BLOODLINES
— 40. Field of the Cloth of Gold
At Westminster Palace, Catherine stood outside in the gardens. She looked ahead, watching Marie and Henry laugh as they played with their son, who was already two years old.
Henry had lifted little Henry up and spun him, causing the young child to loudly giggle. Even Marie smiled at the sight and it was genuine.
She might have hated Henry's guts, and the English king still invited her to his bed, but it brought a smile to her face to see her son actually have his real father present in his life.
Her husband had his suspicions about their other children and whether or not they were Henry's, but he never brought it up. He found there to be no reason to do so. He raised the children their whole lives. They were his, not Henry's.
While Edward Stafford remained at his residence at Westminster, Marie wanted to leave the castle. Though since she didn't want to be far from her husband nor did Henry want to be rid of her so easily, she found herself staying at a small home in London. It was close to where Lina and Oviedo lived with their own children.
She remained there with her four sons and her daughter. Not to mention, she was pregnant again. It was as though she never caught a break.
_____
Later that day, in his chambers, Edward was standing near the window, looking out at the courtyard when the door opened. He turned and smiled, watching as Marie walked in. She walked over to him and Edward wrapped an arm around her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Where's little Henry?" Edward asked, knowing it wasn't often that Marie returned to the castle without her youngest son.
"With Henry," Marie replied softly as she glanced down at the ground while Henry nodded in understanding.
The couple turned and sighed, looking out the window to see Henry with his son. They were playing with wooden swords as Henry dropped to the ground, acting as though his son had defeated him.
He jumped back up and swung at little Henry, who laughed as his father lifted him off the ground.
Unable to take it anymore, Marie looked away. She grabbed her husband's hand, leading him away from his window as well.
"How are you?" Edward finally asked, placing a hand on Marie's belly.
"As well as I can be in my situation," Marie admitted in a soft tone. She stared up at Edward sadly, knowing the question he was dying to ask, but couldn't bring himself to.
Was the child she carried his?
She knew the answer was no, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. It brought her as much shame as it would bring her husband when he learned the truth.
____
At their residence in France, Charlie was running through the castle gardens with his daughter Frances, his eldest child with Kathy. She had been born exactly nine months after the wedding, making her only a few months younger than her cousin, Henry Fitzroy. They had another daughter as well, Eleanor, who was nearly a year old.
Charles held a small wooden sword in his hand. He grabbed Frances up, the two of them acting as though they were fighting an imaginary monster. Frances giggled loudly at her father's actions, causing Charles to laugh as well.
Just then, Charles turned, smiling at the sight of Kathy standing there. She was watching them, holding Eleanor in her arms.
Even at the girl's young age, Eleanor already carried traits that her mother had. She was stubborn, moody, and extremely smart for her age.
While Frances was also smart like her mother, in everything else, she was entirely different. Unlike her younger sister, Frances was quiet, timid, obedient, and was more than willing to obey anything her parents told her to do.
"Are you spying?" Charlie asked Kathy, smiling as she placed Frances back down on the ground.
"A spy would deny being a spy," Kathy replied, playfully smiling back at her husband.
The couple laughed and after grabbing ahold of Frances' hand, the father-daughter duo made their way over to Kathy and Eleanor.
Charlie smiled, taking Eleanor into his arms while Kathy wrapped an arm around her eldest daughter. With that, they began to walk together through the gardens.
"I hear Henry and the whole of the English court will be coming to France soon enough," Charlie commented, causing Kathy to smile and playfully roll her eyes.
"Oh, I know," Kathy replied and Charlie turned to give her a curious look, "King Francis told me this morning. He came by here to see how we were doing."
"It seems the French king only comes to our residence when I am not home," Charlie commented as he rolled his eyes, earning a smile from Kathy, "He fancies you, you know. He wishes to bed you."
"Doesn't mean I'm going to," Kathy reminded him as she placed a hand on her husband's shoulder, "You're the only one for me, Charlie. Now and always."
Charlie looked back at Kathy and smiled. She always spoke the words but it always warmed her heart, just as it warmed Kathy's when he spoke to her about how much he adored her and always would.
