#titles of Catherine Parr

[tudorqueen6]

The Name Game: the title of “Lady”

The mother of Anne Boleyn is often referred to as “Lady Elizabeth Howard”. That’s NOT correct! Why? In those times, if your name was “Lady Elizabeth Howard”, you would have been the wife of a knight with the surname Howard. Elizabeth Boleyn’s mother, born Elizabeth Tilney, was married to Thomas Howard in 1472. At that time, she simply took on the surname Howard. In 1478, Thomas was knighted and…

[pruneunfair]

Manhwa characters X Henry VIII and the six wives crossover.

of course this isn't going to line up with the real history, they'll simply be put into the roles they suit best and alternations will be made based on source material and their personalities

Henry VIII-Ceasre de como

He was never meant to inherit the throne until his brother unexpectedly passed away. The infamous bastard son who was the true cause of prince Alfonsos death believed to be a tragic result of illness. He framed the crime of poisoning the king on his mistress Ariande de mare and marries his late brothers widow as his first wife Isabella de Mare who has only been able to have one child: a girl, Princess Giovanna. Over the course of his life, King Ceasre marries a total of 6 different women and has only had 3 legitimate heirs throughout his life. During his reign, he ignited the fear and hatred of his people through execution after execution, some of the most infamous being 2 of his 6 wives. It was said that on his death bed, all the women he betrayed had haunted him, with the ringleader being his first love, Ariande de Mare

Catherine of Aragon-Isabella de Mare

Ceasres first wife, Ariandes sister and widow to prince Alfonso. After marrying for a second time small problems erupt from the queen being known as "tainted" for being another kings wife. To mediate the anger, Isabella starts to take religion even more seriously then she did in the past making herself out as a saint who redeemed herself of her sins, the public is unaware she cares very little for the death of her sister. The queen is aware of her husband's concubines and doesn't mind as she knows he would grow bored of her... until Ceasre finds a woman he can't yet have.. so she schemes to stay on the throne. She didn't help orchestrate her sisters death just so Ceasre can go as far as to violate parliament to marry another woman.

She is not remembered so fondly though after her death.

Anne Boleyn- Aria Roscent:

a common woman adopted into the house of Roscent, despite that fact she has become the talk of the town for her beauty and sharp tongue. Aria was planning on marrying her true love Oscar Frederick until she met the king who wanted her as his mistress more than anything, she tried to turn him down the best she could without facing execution, ultimately coming up with a excuse that she'd only be with Ceasre if she became the queen. To which Ceasre happily does much to the anger of queen Isabella who never would've have guessed it would be a random noblewoman instead of Ceasres favorites. Isabella fights back with the pope on her side using the argument the remarriage is reserved only those who have been widowed, this proves to be Isabellas undoing however when Ceasre shoots back with the revelation that the queen had killed her little sister years back and she would do the same to Princess Giovanna if she stayed. The divorce also leads to Ceasre founding his own church and new rules of religion so no pesky pope will stop him in the future, he marries Aria for only 3 years, during those 3 years Aria gave birth to a girl and named her Arabella to spite the former queen but her happiness is shortlived once Ceasre gets tired of her and executes her on crimes of witchcraft and attempted poisoning of his sister in law, Mielle.

Jane Seymour-Jennette Margarita

The 3rd wife Ceasre married quickly after the execution of Queen Aria. Despite her gentle care and kind attitude, the populace despised Jennette for replacing Aria as queen. Jennette is more obedient than the last two queens, going by a motto of "bound to obey and serve." So it's not surprise that Ceasre chose her to be the lucky wife to bear San Carlos desired prince. The relationship with her step-sisters isn't great either. Giovanna wants nothing to do with anymore step-moms after what happened to her mother and Arabella is still too young to even comprehend what happend to her own mother, leaving Jennette alone with the hope of her unborn child being a boy that could save her from execution. Much to Ceasres joy, Jennette does give birth to a prince Leo, but unfortunately the 3rd queen passes away just 11 days later from child bed fever.

Anne of Cleves-Adelaide Kotrov

A foreign princess from a neighboring kingdom. With a male heir finally secured, Ceasre is encouraged to marry for a political alliance, most princesses reject the offer after knowing what happened to Queen Aria but with the forceful hand of her mother, Adelaide of Kotrov is sent to become Ceasres 4th wife. The introduction doesn't go as well as planned, with Adelaide being visibly uncomfortable and annoyed with her husband's attitude. Since Ceasre can't execute a foreign noble, he never consummated the marriage and divorced Adelaide in only 6 months. Instead of becoming enemies though, Adelaide and Ceasre managed to get along just enough during those 6 months to be considered friends and Adelaide stayed in San Carlo with the reputation of the kings beloved sister. She lives her days with her lover Lionel as her true love and becomes the richest woman in all of San Carlo after Ceasre dies.

Catherine Howard- Rashta Ishka.

Ceasres 5th and youngest wife. A former slave who was saved by another Emperor and worked as a secretary for the Empress Navier. Rashta was never given a proper education so when the work turned out to be more than she could chew, Ceasre took the opportunity to take her with him to enjoy the luxuries of regal life and gave Rashta a title of Viscountess so the nobles of San Carlo wouldn't learn of her true origins. By the time they got married Ceasre was already considerably aged, his daughters have grown and Prince Leo had been getting smarter by the day. Giovanna treated her step-mom with indifference but Arabella and Leo took to their new mother well, giving Rashta a chance to heal from past traumas but her attitude can make it difficult at times as she holds grudges and doesnt easily let things go. Problems would inevitably arise , with unchecked trauma of her past, Ceasre only wanting a spare from her, pushing everyone else that could help her away, yet with her desire to feel seen at the same time. The queen gets coerced and manipulated by another man: Duke Ergi and he takes the chance to screw her over once he got what he wanted from her. Rashta was only queen for a little over a year when she was discovered to have been assaulted by one of her masters leading to a pregnancy no one knew of, and a previous fling she had with Emperor Sovieshu, combined with the rumors that she had cheated on the king, Rashta is beheaded for her crimes. Before her execution she ran after Ceasre, pleading her innocence while being pulled away.

Catherine Parr-Claudine Von Brandt

Ceasres 6th and final wife. Claudine had initially been with a few other lovers but all have either died or left her before the marriages could even happen. When she is told that she has to marry the king, Claudine naturally freaks out knowing the fates of the previous 5 wives who got divorced at best and lost their heads at worst. She learns to live her life with her aging tyrannical husband and becomes a wonderful stepmother to the kids, even Giovanna was willing to give her a chance and accept Claudine as her stepmother and queen of San Carlo after Claudine convinced Ceasre to reinsert his daughtes back into succession. There were a few close calls but Claudine survived her marriage and outlived Ceasre, but only for a year longer...

