Masquerade || The Tudors ||

prologue

May 15th, 1533, Westminster palace

"Your Majesty, the pope has a proposition", Master Cromwell said to the king who raid his eyebrow with intrigue."The pope is willing to make peace with England-" the king jumped to his feet at the news "that is wonderful we must tell the council and make preparations."

"Your Majesty!" Cromwell interrupted not too happy to tell the king the second part of the Pope's proposal. "What is it Cromwell?" The king asked with a huge grin on his face. "His holiness will only grant peace  if.....you instead of marrying lady jane, you take his ward, the Duchess of Milan Isabella Sforza to wife, then and only then came England and Rome remain at peace if not then England shall be at war with Vatican City and the lady Jane will die."

"What!! The pope thinks he can threaten me!! I am the king!!!"

"And he is the pope! Second only to God and he has all of Christendom on his side and if he were to wage war on England we would be destroyed, England would be no more. You have to marry her your Majesty." The king seethed with rage never in his years has anyone bested him like the pope had and he was furious one could only imagine how jane could react to the news as she was already convinced that she would be the next queen of England.
                      

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

"NOOO!!! NO!! He cannot do this he cannot make you marry someone Italian wench."

"Their is no other option jane the pope has threatened to wage war and excommunicate me and the entirety of England if I do not and they will kill you." jane became still and realized the gravity of the situation she is in the situation which her father thrusted her into, he is to marry another which makes her damage goods as it was well known that she was his mistress paired along with the fact that his former wife Anne Boleyn had caught them together before she was beheaded  and made a spectacle of it.

"I shall be like Anne's sister Mary." Anne whispered softly under her breath. "what?"

"The great prostitute" jane said in a low tone. "that's what they called her after she went to bed with you and produced a bastard son! Great prostitute they whispered in the halls as she passed and now, they shall do the same for me!!! ohh my god my family shall be ruined!" Henry had never seen Jane so furious and calculating it was shocking to say the least. His jane looked so much like Anne in that moment

"No, no I will not let it happen Jane." Henry grabbed Jane by the waist and took her face in his hands as he planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"How?? You are the king but you are not god. Nothing you do will stop them from talking about me." Jane cried clinging to Henry's shirt."say yes"Henry whispered but jane didn't know what he meant.

"What?"jane asked her face concerted in confusion."say yes to becoming my mistress."

"Henry i-" Jane had refused this offer many times before and she still would

"No listen, you shall be my one and only she will be my wife in name only but you will be my one true love you shall be treated like a queen ought to be and our son will be legitimized." Jane couldn't believe what she was hearing how can someone so powerful be so stupid

"Are you so neive Henry, the pope will never legitimize our son for you are to marry his beloved ward someone even say he treats her like his own daughter." Jane yelled in frustration

"Oh it doesn't matter Jane I will love him just the same" henry tried to reassured Jane

"And what of her?" Jane asked jealousy laser in her tone