"You have a secret dealing going with him, though," Charles commented as he turned to give Kathy a knowing look, "You plan to have our daughter marry his son."
Kathy sighed and nodded her head at Charlie, not daring to speak the words out loud.
"Henry will not be happy," Charlie commented, earning a loud laugh from Kathy as she turned to him.
"Henry has disowned us. It will be years before he forgives us. And even if he wishes to marry his daughter Mary to the dauphin, Francis doesn't want the same. He would prefer to have one of our daughters to his son. He believes Henry is unfit to rule and that his daughter is not a true princess at all," She explained and Charlie sighed, knowing if they were in England, what she spoke of would be considered treason.
Kathy didn't care. She never had, though. And she most likely never would. She could commit the highest of treason and somehow find a way to get away with it. She always had.
"I don't understand how you do it," Charlie confessed, sighing as he looked down at the ground in shame, "How you so easily go about your life, knowing we have been banished from our homes and have been cut off from our friends and family."
"You are my family. Our daughters are my family," Kathy replied as if it were obvious, "I don't need Henry and his constant need to cause us misery ruining the happiness we have found here. We are better off without him. And Henry must be mad if he thinks I'm going to fall on my knees and beg him to forgive us, to allow us to return home."
"So you do not miss it?" Charlie asked Kathy curiously, "Being back at home, with Stafford, Marie, and all our other friends? You would not beg Henry if it meant you could be with them all again? To be in the comfort of our true home?"
"Would you?" Kathy retorted and Charlie remained silent. He gave her a sad look and with that, he walked away.
Kathy sighed in defeat, a part of her feeling bad. Charlie wanted nothing more than to return home. Kathy did not.
____
Weeks had passed and in France, at the Field of the Cloth of Gold, it wasn't long before Henry arrived with Catherine, their daughter, and the rest of their court.
Henry was smiling as he walked forward, only to have his smile fade at the sight of Charlie and Kathy making their way over to them. Their hands were linked and while Charlie looked uneasy as they made their way over to them, Kathy seemed utterly calm.
The couple took a deep breath, wasting no time bowing and curtsying to their king and queen. Henry remained silent, glaring at them hatefully while Catherine smiled.
"Brother. Catherine," Kathy greeted them both before smiling as she turned to her sister Mary, "Mary. It is good to see you again."
"Kathy," Catherine sighed in relief as she and Mary wasted no time walking forward to hug Kathy, "Oh, it warms my heart to see you."
"Your Grace," Charlie spoke up, looking directly at Henry, who couldn't bring himself to look his best friend or his sister in the eyes.
"Will you not greet me kindly, brother? Or perhaps embrace me?" Kathy suddenly asked and Henry finally turned to her, "We have paid the fines you ask of us. We beg your good opinion."
Charlie turned to Kathy, his eyes widening in surprise. What happened to her refusing to beg Henry for forgiveness?
As if she had read his thoughts, Kathy turned to Charlie. She smiled slightly and nodded at him in encouragement. She wasn't doing it for herself. She was doing it for him. She knew what Henry wanted was for her to be the one who begged, to be the one to be desperate to return home. He wanted to believe Kathy was dependent on him.
She was anything but. However, if returning to England was what Charlie wanted, Kathy was more than willing to make sure it happened. It didn't really matter where she was, as long as Charlie was at her side and they had their children, Kathy was fine and happy with her life. They were all that truly mattered to her now. Not her idiotic younger brother who enjoyed making her miserable because he envied the power she bore and the love England had for her while they didn't feel the same for him.
"Henry—" Charlie began to say as he stepped forward, only to have Henry cut him off.
"You betrayed me," Henry interrupted his former friend in a venomous tone, "Be thankful the two of you won't hang for treason."
Hearing Henry's words, Kathy scoffed and began to glare at her brother hatefully. "You could try," She replied with an attitude.
"Now, our daughter must be prepared to meet King Francis," Henry purposely changed the subject, not in the mood to make a scene in front of the court.
Kathy sighed and nodded. She curtsied to Henry as she walked away before she walked closer to Catherine.
