Summary: With her enemies conspiring against her, and her marriage coming to an end, Anne goes to Henry and requests a divorce. An agreement is reached, but with conditions, the most important of which being that Anne must marry a man of his choosing, Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk.

So I have had the first three and a bit chapters of this story, sitting on my laptop waiting to be uploaded, and since I have recently updated all my current stories on the site, I thought why not upload this one and see if people would be interested in reading it.

The basic premise of this story is that Anne was made aware that her enemies were plotting against her, and so knowing that there was little chance of her survival if she remained Henry's wife and Queen, Anne asked Henry for a divorce, which he granted. But of course being Henry, he had to have his own conditions for the divorce.

The divorce was granted on the grounds that Anne had proved incapable of delivering a son and heir for Henry and England, as it was NOT an annulment, Elizabeth remains a Princess and Henry's only legitimate child. Henry made it a condition of the divorce for Anne to remarry to a man of his choosing, so that she could not one day in the future try to claim that her marriage to the King was still valid and true and try to place Elizabeth in front of any sons he might have.

Henry also allowed Anne to be elevated to the title of Duchess of Pembroke after the marriage, and as Anne was an anointed Queen of England she can still be addressed as Your Majesty, but she has no right to call herself Queen.

For the purpose of this story Catherine Brandon died during childbirth in January of 1536, the child she was carrying (a son) also died.

Anne has also been given the 1507 birthdate for this story.

This will be my first Tudor story that will have Anne paired with someone other than Henry, and so that alone means that it will be drastically different from any of my other stories, although there will still be many Anne and Henry moments in this story as well.

As always I own nothing.

Please read and review to let me know what you think and if you would be interested in seeing me continue the story.

Chapter One:

25th of May 1536

Whitehall Palace, London

She had not been overly fond of her first wedding dress; it had been simple and plain, not in anyway fit for a Queen of England, yet she had never complained of it. She had been pregnant at the time and therefore she had had little time to create of gown worthy of her future station or to her elaborate tastes, if there was one positive thing she could take out of the situation she currently found herself in it was that the dress she was currently wearing could not be labelled as plain, it was worthy of a Queen of England even if that was a title she no longer held.

After her miscarriage Anne had known that her time as Henry's wife and Queen would eventually come to an end, he believed himself to be in love with Jane Seymour and he believed her to be barren, Anne had never been the type of woman to let those around her determine her future, and so as she had done so many times over the years she had taken matters into her own hands. If Henry or Cromwell had expected her to sit quietly and wait for them to strike they had been drastically mistaken, they had thought she no longer held the power to strike down their plans before they had had a chance to eventuate, yet she still had some loyal to her, a few loyal followers which allowed her to keep her head.

She still could not quite believe that he would have dared accuse her of adultery, he the man who she had found with a whore on his knees, the sight that had made her lose her boy, her crown and her husband, yet she would have been the one accused on infidelity when she was the one who had remained faithful. He had been shocked when she had came to him on bended knee and begged him for a divorce, he wanted an annulment she knew but Anne would never consent to such a thing, she would never have her child labelled a bastard not if she could find a way to stop it, despite the fact the she had got the result she had been after Anne still could not help but shudder at the memory.

She had gone to his rooms in the dead of the night, she had not wanted an audience, she did not need to see the faces of her enemies when she gave up everything she had fought to hard to build.

She had dressed simply, in her shift and a nightgown, another way to not drag attention towards herself; she had not looked a Queen.

As she had expected the guards outside of his rooms had fallen asleep at their posts, it had made it easy for her to slip past them and remain unnoticed.

She was glad to find him still awake, she was even more relieved to find him alone, she would have lost her nerve is he had of been with one of his lap dogs or his whore.

" Anne, it is late." While his words had been cold and indifferent Anne could not help but notice that he had looked somewhat surprised, he had hardly visited her bed since her miscarriage, it had felt an age since they had been alone together.

" I had to come, I have heard some distressing things and I needed to speak to you of them before I no longer had the chance." She could still remember the tears in her eyes and her will to not let them fall, to not let herself appear weak in front of his eyes.

" I am sure such things can wait until morning." Despite his words Anne could tell their was intrigue in his voice and his eyes, he wanted to hear what she had to say, he knew she was not guilty of any crimes against him.

" No, not when my life is on the line there isn't, tell me my love would you really leave Elizabeth without a mother so that you could marry that pale stupid wench? Does she really mean so little to you?"

" Do not try to use our daughter against me madam."

" I will not defend myself against the allegations you are having me be investigated for, to do so would only give those who wish to see me removed some level of satisfaction, we both know you are the only man I have ever loved or been intimate with, yet I know that you will not let this be, you are determined to marry your whore and have me cast aside in whatever way you see fit, and so I am here to ask you for mercy, grant me a divorce, leave your conscience clean and let Elizabeth be raised knowing her mothers love."

