Thayne
I pull aside one of Anna's older handmaidens and pass a crumbled note of parchment.
"Give this to the one named Lady Anna."
She eyed me suspiciously before pushing the note back into my palm. "We get many notes from the public, suitors, and clergy men who are interested in Lady Anna but we do not pass them on" She eyed me again, dismissing me based on my appearance and dark clothing.
I pull off my cloak and stare into her eyes, praying she would recognize me. "Prince Thayne!" She gasps, bowing low to the floor. "Prince Thayne! Forgive me! I was not aware"
I urge her to stand. "Shhh" I push a finger over my lips. She nods once she recognized my features in the light.
"Don't tell her it was from me"
——
Anna
I received a note from an anonymous agent. I usually received a bounty of love letters from numerous of suitors but burned them all. I did not care for them not their pointless proposals.
My handmaiden insisted I read this one though.
The letter said there was something hidden in my garden and I was to go and retrieve it.
I walk down the hallway and slip into the hidden path that led to my secret garden in the abandoned wing of the castle.
I gasp as I see the lack of vitality. Most of my plants had died!
There was no life. No prosperity.
I drop to my knees and shake the stems of a smaller oak plant, trying my best to nurse it back to health, but to no avail.
It was my fault for neglecting them for so long.
I'm sure this was a metaphor for something philosophical but I wasn't quite sure how to relate it to my life.
"There is still one that survives Lady Anna."
I hear a deep voice and jump. A tall man stood in the shadows of the room with a dark cloak. His face was covered by the darkness of the small light that illuminated the garden.
He had a single rose in his palm.
"Who are you?" I waited for him to step into the light.
He pulled back his cloak, forcing me to decipher his features.
Wait! I knew his features? I had grown familiar with them. Soft brown curls, and a devilish smile that could tempt the sun.
No, it couldn't be!
"Thayne!"
I run to embrace him. He lifts me and spins me around, kissing me violently as our memories of separation quickly dwindled.
He takes one look at my profile and frowns. "Surely this is not the humble, docile lady Anna I left just a few mere months ago?"
"It is me Thayne! I am the highest lady in Henry's court thanks to you"
He puts me down unwinds my hair from its silver clasp, letting it run free. My thick black curls cascade down my face, shaping my features.
"There. That is the Anna I know" he smirks, pressing his lips against my forehead.
I take relish in his warmth. I had missed it these past few months.
"Thayne you should have seen me in court! I think the people are quite fond of me"
"Especially when you fell into the king's arms. That was a nice touch by the way" he squints.
"You were there?" I smiled excitedly, comforted by the fact that he was watching me from a distance.
"Just for a few moments." He says. We kiss in between each confession, desperate to familiarize our lips once again.
He pulls away and looks into my eyes. "Has he called for you yet?" I knew he was talking about Henry.
"Yes." I say. I sit in the grass, pulling his wrist so he could sit beside me.
"When?" He curses, throwing his hands over his knees and hunching forward.
"After I fainted in his arms. I think that did the trick"
"What day?"
"Tonight" I hesitated before pressing my head against his shoulder. He holds me close, falling back to the grass and holding me tight.
"I am scared Thayne." I confess, letting the silence of the room disappear.
"Why?" He asks. I look into his eyes, running a finger through his curly hair.
"I don't want to be the one to say no to Henry. You know how he gets." That wasn't the only reason I was scared.
My thoughts drift to my depressing reality. I had strong feelings for Thayne but Henry stood in the way. I remembered my plot with Thomas, the plot to kill a king but I wondered what Thayne would think of me if I told him.
Henry was his brother. Would he have a blind loyalty to him?
Would he think me insane?
"I said no to him and I am alive to see another day" he smirks.
"Your blood saved you Thayne. If you weren't his brother..."
He looks to the sky and frowns. "We can always run away"
"Thayne..." I frown, understanding the seriousness of his statement.
"He will never leave us alone if we did run away."
Thayne continues to stares into the air and hums. He knew I was right.
"What will you do when he calls for you?" Thayne asks, pulling me close before pressing his lips against my throat.
"I don't know. I don't want to think about him" I curse, throwing my head back as he inched lower.
I force him to go even lower, excited for the escapade that was soon to commence.
——
Thayne
I smiled as I saw Anna rested so easily in my arms. It was as if she was molded to fit my arms perfectly. Her hand was pressed against my chest so delicately, I could almost fall. I hated myself for even believing it, but I think I was in love with her.
I had loved Lady Boleyn once before but her allegiance to Henry overpowered her stance to open her heart to me. I wondered if Anna's heart was the same?
I had a plan. A blarant one.
One that would make her choice clear.
I would have to use Henry's obsession with her to my advantage.
Author Note:
Guys. I don't know how to continue this book. I be looking at my screen like:
I have an idea....but idk where to go after. Thank you all for being so patient.