The Other Henry VIII

Cat and Mouse

21 August 1522
Leia strode confidently along the corridor, her head up and face determined. She had been expecting an invitation to speak with the King—it was inevitable, with their history—but that of course meant she had prepared herself for it. Ignoring the twisting feeling in her stomach, Leia reached the door and addressed the servants outside.
"I am the Dowager Duchess of Exeter. His Majesty wishes to see me." The servants looked at each other knowingly (they probably recognised her) but stood aside and opened the door for Leia.

She tried to march confidently in there too, but all her momentum seemed to have vaporised in a second. All Leia's legs would do was a couple of small steps at a time. However, this gave her a chance to take in the sight of the King of England for the first time in five long years.
He wasn't hunched over his desk like Leia thought he would be, but instead he sat comfortably in his red armchair facing her from the corner. She read the lines of age on his forehead as a sign of deep suffering (something she had expected, considering Diana's fate). Strangely, thought Leia, he looks more genuine now. Like he has given up and just wants true love without the consequences.
She curtsied, though not very low, and positioned her face into some sort of mock-curiosity.

"So Leia... I mean, Duchess. You're back at court?"began the King shortly. It was the last type of thing Leia was expecting to say, so an even shorter, sharper retort than she was planning.
"Evidently."
Henry didn't look too shocked—he just swept his gaze to his hands and murmured: "I suppose." Leia could feel her chest tighten. Her whole plan was falling apart—why couldn't the King say what she had imagined he would say inside her head? All of her carefully calculated answers had been quashed as soon as Henry had opened his mouth.

"So why did you—?"
"—ask to see you? I missed you. A King can miss his past lover." Leia shook her head. "No, he can't. Why did you really want to talk to me?"
Henry stood up and wandered towards his desk musingly, as if the answer was impossible to give.
"So...you were married then?"
"For a couple of months. He died of Sweat very soon. It wasn't much of a loss anyway." Without thinking, Leia sat down smoothly in the King's armchair, knowing he wouldn't respond. He didn't.

"You have not been at court for years, Leia. Why are you here?"he whispered softly, the shell of an arrogant King falling away to reveal vulnerability." Leia knew she had complete power over him now.
"Because I want a good life, and court was the place where I was happiest. All I wanted was to hide from you and your intruding manner." She paused, reading his expression. "Oh well, Marianne and Verity are here now. They are prettier and more appealing than me, so please leave me alone.

"I don't want to intrude, if that's not what you want. And I don't think that they are prettier than you." Leia folded her arms and leaned back in the chair.
"What does it matter? The only person who will judge me for it is you, and I don't want your judgement."
"Why not?" Henry was genuinely shocked. No-one had ever talked to him like this, and he did not like it.
Leia, however, let out a laugh. "You're not going to give it to me honestly! And to answer your question properly: I have come for love. For someone to care about me, someone who does not go through women like he does meat pies." Here, she glared at the King pointedly, and he felt himself almost recoil. By now, he was almost against the opposite wall, wondering why a young lady like Leia intimidated him so much.

"I have control of my life now, a luxury most women will never feel. I intend to use my liberty wisely"
"So you do not consider that I still think of you when times are grey?" fought back the King. "I may not be infatuated with you anymore but you remain in my mind more stubborn than anything else!"
Leia suddenly leaned forwards, chin on hand, her face filled with hope. "So you admit that you are not infatuated any more?"
"Yes!"

There was silence in the King's study. He couldn't quite believe that he had just admitted to that, so automatically, as if he knew the answer deep down. Leia didn't even flinch.
"Then I shall wish Your Majesty good day and good luck with your next choice of wife." She stood up and made for the door, but somehow the King knew this conversation wasn't over.
"Why did you want to know?"he asked curiously. "Are you disappointed?" Leia cast a backwards glance at him, her face almost pitying.
"I just wanted to be sure that you weren't gonna pursue me and interrupt my new life. Good day, Your Majesty."
"Leia wait!"called out the King, impulsively reaching out and grabbing her arm. He wasn't sure why, it just felt like they hadn't finished their conversation quite yet.
Leia responded, her voice surprisingly innocent and calm. "I thought you said your infatuation is over." She gently tugged her arm out of his faltering grasp.
The King cleared his throat. He was too proud to say anything, it would sound too contradicting.
"I shall be seeing you around. Your Majesty,"sighed Leia, nodding her head. She left without another word, and Henry sunk back into his chair as if the world was crumbling into nothing.
"And people wonder why I miss her,"he murmured. "But even I know when I'm fighting a losing battle."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why is the King holding another ball?"grumbled Cecily, leaning over the arm of her chair to speak to Leia. Katharine, she, Leia, Verity and Marianne sat in their seats on the side of the ballroom as the courtiers danced away. Marianne and Katharine, on the ends, were fidgeting way too much, but Sir Robert had said that there was to be no dancing until one of them danced with the King. It was a stupid condition, but Cecily and Verity seemed too wrapped up in fighting over Leia's attention to really care.
"He's still looking for a new wife, I suppose,"replied Leia, not really paying attention. She was too busy staring intently at the other side of the room; Verity traced her cousin's gaze to Catherine Starling, sitting next to Jane Saxby. She at once understood, and was glad that Cecily did not. She's so simple-minded and unsophisticated, thought Verity sourly. Why would Leia want her company unless she was forced?