"The King will come around. I'm sure of it," Catherine assured as she grabbed Kathy's hand and held it, "He might not show it but you are what matters most to him. It won't be long before he forgives you. He hasn't been the same without you at his side."
Kathy remained silent and turned, glancing at Henry's daughter Mary. She was being led away by Maggie Pole, on the verge of being prepared to meet the King of France. She had the chance of being married to the Dauphin, after all.
"Her fate is all my doing, isn't it?" Kathy asked, letting out a large sigh in defeat, "Because I married Charlie, she must be the sacrificial lamb for France."
"Not if I have any say in it," Catherine replied softly, and with that, she walked away.
_____
In the streets of London, Marie was in the middle of shopping for some food for dinner. Edward, who was now eleven, and Nora, who was nine, was with her. Her other children remained at home with guards posted outside the home by Henry. George was now six, Edmund was four, and Henry was nearly three.
"The King should protect us, but Englishmen go hungry while foreigners grow fat," A voice suddenly spoke up as a crowd stood around him, listening to his speech.
Marie sighed and avoided eye contact with the man, making sure her son and daughter remained close to her.
"King Henry," He paused, letting out a large scoff, "King Henry does nothing 'cause he's too busy feasting off of golden plates in France until he's sick. Foreigners take our work and destroy our livelihoods with their cheap foreign wares. I call on Englishmen to cherish and defend themselves. Let's hurt and grieve these aliens for the common good. Let's drive 'em out! Who's with me?"
Marie felt uneasy as she turned to her children. "Come. Come, let's go home," She insisted, lightly pushing them forward, "We can't be here."
It wasn't long before they arrived back home and when they did, Marie wasted no time starting to cook dinner. Edward stood near her, helping her as he always did. Nora was elsewhere, looking after her younger brothers, who were shouting and laughing as they ran around the small home.
Marie continued to feel worried about earlier that day. Henry and her own husband failed to realize the dangers of keeping her in London, especially at a place like that.
Unrest grew and hatred the common folk had toward foreigners was growing. She, too, was a foreigner and it put her and her children at risk. She was Burgundian and everyone knew that. She could have been considered French, too, and the English people hated the French.
"Mother, I understand there is unrest, but it's normal," Edward reminded his mother in a calm tone.
Despite being eleven-years-old, as the oldest of all their siblings, Edward was far more mature and understanding when it came to his mother's difficulties.
"Londoners have never been this bad, my son," Marie reminded her son softly, "We are all in danger. And it's my fault. Your father is English, but I am not. For that, we will all be punished."
"We will not be punished," Edward argued as he shook his head in disapproval, "The guards outside our home will protect us. I know it. As will Father."
Marie's smile faded. She sighed and nodded her head, watching Edward walk away to join his siblings.
She took a deep breath, briefly running her hand over her growing belly before she continued to make dinner.
____
In France. Kathy and Charlie stood beside each other amongst the crowd. They watched as Francis and Henry walked toward each other, their expressions unreadable.
After the men reached one another, they bowed. "Brother France," Henry greeted the man with a small smile on his face.
"Brother England," Francis responded, looking arrogant as he did so while Henry extended his arms out for a hug, "Although, I hear that we are triplets, and Brother Spain is also at our party."
Awkwardly, Henry dropped his hands down to his sides. "Well, a little healthy competition never hurt a powerful man," He commented before they both began to walk away together.
Moments later, they entered the tent and Kathy stood off to the side with Charlie, watching everything occur around them. The horns blared and Kathy turned, watching as Princess Mary was announced.
She soon walked in and moved forward, stopping a few feet in front of her father, mother, and Francis.
Francis raised his hand and motioned for her to turn in a circle, but Mary simply stood there and smiled at him.
Quietly laughing, Kathy shook her and exchanged an amused look with Charlie.
"Handsom girl, though stubborn as a mule," Francis commented, smiling slightly, "A lot like her lady aunt, it seems."
Francis turned and smiled at Kathy, who smiled back at him while Henry looked utterly annoyed by the exchange.
"Then we'll make terms," Wolsey spoke up in a calm tone.
