Tudor Rose

i. invitations

May 8, 1511

It was all my sister's fault. As soon as I heard the news, I decided that she was entirely to blame. I couldn't fathom a single reason the new king of England would invite me and my sister to court, unless Elizabeth had something to do with it.

I was terribly wrong.

"Father, I don't want to go to Hampton Court! I've heard terrible things about that place. Please don't make me go," I begged, "Send Elizabeth by herself. Please, you have to reconsider."

My father spun around, causing me to stop abruptly. His eyebrows were creased and a vein I'd never seen before was bulging out of his forehead. He looked furious.

"Anna, stop it. This is a wonderful opportunity for you and Lizzie," he argued, "Even if you don't marry the king, there are plenty of other eligible nobles there. You are both going, and that is final."

I felt tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. I loved my little bit of freedom, and I wasn't ready to give it up.

"Yes, Father," I answered dutifully.

My father and I parted ways, and I marched to my mother's chambers, where I knew I'd find her. While I didn't always see eye to eye with my father or sisters, my mother was always there for me. She was the eye of my hurricane, and I didn't know how to survive without her and her wisdom.

Respectfully, I knocked on the door, but opened it before I heard a reply. Unsurprisingly, I found my mother sitting by the window, reading a book. She looked up and smiled. 

For a moment, I was encapsulated by my mother's beauty. Though she was much older than me, she was still very beautiful. Her ebony curls were neatly pinned back, and her eyes, even though they were as dark as night, sparkled. I was proud to have inherited her looks, though it would've been nice to have her petite, balanced figure rather than my lanky father's stature.

"Mother," I greeted, beaming. I rushed over, sitting on a chair near her. "I have so much to tell you."

"What is it, my dear?" She sat up attentively, obviously concerned, and listened intently.

"Father is sending Elizabeth and I away! Can you believe it? I don't want to go, Mother! I'm only seventeen, why must I marry so early? It's so unfair. Beatrice married very well, and she was twenty two when she married! Elizabeth is nineteen and isn't married," The complaints poured out of me, unfiltered and somewhat irrational. I was a fountain of questions and worry. "I don't want to go," I concluded, holding back frustrated tears.

My mother placed her hand on mine, and didn't have to say a word for me to understand what she was thinking, because I was thinking the same thing. She silently confirmed my biggest fear.

I didn't have a choice.

__

May 11, 1511

The carriage was hot. That was abundantly clear only a few days into our long journey. Elizabeth's aggressive and constant chatting  didn't make the ride any easier, either. 

"Oh my, Anna, you look sick," my sister reminded me, though I lost count of how many times she'd told me. Perhaps she was genuinely concerned, as any good sister would be. But I knew that couldn't have been the case, for she was the farthest thing from a good sister. "That's beside the point," she continued, "I simply can't wait to be at court. I could be the next queen of England! Can you imagine, Anna? Me, the queen?"

Perhaps the heat made her more unbearable than she actually was, or the confinement made me frustratingly bitter, but I couldn't take her voice anymore. Her shrilly, girlish clamoring was getting more and more loathsome.

"Elizabeth, stop! Yes, we've been invited to court by King Henry VIII, but you're being obnoxious about it and I cannot bear it anymore."

She scoffed, suddenly unable to form words. I rolled my eyes. It was typical of her to ignore my opinions, as if they were meaningless to her. 

"Wake me up when we arrive," I said monotonously. I leaned my head against the side of the carriage and watched the starry landscape pass by quickly, until I finally drifted off to a pleasant slumber.

__

May 12, 1511

"Anna. Anna!"

My eyes fluttered open, and I was almost horrified to see Elizabeth hovering over me. Up close, I realized she wasn't as pretty as I always thought she was. Her face seemed disproportionate, and the color of her frosty skin was almost unnatural. 

"Have we arrived already?" I asked groggily.

"Yes! You slept the rest of the way!" Elizabeth replied urgently, "And the king is waiting to greet us! You must get up."

I nodded, following closely behind her. The palace's exterior was prettier than I imagined. It was bustling with people and everything was so pristine and beautiful. I couldn't believe that I was going to live there, even if was only temporarily. While I was admiring the gorgeous building, a plump man approached us.

"You are Lady Elizabeth and Lady Anna of Dover?" he asked quietly.

I nodded affirmatively while Elizabeth tugged on my hair, whispering something about how unkempt and embarrassing I looked.  I didn't even bother with responding because she seemed particularly irritable. We followed the man throughout the halls obediently until we entered a large room. At the back, a young man sat on the throne, undoubtedly King Henry VIII.

The king was much different than what I expected, though my expectations were very low. His dark hair had an auburn glow to it, accentuated by the aureate glow the room was bathed in, a product of the morning sun. Overall, he was much more attractive than I thought he would have been, which only made my vendetta against marriage harder.

"Your Majesty," the man announced, "Lady Elizabeth Holbrook and Lady Anna Holbrook."

"Your Majesty," my sister and I said in unison, curtsying politely and respectfully. 

"It is a pleasure to be here," Elizabeth added dramatically.

King Henry observed us silently. I could feel his blue eyes scanning over every inch of me, probably critiquing me and my sister harshly. He furrowed his eyebrows, lost in thought, as Elizabeth and I awkwardly stood there, unsure of what to do. Suddenly, he focused his attention on Elizabeth, who couldn't suppress a smug grin.

"Are you Anna?" he asked her.

Elizabeth's mouth fell open, speechless. It was as if she forgot how to speak.

"No, Your Majesty, I am," I quickly answered, breaking the brief, uneasy feeling in the room.

The king smiled. "Good."

Elizabeth looked like she was going to explode. Her face turned bright red, and her hands were turning even whiter because she was clutching them so tight. The slightest sense of guilty satisfaction swept over me. I did love my sisters, but they could be insufferable and selfish.

"Take Elizabeth to her chambers. I'd like to speak with Anna alone," King Henry said to the stout man, who I realized hadn't said a word since I'd met him. Instead, he simply nodded, carrying out the request silently.

Henry watched Elizabeth leave with the man, and once they were gone, he turned to me. He was expressionless, as if he was testing me. For a few dull moments, we stared intently at each other. The tension in the room was high, and I knew that the king was aware of that. His intimidating blue eyes were locked on mine. I wasn't sure how to feel, or what to say. I didn't have to worry about the latter, though, because it was Henry who broke the silence.

"Would you like to be the next queen of England?" 

-----------

published july 3, 2020