142Author's Notes: For those who are wondering what is happening with both A New Life and A Change of Fate, I haven't abandoned them. I have simply had to take a break from them due to a combination of writer's block and the mountain of school work that has recently piled up.
Summary: Katherine grew up knowing that it was God's will to be Queen of England, when she gets married to Henry, Katherine is plagued with dreams that there will be a Queen who will lead England into a golden age called Queen Elizabeth. The only issue is that her child baring years are quickly catching up with her yet her only child to live is a daughter called Mary.
This is based off ReganX's forum, Challenge #503 by QueenAnneTudor called 'Katherine's Vision'. For those who are unaware the requirements are such:
Katherine submits to Henry and forces Mary to as well.
Anne is never executed, and does have a son in 1536, but Katherine still sees Elizabeth as the only heir.
Mary does marry and have children.
Jane and her family attempt to dethrone Anne but fail due to Katherine backing Anne.
Anne has at least two more children and a son that outlives Henry.
The once Queen of England, now disgraced wife, Katherine of Aragon stood alone in her chambers at the dreadful place she was now forced to call her home. The More. It was a Royal Manor she'd give it that but given its current state not even some low born squire would like to call this place his home. She had been here for little over six months, the same amount of her husband had been in a false marriage with that wench Anne Boleyn. The child that the Boleyn woman carried was illegitimate, it was as simple as that. The baby inside her womb had been conceived before her marriage to the King and there could not be considered a child of their union, ignoring the fact that their marriage was already unlawful due to the King still being married to herself under the eyes of the pope and therefore God himself.
Why couldn't Henry see? Why was he so incapable of opening his eyes to the truth of the matter and realizing that both she and him were the victims of the Boleyn's rise to power? She already knew the answers to her questions, it was because Henry believed that it was God's will for a son to rule after him. 'Well he's wrong, isn't he? Katherine thought to herself.
For as much as her husband went on about the importance of a son to continue the Tudor dynasty Katherine knew. When she first came to England to become wife to Prince Arthur she too dreamed of such things. To have a son was to have power. However, when tragedy struck, and her beloved Arthur died of sweat and she herself was left to suffer alone in poverty she received visions. These visions showed her of a future where all of England was enclosed in a golden age and through it all, the only thing Katherine could hear were the cries of 'Long live Queen Elizabeth!'. When she was first subject to the visions Katherine beloved the woman in the visions to be herself and that she should change her name to Elizabeth. As time went on though the visions started to become clearer, the woman who was in an open carriage had almost gold hair and had the had a certain resemblance to a person she couldn't quite put her finger on.
Month later, when the old King Henry VII had died, Henry assumed the throne and asked for her hand in marriage. Katherine could still remember the feeling of utter relief when he had asked her that questions, finally she was to be free from the endless poverty she had been forced to endure. Yet nothing had been more shocking to her than the sight of her soon to be husband whom she hadn't seen in years. Suddenly it all made sense to her. Elizabeth, the one-day Queen of England, was a child of his. Katherine preceded to spend the next years of her life trying to conceive, with Henry by her side although for different reasons. She never told anyone about the visions she saw at night, least of all Henry who so insistent upon the fact that only a son could succeed him and become the next monarch. As the years went on Katherine conceived many children her first, Henry, had only lived a month and while Katherine was devastated by his death she understood that God had a plan for everything and that she must obey. Her second child to be born living was girl, a girl Henry had called Mary. Katherine dutifully accepted the name but, on the inside, she was seething. Her husband had just ruined their daughter's future, yet he did not know the terrible consequences of his actions.
Over the course of the next several years with all the miscarriages Katherine had suffered she began to believe that her visions were nothing more than the stress she was under during her time of widowhood as Dowager Princess of Wales, in fact, the visions had stooped soon after Mary's birth, until now. When she moved into the More her first night had consisted of no sleep due to constant visions that were almost the same as the ones she received before. The logical side to her told her not believe them, she was simply under stress due to her husbands attempts to divorce her and marry that heretic wife of his. Yet, there was something about them that made her stop to tell herself that maybe, just maybe, they were true after all.
The only problem with that now was that while Katherine was absolutely sure that the child's father was Henry himself, or else how she is meant to become Queen, the mother, she could guess, was not her and was in fact Anne Boleyn. If that happened, then Katherine would be forced to back down and demand that Mary do the same to make sure that no opposition faced the child. As much as Katherine wanted to ignore what was happening and pretend that Anne Boleyn wouldn't be the mother of England's golden age and it was instead herself she knew deep within herself that it was not her place to question God's will and if He chose to give Elizabeth to the Boleyn woman then she would have no other choice but to obey hid will.
The few moments that passed next seemed to feel as if they would last an eternity until Maria, one of Katherine's most trusted ladies, opened the door. Maria took a few short steps before bowing deeply, something she had done since Katherine's coronation as Queen of England and still did as Maria believed wholeheartedly that the woman before her was the lawful Queen and would be until the day she died. Katherine could see that although Maria's outwardly posture was that of a woman who was sad there was a hint of joy radiating front her eyes. As Maria stood she told her friend the news that she would surely be happy to hear. "The Lady Anne Boleyn has delivered of her bastard, it is a daughter. Not the son and heir the King hoped for." Maria joyfully stated unaware of the turmoil inside Katherine's head. "Your Majesty surely this will persuade the King that God is not on his side and that we should prepare for you to resume your rightful place as his wife soon?"
