Author's Notes- I really don't like the tail end of this chapter, but I felt the need to wrap it up before it got way out of hand. Not too happy with the little jousting scene either, but I've never been good with writing action scenes. As always, read, review and most importantly, enjoy!

Sitting in the shade of the royal box, Katherine clapped politely with the other courtiers as the Duke of Suffolk bested his opponent with a might crash of lances. To celebrate the disappearance of the mysterious sweating sickness, Henry had decided to hold a joust with a masque to follow afterwards. Katherine had not wanted to leave Ludlow, or Mary, but had little choice in the matter so here she was. Sighing inwardly, she smiled and nodded as another young jouster bowed and held out his lance for the favors of one of her giggling ladies. Upon receiving Katherine's nod of approval, the young woman untied the colored ribbon from her wrist and tied it around the tip of the man's proffered lance. The woman settled down with a little blush and clapped politely as his name was announced. The queen didn't give him too much thought until his opponent was announced.

"Sir Loyal Heart makes the challenge, à la plaisance!"

Henry couldn't be serious, she thought briefly. There was no way her husband had arranged this whole thing, just to joust for her under the name he'd once gladly rode under with her favors. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than the king's white destrier trotted up to the royal box. Lifting the visor on his helmet, Henry offered her what seemed to be a genuine smile as a gasp went up from the crowd. "My lady, will you do the honor of letting me wear your favors?" he asked, lowering his lance to lean against the railing.

Everyone seemed to hold their breath as they waited for her to respond. Clearly unwilling but having no choice, she rose to her feet and pulled the ribbon off her wrist and gently retied it around his lance. A flash of something -annoyance?- crossed his face but he smiled gamely at her before retracting his lance and trotting off. Returning to her seat, she had to fight the urge to close her eyes as the two men spurred their horses on towards one another. The young man, either scared of harming the king or vastly inexperienced, was quickly unhorsed by Henry's well placed lance. She clapped politely with the crowd and wondered privately how soon she could escape this charade.

What was he doing wrong?! Henry fought the urge to throw something. He'd held the joust predominately to garner his wife's attention, even riding in the lists as her Sir Loyal Heart again, with little success. Sure, he'd ended up winning the day, but that was hardly the point. Katherine had certainly not looked happy, even when he'd deliberately sought her out to ask for her favors. The masque, too, that he'd arranged for afterward had been a disaster as well. He'd had a new gown and even new jewels commissioned for her and while she'd worn them, she'd also left the dance early. What in the hell was he doing wrong?

"Your Majesty, Her Grace, the Duchess of Suffolk is here to see you."

Turning, he forced a smile as his sister was shown into his receiving room. "Sister," he greeted, bending slightly at the waist as she curtsied before him. "I'm terribly sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, brother," she replied with a tremulous smile, the loss of her two boys still stinging like a fresh wound that hadn't healed yet. "You wished to see me?"

"I need your help, Mary," he returned, helping her into a seat and pressing a glass of wine upon her. "Tell me what it is I seem to be doing wrong."

Well, this was certainly new. Henry, coming to his baby sister for help? "Of course, brother, I'd be glad to help," she agreed, sipping at her wine before setting it aside. "What is it?"

He proceeded to rant for a good twenty minutes as he paced back and forth, starting from the beginning when he'd confessed he still loved Katherine, to what seemed to be his biggest problem: nothing he did seemed to be working in his favor for winning his wife back. When he finally finished, he looked over at her to see his sister watching him shrewdly. "Well?" he demanded, crossing his arms across his chest defensively. "What am I doing wrong?"

"May I speak frankly?" she asked, before continuing at his nod. "Henry, has it occurred to you that Katherine is not the Lady Anne?"

Sputtering, he looked at her in disbelief. He'd asked her for help, being the only female he knew that wouldn't try and seduce him, and here she was telling him what was completely obvious to anyone and everyone. "Of course I know she's not the Lady Anne!" he snapped incredulously.

"Do you?" she returned, arching her brows at him in mock surprise. "You certainly aren't acting like you do. You're doing all the things you would do for a woman who is your mistress. Jewels, gowns, jousts and masques. Do any of those things honestly sound like the woman you married?"