Mary I-Princess Giovanna

(There's no cannon design for Giovanna yet so I used Athy as a substitute)

The first princess born of King Ceasre and Queen Isabella. Out of all her parents failed pregnancies, Giovanna survived as a healthy child despite being a girl. Her parents treated her well enough until her father had the hots for Aria and divorced her mother. Even after learning the truth, Giovanna still considered Isabella the rightful queen even if she was left with a permanent uneasiness of her mom. For most of her time as princess afterwords, Giovanna is demoted to a lady to make room for Arias baby but despite that, Giovanna is a good big sister and doesn't blame Arabella for her mother's fate especially after the second princess is demoted to lady after Aria is executed. After her father dies, Giovanna went through hell to ensure she'd remain a queen and bring back the influence of the pope even if it means the death of the cousin used as a political pawn and the execution of just under 300 people. She dies without an heir only 5 years later.

Elizabeth I- princess Arabella

Second princess and daughter of King Ceasre and Queen Aria. Poor Arabella was already made a bastard after her mother's execution and lived her life neglected by her father and raised by her older sister. She was named after the 1st queens youngest sister and it's often noted that the princess looks an awful lot like the girl she was named after, almost like she was the reincarnated soul of Arabella de Mare. Her family life is full of nothing but troubles, even after her tyrannical father dies, she's still left in the whims of her sister as their relationship deteriorates when they got older. For years princess Arabella dodged death at every corner until Queen Giovanna passed away, giving rise for the queen no one suspected, Arabella I. She becomes the virgin queen of San Carlo, ending her father's bloodline and granting the right of heir to a cousin when she passes away as the final monarch of the house of de Como.

Edward VI- Leo IV

(Again, Leo doesn't have a design since he's an OC so young Ceasre will be a substitute)

The long sought after male heir Ceasre had been waiting for and the son of Queen Jennette, he takes after his father in terms of appearance too! As such Leo was raised differently then his sisters and was pushed to the bone since he was the only shot they had for a future king of the de Como bloodline. When Leo became king at the young age of 9, he was easily influenced by the adults and advisors in his life to control the country how they wanted to. He's just a kid and already the people think he'll just turn out to be like his father. Despite how much he loves his sisters, they disagree on religion and in an attempt to keep Giovanna from bringing back influence of the pope, he selects a cousin as his heir just before he dies young, he can finally meet the mother he's never known...

Other characters below:

Prince Arthur- Alfonso de Carlo

Jane Boleyn- Mielle Roscent

George Boleyn- Cain Roscent

Mary Boleyn- Larissa De Balloa

Thomas Culpeper- Duke Ergi

[period-dramallama]

Suzannah Dunn sure does love misleading titles

[inky-duchess]

Fantasy Guide to Regents and Regencies

A Regency is a period of time where another party rules of behalf of a monarch who is either too young, too ill or absent. A Regency can either be the monarch's own choice or a decision made for them on their behalf by a third part, usually government. Either way, a Regent is selected to act as temporary Head of State whilst the monarch is incapable of ruling.

Who can be a Regent?

A Regent is an important office, even though its a temporary one. Regencies of child monarchs generally either go to the Consort, though there are all sorts of reasons why this can be blocked. Sometimes governments and kingdoms are uncomfortable with foreign consorts with uncertain allegiances ruling the kingdom or sometimes the government just doesn't approve on the basis that they doubt the Consort's skill set. Other candidates for Regencies are nearly always family members such as uncles, aunts, cousins and even children of the monarch (especially if they are absent from the country or ill). But a Regent doesn't have to be a royal. They could just be a noble elected to the position (Sir William Marshall) or even one that siezes power for themselves (Richard of York) or even a council made up of Regents, headed by a Lord Protector.

Who makes a Regent?

As I mentioned before, monarchs can appoint the Regent that will replace them in certain cases. For instance, a monarch would chose the Regent if they were voluntarily leaving the country or they might designate a chosen Regent on their deathbed or just in case of emergency. But they wouldn't chose a Regent if they were ruled mentally incompetent. In those cases, the government would chose.

The Powers and Responsibilities of a Regent

A Regent is the acting head of state but they are not the monarch. They do not have the right to wear crowns or have a coronation and are not granted the hall pass of divine right. A Regent is referred to as their own title, say for example Duke of X, Regent of Y or Prince Regent. They are merely there to fill in for the monarch. A Regent would meet with the government, make decisions with the approval by government and sign offical documents. In cases of an absent monarch, a Regent may need the approval of the monarch themselves. Regents of child monarchs would usually include their charges in the country's running, either as spectator or student. A Regent, being temporary Head of State, would also have the responsibility of ensuring a natural cessation of their power to their monarch when their term is over. Some regents are better than others at handing over power.

Notable Regents of History

George IV, Richard III, Anne of Austria, Katheryn Parr, Richard of York, Margaret of York, Katherine of Aragon, Catherine de Medici, Louise of Savoy, Phillippe duc de Orléans, Edward Seymour Duke of Somerset, Sir William Marshall, John Duke of Bedford, Humphrey Duke of Gloucestershire, John Dudley Duke of Northumberland.

[fideidefenswhore]

so, coa was patron to provincial appearances as well but there are some interesting gaps...1517-1518 are her first, then 1520, then a gap of eight years (!) of none which seems to coincide with henry fitzroy's birth and ennoblement...another gap, then she continues to have them during the great matter, one twice a year (in 1530) which was unusual for her, her last in 1531, the year of her exile (make sense)...

anne boleyn made large use of them (unsurprising, she had an uphill battle in reinforcing her legitimacy as queen to the public), from the year of her coronation onwards... five appearances in 1533 alone (in exeter, worcester, cambridge, crowle 2x), one in 1534, two in 1535...

"David Starkey writes that Anne ‘wanted to make sure her title as queen would be unimpeachable’. Henry, Anne, and her faction realized Katherine’s popularity with the commons [...] ; the ceremonies surrounding her formal entry into London and her coronation were designed to exceed and overshadow any celebrations connected with Katherine — in other words, to advertise Anne’s status as the rightful queen. So perhaps it is not mere coincidence that the Exeter records identify a troupe as Queen Anne Boleyn’s minstrels in 1533, the year of her coronation, and birth of the future Elizabeth I.

Anne [...] seems to have appropriated Katherine’s entertainers, as well as John and William Slye from Princess (now Lady) Mary’s defunct troupe. Queen Anne’s players also appear in records from Worcester in 1533, and from Cambridge, and Crowle, Worcestershire, where they performed twice. In just this one year, records published to date indicate that provincial appearances by Anne’s performers equal the total number of such appearances by Queen Katherine’s performers over her entire twenty-four years as Henry’s queen. Anne’s performers continued to tour under her name for the following two years, appearing in records from Battenhall, Worcestershire in 1534, and from Dover in 1535. Might it be that Anne believed it prudent to advertise her status as queen while the popular ex-queen was still alive in ‘retirement’ fifty miles from London at Kimbolton? It does seem probable that Queen Anne used drama, as did Thomas Cromwell and the earl of Oxford, as a means to propagandize [religious] reforms and the break with Rome."

