pass the time.

‘I want to tell you everything, all the words I never got to say the first time around. But you are just a fool to keep pretending that you love me so even if I said anything, It wouldn’t matter.’

☁️ Anna was not qualified to deal with an emotional outburst at 3 am but honestly neither am I. Comments and Kudos are always appreciated. x ☁️

[inky-duchess]

History Bites: Best Royal Romances

In History Bites, I pick the best moments of history and the antics historical figures in order to give you inspiration for your WIP. Think of History Bites like prompts, only juicer and 90% accurate (results may vary).

Love is one of the greatest reasons to do anything. Love will make people act strangely, become better people and level empires. In a world of arranged marriages and terrible spouses, some royals found happiness.

Antony and Cleopatra were the Ancient World's power couple. After Caesar's death, who had been Antony's mentor and the father to Cleopatra's son, Antony was sent to govern the Eastern Provinces. At Tarsus in Turkey, Cleopatra paid a visit to Antony. During the visit, Antony and Cleopatra got to know each other better and quickly things got romantic. It was not exactly the best thing for a Roman senator to have an Egyptian mistress and an odd thing for a famously intellectual Queen to take a notorious foolish hothead as her lover but the two were incredibly fond of one another. The two of them had three children, who Antony left the Roman Empire to in his will. The will was the final straw for Rome so it went to war with the couple, which ended in defeat. Antony committed suicide and Cleopatra sometime afterward.

Queen Victoria's marriage was an issue from the get go, because she needed a husband who was not her subject (because women were meant to obey their menfolk and a Queen shouldn't obey a subject) and one who was suitable. Victoria didn't like her cousin Albert when they met as teens but feel head over heels in love with him after they met again after Victoria became Queen. The two were rather smitten with each other and managed to pop out 9 kids. Victoria was distraught when Albert died and rarely wore anything but black for most of her life and rarely went out in public.

Josephine de Beauharnais was a wealthy French woman during the French Revolution which claimed the life of her first husband. Josephine caught the eye of the young Corsican soldier, Napoleon and the two quickly wed despite him being 6 years younger. Josephine was the perfect consort for Napoleon, she was an able diplomat and learned. When Napoleon was away, he often sent her raunchy letters which Josephine hilariously replied with nonchalance. Napoleon divorced Josephine because she was barren and he needed a heir. I doubt he stopped loving Josephine.

Charles II was not exactly the most monogamous of monarchs. The Merry Monarch and one of the few English Kings I think fondly of, had one declared mistress about five others. A friend of Charles saw Nell Gwyn playing on the London stage and decided to introduce her to his royal master, a wingman if you will. Nell and the King hit it off well because Nell wasn't as grasping as the other mistresses and knew how to make him laugh. She once took him fishing and when the monarch caught nothing, she tied a fried piece of fish to his line. She bore him too sons but felt as if Charles was not awarding them the right honours. When he came to visit them, she called one son over by saying "Come hither, you little bastard." Charles was angry at that but Nell reminded him that she had little else to refer to him by so Charles created a Dukedom for his sons. When Charles died, Nell remained monogamous to him telling one admirer than she would not "lay a dog where a deer that once lain."

Louis XIV was Charles's cousin and they shared a similar taste for mistresses. Madame de Montespan was married as Louis was but the two started a relationship together. Montespan was rather spoilt by Louis, earning the nickname "How much" by courtiers. Montespan and the King were together for a long period of time, having many children. A scandal came to light which involved a supposed witch and black masses where Montespan bought love potions and cursed the Queen. Montespan was lucky to avoid execution but she was dealt a personal blow: the King fell out of love with her. Montespan haunted the court as Louis moved on, keeping a bedroom for him at all times just in case he wished to visit. He never did. Louis moved on to the nanny of his bastard children by Montespan, the religious Madame de Maintenon. The two were kindred spirits and when the Queen died, Louis married Madame de Maintenon and the two lived the rest of their lives together.

Henry IV of France was married when he began a relationship with Gabrielle d'Estrees, a Catholic noblewoman during the Wars of Religion in France. Henry was increasingly fond of her despite their religious differences, even more than his wife at the time Marguerite of Valois. Gabrielle was a successful diplomat, going between the Protestant King and his Catholic nobility, smoothing relations by convincing Henry to become a Catholic. Gabrielle went to war with Henry, caring for his clothes and cooking his meals while on campaign. Henry was worried about her safety, especially when he saw bullet holes in her tent but Gabrielle refused to leave his side. Gabrielle sold her jewels to fund Henry's wars and once left the middle of a ball to rush to Henry's side. Her devotion led to Henry deciding to marry and crown her as his Queen. Gabrielle died suddenly before her wedding/coronation leaving Henry heartbroken.

Catherine the Great is on my list for worst marriages bur she found love after her husband was murdered. During her coup when she was making an important speech to rally the troops to her, a young cavalry officer named Grigory Potemkin offered her his own sword knot, a missing detail on her uniform. The two met years later and quickly fell in love. Catherine and Potemkin kept up their touching relationship throughout the wars with Turkey and Catherine's other lovers. They were incredibly close, Catherine giving him every honour and Potemkin helping her realise her dream of a navy. Potemkin died on the roadside, collapsing in front of his soldiers leaving Catherine heartbroken. It is rumoured by historians that the pair had been secretly married.

Have you ever seen bibles with King James written on the cover? Though King James was married and had sired numerous children with his wife, James had a string of noble young men as favourites, his favourite being George Villiers. James was incredibly fond of George, calling him "Steenie" after St. Stephen who canonically (no pun intended) had the face of an angel. When asked by Parliament about the close relationship, James replied that George was as close to him as Jesus was to his disciples. Though historians dispute whether they were actually gay (citing the fact that James had a wife and a loving relationship with her), it is entirely possible that James was bisexual. The two sent numerous letters to one another over the years, each rather touching

Inez de Castro is probably Portugal's most interesting Queen Consort. She was exhumed for her own coronation. Inez was the mistress of Prince Pedro and mother to his children. The King, Pedro's father, really did not want his son marrying his mistress so he had Inez murdered. Pedro was distraught at her death and hunted down the men who had done it, having their hearts torn out in revenge. He would never marry again so to make his children legitimate he had Inez exhumed and crowned Queen, forcing the nobility to kiss her hand and hail her as Queen. Nobody bothered Pedro about his kids again.

Though the film The Favourite (2017) is a skewed version of the relationship between Anne of England and Sarah Duchess of Marlborough, there is some proof to attest to the romantic relationship between the two. They knew each other from a young age and once escaped a house together to avoid the influence of Anne's father who at the time was embroiled in a battle to keep the throne against Anne's sister Mary. The two were incredibly close despite their rather differing personalities. Sarah did care for the Queen but had a habit of being quite abrasive and quick with cruel words which eventually ended the long lasting relationship between the two.

Peter I of Russia was an imposing man both in stature and in political policy. Peter dragged Russia toward Westernization and imposed radical reforms upon his country. Perhaps the greatest wave he made, was his marriage to Catherine, a laundress. Peter and Catherine were incredibly fond of each other, sharing an appetite of good living and each other. Peter did sleep about but Catherine joked about it in letters asking him whether he found any laundresses he liked. Peter fathered two daughters on Catherine but instead of handing control to them after he died he made his wife Empress Catherine I.

Perhaps my favourite royal romance story, is between Emperor Ai and his favourite Dong Xian. Emperor Ai and Dong Xian were chilling in bed together one day. Ai had to get up but Dong Xian was still asleep, laying on his sleeve. Rather than waking his lover, the Emperor cut off his own sleeve so he could get out of bed.

Emperor Hadrian is famous for his bitchin wall between Britannia and Caledonia. But Emperor Hadrian's greatest love would be the Greek Antinous. The emperor had Antonius come with him wherever he went and the two were fond of hunting and writing poetry. Antinous tragically drowned in the Nile, probably by accident but foul play cannot be ruled out.

Jeanne Antoinette Poisson or as you might know her Madame de Pompadour was told at nine years old that she would love a king. In her twenties it came true when she caught the eye of King Louis XV of France, earning her the title maîtresse-en-titre. Madame de Pompadour understood Louis in a way nobody else would. She knew how to read his emotions and knew how to keep him entertained. Though the two stopped sleeping together thanks to a medical condition Jeanne had, Louis kept her as his official mistress. Kings were not permitted to attend funerals so when Jeanne died, Louis couldn't go. He stood on his balcony in a downpour as her funeral carriage left Versailles, the only tribute he could pay the love of his life

Elizabeth Woodville's first husband was an early casualty in the Wars of the Roses, leaving her to care for two sons. Destitute, Elizabeth stood by the road to speak with the new York King of England. Edward IV was younger than her and was her enemy, yet the two fell in love and wed in secret. The court was furious at the marriage as Elizabeth was only the daughter of a baron. The marriage was extremely happy despite Edward's many mistresses and the unsettled times they lived in.

Elizabeth of York, Elizabeth Woodville's daughter, was a highly sought after bride in Europe. Henry Tudor, her uncle Richard's enemy, proposed to her from abroad declaring her would wed her in the Cathedral of Reims. Henry invaded England and won the crown at the Battle of Bosworth. He married Elizabeth and the two, despite being born enemies, lived a happy marriage together. Henry was distraught when Elizabeth died and never remarried.

Mary Tudor, the daughter of Elizabeth of York, was at one point Europe's most eligible and beautiful Princess. She was offered as a bride to the Prince of Spain and then the King of France, who she was married to. Mary was briefly Queen of France but her aged husband died soon after the wedding. Mary returned to England but she had a secret, she had hastily wed her brother's childhood friend, Charles Brandon. Henry VIII, her brother, got so cross that he fined and banished the two of them from court. But he quickly forgave them and the couple returned to court where they spent their short but happy marriage.

Elizabeth II & Prince Philip have been married for decades. The Queen was only eight when she met Philip and the two became friends, writing to each other during WWII. After WWII, Philip renounced his his Danish and Greek titles to marry Elizabeth, becoming Prince Consort and Duke of Edinburgh. Despite Philip's infamous faux pas and wild behavior, the two have a stable and loving relationship.

Edward III & Philippa of Hainault were only children when Edward's mother planned their marriage to gain the military might of Philippa's father. Their marriage was a happy one that produced 12 children. Philippa accompanied Edward to the battlefield many times.

Edward II is on my list for worst marriages but he was a romantic at heart. Edward was very close to a knight named Piers Gaveston. Edward's father didn't like this bond and sent Gaveston away. Edward's first act as king was to recall Piers and bestowed titles and land upon him like there was no tomorrow. Piers was seen as a bad influence and because of this he was killed by a group of rebelling nobles. Edward grieved for years and eventually went on a revenge war against the nobles who had killed his lover.

Despite being Nazi-Sympathizing assholes, no one could doubt that Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII did truly love one another. Edward was King and Wallis was an American divorcee (sound familiar?), and there were laws starting that he could not marry a divorcee. But Edward couldn't give her up do he gave up his throne for her and the two went off to live in France together.

Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra (then Princess Alix of Hesse) were never meant to be married. Alexandra's grandmother Queen Victoria did not approve of the autocracy of Russia and would have preferred that she marry into England. Alexandra herself dithered on whether to marry Nicholas as it meant a change in religion for her. In the end, the two decided to wed and they had a relatively close marriage. Some of their letters still survive.

[janeyseymour]

Fight or Flight

In both the past and in this life, Jane Seymour fled from fights. They didn’t even have to be her own fights, she would still flee the scene. She was trying to get better- she really was. But it was hard to shake old habits. 

-

“Catherine! Are you fucking kidding me?” Anne would shriek.

“Shut up Bo-loser! You’re just pissed I beat you at Monopoly again!”

“You were already going to beat me anyway! Why did you have to bankrupt me?”

“That’s just the business of the game Anne.”

“Jane!” Anne whined to the blonde. “Tell Catherine that’s not fair.”

“Jane!” Catherine drew out. “Tell Anne that’s just how you play the game and to stop being a sore loser!”

“Oh, I’m the sore loser? If I can remember correctly, up until recently, you were still pissed you lost Henry to me over 400 years ago!” Anne crossed her arms.

“Because you stole him from me! This is different Anne! It’s just a stupid game!”

“Don’t be bitter cause I’m fitter!” Anne quoted her song. The two continued to go back and forth arguing, not noticing that Jane was getting more and more panicked. Before the two could go any further, blonde fled the room and made her way to the car.

“Jane!” Catherine called after her. “Jane?” 

“You two need to figure this out before I come back,” The third queen sighed as she turned on the engine. 

“It's 12:30 querida. Don't you think it’s a little late to be driving around?” the first queen tried convincing the third to come back into the house.

“I just need to-” Jane pulled away. 

At 3:30 in the morning, the silver queen pulled into the driveway safely, much to the golden queen’s relief.

-

“Katherine, I thought I asked you to take the trash out three times already? And yet it’s still sitting here? This is ridiculous!” 

“I’m right in the middle of watching this movie though!” Kat argued back, not taking her eyes off of the screen.

“You weren’t the first two times I asked you to do it!” Jane refuted.

“Can’t you just back off? I’ll get to it when I get to it!” The fifth queen turned up the volume louder. 

“Katherine Howard!” Jane’s voice boomed. 

“I-” Katherine stood up immediately and went to take out the trash.

“Was that so hard?” the usually kind queen asked in a mocking tone.

“I know you’re frustrated, but you don’t have to be such an ass about it.”

“Fuck this,” Jane stormed out of the house, car keys in hand.

Three hours later, the blonde returned, visibly more relaxed.

“I’m sorry I called you an ass.”

“You were right love. I’m sorry I was being an ass.”

-

“Jane, come on. Can’t we talk this out?” The sixth queen pleaded with her less confrontational friend.

“Love, I don’t know what there is to talk about. I desperately pleaded with you not to continue to write into the night, and you did. Because of that, you slept in and missed the one breakfast I was really looking forward to making. It really hurt my feelings, and now I’m going to go on a drive and cool down before I lose it on you.”

“Jane, I apologized a million-” the front door closed.

The blonde got into her car and began to drive. She ended up three towns over before she broke down crying. Knowing it wasn’t safe to drive in the state she was in, she pulled over into a small parking lot and turned off the car.

“I just-” she began to talk to herself and talk out her feelings, something she rarely did despite what the fandom thought. She was rather reserved in her own feelings other than the show. “What the hell am I supposed to do?”

She looked up at the place she had parked. On one side of the parking lot was a tattoo parlor, and on the other was a pet store.

If Anna could have a dog and Anne was allowed to have a tattoo, why couldn’t she?

The blonde returned home with a small “VI” on her ribcage because despite the fact that the other queens angered her quite often, she knew all she would need is six. It didn’t make it any less meaningful when she remembered that her Edward was also known as Edward VI of England. And she returned with a fish: a small white betta named Eddie who she spilled her feelings to on the car ride home.

“We remade breakfast,” Cathy offered with a guilty smile.

“Thank you love. All is forgiven though.”

“You bought a fish?” Aragon tilted her head to the side slightly.

“I did. Meet Eddie.”

“After...?” Kat smiled softly.

“Yes.”

“He’s perfect,” Cleves had already begun to take out the fish tank tucked under Jane’s arms.

“I expect him to stay in your room.”

Jane Seymour spoke to the fish quite often about anything and everything hoping that maybe, just maybe, Edward up in heaven could hear her. And she never ate fish again. She couldn’t bring herself to.

-

“Anne! That’s my chocolate milk! Stop trying to take it from me!” Kat whined.

“Well, I don’t see your damn name on it, now do I?” Anne teased her cousin.

“Mum!” They both yelled at the same time.

Jane, who was up in her room and had already heard the girls yelling, found her keys and walked down the steps. 

“Mum! Tell Anne to stop taking my chocolate milk!”

“Janey, tell Kit that I can drink whatever the hell I want in the house! It’s not just her chocolate milk!”

“Well, it would’ve been nice if you would’ve at least asked!”

“You don’t ask if you can drink Janey’s almondmilk!” Anne was getting more and more frustrated.

“I used to! Right Mum?” Kat batted her eyelashes, hoping she could use some of her Howard charm on the blonde.

“Kat! That’s not fair! You can’t do that when you know she’s going to take your side as soon as you give her that look and call her Mum!”

