The Tudor Roses - (2 Parts)

[Guest Serenity]

This is in response to a request from kushami6 for a story about Anne Boleyn. It also happens to be my first attempt at writing sneezefic. Who knows, I may eventually write about all of Henry VIII's wives, but for now I'm starting with just wife #2's story.

Now for a bit of historical background…

Thought to be born in 1507, Anne was perhaps the best of Henry's wives at manipulating Henry. The king had enjoyed Anne's elder sister, Mary Boleyn, as a long-time mistress and had not been very discreet about the affair, even fathering an illegitimate son by her (whom Mary not-so-subtly named Henry). When the king shifted his attentions to one of his Queen's ladies-in-waiting, a plain-looking, teenaged Anne Boleyn, she refused him, saying he could only have her if he was wed to her, and that was impossible since he was already wed to Katherine. Anne was also secretly in love with and promised to another man closer her own age, but when the King found out he used his power destroy their relationship by marrying the lad off to another woman. Anne continued to hold fast to her virtue and keep herself unattainable, making Henry only want her more.

It wasn't long before the king began asking the Pope for an annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon. Such annulments were commonplace for most European royalty in this era, but the Pope was controlled by the King of Spain, who was brother to Katherine, and who did not want Henry to have a male heir (Katherine had only given him one surviving daughter, Mary, and the Queen was now past child-bearing age). Henry and Anne waited over seven years for an annulment which never came…at least not from the Catholic Church.

Although a devout Catholic himself, Henry's last resort to have Anne as his wife and secure the English throne with a male heir came in the form of legalizing the Church of England and recognizing it as officially replacing the Catholic Church in the his kingdom. Henry got his annulment from Katherine and his marriage to Anne, but ironically he found the pursuit of Anne was far more exciting than the attaining of Anne. In 1536, after only three years of marriage and the birth of their daughter Elizabeth (who would eventually vindicate her mother and become one of the greatest monarchs in English history) Queen Anne was tried, convicted, and executed on completely invented charges of treason, conspiracy, and adultery. Even as she faced "trial", such as it was, Henry was already making plans to marry his next Queen, Jane Seymour.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They belong to history.

Part 1:

@}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->---

The sixteen-year-old girl stood in her customary place just behind and beside the Queen's chair, keeping only enough focus on the conversation to be alert to her Lady's slightest need or whim. Indeed, Katherine of Aragon was not utilizing the service of her other ladies-in-waiting for her own whims since the minute the Lord Cardinal, his red cloak leaving a dripping trail behind him, had entered her chambers. Rather, the Queen had her ladies busy seeing to the Lord Cardinal's ease and comfort, and not, Anne noted, attending the man present who had the appearance of more greatly needing a gentlewoman's ministrations for his ease and comfort.

As they had many times before, her dark eyes found their way again to Wolsey's aide, Lord Henry Percy, son and heir of the Earl of Northumberland. He seemed as visibly disinterested in Cardinal Wolsey's droning counsel of Queen Katherine as Anne was invisibly likewise. Yet for a good and attentive aide such as Percy this was notably out of his character, and were it not for him appearing outwardly uncomfortable, and the occasional tremor of his shoulders, she would have mistaken his gradual edging and turning towards the fire (and thereby facing the back of his shoulder to Katherine) for arrogant disregard for the Royal presence.

She took in his flawless countenance only as much as she dared, a heartbeat longer, before dropping her gaze to the elegantly-carved arm of her Lady's chair. She did not need to risk being caught staring at him to see him, for she knew every line and curve of his face, carved upon the surface of her own heart so many months before. She could feel the brush of his lips upon her hand, and hear the always comforting sound of his-

"Ah...hah-SCHOOO!"

-…his sneeze?

All heads turned at the interruption, in time to see the lad sketch a desperate and wordless bow of apology to the Queen, one that silently conveyed "Please forgive my disruption, Your Highness" without compounding his error by speaking without Katherine addressing the boy first. As he bent, Anne noted he wore the doublet she'd given him in May when the apple trees were in bloom, but this was now late Autumn and the few wind fallen apples that escaped harvest were now brown and rotting under a thick carpet of their mother's wet leaves. The weather was surely far too cold and foul for such a light garment!