Advertising Status and Legitimacy: or, Why Did Henry VIII’s Queens and Children Patronize Travelling Performers?, James H. Forse

jane seymour, of comparable frequency, although not to as great an extent as anne's first year as queen (three, in 1536), none for anne of cleves, katherine howard one performance for each year as queen...

"During Christmas celebrations in 1540, her players entertained the court with a play named Godly Queen Hester. Several scholars believe the play was meant as an allegory, paralleling the biblical queen Esther, her sponsor and relative Mordecai, and their roles in the downfall of the evil minister Haman with Queen Catherine Howard, her uncle Norfolk, and the downfall of Thomas Cromwell."

Advertising Status and Legitimacy: or, Why Did Henry VIII’s Queens and Children Patronize Travelling Performers?, James H. Forse

katherine parr one for each year as queen except then four for 1547 alone, interesting (trying to promote herself for what she believed was likelihood of regency, maybe?), until widowed:

"Possibly because of these uncertainties at court, and her Protestant sympathies, Queen Catherine’s entertainers were as active in the provinces as had been those of Anne Boleyn. Their presence in the provinces is recorded every year during her tenure as queen consort — in accounts from Canterbury (1543), Cambridge (1544), Dover (1545 and 1547), Maldon, Essex (1546 and 1547), Norwich (1546), and Bristol (1547). Given the fact that Henry gave her free reign in 1544 in reorganizing her household, it seems plausible that Catherine herself may have sent her players out to promote her status, and possibly also Protestant reforms. Catherine was a patron of Nicholas Udall, who wrote two anti-papal plays, Ezechias and De Papatu. She could have been following the examples of Queen Anne Boleyn, the earl of Oxford, and Thomas Cromwell, whom we know were connected to an acting company led by John Bale that performed pro-Protestant plays about the kingdom. We get a hint that such might be the case from the Norwich records, which indicate a reward to her players ‘for an interlude whose matter was the market of mischief’. This interlude might have dramatized Thomas Cromwell’s exposé of the Rood from Boxley Abbey in 1538, when, in marketplaces in Maidstone and London, he revealed the hidden machinery that made the lips of the idol move."

Advertising Status and Legitimacy: or, Why Did Henry VIII’s Queens and Children Patronize Travelling Performers?, James H. Forse

on to henry viii's children...in the next installment.

[justalittlerandomartist]

FOURMAN HIGH X SIX LETS GO LOSERS

yall read the title. heres the character list

Katherine Howard- Zig 

Jane Seymour - Anna

Henry - Alice

Catherine of Aragon - Peggy

Anne of Cleves - Justin

Catherine Parr -  Lissy

Anne Boleyn - Vickette

The one with zig is in progress i actually started it yesterday lol

[racefortheironthrone]

Would Henry VIII have seen himself as a Protestant? Or did he see himself as more of a Catholic, but a Catholic who, as king, shouldn’t have to submit to the Vatican? Why did Elizabeth complete England’s transition to Protestantism rather than trying to reconcile with the Pope as her sister Mary did?

This is a very tricky question for a couple reasons:

First, we're talking about the psychology of an individual, and that's always extremely difficult to pin down unless they left behind a lot of diaries and letters and similar interior sources. (This is one of the reasons why psychological history has really waned, now that Freudianism is no longer popular.)

Second, Henry VIII was always something of a moving target, in no small part because he was often very open to influence depending on who was around him and how he felt about them at the time.

When it comes to religion, I would say that Henry VIII tended to see himself as a Catholic monarch who was having a political dispute with the Pope but who was ultimately just trying to do his Christian duty. I say tended, because when Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell were high in his favor, they would essentially file off the serial numbers on William Tyndale and Marsilius of Padua to proselytize to the king, and Henry did kind of vibe with the anti-clericalism (in no small part because it justified what he wanted to with regards to his marriage and the monestaries).

(At the same time, Henry did not like Luther or Lutherans, and the term Protestant was only in usage starting in 1529 and really only referred to a small group of German princes. The people we would call Protestants today at the time called themselves "evangelicals." And Henry never quite was willing to call himself one of those.)

However, as I've written, Henry's pendulum started swinging back the other way after he had Anne executed in 1536 and then Cromwell in 1540. As a result, you see Cranmer's Protestant faction gradually losing control of the religious settlement - compare the Ten Articles of 1536 (which were half-Lutheran and half-Catholic, which is sort of the very definition of Anglicanism) to the Six Articles of 1539 (which were pretty uniformly Catholic in their outlook) - to Norfolk and Gardiner's Catholic faction.

On the other hand, Henry never fully purged the Protestants from his government or his court: he kept Cranmer around despite disagreeing with most of his religious views, the Seymours, for example, only grew in power in this period despite favoring the new religion, etc. After the failed attempt to purge Catherine Parr, Henry turned against Gardiner (who lost his position as Councilor and was written out of Henry's will) and Norfolk (who was sent to the Tower along with his son, was attainted and stripped of his lands and titles, and only narrowly avoided execution at Henry's orders).

As to why Elizabeth did what she did with England's religious settlement, that's way too big a topic to cover here as a mere addition to a post about her father, so I recommend sending in a separate ask on that topic.

[schnitzelsemmerl]

HAIII !!! explained to my mom the six wives of henry the 8th and its rly funny seeing their names translated into ptbr lol ,, did german also translate them over??

HI >:33 yea they did!! :D

catherine of aragon - katharina von aragon (i have heard katharina von aragonien too but i think that's less common......😨)

anne boleyn - anna boleyn, sometimes anne

jane seymour - jane seymour

anna of cleves - anna von kleve (originally :3)

katherine howard - katherine howard

catherine parr - catherine parr

usually their names stay english, but if you refer to them with their title (e.g "queen catherine parr" its "königin katharina parr" atleast from what i heard)

how is it with u?? (ptbr) :3

[audreygcblog]

The Pawn

Throughout her life, Lady Jane Grey was used and manipulated by the men to who she was closest. She never asked to be the figurehead of the protestant overthrow of the English crown, yet she did not have control over the plans her uncle and father had for her. After reading her letters in class, I was compelled to look more into the life of England's nine-day queen.

Childhood

In the year 1547, Catherine Parr, the wife of the late King Henry VIII, and Thomas Seymour were married. Lady Jane Grey was the great-granddaughter of the king, and when she was nine years old, she was sent to the home and put under the care of Catherine Parr. Parr took control of the education of both her stepchildren and Lady Jane Grey.