“What I’m saying is true!”

Jane had enough of hearing the girls’ bickering over something as stupid as chocolate milk, and half shouted, “Enough!” The other two were quite startled by this outburst. “This is a ridiculous argument to begin with. Kat, you know when you’re fighting you can’t drag me into this. You also know that since we’ve all gotten more comfortable living together that if it’s a drink or something small, it’s fair game. And Anne, you know that if it’s everyday, you should probably buy some more, but you never do. It’s always up to me. And yes Kat, you did used to ask, but you know now that what's mine is yours. That doesn’t just go for her, Anne. That applies to everyone. I just ask that everything gets replaced in a timely manner. Now, are we done arguing or...?”

“Well, I was going to grab the chocolate milk, but Anne took it before I could get to-” Jane held up a hand, signifying she heard enough. Without another word, she walked out the door.

The woman came back two hours later, two gallons of chocolate milk and a sharpie in hand. She had already labelled them for the two feuding queens. To her surprise though, there were already two brand new jugs of milk. It would last them a week before they began to fight again.

-

Jane may have had a tendency to flee from fights when it was between her own family, but if someone from the outside tried to come at any of the queens, she was the first one to fight. No one was to mess with her family.

The six were sitting down for an interview about a month before their show debuted. Yes, Jane was very nurturing to all of her sisters, but the love that she felt for them was much stronger than any of them had realized.

“So,” the reporter turned to face the first queen. “The first divorce. The one responsible for the Church of England. The one responsible for Bloody Mary. Why are you the best wife?”

“Sir, I do hope that you will try to conduct this interview as professionally and as kindly as possible,” Jane butted in before any other queen could, already noticing all of their discomfort. 

“Quiet down Miss Seymour. Right now, this is focused on Aragon.” Jane eyed the interviewer before glancing at Catherine. She obviously was getting uncomfortable and was looking for a way to evade the questions at all possible costs. After a few questions of unbelievable prying and disrespect, the third queen had enough.

“You know what sir, I do think this part of the interview is over. All you’ve done is degrade Catherine and her legacy, and I’m sure I don’t want to know what you’ll say to the rest of us.”

“Jane, we can-”

“No Catherine. This man is not going to try to put us in a box anymore. We came back and started our show to show people that we aren’t just who they thought we are. So, sir, let me tell you how this is going to go down. I’m going to be asking the questions to all of the other queens, and then afterwards, you can ask me anything you please. But mark my words, if you so much as try to box us in anymore, I will lose my temper. You don’t want that.” Jane said fiercely before she folded her arms in her lap, the fire in her eyes slowly dying as she reverted back to the mild mannered woman she normally was. 

“Yes ma’am,” the reporter gulped as he wrote down a few notes.

“Okay. Catherine, can you tell me what it’s like in our household?” Jane started off kindly.

“Well Jane, we’ve all grown quite a bit since we first came back. It’s been so wonderful watching each of us go on our own journeys and see how far we’ve come since we were first reincarnated. Our house is truly a home, and wherever I go, I know home is wherever you queens are.”

“Very nice. Now,” the third queen turned to Anne. “Because this is me conducting the interview now,” Jane laughed with a slightly bitter tone. “How has the dynamic of the group changed since we’ve all been together?”

“Oh?” Anne smirked a little, knowing that Jane was alluding to the fact that she could give details about how there are no rivalries anymore. They were done being pitted against each other; really, just simple politics if you were Anne. “Well, in history, we’ve always been put up against each other to see who is the best, who had it worst, who he loved more. And when we all came back, there was definitely some tension between a lot of us. For example, as you know Janey, Lina and I used to fight all the time. We still fight now, but it’s a lot more playful. And you and I had some tension, but now there’s no point to it. Cathy and Lina had some awkwardness but they sorted it out, and now Cath calls Lina ‘Madrina’. Kit thought Anna hated her, but there was no such hatred. At first, we all competed against each other, but in the end, we all realized-” she pointed to Cathy with a smirk.

“All we need is SiX,” Cathy quoted from the show.

“And Anna,” how do you think we all compare to each other?”

“Well Seymour, there really is no comparing us. We’re all our own people. We’re good at things, we’re bad at things, and at the end of the day, we’re all just human. None of us have to be better than anyone. As long as we’re being us, that’s more than enough for this family.” Anna emphasized the word ‘family’. 

“Katherine, do you have anything to add?”

“Uh, not really Mum,” she let a small smile slip.

“Hold up. She calls you Mum?” The interview cocked an eyebrow.

“What’s it matter to you?” Jane snorted. “We’re all a family.”

“Yeah, we’re all a family. We have a strange dynamic, but it works, and I for one, wouldn’t change it for the world,” Kat said earnestly. The blonde shot her a small thumbs up. It was wonderful watching her surrogate daughter break out of her shell once in a while.

“And Cath?” Jane faced the writer of the group.

“All we need is SiX. We don’t need anyone to tell us who we are, or how we should act and be perceived in the public. We’re all perfectly fine with being ourselves and rewriting our stories- the way they should have been told all along. We are so much more than the few things we’ve been remembered for in history.”

“And Mr. Williams, do you have any questions for me?”

“No Miss Seymour. I think I have all that I need.” The interviewer gave a curt nod.

“Very well. Thank you for having us.”

Two weeks later, the article came out.

A few weeks ago, I had the absolute honor and pleasure of meeting the six wives of Henry VIII. At first, I began to ask Miss Aragon questions about the past, to which Miss Jane Seymour quickly shut down. She began to conduct the interview, not based upon the past, but based on what happens now that they are back. 

I was able to sit back and listen to these six queens have a conversation, and let’s just say that they are here to reclaim their stories.

Catherine of Aragon, or “Lina” as she was referred to by the others, spoke with as much elegance as one would think, but her love for her fellow queens was clear. She stated that wherever the others are is where home is. She spoke highly of all of their self-journeys.

Anne Boleyn, master of politics, was able to explain that despite what happened in the past, all they truly need now is each other. While there were some rivalries in the beginning, the queens find no point in fighting over who was the most important queen or if one was better than the other. 

Anna of Cleves, also known as Anne of Cleves, was able to add onto this by saying that there is no comparing them anymore. They are all individual women with different life journeys. So long as everybody is doing their best, it’s enough for their family.

Katherine Howard, the youngest and most quiet, was able to contribute to the idea that they were family simply by calling Miss Seymour her “Mum”. At first, this struck me as quite odd, but the queens were well aware. The dynamic of the household is “strange”, as Miss Howard put it, but it is something that she “wouldn’t change for the world”. The other queens quickly agreed, Miss Seymour even giving her daughter a thumbs up. 

Catherine Parr, or Cathy, made it very clear that they were here to reclaim their stories. No more are they going to be put into the boxes or simple rhyme that we hold them to. These girls are going to reclaim their stories in the musical SiX, which debuts next month.

As for Jane Seymour, this queen herself lived up to what all of the others had said. Jane Seymour, widely known as the most demure queen, showed that this was her life. She did not shy away when I began to ask questions that were a bit too intrusive in hindsight. No longer should she be known as “bound to obey and serve”. No, she proved that to me quite quickly.

None of these women are bound to obey and serve the stories we’ve placed for them in history. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what these queens have to share with us. SiX the Musical debuts in August. Be ready for the histo-remix.

As an addendum, I would like to address this to the queens themselves, if they decide to read this (I would not be offended if they chose not to). Queens: I am terribly sorry for my lack of privacy and the way I began to conduct that interview. You are all absolute treasures who I can not wait to see on stage. Thank you for this eye-opening experience, and best of luck to you all! Keep using your voices!

And to Miss Seymour: I’m terribly sorry for acting so out of line. Thank you for putting me in my place.

Jane smirked when she saw that last line. She found her voice, and she was determined to stop fleeting from confrontation. It had done the queens good.

[dreamcatcherfication]

Dreamers in Fantasyland - Part 4

I keep forgetting that I tried to do a balance of old English dialect and modern English dialect, and it surprises me every time I edit this fic.

Final part, woohoo! We made it guys! A little sooner that expected, but that’s the fault of my laptop breaking. This is the last part of the fic requested by @theatergirl06 long ago when we had our ask war. As this door comes to a close, hopefully I’ll be able to open another... more sinister door...? This part is about to be very confusing, but if I’ve done it correctly, it’ll be (hopefully) a great ending. Things are about to get really meta. Buckle up, cause you aren’t ready.

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. 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 | Original Prompts

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of sexual abuse

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Things seemed a lot calmer on Anne’s boat, the world finally back on track. Cathy had no real sense of what was normal anymore, so she relied solely on the feeling of calmness she felt with Anne. They were sitting on the floor, backs against Anne’s bookshelves. “You know,” Anne commented, her hand unconsciously fiddling with the bandages on her upper arm, “I was afraid you and Cleves wouldn’t come.”

“Why would you think that?” Cathy asked, putting a hand on Anne’s leg.

The captain shrugged. “I barely know you, and no matter what I feel when you’re around,” Cathy had to hide a blush, “you have no loyalties to me. The only reason I could think for you tracking us down was to save my cousin. Thank you, by the way,” Anne tacked on at the end. Despite the melancholy in her voice, Cathy could tell Anne was being sincere. “And Anna, she may seem young, but she’s smart. She knew our ship had taken serious damage from Henry’s attack. I didn’t think she’d risk our crew just to come for me.”

Knowingly, Cathy replied, “I don’t think you were her only motivation.”

Laughing, Anne’s face lit up, if only by a little bit. “Yes, yes. I’m glad she’s found someone in my cousin. They seem happy together. I long for that.”

Cathy frowned, suddenly hyper aware of her hand on Anne’s leg. “What do you mean.”

Hanging her head, Anne’s hand crawled until it was sitting on top of Cathy’s. “You remind me of a past that I don’t have, Miss Parr.” Anne lifted Cathy’s hand and pressed a light kiss to her knuckles. “I feel as if we’ve spent a thousand years together, and those thousand years have been lost somehow. I want nothing more than those years back.”

Staring at her hand in Anne’s, Cathy took the leap and slowly leaned forward, pressing a chaste kiss to Anne’s lips. “I believe I understand what you’re saying,” she murmured, hiding the full truth from Anne.

Anne’s lips pulled upwards slightly, her eyes going soft as she stared at Cathy. “Everything is right in this world.”

A phantom hand shoved Cathy backwards, causing her to jump in shock. “No,” Cathy spoke softly, “everything is not right.” For some reason, she had been handed an answer. “Things won’t be right until you tell Kat that you are her cousin.”

Nervously chuckling, Anne shook her head. “I don’t think it’s best to drag up my family history.”

Grabbing Anne’s hands, Cathy leaned forward so that their noses were inches apart. “Things will never be the way they are supposed to unless you tell Kat.”

Anne was growing frightened by Cathy’s strange behavior. “How do you know this? What if she turns me away, knowing of the past with our family.”

“Kat is the most kindhearted person I know,” Cathy stated determinedly. “She is loving, and while she retains some of her naivete, she is intelligent. I know that girl better than she knows herself,” Cathy felt confident in her words, despite having only met this version of Kat a few days ago, “and I know she will not hate you. Kat is the last person to judge anyone on family matters. It will do her good to know the truth.”

At first Anne seemed reluctant, but she agreed. “I… I will tell her.”

As if summoned by Anne’s agreement with Cathy, Anna and Kat entered the quarters. “Anne,” Cleves greeted her captain, a hand around Kat’s waist, “It seems you’re doing much better.”

“Yes Anna, thank you,” Anne grunted, standing up from her sitting position. Cathy followed, brushing off the dust that had collected on her skirt. “Kat, if I could speak with you?”

The girl frowned but detached herself from Anna and moved over to Anne. “What is it Anne?”

“I…” Anne struggled with the words, “Do you remember when you asked me if we knew each other?”

Unsure of where Anne was going, Kat hesitantly answered, “Yes?”

“Well, the truth is, we do.” 

Kat’s eyes narrowed as her head scrunched in confusion. “How? I still can’t quite figure it -”

“Boleyn.” Anne blurted. “My full name is Anne Boleyn.” 

Eyes widening, Kat finally made the connection. “You’re my cousin,” she gasped, staring at Anne with wide eyes. Biting her lip, Anne nodded, expecting Kat to yell at her. Instead, the noble girl threw herself into Anne’s arms, hugging her close to her chest. “It’s been so long since I’ve heard from any of you,” she admitted into Anne’s chest.

It took a moment, but Anne reciprocated the hug, wrapping her arms around her younger cousin. “I didn’t think any of you wanted to hear from me.”

Pulling away, Kat curled her lip. “Our family is a mess. Everyone is constantly fighting and there’s never any peace. You may not have felt welcome, but that’s not your fault. It’s theirs.”

“Oh, Kat,” Anne’s voice was so full of emotion, it almost seemed as if she would cry.

“I want to stay with you,” Kat told her newfound cousin. “I want to stay with you and Anna and Cathy on this ship.”

“You want to be a pirate?”

Kat did the equivalent of a 15th century puppy dog pout. “More than anything.”

Unable to resist, Anne told her, “Well then, welcome aboard sailor Kat, I hope you're ready for some chaos.”

“I’m always ready for chaos if it’s with you.”

This, Cathy thought, this was right. This was how the world was supposed to be. The two cousins were together and happy, reunited after their family had torn them apart. Anna had found her happiness with Kat, and she had gotten her captain back. Cathy had saved the girl she loved with all her heart and Henry was gone from their lives. This should be the end.

…

But something kept pushing in the back of Cathy’s mind, telling her there was more. There was something that she kept missing, even when it was blatantly obvious to her. It was right on the tip of her tongue, infuriatingly so. “Anna, Kat,” she spoke up. “Would it be alright if I talked to Anne for a moment. Alone.”

“Of course,” Anna nodded, holding her hand out for Kat to take.

Before the two girls could leave, Cathy intercepted Kat. She pulled her friend into her arms, holding her tight. “I love you Kat,” she murmured into her ear. “You’re my best friend. Don’t you ever forget that.”

“I know Cathy,” Kat mumbled back. She pulled away and bounded to Anna’s side, holding her hand as they exited the room.

Shifting her attention to Anne, Cathy started to feel dizzy. Stumbling on her feet, Cathy had to press a hand to the wall to steady herself. “Cathy?” Anne spoke worriedly, promptly at her side. “Are you alright?”

Cathy wasn’t alright. Everything was hitting her at once like an epiphany and her mind couldn’t handle it. “Anne, Anne,” Cathy started to stutter, reaching out and grabbing Anne’s arms. Pulling her closer, Cathy spoke directly in her face, “Anne, I’m not from here.”

Laughing nervously, Anne nodded. “Yes, I could tell that by your skin color, but it’s not anything to be worried abo-”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Cathy cut her off. “I’m from the future. Or from the past and then the future. Or they’re both the future compared to now.”

Anne was at a loss for words. “Cathy, did you hit your head -”

“No,” Cathy stared directly into Anne’s eyes. “I am going to tell you something that sounds crazy and - and - and,” Cathy stuttered over her words, “You have to promise to believe me. Please,” she begged.

As confused as Anne was, she could tell when people were lying. Cathy was either telling the truth, or she was crazy, and Anne didn’t believe for a second that Cathy was mental. “Okay, I promise.”

Nodding, Cathy stepped away from Anne and started pacing around the room. “In my first life, I was married to King Henry VIII of England, known to you as Henry Tudor.” Anne’s face grew into a snarl but she said nothing. “I was Queen Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry. We never met, but I knew you well in that life.”

“How could you know me if we hadn’t met?” Anne questioned.

“Because you were Queen Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife. You divided England from the Catholic Church, and you changed the world.”

Anne didn’t like the way Cathy was speaking. It wasn’t in her tone, but rather the way her words made sense. Anne knew she should be finding Cathy’s claims preposterous, but for some reason they resonated in Anne’s heart. “Who were his other wives?”

Attempting to steady her shaking hands, Cathy started to explain. “His first wife was Catherine of Aragon. You might know her name, she’s the informant who run’s Aragon’s Pub.” The way Anne’s eyes lit up let Cathy know she did in fact know who that was. “Then there was you who pushed Henry to break from the church and annull his marriage with his wife. You two were married, but when you proved too much for him -” Anne scoffed, “he beheaded you.”