Even in her deepest of hearts she had not thought he would consent to her notion, Henry had always been a stubborn man, one full of pride and an unrelenting nature, it was not within him to agree to terms for he thought it the place of others to agree to him, to bend to his will and biding no matter the consequences. A part of her liked to think that he had agreed to the divorce because he still loved her in some way, the more rational side of her knew that he had agreed because it had been what was best for him.

Katherine had never agreed to the prospect of an annulment even though she would have known that doing so would have been better for her and her daughter both, in suggesting a divorce Anne had made it possible for Henry to do as he willed, without sentencing her (and god could only imagine how many others) to an unjust death, and without having to worry about the people of England rising up against him. It also left him with an heir, girl though she may be, until a Prince was produced (although Anne could not help but hope that Jane Seymour would never succeed where she had failed). Anne had given Henry the freedom he had so desired from Katherine and as such she had been (somewhat) rewarded.

Anne's only request throughout the divorce proceedings was that Elizabeth remained legitimate, Henry had granted her request along with elevating her from the title of Marquess to that of a Duchess, he had also agreed to allow for their daughter to be able to visit with Anne whenever she wished, if only Anne would agree to his one request. Henry wanted her to remarry to a man of his choosing.

She had had no other choice but to agree, Henry wanted her married so that she could never cause him problems in the future, yet still she had wanted assurance that her title would remain hers alone, she would not have a husband trying to claim it for his own.

To say she had been surprised by his choice of husband for her would be an understatement; she had been shocked beyond belief and furious too. Henry had chosen for her Charles Brandon, his most faithful lap dog, the man she had no doubt who (along with Cromwell) had bought the allegations against her, as much as Anne had hated his previous wife she could not help but curse her luck that the Duke had been left a widow that year, Catherine Brandon had died during childbirth and now Anne would be the new Duchess of Suffolk, a prisoner of a man who loathed her as if she were the devil, a man whom she loathed just the same.

Yet here she was on her wedding day, just six days past the day in which her divorce had been finalized and another five before Henry would be married to his new minx.

Looking into the mirror in front of her Anne could not help but thank her luck that her looks and figure had remained much the same, nor could she help but think that Jane Seymour would not look quite so grand on her wedding day, she doubted that plain Jane had the taste to create a dress of similar fashion to Anne's own. The dress was not white, she was no maid and there was no point in pretending otherwise. Her dress was an interesting off white colour; detailed with golden thread, elaborate jewels and delicate embroidery along the sleeves bodice and skirt of the gown. Her sleeves where in the Tudor style and the skirt of the gown opened up to reveal a yellow underskirt. Her hair she wore down (as was the custom with brides) with a simple braid and a veil decorating her head instead of the crown she was accustomed to.

" Anne?" her fathers voice tore her gaze away from the mirror in front of her, he did not look pleased, he had not looked anything other than grim since the day he had been informed, truly she did not know what he was more upset about, the fact that Anne was no longer the Queen of England, or the fact that it had been Anne who had requested the divorce. While Anne knew that the title of Duchess (even twice over as she would be once the wedding was done with), was not quite as grand as that of Queen, yet still it was more than could ever have been expected of her, once she had been nothing more than a daughter of a lowly knight, my how far she had come; my how far she had fallen. There was one consolation however, despite the divorce she was still an anointed Queen of England, while she had no right to call herself Queen, Henry had permitted that she allowed to be addressed as Your Majesty, it gave her a small level of satisfaction to know that Jane Seymour would not be the only woman in England to have the right to such a respect, despite how much she had lost in the way of titles she had won that small victory. She would be the third most powerful woman in England despite all that had befallen her none would be able to claim otherwise.

There would not be a large crowd attending her wedding, in that way it was quite similar to her first. Her father and brother would be there, as would the Duke's younger children (Frances and Eleanor had all but refused to attend), her uncle Norfolk had also refused to attend, he was still bitter that he had lost the right to say his niece was the Queen of England. Also in attendance were a few of Anne's ladies those that were still loyal to her, and any other nobles her future husband had deemed fit to invite. Elizabeth was of course there, no doubt as confused as a girl of her age could be. However Anne knew that having divorced parents was a much better option than losing ones mother.

" Papa," Anne responded slowly tearing her gaze away from the mirror in front of her. She knew that once she took her father's arm, everything she had known over more than a decade would be lost to her, she would no longer be the great love of the King of England, but rather the hated wife of the Duke of Suffolk.

Anne took her fathers outstretched arm, with a shaking hand, it was not often that she felt nervous, yet the situation she currently found herself in was more than a little unnerving. As the doors opened revealing the small crowd that had been gathered and her future husband at the end of the alter, Anne felt herself want to collapse, when she noticed Henry standing with an unreadable expression upon her face, Anne felt as if she would not be able to move. She had not been expecting his presence, it made the situation twice as worse, no doubt he wanted to see his plan through, no doubt he wanted to make sure that everything ran according to his wishes, so that there was no way for Anne to leave the union that had been forced upon her.

