Summary: For most of her life, Elizabeth "Beth" Seymour lived in the shadow of her sister, Jane. As it should have been. Jane was the older sister, and until she was married, Beth's happiness was not of significance.

However, it appeared as though everywhere Beth went trouble followed. The worst, but the best thing that could have happened to the younger Seymour daughter was the King taking an interest of her after the pageant for the Spanish envoys.

After being forced from court by her parents, the King lost his sights over her, but he never forgot about her.

Over the next 8 years, Beth would grow up along the countryside, learning her academic and household duties. Hopefully, they would now be put into good use as she would return to court betrothed.

Once rumors began of the King tiring of Queen Anne, the Seymours set in motion the plan for Jane to become Queen. All without considering the King's and Beth's feelings for each other.

Who knows? May be being the forgotten child was not the worst position to be in after all.

AN: Elizabeth Seymour in the story was born, April 21st, 1510
Jessica Brown Findlay as Elizabeth Seymour

Do Not Seek Outside Yourself

June 1526, Whitehall Palace

"OH, THIS IS ALL SO EXCITING!"Oh, this is all so very exciting!" A wild haired red head gasped in excitement, "Can't you believe it, Beth?"

"No, there is nothing to believe when we are not the main attraction," While the darker haired girl, also masked, dryly stated.

"Oh Beth, don't be so frank. At least you present here today. We all know that if your angelic sister hadn't caught the sweat then you would be at Wulfhall cultivating your skills of knitting." Mary Norris was right.

As the ladies of sin were in the hallway waiting to appear in the pageant for the Spanish envoys, the dear friend of Elizabeth, or Beth, Seymour reminded her friend that if it wasn't for her sister Jane catching the sweat then Beth would never have the opportunity to be a part of the pageant, let alone, be at court.

"Alright ladies, ready?" Master Cornish in all his majestic and somewhat ridiculous glory whispered to the ladies in black. The resounding squeals gave the Master of Dance the answer he was looking for, "Shall we?"

Naturally, when the ladies of sin went out onto the platform the crowd made noises of dissent. That did not bother ladies of black, being good was quite a bore anyways.

Once the ladies stood their positions, with Jane Parker as Jealousy, Mary as Scorn, and Beth as Danger all three in the middle, Master Cornish appeared flinging his flimsy sword, in his obscene red cape, fake gold crown, and mask, with the masked noble men following in suite.

"As ardent desire, I demand you to release your prisoners." Cornish began to speak.

"As Lady Scorn, I laugh at your desires." Mary was the first lady of sin to speak out.

As planned, Master Cornish defended the lords, "These men are noble lords."

"No, they're just men dressed up." Beth rebutted, stating the obvious.

"I'll say it again. Release these fair damsels that you keep so cruelly."

"Never." Jane once again refused the noblemen entry.

"Then you give us no choice but to attack and breach your defenses."

Beth turned to her friend, to which they shared a smirk, and saucily replied, "No knight shall ever breach mine." The crowd laughed. Beth feeling empowered by the chuckles of the crowd winked.

"Lady, Desire overcomes all. Attack!" Cornish signaled for the men to get their assigned graces, leaving the ladies of sin to part.

While the masked ladies in black stood with the crowd, Mary turned to her friend expectedly, "Beth, so are you attending the festivities tonight or what?"

"You know she would never, dear Mary." Jane mocked her peer, with a smug smirk on her face.

Beth rolled her eyes, but still maintaining her smile, "I'll find a way, I always do. Let's just hope you're not drunk enough to forget your dance partners."

Mary grinned happily, "Alright, be there by 8. And don't forget your wig."

And she was, in a grand silver blonde wig, in the French fashion. By the time Beth Seymour arrived at the lower hall party, most attendees were drunk off their asses. It consisted of primarily of the ladies of sin, chambermaids, the King's privy chamber-men, and young noblemen.

"Ah, there she is." A very drunk Mary, in a wig made in extension of her fiery hair, joyously hugged an overwhelmed Beth, "I thought you were going to prove Jane right and not show."

"You'd know I'd never miss an opportunity to prove the self-righteous wench wrong." As one could see, the two did not get along.