Falling silent, Anne looked at the floor. “Who was after me?”

“Jane Seymour, the one who gave him a son. She’s Kat’s caretaker back at court, although you’ve never met her. She died of natural causes. His fourth wife was Anna von Cleves,” Anne’s head shot up.

“Please don’t tell me -”

“She got the best outcome of us all,” Cathy assured her, breathing in heavily as she continued. “She had an arranged marriage with the King, but when she embarrassed him, Henry started calling her ugly and later annulled his marriage once again. Anna got her own palace and lived far longer than any of us.” Cringing, Cathy realized who she had arrived at.

Noticing Cathy’s apprehensiveness, Anne pushed, “Well? Who was next?”

“Katherine Howard.”

“No,” Anne choked. Cathy was only giving her a brief rundown, but Anne felt as if she was living through this experience with Cathy.

Swallowing, Cathy had to take a moment to steady her voice. “He married Kat when she was only fifteen, maybe a year or two older, none of us know for sure,” she refused to look in Anne’s horrified eyes, “But Kat had a terrible past where men had… sexually abused her. One of her friends in court took advantage of her and when the King found out,” Cathy’s voice hitched, “he beheaded her.”

Anne was devastated, even though she knew Kat was safe and sound. “That bastard,” she hissed. “I’m glad he’s dead.”

“Then there was me. The survivor,” Cathy was finally able to make eye contact with Anne. “I watched him die, and I thought I was free. I remarried, but died barely over a year later.”

“That’s… quite the story,” Anne muttered, unsure of how to process what Cathy told her.

Grabbing Anne’s hands again, Cathy set her face. “That’s not the end. After we died, the six of us woke up in a new world. The 21st century.”

“The what?”

Cathy knew it was hard to believe, but she had to get Anne to understand. “This is going to sound very confusing, but you have to understand what I’m saying.” Anne’s hesitant nod was all Cathy needed to dive in. “Five hundred years in the future, we live in the modern world. We tell our story as Henry’s wives to the world, and we reclaim our lives. You and I are in love in that world,” Cathy said fondly, running her hand over Anne’s, “and all six of us are a family.”

Anne was subconsciously smiling, content with the picture Cathy was painting. But it was shattered as Cathy started choking on her words. “I - I think that - that - that,” she breathed in deeply to control herself, “That this was meant to happen. Us being here.”

“What are you talking about?” As hard as Anne was trying, she couldn’t keep up with Cathy’s mind.

Resuming her pacing, Cathy made a variety of frustrated noises. “It all makes sense, doesn’t it! Right from the start, it’s been set out. I’m not Cathy Parr. Or rather, I’m not the Cathy Parr of this reality.”

Anne took a step forward, attempting to calm Cathy. “I don’t think you’re making much sense.”

“No, it makes perfect sense,” Cathy gasped. “When Kat and I snuck into Mary’s room, the only reason we were in there so long was because I couldn’t write her letter. If I had control of myself, I could’ve written that letter in five minutes. Instead, the actions of the other Cathy Parr, the real Cathy Parr, kept me from completing the letter. And because of that…” Cathy paused her pacing. “Because of that, we met. Anne, don’t you see!” she turned to the captain, “It’s all predestined.”

“What?”

A theory started to weed its way into Cathy’s mind, taking root. “What if, every generation there’s a Catherine Parr and Anne Boleyn. And a Katherine Howard and Anna von Cleves, Jane Seymour and Catherine de Aragon. We’re all destined to meet again and again in some new reality. Somehow, we all are connected, with ties to Henry.”

All common sense told Anne that Cathy’s theory was impossible. Yet deep inside her, there was some little bit of her that couldn’t help but believe what she was saying. “If you’re right, then why can only you remember this?”

“It must be some fluke in the system,” Cathy ran a hand through her hair. “Clearly I don’t have complete control of my actions. When Anna and I were getting information from Catherine, she asked what was in my satchel. The only thing that I had packed was a journal full of academic teachings, the exact thing Catherine wanted. I would’ve never thought to bring it, yet somehow it ended up in my possession.” There was awe in Cathy’s voice as things started to make sense. “The longer I stay here, the more I speak as you do. I’m speaking as this Cathy Parr would, not as I, my modern self, would.”

Anne nodded her head, understanding what Cathy was trying to say. “Every generation, the six of us are destined to be connected. Somehow, some way, and Henry’s involved.”

“Yes,” Cathy bit her nails, an anxious habit she didn’t know she had. 

“But I’ve never met Jane Seymour or Catherine de Aragon,” Anne frowned. “Surely that doesn’t make sense.”

“I said we were connected, not that each of us have to meet,” Cathy corrected. “Anna, Kat, and I never even met you in our lives as Queens. I - I don’t know Anne, but there’s more to it all than the surface level.”

Sliding back down against the bookcase, Anne rubbed her eyes with her hands. “This is a lot to take in Cathy.”

“I know, I’m sorry Anne,” Cathy came and sat beside Anne. “Just, promise you’ll still love me if I wake up someone else,” she pleaded.

Giving the girl a painful smile, Anne leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I don’t think it’s possible for me not to love you Cathy Parr.”

Giggling, Cathy rested her head on Anne’s shoulder. “I’m so tired,” she whispered, feeling her eyes drift shut. “This is all so much.”

Anne pulled Cathy into her lap and wrapped her arms around the girl. “I’ll be here when you wake up. No matter who you are.” And so Cathy gave in to the darkness.

Jerking out of bed, Cathy spun around, looking for anyone familiar. “Cathy?” Anne groaned beside her, shifting under the sheets. “Are you awake?”

“Shh,” Cathy shushed her girlfriend, slowing her breathing. “Go back to sleep Anne.” The bedroom was dark, exactly as she remembered it when she fell asleep here last. 

“Mmkay,” Anne hummed lucidly, “G’night babe.” Cathy watched her girlfriend fondly, holding back the tears that inexplicably appeared in her eyes.

“Sweet dreams, Anne Boleyn.”

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

Tag List:

@radcowboyalmondtree @boleynhowards @annabanana2401 @babeebobo @dont-lose-your-queerhead @everything-insanity @mindless-pidgeon @i-wanna-dance-and-sing-six @thedemidisaster @its-totes-gods-will @thatbolxyngirl @thenameisnoone @sixqueendom @totally-not-boleyn-falcon

[littleorangecactus]

aralyn but anne comforting catherine

I love this idea! Write Aralyn for the rest of my life? I’m down for that!

It was during the performance that night. It usually starts after the shows when she’s least expecting it but the feelings made itself present now. Catherine was in the middle of dancing in the MegaSix when it struck. Tightness. Constricting. Stabbing pain. Catherine gasps and looks around to see if anyone saw her switch, but the audience was still jamming along to Parr. What she didn’t see was Anne looking worriedly over her shoulder at her fellow queen in the final sequence. Catherine knew she needed to get out of there, but she couldn’t leave. The feeling of nails dragging on skin, the burning pain, everything coming back from her past life. Anxiety attacks weren’t new for any of the queens, but never had one grabbed her on stage.

The final lines hit, as well as a wave of relief as Catherine bowed with the rest of the queens and walked off stage. Behind the curtains though, she immediately ran as fast as she could to her dressing room. She needed out of this costume and into her room as fast as she could get there. She would never let another queen see her slip, the embarrassment alone would kill her. Ignoring the calls of the fellow queens, she shoved her way through the halls and into her room. Behind her, the other queens stood shocked, seeing the toughest woman in their group finally break. “Someone should go help her.” Parr exclaims. “Who though? She wouldn’t want Kitty or me to go, we just haven’t clicked yet.” Anna shrugs, not knowing what to do. “Me. She needs me. No matter what our past is. Please don’t bother her if I can get her out of the room and home. She needs to be isolated.” Anne says with a sigh, headed towards the door that had been slammed shut moments before. “Is that such a goo-“ Jane stopped after being interrupted by Parr. “She’s got this. I don’t know what happened between the two but it’s more that anything we could ever understand.” Jane nods and they head to get changed and get home.

In the changing room, Catherine is dry heaving in the bathroom, costume half off, tears pooling in her eyes. I can’t break. Not yet. I need to get home. Just a few more minutes. God I can’t break. Catherine battled herself as she wipes her face and slowly but steadily got up. Walking out of the bathroom, she’s startled by her least favorite queen. Well not least favorite, just the one she has the biggest grudge with. “What are you doing in here? Don’t you have someone else’s man to steal?” She didn’t mean to be so rude, it just came out, her defense mechanism. “You can call me a whore later okay? Just let me help you, please. You can hate me as much as you want later, I don’t care, I just want to make sure you get home safely.” Anne grumbled out. She moved closer to Catherine and motioned for her to turn around to get the zipper. “I can do it myself!” Catherine yelled, but Anne didn’t listen and Catherine gave in to her glare with a huff.

Anne walked behind her and slowly undid the zipper, letting the costume slide to the floor. Anne turned around and grabbed Catherine’s clothes to change into. “I know you don’t want it, but you’re shaking so can I help you get changed? I promise I won’t look at anything.” Anne spoke softly, not wanting to anger Catherine. “If I see your eyes waver for a second I will clock you, but yes. Please.” She said with a nod. Anne rolled her eyes and slowly helped her into them as the first queen stood as stock still as possible. “Alright let’s get that makeup off and head home. The others left before us, I told them too.” Anne stared as she started cleaning the makeup off Catherine’s face. “Why? Why are you helping?” Catherine asks shyly. Anne laughs lightly, “because I used to be someone you could talk to. Even when we were fighting over the same thing, I knew when you needed someone. I will still be that someone.” Catherine looks at her deeply before she nods. Finishing up and headed to the house, it was a silent car ride.

Her emotions were all over the place and Catherine just wanted a good place to cry. Sniffling slightly, she looked over at Anne who smiled at her slightly and motioned for her hand. Hesitantly, she put her hand into the mold of Anne’s and they sat like that for the rest of drive. Getting into the house, Catherine stiffened at the sight of the others in living room. Anne, who came in behind her, noticed that she stiffened and grabbed her hand. Pulling her through the room without looking at the others, they made their way to Catherine’s room, hands still closed together. “Do you want me to come in with you?” Anne asked quietly. “I-I can’t. No one can see.” Catherine sniffed out. “Well then let me be the one who closes the black veil and not a word will be said or an eye seen.” She held up her pinky finger and Catherine snorted before linking hers and opening the door.

As soon as the door closed Catherine broke. She couldn’t take it anymore. She needed to release every memory of her past, needed it all out of her head. Anne pulled her into her arms, against all thoughts in her own head, she just held the queen and rubbed her back slowly. “I’m sorry. I can’t hate you. I want to do it so badly. But it wasn’t you. It was always him!” Catherine sobbed out. “Shh shh it’s okay. I never accepted the hate you threw at me. I knew why we couldn’t get along. I never judged you for anything, I understood you from the beginning. I just couldn’t do anything about it.” Anne cooed into her ear. “I always wanted to push you away like that would take away my problem. I didn’t ever get that the problem was him, I blamed it on you and then on me not being enough.” She cried. “You were so much for that man, for the country. What you endured was more than any of us can understand, even with the trouble we all faced. You were a brave queen and an amazing mother. A smarter woman then was ever talked about and a true softy at heart.” Anne smiles as she lists all of things she felt and knew about the queen. “You were always the one who would make me smile through anything, even while fighting. You were always there. I can’t thank you enough for that.” Catherine admitted. “Always Catalina. Always.” Anne pulled Catherine over to the bed and into her arms. Cuddling wasn’t something either were known for but she knew what the other queen needed. They stayed in each other’s arms for the rest of the night, tears stopped after a while, sleep taking both of them.

If any of the other queens understood the relationship that they had, none of them said anything. They were sure Anne would be dead the second they saw her holding Catherine’s hand, but then they just walked to the first queens door and then both of them went in. The next day, no one would share their hidden amazement as they looked into the room to see the two queens wrapped in each other’s arms, smiling in their sleep.

The end! I hope this is what you were looking for, the angst went wild, I’m so sorry!

[starchildrenofdustand-ashes]

My Six The Musical Review

Once again nobody cares— BUUUT I saw SixChicago yesterday with Adrianna Hicks as Aragon, Andrea Macasaet as Bolyen, Abby Mueller as Seymour, Brittney Mack as Cleves,  Anna Uzele as Parr. Here are somethings I noticed (essentially this is a rundown of everything you wouldn’t get just from listening to the album lol) ((Also im so tired and its 12.28 am and im sorry for any mistakes))