In 1548, Queen Catherine Parr died in childbirth, devasting ten-year-old Lady Jane Grey. She was the principal mourner at Catherine Parr's funeral. Afterward, Lady Jane Grey was sent back home and quickly returned to be the ward of Thomas Seymour.

Unfortunately, now that she was under the care of Thomas Seymour, he saw an opportunity to use Lady Jane Grey to his advantage. As she was third in line for the throne, he made it his goal to wed her to his nephew and her cousin Edward VI. By doing so, he could ensure Lady Jane Grey's ascension to the throne and he could have been able to use her to gain power for himself.

During this time, Edward VI was nine years old and too young to rule by himself. Edward Seymour, Thomas Seymour's eldest brother, was placed as regent. Edward Seymour exploited his power as regent, which aggravated the rest of the Regency Council and his younger brother Thomas who wanted the power for himself. 

In desperation, Thomas Seymour broke into the nine-year-old's private apartment and was promptly arrested. He was sent to the Tower of London and executed in 1549. The plot to wed Lady Jane Grey to the young king was put to an end, and she was sent home.

Becoming Queen

At the age of fifteen, Edward VI was very ill. In the first version of his will, Edward was not aware that he was terminally ill. In his first draft he had chosen his heir to be a male Protestant in his family. Therefore, he disinherited his half-sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, and proclaimed his heir to be the one of the children of his cousin Lady Frances Grey or the children of her children. Those children being Lady Jane Grey and her sisters.

In 1553, it became clear that the king was going to die soon and not a single male heir had been produced. With no other choice, Edward changed his will and made Lady Jane Grey his successor.

Upon Edward VI's death, Lady Jane Grey was brought brought to her father-in-law's residence to be told by the Privy Council that she was to be queen.

Lady Jane Grey was very confused and worried about becoming queen. She did not calm down until her husband and family arrived. It is even rumored she fainted after being told the news of her inheritance of the throne.

She accepted her fate and prayed that God would guide her in leading the people of England. She was graceful and elegant during her coronation until she had to wear the crown. Although she has accepted her succession to the throne as being God's will, she still felt like she did not deserve such a title.

A Welcomed Death

The eldest daughter of Henry VIII, Princess Mary, demanded she be put on the throne along with the support of many who believed her to be the rightful Catholic heir.

Soon, Mary built up her own army and rebelled against the newly crowned Queen Jane. During the attack on the palace, Queen Jane's father ran to safety while leaving his daughter behind in the Tower of London. There she became a prisoner and was soon sentenced to death for treason.

In her final letters, she wrote to both her sister and father, assuring them that she was going to be happier in heaven than she ever was on earth. Lady Jane Grey's letters reveal she was dissatisfied and full of sorrow during her lifetime. She was not worried about her own death as much as she was worried about the little sister she was leaving behind. She wrote, "And as touching my death, rejoice as I do and consider that I shall be delivered of this corruption and put on incorruption, for as I am assured that I shall for losing of a mortal life, find an immortal felicity. Pray God grant you and send you his grace to live in the love."

To her father, she said, " ... I yield God more hearty thanks for shortening my woeful days... yet, my dear father, if I may without offence rejoice in my own mishap, herein I account myself blessed, that washing my hands with the innocency of my face, my guiltless blood may cry before the Lord, 'Mercy to the innocent…In taking [the crown] upon me, I seemed to consent and therein grievously offended the Queen and her laws … to me, there is nothing more welcome than from this vale of misery to aspire to that heavenly throne of all joy and pleasure, with Christ our saviour."

With willingness and maintenance of her pride, Lady Jane Grey was beheaded on the Tower grounds.

Conclusion

For her entire life, Lady Jane Grey was considered nothing more than a way to gain Protestant power in England. She never wanted to be queen, yet had to pay the ultimate price for it. After researching more about the life of Lady Jane Grey, I have concluded that she was just a scared seventeen-year-old girl who wanted to do the right thing. Her innocence and goodness were taken advantage of by the people around her. Hopefully, Lady Jane Grey is resting in the peace she never got to experience in her lifetime.

Works Cited

Lady Jane Grey - Britannica

Lady Jane Grey - Historical Royal Palaces

Lady Jane Grey - Letters

[musicalangel12]

Divorced. Beheaded. Live on Broadway!

Daily writing promptWhat was the last live performance you saw?View all responses If the post title didn’t give it away, the last live performance I saw was Six the Musical on Broadway. Six the Musical imagines the six wives of Henry VIII – Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr – come back from the dead and are now giving concerts…

[pastedpast]

Info from the advertising blurb: "Edward Seymour was brother to a Queen and the uncle to a King. To the people he was the ‘Good Duke’. To his fellow councillors he was a traitor."

Notes from Wikipedia:

Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, served as Lord Protector of England from 1547 to 1549 during the minority of his nephew King Edward VI, the son of his sister, Jane Seymour, and King Henry VIII. He had grown rapidly in favour with Henry following Jane's marriage to him in 1536, and upon the king's death in 1547, was appointed protector by the Regency Council on the accession of the nine-year-old Edward VI. Rewarded with the title Duke of Somerset, Seymour became the effective ruler of England. Somerset continued Henry's military campaign against the Scots, but ultimately he was unable to maintain his position in Scotland. Domestically, he pursued further reforms as an extension of the English Reformation, but the unpopularity of his religious measures, along with agrarian grievances, resulted in unrest in England and provoked a series of uprisings (including the Prayer Book Rebellion and Kett's Rebellion). Costly wars and economic mismanagement brought the Crown to financial ruin, further undermining his government. In October 1549, Somerset was forced out of power and imprisoned in the Tower of London by John Dudley*, Earl of Warwick and a group of privy councillors. He was later released and reconciled with Warwick (now Duke of Northumberland), but in 1551 Northumberland accused him of treason, and Somerset was executed in January 1552.** Until the 1970s, historians had a highly positive view of Somerset, seeing him as a champion of political liberty and the common people, but since then he has also often been portrayed as an arrogant and inept ruler of the Tudor state.

* John Dudley was the man who hoped to rule by proxy when he arranged the marriage of his son Guildford to Lady Jane Grey. He too was executed, in 1553 after Mary I had taken the throne.

** Edward's brother, Thomas Seymour, was executed three years earlier also on charges of treason. Thomas had been married to Catherine Parr, the surviving wife of Henry VIII before she died in 1548 of complications following childbirth. He is also the man who was suspected of engaging in flirtatious and possibly sexual relations with Elizabeth I when she was a fourteen-year-old girl.

