Empire of Dreams

*45*

The Westminster was buried under gold cloth banners and pictorial depictions of Edward's reign as an ode to him. The ministers, nobles, foreign ambassadors and some high-class commoners were seated in the back. In the middle row stood the prisoners I had granted freedom to last night and the knights of England whom I would honour after my coronation. The coronation ritual had not been changed and just like the Kings who came before me, I was seated on the coronation chair to be proclaimed the Queen of England, France and Ireland with a long set of rituals.

Finally, it was the moment of my crowning. My crown was brought into the room and everyone rose from their seats. The choir burst into a grand song. I felt my skin tingling with electric excitement as the beautiful silver crown was set on my head. I could see my family, Aunt Catherine, Queen Anne and Little Mary from the seat. I stood up with the red velvet cape matching my gown flowing behind me. The whole room bowed and chants of "God save the Queen" and "Long Live the Queen" echoed. Elizabeth caught my eye and grinned at me. Mary had a proud expression on her face. 

Then, I walked down the aisle, waving and acknowledging those in attendance, to the entrance. A large crowd had gathered there despite the rain. Elizabeth brought the laurels and the money bags for the knights. My mother announced their names and one by one, they all walked up to me, knelt down and then I presented them with the laurels and the money, thanking them for their service to our nation. 

After we were done, I started walking towards the carriage but Anne stopped me. 

"Your Aunt Catherine and I have a coronation gift for you" she said with a smile and nodded towards the crowd. I realized the crowd had indeed parted into two. Through the middle came four men holding something the size of a tabletop overhead. I looked at Aunt Catherine questionably and she gestured back at the crowd again. They stopped just before me and set the thing up. It was now that I realized it was a painting. Before the painting could be unfurled though, the crowd cheered at someone behind the portrait. I glanced at it expectantly.

The cloth on the painting fell at the same time as Michelangelo appeared. I was so happy to see Michelangelo, I did not even look at the painting. He stepped up to me and after he bowed, I embraced him in a hug.

"Thank you for coming," I said, my voice breaking as tears rolled down my cheeks. 

His presence did mean a lot to me and after all, he was my favourite father figure. 

"Look at the painting, Queen Narcissa" He said playfully and by his expression I was assured he understood the reason behind my choice of the name. 

The painting I was looking at was supposed to be mine, but the person in the painting looked nothing like me. The copper hair of the woman was flowing freely, contrasting the bodice of the gown. The gown was the one that I was currently wearing, but symbols had been added. The background displayed a river with golden water, the colour caused by the rising sun. Narcissus were blooming on the plants and with a crown on the lay's head, her hands had symbols too. One hand was extended towards the crowds, the common mass, while the other was held towards the heavens. Before I could ask any questions, Michelangelo stepped forward. 

"This painting is a depiction of our Queen. Queen Narcissa is shown here in the coronation gown and her reign is depicted here. This is the rise of a new era, shown by the rising sun in the painting. Gold will flow in the rivers of your country with her in power. She is a Goddess and she will lead her subjects to God, Her coronation painting will be known as- The herald of the Queen and God!"

The crowd once again burst into cheers and I shot a thankful look at Michelangelo. Then, one by one, we all settled into our respective carriages and set out to the Tower of London. 

***

"My dear subjects, I come to you with a promise. I shall never abandon you in a crisis and never discriminate amongst you all. A peasant working hard in a field is as respectable to me as a Lord or Lady. During my reign, there will be one country and one God. Our nation has been facing a religious crisis for quite some time now. The Catholics and Protestants have been pitted against each other in a wrongful fight. So from now on, this will change. The Catholics AND the Protestants shall live together in peace. They may have separate churches, but all the hearts shall together belong to God. 

Another thing I would like to tell you is my inspiration for the reign. King Henry VIII had 6 wives, each of them as valuable as the other. Two of them are by my side now- Anne and Catherine, but the others have lost their lives to the horrible schemes of men. Each of the Queen deserved a happy and respectable life, something snatched away from them wrongfully and you, the people of England have been a witness to it. Today, as I begin my reign, I want to remind you of those queens. Today, as I stand here, I want to be a reminder of not the Kings who came before me, but Queens whose contributions towards the nation were downplayed. They were forgotten as time passed and the men did not want to glorify their efforts, they were so afraid. 

I want to honour Queen Catherine Howard first. She was charged with treason when she was a young girl, no older at the time of her death than I am today. She breathed life into the court and had the right to live even if she did not love the King. Hence the first fundament of my reign will be, people are free to choose who they love and no one can force their lovers for reciprocation.

Secondly comes Queen Jane. While her time as a Queen was cut short due to her untimely death, she was a symbol of peace and love. She never held resentment towards Princesses Regencia- Mary and Elizabeth. She was gentle and loving and dictated the second fundament of my reign- peace and unity shall be maintained both between nations and inside the nation. No one would fight due to differences in opinion, all anyone needs is a little understanding.

Queen Anne was an independent and opinionated woman and was hence regarded with contempt by many. Whether her marriage with the King was wrong or right does not matter. It was publicized to villainise her while her good traits were obliterated. She planned for England's development. She was a great politician who knew just what terms to present to get the upper hand in the treaties and she worked for the welfare of the citizens. All she lacked was recognization for her efforts and the opportunity to prove herself. Thus we come to the third fundament of my reign- Every idea or suggestion is equally important and valuable to me. No woman shall be stopped or rejected to give a man a chance because capability is not decided by gender 

Lastly comes Queen Katherine of Aragon. Loved and respected by all, she worked hard to earn the love she received but all was unrightfully taken away from her. She was left powerless, exiled as if her only identity was her status of being a Queen. This is the basis of my last fundament- You are not defined by your profession, nor by your marriage or the family you belong to. Everyone has an identity which exists other than the titles we bestow upon them. Hence, no family " shall be punished for the wrongdoings of one member and no man or woman can be stripped of their basic rights. Food, shelter, clothes and the right to live belong to everyone hence execution orders shall be passed only for the most heinous crimes.

I know, the change is huge. The people are not used to this system, nor is our monarchy but that needs to change if we want England to grow. Together we shall build a nation which shall be known for its mercy and love not for its brutality or its crimes!"

My address to the public was acknowledged with a huge round of applause and cheer from them. Stepping up, Elizabeth and Mary both held one of my hands and together we raised it in the air, signifying we are in support of each other. That we shall work together not against each other. 

Finally, the rain stopped and the sun shone over a joyful and peaceful England. The new era had begun. The era of Queens was here.