'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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3rd January 1566
The January showers showed no signs of letting up. Every drop of rain that fell upon the castle was icy cold and painful to feel. If there was ever a being that could manipulate the weather with their feelings and thoughts, it would be Tulia.
For the past two months, her anger had been taken out on anyone who dared step foot in her room. She didn't mean to hurt anyone with her words but she did not want to show anyone how she was truly feeling. The Queen was in pain.
Her ladies, her guards, Henri, they had all been barred from going to see her. She couldn't risk hurting them in the way she had hurt other people. The only people that were allowed within an inch of her room were Catherine, Harry and John.
The older woman had been a great help to Tulia, unlike the others, she would come and visit her with work related issues, never once bothering her with painful questions and terrible rumours that circulated court like the words of the devil.
Catherine had convinced the red head that she needed to see her friends and that it was not good for her or the baby if she were to isolate herself from society. Reluctantly, Tulia had agreed to see them, she had been dreading their meeting every since she had awoken.
As if materialised by mention, there was a knock on the door. The girls were outside.
Tulia brushed herself off and opened the door, pulling it open a crack so that she could go sit down before one of them tired to hug her. She probably needed a good hug at this point, but she didn't want to cry again. The Queen found that once she started crying, it was hard to stop.
She softly lowered herself into her chair, that was placed by the window, as the girls made their way into the room. There was an air of timidity between the ladies and their Queen. They didn't know the appropriate way to act around her anymore. Catherine had told them what Tulia preferred but it went against everything they stood for, all they wanted to do was comfort her. But they had been advised against it.
"Hello." Sophia spoke softly, perching herself on the table next to where Tulia was sat.
The Queen did not speak, she just smiled slightly at each of them. She was too worried that if she opened her mouth, she would say things that she didn't mean.
The girls had tough skin and they would be able to take it, but that did not mean that they deserved it.
"We've been worried about you." Caoimhe stated softly, trying to catch eyes with the Queen who had taken to just staring out of the window.
"Henri has been asking about you none stop." Gwendolyn told her. "Why won't you see him?"
"I don't want to see anyone." Tulia finally spoke, her voice sounded strange and forced after a long time of not speaking.
"But we're your friends." Sophia sighed. "We want to help you."
"Exactly." Tulia nodded. "I've been publicly shamed, and all throughout the castle are whispers of my supposed 'infidelity'. You can see why I am not inclined to want to talk about it."