The Queen gave him a brief nod and was turning her attention back to Wolsey when Percy's poise was again undone by a chorus of sneezes which, although quieter than their predecessor and stifled hard into the aide's hand, bent the young man at his shoulders thrice with the force they announced themselves.

"Heh-knnxt!..Eh-knnxtch!....ehhh…eehhh-KNNnx'tch!!" The poor man pressed the edge of his wrist hard to his nose, eyes watery and betraying his mortification at his messy predicament, still unable to speak unless Katherine addressed him directly. The ladies-in-waiting, all but Anne, giggled quietly at the lad's helpless expression and pose, but no one dared comment or bless him while in the Royal presence.

Wolsey's rank and position gave him some leniency in that regard, and he opened his mouth to scold Percy, only to snap it shut as Katherine cut off his intended rebuke with her own comment. "Your young aide seems in need of a handkerchief, Lord Cardinal," she observed carefully, with surprising little of her Spanish accent which was normally more evident in relaxed and intimate company. The Queen spoke as formally and carefully as she would in Court, and Anne wondered what her mistress was up to.

"Indeed, Your Highness," Wolsey agreed in a rush, glaring at his aide, "I beg that you forgive his manners, he is-"

"His manners are not what I question," she corrected, gesturing her hand in the direction of the nearest ladies-in-waiting without taking her eyes off Wolsey. Anne turned to reach for the item Katherine indicated with only two outstretched fingers, but Alice was quicker, and pressed the cloth into her hand. "It is his need of one of these. He is your charge, Cardinal. I am quite certain Northumberland would appreciate his heir being granted the benefit of riding within the comfort of your carriage between Westminster and Windsor rather than mounted for twenty miles in this foul weather?"

She flicked her gaze pointedly at Percy's leather boots, all but the very top of which were soaked, and which were fixed with riding spurs. "If there is no room in a Cardinal's carriage for his own aide, it would please me to see him at least outfitted with a longer cloak for horseback. The boy has obviously outgrown the one he wears for riding in now."

The Cardinal veiled his annoyance remarkably well, Anne thought, though she felt no pity for him in his humiliation. The man was no stranger to showing his servants, staff, and clergy little kindness or mercy, an ironic trait for the Pope's representative in England. He deserved rebuke, and Anne silently thanked her mistress for coming to Lord Percy's defence. "My Queen speaks wisely…I shall see that it is done immediately upon our return to Westminster," he answered obediently.

Katherine gave him only a hint of a nod and returned her gaze to the Cardinal's aide, wrist still pressed tightly to his nose, and now shivering slightly. The Queen of England sighed at him with pity. "And see that he acquires more handkerchiefs, Wolsey," she snapped, eyeing the handsome lad up and down with a sly smirk. "No doubt our young Lord Percy has sacrificed his own supply on selflessly consoling the prettier ladies of Our Court," she slipped into her more naturally accented voice, allowing the amusement in her tone to match the remark, eliciting another chorus of giggles from the ladies-in-waiting, including Anne.

The Queen twisted in her chair and waved her kerchief accusingly in the direction of her tittering ladies in a 'someone-take-this-thing' gesture, "Come, come! Do not leave him standing there to shiver in his wet boots! One of you, take him in there to warm himself, and send for him some mulled wine."

Anne was already retrieving the Queen's proffered handkerchief before her mistress had finished speaking, hoping that her haste to beat Alice this time was attributed to her striving to excel in her service to her liege lady, rather than as a sign of her guaranteeing a rare opportunity to be alone with Henry Percy. She crossed the room to him, not meeting his eyes, and pressed the Queen's gift into his unoccupied hand.

"My thanks, milady," he murmured huskily in acknowledgement as he brought the cloth to his face to replace his other hand. Such was his distraction, whether from Anne's proximity or his own present symptoms, that he wiped at his nose without even glancing at the finely-embroidered pomegranate, or the words "humilis quod fidelis", marking that it could not possibly have come from any hand but the Queen's own.

Rather than reply, Anne turned to face Katherine and curtsied before taking a few steps away from the Royal presence, prompting the young Lord to follow suit with a low and grateful bow to the beauteous Queen and an apologetic glance at his silently seething master.

