(C)Kelcey Winn
January 6, 1532
"My lords," the king exploded into his counsel room with the force of a catapulted arrow, skewering each one of his advisors with a piercing glare. All of them could understand the reasoning behind his glare.
"The news from Italy is not so good, your majesty," said Cardinal Wolsey, opening up for the counsel to speak, "The Pope still refuses your request for a divorce from the Queen."
"Of course he does. Have you told the Pope what I intend to do if he continues to refuse my proposal?" demanded Henry.
"Yes, milord."
"And what does the Pope say to this?"
"He says that he will excommunicate your majesty if you do not return to your rightful queen and do not banish the Lady Anne from your court," Cardinal Wolsey explained.
"And how many days do I have to heed his command?" asked the King, "I think I can handle excommunication from his holiness."
"You only have twelve days to return to Katherine."
"Only twelve days to send Katherine from court," mused the king. "That does not give me ample time to prepare for her a comfortable banishment."
"Maybe it should be considered, that is returning to Queen Katherine, your majesty," added Lord Brandon.
"You wish me to be unhappy?" asked Henry with a tight mouth. "I was once a moth attracted to the flame of Spain only to be continuously burned by that flame. She had burned me too many times and I intend to be done with her."
Charles lowered his head in recognition of respect he should show his king. The King took his gaze back to his other advisors.
"Another matter to discuss is the party that will be done tonight," said Henry, "New ladies in waiting to my future Queen Anne will be arriving. I want everything to be perfect for her."
Henry scanned the faces of his privy counselors and closest friends and sensed that they were in sore need of calm and relaxation. He was hard on them, he knew-volatile, and unpredictable. He reveled in chaos and it amused him to use their weaknesses against them
He turned to Charles then. This was the one man he could trust completely above all other men in his court. They had grown up with each other, had loved each other more then Henry had loved his own brother. Charles was honest where he was manipulative. He was calm and collected where Henry flew into fits of pique and created hugely dramatic episodes simply to bring back attention to him, "You will accompany me later on."
"As your majesty wished," intoned Charles and inclined his head in a bow. He never ceased to be amazed by the man who had suddenly become king at the age of seventeen. He was a strong based man, but with this Boleyn girl he was being flighty. The king, he thought, is too blinded by love for him to see what it is doing to England. And yet in a few short years Anne had risen to a point of extreme power and demanded respect from England and her inhabitants.
Henry, who had been pacing the privy room incessantly as much from an overabundance of nervous energy, now sought the high backed chair with its cold cushions and drummed his fingers in the carved wooden claw arms, "Shall we move on?'
"How does your majesty propose to make Anne queen when she possesses no noble blood?"
"Make her of noble blood," announced Henry, "I made Charles a duke, I can give her a title as well, if it pleases me to do so."
"Of course, your majesty."
"Go start the papers then. I will want to see the title of Marques of Pembroke given to Anne."
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The Seventh Queen (On Hold: Revising)
Historical FictionAnine Wallace was once betrothed to King Henry the eighth before he was king. That was before his brother died and he inherited his brother's wife. Almost ten years later and her mother or the woman who pretends to be her mother forces her to go bac...