❤️💚💛💗🖤💙

👑 So before the show, they were playing a ton of pop music, but it was on an instrument that kinda sounded like a lute or harpsichord. 👑 When the Queens walked out from behind the curtain in a single file line to take their place on stage, the crowd went crazy. They all came out through a tiny crack in the curtain,, but when they belt “LIIIIVE” the curtain falls to the floor as is dragged off stage. 👑During the dance breaks in Ex-Wives, they go from dancing hip hop, to dancing with each other in a style they would’ve done back then to the beat. It was cute. 👑It was so weird hearing their accents! I’m always expecting “divooced” but it felt like they were almost emphasizing the r “ divoRRced” 👑Before Catherine of Aragon starts singing in Ex-Wives she says “Remember us from PBS??” 👑When Jane Seymour sings her bit in the song she moves Stage Left and when the Queens all say “Hey!” She looks surprised and shrugs, continuing to sing 👑Anna really played up the “JA’s” during her bit and IT WAS SO CUTE (you will find I am partial to clever, bc my gay ass is in love with her.) 👑There is so much dialogue!! After they say “Chicago!! How’re you doing tonight!!” They say we are “SIIIIX” in their harmonies and “Welcome to our divorced, beheaded, LIVE TOUR” 👑Aragon says “WE HAVE SO MUCH IN STORE FOR YOU TONIGHT— WE HAVE THE RIFFS TO RUFFLE YOUR RUFFS” before she does a really sick riff 👑A few of the other queens add on to that,, I forgot what they said but then  Howard says “AND A WHOLE LOT OF HISTORY” and Parr cuts her off and says “OR AS WE SAY A WHOLE LOT OF HERSTORY” 👑then they introduce their band (who are on the stage with then) as their ladies in waiting and I was soft 👑 So then they go on to explain the deal with the show; they are all competing against each other for the crown of the “ultimate” queen based on who had to put up with the most shit from Henry 👑 When they’re going down the line to explain why they say 💛Who lasted longest was the strongest 💚The biggest sinner is obvs the winner 🖤 I have no idea what Seymour said I don’t remember DX ❤️Who was most chased is first place 💗The most glorious will be victorious 💙The winning contestant was the most protestant (but she says it so it rhymes with contestant and then all the queens look at her like ??? And she sighs and says ‘protestant’ with its correct pronunciation 👑Aragon says “How in the purgatory are they gonna choose a leading lady??” 👑”The queen to take the crown will be the one who had the biggest, the firmest, the fullest…. LOAD OF BS TO DEAL WITH FROM THE MAN WHO PUT A RING ON IT 👑There is a reprise of Ex-wives but this time they change the lyrics to “welcome to the show to the coronation” 👑💛lol Aragon cut the reprise off and was like “It doesn’t matter, because I’m the winner” and then she asked the drummer for a beat 👑💛So with the beat, Aragon begins to tell her story, and the bass is strumming the baseline for no way 👑💛”Okay, I’m thinking its… a bit weird they want me to marry my… dead husbands brother”… 👑💛So then she continues recounting the story and she says “I saw lipstick on his collar and I’m like… okAY… so now he wants to annul our marriage and moves this sidekick into mY palace and wants me in a CONVENT” and she’s on a RANT so she pauses and breathes really heavily before smiling really widely and sighing “Now… I don’t think I look that good in a wimple so I said. No. Way.”  And the song starts immediately after that 👑💛Idk what else to say except that Aragon was a total badass and Adrianna Hicks  was a fucking QUEEN 👑💛When she asks him to name when she’s ever caused him pain, she’s all the way upstage on the same platform/semi circle that the band is on, and she’s on her knees kinda begging kinda. She pauses for a LONG time and waits for an answer and her face is smug when she’s like “no?” 👑💛She said “I had the most to deal with AND I hit that high c so that crown is mine,” 👑The other Queens stop her and are like theres another really REALLY IMPORTANT one… the one that overlapped with you who is she?? The famous one that people actually care about!” Then they all start chanting “The one you’ve been waiting for” and the lighting turns green,, while they’re chanting, Anne Boleyn looks really confused and shrugs and walks to the back of the stage and picks up her phone 👑💚The Queens eventually say “The temptresssssss” and they hold it out like a snake “ANNE BOLYEN” and they sing this very choir like 👑💚They all turn to her and Anne is just sitting there cackling at whatever is on her phone and she’s like “ Whoops sorry,,” and Don’t loose your head starts 👑💚Andrea Macasaet has SUCH a high pitched voice she was absolutely ADORABLE 👑💚When she said “get ahead” she smirked and everyone laughed 👑💚Instead of her voice going down on “Pret a Manger,” it got even higher almost In a mocking French accent. 👑💚She is pissing Aragon the fuck off this entire song lol 👑💚When she says “Are you blind??” She gestures between she and Aragon 👑💚 “What was I meant to do?” Is sung like a confused toddler lol 👑💚 So the bit where they play the wedding song, all the queens bow to her and she walks past, smiling and waving and she gets to the end of the line and is like “Hold up,, let me tell you how it went down HENRY’S OUT EVERY NIGHT …. Etc” 👑💚”Bro just shut up!” Instead of mate 👑💚She even asks the band what was she meant to do, and everyone is repeating her and she screams “OH MY GOD SERIOUSLY HE REALLY WANTS TO CUT MY HEAD OFF” 👑💚and then she grins again after a long silence and she’s all smug like “I guess he really liked my head…..” While kinda licking her lips lol 👑💚DEAR GOD HER RIFFS JESUS FUCKING HREHTTLTURHGUEHURL 👑💚And she was like “yeah… that was such a weekend… I like died… and it was so extra! So im clearly the winner. So now, I have to sing a song I wrote when I found out that Catherine of Aragon had died. Its called WEAR YELLOW TO A FUNERAL SING IF YOU KNOW THE WORDS. And the bass came in and Boleyn sings “Catherine was a massive C-” and the other Queens immediately shut her up 👑Aragon and Boleyn start arguing until Seymour is like “its my turn now…” 👑Everyone looks at het before they burst out laughing, telling her ‘bye’ and ‘girl, please’ 👑And Seymour is like yeah,, I was in love and I was really really lucky. 👑🖤 And Seymour goes into this really heartbreaking monologue about how she missed her songs future and how she had a picture of her family. She said that Henry was really sweet and that she loved him 👑Boleyn cuts her off and is like “yeahhhh,, there was this one really cute time where he, like, cut my head off :) 👑🖤Seymour said that Aragon and Boleyn were badasses. Then she said that she promised to always stay by his side and didn’t yell at him back like the other two because she loved him. Then she dedicated the song to him 👑🖤Heart of Stone started and honestly,,, its not my favorite song and I usually skip it. But mY GOODNESS. Abby Mueller is a fucking goddess wow. The amount of control she has on her voice is astounding 👑🖤(fun fact abt me— I have perfect pitch lol)  they pitch changed it into A major and it transposes into B major which was SO BEAUTIFUL. It made me actually like the song lol 👑🖤Its not really eventful,, she just stands in the middle of the stage. 👑Seymour is like,, “what hurts more than a broken heart?” And  Boleyn is like “A chopped off head” 👑Almost immediately  after it transfers to Cleves and she’s like “soo he’s running out of options in England he had to expand his fields and adjust his location settings to find his next queen. We are Heading to Germany where  he got the help of Han….. 👑At some point during the song, the other queens ran off stage to get their glasses and ruffs 👑They all run back on stage in their glasses and ruffs (Cleves still hasn’t said his last name yet) and they all whisper “Holbien” 👑WELCOME TO THE HOUSE 👑lol this song is SO funny… and Cleves is so fucking adorable (she was flossing at some point). The dancing was so… German…it was hilarious. 👑So after the song is done,, the girls still have their ruffs and glasses on and it kinda turns into a mobile app like tinder.. 👑Basically there are two queens before Cleves and they all stand up and walk downstage as they are introduced, they smile and their picture is taken and they wait for about two seconds before Henry swipes left or right. 👑The two in front of Cleves are played by Parr and Howard. 👑After Cleves is selected their is a Holbein reprise 👑❤️The other queens run off taking the ruffs and Cleves is left on the stage sighing comically several times. She’s at the back of the stage sitting on a makeshift stone 👑❤️”Its the tragic story of a princess-educated, savvy, young- deemed ugly by an ulcer-ridden, wheezing, winkled man 20 years her senior.” 👑❤️WHATS A MORE DEVASTATING FATE THAN BEING FORCED INTO A BEAUTIFUL PALACE IN RICHMOND WITH MORE MONEY THAN I COULD EVER SPEND AND NO MAN TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO WITH IT 👑❤️Get down is also key changed 👑❤️When she sings “I’m the Queen of the castle” she is skipping across the stage 👑❤️When she gives her fur to the footman, she actually takes off her coat and hands it to one of the queens. The crowd went crazy and she’s like “guys stop,’ and like acting all shy but secretly enjoying it-she says “Okurrrrrrrrr” . Then she’s like “AS YOU WERE” and everyone is quiet lol 👑❤️the part where it slows down and she’s like “SIT DOWNNN YOU DIRTTTY RrrrrrASCALLL” she opera sings it and I shat myself 👑❤️she uses her microphone as a lute lol 👑❤️YOU CANT (nope) STOP (nuh-uh) YOU CANT STOP ME 👑❤️At some point she squeezes her boob. I love her. 👑❤️after she kills us all by belting that last note she points to a girl in the front row and is like “YOU IN THE PINK DRESS!” and she gestures for her to stand up. And the girl stands up and they bop together with Cleves ad libbing in the background 👑❤️Eventually she says “Okay sugar this is my song, GET DOWN” 👑❤️And then after a moment of silence she’s like “So yeah it was really tragic…” 👑Aragon is like that doesn’t sound difficult at all and Ceves is like “oh… yeah.. I probably won’t win this thing… WELP BACK TO THE PALACE!” 👑the queens argue more and honestly it’s iconic 👑Seymour is yelling at Aragon and her voice is so loud and Cleves interrupts her and is like “guys,… I have the plague” and they all gasp and she’s like “HAHA JUST KIDDING MY LIFES AMAZING” they roll their eyes and Parr is like “our next queen! K HOWARD!” And everyone is like who??? 👑Aragon is like “ The least relevant Catherine,,” and Boleyn is like “Yeahhh i get it and I still don’t care,,,”
👑Howard is like “You’re right… I need all the help I can compete. What happened to you was terrible,, and so were you songs,,” Then she proceeded to roast everyone. She says “Anne you obviously had it worse I mean you lost your head……. Oh wait…..” 👑💗And then she says “but seriously Anna, getting rejected for your looks really sucks…. cant relate…I’m really hot…. So yeah. I can compete like this” or smthing and then all you wanna do starts. 👑💗At the beginning of the song the queens touch her everywhere and she leans into it willingly 👑💗Blowing the flute,, she winks at the audience and when she says C-D she puts her hand in front of her crotch and squeezes. 👑💗 “There was this guy… Francis and he asked me to be his little piece of aaaasssssss…istant! 👑💗The song goes from upbeat to upsetting very very quickly after Francis she starts to become less trusting and she gets more disoriented as the show goes on. 👑💗”Apparently men only hire women to get them into their private chamber… times were different then…” 👑💗When she says “He says  we have this connection,”  about Henry Seymour comes from behind her and touches her stomach — all you can see is her hand touching her sensually. She looks a little surprised and then she’s like “I guess its not so different..” 👑💗By the time we get to Thomas Culpepper she is flustered and VERY uncomfortable. The girls are all touching her now and she looks down and stares at their hand before pushing them away and finishing the end of the song. she keeps pushes them away but they keep coming back. She looks utterly heartbroken and you can see her unraveling. 👑💗THAT RIFF WAS SO GGHRSILGBRLGKJBJL 👑💗she screams “WHEN WILL ENOUGH BE ENOUGH” as they keep touching her and she fails as she pushes them away. 👑💗Eventually she gets them off but she ends up by herself on the stage with her face facing up and a dim pink spotlight is on her. 👑💗There is a chilling silence and then she’s smiling and says ‘YEAH and then I was beheaded and I won this competition!” 👑Then they get into another argument. Boleyn starts talking about how her beheading was more relevant because Henry humiliated her more and Aragon was like,,, um I won the humiliation game and she counts her mistresses 👑Then they start yelling about the miscarriages they had and Boleyn says she has three and Aragon says “You know what Anne BO-LOSER I HAD FIVE” and Parr is like “this is not okay, don’t compare miscarriages, thats hella insensitive” and they push her to the center and tell her to sing her song 👑Theres a random baseline again and Parr looks like she’s about to start singing but she stops and says,,”I’m good,” and tries to go off stage. They all accuse her of being a sore loser because she survived and knows that she had no chance of winning. 👑Parr is like,,, NO its pitting us against each other and the queens all groan  and make fun of her and she’s like okay,, imma sing the song then. And Katherine Howard says “Are you sure?? Are you sure you dont want to stick to backing vocals where you belong?” 👑💙And Parr softly says “Queens take a seat,” before turning to the pianist and saying “Can you give me a Bb maj7, please?” 👑💙Parr shuts down all the queens and says her life wasn’t all rainbows because she survived. And she talks about her love tom, and I never realized that the song is a letter to tom. She starts off “Dear Tom, You know I love you boy,” 👑💙 Anna Uzele was so fucking good. And Tbh,, this is my least favorite song so I don’t remember much about the staging (I’m sorry) 👑💙Side note,, parr is such a badass and an amazing woman 👑At the end of the song, she turns to the queens and is like “without Henry we all disappear ,” and Boleyn is like “I don’t get it” and parr asks “How does anyone know who we are” and Boleyn is like “mY SiX fInGeRs-“ before Aragon cuts her off and is like “Put it away, baby” 👑Parr then asks Henry the 7 and 6’s wives names and nobody can answer. “but, when we get together as a group-“ Boleyn cuts her off and is like “EVERYONE NOTICES THAT JANE CAN’T DANCE!” “NO WE COMPARE OURSELVES” 👑when Boleyn finally gets it she explains the situation like she’s an encyclopedia and it was so funny and fast and oMG 👑”UGH if we had realized this before we started we could have done something else like make a fake competition to show everyone how messed up comparing us is and then we could reclaim our story and all become the leading ladies…” “:/ and they are all saying this dialogue its just split up and I dont remember it very well 👑IF ONLY WE HAD THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE 👑then they look at each other and smirk at the audience before reprising Parr’s song as “We don’t need your love,” 👑Which was so good bc THEY DON’T NEED HENRY’S LOVE YES 👑Then they point out “We might only be remember for marrying the same man,, but why does anyone give a sh- who he is? It’s because of his,,” then they all harmonize ’SIIIIIIX WIVES’ 👑AND WE ALL HAVE A ROYAL HAPPY EVER AFTER but Boleyn cuts Seymour off and is like “But we didn’t” 👑then they go onto explain how none of them had happy endings and they’re like,, but we can rewrite them! So they do and that leads into Six which is such a soft song. 👑Six, actually starts off very slowly. It speeds up after they say “we’re six” 👑It was such an energy ending I was speechless and gold confetti poured down on them and OMG I was shaken to my core. 

[starstaiined]

Memories

SUMMARY: All Kat ever wanted was a normal life. A life unhindered by the trauma she faced, a life where raised voices didn’t send her heart racing, a life where any accidental contact with strangers didn’t violently thrust her into memories she would give anything to forget. But as more and more memories of past lives begin to surface on top of her existing trauma, that dream seems to move farther and farther away. Suddenly the weight of worlds settled on fragile shoulders, and then the cost of escaping it all didn’t seem so high...

TW: Sexual abuse, anxiety attack, depression, suicidal ideation

TAGGING : @tonight-we-are-live (bc ur the one who asked for angst tonight)

   Hands inched up her thigh, and she didn’t move. Couldn’t move. Katherine laid still, petrified, as the man hovering above her whispered an array of words she couldn’t process. His face, half hidden by shadows, seemed to shift endlessly. First, it was Mannox. His lips twitched into a too sharp smile, which stayed in place even as the rest of his face changed. Some dude with long blonde hair and striking blue eyes came next, a memory from a different life she was sure. Another man, this time with stubble which scratched the side of her face when he leaned close. “I love you so much, Katherine.” When he pulled back, he had changed again. This time it was Dereham’s face. His eyes darkened and shifted to a brown so dark it was nearly black, his nose so small it was nearly non existent. After a few more seconds of shifting, it finally settled on him. Thomas Culpeper. “I love you, Katherine.” As he smiled up at her, she finally managed to scream. His hand shot forward, covering her mouth roughly. “I love you, I love you, I love you,” He squeezes so tightly she’s sure her jaw is going to bruise, and her eyes burn with tears...

   And suddenly Katherine shoots awake in bed. She’s covered in sweat, her heart pumping harder than it did after a show. She can’t stop the sob that escapes her throat, a stifled thing that gets stuck halfway through and comes out as an almost whine. Anne shifts in the bed next to her. It takes everything in Kat to hold in the building storm. She doesn’t want to wake her cousin, or the other queens. She doesn’t want to bother them. Quiet as her namesake, she slips on a pair of slippers and creeps out of the room. She needs out. The walls of the house are suddenly stifling, and without pausing to so much as grab a sweater she disappears through the arched doorway. 

   The winter air nips painfully at her exposed skin, but in truth it helps ground her. If she focus on the pain of the cold, then she doesn’t have to think about the images filling her head. Memories, memories, memories. They came back slowly, each one materializing like smoke over an extinguished candle, wrapping around her and dragging her further and further away from recovery. In some ways, it was almost funny: she’d lived hundred of different lives in hundreds of different places, yet the story was always the same. She couldn’t escape it even if she tried. (And oh, how she tried.) She let out a scoff at that, running a hand roughly through her hair. The cold isn’t keeping her thoughts at bay any longer, and if she thinks about them for another second she’ll end up crying. As is, tears prick the edges of her eyes. She rubs at them roughly, and makes a decision. Run. It starts off as a jog, but it builds and soon she’s flying down the sidewalks and turning corners at full speed, the feel of her feet pumping underneath her cathartic. 

   She ran until her aching muscles couldn’t move anymore, at which point she all but collapsed on a park bench. Kat was sure of one thing: she was thoroughly lost. She’d spent the last hour running, not paying attention to where she turned. It’s only now that she regrets that choice. She wants to go home...she wants to talk to Anne and hug Jane and laugh with Anna. She could call them, they would come and find her and...and you’d wake them up for your own selfish reasons. A little voice in the back of her mind finished; it’s that voice that makes her hand freeze in place. Always so needy. Always tugging at their sleeves and making them bend to your will. It’s all about Kat, isn’t it? The voice continues to prod, and Kat’s hands begin to shake. She curls them into fists, letting her nails bite into her palm, but it does nothing to ease the voice this time. It’s why Mannox could never love you. It’s why Dereham left. It’s why Henry was always angry. You ask for too much, Katherine. You are too much. They would be better off without you. 

   Some part, deep down, protests. But the rest of her is all too willing to accept what the voice said. After all, it was true. If she wasn’t around, they wouldn’t have to tread so lightly around her. She remembered the time Jane has squeezed her shoulder gently after they’d first met, before they were close, remembered the way the sudden and unexpected contact has caused Kat to spiral into an anxiety attack. Her stomach rolls at the memory. It had been a kind gesture, but she’d overreacted. She remembers suddenly the way Jane had spent the next couple of weeks apologizing. After that incident, Jane had never looked at her the same way. None of them had. They handled her with kid gloves, always soft and kind and understanding, but also wary. Cautious. As if they were scared that if they said or did something wrong, Kat would shatter. What she hated most was that they were right. The smallest thing could send her hurtling back to a different time and leave her trembling and unable to speak. She loathed herself in that moment. Everyone else spent so much time and energy making sure she was okay, if she just disappeared things would be so much easier on them. 