@}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->---

[Guest obsessive_freak]

OMG, this is amazing!! It's so well written, and the subject matter is great - I can see you've really done your research!! More soon please? (I want to see Anne sneeze....)

[mystic-chibi]

Oh what a wonderful story! I can't wait for the next chapter!

[Candy]

This is wondrful! I've read several books on this time period, all with different idea about Anne's character, but I love this interpretation.

Funny though, I though Mary had a daughter...Catherine...wouldn't he have married her if she had ad a son and claimed him as his heir?

*shrug*

[Guest obsessive_freak]

Mary had a daughter while she was Henry's mistress and also a son (the date of his birth is contested, and therefore historians are unsure as to whether the son was Henry's or her husband's - however Henry did not recognise Mary's son as his own, which he did for Henry Fitzroy, his son by Elizabeth Blount, suggesting that he may not have been the father of Mary's son), and a further two children (I think...) from a later marriage.

But even if Mary's son had been Henry's, it would have been difficult for him to name him as the heir unless he was born within marriage. Legitimacy was very important to the Tudors, as Henry VII was a usurper, and to continue the dynasty, there needed to be no doubt as to their parentage. Henry VIII did try to name his illegitimate son (Fitzroy) as his heir but the nobility protested...

Hope this helps!! (Still loving this fiction!!)

[And Beat Him When He Sneezes]

Three legitimate children: Mary I, Elizabeth I, and Edward VI, in that order. Plus Fitzroy and perhaps as many as three other bastards. No grandchildren--officially.

There is however the matter of a man whose name escapes me who showed up at the court of Philip II of Spain in the spring of 1588 and claimed to be the bastard son of Elizabeth and Sir Robin Dudley. He said he was born . . . I forget when, but I do know his date of birth would have coincided with a months-long royal sojourn through sparsely-populated countryside that could easily have been timed to hide a pregnancy. He met with both Philip and Juan de Idiaquez, both of whom had once been personally acquainted with both Elizabeth and Dudley, and while neither of the two necessarily believed him, they didn't reject his claim out of hand, either.

By the way I'm not sure you could call Henry VII a usurper. His claim on the throne was ever-so-faint compared with Richard III's, but once he made it he secured the approval of most of the sources of power in the English political system. You could claim he usurped them, but it's not like he was the only one.

Ooh, geeking out on this stuff could be more fun than the fic--not that it's not a good one itself. I do find it rather hard to attach sensuous feelings to the sneezings of the crafty, manipulative Boleyn.

[Guest obsessive_freak]

When I said a further two children, I was referring to Mary, not to Henry. And I (along with Wikipedia ) would call Henry VII a usurper (although if we want to get into the logistics, then so was Richard III) because the crown was not legally his and he took it. Although he used all of he powers at his disposal to make his claim valid, he was always very conscious that many Yorkists had a better claim to the throne than he himself did - for example the Pole family, who Henry VIII was also concerned about. Anyway, the point that I was making by calling Henry a usurper was that the Tudors were a new, and potentially unstable dynasty (as they had seized power by force rather than inheriting the throne) and that therefore a legitimate son was key to maintaining the dynasty.

Interesting story about the grandchild. I've never heard that...

Sorry to start a debate in your thread Serenity. Once I start talking about the Tudors, I fid it difficult to stop

[And Beat Him When He Sneezes]

The War of the Roses being what it was, the legality of who could wear the crown was very much in flux. Henry had all the kingmakers recognize his claim either before or after the fact. It's not like, say, the Hongwu Emperor coming out of left field and overthrowing a firmly entrenched dynasty, more like the battles among Octavian, Antony, Brutus, and Cassius for the emperorship of Rome--a free-for-all in which being the last man standing is the only legitimating factor worth mentioning. As for Wikipedia, well, this is neither the time nor the place, but let's just say I never put any stock in their brand of "scholarship." Point taken, though, that the early Tudor era was a period of instability and at least the appearance of illegitimacy, and of course the point is also taken about not threadjacking this story, and apologies for misunderstanding you on who had two other children.

[count tiszula]

Excellent story; and I trust that , as has been indicated, Mistress Boleyn will be doing some sneezing too.