[chloerie]

(Soo like that SiX fic I mentioned like once? Yeah chapter one is done, this is it)

“Listen up let me tell you a story” SiX reincarnated AU

For a little more context: The kids were reincarnated 4 years before the Queens were and Mary found a place to stay and got a job with Lady Jane Gray(A/N: More commonly known as “9 Days Queen”)was reincarnated with the kids also: I don’t have a update thing 4 this one. Ao3 Wattpad & tumblr

I wrote some of this while ao3 was down lmfao

Yeet let’s go Jane Gray’s POV

I had just walked downstairs to make some coffees for myself and my cousin Mary(Cousins through Henrat’s sister or aunt Idek lmao) and saw… The ex-Queens!?

“HOLY MOTHER OF GOD MARY GET DOWN HERE” I yelled

“J WHAT HAPPENED!?” Mary yell-asked

“Mary? Janie? What’s going on?” Elizabeth asked

“Nothing Liz. Is Mae asleep? Do you need anything?” Mary questioned

“Mae is sleeping I’m fine.” Elizabeth answered

“Okay,” Mary replied glancing at the women in our living room “But if you need anything I’ll be here.” She continued

“Wait where’s Edward,” I said glancing panicky at Mary “Mare do you know?” I asked her

“Eddie is sleeping too,”Elizabeth said hugging Mary “Don’t worry Mar-Mar” She said giving her a-Sleepy-but-adorable smile(Author note: I’ll take any advice/art <3)

“Okay what is going on!?” A Queen asked

“Right. I’m Jane Gray Parr,” I said gesturing to said people(Myself and Catherine Parr) “Paid for my education”

“My name’s Elle!” Eliza said cleverly using the name we taught her to use if she was asked her name by strangers(A/N: BYE A LITERAL LIGHTING STIRCK JUST HAPPENED OUTSIDE MY WINDOW IT ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK AGAIN IT HAPPENED)

“Hm. Your highnesses,” Mary said curtsying to them “I am Mary”

“Janie Betsy Mezza? What’s going on?” Edward asked

“It’s nothing Edward don’t fret over trivial matters-“ I said before remembering I was talking to a 4 year old “Right you’re a toddler. Don’t worry Ed it’s nothing.”

“Eddie! How was your nap?” Elizabeth said

“Excuse me,” A Queen said standing up and grabbing our attention “Who are you children and where are we?” The Queen whom I quickly realized was Queen Jane Seymour

“Well you’ve got me Jane Gray call me J,” I said picking up Edward rocking him and humming a Scottish lullaby to get him to sleep “This is my cousin Edward and his sisters Mary and Elizabeth.” I answered

“We also have another sister not biological though,” Mary said taking Edward from me “Her name’s Mary or Mae we just call her that to differentiate between me and her.” Mary explained, smiling

“Right. I am Queen Catherine of Aragon”(A/N: I don’t think I have to say who said this lmfao)

“Mami.” Mary said softly

“Mami?,” Another Queen asked hugging Aragon “Mary?”

“Hello Cat,” Mary stated smiling softly at Parr and Aragon “I need to put Edward to bed now so I unfortunately cannot stay here J can you help me out here please?” She asked me

“Sure” I answered sighing exasperated with the Queens already

“AH!” A Queen yelled, I was quick to notice, they had a beheading scar, like me. And had no head. Oof.

“Does anyone here know how to put a head back on!?” Another Queen, who looked like Her Royal Highness Princess Anna Von Cleves(A/N: Anna was literally paid to not say she was Queen and she was considered the King’s sister after her divorce, so I figured I’d give her that title lol)

“I can help? I was beheaded too.” I suggested, taking off my choker necklace and gesturing to my beheading scar, Mary looked down guiltily at the sight of it

“Mary, it’s fine you apologized, that’s enough for me.” I sighed exasperated with my cousin.

“I know J, I’m still sorry though..” She muttered, looking down in embarrassment

“Mare you’ve been forgiven, now that’s enough apologies from you young lady.” I scolded

“J, I’m older than you-“ I got as a response

“Oh, shut it Mary.” I muttered, rolling my eyes

A/N: I’m ending this chapter now bc I’m tired, it’s 11:40PM and I need to work on Reincarnated Maria Reynolds anyways this’ll be posted on Wattpad later

[tudorqueen6]

Queen Katherine Parr: Prayers or Meditations (1545)

“She was the first queen of England to write and publish her own books and to become a recognized author during her lifetime and the first Englishwoman to publish a work of prose in the sixteenth century.” (Susan James, “Catherine Parr: Henry VIII’s Last Love”, 2010, pg 12) “The first edition of Queen Katherine Parr’s Prayers or Meditations appeared on June 2, 1545, under the title Prayers…

[toasty-owl-arts]

Said One Billion Foolish Things

okay yknow what, twosday is close enough to valentines day to post a valentines day oneshot :D

based off the prompt of "Accidentally saying I love you to your roommate"

4.3k words of aralyn nonsense cause yknow love wins

(If yall like this i may crosspost it to ao3 who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

___________

Catalina hums under her breath before checking her planner for the hundredth time in the past 10 minutes. Pulling a highlighter from her backpack at her feet, Catalina goes over a new event coming up in the next two weeks. The door clicks open and Catalina looks up. Anne waltzes into the room, sighing dramatically and throwing both her backpack and then herself onto Catalina’s bed. Catalina and Anne have been splitting rent on a small flat a few blocks from their university and had been roommates for a little over a year now, Catalina had completely gotten used to Anne just walking into her room as she pleased.

“Rough day?” Catalina asks, smirking.

With a second loud sigh, Anne rolls over to pout at Catalina. “Yeah, our professor was a complete asshole about a couple people coming in late. Not like he comes in late every day.”

Standing up from behind her desk, Catalina walks over to Anne’s bed and sits down on it heavily, causing Anne to get thrown a little with a quiet “oof”

“Well, I don’t have work tonight, and you don’t have work tonight, why don’t we spend a little cash to get something nice to eat and watch some shitty movies to unwind? I can text the others and tell them we’re staying in tonight.” Catalina smiles as Anne perks up immediately.

Anne moves over to lay her head in Catalina’s lap, grinning as she asks, “Awwh you’d let me pick a movie to watch for once?” She toys with the hem of Catalina’s shorts, picking at a loose string, and Catalina smacks Anne’s hand gently.

Scoffing without any real teeth to it, Catalina points out, “I never said I was gonna let you pick.”

“Hey!”

Eventually, with much throwing of pillows and pouting, Catalina convinces Anne to let her stay and browse through Netflix to find something to put on, while Anne went to go pick up the food. As Catalina combs through the cabinets, looking for junk food, Anne calls, “I’m gonna swing by that new Thai place for food, if we’re gonna splurge, might as well try something new?”

Catalina pokes her head out of the small kitchen and answers back, “Sure, sounds good!”