The youngest Norris sibling burst into fits of giggles while leading Beth to a table full of cards towards the end of the hall, "Well, come sit. Here are some people I would like you to meet. Beth here is Sir Anthony Knivert, William Compton, and my dear brother Henry Norris."

"Nice to see you again Beth." Henry was the first to greet his sister's friend.

"Beth is a master of cards," Mary claimed.

"Really?" William Compton, the oldest man, sat up in interest.

"Pope Joan is my specialty." Beth declared.

"Alright then, let us play, shall we?" Anthony Knivert proceeded to shuffle the cards.

Anthony Knivert whistled in defeat.

"So Anthony why don't we play drunk? Because we lose all our money, that's why." Compton hit his ashamed friend on the back of the head.

"My lady you have robbed us." Henry Norris muttered with his head in his hands.

"What is going on here?" A commanding voice boomed throughout the room.

Suddenly, everyone seized and the music and dancing stopped to find the King at the entrance. They all bowed and curtsied.

The King proceeded to walk into the poorly lit room to discover his entourage, with the exception of Brandon, playing cards with a dark-haired beauty seated at the head of their table.

"Norris, Knivert, Compton." The king greeted his men.

"You're majesty." They all replied in resounding defeat.

Noticing their depressed tones, the monarch put more focus onto the lady at the head of the table, with maple brown hair, "What do we have here?"

"Dear Anthony here lost us all our money, that's all," William replied in distress.

"To you, I presume?" With the mischievous glint in his eyes Beth shifted uncomfortably in her seated and became wary of the handsome, but married man.

However, Mary was too far gone to care, "Your Majesty, this is Elizabeth Seymour."

The king's interest perked up, "Your father is Sir John, no?"

"Yes, your majesty." The king rejoiced in hearing the mysterious girl's husky voice.

While the other men at the table groaned, "Oh don't get him going about the Battle of Bosworth." Beth failed to hide her laughter at Knivert's joke.

"Alright, I won't" He once again turned his attention on Beth, "But your father saved my life."

"Shall I sit?" He asked maintaining eye contact with Beth.

"I shouldn't keep my king from the ability to sit."

As he sat down he asked, "Were you ladies at the pageant?"

Mary answered bluntly, "Yes you're majesty, but we weren't as noticeable as those bloody graces."

"Well, I think being graceful is overrated anyway." Beth grinned, "Dear Mary here was Lady Scorn, while I was Lady Danger."

"Ah, how should I forget, "No man shall ever breach mine?" Henry recited her lines.

The Seymour girl blushed and fought a proud grin, "Well how else shall us ladies stay maidens, your majesty?" She popped a grape in her mouth.

Compton and Norris could tell from the heated look their King was giving the charismatic beauty he would probably bed her by the end of the night.

"I like you," Knivert pointed an approving finger at her.

"Even after I took all your money?"

The men laughed, the King clapped his hands together, "Well then, we should get it back gentlemen." The King winked at Beth, which she tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

2 hours later and the party had ended. The King insisted everyone, but Beth, leave to get back a small portion of the money he had lost. Everyone knew that there was more. By now, the King had made no secret for his desire of the dark-haired beauty. The youngest Seymour daughter had a wit to match her incredible beauty, which could not be said for many of the other ladies at court.

"You're majesty I have won again. What more can you give me?" The slightly intoxicated girl giggled in content, as she clumsily began to rise and in preparation to leave.

While the King made a noise, "I want to offer you something, Beth."

Beth steadied and positioned herself on the column behind her and looked up in anticipation, "And what shall that be, your majesty?"

"Become my mistress."

"You mean, become a mistress, your Majesty. There's no need to make me feel anyone special than I already feel." The girl corrected sarcastically.

Beth scoffed as she continued, "And what are you willing to offer me in order to have me, your majesty?"

"Well, anything a man can offer a woman." Henry rose from the chair and began stalking toward the dark-haired beauty.

Beth crossed her arms, "But that's just it, you're majesty-"

He got closer, "Call me Henry."

Beth just tilted her head at the determined man and gave him a dazzling sarcastic smile, "Alright, Henry. You're not just any man, you're the King of England. You could give me anything. If you really wanted to, you could make me Queen."