Right, back to the threadjack. The rot really set in with the murder of the Blessed Henry VI. The Roses really involved the Clarences also. Who can forget Warwick the Kingmaker's circular to all potential monarchs, beginning;

"Are you Edmund Mortimer? If not, have you got him?" Interestingly, it was Henry "Hotspur" Percy, ancestor of Henry, Lord Percy, who had got him. This must have made HVIII very anti him anyway.

HVII regarded himself as the heir of John of Gaunt through his mother Lady Margaret Beaufort, though the Beauforts had been bastards who had been legitimated later on. In fact legitimacy could change from day to day; Elizabeth I spent most of her childhood as a bastard; had HVIII not eventually had a male heir, if Henry FitzRoy Duke of Richmond survived, would it have been impossible to legitimate him? He was already a Duke, which then meant definitely a member of the Royal Family.

And now Tony Robinson tries to tell us that Edward IV was a bastard too, and the Plantagenet heir is Lord Loudoun, an Australian gentleman. Who doubtless follows his countryman Grainger in translating molto crescendo as "Loudoun Lots". HOHOHO.

And another thing; the Roman situation was partly about who WOULDN'T be in charge, Brutus was only too aware of being the heir of the Brutus who dispatched the original matrilineal Kings; the first consuls being both royal in the female line.

[chui]

wow....this is an incredible story. you really are a great writer, not to mention the history is just wonderfully researched, and i look forward to reading more from you in the future!

[Guest]

Admittedly I was disappointed that there was no female sneezing as male does nothing for me, but excellent start. You're a good writer.

[James]

Excellent story; and I trust that , as has been indicated, Mistress Boleyn will be doing some sneezing too.

Right, back to the threadjack. The rot really set in with the murder of the Blessed Henry VI. The Roses really involved the Clarences also. Who can forget Warwick the Kingmaker's circular to all potential monarchs, beginning;

"Are you Edmund Mortimer? If not, have you got him?" Interestingly, it was Henry "Hotspur" Percy, ancestor of Henry, Lord Percy, who had got him. This must have made HVIII very anti him anyway.

HVII regarded himself as the heir of John of Gaunt through his mother Lady Margaret Beaufort, though the Beauforts had been bastards who had been legitimated later on. In fact legitimacy could change from day to day; Elizabeth I spent most of her childhood as a bastard; had HVIII not eventually had a male heir, if Henry FitzRoy Duke of Richmond survived, would it have been impossible to legitimate him? He was already a Duke, which then meant definitely a member of the Royal Family.

And now Tony Robinson tries to tell us that Edward IV was a bastard too, and the Plantagenet heir is Lord Loudoun, an Australian gentleman. Who doubtless follows his countryman Grainger in translating molto crescendo as "Loudoun Lots". HOHOHO.

And another thing; the Roman situation was partly about who WOULDN'T be in charge, Brutus was only too aware of being the heir of the Brutus who dispatched the original matrilineal Kings; the first consuls being both royal in the female line.

The rot set in long before the murder of Henry VI, who was in fact deposed about ten years before he was murdered. In my view the rot set in with the overthrow of Richard II in 1399 and his murder the following year. The point about Edmund Mortimer was that he was Richard's legitimate heir, but as he was only a boy his claim to the throne was set aside in favour of the usurper Henry Bolingbroke, Richard's cousin. Mortimer never attempted to claim the throne himself, but after his death his succession rights passed to his nephew Richard of York, who did eventually challenge his distant cousin Henry VI in what became known as the Wars of the Roses. Richard was defeated and captured in the battle of Wakefield in 1460, following which he was executed for treason, but following the battle of Towton the following year, Henry was deposed by Richard's eldest son Edward Earl of March (Edward IV). Henry VIII's real claim to the throne came not through his father, a Welsh country gentleman descended from Henry IV's bastard half-brother, but through his mother, Edward IV's eldest daughter Elizabeth of York. Henry VIII was therefore the legitimate heir to the throne via the Mortimer-Yorkist line.

The Pole family only had a claim to the throne if one accepts that Edward IV was illegitimate. (They were the descendants of his younger brother George Duke of Clarence). As the story about Edward's illegitimacy was put about by Richard III to justify his own usurpation of the throne, it should be treated with great caution.