There's a small scuffling noise, and Anne walks into the kitchen swearing under her breath. “Lina, can you help me out here?”

Glancing over, Catalina laughs gently as she sees Anne’s gotten the zipper on her coat all tangled and messed up. Kneeling down to get better leverage on the zipper, Catalina tugs it a few times before zipping it smoothly all the way up to the top. Patting down Anne’s jacket, Catalina glances upwards to find Anne looking down at her in turn. Immediately, Catalina drops her gaze back to Anne’s jacket, fighting back a flush. “Ah, there you go.” Standing back up, Catalina brushes imaginary dust from Anne’s chest and straightens her jacket.

Anne chuckles before taking the car keys from the little dish on the counter. “Thanks Lina, I’ll be back before you know it.” Before Catalina can respond, Anne leans over and pecks Catalina on the forehead, then sweeps out the front door.

“Oh.” Catalina says. “See you soon.”

___________

Anne groans as she stops at the red light. Banging her head against the steering wheel, she goes through every curse word she knows, in every language she knows. Why did she do that? She’s been doing so well at keeping her feelings under wraps, then she had to go and do a stupid thing like that. Anne would have kicked herself, if she wasn’t also driving.

Swinging the car around, Anne pulls up in front of one of the class buildings at their university. It doesn’t take long for a familiar woman with dip dye pink hair to come flying out of the front doors and jerk open the passenger car door.

“Thanks Annie, you’re a gem.” Kat says as she throws her stuff into the backseat.

Anne reaches over and pinches Kat’s cheek. “You’re lucky I love you or I wouldn’t be hauling your ass all over town.”

Kat sticks her tongue out at Anne before buckling in and slouching into the seat. “So where’re we going?”

Pulling out of the parking space, Anne laughs, “I’m taking you home, then I’m going out to get dinner to bring back to the flat.”

“Ooooh!” Kat grins evilly at Anne. “Getting dinner for your girlfriend?” she asks in a sing-song voice.

Anne huffs, glaring out the windshield. “She’s not my girlfriend Kat, we’re roommates.”

“And they were roomma-”

“So help me god I will turn this car around and make you walk home.”

Kat laughs. “You wouldn’t make me do that. Not carrying all these textbooks.” No, Anne wouldn’t, but it’s not like she has to tell Kat that, so she just grumbles without actually responding.

The rest of the car ride is in peaceful silence as Kat goes over her notes from the lecture she’d just gotten out of while Anne tries to do mental math about how to get from Kat’s dorm to the restaurant. As they pull up to the old brick building, Kat packs her stuff up and turns to look at Anne. “I’m serious this time Annie, is this a date you’re going on?”

Anne grips the steering wheel probably harder than necessary, considering her knuckles go white. “It’s not.”

She doesn’t want to look up and see the look on Kat’s face. It’s probably pity or something just as bad. “Come on, you’ve liked Catalina since you first saw her, why don’t you ask her out already?” Kat asks.

Groaning, Anne unchlenches her hands from around the steering wheel and throws her head back. “How do you suggest I do that? ‘Hey remember when we hated each other cause I stole your boyfriend even though I’m gay, then we moved in together cause we’re both broke college students and I kinda sorta caught feeling, whoopsies?’ She’ll laugh in my face!” Anne glares at Kat and huffs, “Plus, she might be straight.”

Kat stares at Anne incredulously and Anne winces. Okay yeah that was a stretch, especially considering- “Anne this is the woman who has a pride flag hanging on her wall and can’t sit in any chair without throwing a leg over the arm of it. You really think she’s straight?”

“No.” Anne mumbles.

Kat reaches over and squishes Anne’s face in her hands. “Ask her out! What’s the worst that could happen?” Anne levels her gaze at Kat who grimaces and amends, “Okay never mind don’t answer that. But Anne, come on, just ask her, everyone has had to deal with your pining this entire time. At least think of your poor cousin.” Kat pouts, eyes wide and pleading, and Anne tries not to let it get to her.

But Kat was always good at convincing Anne of things. “Fine. I’ll tell her tonight, okay?” Anne says, and smiles at the grin that breaks across Kat’s face.

“Call me and tell me what she says okay?” Kat practically kicks open the door and grabs her bag, taking just a moment to hug Anne before dashing up the steps. Anne knows Kat’s in a hurry to get home, especially since it's Friday, which means Jane would be going over with something home cooked and delicious and not microwave ramen like they were all used to. Usually Anne would suggest she and Catalina go over and hang out with them, but frankly she’d rather take advantage of this moment to just be alone with Catalina for a while.

Pulling out of the parking spot, Anne drives towards the Thai restaurant and runs through her head all of Catalina’s favorite foods, trying to figure out what she might like. As she did, her mind wandered to what Kat had said. Hell, valentine’s day was just around the corner, and sure it was cheesy but why not take a chance?

Arriving at the restaurant, Anne gets out of the car and slams the door shut. The interior of the place is thin, with high ceilings and walls painted a cool teal, and it smells divine. Taking a glance at the take out menu, Anne freezes as she realizes she has no idea what the fuck she’s doing. Luckily, the waiter seems to take pity on her and helps her pick out a few things to try.

Walking out with the food, free drinks the waiter had given her, and what she was pretty sure was an offer to get set up with his son which she’d politely declined, Anne sets the food down in the passenger seat and pulls out her phone. Might as well call Catalina and tell her she’s on her way. Light rain had begun to fall as she dialed Catalina’s number, and Anne watches the drops trace down the window as the phone begins to ring.

_____________

Catalina runs to her bedroom and screams into her pillow the second Anne is out the door. She blows a bit of hair out of her face and sighs in disbelief. Stupid Anne for startling her like that, people didn’t just kiss their roommates! Stupid Catalina for getting excited and for a moment genuinely hoping Anne might like her. Stupid universe for doing that to her.

She pulls out her phone and scrolls through it, trying to force herself to relax. After a moment of looking through instagram, Catalina sighs and chucks her phone across the bed. This wasn’t working. Instead, Catalina drags herself up and to the kitchen to pour herself a drink and brood.

There’s a cheap and already open bottle of wine that Catalina pops the cork on and pours into a chipped mason jar. Not classy, but it works. Savoring the flavor of the first sip, what little flavor there is, Catalina leans over and balances her head on the back of her hand. Some small part of her wonders when Anne’s getting back, and if she really wants Anne to see her like this. Not that it matters, Anne’s seen her in worse situations.