   In an almost trance, she rises and begins to wander. She’s disconnected from reality at this point. When she reaches the bridge, the idea slips into her mind. In truth...it’d been there longer than she cared to admit. But now....now it’s real. It’s like watching a show happen on the television. Kat watches her hands grab onto the railing, watches as she swings her legs over and sits on the side. Her feet dangle precariously over the rushing river below. All she had to do was lean forward just a little and ... 

   Her phone rang. She ignored it. It rang again. And again. Finally, she reaches for it with shaking fingers. She answers it, and Jane’s worried voice comes bursting to life. “Kitty, where are you?” 

  “I don’t know.” Kat answered, her voice sounding dead to her own ears. 

  She can hear shuffling on the other end of the phone, and mumbled words she can’t quite catch. (Not that she’s trying. She’s too numb to try.) 

  “Kit, honey, are you okay?” She can hear the rising concern in Jane’s tone, and it makes something stir in her chest. But as quickly as the feeling surfaced, it’s gone. She shrugged, not answering Jane’s question. 

  She can hear scuffling on the other end, and when the next question comes it’s Anne’s voice. “Kat, babe, do you remember the time we went ice skating?” That story had always drawn a groan or a protest out of Kat, but this time she gives no response. If Anne is worried, she doesn’t let it show. She continues on rambling about various memories, Jane chiming in occasionally. Kat doesn’t laugh....but she doesn’t hang up either. 

  Eventually, however, she hears her name being called. She turns and looks to find....Anna, Cathy, and Catherine. The looks on their faces — horror, panic, and fear — finally snaps Kat out of her haze. She realizes what she was about to do. Tears well in her eyes, and her mouth opens to provide an excuse, a defense, anything, but nothing comes out. 

  Anna is the first to speak. “Kitty, can you come off the ledge, please? Slowly, please be careful.” 

  Kat listens, and once her feet are on solid ground she’s enveloped by the other three queens. 

  “Jesus Christ, Kat, you’re freezing.” Aragon huffed, pulling off her sweater and wrapping it around the younger girl. 

  The sudden warmth made her realize just how cold she’d been. Slowly, she manged to croak out a question. “How did...how did you guys find me?” 

  Cathy answered, slowly, as they walked her back to the car. “We traced your phone. Anne and Jane were supposed to keep you on the line while we went out to pick you up.” The drive home is in silence. 

  When they finally reach the house, Anne nearly crushes her in a hug. The other three queens quietly talk to Jane about what they’d found while Anne fussed over her younger cousin. Then, they switched. Jane fussed over Kat while Aragon talked to Anne. 

   Cathy had disappeared into the kitchen to make hot cocoa, and Anna had dug around until she found some of Kat’s favorite movies. While Aragon talked to Anne, Jane had buried a shivering Katherine in a pile of blankets.

   Once everyone finished their tasks, they reconvened on the couch. Kat sat at the center of the rest of the girls, five pairs of eyes trained on her. finally, Anne broke the silence. 

  “Kit, you know you can always talk to us, right?” It was soft, perhaps softer than she had ever heard Anne go before. 

  Kitty let out a shaky breath, looking down. “I didn’t want to bother you.” 

  “You are never bothering us, Kat. Especially not when it comes to something like memories.” Anna whispered, squeezing her hand gently. 

Cathy nodded. “Good, or bad, we’re here. You don’t have to deal with everything alone. No one expects you to, Kat.” 

“You already deal with so much. I’m ... I’m a handful, and-” 

“And we all have two hands.” Aragon interrupted, her voice gentle. “You help us with our issues, Kat, and we’re here to help with yours. And nothing will ever change that.”

“Besides,” Jane added, pulling the youngest girl in close and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, “We do it because we love you, Kitty.” 

Love had always been a dangerous word. Her entire life, the word had been mangled and twisted and corrupted to reflect the worst version of itself. But amidst the tangle of limbs and careful concern, Katherine realized that maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t always so bad. 

[forevercaroline]

French court chapter 2

For @klaroline-4ever who loves Lexi and Henri. @dumb-bitchculture who is my reign bestie. And @austennerdita2533 who loves Lexi and forbidden love.

Xxx

Claude pulls Lexi up on to an empty table and they start dancing. There has to be about five hundred people in the ball room. Tonight’s party doesn’t have a theme just have fun and make noise. Everyone is invited except Charles.

Henri was talking with some of the party guests when he spots his sister pull his fiancé up on to a table and they start dancing together drawing the eyes of the guys near the table. He makes his way over and looks up at them. “May I have a dance with the most beautiful woman in France.”

Lexi blushes as she looks down at him they share a smile as she counters. “I don’t know I’m waiting for the sexiest guy in France to ask me to dance.”

She winks at him, Claude jumps off the table as her brother climbs up on the table. He cups both sides of Lexi’s face so gently as he passionately kisses her.

Lexi’s arms go around his neck as his go around her waist, as they sway to the music on top of the table he tells her. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you. You look very handsome yourself.”

Both blondes are dressed in party clothes, Lexi is in a short black dress with white heels on while Henri is in black jeans and a white tee shirt.

Xxx

Charles is walking down one of the corridors of the castle when he spots his fiancé Nicole leaning against the entrance to the ballroom. “Nicole, what’s wrong?”

He joins her and sees the party going on and his brother and Lexi dancing on a table. “Fifth one this week my love.” Nicole puts a hand on Charles chest to stop him from making a scene like he did with the first two parties, the third one a member of the privy council broke up and the forth party he had the guards break up. “What are you going to do?”

“Go have fun Nicole, this is going to be the last party my brother is throwing.” He kisses her on the forehead and grabs a drink off a passing server. He whispers in her ear and she nods.

Xxx

Everyone is dancing when the music stops dramatically everyone looks around to find that the speakers are soaked and the laptop that was playing the music also had a drink spilled on it.

While Claude ushers everyone out Henri and Lexi see if they can salvage the laptop or speakers they can’t they are ruined. “Charles?”

“I never saw Charles, I thought I saw Nicole though.”

“He’s getting Nicole to do his dirty work.” Henri can’t believe the stops his brother will go to. Using Nicole to do Charles dirty work because the king can’t be seen breaking up a third party. If the roles were reversed Henri would never use Lexi to break up Charles party.

Lexi tired from the party and being on edge living in the palace. She knows Charles does not want her here or engaged to his brother. She also knows Nicole likes Henri. Neither of them know to what extent Nicole’s likeness of Henri goes, is it she wants both brothers, is it she is not happy with Charles and she envies Lexi and Henri’s relationship nobody knows.

“Let’s go to sleep.” She holds a hand out and he takes it but also lifts her up bridal style she giggles as she puts her arms around his neck and lays her head on his shoulder.

As they are walking towards their chambers he asks her. “Big wedding or small wedding?”

“I thought we weren’t supposed to plan our wedding?”

He pecks her on the nose. “We are not but if we plan everything in secret and when Charles finally allows us to marry if we have everything ready we’ll marry that day or the next before he can change his mind again.”

“ I don’t want a small wedding like your brother Bash, Catherine mentioned it the other day and it sounded just awful.”

“Charles and myself were young when it happened we were already asleep, the only people in attendance was our older brother Francis his wife and our mother. Charles and I heard about it the next day there were whispers and not just about the the marriage. Trust me our wedding will be different.”

Henri’s step brother’s wedding to his wife was not a happy day for either of them. It was an impromptu wedding in the throne room with Henri’s father king Henry threatening both the bride and groom that if they didn’t marry he would kill them. The bride was in tears scared yelling at the king to stop. The groom was scared but was trying to remain calm and tried to relax his bride. Since they didn’t really know each other when they wed after the wedding they got to know each other and fell in love. They are still together almost seventeen years later.

Xxx

Lexi reaches down with one hand while Henri is holding her to open the door to their room. He only puts her down once they get to the bed. “Carrying me over the threshold that might of been the only time you can to do that.”

He turns around from taking his shoes off to slide a finger under her chin and lifts her chin to look at him. “I will carry you over the threshold as my wife one day.” He leans down and pecks her on the lips.

Xxx

Henri and Lexi are asleep when their bedroom doors are opened. They are cuddling in their sleep. They are on her side of the bed, Henri has an arm over her their hands are entwined, her back is right against his bare chest. You can see the love Henri and Lexi have for each other. Not only in their sleep but also from a simple touch if they walk past each other to Henri putting his hand out so Lexi can come sit on his lap and lean her head on his shoulder or Lexi holding out a hand. They are constantly glancing at each other lovingly or leaving little kisses on each other’s neck or cheek. Before they moved into together they would spend almost every minute together anyway it was like they were living together already. With them it’s like two souls have found each other.

“Get rid of everything that Is not my brothers.”

Xxx

Lexi wakes up and Henri is not in bed beside her instead he is looking at himself in the mirror. “Should I wear feather earrings I think they would look marvelous on you.”

He turns back to the bed still wearing her silver hoop earrings. “This doesn’t bother you.”

She goes over to their mirror the sheet wrapped around her naked body. She leans up and cups his cheek he leans into her touch her earring touching the side of her hand. “How many times have I told you I find you in earrings cute and I know if it was not taboo by society you would rock an earring.”

He kisses her palm and takes out her earrings. They climb back in bed he is sitting up against the headboard while she is laying her head against his chest. “What about your sister the one in Spain would she let us get married?”

“Leeza the queen of Spain as she likes to remind everyone no she wouldn’t let us marry. She actually might be worse then Charles in this instance. For a number of reasons one I am my mother’s favorite child and when Leeza was growing up Catherine was not the best mother. What with my fathers many affairs, Catherine not only raising my oldest brother Francis who was the future king, political schemes. From what Claude has told us about her childhood Leeza was boring and quiet. Charles and I were young but still here for her wedding to the king of Spain. She resents this family for how she was treated. Also she thinks marriage should be of status and if she found out that her siblings were as she would call it marrying under their station she would forces us to separate.”

“She would even force Charles and Nicole to separate?”

Henri nods. “Absolutely in her mind a king should marry a princess not a farmers daughter. Claude would marry a lord and I would have to marry either a princess or a lady.”

She kisses his chest. “That’s awful I’m glad we only have to deal with Charles.”

Xxx

There is a knock on the door and a messenger comes in. “Your wanted in the throne room.”

Once he leaves as Henri is getting out of bed Lexi looks around for her red robe its not on the chair where she left it yesterday. “Have you seen my robe?”

“No.”

Henri goes into their closet first as Lexi is coming around the bed in the bed sheet he quickly turns around and faces her. “Do not go in there. There seems to be a problem.”

They get back to the throne room and everyone has gathered. Catherine Lexi and Henri, Claude and Leith. Charles is sitting on the throne with Nicole sitting on the arm looking at Henri seductively, even the lord chancellor Stephan Narcisse is here. “Nicole and I have set a wedding date the end of the summer.”

Henri leans down and whispers to Lexi. “Of course he won’t let us wed but he is going forward with his own.”

“And his fiancé has not taken her eyes off you.”

Before they leave Charles has one more announcement. “Henri your lady friend is not invited to my wedding nor is she welcome in this palace anymore. Guards, Guards please escort this young women from the grounds.”

Two of the guards grab Lexi’s bare forearms and try to take her away from Henri. Both blondes are fighting to stay together and still holding hands. Claude yells to Charles.”Charles stop it!”

His head sharply turns towards his sister. “How about another arranged marriage?”

She gasps as she glares at him how dare he use that threat on her again. “You said after the last one I get to choose my husband this time.”

Lexi’s hand slips out of Henri’s grip and she is dragged away. Both Catherine and Narcisse do not know what to do. If Catherine sides with Charles then she is letting Henri down and if she tells Charles to stop this and to let Henri marry she could be called for treason and she could face trial and possible death. Narcisse is thinking about the good of the country he doesn’t care about who the family falls in love with.

Xxx

When she is thrown out of the palace she finds all her belongings waiting for her. Henri runs out to join her. “I don’t have a place to live I don’t have an apartment anymore. I’m going to have to move back in with my parents.”

He wraps his arms around her and she cries into his chest her arms around his waist. He rubs her back. “Claude is calling a hotel right now and setting up a suite for you. We will get you back in the palace soon. He can’t stop me from moving into the hotel with you.”

She looks up at him through tear soaked eyes tears still coming down her face, she doesn’t have any makeup on they took that too. “You still want to live with me?”

“Of course I do these last few weeks have been amazing having you here all the time instead of only at nights and you slipping out in the middle of the night or early morning in the previous nights clothes.”

“And here I thought you only liked wearing my earrings.” She winks up at him.

He smirks down at her and pecks her on the lips. “The earrings are only a bonus.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” He wipes the tears off her face.

[kinkylittlebastardsuniverse]

tell daddy a secret.

warnings! ok, let’s go again: cursing; spanking; obviously a daddy kink so if you don’t like that kind of stuff just click away; NSFW w/ plot ‘cause you guys may have realised im a slut for both; i guess that’s all for today.

and yess, you have to be over 18 to be reading this. tumblr’s rules, not mine.

words! not that much. don’t be dramatic. (jokes on me, the number you are looking for is 2940)

this is a fem!reader x bucky barnes imagine and unfortunately it’s just fictional.

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You had a kink.

You had it for some time now. It was a bit obcsenioux. And dirty. Some may even consider it disturbed. But you liked it anyway. It was your kink afterall, nobody's business.

You had a daddy kink.

And a boyfriend as well. Although he didn’t exactly know what was going on inside your naughty little head. 

It wasn’t like you didn’t trust him. Nope. Neither as if you didn’t want for him to be the first man you’ve ever been with to know about your little secret. Nah. You were just scared, to be honest. 

'Cause he was easily the best thing in your life. Your whole world; the light in the darkest night. You never thought you actually could be this enamoured by someone until you met him. James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes. The Winter Soldier on the flesh and Captain America's best friend. And the love of your fucking life.

Ok, maybe you were more than just scared. Maybe you were terrified. 

Sex with Bucky was amazing. No, more than amazing: it made you transcend. But Bucky was a 40's man even though he tried his best to adapt to 21 century. He still was a man born and raised in 1940. And he naturally still had some assumptions and behaviors from that decade. And you had no fucking idea how a man from that age would react to you telling him you would like to call him "daddy" while he fucked you. 

And you didn't blame him for that. Far from it: you accepted Bucky as a full package, with every scar and flaw. With his past and ghosts. And if you had to control your deepest desires just a little not to make him uncomfortable, you would do it with a smile on your face.

As if it was that easy. 

You craved Bucky since day one. Since his built up, muscular figure walked through the Tower's door you just knew he was meant to be yours. He was just a sexual crush back then. Even though a little voice in the back of your head always told you that he wasn't just that. No. He was more. There was just something about the little glint hid in his cloudy eyes that fascinated you. That had you trapped. Since day one.

It didn't take more than a few words for you to know that he was the one. It was cheesy and almost ridiculous, I know. Even you kept telling yourself that you were just enchanted by him. It was just arousal, just a phase. You would get over it.

But you didn't. And what was just a tiny little crush became an huge liking you took for the sarge. Natasha was in shock when you told her about your - as she called - obsession for Bucky. She told you had gone insane; she thought it was some kind of fever, that you should probably get a break from missions or get laid. You knew him for what? Three months? You had spoke with him what? Twice? And about what? Missions?

How could your stupid ass possibly claim you were in love with the guy? 

Oh, but your stupid ass knew. It (you) just knew it was meant to be. He was meant to be.

So there was a day that you were suffering from a terrible insomnia and the idea of making yourself some tea just popped into your head. You got up, making your way straight to the kitching and when you found Bucky struggling to make the microwave work you knew it was the Universe sending you a sign.

You helped him, letting out some stupid joke about how for a man who had a metal arm on display he had no idea how to deal with metal stuff. It was a dumb, tired joke that you almost regret, automatically thinking that he could feel uneasy by your forwardness. Until he directed you a richful laugh that made your poor little heart skip a beat.

He was beautiful.

You both spend the rest of the night together, just talking bullshit and getting to know each other. It felt so natural. You learned that he  was fascinated by bikes and coincidently you had a Harley FXB Sturgis you proudly took care of. You told him you really enjoyed Glenn Miller and Jimmy Dorsey even though you never knew how to dance and he promised you he could teach you, if you allowed him.

