A.N. Hello everyone! This story is completely AU- so consider yourself warned! It's also my 1 ever Tudors story:)
I've also changed characters age so they fit: Mary-16/17, Charles-30, Henry-35 Catherine-38
Disclaimer: I don't own "The Tudors"
As always: I apologize for any and all mistakes in grammar and/or spelling I've made:)
BETAED BY Lady Eleanor Boleyn- Thank YOU!
Queen Catherine rubbed her forehead with a tired gesture. The battle she'd been fighting incessantly for close to a year had exhausted her. The loop had slowly been tightening around her. King Henry had started the procedure to divorce her weeks earlier. The Boleyn harlot was certainly already sharing his bed. Yes, she was still a queen, but only in name.
It was only a matter of time till Henry sent her away to some castle forgotten by both God and the people. Her beloved and once loving her husband was under the great influence of Anna Boleyn and her family, everyone who even dared to defend her rights suffered: in the best case by being dismissed from the court like Thomas Moore, at worst by confinement like Bishop Fisher.
With left her with only one open supporter she still could count on- the Spanish ambassador Eustace Chapuys, but his influences were limited. Catherine already knew that she was going to lose. She'd known it for weeks.
She could try fighting in the field, she knew that her loyal subjects would support her but she wasn't able to betray her king, to evoke civil war in her beloved England ; just the same way she'd not be able to look passively at Spanish armies defending her interests by pillaging and burning down English villages. She could not do it, and because of that she was condemned to failure, despite the fact that she was right; that she had been a wife of the king in God's eyes .
And now seemed that her continuous humiliation wasn't enough for the Boleyns. Now they wanted to humiliate and destroy Mary.
"My lady, ambassador Chapuys" Lady Elizabeth led the guest into the chamber.
"My lady" the ambassador bowed kissing her hand "you sent for me"
Catherine pointed him to the chair opposite, and when he sat passed him a sheet of paper .
"It's from His Majesty, it was delivered to me two hours ago" she explained
Chapuys eyes quickly ran through the list of names of English lords and he looked at her not understanding
" The King has decided to marry our daughter off and in his kindness he is allowing me to choose her husband, he even sent me a list of possible candidates. If I refuse to make a choice His Majesty declared that he'd make that decision on his own. I'm obliged to give him my answer tonight"
Catherine clenched her lips in order to stop herself from saying anything else , but the ambassador grasped it. Neither he nor the queen had to guess who had possibly suggested that idea to the king and drawn up the list of candidates. Anna Boleyn surely had enjoyed it.
"George Boleyn, Edward Seymour, Thomas Seymour, Henry Norris, William Howard' ambassador thought seriously. All those men were undoubtedly loyal toward the king, and none was worthy to marry the princess. Binding Mary with one of them guaranteed the king and his whore absolute obedience and power over Mary who would not be safe with any of them.
"Your highness did the king cut your choice to men named on this list?" Chapuys asked his thoughts racing. He was desperately looking for a way out. They had so little time.
"No, but Mary's husband is supposed to be an English nobleman who is obedient to king and supports his Great matter" Catherine presented the king's conditions to the Ambassador. "My daughter! The princess and the heir to the throne. The Pearl of his world" Catherine added bitterly "I won't answer him! I won't let him do it!"
" Your majesty" Chapuys protested frightened that she'd do such a thing " You can't do it. If you don't make a choice then the king will do it, and then princess Mary will be in constant danger trapped in a marriage with either Boleyn or Howard"
Catherine shivered in terror. She could not condemn her daughter to something like that but what could she do to prevent it?
"Your majesty" Chapuys begged "We both know that not one of the men on this list is a good choice. You must choose somebody else, somebody who would fulfil the conditions made by the king but at the same time would be an honourable enough man to care for and protect your daughter." The ambassador frowned " there must be at least one person on the court who would do that"
Lady Elizabeth's entry stopped their conversation.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Your Majesty but the Duke of Suffolk is here."The queen's eyes soared toward ambassador's face requesting help.
Chapuys nodded slightly "You must make a decision my lady, for Princess Mary's sake." he stated getting up at the sight of Duke of Suffolk.
" Your Majesty" He took his leave observing the man standing before them. It was clear that Charles didn't like the task given to him by a king.
"Your majesty, excellency" Charles bowed hating himself for the part which he came to play in this farce. A sight of Boleyns being rife all over the court made him sick and the sadness prevailing in Queen Catherine's chambers and reflecting on her face agonized him.
And now he was supposed to be a witness as the favorite of his dead wife, young, barely 17 year old princess would be condemned to the bond with the man who would turn he life into hell. Truly King Henry's friendship came at a cost.
He waited until Chapuys left the chamber and then he addressed the queen "My lady, His Majesty King Henry sent me with the question as to whether you have made your choice."
The queen looked at the young man standing before her and proudly raised her head. Her pride demanded to answer him with haughty tone and send Henry with his list to hell but the ambassador had been right. There was no place for pride. Mary's fate depended on her decision.
George Boleyn and William Howard- brother and cousin of Anne Boleyn, she didn't bother to take those candidates into consideration.
Edward Seymour, Thomas Seymour- two very ambitious young men and Seymours. They were well known as rivals to both the Boleyns and the Howards, but those two were too ruthless, too greedy for power.
Henry Norris- the oldest of them, not too avid for power. Maybe he would do? Though no, too daft, too blindly obedient to the king. If the king ordered him to kill Mary he would perform the deed himself.
No, none of them would do. Mary needed a strong shoulder to lean on. Somebody who would meet conditions made by the king and at the same time be a man strong enough to oppose Henry when the time came There was only one man at court who seemed to fulfill all those conditions. Whom she could trust at least a little.
"Yes my lord, you can tell the king that I have made my choice." She glanced at him. Five years younger than her husband, he was his good friend, and for a short time he'd been the husband of her dear sister-in-law Margaret. She'd known him practically from the day she'd met Henry. He was a bit of a troublemaker, an adventurer, a womaniser but he was a loyal friend, a soldier. He wasn't a cruel man or a sadist. He had a gentleness written in his eyes. She made her decision.
" My lord please tell the king, that for a husband for our beloved daughter I'm choosing Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk" she announced with a resonant voice.
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