On the 18th of May 1536, Some guards arrived at Anne's cell. "Today you will be tried for your crime, your majesty."
Anne bowed her head in sadness and allowed the guards to handcuff her and walk her to the Royal Court. She entered to find the Courtroom full to bursting point. A magistrate sat at the front of the Court, with judge's at one side and the jury at the other. Anne was walked to a wooden box containing only a chair and told to sit on it, she knew there was no point in complaining so sat down. The queen of England had gone from the King's greatest gem to a commoner being tried for a crime she wasn't guilty of. All of a sudden she pitied dear Catherine of Aragon and her unjust removal from Court and death, now she would suffer the same fate as punishment.
The Court session began and Anne noticed George sat in a box identical to her's at the other side of the room, the only thing separating them was a much larger box with 4 chairs and a single person. The larger box contained the witnesses, or the single witness and accuser, Jane Seymour. Jane stood in her finest clothes, trying not to notice the evil eyes and curse words that Anne was muttering about her.
Jane was timid and tried not to attract attention at the most but today was different somehow. She had her long strawberry hair down with a small jeweled headdress, a piece of handmade silk adorned her breast and she was wearing the most expensive jewelry. But it was her locket that caught Anne's eye, it was the same one that she had removed from her.
George however, barely looked noble. He was far from his usual cheeriness and merriment as he sat with his head drooping in the box. He noticed Anne but didn't even present a smile before turning back to his gloominess. His clothing was crumpled and dirty and the only way to tell his status was his gold necklace that he wore to express his position as a courtier. It seemed as though George had lost the trial the trial before it had even begun, he lacked the hope that Anne desperately clung too.
The session began and the judges explained the charges "George Boleyn- You are accused of committing incest with your sister Anne Boleyn, queen of England. How do you plead?"
"Not Guilty your Honor" George replied with a polite duck of the head. He might have been the King's favourite courtier once, but now he was a low life criminal.
The judge then gestured for the witness and Jane stood up immediately: "I was emptying the Queen's chamber pot, as I do each morning, and I was forced to witness a most atrocious sin. The Queen and her brother committing a most dreadful sin as they stood together, I shielded my eyes but remembered what I saw. The Queen begged me to remain silent of the issue and tried to convince me that what I saw was something innocent, but her sin was too great to ignore and I reported it to the King. They were embracing and declaring their love for one another." Then Jane gave a bow to signal she was finished and returned to her seat.
Anne whispered "That scheming whore" before lunging to grab Jane, she grabbed the length of her skirt but was held back by the Guards before being asked "Do you confess to the crime Your Majesty?"
Anne then smiled sweetly and replied "The love between me and my brother is that of any siblings, not of lovers."
For the rest of George's trial, both he and Anne was quiet, a rare thing. They only spoke when the verdict had to be cast for George. The Jury all agreed that George was guilty and he was sentenced to death.
Only Anne's trial was left and she sat in silence with head bowed as the evidence was read over before the trial started. She glanced over at George who was shaking and was pale as death "Have hope George?" she muttered as she tried to offer him a hand to hold across the middle box. George saw Anne's gesture but was sour towards her "You and your ambition. Mary died for it and now I will. How can you have hope for any of us? For once, your royal status can't save you."
Anne was taken aback, George had never opposed anyone before "What do you mean my status can't save me?".
George scoffed "Dear little naive sister. The King has a new love and you can't be alive for him to pursue it. You will be sentenced to die beside me too. The King wants a new queen so the old one must die for it. Surely you knew that as you did the same thing to Kath-"
The Judge cut George off as he read Anne's charges "Queen Anna-maria Boleyn of England, you are accused of incest, adultery, witchcraft, treason and theft. How do you plead?"
Anne let out a roar of nervous yet strong laughter "And is there anything that his majesty does not accuse me of?" She sarcastically asked.
The Judge wasn't amused and asked again "How do you plead?"
"Not Guilty" Anne replied confidently before she dismissed each of her charges with great ease "I love my brother as a sibling so have committed no incest. I have never laid with anyone other than my dear husband, the King. I know the King despises the French but just because I was raised there doesn't mean i'm a Witch. I would never plot against my husband so treason is not something I would be guilty of and finally, the only thing I've stolen is the heart of the King."
The Judge immediately turned to the Jury and one by one each member of it declared Anne guilty.
The Judge closed the Court by saying "George Boleyn shall be executed by axe for his incest with the wife of the King. Anne Boleyn shall die at the blade of a sword for her crimes against her Husband, England and God."
Then the Boleyns were taken by guards to their cells to await the date of their death. George was taken back to the commoners cells and Anne to the White Tower for she was still the lawful Queen of England. Anne wrote a final letter to her husband pleading her innocence, portraying her undying love and begging him for mercy. She signed the letter Your Queen and Loving Wife, Anne before sealing it with the royal crest and paying a Guard to deliver it to Henry.
Morning came and the Boleyns were roused early from their criminal beds, they were told that they would be executed today to avoid any complications or delays. Both of them were sent an outfit chosen by the King himself and were told to prepare for the scaffold.
Anne dressed herself in the dark blue dress and shoes that Henry had sent for her. She was glad he had selected her Boleyn necklace although she knew that it was him disinheriting her as a Tudor queen and stating she was a lowly commoner. No elaborate headdresses were given, instead a plain white cap with no embellishments and a simple tie to keep it in place. Anne braided her hair then coiled it into a bun before placing the cap over it. She looked half like the richest woman to ever live, but half like an insignificant peasant.