She winces as she thinks back to 2 years ago, and screaming in Anne’s face after finding out Anne had hooked up with her boyfriend. It hadn’t been Anne’s fault, not really. Alcohol did stupid things to one’s thought process. Plus, Catalina hadn’t even loved Henry. Her mother had though. Catalina’s fingers tighten on the glass at the thought of her mother. Anne had seen her break down then too. It was a month after they’d moved in together, a decision neither of them were happy about, but rent was rent. Catalina’s mother had called, and as it inevitably did it had turned into a screaming match. Anne had walked in to ask about groceries just as Catalina’s mother had screeched through the phone that she never wanted to see Catalina again if Catalina was going to waste her life as a degenerate. Catalina’s mother had never been the most accepting of any of Catalina’s choices, and Catalina had found out the hard way.

Catalina lifts her head off of her hand slightly as she remembers Anne just holding her as she cried, not saying a word, just being there. Things had gotten easier since then, but simultaneously incredibly difficult. Maybe their relationship wasn’t strained from anger, but now Catalina was tiptoeing around her own less than platonic feelings for Anne. But Anne wouldn’t like her back, not in a million years. Anne wouldn’t lower herself to date someone like her, and Catalina didn’t blame her. Who’d want to date someone who’s first interaction with you was yelling at you for something that wasn’t even your fault?

Knocking back the rest of her wine, Catalina sighs as she feels her head take on a slight but pleasant buzz. She walks back into her room and looks through her closet, wanting to change into something a little more comfortable for their movie night. As she flips through her clothes, she notices one of Anne’s hoodies had found their way into her closet. Catalina chuckles, then on a whim takes it out and slips it on. It still smells like Anne, almost like an antique store, and Catalina smiles.

Just as she’s about to head to the living room, her phone rings, and Catalina almost trips over herself trying to get to it. “Hi!” she says, wincing at how breathless she sounds.

Anne’s voice comes over the speakers, and Catalina can hear rain on the car roof. “Hey yourself. I got the food and I’m on my way home.”

Wandering into the living room, Catalina says, “That’s good. What did you get?”

There’s the sound of rustling plastic, then Anne answers, “Uhh, something with noodles, something with curry, and fried rice. I think. I have no idea. I just let the guy pick out stuff that I thought you might like.”

Catalina laughs gently. “Well it’s always good to try new things even if we don’t know what they are.”

She can practically hear Anne smiling through the speaker as she says, “And hey if we hate it, we can always order pizza and shove this off on Cathy. Girl will eat anything I swear.” There’s a small break as Catalina hears Anne swear at something, then says, “Okay I’m gonna have to call you back, this asshole just cut me off and I’m like a minute from the building, I don’t want to get into an accident here.”

“Alright, sounds good.” Catalina doesn’t think before she speaks sometimes. It gets her in trouble. “Drive safe okay? I love you.”

.

.

Silence.

Then-

“Cata-”

*beep*

Catalina stares at her phone in horror, thumb still pressed on the screen from hitting the end call button. Fuck. fuck fuck fuck fuck. Fuck. She runs to the window and sees Anne’s car coming up the road. Rain is slashing against the windows now, and Catalina grits her teeth before making up her mind. She pulls up the hood of her- Anne’s- hoodie and jerks open the door before roughly slamming it behind her. She runs down the hallway, taking the back stairs and almost falling down all 4 flights. Bursting out into the outside, Catalina flinches as the rain hits her. She shrugs it off and shields her face with an arm. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registers that she’s barefoot, but she can’t bring herself to care. Not with her phone ringing like crazy with what has to be Anne calling to tell her she’s moving out.

Sprinting through the rain, Catalina makes it onto campus and makes a beeline for the dorms. She’s run this way countless times before, and usually on a Friday just like this one when she and Anne are late to meet up with her friends. But it’s always Anne tugging Catalina along while laughing that bright happy laugh of hers… Catalina stifles back tears as she tries to imagine a life without Anne’s laugh would even sound like.

The old brick building comes into view, and Catalina stumbles up the stairs. With shaking fingers, she manages to scan her student id on the door and walk inside. The elevator seems to both take forever to get there and is freezing cold when she steps inside. She hates this. The quiet thinking she can do while she waits for her stop. The elevator dings and Catalina walks out, teeth chattering from the chill now.

Catalina can feel the rain soaking into her clothes as she trudges through the dimly lit hallways. The dorm halls smell faintly of aging carpet and dust and Catalina shivers as she shoulders her dripping hoodie a little higher up onto her shoulders. Coming to the dorm room she was looking for, Catalina takes a moment to breathe and collect herself before she knocks. Anna opens the door a moment later with a tired, “Who the fuck-” before seeing Catalina standing there on her doorstep, shaking.

It takes Catalina a moment before she can mumble, “I didn’t know where else to go.” and Anna’s eyes immediately go soft.

Taking Catalina’s hand, Anna leads her to the couch the two of them had rescued years back. Anna disappears for a moment before coming back with a mug of tea and a blanket. Gently, Anna pulls the wet hoodie off of Catalina and puts it to the side before shoving the mug into Catalina’s hands and draping the blanket around her shoulders. “Tell me about it?” Anna asks. Catalina knows the others are there in the section where Cathy and Anna’s beds are, trying not to be obvious about eavesdropping.

Sitting there in the corner dorm, Catalina can feel the tears she’d been managing to beat back, bead up in her vision and spill down her cheeks. “Anna I fucked up. Bad.”

____________

Anne sits in the car, staring at her phone. That just happened. Yep. Anne was so normal about this. It hits her that she’s still strapped in the driver’s seat, and Anne practically tears the seatbelt off and the car door from its hinges in her haste to get up to their flat. Balancing dinner in one arm and trying to get the door open with the other was a feat of olympic level acrobatics, but somehow Anne manages. As she finally makes it to their door and pushes it open, the living room is silent and-

And empty.

Anne throws the food on a counter and races through the tiny flat, desperate for any trace of Catalina, and finds none. Panicked, Anne calls Catalina, and calls her again when she doesn’t pick up. Desperate for any kind of news, even bad news. Maybe not bad news. Something in the back of her muddled mind whispers “Kat” and Anne manages to fumble her way to Kat’s contact as she falls onto Catalina’s bed. Anne doesn’t know quite why she’s in here rather than anywhere else, but Catalina’s room always felt more like home than her own.

The phone rings, and for a horrible moment, Anne thinks Kat’s not going to answer either. Then, by some miracle, “Anne?”

Words just come spilling out of Anne, and she rambles into the speaker, “Catalina said she loved me and I think it was on accident cause she hung up the phone and she’s not home and I’m freaking the FUCK OUT okay thank you please help me.”

There’s a long pause on the other side, then a quiet, “oh my god.” from Cathy and Anne can feel her face heating up.

“Cathy wait- no Jane fuck off you can’t talk to Anne, Anne called me- Cathy if you keep trying to grab the phone I’m going to sell your kidneys on ebay while you’re sleeping- Anne! Okay! Let’s work through this rationally.” Kat’s voice is chipper, but Anne can hear the edge of both frustration and amusement in it. “Can you come over? I think this is a conversation better had in person.”