"It is a daughter." Katherine stood there in stunned silence as Maria's words racked her brain. She knew that Maria only intended to help, for surely if she had not been the receiver of such visions she too would be celebrating the birth of a daughter, safe in the knowledge that Anne Boleyn's reign of terror would not be one that would last much longer. "The name. What is her child to be called?" The answer to this question was one that would define the rest of Katherine's life and that of her only child Mary who wanted nothing more that to be crowned Queen of England.
Maria stood there for a minute trying to remember the name before speaking. "Elizabeth, I believe. After her paternal grandmother Elizabeth of York and her maternal one as well, Elizabeth Howard if I'm correct. Do not worry over such things Your Majesty all you need do is focus on how we can use this to our advantage, I'm sure that the King is not pleased by this" Maria was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she was almost oblivious to what was happening before her.
Katherine sighed heavily. She knew that Elizabeth would be born as surely as she knew that the sun would rise I the morning, what she didn't know was the circumstances of her birth although it was not for her to question God's will but to follow as any obedient Christian should. Her only worry now would be to get Mary to submit and hope that Henry accepted her back into his life.
Whitehall Palace, October 1533
Henry Tudor was not a happy man. By this point every person who occupied the palace with him knew that. Everyone knew that the cause of such unhappiness lay at the door of his knew child who, through no fault of her own, was born a girl. A girl who the King had Christened Elizabeth and promptly proclaimed heiress presumptive until such a time when a son was born to Queen Anne. Many said that this was God's way of telling the King that the woman he had torn England in half for was not the rightful Queen and Many more so predicting the soon return of their beloved Queen Katherine and for the whole affair to be over and done with as quickly as possible. For those who wished such a thing they were bound to be disappointed on two levels the first being that the King's pride would never allow him to simply go back to Katherine and pretend that his love for Anne never happened. Henry could already hear the mocking chants of both the Emperor and the King of France if he did such thing, they'd all think he had a mind of a woman who was expected to change her mind often and without notice.
The second was because of a letter that was swiftly making its way through the halls of Whitehall Palace. The contents of the letter were soon to change the entire political stage in England, in was the submission of the former Queen Katherine. When Henry divorced Katherine he always made sure that she would be able to contact him in the event that she decided to submit, although he tempted to close the contact between them completely when instead of submitting all he would hear were her complaints about the More or about how he was treating Mary, a now bastard, too poorly.
Henry was sat at his desk busying himself with matters of state when one of his men stepped into his chambers and bowed. "Your Majesty, a letter from the Dowager Princess of Wales."
Henry frowned. "Isn't Cromwell's job to deal with her and her many letters? What does she want now, or has she simply written to gloat about her victory over the Queen because you can yell her she has had no such victory over anyone? Be assured the Queen and I will have a son"
"Master Cromwell has seen the letter and believes it to be of great importance, Your Majesty." The servant boy calmly said as not to anger his already agitated master.
"Then give it here." Henry barked. Not a moment later the boy stepped forward and placed the letter into the King's hands. "You may leave now." The King ordered. Henry opened the letter and began to read it through realising that this letter was different to the one he would normally receive off Katherine.
Your Majesty,
I write to you today to express my joy at the birth of your daughter the Princess Elizabeth, I know that the years have not been kind to either of us and that you may think me to be sending this letter in cruelty – to gloat over the fact that the woman you replaced me with has provided you with yet another daughter and not the son you so clearly desire. If that was the case, then I would not write a letter to you knowing full well that Cromwell or one of your other servants would throw this in the fire and that you would never lay eyes on it.
Nay, I write this to you in the hope of a new beginning, not as your wife – for I surely know by now that such a thing will never occur again – but as your beloved sister and mother of your daughter the Lady Mary. In such times as, these we live in now I believe it best to put the past behind us and that I should denounce my title as your Queen and accept the one that has truly been mine ever since my husband, your brother, died.
Ever your loving and obedient servant,
Katherine, Dowager Princess of Wales.
Henry's hands were heavily shaking by the time he finished the letter, did she mean it? Of course, it didn't really matter if whether or not she believed it in her heart, all that mattered was that she didn't encourage others to take up her cause and convince those that had to disarm themselves. All Henry Knew for certain was that if he was right and that Katherine was truly to submit herself before him and proclaim Anne as his rightful Queen, which she was, then perhaps the situation was not as he thought it to be. Perhaps the birth of his daughter Elizabeth – who made him look like a fool, for surely what man divorces his wife for only giving him a daughter only to remarry and have another daughter and not the son that was of paramount importance to the stability of the realm – had been a blessing in disguise.
Author's Note: The first chapter is done! What do you guys think, please leave your thoughts in the review section, they help me to improve and better my stories!
For those who want to know I also changed my username to QueenMaryofEngland, for no other reason the I just really like it and I think it's better than my last one, anyway until next time. Bye!