#no overcrowded inbox actually almost never anything in the inbox

[tsuyu-season]

So uhhh, if anyone wants to infodump or just talk about something they're super exited about, my inbox is p much always open and anon is on (until someone would give me a reason to turn it off) So feel free to go ahead!

Just, please, no gore or body horror!

[dreamcatcherfication]

The Queens of London Part 5 - I Can’t Breathe and I Can’t Smile

This chapter is... disappointing. I really wanted to get it out today, but I couldn’t find the will to write it. I hope it’s still good and you all still enjoy it, but there’s a lot less effort behind it than previous ones. Don’t worry! The plot hasn’t changed and everything’s already planned out, but this chapter was just harder to write than the rest. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Sorry for any spelling/grammatical errors, it’s raining and I’m the itsy bitsy spider.

Writing Masterpost

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

Prompts | More Prompts | The Trifecta of Prompts | Original Prompts

Trigger Warnings: Allusions to sexual abuse, unwanted sexual advances, almost having an anxiety attack

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

It was the night of the party and Kat would be lying if she said she was prepared. All the other queens and ladies were cool and collected, but she could feel all her internal anxieties coming to the surface. Kat didn’t know what she was doing, she had never been to an actual party (unless you counted failed high school Halloween bashes). This was a huge leap Kat was taking with tons of risks, and it was finally setting in how hopelessly unprepared she was.

Standing in front of her mirror, the mix of guilt Kat was feeling about her suit didn’t help to quell her anxiety. It fit perfectly and was absolutely stunning on her, but it was also the most expensive thing she had ever worn. Kat felt dirty with the suit on. It was meant for Katherine Brandon, not Katherine Howard. But she was about to go through with this insane plot to infiltrate Henry’s party and there was no backing out.

There was a knock at her door. “Coming!” Kat called, flexing her fingers. On the other side of the door was Anne, the only person who actually knew where Kat lived. She had agreed to pick her up and take her to Henry’s party so no one would suspect anything from Kat.

Anne had a small bag slung across her chest, her dress just as dazzling as Kat remembered. The bar owner was on her phone, casually texting someone. She glanced up when Kat opened the door and grinned. “Talking with Maggie about tonight,” she explained when Kat’s eyes landed on the phone. “She and the other ladies are going to be in contact with Cathy the whole time, in case something goes wrong.”

“You mean in case I fail,” Kat mumbled, her breathing picking up slightly.

Putting away her phone, Anne wrapped an arm around Kat. “No Kat, don’t think like that. You’re perfectly capable of doing your job. You’re small and basically invisible, you’ll get it done. I have faith in you.”

Kat couldn’t help but feel like that faith was misplaced, but she gave Anne a forced smile and kept her mouth shut. Anne led Kat to her fancy car, some brand Kat couldn’t even identify, and slid into the driver’s seat. “When we get there, everyone’s going to meet before we split up. You get in and out as quickly as you can, okay?”

“Okay,” Kat nodded, staring straight ahead.

“Kat,” Anne leaned towards her cousin, making Kat look her in the eyes. “Promise me that you’ll stay safe. Promise.”

Shivering at Anne’s low tone, Kat set her face. “I promise.”

Satisfied with Kat’s answer, Anne put the car into drive. The two cousins were silent during the entire ride, both of them too nervous to speak. There was a lot weighing on tonight and they were acutely aware of that.

Henry’s house wasn’t just some house, it was a mansion, Kat noted. One of the biggest ones she had seen. It reminded her of a castle, if she was being honest, with its high walls and intimidating gates. Her task of finding his office seemed ten times more daunting even before stepping inside the palace. “Boleyn! Kat!” A voice called out from behind them when they stepped out of the car.

Anna was leaning against the gate, her hands in her suit pockets. The suit was red with black highlights down the side. She had high heels that made her seem like a giant and a thin top beneath her blazer. Kat wasn’t sure if Anna was competing to see who would get more attention between her and Anne, but that’s what it seemed like with the extreme effort she clearly put into both of the outfits. “Anna,” Kat’s cousin acknowledged, “Where are the others?”

“Right here,” Jane answered, walking up with Cathy at her side. Just like Anna, Cathy was breathtaking in her suit. The blue complimented her skin like no other color, and it made her curly hair stand out even more. Kat simply couldn’t understand how Anna and Bessie had been able to come up with these outfits.

From the other side of the street, Aragon walked over to the group, her dress sashaying behind her. “Now that we’re all here,” Aragon started, “we can go over last minute details.”

“Yes,” Cathy reached her hand into the center of the queens and opened it, revealing a small earpiece. “Maria got me an earpiece so I could talk with the ladies. There’s only one, so come to me if you need help. If something goes wrong, don’t hesitate to call for help, you are not at this alone,” she spoke the last part while looking directly at Kat. The others pretended like they didn’t notice, but it was clear they had.

Furrowing her eyebrows with determination, Kat stepped forward. “Do we have any idea where his office is? His palace is gigantic, I won’t be able to find it without direction.”

Jane answered her. “It’s in the west wing. Second floor, third room. It has a golden handle.” At the strange faces of the others, she explained, “He and I have a good relationship, remember? I’ve been to his home more than once.”

Accepting the explanation, Aragon broke from the group. “Jane, Anna, and I will go in together. You three,” she addressed Anne, Kat, and Cathy, “will wait before coming in at different times.”

“You got it. Now shoo, be Aragone,” Anne smirked. Jane laughed at the pun while Aragon shot Anne a threatening glare. With that, the three women entered the gates, disappearing to the party.