Shuffling her feet back and forth across the carpet, Anne whined, “I don’t know, what if she comes back while I’m over there?”

Kat sighs and just says, “Come over Anne, please.”

Anne gets up and grabs her car keys. “Fine, I’m on my way.”

____________

Catalina’s still curled up on the couch, eyes still swimming with tears, Anna rubbing her shoulders. She can hear Kat, Cathy, and Jane all arguing about something, and she kind of wants to go see, but Anna pulls her attention away. “Catti, I think you just need to talk to her. Tell her it was an honest mistake and you can both move on.”

Looking up at Anna, Catalina murmurs, “What if I don’t want to move on?” she nibbles at her lower lip before continuing on, “I almost want to know what she’ll say. I’ve been hiding this for so long, maybe I should just get it over with.”

Anna stares at Catalina for a beat, then asks, “Catalina, tell me honestly, are you in love with Anne?” fresh tears spill down Catalina’s cheeks, and Anna swoops her up into a tight hug. “Oh liebling, it’s gonna be okay. Just let it out. Shh shh.”

Through hiccupy breaths, Catalina says, “I just, I don’t deserve her but I want to. I probably ruined our friendship by saying all that, and she’s going to leave and I’ll never see her again and I-” Catalina buries her face in Anna’s chest. “I don’t know what to do. Anna cradles the back of Catalina’s head and whispers soft platitudes as best she can.

The dorm room door suddenly slams open and Catalina lifts her head, curious as to who it is. To her surprise and mortification, Anne barrels through the door, soaking wet and clutching her phone in a hand. “Kat? I got here as fast as I-”

Anne and Catalina make eye contact, and it feels like time stops. Catalina stands up, about to make a beeline for the door, when Anna catches her hand and drags her back down to the couch and she stands up instead.

“Oh! Anne! Good, you’re here.” Catalina hears Kat chirp, poking her head out from around the corner. Dragging Jane and Cathy along with her, Kat comes out from the tucked away corner and opens the door to leave. Anna chuckles and goes to exit as well.

Stumbling back to try and catch the door as well, Anne laughs nervously, “Hey, Kat, cmon, you’re not just gonna leave me here, right?”

Kat sticks her tongue out at Anne and calls, “Have fun you two! Please get your shit together because it’s driving me insane!”

Catalina buries her head in her hands.

The door clicks shut and Catalina watches as Anne thuds her head against it and lets it lay there. She tucks her knees up to her chest, holding the one throw pillow Anna owns tightly. Anne slides her hand down the face of the door, then sighs.

“Are you going to need help moving out?”

The words slip out before Catalina can choke them back down, and she knows right away it was the wrong thing to say. Anne’s shoulders slump and she looks more defeated than Catalina’s ever seen her before.

Not even turning to look at her, Anne laughs mirthlessly. “I guess we’re cutting to the chase then. Thought it’d make sense you’d want me gone as fast as possible.”

Catalina looks away from Anne, focusing on the floor. “I don’t want you to leave.”

“And yet you’re asking if I’ll need help moving out?”

“I just-” squeezing her eyes shut, Catalina says, “I didn’t think you’d want to stay.”

Anne turns on her then, walking towards the couch, and Catalina pulls her head up to look at her. “Catalina I want to stay, god I really do. But I can’t break my own heart like that. Not if you’re only ever going to tell me that you love me when it’s an accident.”

Curling up further into herself, Catalina whispers, “Maybe it was an accident. Doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”

There’s nothing but silence for a while, then Anne asks gently, “You…love me?”

It’s all Catalina can do to reply, “Yeah. Like I said, knowing that, if you want to move out I understand. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable around me and force yourself to stay.” she doesn’t want to look at Anne’s face, can’t bring herself to, can’t even release herself from this position she’s trapped herself in-

Anne kneels down and caresses Catalina’s cheek. “Catalina, I don't want to move out. I want to stay. I thought you didn’t want me.” Catalina shakes her head rapidly, trying to explain wordlessly that she wants nothing less than Anne leaving. Anne hesitates, and it’s so foreign to Catalina that there’s anything Anne would hesitate at. “Lina? Did you mean what you said on the phone?”

“Yes.” The quiet admission both feels like a weight off her chest and the world on her shoulders.

Laughing softly, Anne leans forward and knocks her forehead to Catalina’s. “In that case, may I kiss you?”

Catalina looks up and directly into Anne’s eyes. Nervous, and half wondering if she’s dreaming, Catalina breaths, “Please.”

Anne leans in, and Catalina leans in as well, the two of them pausing just before their lips meet, and just reveling in the other’s presence. It feels beautiful. It feels holy. It feels…

It feels awkward.

Catalina breaks out into watery giggles and Anne huffs out an amused sounding sigh. Before she can back out of it, Catalina surges forwards and kisses Anne firmly on the mouth. Anne pauses for only a moment, before kissing her back just as fiercely.

When at last they break apart, the human body unfortunately requiring oxygen, Catalina can’t keep herself from smiling. “This feels like a dream. I didn’t think you’d ever like me back.”

Anne catches Catalina’s wrist and presses her hand against her heart. “I’m real, I promise.”

Catalina curls her fingers in Anne’s shirt. “You’re real.”

Tugging at Catalina’s hoodie, Anne mutters, “Isn’t this mine?”

Flushed pink, Catalina says, “I was only borrowing it.” But Anne doesn’t seem to mind at all, not with how carefully she’s readjusting it over Catalina’s frame.

They just sit there, in each other’s space, and bask in each other. Then Anne breaks the silence by asking, “Do you think we can get back at the rest of them for locking us in here by making out on Anna’s bed?”

“Anne!”

Anne laughs, and Catalina smiles as she thinks about what a lovely sound it is. “Maybe not then. Let’s get going, I believe I was promised a movie night.”

To Catalina’s surprise, Anne stands up and scoops Catalina up princess style and walks towards the door. “I believe you were.” She chuckles brightly. “You can even choose the movie.”

[letsgoravendors]

Wishing Only Wounds the Heart - Six

❈┈┈┈┈┈•✦•♔•✦•┈┈┈┈┈❈

Summary: Wishing only wounds the heart.

All of the Queens wish they could’ve done something different in their past lives, especially Cathy, and centuries later it still keeps her up at night.

TW: implied events of Kat’s past, nothing specific

AO3

❈┈┈┈┈┈•✦•♔•✦•┈┈┈┈┈❈

Tag list: @sushiii-prince @cimanon @clory @poguephantoms @bunnyranger761 @kristen-likes-music @waterloobasin @awesomesquirrelstuff @snowpickles @caffeineaddict2323 @annabanana2401 @i-wanna-dance-and-sing