[count tiszula]

Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain, in fact.

And Newton was obsessed with the astrological significance of the number seven.

[Guest Serenity]

Thank you for the praise, truly. I was enjoying writing this a great deal. And yes, my long-range plan is to have Anne sneezing too, on different occassions from both colds and allergies.

I have to admit that I'm finding the historical debate somewhat discouraging, though. I mean, I'm trying to make the story as historically accurate as possible, while catering to our fetish AND think up what will develop next, but I feel like a first-year student submitting a paper for review by a panel full of medieval history professors...and, well, it's rather intimidating, folks.

Here's part two...and it is after that point that I am stuck. I'm having trouble writing the next character to be introduced, the indentity of whom is apparent at the end of this chapter. I could use some assistance in what to do next, and how that character would act/react. I haven't yet earned the privalege of sending or receiving PMs on this forum yet, but if anyone would like to offer suggestions or inspirational aid in continuing this, I can be reached by PM on Akutenshi's forum, found at this link here. I'd be very grateful for the input, because I would like to ultimately continue this in a more timely fashion.

Part 2:

------

@}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->---

"This way, Lord Percy," Anne said with a tad too much formality in her voice as she gestured that he should precede her from the room, such that it gave him cause to hesitate. Henry again raised the cloth to his twitching, reddening nose before moving past her and through the all-too-familiar oak doors, eyeing his intended with caution as they left Queen and Cardinal to resume their visit without further disruption. The corner of Anne's mouth curled for his eyes only, by way of reassuring him her coldness was but a ruse to keep suspicion at bay, and that she was not, and never could be, cross with him.

The antechamber was a smaller room than the one they left, and very comfortably furnished. A small fire crackled in the hearth, a covered bench and matching settee placed a comfortable distance from it. Other furnishings and tapestries made the room inviting and cozy for its intended use. It was here guests had to wait until the Queen was prepared to receive them in her Chambers, and here the ladies-in-waiting occupied themselves on the rare occasion they were dismissed from the Royal presence but needed to stay close at hand, lest they be called on.

Anne closed the Chamber doors behind them, saying for the benefit of those within, "Seat yourself by the fire, milord, and I shall fetch you your wine." She smiled inwardly at Percy's response, for it could not possibly have been more aptly timed even if he had been only keeping up appearances as she had done.

"I am gratefu…uh…huh-SHOO!" he sneezed loudly through his mouth just before the doors fully closed, finally removing the couple from the eyes and ears of the world. As another pair overtook him, he turned away from her direction and moved more than a respectful distance from her out of courtesy and shame just in time. "Eh...hih-eh'SSHHUH! …uh-huhSHOO!!" The Queen's dainty handkerchief proved hopeless at muffling the noise, at least to his own ears. He could imagine well enough the giggles the other ladies in the next chamber were no doubt having at his expense, and drew from that a small amount of satisfaction that he was bringing them amusement, at least.

He felt a shiver run through him and allowed himself an experimental sniffle as Anne rushed to him. Percy groaned to find both sides of his nose were now an unyielding barrier to any air that might pass through. "I am grateful, my lady…please, I beg you pardon my unseemly state," he recovered, his voice now horribly congested. His ears turned red as beets with embarrassment.

Anne cringed at hearing him beg her to "pardod" his "udseebly state", and firmly guided the shivering young man to the fireside bench and began to help him off with his boots, which although frightfully damp, were thankfully clean from the rain. "How can you ask me to pardon my own wrongdoing, my sweet Henry? I'm likely the very cause of your present condition."

Henry frowned in confusion as she pulled the left boot off and he felt the blessed warmth of the fire against his foot. "My dearest Anne, you leave me confounded! How can you find blame in yourself for my…" he hesitated to admit illness, finding an alternate description, "…embarrassment within the Queen's chambers? It was not you who did summon Cardinal Wolsey here from Westminster, nor you who called the Heavens to open and blow rain down upon us."

"No, but my part in it causes me pain in seeing you like this," she admitted as she took hold of his second boot, avoiding the spur-strap. "I would take your present state upon myself and change places with you now, were it possible."

