25th of November, 1535
London, Engeland
Henry Tudor, King of England stared at the hearth fire.
"Francis will soon become a grandfather, his son is expecting a child." said Henry to Cromwell, his secretary.
"That is...excellent news for the king." Cromwell said gently. He didn't know why the king told him this.
"He has three healthy sons, did you know that? The first Francis, the second Henri and the third Charles. Besides them, he also has two daughters." Henri turned to Cromwell. "Do you know what I have? A handful of dead sons, a bastard daughter and a daughter of the queen. That while Francis is already becoming a goddamn grandfather." he yelled.
The news shared by the French ambassador today had angered Henry. God knew what he would do for a healthy and living son, but despite everything he had sacrificed, he still had no son.
His line was weak. Apart from his daughter with Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, he only had a bastard son, Henry FitzRoy, who had also died in the meantime.
His sister Margaret had two sons from her marriage to the Scottish king. Both sons had been removed by Henry from his line of succession to the throne.
His sister Mary had only two daughters. As long as they had no children of their own, male children, there was no hope.
"The Queen is pregnant, Your Majesty. I am convinced that this pregnancy will go smoothly and that you will soon carry your own son in your arms." Cromwell reassured the king.
Queen Anne had already had a child for three months, and after her last pregnancy ended in miscarriage, everyone was assured that this child will certainly be the long-awaited son.
"There were other matters I wished to speak to your Majesty about, may I?" Cromwell continued.
Henry sat back down at his desk. "Go ahead."
"Our spies at the Scottish court tell us that the King of France wants to ally with King James through a marriage between King James and his eldest daughter Princess Madeleine. The king has yet to answer but I am sure he will not refuse."
Henry clenched his fists. Not only was Francis ahead of him with a grandson, but now also with his powers on the British island.
With Scotland and France in an alliance, England was caught between the two countries. In a situation of war they would be the first to attack him.
France's new wealth was something everyone in Europe had already heard about. Each man tried to marry off his daughters to one of the French princes and their sons for the hefty dowry they could expect.
"Of course he won't refuse, that money-grubber wouldn't dare." Henry spat in exasperation.
"Yes majesty." Cromwell stepped back to avoid the king's anger. "I've been thinking, Your Majesty, why shouldn't we also ally with France. By marrying the Princess Elizabeth to one of the youngest princes, we too will have an alliance with King Francis."
"Why not the eldest, the Dauphin?"
"King Francis will not have the patience to wait for the princess to grow old." Lied Cromwell. The real reason was because he was not assured that Queen Anne would give birth to a prince, let alone a live baby. In the event that Elizabeth succeeded her father and married the Dauphin, he would not only become king of France, but also of England. In such a situation, it was inevitable that France and England would become one great French empire.
Henry nodded slowly. "Very good then. Write to Francis with our offer."
Henry got up from his chair again. He was going to visit the Queen.
༺༻
Arriving in Anne's chambers, her ladies-in-waiting sat in the audience room, each busy embroidering pieces of fabric.
At the sight of the king, they all rose to make a curtsy.
Henry ignored them all, his gaze fixed only on one woman: Jane Seymour.
Jane Seymour, a courtier's daughter. She was the total opposite of Anne. That was what first attracted him to Jane.
Jane was blond, sweet and quiet, whereas Anne was dark, cunning and outspoken.
Henry soon remembered why he was here. He turned to Anne, a lady-in-waiting to the Queen. "Where is the Queen?"
Anne stood up again. "The Queen felt tired and is now resting in bed. Should I wake her up?"
Henry shook his head. "When she wakes up, tell the queen that I have come.
The ladies nodded and sank back into a curtsey as Henry left the room.