'Sometimes we have to sacrifice our youths in order to let people live.'
Tulia Byrne has been a Queen for longer than she could remember. Her story begins so carefree and so full of love and yet by the end of it you'll be wondering if you even know...
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Edinburgh Castle, Scotland 24th July 1567
It has been a weeks since Queen Mary had sent Queen Tulia her plea for help. The Scottish woman wondered if her friend had even gotten the message, she feared that she wasn't coming at all.
Mary knew that it wouldn't be long before she was forced to abdicate from the throne that she had claimed as her own for over twenty-five years now, Tulia had to get her quickly or all hope would be lost. She knew that by now, Elizabeth would be privy to the allegations made upon her, the Scot prayed and prayed that her friend would react faster than her cousin.
She stood in her throne room waiting. She did not know who she was waiting for but she knew that they would come today. The Queen had made one too many mistakes and there was no way of correcting them before the inevitable happened. Mary did not fear death. She feared for her country and what it would become under English rule. If there truly was a God, he would bring her what she needed. Who she needed.
Greer and James stood at their Queens side as they watched her cradle baby James tightly in her arms. It had been such a want of Marys, to have a child, and now she had one and it was going to be taken away. Life was cruel but being a Queen was crueller.
The heavy stomping of boots on wooden floor pulled Mary out of her thoughts and to the doorway of the throne room. A fear surged through her body at the very sound of it, but the feeling quickly dispersed upon realising who was entering the room.
Bothwell.
He was the first man that Mary had truly let herself love since the death of her husband, Francis. She knew that it wasn't right, she was married, as was he. But she could not help herself from loving him.
"Bothwell," Mary sighed in relief as she looked upon the dark haired man. "Where have you been, we have been waiting for you all night. Do they really believe I killed Darnley?"
"Yes," Bothwell nodded, giving his lover a worried look. "I have a really bad feeling about this, I think we aught to flee."
"Flee?" James repeated in confusion, he did not think that fleeing was their best option. "Fleeing would make you both look guilty."
"Then we need to raise troops." Bothwell suggested, giving Mary and James a pointed look. "If there are charges of murder then we are going to need a force of men."
There was no time for that. They were already here.
"Lord Bothwell." A man shouted as he entered the room surrounded by guards. "You are under arrest for the murder of King Darnley and the traitorous act of regicide."
"What are you talking about?" Mary questioned in a stern tone, trying to hide the fact that she knew he had not died in the explosion and that he had in fact been murdered by her lover.
"Your husband has been murdered at that mans hand." Lord Knox exclaimed as he came striding into the room "Guard him already!"
"I am warning you that if one of you lays a hand on him you will pay with your life." Mary spoke strongly, giving Lord Knox a glare. "As for you reverend Knox, may I remind you that I am your Queen."