The Boleyns were marched to the steps of the scaffold where they met up again. Anne looked healthy and regal but George was shaking still and looked paler than yesterday. Anne didn't make eye contact with her brother as he was walked up the steps to the scaffold, she knew he wouldn't appreciate it and was all but gone to her.
On the Scaffold, George prayed that God would have mercy on him and shook so much he had to be held to the block. The crowds didn't make much noise for they barely knew him but cheered when they heard he had shamed the Queen. Anne became suddenly nervous when this happened, she knew that she wasn't as respected as Katherine was, but was she really hated by her country. The Queen's thoughts were disturbed by a final cry and the clang of the axe- Her brother was dead.
Soon she was being walked up the wooden steps to face her people. She tried not to be disheartened by her brother's blood all over the block and basket so instead she looked straight ahead but was greeted by a sight of terror. On the raised seats for the Royal guests, sat Henry on a throne, either side of him were 2 slightly smaller thrones. On the first sat Katherine's fiery teenage daughter Mary, she was dressed in Red and wore a huge crown on her long hair. The other side of Henry was occupied by a boy called Henry Fitzroy. He was about 8 and was Henry's bastard son by Bessie Blount, he was also dressed in robes and wore a crown. A chair had been set up on either end of the royal trio, one containing Henry's adviser and the other containing Jane Seymour.
The Boleyn's hated Henry's adviser and Anne despised Jane, even more so now she had discovered that George was right and that she must be the new love interest of the King. But it was not the adviser or Jane that caused Anne such grief, it was the person in front of the King, who wasn't even given a chair.
Princess Elizabeth was sat on a wooden stool in front of the King, the 3 yr old was dressed in brown and had her curly red hair disguised by a plain cap. Anne knew what this meant: Henry was no longer viewing Elizabeth as his daughter and she wouldn't be in line to the throne. The thought of her daughter growing up unloved and isolated made Anne shudder.
The Queen was instructed to remove her necklace and lay on the block, she agreed as long as she could make a short speech. As the queen insisted the Guards allowed her her final wish and she stood up to the front of the scaffold to express her last thoughts.
"Good people of England. I know you dislike me and that I am guilty in your eyes. I am innocent though of the crime's I am convicted of and I pledge my innocence to my King and Husband. I leave you a memory of me in the future Queen of England, Princess Elizabeth. I pray for good health to my people and family as I leave you today-"
"-Enough" came a voice from the Royal stand, King Henry had stood up and interrupted Anne's farewell speech. The whole crowd and assembly on the scaffold sank into a deep bow in the King's honor, everyone apart from Anne. The Queen stood staring at her husband for a few seconds before addressing him directly "You remove my sister, now me and anyone is at your disposal. Yet you can't give me a few of my last precious minutes to bid farewell to our country?" Anne clearly dictated with a tear slipping from her lid.
"You are no more a queen than the dogs. You deserve to die with no honor or memory. No more words from you, now you will kneel at the block and face the punishment for your many crimes." Replied Henry with a booming authoritative voice as he sat down once again.
The guards came up behind Anne and pushed her down onto the block, she resisted them and withstood the pressure on her shoulders. Instead of obeying the King's orders and dying quickly, she knelt in front of the crowd and prayed with all her heart. She prayed for the country, her innocence and forgiveness. As she prayed, more tears escaped her eyes; every tear causing her to pray more intently.
All of a sudden, the French man on the scaffold took a few silent steps forward and lifted his sword. Without hesitation, he swung the great piece of silver and claimed the life of the Queen. As the body of Anne Boleyn lay motionless on the ground, her slaughterer reached down and claimed her head, he lifted it high above the block to show that the act had been successful. A great cheer arose but a most mysterious thing had happened, not only had a Queen been executed but her lips were still moving.
The crowd began to clear and soon the only life around was the guards, Anne's French slaughterer and the King with Jane Seymour. Some guards stepped forward and began to clear the scaffold and scrub the blood from the block and floor. A monk and a nun climbed the steps and lifted the bodies of the Boleyn children into identical wooden coffins, they placed a metal crucifix on each lid and said a prayer before closing the coffins.
As the lid of Anne's coffin was closed, Henry turned to Jane and said "Don't cry my dear for this is not a sad day."
Jane sniffed "Two lives have been claimed and I seem to find myself unusually affected by the execution. Do forgive me your majesty"
"You are of no fault to me Gentle Jane." Smiled Henry as he wiped a tear from Jane's cheek. He was in a high spirit considering his wife had just been executed.
Jane's lips curled into a modest smile and she gazed into the eyes of the King of England. Henry gazed back into her dusty eyes and with a soft and tender voice asked "Will you marry me?"
Jane was surprised "Marry you? But I didn't think I meant anything to you, let alone was loved by you" she replied with an innocent and flattered glimmer in her eyes.
"But will you marry me, fair Jane Seymour. For I love you deeply."
Jane curtseyed "Yes King Henry, I would be most honored to be your wife. For I love you more than I love God."
Henry instructed Jane to rise from her curtsy and took her hand as she obeyed with grace. The King slid a diamond ring onto her small finger and kissed her hand as he said "We shall be married in a month."
Jane gave a dainty smile and blushed as she added "Then I shall look forward to that day. For it cannot come soon enough"