After that each day was a different conquer. A different new fact about Bucky and you were just addict to it. What could you say? You guys just clicked. Before Bucky you never imagined you could feel so electrified to know something new about someone. It was like you were drowning your whole life, submerged, craving for something your lungs couldn't reach. Then came Bucky. And he was pure oxygen for your pained lungs.

So one thing led to another and when you blinked you guys were already a thing. More than a thing, you were a couple. And you couldn't fucking believe it. 

Fuck, you told Natasha you were right.

It didn't take long for you guys to fuck, the connection that pulled you together being away too strong for any of you to resist. And the sex was another thing with which you both clicked. Bucky liked to be dominant and possessive over you, and you just loved to please him.

But then your daddy kink kicked harder then ever and you didn't know what to do about it. Natasha - who was basically your sister - warned you it would be best for you to just tell him. That he would still love you. You knew it was kind of silly to think his feelings for you were fragile enough to break because of such a thing. But you were still scared. 

What could you do? Swallow your feelings and be the tough Avenger you were on the field? At least that was what Natasha told you to do. So you decided you should tell him, yes. Someday... Maybe... If it was really necessary.

No, you had to tell him. Before he found out by another way.

...

It was an ordinarily enough Saturday night. Tony was throwing an "we survived this time, may not survive the next so you better enjoy" party; Clint and Pietro were on a drink-or-die contest; Steve was doing it all day; Thor was laughing loudly enough to sound like sparkly thunders through the night; Loki was probably scheming; Bruce was... well, Bruceing; Nat and Wanda were betting who would pass out from drinking and how they would manage to drag Pietro to his room at this time of the night. The good ol' Avengers.

Oh, and Bucky was about to fuck you.

You two lovebirds couldn't just resist. Your dress was just too tight, fitting your gorgeous body away too nicely. And you knew Queen Catherine from France had so much lovers because she never saw Bucky on a suit. 'Cause dear God that was a sight.

So that leads us here: you already naked, legs spread widely when Bucky had just teared your thong apart, your poor Calvin Klein's thong being shattered into pieces. That wasn't such a loss though; you were sure your dripping core had ruined it already.

"Shit, doll. You are soaked." Bucky's husky voice told you while his pinky lips hovered over your whimpering pussy. "All that for me, hum?" He continued, his grip tightening on your inner thigh.

"Yes! Yes..." 

Daddy. 

You bit your tongue. "...Bucky." You meowed softly, your desire for call him daddy hitting you like a thunder.

"Yeah? So put that ass up in the air. Wanna see it while I make you cum." He demanded and you obeyed eagerly. Oh, if he just knew the things you would do for him...

"Look at that." He grabbed one of your ass cheeks roughly and you moaned at the suddenly contact of cool metal on your flaming skin. "My babe got such a pretty ass." He groaned, his fake thingers now teasing your wet hole.

"Tell me, (Y/N). Tell me who this pretty cunt belongs to." His fingers easily entered your pussy, pleasuring your insides.

You, daddy.

"You, Bucky." You speaked in a muffled tone not just by the mattress your face was currently buried in but also by your firm attempt to not let yourself go so much and end up saying something you shouldn't.

Bucky put one more finger into you, making it three, and pumped harder into your pussy.

"I'm sorry, doll, I guess i couldn't hear you since you are moaning so loudly." And you were. You could almost feel his cocky smirk ranging proudly on his handsome face. Although you couldn't care less with his fingers buried deeply inside you, beautifully flirting with your orgasm.

You daddy. I belong to you.

"You, Bucky. I belong to you." You said loudly this time, your voice dying on your throat at the end of the sentence. You couldn't say it, not now.

But Bucky didn't seem to get enough of you and the slap that hit your ass made you lose control from all your senses for a second.

"YOU, DADDY!" 

A tiny little second. 

Bucky stopped dead in his tracks. Did he hear you right? Daddy?

Oh dear God. Did you just say it? 

Did he hear you? Of course he did, asshat! You just screamed it out loud!

You started to debate which were the chances of the music outside being too loud for him to hear you (you were panicking as you can see). But when you felt his fingers getting away from your pussy you just knew he had.

God, you were screwed now. And not in a good way.

Your blurred brain quickly started to think about possibly excuses and explanations for the current situation. You were right between "I'm sorry, you shouldn't find out like this" and "hey there, as you noticed I have a daddy kink, please don't push me away because of this" when you felt Bucky's metal arm clench around the back of your neck, pinning you into the bed. Your arms were beside your head in a submitted state when he leaned in, whispering into your ear with the most lustful voice:

"Did I hear you right, babygirl?" His grip hardened and you feel his knee spreading your legs apart, leading you to wonder which would be the size of the poodle in the middle of them since this man was driving you completely insane.

"Tell me. How long have you been keeping this little secret from daddy?" Oh, dear.

He caressed your pussy again with his free hand and you lost it.

"I'm so sorry, daddy!" You moaned loudly, your voice sounding more acute then normal.

“And here I was thinking so good of you… Guess I was wrong, hum?” He seemed almost hurt if it wasn’t for the strong scent of lust and superb on his tone, showing off his intentions. 

“I’m so, so sorry, daddy…” You meowed one more time, hoping for him to forgive you. 

Bucky made a disapproving sound with a snap of his lips. You squirmed under him, anxious for more.

"No, babygirl. I am sorry." His grip left your neck and you felt empty all sudden. And guilty. As if you had really disappointed him.

But then his touch travelled through your back, his hand caressed the whole extension of it before landing into your ass cheek. He stopped for a moment, right before

"Because now that you have been a bad girl I will have to punish you."

a slap. A hard one. Harder than any other he had ever disfered into your body during sex. And you fucking loved it.

"Count for daddy, pretty girl. I wanna you to take ten." You moaned a yes before the second slap came.

"Two, daddy!"

Who would ever say James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes,

"Three, daddy!"

the Winter Soldier on the flesh and Captain America's best friend, and the love of your fucking life 

"Four, daddy!"

would love your daddy kink so fucking bad?

"FIVE, DADDY!" This one was harder, making your skin burn; the scream leaved your mouth without permission - a mix from all the pleasure, pain and suppressed desire that you had boiling into you.

"S-six, daddy!" Your eyes were wettering right now and you bit your lower lip not to sob a pained whimper, not from slaps but mostly from your aching core which Bucky had abandoned a while ago and now was crying for some of his attention.

"Can't take them all, babygirl? First you lie to me. Now you are being disobedient. I'm starting to think you don't want to be a good girl for daddy anymore." 

You could almost touch the fake disappointment in his voice.

"No! No, daddy! Please! I want to be good for you!" 

But you were in for it anyway. 

"So keep counting while daddy spank that tight little ass."

Another slap.

“Seven! Daddy!”

And other.

“Eight!” A moan. “Daddy!”

“N-nine,” Your voice softened as a tear dropped from the corner of your eye. “Daddy!”

“TEEN, DADDY!” 

And there you were: ass all burning pink, your pussy aching wet and tears streaming through the corner of your eyes. You swallowed the gulp on your throat when Bucky’s chest came near your back. You were in ecstasy.

“There she is. My good girl.” His voice sounded warm on your ears as his flesh fingers came to clean some tears from your beautiful face. 

“Was I good, daddy?” You purred when his touch leaved your sensitive skin, placing a gentle peck where his fingers once were.

“You were, babygirl. Now open those legs, daddy is gonna fuck that pussy nicely.”

You spread your legs as open as you could, trying to make Bucky proud. He fitted right into the middle of them, opening you up a bit more. Bucky took his hard cock into his hand and slipped into you smoothly, your wet cunt greeting him warmly. 

“God, you are always so tight for me, babygirl. Taking daddy’s cock so good…” He groaned after a few thrusts, making your pussy clench around him. You both moaned at that.

“You are just too big, daddy!” You moaned and you swear you heard an animalistic growl coming out from Bucky´s chest. Jesus Christ.

“Oh, yeah? But you love it, don’t you? Such a cockslut my babe is, squirming all around daddy’s cock.” Bucky pounded harder on you this time, your pussy struggling to fit his whole cock all at once. His words made you shiver and your orgasm started to show up.

Bucky seemed to feel it too and managed to go even deeper into your sore pussy, making a bunch of loud moans to leave your dirty little mouth. He was fucking you senseless and your couldn’t help but love it.

“Daddy!”

You moaned loudly into one deep thrust of his and the dirty laugh that left his mouth was nothing but unexpected. And hot as well.

“Wanna cum on daddy’s cock, babygirl?” You nodded eagerly, the knot on your belly being away too strong for you to stop it. “So you better ask for it.”

“Please, daddy! Please I wanna cum so bad!” 

He slapped your already bruised ass to that and you almost screamed if the pleasure he was giving you hadn’t cut your voice. His pace became sloppier although his thrusts were still hard enough to hurt, making you inevitably squirm under him while your high was getting closer and closer.

“So you better come, babygirl.”

And you did. Hard and almost painfully. Waves of pleasure washed your body as Bucky managed to reach his own reach, spreading his white cum all over your ass. You moaned as you felt his orgasm reaching your skin so warmly, the thought alone increasing your own climax.

Bucky pecked your shoulder sweetly, getting out of the room for what felt like an eternity. You were about to stand up and look for him when you felt something fluff cleaning your skin. The sarge had came back with a towel and was taking care of you while you melted to his touch. Such a gentleman he was.

You the leaned down; Bucky with his back to the mattress and a hand under his head while you curled your self, leaning into his broad chest. You started to make little silly drawings into his skin when you felt him clearing his throat. Your shining gaze met his beautiful face right before he spoke. 

“So…” He began softly, shifting his curious blue gaze to yours after he cleared his throat once again. “ A daddy kink?” And something on his away too eager tone told you he was up to learn more about it.

“Yeah…” You said almost shyly. “Did you like it?”

Bucky laughed at it and your heart died for an instant. 

“If I like it?” His voice sounded darker this time, dragging you in. Bucky moved on the mattress, bringing his enormous body upon yours, caging your naked, vulnerable body to the bed.

“Doll, I wanna hear every single thing you have to say about that.” His predatory gaze met yours and he bit his pink lips, making that eager sensation on your low belly starting to rise all over again.

It was going to be a Hell of a night.

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tried to make this one more into (Y/N)’s perspective. what did you guys think about it?

[the-quiet-winds]

Ice in the Echo

[angst]

“Please?”

“No.”

“Come on, please?”

“No.”

Anne leans over to Katherine and whispers into the girl’s ear. Jane, from the passenger seat, is pleased that Anne has finally stopped begging.

Then, she hears a smaller, younger voice. “Please, mama?”

Jane’s head falls back against the headrest. How could she say no to her pleading daughter. She turns to look at Aragon, driving, and lifts her eyebrows.

Catherine, with a huffed sigh, pulls off the highway at the next exit and searches for the nearest convenience store. 

The road trip had started that morning, heading into the north country for a much needed holiday, as a family.

As usual, Aragon commandeered the wheel, and no one could talk her out of it, and Jane suspects it’s a little bit of fear of not having control, hence Aragon always driving the car, but she’s never truly questioned it.

It was past dinner time now, and Anne had been begging to stop somewhere to get chocolate and snacks for the hotel room they had rented for the night, and Jane had put her foot down.

But Anne knew how to bend Jane’s will, obviously, and put Kitty up to the task, and it was all over after that.

They pull into the lot of a small mart and exit under flickering streetlights. Cleves pulls her jacket tighter around her as she and Aragon huddle together for warmth, watching Anne and Katherine race towards the door.

Once inside, they disperse. Aragon and Jane stock up on basic medicine, Cleves and Parr tag-team the salty snack aisle, and Anne and Katherine head straight for the candy.

The six of them are content to snoop around for a few minutes, the only ones in the store save for the cashier, until the door opens.

That’s when everything goes horribly, horribly wrong.

There is a tiny bell over the door that chimes every time someone enters. The chime is deceivingly cheery.

So no one thinks anything of it.

Until they hear what the new customer says.

“Everythin’ in the register in the bag. Now.”

Jane’s blood runs cold. She and Aragon look to each other and slowly, very slowly, back into the next aisle to gather Cathy and Anna, then finally to the back corner with Anne and Kat.

“I’ll call the police!” The cashier yells.

There’s a terribly loud bang that shakes the ceiling. Whoever their mystery robber is, he’s shot off a warning shot, and the cashier suddenly has far less fight in him.

Aragon and Parr are clinging to each other, Anne is holding the trembling Kat, and Jane holds tight to Cleves’s hand as the six sinks to the floor and remains as silent and out of sight as possible.

“Money in the bag!” The robber repeats, a dangerous and cutting edge in his words.

They hear the register crash open, and they think they may just get out of this without him even knowing they’re there.

Well, that’s until Anne shifts ever so slightly how she was holding Katherine, causing her foot to just barely hit the bottom shelf of the unit.

She freezes, her eyes blown wide, and throws a hand over her mouth, as if that would do anything.

The world, as a whole, freezes for one, two, three heartbeats.

“Come on out,” he drawls. “It seems we have company.”

None of them move.

“Don’t be like that, unless you want to feel what this pistol can do.”

As much as they don’t want to, the six drag themselves to their feet and into the center aisle of the store. 

His smirk can be seen in his eyes.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the queens,” he remarks, taking a mocking bow. “How honored I am to be in your company.”

Katherine is full on trembling at this point, barely able to even hold herself upright. Anne’s arm is tight around her waist, Jane on her other side. Parr is half-hiding behind Aragon as her godmother stands fearlessly alongside Anna. 

“Let us go.”

Surprisingly, it’s Jane that speaks.

“But you six are key pieces now, I can’t just let you go.”

He points the gun in their direction and everyone stiffens.

“Knees, now.”

They do as told as he approaches, keeping the gun aimed firmly at Jane, then Aragon, then Cleves, then back to Jane.

“I think six queens make for a wonderful little ransom, don’t you all think?”

“You know who we are,” Anne quips, “means that you have a soft spot for girl bands. Or musical theater.” She snickers. “Quite the intimidating robber.”

The next gunshot is barely six inches from her ear.

“Next one goes through your chest,” he growls.

Anne swallows, but otherwise stays stoic.

“You,” he commands, the gun pointed at Cleves, “phone out. Call the police.”

Anna, as much as she hates herself for it, does as told. If she was alone, her stubbornness would have won. But she wouldn’t let Kitty see her blood.

She dials for the police and is answered almost immediately.

“I am being held hostage with five others,” she says clearly. “Six,” she amends, adding the cashier, shaking behind the counter.

Barely five minutes later, red and blue lights flash outside.

He smirks again, visible only in his eyes. In a fluid motion, he yanks Parr to his feet. “You’re going to be my little spokeswoman, Miss Parr.”

The pistol stays held to her head as she is brought to the door and stood in the threshold. 

“I am being held at gunpoint,” she tells the officers, repeating exactly what he is saying to her. “For the safe release of the six women and cashier, the robber asks for fifty thousand pounds.”

“And if we don’t?” One officer yells back.

There’s a pause.

“He’ll kill us off one by one.”

The officers look to each other. “You have one hour.”

Catherine Parr disappears from the doorway. She’s wrangled back to the others and all but thrown on the floor in front of Aragon, who pulls her close.

“You had all better hope they cooperate,” he says, and there’s an odd sort of cheeriness in his words. 

He claps his gun against his hand, then points it directly at Katherine. “You.”

With a very noticeable shake in her knees, she rises to her feet. He beckons her closer. 

“You know,” he says, “I’ve fantasized about you.”

The tremor in her body changes, and Jane nearly cries out as she realizes the implications. He winds an arm around her waist, his fingertips digging into her jean-covered hips, then pulls her out of view, in front of the first row of shelves.

There’s a rustling of fabric, and Anne can’t take it anymore. Before anyone can stop her, she rushes to follow.

“Stay away from my baby cousin!” She screams.

Jane and Anna scramble to their feet and barely see the end of the event. Anne tackles the man, who had Katherine pinned to the ground beneath him. As he slams into the ground, his gun clatters to the ground and discharges. 

Jane grabs it while Anna helps Katherine sit up. 

Anne groans as she hits the floor, sprawled on her side, and Jane points the gun at the robber. “Funny to be in this position again,” she muses to herself.

Aragon doesn’t let go of Parr as she moves to the door to bring in the officers. They detain the robber and drag him out of the store and disarm Jane, which she is more than happy to oblige to.