Henry paused for a moment and his eyes darkened, the beauty before him was provoking him and he did not know whether it enticed him more, or angered him, so he ignored her telling statement, "If I were to have you, sweet lady" Henry got right before her, "I'd give you companionship, passion, power, protection, and love."

Beth scoffed, and the King's eyes narrowed believing his speech was pretty good, they worked most of the time, "For a woman, love doesn't exist."

The normally impulsive King was surprised at how composed he was being, especially with how infuriating the lady was before him, "Really?"

Their lips brushed, "Yes, really."

"Beth? Beth?" Mary's worried voice called out for her friend, while the pair remained in their intense position.

"Bloody hell, Elizabeth. Where are you-Oh, your Majesty." The loud Norris stormed into the poorly lit hall, shocked to find the pair in such an embrace.

Beth was the first to be lifted from her daze, "Yes, Mary?"

"Umm, your father has been looking for you and I told him that you were still playing cards with his majesty..." Mary's voice died down as she realized the predicament she had put her friend in.

Beth's heart sank, whatever remaining time she had left at court would be her final time at court. But to keep the King from seeing her sorrowful expression she straightened up and said in an emotionless cheerful voice, "Very well then, it seems that our time has been cut short, your Majesty." Beth took a step forward, but the King seized her right arm,

"When shall I see you again?"

Elizabeth's brows narrowed in confusion and disbelief but smiled nonetheless, "Never, never again." Beth tugged her arm from the King's tight grasp and went to meet her friend at the entrance, never looking back.

"What did he say?"

"Nothing of importance." Now the Beth was in her family's chambers, she was being questioned by not only her father, Sir John Seymour but her pain-in-the-ass of an older brother, Edward.

"Elizabeth Seymour, for all that is holy and good, I will not ask you again, what did the king say?" John pressed his stubborn daughter.

"He wanted me to become a mistress, offering me love, money, power, and companionship," Beth revealed.

"What else?" John knew his daughter well.

"Then when I was leaving he asked me when he would see me again, and I replied with never."
"At least you still have some integrity left in you." Edward took the chance to insult his sister.

Beth glared. "Edward." John reprimanded his protegee of a son.

"Sorry father." Unsurprisingly, the eldest Seymour only apologized to his father.

In frustration the patriarch of the family walked back and forth across the chamber, "My God Elizabeth, why would you put us in such a predicament. I knew you should have never taken part in the pageant. You do realize that since you have rejected the King he will not stop until he has you?"

Beth remained silent as tears built up in her eyes.

"And with a mouth like yours, he's sure to have his fun with you."

"What'll we do now father?" Edward asked.

"Yes father, what are you going to do now?" Beth dared her father.

"You are going home Elizabeth. You'll stay there until you learn your domestic duties. Jane will become a lady-in-waiting to the Queen after she has recovered from the sweat. And if you earn a quarter of the grace that Jane has then I know that I have done something right with you. You'll probably never go to court until you're married."

"Father, that'll take years!" The youngest child shouted in fear.

"Exactly."

"Father!"

"Off to bed, you'll have quite a journey to get home." John would hear no more.

Beth tired and humiliated left the main room with tears of anger and frustration streaming down her face.

"Father, wouldn't it have been beneficial for us to have Beth hold the King's interest? You know people at court are noticing how the Queen will not produce any heirs." Edward suggested the possibility of a potential relationship between his sister and his majesty.

"What are you suggesting, Edward?" The stressed father picked up his hands from his head, "Queen Katherine is a just and righteous queen loved by the entire country. God help the woman who tries to take her place."

"Yes, but she's still an old hag that cannot produce a male heir." Edward directly stated the truth.

"Careful now."

"If Beth was to keep the King's interest long enough for him to marry her and for her to keep her maidenhead. The King would divorce Katherine, marry Beth, and you have a daughter who is the Queen of England." Edward proposed the perfectly life-changing idea as if he had been planning it for years.

"Yes, yes." John thought for a moment at such a possibility, "Probably a daughter, just not Elizabeth."

Hello Everyone! Welcome to Fiat Lux! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! If you want, please check out my out H. VIII x OC Fic!

not edited

word count: 2220 words

Comment, Fav, Follow, Review!