Festina Lente

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Royal Wedding

Smoothing down her dress, her hands came to pause by her stomach for a moment knowing that she would certainly do her duty to the King; she had not forgotten what had occurred while they were in France. 

"We must not keep the King waiting, it is time," Elizabeth Boleyn stated, she did not think Henry would be pleased if he were kept waiting by his bride. 

Today was a matter of importance and with the coronation set to follow next month, Elizabeth had no doubts that Anne's role as Queen would not be an easy one but she hoped that she would be secure in her position. 

***

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Charles Brandon asked quietly, his eyes peering around the Queen's closet where Henry would be married to the Boleyn whore; he could not believe that this is what it had come to. 

He had never thought that his friend would allow such a woman to govern him, he had cast aside a woman that he had once claimed to love and the daughter that he had called the pearl of his world for her. 

This would be his last chance to talk him out of his decision to marry her, he had tried to warn Henry about the fact that there were whispers that his bride had carnal knowledge of Thomas Wyatt. 

However, his warnings had only gotten him banished from court last time, his friend would not hear anything against the woman that he was infatuated with. 

"I have waited long enough for this moment," Henry told him, he offered only a look of warning against whatever he had to say; he did not wish to hear Charles's misplaced concern not when he was about to be married. 

Dressed in his finery, Henry turned back to Cranmer who would marry him soon to his beloved Anne; he could not wait for the moment that he could finally call her his wife and Queen. 

Their wait had been a long one and Henry could not imagine how much longer he would have been forced to wait if the truth about Katherine's actions had not been revealed to him. 

The sounds of trumpets interrupted his thoughts and he turned to see his beautiful bride with her father; she looked every inch the Queen that he had imagined her to be. 

Walking down the aisle on her father's arm, Anne couldn't take her eyes from Henry and the smile that he wore on his face making her feel like the only person that mattered; her heart beating faster with each step that she took towards him. 

Everything that they had wanted was within reach, it felt like finally things were falling into place when for so long she had thought that this day was never going to happen. 

Standing within the crowd, Lady Mary watched as the harlot made her way towards her father; her face devoid of all emotion, her every move being watched and no doubt reported to the King. 

She had managed to reframe from spending time with the woman that had ruined everything for her, Anne was the witch that had led her father away from his true wife.

"We are come here together, before God and these witnesses, to join in holy matrimony Henry VIII, King of England and France, Defender of the Faith and the Lady Anne Boleyn, Duchess of Pembroke," Cranmer spoke, his words carrying around the room as his eyes focused on the couple before him. 

Standing not far behind her father, Mary couldn't help but frown a little at the fact that he still used the title of Defender of the Faith when he had started to turn away from it. 

It was not a secret that Henry was investigating the clergy, having the Church investigated for it's misuse of power and wanting himself declared head of the church here in England.