She hurries over to help Anne up.

“You did quite the heroics-”

It’s when Jane freezes mid-sentence that everyone is suddenly paying attention to her.

“Jane?”

She’s hunched over Anne, shaking.

“Jane!”

Aragon, with the gentlest hands, pulls Jane away from Anne, and she herself goes still at the sight.

A neat little hole, right over Anne’s heart, is torn through her clothes and soaked with blood. Anne’s last defiant yell, the one meant to save Kitty, remains burned to her lips and her eyes stay open, wide, angry, but unseeing. Even in death, in the second death, there’s a quiet fire in how Anne stays, how she will stay, how she will carry herself into whatever waits for her.

Katherine and Anna are inconsolable, and Parr, Jane, and Aragon can only cling to each other as they are brought to the ambulance to be checked for injuries.

Once cleared and wrapped in shock blankets, Cathy, Aragon, and Jane are brought over to the sidewalk to explain, to the best of their ability, what had happened. Anna and Katherine stay by one of the police cars, huddled together on the ground.

Parr, still shaken from behind held at gunpoint, tucks her head on Aragon’s shoulder and stares listlessly at the concrete.

Aragon and Jane take up the story, quietly narrating as much as possible. When they get to the moment of Anne’s heroic attack, fate, in its cruelest form of irony, has two paramedics bringing out a white-sheet covered stretcher.

And that exact moment is when Jane Seymour and Catherine of Aragon curl into each other and begin to sob.

A police officer has to drive them to their hotel, only a few miles down the road, since none of them can feasibly imagine driving, even Aragon.

They settle into their rooms, and Cleves is hopelessly alone. She was supposed to be rooming with Anne. Kat is with Jane and Parr with Aragon, and Cleves is on her own.

She steps onto the tiny balcony of the room, a frigidly cold breeze pouring through her hair and across her face, and she swears, just for a moment, that she hears Anne’s voice telling her to close the door because it was, ‘bloody freezing.’

But there is no Anne.

And there won’t be again.

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tag list: @percabeth15 @kats-seymour @qualquercoisa945 @jane-fucking-seymour @a-slightly-cracked-egg @justqueentingz @annabanana2401 @wolfies-chew-toy @broad-way-13 @tvandmusicals @lailaliquorice @aimieallenatkinson @sweet-child-why03 @gaylinda-of-the-upper-uplands @funky-lesbians @thinkaboutitmaybe @hansholbeingoesaroundzeworld @anaamess @beeskneeshuh @prick-up-ur-ears @theartoflazy @justqueentwo @brother-orion @paleshadowofadragon @lafemmestars @beautifulashes17 @jarneiarichardnxel @idkimbadwithusernamesandstuff @ladiez-in-waiting @mixer1323 @boleynssixthfinger @aimieallen @elphiesdance @boleynthebunny @krystalhuntress @lupin-loves-chocolate @bellacardoza16 @bluify @katherines-choker

[catherinestuart]

HSHQ TASK TWELVE —– TIMELINE for the wretched woman who has fallen (thrice)

APRIL 25TH 1993

crown princess mary gave birth to her first child in the dead of night, and early after sunrise, the town crier appeared in front of holyrood palace to deliver the good news: princess catherine, countess of carrick, had been born. later that day, a special mass was said asking for health and prosperity to the newest addition to the royal family.

MARCH 9TH 2000

they keep telling her that she’s important and that she needed to excel in her studies. so when margot was given permission to read books in the library instead of learning french, catherine solemnly kept her head bowed towards her textbooks. but because she had been good, and she could count backwards from ten in french, her papa had prepared a surprise for her out in the stables. her first pony was called briallen, the welsh word for primrose, and the princess took to riding whenever she could.

JULY 19TH 2005 [ FEAT. @matildastuarts, @margotstuarts, @hrhhans ]

hans had taken to telling ghost stories late at night in the children’s rooms at charlottenburg palace, making matilda and karoline cry throughout the night since they were too terrified to sleep. in the morning after they had breakfast with their governesses, he managed to lock margaret in a dark closet. it was the first time that catherine punched someone in the face, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

SEPTEMBER 21ST 2008

at fifteen years old, catherine stood solemnly in the first row pews to the right of the altar alongside her family. her mother was now queen, scarcely a week after they buried her grandfather -- and the young princess held her grandmother’s hand as she held her breath when the monarch’s coronet was placed upon her mother’s head. her grandmother squeezed her hand, as if to say ‘one day it will be you’. her heart stuttered, as if in fear, and she never looked at anything the same way again.

DECEMBER 1ST 2010 [ FEAT. @artwindsor ]

catherine was seventeen, arthur was eighteen, and they both dreamt of a world that might unite their two countries. so they whispered to each other promises that they wont keep, and locked their hearts away in favour of something altogether more tangible: power.

JUNE 14TH 2011

the girls in finishing school had whispered about this boy for ages, and a palpable groan had been heard when he announced that he would not be escorting any one of them during the presentation. but catherine had almost laughed, for she found herself gracefully gliding across the shiny ballroom floor of the newly opened hazelton club in the arms of the same lord theodore innes-ker. at least now she could show those social climbers what a rough little girl from gordonstoun could do. “theo, if i may suggest, you should ask phoebe drummond to dance the viennese waltz with you- she’s absolutely the best of the class and i do know for a fact that she has her eye on you!” yes, she did have her eye on him -- in an embarrassingly obvious sort of way -- but the girl had always managed to trip over herself after the fourth count. maybe that’ll teach the precocious girl not to underestimate a stuart.

MAY 13TH 2013 [ FEAT. @ennioeste ]

“where were you?” catherine had woken up alone, the space where he held her throughout the night had been long cold, leaving her slightly bereft. she thought that she was far too young to be dealing with this, scarcely twenty, and already sounding like someone she’d rather not be. ennio stood up a little straighter, but even from the distance she could see his bloodshot eyes, the strange gait that she had no choice but to be accustomed to. “nowhere, i just got coffee from that nice place we like by the-” she interjected, suddenly feeling tired despite a relatively decent night’s sleep. “don’t bother, ennio... you can do what ever you want- i have to go to class.” so catherine slipped out of bed, took off his comfortable shirt she had on, and got ready for the day -- just a little too lovestruck to leave him completely, that is, until today.

JULY 3RD 2014 [ FEAT. @frvncicc ]

she first saw him when they passed each other in the hallways of the palace. her, in her riding habit after taking a spin around the grounds, and him, in a finely pressed suit and tie on his way to meet her mother. “that’s the prince of spain,” isla, her lady-in-waiting, whispered as he turned the corner. “the crown prince of spain,” clara, her other lady-in-waiting, supplied, with a little grin playing upon her lips. “her majesty is having him over to talk trade deals in person, but i heard from her assistant that she wants to push him towards one of your sisters!” catherine frowned instinctively, and she didn’t quite know why. it wasn’t as if she was hoping to jump into another relationship, especially one as improbable as being with a crown prince! that night when the queen introduced her guest to her eldest daughter, fresh out of university, catherine felt his eyes upon her and knew she was a goner.

MARCH 7TH 2016 [ FEAT. @giorxcci, @mimidbg ]

her friends had dragged to the bar, just barely, after their last in-class mid-term. they were a cacophony of royals, higher nobility, and several social climbers jammed into the corner booth of an oxford student bar. “gio- gio! what is this?” catherine held out the shallow glass of god-knows-what in front of her friend’s eyes. the italian prince laughed, motioning vaguely for her to ‘just drink it!’ before the stunning blonde next to him quipped, just a little louder than the raucous volume of the student bar they were sat in: “it’s not poisoned, darling! it’s from the most expensive bottle of scotch for our most expensive scot!” she had to laugh at that, and after shooting the monegasque princess a sarcastically withering look, the scot took the shot in one.

SEPTEMBER 2ND 2017

it was the first time she saw her mother in full regalia quite like this, right on the centre of the receiving platform as she looked up at the features that were mirrored in her own. it was difficult not to be humbled when one was kneeling in front of one’s sovereign, weighed down by a velvet robe and centuries of history. “i, catherine, duchess of rothesay, do become your liege of life and limb and of earthly worship, and faith and truth i will bear unto thee, to live and die against all manner of folks.” she was robed in her own regalia, a duchess’ coronet placed upon her head, and the look that her mother gave her said: ‘your next one will be far more grand.’

NOVEMBER 29TH 2017

england was going to implode into itself, and catherine decided it wasn’t in her best interest to associate herself with any arthur windsors -- even in secret.

JANUARY 25TH 2020 [ FEAT. @beaufort-a ]

catherine sat across the table from her fiancé, the hum of the airplane beneath their feet -- as she flicked through the latest issue of ‘international political science review’. “i can go with you,” his voice broke through her reverie, making her look up from her page. “to the taping, i mean -- i we could do it together.” she smiled then, mentally going through their schedules. “we’re keeping it pretty jam-packed for you, though, don’t you have the meeting with the lord chancellor over dinner? we’re anticipating that it’ll run late.” he hummed, a quiet lull as he thought it all through. “i’ll still pick you up then, shake some hands and get photographed coming out of the building with you... can’t have them thinking that you’re speaking for me without my consent.” she rolled her eyes good-naturedly at that, earning her a low chuckle from him.

[lailaliquorice]

your string of lights is still bright to me

the sixcord decided i needed to write something soft after the angst fest i’ve been supplying over the last few days, so here we have a part 2 to ‘but instead I am here'. it’s super super super soft bc I love these two so much and they need more interactions in fanfic.

tagging @gayboleynz because this was her specific request, hope you enjoy love c:

The summer sky was streaked with pink and orange as the sun began to set over London. The garden was quiet as Jane stepped out the back door, closing it softly behind her and padding over the grass in her bare feet to sit down on the bench. She’d been very firmly chased out of the kitchen after dinner so that she couldn’t try and help with cleaning up after the dinner, and if she listened closely she could hear the chatter of the other Queens as they cleared the table and did the washing up.

It was a nice kind of peace and quiet after the day she’d had. Her mind was quiet at last, no trace of the guilt that had dragged her into a breakdown, and the burns on her leg weren’t bothering her so much anymore. She still felt absolutely drained but she felt ok.

“Hey,” called the voice that had been her saviour all afternoon, and she turned her head to see Anne approaching her with a mug in each hand. “Just wanted to see how you were doing?”

Jane smiled, patting the bench next to her for Anne to sit down. “I’m alright, thank you love. I feel exhausted but certainly a lot happier than I did earlier. Aren’t you meant to be helping in the kitchen?”

Anne laughed at that as she sat down, handing Jane one of the mugs that turned out to contain hot chocolate. “Aragon sent me out here to make sure you’re alright, so I’m still kinda helping. She made the hot chocolate too, obvs.”

“Of course,” Jane agreed with a chuckle, taking a sip. Catherine was the official hot chocolate maker in the household and had been ever since their earliest movie nights, since she could somehow make it taste better than anyone else despite them all following the same recipe on the tin.

After a couple of minutes where they just sat quietly drinking their hot chocolate, Jane turned towards Anne again. “I meant what I said earlier,” she started, catching Anne’s attention, “thank you so much for how you helped me this afternoon. You really were wonderful.”

Anne gave a modest shrug, the exact same response she’d had when Jane initially thanked her. “Honestly, y’don’t have to thank me for that. Or anyone. You’ve done so much for Kat and for all of us, it’s only fair we get to help you too sometimes. And we don’t think any less of you for getting sad sometimes either, y’don’t have to go pretending you’re alright all the time.”

“Thank you love.”

Returning Jane’s fond smile, Anne took another sip of her drink before she seemed to sober up a little. After studying the contents of her mug with an indecisive look for a moment, she tensed her shoulders as if readying herself for something before asking such a hurried question that Jane took a moment to understand her words. “How on earth are you able to talk about him so much without it just making it more and more painful?”

After several seconds where Jane’s brain fought for the right words and Anne just squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze, Jane sighed softly as she shuffled a little closer to put an arm around Anne’s shoulders. “I don’t know,” she murmured truthfully, “I suppose I’ve become accustomed to it through the show. But you know how Heart of Stone made me cry during our first rehearsals, it hasn’t always been easy.”

Anne nodded. Both Kat and Jane had found their songs hard to sing at the very start, the subject matter coming too close to home for comfort. It was one of the factors that had made the two of them so close so quickly.

“Perhaps it’s helped in some aspects that I never got to knew Edward like you got to know Bess. Sometimes that hurts more, thinking of everything I missed out on. But you had enough time with Bess that you knew who she was as a person, perhaps that gives you more to miss than me.” Jane spoke quietly as she just voiced her thoughts aloud, hoping that something she said was of some help to Anne since her question simply wasn’t something she knew an answer for.

“P’rhaps,” Anne echoed, a faraway look on her face as she turned her gaze to the horizon. “Cathy tells me about her when I ask her to, sometimes it helps and sometimes it hurts.”

Jane tilted her head slightly in understanding. “And it will, love. Grieving is never easy, and I daresay ours is a little more complicated than most. But eventually you’ll find it easier to talk about her. And when you get to that point we’ll all be listening.”

“I just don’t want you all to think that I suddenly care about her if I start to talk about her one day.”

“Oh sweetheart, of course we won’t,” Jane shook her head, squeezing Anne’s shoulder. “We know you care about her, you don’t have to show it in the same way as the rest of us do.” Anne’s experience of being a mother had been obvious to Jane earlier when she’d taken charge easily to get Jane’s burns treated, and she couldn’t imagine ever holding it against her friend that she mourned her daughter in a different way to how Jane did.

Anne nodded in thanks, and when Jane met her gaze she was sure she could see tears beginning to pool in her shadowed eyes. They were illuminated clearly when the fairy solar powered fairy lights hung around the garden flickered on, and Anne met Jane’s gaze for a split second before she curled into Jane’s side and buried her face in the shoulder of Jane’s cardigan to hide her tearful eyes.

Jane chucked quietly, rubbing Anne’s back as she looked upwards at reddening sky. “You’re right though,” she said after a while, and Anne gave a questioning hum before Jane continued “Here is pretty great.”

“Yeah,” Anne said, lifting her head from Jane’s shoulder and rubbing her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie. “It’s definitely great. We’re like crazy lucky we get this second chance, getting to do all the stuff we couldn’t do back then.” She trailed off with a smile, draining the last of her hot chocolate and putting the mug down beside her.

It was nice to see the light return to Anne’s eyes, and Jane readjusted her arm slightly to hold her closer before prompting her with “Like what?”

Anne’s face scrunched with thought for a moment before she said “I dunno, everything. And not just the show, the little things. Coming downstairs in the morning to smell someone making coffee. Staying up late reading. Going down to the pub and maybe drinking a bit much but I don’t have to be a certain way so no-one cares.” She paused for a moment, the ghost of a smile on her face, then added “And hugs,” as she wrapped her arms around Jane’s middle.

Laughing softly at her, Jane started to gently play with Anne’s hair as the younger girl let out a contented hum. “Hugs are certainly a good thing,” she agreed, knowing that there was nothing that could ground Anne better after her nightmares than being in someone’s arms. After another moment’s thought, she continued Anne’s list with “Being able to watch out for you all. Feeling part of a family. Cathy falling asleep on my lap, Kat letting me do her hair, watching documentaries with Anna, early morning conversations with Catherine.”

“You missed me out,” Anne interrupted when Jane paused for a split second.

“I’m not finished yet,” she scolded lightly, drawing Anne’s hair away from her eyes as she looked up at her through wide eyes. “I was going to say how we’ve been able to get to know each other as friends without anyone pitting us against each other this time.”

Anne was silent for a few seconds after Jane spoke, and for a moment she wondered if she’d made a mistake in bringing up their past rift. It had made building a friendship difficult in the first while after reincarnation, and while they were far beyond it now it was still something that plagued Jane whenever she had a sleepless night.

But then Anne met Jane’s eyes with a truly genuine smile and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s definitely a good one,” she said, resting her head on Jane’s chest and relaxing into her into her embrace.

They both fell into a comfortable silence then, Jane continuing to run her fingers through Anne’s hair as the sky darkened above them. She was starting to wonder if Anne was falling asleep in her arms when she suddenly shivered against the late evening chill, and Jane chuckled as she said “I thought you were falling asleep there.”