He looked down at her fondly where she knelt, her head bent over her ministrations, and instantly forgot both malady and confusion as his eyes suddenly took in a stunning view of the sixteen-year-old lady's cleavage that would make him the envy of any red-blooded Englishman at this moment. "…Indeed, I would not have you change places with me right now for the wide world, my Lady…" Percy sighed contentedly.

"You're wearing the doublet which in secret I gave you in Springtime, likely as the only outward proof you can show me of your love. 'Tis too thin to wear out of doors in these Autumn gales, and I fear you have taken ill for the sake of that which I was already well-assured," she replied, oblivious to his true focus as she struggled with the second boot, it inexplicably refusing to slide from its owner's foot.

"I've not taken ill! I…ihh…" he clamped the handkerchief around his nose and scrubbed at it briskly to remove the runniness that tickled his passages. From below he heard Anne give a mild snort, whether out of amused derision for his fib, or from her efforts, he could not tell.

Ignoring his denial, she pulled again on the boot, vexed by its stubbornness. "Ah! It will not move!" she exclaimed without looking up, her arms and bosom flexing repeatedly as they were accustomed to doing when she was lacing another's corset.

"I can see movement from here…" Percy grinned inwardly, definitely not referring to his boot. "Please, do keep trying, Dearest," he encouraged her, even as he again locked his ankle firmly in position lest she succeed in her task too soon for his liking.

"Of course I will," she snapped, clearly as annoyed with herself as she was with his footwear.

Percy pressed the cloth to his nose and sniffed with little sound and no success. "Do not fret, Anne," he reassured her congestedly, "At the most you are to blame for being such that God made you, for it is that which has me so overcome with love that time for me is measured not by seasons, but by when I shall next see you. Each time I finally do, it is always Springtime within my heart, following a bleak Winter without my Anne. Fitting then, that I should wear this doublet on those occasions."

"Nevertheless, my conscience disturbs me" she softened greatly at his courtly, romantic speech. She said with a playful smile, "At least forgive me from distracting you from having the good sense to note the time of year and the icy rains that come to visit the Thames from the North and East."

"Very well, Dearest," he chuckled, his voice taking on the same pinched timbre and superior air of the Lord Cardinal when hearing confession, "Ego absolvo te".

She smiled coyly at the mimicry of the one who had given her Queen cause for much disdain. It was Wolsey who had preferred alliance with France rather than Spain, and had over time poisoned King Henry's ears with advice that would have him begin to distrust the Queen's own counsel, despite her service and unwavering loyalty to her lord husband in all matters political and otherwise. "You did not cite my penance…" she replied, her voice even more playful in their their sudden roles as "sinner" and "confessor".

"Ah, yes, of course…" he grinned, catching on, "*sniffle*." Air had squeaked through that time, but the vibration had caused his nose to twitch noticibly. "Your penance shall be to love me all your days, first as my in…eh…" his breath hitched, causing Anne to glance up in concern at him in time to see his eyes clearly before they squeezed shut. He managed to fight back the impending sneeze, then pinched his nose briefly and looked at her sheepishly over the handkerchief, "…as my intended…and then as my wife," he continued cautiously. Had he been caught in the act of enjoying the sight of her bosom, he could not say for certain, for she was back at her task again.

"As you are now, I'd take you for pity," she teased as she tugged the boot again, "Perhaps you've managed to catch such a bad cold that it is making you feverish, or had you forgotten that I have long since agreed to this proposal of marital 'penance', Henry?"

"I have not caught cold, I assure you!" Percy insisted before pinching his nose again while she wasn't looking. The tickle was still there, but under control for the nonce. "Tis but a brief chill from the ride here, nothing more. It will pass once I am warm,"

"Well, then, we must get you warm, as my Lady directed…" Anne's head snapped up in realization. "Oh, the wine! I did not yet send for it!" She urgently raised a delicate hand to Lord Percy cueing him at once to assist her rise. He helped her to her feet, feeling himself blush as he willed his eyes on her face, and naught else, silently thankful she'd not noticed where his true focus had again been.

She paused, studying his face a long moment. "Are you quite certain you're not ill, milord? Your face is quite flushed..." She suppressed a smile, knowing he was not only caught in the act of leering at her bosom, but he was also on the verge of another sneeze from his dubious 'brief chill'.