Glancing at Kat out of the corner of her eye, Anne tried to be discreet with watching her cousin. It wasn’t working, and Kat knew what she was doing, but neither of them said anything. “Kat,” Cathy ran a hand through her hair, “I want you to come to me immediately if something happens.”

“Why?” It wasn’t that Cathy was cold towards her, she just wasn’t the most open of the other queens. Kat didn’t really expect Cathy to offer herself as a person to seek out.

“I have the earpiece to the other ladies, and we both have similar jobs. You’re putting yourself in a lot of danger, and I’m thankful that you’re willing to do that. But if you need to get away quickly, I’m your best bet,” Cathy stated. “And I’ll help you, no questions asked.”

Suddenly feeling the effects of her nerves returning, Kat awkwardly swallowed. “Yeah, will do. Um, let’s go inside now.”

Kat had no idea how she had managed to escape from the prying eyes of models and politicians all situated in the main hall. The palace was even bigger on the inside than Kat imagined, and she was having trouble navigating around. There were so many different sets of stairs that she wasn’t sure if she was on the second floor or the eighth. Regardless, Kat walked along the quiet hall, counting doors.

For an overcrowded party, no one seemed to be wandering around the palace but her. Everyone was in the same room, and the hall Kat traversed was completely deserted. Stopping in front of the third door, Kat stared at the golden handles. This was it. This had to be it, right? Reaching her hand out, Kat turned the knob and closed her eyes,

“Excuse me darling, what are you doing all the way out here?” Jumping back, Kat scrambled away from the door. She put on a fake beam and turned to face the man who called out to her. He was tall and had a scruffy beard, his body so big he seemed to take up the entire hallway. This was Henry Tudor, Kat was sure of it. She had seen a few photos of him before, but they were all far more flattering than this version of him.

“Uh, I uh, I was looking for the bathroom,” Kat giggled, pretending to be tipsy. “I kept walking and I thought this was it!”

Noticing Kat’s vulnerable state, Henry started taking steps closer. “Well dear,” he lowered his voice, “I could show you the bathroom if you like.”

Fear trickled down Kat’s spine like a spider crawling over her skin. “N-no thank you! I should be back to the party.” 

Henry blocked her way, his teeth flashing dangerously. “But you should use the bathroom if you need it,” he pushed, trapping Kat.

“It was all in my head,” Kat pretended to laugh as if she was drunk, praying it would convince Henry. “I just want to go back to the party now.”

“Well let me escort you,” Henry put his arm on Kat’s shoulder.

She froze, remembering the times Francis had done the same to her. The times that the men before him had - “Henry, what are you doing?” A familiar voice asked. Jane was standing behind Henry, her arms crossed and an unimpressed eyebrow raised. “This poor girl’s trying to get back to the party, let her go.”

Glaring at Jane, Henry released his hold on Kat, allowing her to scamper off. As Kat passed Jane, the woman offered her a short wink that Henry wouldn’t notice. As she left the hallway, Aragon passed Kat. One look at the girl and Aragon was marching down the hall to help Jane. She called behind her “Go find Cathy, get ready to leave. If Henry saw you and Jane together, he’s going to put the pieces together. Now go.”

Moving faster, Kat reentered the main hall. Swiveling her head back and forth, she pushed through throngs of people in search of Cathy. It was happening so quickly, she realized. Henry finding her before she even had the chance to investigate. Jane finding her and Aragon sending her to Cathy. It felt like they had only just gotten here and Kat had already ruined it. 

With so many people around her, Kat started to shrink into herself. Too many people, too many people, why were they all in the same room? She couldn’t see Anne, she couldn’t see Cathy, Jane and Aragon were with Henry, Anna was probably off having a great time. Kat almost ran directly into a wall as she emerged from the mosh pit of people. Steadying herself, Kat breathed in heavily, her chest tightening like a rope was tied around it. 

“Kat?” Cathy noticed her from beside a table filled with champagne. The writer had a notebook in her hand, but she slid it into her jacket as she approached Kat. “Hey, Kat, breath with me,” she whispered, grabbing the girl’s hands. Kat did as she was told, breathing in unison with Cathy’s controlled breaths. Once Kat’s breathing was stable, Cathy put a finger to her earpiece. “Yes, Kat’s here. Something must’ve gone wrong.”

“I’m sorry,” Kat whispered, “I’m so so sorry, this is all my fault.”

“Hey,” Cathy assured her, “This whole thing was a huge risk, and it’s not your fault something went wrong. We’ll have other opportunities. For now, we need to leave before Henry starts to figure things out. He’s smarter than he looks Kat,” she commented, pushing Kat around the wall of people. 

They emerged at the front door, quickly leaving the confused waiters behind as they tried to offer bottles of alcohol. “Where are the others?” Kat asked Cathy.

“Anne’s in the thick of it, there’s no way of getting to her until she decides to leave,” Cathy explained. “I’ll shoot her a text and she’ll join us afterwards. Cleves was on standby to be our driver, and she should be waiting for us if the ladies managed to contact her. The ladies are at the theatre, so we’ll join them.”

True to Cathy’s words, Anna was waiting in her car. “I can’t believe you made me leave so early when everyone’s eyes were on me,” Anna complained without any real frustration. “Get in, we should leave now,” she spoke seriously. “The ladies said they’d get Aragon, Jane, and Anne to the theatre as quickly as possible, but their covers aren’t blown yet.” Cathy got in the passenger seat while Kat climbed into the back.

Covering her face with her hands, Kat did her best to quiet her breathing. She had messed this up for them. They had been planning this for so long and she had messed it up right off the bat. She should’ve known better than to try and get involved with them. She was only a burden on them, a hindrance.

She didn’t belong with the queens.

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