"No," Catherine argued in a stern tone as he turned to glance at Francis, "We will see the dauphin first—"
"She is pale, though," Francis complained, earning a frown from Catherine, "How is her health?"
"She's sturdy," Wolsey answered calmly as Mary watched on, not quite knowing what was going on, "For her marriage portion, the girl would come with substantial lands and properties."
"It is the dauphin's health we would like to know about," Catherine argued and Francis immediately looked annoyed.
"My son could eat your stallion in a single meal," Francis replied in a venomous tone, earning an amused laugh from Henry, "There is no doubt about his strength. This is the figure we require for Mary's dowry. In gold ducats."
Wolsey sighed in defeat as he and the other men read the amount. Edward Stafford turned and exchanged a look with Kathy, giving her the inkling that it was an outrageous amount.
Once being shown the amount, Henry laughed and shook his head. "You are surely jesting," He complained and Francis shook his head, "Your cousin Louis was paid barely half that to marry my sister."
"Your sister was a true princess," Francis complained as he gave Henry a knowing look, "And powerful in her own right."
"So is Mary," Catherine argued, an offended look on her face.
"Your wife was married to your brother, was she not?" Francis asked Henry curiously, "The pope was asked if you could even marry--if it could be lawful in the eyes of God."
Unable to take it anymore, Henry stood up. "Your Grace—" Wolsey began to say, only to be cut off as Henry turned to face Francis and glared down at him.
Kathy found herself watching curiously, noticing as while Henry glared at Francis, Francis was simply smiling at him.
"How dare you insult the queen of England?" Henry snapped at Francis in a low, threatening tone, "Come outside."
Smiling, Francis stood up as he spoke in French. "I will gladly do so," He told him right after and with that, they began to make their way outside.
"Should we try and stop it?" Charlie asked Kathy curiously as they followed the rest of the court outside.
"Now, why would we go and do that?" Kathy asked her husband as she laughed in amusement, "This party's just getting fun."
Charlie smiled and shook his head at her, just before they walked out of the tent.
Moments later, a crowd had formed around Henry and Francis, who were now in only their underclothes as they prepared to fight with each other.
Henry ended up charging at Francis, grabbing ahold of them as they both began to struggle against each other's strength.
It wasn't long before Henry pulled Francis to the ground and dropped on top of him. He began to choke Francis, who struggled against the man's grip.
However, just then, Francis elbowed him and knocked him to the ground. He turned Henry onto his back and twisted his arm, pinning Henry to the ground.
Kathy cringed and she turned, exchanging a look with her husband. It was not going to end well.
"Do you yield?" Francis asked as he tightened his grip on Henry, causing Henry to grunt in pain, "I said, do you yield?"
Unable to take it anymore, Kathy sighed. She was on the verge of walking forward, only to have Charlie grab her by the arm and pull her back toward him. "It's no use," He whispered to her and Kathy knew he had a point.
"I yield!" Henry had shouted, causing Francis to laugh as he stood.
Many people clapped while others booed. Francis laughed and held his hand out to Henry to help him up. "Bravely fought, Brother England," Francis told him, only to have Henry spit on his hand before standing up.
He turned and walked toward Francis, roughly grabbing a fistful of his shirt. "You're lucky I don't run you through," He growled at him in a low threatening tone before he stormed off.
Moments later, Francis smiled and walked toward Kathy, a satisfied look on his face. "That was quite entertaining, especially when your coward brother threatened to run me through," Francis commented, only to see Kathy glaring at him, "What? You did not find that amusing?"
"Not in the slightest," Kathy snapped at him coldly, "My brother might be an evil bastard and a bloody fool but he's still my brother and my blood. He's still my king and you just made a fool of him in front of all these people. You questioned the legitimacy of my niece in front of all these people when she has the strongest bloodline in all of Europe," She explained to him in a venomous tone as she moved toward him, "You should be glad I don't run you through for what you've done to shame my family."
Kathy scoffed, lightly shoving Francis out of the way before she stormed off.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Ok so since the kids of Marie will have a bigger role now that they're getting older, I guess they should have face claims 😂
Edward
Nora
George
Edmund
Henry