"Quite cer-…ah…certain." he tried to sound confident even as his hitching breath betrayed him once again. "The wine, milady?" he prompted, hoping she'd be gone before his nose inevitably betrayed his dignity, what little dignity a young man could still have while wearing a single wet boot and pressing the finest ladies' handkerchief to his thoroughly congested nose.

Anne raised an eyebrow and gave him a brief curtsey before turning and hurrying for the hall door, but a sudden noise pulled her gaze back over her shoulder as she went, "ih…hiihhSHUUH!" Her attention was diverted enough that she did not hear the door unlatch or see what emerged through it before she collided the figure and lost her balance.

She shrieked as she began to go down, and a pair of strong hands shot out and caught her below the elbows of her bent arms before she fell, then held her rock steady until she regained her feet under her. "Oh, I-I…" she was about to apologize when she looked up into face of her saviour, and felt her stomach turn to cold stone with alarm.

He was a handsome man with almond-shaped eyes of a rich brown hue. Above these arched fine eyebrows and hair of auburn, and below, high cheekbones graced a fair-skinned and broad, bright face. His beard was immaculately trimmed, and his mouth, though dwarfed by the magnificence of his other facial features, was desirable both in its shape and the deep, clear voice it produced. She could feel the confidence radiating from him as he still cupped her elbows in a firm but gentle grip.

"How now, Lady Boleyn?" the King of England said with a mix of concern and bemusement.

@}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->--- @}-->---

[chui]

*dreamy sigh*

im sooo glad that you posted this.... you are just a wonderful writer, and i love the historic setting/characters. i admitt i was hoping for more... and oh my...Lord Percy and running into the King... i do hope that you have an inspiration, as i'd hate to see this end...

I have to admit that I'm finding the historical debate somewhat discouraging, though. I mean, I'm trying to make the story as historically accurate as possible, while catering to our fetish AND think up what will develop next, but I feel like a first-year student submitting a paper for review by a panel full of medieval history professors...and, well, it's rather intimidating, folks.

*stern face* ok guys (and gals)...we wont have this problem anymore will we?

[Guest Serenity]

It appears I've been promoted to Newbie, so I can now receive PMs! If anyone has any suggestions for how to continue this, feel free to PM me on either this forum or Akutenshi's forum. My muse needs the inspirational equivalent of a double morning esspresso!

[Lynne]

Serenity, my apologies if the threadjacking got out of hand. Please simply report the post next time (I believe the button for that is an exclamation point?) and the staff will take care of it

(I'll confess, I don't tend to read any of the stories, so I wasn't paying attention).

Akutenshi, your posts were deleted, because the issue had been handled by a moderator before you decided to intervene. Threadjacking or inappropriate behavior of any type is to be reported to the staff, as always.

[count tiszula]

I am very sorry if the more factual comments, including my own, led to discouragement; I'm sure this was the last thing that anyone had in mind. In fact, I doubt if anyone would have done it if the story had not been obviously based on considerable research. And there was nothing that was a correction or anything unpleasant like that.

I think, from similar situations in the past, that if the author demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the background, people feel that they would welcome it if that background is included in the discussion of the story.

Anyway, I hope that you will in fact go on to new heights with an account of the King's sneezes, and of course the lady's. The Private Life of Henry VIII is always a great inspiration.

[Lynne]

I was amazed (once I read it) at how enjoyable the historical data made the story... I mean, I like historical novels, but the Tudor period is one I knew very little about I was quite impressed (and now, dammit, I need to go read up on the Tudors LOL)

[Geist]

*falls over from the hotness and gets up to brush off the copious amounts of lint* Oooh, fiddlesticks. Never wear black when you intend to swoon!

SUPERB!

[Guest obsessive_freak]

I'll add my apologies to count de tisza's, like he said we really didn't mean any harm. You're doing amazingly well with this fiction and it's obviously really well researched - I didn't mean my comments to sound nasty or belittling. Keep up the good work and I hope you get un-stuck soon, I'm on tenterhooks waiting for Anne to catch his cold (I would PM you with ideas but I a) don;t have any and can't PM anyway....)