Cecily gulped and cast an accusing glance at Verity. At least Leia was in between them, so she didn't need to sit next to the little witch-cousin. The thought of her made Cecily gag; the sound of her voice made her spine shiver with hate. It was too bad Cecily didn't have Katharine's ignorance or Leia's confidence, otherwise she would probably have dealt with Verity already. It was pure torture having to sit here next to the three other Westovers. Why couldn't it just be her and Leia?

Suddenly, Leia stood up. All four of the other girls watched her in horror, especially Marianne (who was pretty furious that she hadn't had the courage to disobey their orders before). "I'm going to go and talk to Edmund," explained Leia animatedly. "And Katharine, don't go running to Father. I'm not dancing, I'm only talking to my brother."
As Leia marched away through all the happy dancers, Marianne spat sullenly, "He's looking at her."
"Who?"asked Cecily.
"Who do you think?"her cousin replied. "The King of course. Now there goes our chances of getting to dance at all tonight." She folded her arms dramatically, causing Verity to roll her eyes.
"You're not going to die if you don't dance, Marianne. I shall enjoy it."

Leia wove in and out of the dancing couples, over to the corner where her brother Edmund stood sipping a goblet of wine calmly.
"What's on your mind?"questioned Leia jokingly. "Haven't found any pretty girls to seduce?"
Edmund nearly choked on his wine. "Sister! You know me too well. I was just musing whether I should go over there to that sad-looking girl next to the Princess and ask her to dance."
"You know, you almost sounded compassionate in that sentence. Must be the wine taking effect." Leia glanced over to where Edmund was describing, and rolled her eyes at the result.
"The wine has definitely influenced you. Father would have you hanged, drawn and quartered if he saw. Which he will: he's watching us right now."
"Here's the thing, Leia—I don't have orders from Father. Some of us have freedom, even if it's only for a few hours." He took a step away from his sister half-mockingly. Then another. Then another.
Leia smiled. "Tick tock." She turned away, the smile still on her lips, to face the King of England. Immediately, her grin fell flat.

"Your Majesty." She didn't bother curtsying.
"Duchess, will you dance?"the King replied smoothly, holding out a hand. Leia glanced over at the bored-to-death faces of her sisters and cousins, then shrugged (a gesture she had picked up from her time in the courts of Europe).
"Why must you dance with me? Ask my poor maiden relatives, their expressions are making me feel guilty,"Leia suggested, pointing her chin at the line of chairs. Henry shook his head immediately, making Leia decide he hadn't even considered it. This was becoming tedious.
"I asked you to dance with me because I wanted to dance with you. That much is clear, Duchess. Why should I dance with them? I thought you like dancing?"
Don't pretend to know me, thought Leia bitterly. She did love dancing, every kind possible, but that was not the point.
"You know very well that everyone in this ballroom is watching to see who you dance with first. If you dance with Marianne, I'll dance with you later." The King of England was not in the way of bartering with a challenging Duchess, but it didn't seem a bad idea. Marianne Westover was pretty enough, and engaging enough, so he wouldn't have advisors breathing down his neck if he danced with Leia the Widow.

"Alright. I will,"agreed Henry. "I'll hold you to that, Leia Westover."
"I'm sure you will,"she replied, and watched in pleasure as the King strode up to Marianne. Of course, the latter jumped up automatically with a flirtatious smile on her face.

Leia felt another light tap on her shoulder. She turned, and met the rather charming brown eyes of Richard Cavill Jr. Relief swept over her in an instant.
"May I have this dance, My Lady?"he asked. Leia nodded enthusiastically and he lead her onto the dance floor. On the way, she caught a glimpse of Catherine Starling staring longingly at Leia's own brother, who was now dancing happily with Rebecca Cavill.

Ah, courtly love. How she'd missed it.