“I’m allowed to, you’re comfy,” Anne’s muffled voice sounded, and Jane could practically feel Anne’s laughter as she added “You’re mum shaped.”

Jane laughed softly at that. It was far from the first time Anne had made that joke; it had first appeared back when Kat’s maternal relationship with Jane was strengthening and then again when she’d first comforted Anne through her trauma-related anxiety and nightmares. It was Anne’s way of telling Jane how she thought of her as Kat did while keeping it light-hearted since talking about emotions was sometimes too overwhelming for her.

Anne was quiet again after that, settling back down against Jane’s chest. Even though it was starting to get cold Jane didn’t have the heart to rouse her yet, content with letting her stay in her arms as she glanced upwards at the sky. The first stars were beginning to appear above them, leading Jane to wonder if perhaps Edward and Elizabeth were looking down on them from high above.

She could only hope. And maybe, just maybe, that was enough.

[firexfate]

the black sparrow || reign

♔ nine ~ strange occurances ♔

“You have been found guilty of treason, Count Sokolov for conspiring against the crown. How do you plead?” One of the Tsar’s advisors was reading out a document, before looking at the man before them, chained and held back by a few guards. Alisa felt her heart clench at the sight of the man, who was bleeding profusely on the floor. He was bruised and was twitching and grunting in pain. Anyone could tell that this man has been in the torture chambers, which is what the Tsar ordered before having him executed. The man said nothing, unable to utter a coherent sentence with him suffering. 

“His silence speaks for all of us.” The Tsar’s voice thundered throughout the hall. “He shall be condemned to death.” The guards holding him bowed low, proceeding to drag the man out of the room. 

“Wait,” Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich turned around to his daughter, a cold smile unfurling over his face, “Come, Alisochka.” Alisa swallowed, as she picked up the skirts of her dress and walked towards her father, curtsying low before him. Her whole body began to tremble. Ivan took out his sword and beckoned her forward. 

“My father gave this to me around your age. I was twelve,” He smiled faintly at the memory, “He told me to use this in the direst circumstances. This is fairly dire, wouldn't you agree? A treasonous act as this should not go unpunished. Am I wrong?” His voice became deadly as it dropped to a whisper. Alisa swallowed hard, frightened, before shaking her head.

“N-No, sire.” Ivan nodded. 

“I am glad you see reason.” He handed the sword to her. “Kill him.” The whole hall went dead silent. No one gasped. Everyone knew better than to defy the mad Tsar. Alisa drew in a shaking breath, as she took the sword fingering it. She was terrified. She never killed anyone in her life before. How could her father be so cruel and ordering her to kill him? As if reading her thoughts, Ivan leaned forward close to his daughter, a hand on her shoulder. Alisa bit her lip as he did so; he was squeezing her shoulder blade so tight, it was painful. 

“He is a traitor to the Almighty Empire. A threat to my rule. You will be the next Tsaritsa of Russia, Alisa. You want to be a good Queen now, do you?” His tone turned darker with every word. His eyes were almost black. Alisa nodded, her whole form shaking. 

“Y-Yes, sire.” 

“Then, get rid of this scum and let him bleed to death on the floor as a reminder to anyone who dares try to do something of this nature.” Alisa took the sword in her hands, clutching the hilt of the sword, as she walked up to the men. She prepared to strike him, pausing for a moment, turning to look at her father. The familiar prickling, burning sensation of tears. Ivan relaxed in his seat nodding once. 

“You know what to do. Don’t disappoint me.” Alisa knew all too well what that meant. If she did not do as he asked, he would abuse her, beat her until she had a bruise and bled, as punishment. She turned around to face the man, shutting her eyes once. 

“Please God, forgive me.” She stabbed the man fatally in the stomach, a bloodcurdling scream of agony breaking through her lips. 

Alisa shot up from her bed, gasping for breath. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, rocking herself back and forth, burying her face in between her legs, trying to breathe. Every single time, the dreams of her father and her life in the Russian Court plagued her. Every nightmare was worse than the ones she had before. She wished they would go away, but they did not. Alisa raised her head up, taking a gulp of air, as she tried to calm herself. The sun was just about to rise, and the sky seemed to be clear. Outside, a few birds were chirping their usual wake-up call. Alisa managed to drag herself out of bed and slip out of her chambers. She did not know exactly where she was going, her mind was in a complete daze as she walked. But somehow, her body knew exactly where she wanted to be at the moment, as she paused in front of Francis’s room. She knocked on the door shakily. 

“Enter.” Francis’s voice was inviting and very much awake. Alisa opened the door and walked inside. She let out a breath of relief as she saw him; she departed to her chambers early that night and did not even encounter him after his triumph over Tomás. She approached him slowly with a slight smile. 

“They told me you came back without a scratch last night. Are you alright?” Francis smiled warmly. 

“Thanks to you. You saved Miguel from a terrible fate. Mary told me everything that has happened when you left for your room.” 

“And you saved Mary’s life, by killing Tomás.” Alisa reminded him quietly. 

“It was a teamed effort, and I am glad it was,” Francis told her, “The two of us accomplished a good thing together, and I want more of that in the future when we rule side by side as King and Queen, working together.” The young Tsaritsa nodded once, before looking down. Francis managed to catch her bottom lip quivering violently. “Alisa?” He pressed his hands on her arms to get her attention and realized just how much she was shaking. “What’s wrong?” He gently tilted her chin up, watching her closely. Alisa swallowed a lump down her throat. 

“It’s a nightmare.” She barely whispered the words. “I have them every night. They won’t stop, Francis. They just won’t stop.” Francis cupped her face in his hands, stroking his cheek, his face overcome with worry. 

“It’s gone,” He murmured, “The nightmare that you had is gone.” Alisa shook her head slightly, tears that she has been holding back beginning to fall. 

“They happen every single time I close my eyes, it’s all I see,” Her voice began to crack, “I am back there, in Moscow again.” Francis was appalled at the way she spoke. He never has seen her like this, so broken, so helpless. She always spoke with a fondness about her room, he never imagined that it would be the place of her nightmares. It broke his heart and angered him, knowing that she was hurt so much like this. She did not deserve any of this. 

“Idi ko mne.” (Come here). He spoke in her native tongue, pulling her close. He sank his hand in her dark strands, wrapping his strong arm around her waist. Alisa clutched onto him, her body pressed against him, seeking his warmth. She tried to fight it, but a loud sob rippled through her, and she hid her face in Francis’s shoulder. He began rocking her from side to side gently. “My God,” He whispered, tightening his grip upon her, “What did the Russian Court do to you?” Even when Alisa managed to retain control over herself, she could not pull away from him. Francis pressed soothing kisses on the top of her head. “I will never let anyone hurt you ever again. I will protect you with my life.” Alisa looked up at him, letting a small smile cross her lips. 

“I-I know. I feel safe with you.” She reached her hand to touch his cheek. “You are the only good thing that happened to me.” Francis kissed her palm multiple times lovingly. 

“I love you.” He told her softly, pulling away, simply taking her hand and guiding her to the bed. 

“What are you doing?” Alisa asked, but obliged, getting into the bed. Francis laid down beside her, tucking her in, pulling her close, so her back was pressed against his chest. 

“You need some more sleep. I will fight off bad dreams for you.” Alisa let out a shaky breath. 

“I don’t want to see---” Francis stroked her hair, his lips pressed near her ear. 

“Shhh.” He murmured quietly, kissing her lobe. “Don’t worry.” He let a small smile rest on his face in spite of the situation. “Just think in two days time, we will be married.” Alisa’s eyes widened and she turned to face him, with a soft gasp. 

“Two days?” She repeated in shock. Francis chuckled with a nod. 

“No one told me it was in two days!” She stressed. 

“Mother wanted to, but I wanted to be the one to tell you. You are going to be my wife.” Francis’s arms wrapped around her again, rubbing her shoulder. “And we will have two whole months to ourselves.” Alisa smiled serenely at that. 

“I want to take you to Kyiv. It is such a beautiful city in Poland. We own a palace there.” 

“And I would love to do that, as well. Now, that I am a Russian speaker.” He grinned a little, causing her to giggle. He sighed. “I will take you to Paris. And we will spend our days in the Louvre palace.” 

“Will we dance in the night?” Alisa whispered, beginning to feel a little drowsy as she rested her head against his warm chest. 

“Of course, my love. Get some sleep now and dream of Paris, just you and I.” Alisa smiled as she closed her eyes again, letting the darkness take over her. For the first time, her horrors were replaced with good dreams, of her and Francis dancing under the stars in the Louvre Palace. 

♖♖♖

The following two days were the craziest ones, Alisa ever imagined. Granted the wedding planning was done for her, by King Henry and Queen Catherine, but there was still quite a lot of work to be done. Alisa and Francis could not see each other until the evening while they were preparing for the wedding. It was a sign of bad luck to see the groom before the wedding. Of course, Francis argued that he did not believe in such superstition, but Catherine disregarded his comments and sent him away. She fussed over Alisa, as did Katya, Natasha, and the other servants, making sure everything was perfect. The only problem was that Aaliyah was nowhere to be found. She was missing for a few days, and Alisa grew increasingly worried. However, this happened before; Aaliyah would disappear for a few days but return. This happened in Moscow, as well as France. Still, Alisa could not help but feel worried, but she tried to push the thought to the side. It was hours before the wedding, after all, and everything was going to be perfect. 

As Alisa’s new corset was being tied around her waist, (where she tried not to yelp in pain) the door swung open and a very flustered Aaliyah burst in. Everyone turned to look at her, a little startled. Catherine was not the least bit amused. 

“Good heavens, Lady Aaliyah, where have you been? Do you realize that it is nearly time for Alisa and Francis to be wed?” She demanded. Aaliyah barely heard what she said. Her eyes fell upon Alisa, as she rushed over to her. Her face was a mess, her eyes had dark-circles in them. She looked dreadful. 

“Alisa, I need your help.” She whispered urgently. Alisa’s eyes locked on hers strangely. 

“What happened?” She asked calmly, lifting a hand, causing Katya to stop fixing the corset and listen to her distraught friend. 

“It’s Bash... I can’t find him anywhere. The guards told me that he was not in the castle, and I left to find him. I looked in the village, beyond the castle walls. I can’t find him.” She whispered frantically. Alisa’s eyes filled with concern. 

“Bash will be back. I am sure of it. It’s not the first time he left. He has always gone to the Bloodwood, left for an adventure.” She told Aaliyah assuringly, who shook her head at that. 

“No, you don’t understand. He is gone, and I am worried for good,” She walked up closer to Alisa, dropping onto her knees before her, “He left with Mary, and it has been days since he had returned. Since they both have. Please, I am begging you, please help me.” She was close to tears. Alisa did not say anything for a moment, before turning to Natasha. 

“Untie me and hand me my dress.” Everyone looked at one another, before turning to the Tsaritsa in shock. 

“Alisa, we don’t have time, we have to get you ready---” Katya began exasperatedly. 

“For the wedding, I know.” Alisa interrupted, already heading towards her wardrobe and changing. “But this is far more important. If Bash is with Mary, I have to find them both and demand an answer. Why would the two of them escape France together?” She came out, fully dressed in her usual garments. “Besides, I fear that if we do not find the two of them soon, this will prove to be problematic. I have to find Francis.” She turned to Aaliyah. “Tell him to meet me in the garden.” Aaliyah nodded, murmuring her gratitude under her breath, as she rushed out of the room. 

“You can’t!” Catherine sputtered, shaking her head at the young Queen, walking towards her. “My dear, your wedding is in three hours, seeing him now will prove to bring bad tidings in the future.” Alisa sighed deeply. 

“I must. He knows Bash better than anyone. He would be the only one to find him. I am afraid the wedding will have to be postponed until we sort this out. And Henry will agree to this. He loves Bash more than his other sons.” Alisa smiled a little, before walking out of the room after Aaliyah. She rushed downstairs, heading outside. Within no time at all, she saw Francis and Aaliyah heading to meet her. 

“I have just heard what happened.” He took Alisa’s hand as he entered. “Bash and Mary are gone, and nobody saw them.” Alisa nodded. 

“I know this seems absolutely ridiculous, but I worry for Bash. Mary is absolutely unpredictable, and no matter, how many times we tell ourselves that she has changed, I just have a bad feeling about her, and I don’t trust her.” Alisa confessed. Francis sighed. 

“I suppose we should find them, and once we are certain that everything is perfectly fine, we can continue on with our wedding.” Francis decided, before turning to Aaliyah. “Ask one of the guards to prepare my horse.” 

“And mine as well,” Aaliyah nodded and rushed out, as Alisa met Francis’s surprised face, “Don’t look so shocked. If you are going to find them, then, I will come with you. Bash is not just your brother. He is the man that Aaliyah loves, and by God’s name, I will give him a piece of my mind.” 

♖♖♖

The two had ridden for a long while without stopping for a break. Every moment that passed, Francis was getting more and more concerned. He had no idea what was Mary’s plan in all this, and he was getting frustrated. Alisa, in the meantime, could not help but wonder why would Bash agree to her demands. Was he so besotted with her that he felt the urge to run away? Bash was in love with Aaliyah, Alisa was sure of it. Even if he showed a very poor job at showing it, the Tsaritsa had faith in him. 

“We are running out of time.” Francis quietly spoke, breaking away her thoughts. “I am starting to think that the two are not even in France anymore.” Alisa frowned softly. 

“Bash is a traveler, but why would he go with Mary? This day just keeps getting more and more uncanny.” Alisa murmured slightly to herself. She sighed, smiling ever so slightly, “To think we escaped our very own wedding for this. It’s not even bringing us anywhere.” Francis chuckled. 

“True,” He murmured before he gazed around the woods, “Let us try going to the neighboring village. Perhaps, they have taken refuge there.” Alisa sighed and nodded. 

“If nothing, we shall go back home.” She conceded, before picking up the reins of her horse. A small and mischievous smile broke through her lips. “I’ll race you.” Before Francis had a chance to respond, she squeezed her horse gently, kicking her lightly, before breaking off into an easy canter. Francis gazed at her for a moment, before smiling widely and going after her. Alisa closed her eyes, beginning to laugh breathlessly as she raced against him. The young Russian woman had a wild and free spirit swirling around her, and she loved the thrill that she was feeling. For a brief moment, the two forgot the whole world, their troubles, French Court, Mary, everything, as they galloped. Once they have reached the village, Alisa opened her eyes, her laugh fusing with Francis’s. The two paused their horses to catch their breath. “Amazing.” Alisa managed to breath out. Francis moved his horse slightly, so he would be closer to her. Holding his reins with one hand, he let his knuckles graze down his fiance’s cheek. 

“You never cease to enchant me, Alisa.” He murmured. Alisa watched him, beginning to smile softly, closing her eyes at his touch and catching his hand on the side of her face, kissing it. 

“I’m so glad I chose to come to French Court.” She whispered. Francis smiled at her gently. 

“Best idea you have ever had.” He consented with a little laugh. They moved to go deeper into the village, before they heard footsteps. Francis’s hand instinctively went on his sword, as Alisa very visibly tensed. They both relaxed as they saw it was Aaliyah, rushing towards them. She was flushed and anxious. 

“The guards found Mary and Bash,” She bit her lip, “They were together in an abandoned house. King Henry had Bash thrown in prison, while he is about to question Mary. You need to come and witness this.” Alisa looked over at Francis, who felt his jaw tighten. He knew whatever would go down would not end well. Alisa could not stand watching the conflicting pain in his eyes, and she reached her hand to touch his. 

“Francis,” He looked up at her, “It will be alright. I will be standing by your side. We will be together, no matter what Mary decides to throw at us.” Francis nodded quietly, his worries numbed slightly, and he squeezed his hand before pulling back. 

“Lead the way, Aaliyah.” He ordered her quietly. Aaliyah nodded firmly, turning her head and kicking her horse. Francis and Alisa galloped after her, all the while wondering what was going to happen. Alisa was right; today was certainly a day of strange occurrences.

A/N: hello, hello, hello, my lovelies! i am so sorry this is all very late, ugh. but i am inspired very much to continue this. and lots of shit is going to go down, very fair warning. i will be working on the next chapter, it will just take a bit until i post again. i love you all, thank you for reading! ❤️😘