Son of Hope

Chapter Seven - Let's switch

I stood beside my father, Lady Grandmother on the other side of him and Harry next to me. Catherine stood before us.

"Lady Catherine of Aragon and Castile. I withdraw my proposal of marriage to you." Catherine nodded "Instead you will be betrothed to my son...Edward, Prince of Wales."

"Father!" Harry protested as I looked away

"Your heirs will ensure the continued peace between our two Kingdoms. Harry, step forward." I turn back to see him do so "I remind you that I am King and I have made my decision, Edward is my heir and the Prince of Wales. More importantly he is every bit his mothers son who was her fathers daughter. The former King Edward while I'm told pained him to do so did sacrifice his brother to ensure the safety of his line and the country if you have any sense you will not push your brother to such lengths. I will send my letter to the Pope requesting his dispensation, assuming that he would grant it. Edward will only marry you and uphold our end if your mother does so with hers.

Your dowry must be paid before you can even imagine become the next Queen of England. Your future hangs upon Castile." Father stood and left while I looked between my brother and my 'bride' then left as well. This would not end well.

I went out to the garden and sat myself looking out at the river the leant back starting up at the sky. When my view was blocked. and my ears heard the ruffle of a skirt.

"Out of the two of you, I would have placed my money on my brother finding me first." i commented and Catherine moved out of my sight. She sat herself down beside me "Your words will be fruitless. You will not be able to talk me around like you have done with my father."

"So you wish to marry me then?" she questioned and I sat myself up

"I like you Catherine, I think you are beautiful, intelligent, fierce every bit the Spanish Princess. But I do not share the same infatuation as my brother does. Neither of them. I'm not timid and shy like Arthur but I'm not poetic and infatuated like Harry."

"Then you can..."

"If you marry Harry, and become his Queen it will tear this country apart." i tell her "I've seen it, there is nothing but pain for the two of you. It's even worse if he's King." I shook my head looking back out over the river.

"Harry becomes King, he marries you and the marriage is a dream for a while. The two of you on your own, not even I would doubt your love but when you put the stresses of running a Kingdom and the need for a son. It breaks you, I've seen it. On repeat in my head, my mother saw it as she died. You and Harry's marriage will not yield surviving sons. She asked father to take his place and he did, then with my vision he made me the prince of Wales. But the two of you would not relent. A daughter will outlive you but the pressure of proving her self just as good kills her. I have a feeling there would be more but I only saw the immediate future between you two.

He will cast you aside when you cannot do as both of you wished and it will be cruel and brutal. He will be callous in his efforts and make you feel like your crazy until you wise up. While this is going on the country will slowly decay and we will pray for a ending more than ever of the Tudor line."

"Then I will tell Harry and ...."

"He knows." I look at her "He's known for months, who do you think the first person I confided in was? Why do you think there is a rift between us? You? No, it's because I know what he will do before he's even thought it. He insists that he's not that person when he has become that person thanks to being mollycoddled by our overbearing grandmother. He is not like you or your mother. He will not yield to the fact that something higher than him predicts a grim future."

"He knows and he said nothing."

"He loves you and you love him, but it is doomed. Have your fancy with him if you wish but if you are serious about uniting our two lands and bringing peace then by your hand it looks like it will have to be with me." i stood and left her to think.