A Forgotten Legend: Anaivere the First

Part Nine: Tower of London

Tower of London, which formerly a Norman royal castle, occasionally a fortress, was a prison used for imprisoning nobilities and royalties in some occasions. This place later was famous for the ghosts such as the unfortunate Tudor queens of England, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Catherine Howard and little princes Edward the Fifth and Richard of Shrewsbury. Our good Queen Anaivere was also one of the residents here, as she was convicted for treachery but too important to be executed. At least for the time being.

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That night, Queen Anaivere, without any of her knights to escort, wielding her trusty rapier and confronted her own cousin in his bedchamber. After knocked out all of the guards as easy as it was, she boldly stepped through the hall, straight forward to finish this affair between the two monarchs.

The young King, who was just ten years old at the moment, but he inherited his father's strong mind, he could be called as a "ruler-born" Henry. Devastated that he wasn't chosen as the heir apparent by his grandmother's decision before he was born, gave the future of the kingdom into that sixteen-year-old Princess Anaivere, made him born as the second-in-line, he blamed all of his anger and took revenge on his cousin.

After found out the King's bedchamber, she silently opened the door and drew out her rapier, called the young King. The King was sitting on his bed, going to yell for guards, but before he could do it, the cold blade was next to his throat.

"You would not harm a child, would you, Anaivere the First?", murmured King Henry.

"When you crowned as king, you were not a child anymore, Henry. This is why Grandmother didn't let Uncle John's eldest son be the heir apparent. You once said, a girl could not be the monarch, then tell me, could such a boy who even does not know how to protect his own kingdom be the monarch?", said the Queen with somewhat an angry tone.

"For some exception, then yes", replied the young King, "... it is unnatural for a niece of the king to be Queen, is it not?"

"It was our Grandmother's desire, our Grandmother's will. You blasphemed the previous monarchs by burning her will and Uncle Richard's will! The throne is neither a game, nor a tournament; it is a war and only the champion deserves it. I have been the Crown Princess for exact sixteen years, I understand my people, my kingdom. And you? You are just a child who knows nothing about ruling a kingdom. You are leading England into doom when you have power in hands. Give back my throne, or else..."

"What else, my dear Anaivere Renata Plantagenet? As Father once said, you were too naive to rule as Queen! And, to be honest, I myself did not burn Grandmother's will. Father told me to do so on his deathbed, and I just ordered my trusty knight to do that for me..."

"Silence, boy! I had been through the First Barons' War, the Magna Carta, the Fifth Crusade and I cannot solve this political problem?"

"Yes, you cannot..."

King Henry fairly smiled as his cousin moaning in pain. Lord Macley had sneaked in and secretly stabbed Queen Anaivere from the back with a sharp dagger. She collapsed on the floor, unbeknownst to whom had impaled her.

"Did she harm you, sire?", asked Lord Macley.

"No. Thou arrived just in time, Lord Macley...", replied the young King, "... and if you please, call the maid to replace this carpet..."

Suddenly, Lord Macley was almost impaled by the Queen, who was still awake. She tried to re-attack with her rapier, but the dizzy feeling from loss of blood and the pain knocked her down before she could touch Lord Macley's dagger's blade.

"Light-headedness is surely undefeated, is it not, sire?"

The Queen's lady-in-waiting, Sylvia Walther accidentally passed by and saw her mistress lying unconscious on the floor. She hopelessly ran toward her mistress and called in tears: