Fanfic: An Endless Supply of Rubies Ch 14, Tudors | FanFiction
A/N: On 24 January 1536, Henry's horse really did fall on him in the tiltyard at Greenwich, throwing everyone into a panic during the two hours he was unconscious. After the ulcer on his leg formed, Henry put on a lot of weight. His waist was over 50 inches when he died.
15 January 1536
"I managed, with some difficulty, to obtain a copy of the secret report of the autopsy of Queen Catherine," Eustace told Brereton urgently.
"And what was discovered?" the groom asked.
"Most of her internal organs were normal, except for the heart, which had a black growth, hideous to behold, which clung closely to the outside," Eustace responded.
"What could have caused it?" Brereton asked with urgency in his voice.
"A doctor, whom I trust completely, told me that such a growth was consistent with the evidence of poisoning," Eustace replied. Brereton looked up with surprise in his eyes. "Had the body been properly examined, traces of it would have been seen."
"Oh, Catherine," Brereton responded, bending his head down until it reached his palm. He was truly sorry for the fate of the deceased Queen.
"No," Eustace said softly. "There is little need to pray for her. Her Holy soul is in eternal rest, but I worry for her daughters."
"Poor Mary and Amelia," Brereton responded. "There are rumors circulating that Amelia is pregnant again. I worry what might happen to her."
"As do I," Eustace said, looking over the edge of the balcony at the bodies moving about on the chamber floor. "We shall talk more later," Eustace told him before leaving.
20 January 1536
"Do you know them?" Anne asked her brother as they played cards. She planned on being extra cautious with her pregnancy this time around, opting to spend most of her time in her chambers. Therefore, she often called on George to come and keep her company, or Mark if George was busy.
"Who? Know who?" George questioned in response.
"The Seymours," Anne replied. She was incredibly anxious over the arrival of the family at court. Henry had told her that it was because John had done a great kindness to him, but she wasn't so sure. Jane was gorgeous, after all.
"I may have met Edward, the eldest son," George said nonchalantly, looking through the cards he held in his hands. "He's a cold fish. I don't know about the others." He looked up from the cards he was shuffling in his hands. "Are you afraid of them?" he asked his sister.
"Father thinks they may be secret supporters of Mary and Amelia," Anne told him.
"Ah, Mary and Amelia," George sang. "It's a pity they're not keeping company with their mother." On one hand, he meant what he said. The fewer illegitimate children Henry had, the better chance Anne's children had at succeeding him on the throne. On the other hand, Amelia's death would leave her son without a mother, and not even George would wish that on anyone.
"They tell me that Mary is ill again, and that Amelia is pregnant," Anne said as George began to deal the cards. "The King has given permission for Mary to be removed from Elizabeth's household for her comfort and for Amelia to choose whether or not she returns to Westhorpe for her confinement."
"Those are acts of kindness, no more than that," George told her, pausing to look directly into her eyes to get his point across.
"No," she responded. "No, he favors them. He always has been and still is, though he pretends differently, at least with Mary, to my face."
"How ill is Mary?" George asked.
"Very, so I'm told, with a fever and constant vomiting," Anne replied with annoyance, as if she had told this story a thousand times before.
"Then, with God's good grace, we may not have to meddle with them after all," George said with a smile.
Anne smiled as well. George placed his first bet, and the game began.
24 January 1536
Amelia laughed with glee as her husband bowed at her when he passed on his horse. She had never been to a tournament before, and she was excited to see her husband joust. Unlike Anne, she believed that her excitement and happiness would be good for the baby, and so she was sitting in the tiltyard next to Lady Rochford, watching the joust happen.
"He's a fine husband," Jane commented while they clapped.
Her face went sour thinking of her own husband. Amelia did not know what had transpired between them a few nights ago, and could only rub Jane's shoulder reassuringly as they watched.
"Point to the Duke of Suffolk!" the herald announced as Charles's lance shattered against his opponent's shield. Amelia cheered.
"Is Her Majesty not attending the tournament today?" Amelia asked Jane. She was curious as to why the Queen would not attend if her own husband was planning on participating.
"No," Jane replied. "Apparently she's worried the excitements of the tournament might harm her unborn son, or so she supposes it to be. Personally, I hope she did not visit the same astrologer as before."
Amelia laughed quietly. She did wish Anne all the best with the child, as she would any woman who was pregnant. She knew that Jane was not a fan of the family that she had married into, but always seemed to have the best gossip about them.
Charles won another point, and the crowd cheered as he was declared the winner of the match. Amelia couldn't help but think of how strong her husband had looked when he got off his horse and walked into the stands.
"Well done, love," she had whispered in his ear before giving him a kiss on the cheek.
He smiled broadly at her. "Thank you," he replied.
The two watched as the King got ready to break lances with Sir Henry Norris, then stood in horror as Henry's horse fell over and on top of him. She could hear her father's cry of pain through the gasps and shouts of the crowd.
She remembered Charles shouting as he pushed his way to the tiltyard as she covered her mouth with her hand in horror. Amelia turned to Jane, who had a similar horrified look on her face. When Jane saw Amelia on the verge of tears, she wrapped her arms around the younger girl and turned her away from the scene.
"They are moving him away, Amelia," she whispered. "Would you like to follow?"
"If they are moving him, they are afraid," she replied. "I must go to the chapel and pray. There's nothing that I can do here, but I can pray. Please let Charles know where I have gone, and send a messenger if there is any news."
Jane nodded, and Amelia hurried off to the chapel as Jane followed the procession of people.
Amelia was already in the chapel when Anne arrived. Amelia turned her head for a moment to see who had entered. When she saw it was the Queen, she bowed her head, muttered a quick greeting, and moved over to give Anne room to pray as well.
Anne could see the trails of tears that had fallen down Amelia's face. She knew that Amelia loved her father, and she knew that she herself loved her husband. Neither wanted Henry to die. So instead of saying anything, Anne simply knelt down, her cheeks stained with her own tears, and prayed alongside Amelia, hoping that God would hear the two of them together. It was the only thing that they could do now.
Cromwell entered not long after to see the two women kneeling side-by-side. They both wordlessly turned their heads to see him, and then turned back to pray. He knelt down behind them in his own prayers, astonished that the Queen would be seen kneeling beside one of her husband's illegitimate daughters.
When the messenger came to announce that the King was alive, Amelia could not have been more excited. She thanked God one last time before curtsying deeply to Anne to show her thanks. It was not a long walk back to the tiltyard, but it seemed like forever to her now. She could hear Charles calling her name as she got closer, and walked more quickly to see him.
His arms wrapped around her the moment he saw her, and he planted a kiss on her forehead. "Thanks be to God," was all he said to her before bringing her inside the tent.
Henry sat on the wooden table, his head pounding from the accident. He smiled when he saw Charles usher Amelia inside, and quickly dismissed the lord he was talking to and opened his arms to her. She hugged him tightly.
"Please don't frighten me again like that, father," she told him.
"I won't any longer, I promise," he replied as she stepped back. He took her hands in his. "I wouldn't want to miss the birth of my second grandchild," he chuckled.
Amelia laughed as well. She had been thinking the whole time that she wanted her father to live so that he could meet his next grandchild, and so that Elizabeth would be old enough and mature enough to take the throne without Thomas Boleyn acting as Lord Protector. The though hadn't even crossed her mind that people were beginning to rally that she or Mary should take the throne, since they were legitimate in the minds of many, and Amelia already had a male heir.
For now, she was just happy that her father was still alive.