Well... no, not when she put it like that. Huffing, he flung himself into the seat opposite of his sister and refused to meet her knowing gaze. "No," he finally muttered, glancing at her and wanting to throttle the smug look off her face. Damn her anyway! He'd sought her out for advice on how to win his wife back, not to be lectured on how he was failing by treating Katherine like one of his mistresses.

Mary shook her head and sighed. Her brother had a reputation for being a great seducer but she personally thought it had more to do with him being the king than anything else. "Do you really want your wife back or are you just saying that because she hasn't forgiven you yet?" she finally asked gently, inwardly bracing herself for an explosion of his infamous temper.

"Of course I want her back!" he exclaimed incredulously, throwing his hands up in a frustrated gesture. "I wouldn't be doing all these things if I didn't!"

"So why not do something just for her?" she asked, before shaking her head and cutting him off when he went to reply. "You haven't been doing these things for her, Henry, you've been doing them for yourself."

"Well, then, what do you suggest?" he questioned, and even as the words left his mouth he knew exactly the thing to do.

'You've come back from the dead! Do you know what this means? You can go back to the king!'

Anne remembered very little of being ill, only remembering the day she woke from her feverish sleep. George had told her she called repeatedly for their mother, but she recalled none of it. Only her father's fervent words at her recovery rang in her ears. He didn't care that his daughter had lived, he only cared that she had survived and could continue to try and seduce the king and eventually become queen. Sitting by the window overlooking the court yard, her spirits lifted briefly when a group of riders dressed in the Tudor livery rode in. Her gaze darted from rider to rider but instead of seeing the king like she'd expected, her gaze found the form of the Duke of Suffolk. Maybe the Duke had irritated the king and had been ordered to retrieve her for court? Rising to her feet, she picked her skirts up and rushed from the room, only slowing her steps at the top of the stairs. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down and began her descent.

"His Grace, the Duke of Suffolk!"

"Your Grace," Thomas Boleyn greeted, the title sticking in his craw even as he proffered Brandon a bow and an insincere smile. "We were expecting his Majesty," he began before being cut off.

"My Lord Rochford," Brandon greeted, barely bending at the waist in a semblance of a bow. "I come with a message for your family."

Anne eased into the room, curtsying to Suffolk before glancing at her father. "Your Grace," she greeted, moving to stand next to her father.

"Lady Anne," Charles greeted, nodding his head at the young woman, who was paler and seemed thinner than the last time he'd seen her. "His Majesty wishes to inform you that while he is grateful you have made a full recovery, he wishes you and your family to remain here in Hever until he summons you again." The words clearly hit home, with Anne going pale and moving to a richly furnished chair, which she collapsed into.

Thomas Boleyn colored, paled and colored again. "You mean to tell me that we are banished from court?" he blustered, back straightening and his tone clearly belaying his anger at the situation. A few short months ago, they'd had everything going for them. Henry was still pushing the issue of a divorce and Wolsey was falling ever more from favor. Now, Suffolk of all people, was here telling them they were banished from court.

"It appears so," Charles agreed, fighting back a smile. He'd never liked Thomas Boleyn and had hated being in debt to the man when he'd helped make amends between him and the king when he'd married the king's sister without permission. "Good day, my lord." With that, Brandon turned swiftly on his heel and made his way out.

"Mama!"

Katherine looked up from her sewing in surprise as Mary rushed into her rooms. "Mary!" she cried in delight, setting aside her sewing and rising in time to meet her daughter's embrace. "What ever are you doing here?" she asked, pulling away and gazing at her daughter fondly.

"Papa sent for me," Mary replied, her cheeks hurting from smiling so much. Lady Salisbury hadn't been thrilled when the letter arrived from the king, ordering her to bring Mary to court but the older woman really had no choice in the matter.

Surprise coursed through Katherine at her daughter's words. Henry had sent for Mary to come to court? She'd tried to have her daughter brought back to court in the past, but had never succeeded. "Truly?" she asked, searching her daughter's gaze momentarily.

"Truly, mama. He told Lady Salisbury that it was time for me to come back to court and learn to be a lady," she agreed, almost bouncing in her excitement. Part of her hoped that her father was beginning to realize that she could be just as efficient a ruler as any boy but the rest of her was simply happy to be with her mama and papa again.

"I'm so happy you're here," Katherine told her, pulling her in for another hug, a genuine smile lighting her features for the first time since she'd left her daughter back at Ludlow.