Taking a deep calming breath Anne allowed her father to lead her down the aisle, she walked gracefully with all the dignity expected of a Queen of England, let Henry see how a Queen should look, She wanted to make him jealous to make him regret ever letting her go so easily, she would not make eye contact with him however, for she feared that if she did she would lose would little courage she had mustered completely.

She walked the last remaining steps alone, before standing next to her betrothed, he looked handsome enough she supposed (he had always been a good looking man), as Anne knelt against the cushion that had been placed near her feet she could not help but wonder what the Duke thought of her appearance, yet before she could truly ponder her thoughts the priest had began and everything else was nothing more than a blur.

As much as Charles detested the fact he was obliged by custom to mingle throughout the room with his new bride upon his arm, he knew he had little choice. They also had no choice but to dance the first dance together and as awkward as that was, Charles could only begin to imagine how awkward their wedding night was going to be.

He almost hated Henry for making him do this, oh he understood his friend and Kings reasoning, he knew it was necessary for the woman to be married to someone trustworthy and with a title, someone who would keep an eye on her and ensure that she would not begin plotting for either herself or her daughter. Charles knew he was to be more of a jailor than he was to be a husband yet Henry had made it absolutely certain that he wanted the marriage consummated, there could be no way out of it for either of them.

Charles had been married twice before, in both situations he had either been in love with the woman he married or he had grown to love them, he could not imagine himself falling in love with Anne. For much of the past decade they had been bitter enemies, yet now they were husband and wife bound together by god and a Royal decree.

" May I be excused for a moment Your Grace?" Anne questioned from beside him, refusing to meet his eyes. Charles did nothing more than nod his head, before watching as his new wife made her way towards were her brother was standing with the Princess.

" Congratulations, Your Grace," A voice said from beside him, Charles could not help but smile when he saw that it was Anthony addressing him, the man had been in France for much of the past three years, it had felt a lifetime since he had seen his old friend.

" Your sympathies would be better served," Charles responded with a grumble, before embracing his friend tightly.

" It cannot be all bad Charles," Tony said in a low voice, " The Duchess is still pleasing to look at, and you are now free to take as many mistresses as your heart desires."

Charles smiled slightly at the other mans words, yet from some reason Mary's voice filled his head, her words from all those years ago coming back to hunt him even now, You can love, for a time, for a year, a month even an hour.

He had loved Mary, oh despite his infidelities he had loved her greatly, and he had loved Catherine too, yet he had hurt both of them, he had made them both cry, he doubted very much that he would ever make Anne Boleyn cry, how could you hurt someone you did not love, yet how could a marriage work with nothing but hate pulling the strings?

When he came to the bedchamber, he smelt of wine, his footfalls were heavy, and his steps did not quite appear to be right. Anne had retired to the bedchamber an hour before, she could not stand to keep a smile on her face any longer, not when she could all but feel Henry's eyes burning into her back. No doubt her new husband had decided to drown his sorrows in her absence, perhaps he thought if he was intoxicated it would make what they had to do easier.

Henry had informed them both that he wanted their marriage consummated it had been one of the agreements of the divorce. There was to be no bedding ceremony however and for that Anne was grateful, instead the two of them were required to sign a piece of paper declaring that the marriage had been consummated, a piece of paper tying them together for the rest of their days.

" You are to remain at Court I presume?" Anne questioned, once Charles had slid into the bed next to her.

"Yes, Henry expects me to attend the wedding." Charles responded, Anne was surprised to find that his words were not slurred; perhaps he was not quite so intoxicated as she first imagined.

Anne could do nothing more than nod her head, the mention on Henry remarrying still left an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, she was just glad that she was not being forced to attend, it meant she would have time to get used to her new life, to better acquaint herself with her new home, her step children and her life as a duchess. God willing she would never be required at court again, she could not imagine herself bowing down to Jane Seymour, let alone calling the simple and plain woman her Queen.

Anne watched as Charles blew out the candles in their room, leaving them in complete darkness, perhaps it was better that way Anne thought as she felt the Duke lean over her and press his lips against her own, if she could not see him she could pretend to be somewhere else, she could pretend she was with someone else.

She was no longer Anne Queen of England, by her own will she had lost her title and her husband, she was now Anne Brandon, The Duchess of Pembroke and Suffolk, the most hated wife of her husband and more than half the realm.

A/N: Please leave a review and let me know what you think and if you want me to continue.

This was obviously a short chapter, as it was just the beginning of the story, but the next chapters are much longer.

The second chapter will detail the aftermath of Charles and Anne's wedding night, and all the awkwardness that the beginning of their marriage brings with it, as well as some more requirements from Henry for Anne to follow now that they are divorced and she is remarried.

The chapter will also have moments from Mary Tudor and her feelings to all the new developments taking place.

The wedding of Henry and Jane will also be included, as will a scene with Elizabeth and Anne, with Anne trying to explain to her young daughter about all that has now happened.