Virgin Queen, my arse -On Hold

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My name is Edward Grey and I was born into wealth.

My family were noble land owners and close to the royal family, my cousin had also reigned for a very short period. Her name was Lady Jane Grey or the "nine day queen." My dear cousin did meet an unfortunate end, but had she  been more compliant with Mary, I believe she would not have met such a terrible outcome. Instead she may have spent her days in the tower or simply exiled, but this was not to be. 

Due to our status, as I became older I frequented court more and more, my father teaching me the ins and outs of being a member of the royal court, grooming me for the day I would represent our family at court. At the same time this allowed him to converse with the noble fathers of young girls with the aim of having me betrothed, so that my family would benefit from my marriage.

I was taught the ways of the court: how to show your status, the mannerisms that should be affected and, most importantly, how to kiss the arse of the current reigning monarch. 

No matter the current religion of the particular monarch reigning, whether it be Anglican or Catholic, my family always made sure to be seen following that religion, no matter how many times we had to change our allegiance. This allowed my family to maintain their position and my father always said that both churches were pretty much the same anyway. At a time where following the 'wrong' church could get you killed and or stripped of your power, my father made sure to know the faith of each member of each house with ties to the throne, to ensure he and his household were prepared should a new monarch come to power.

I myself did not truly believe in God, but given that the monarch was supposedly chosen by God, these "radical" thoughts could have landed me with my head on a block, so I kept my mouth sealed in order to keep my head.

I grew up in a vast manor house with gardens that seemed to span for miles. The gardens were teeming with colour, with shades of green streaming out from the grass and the many different trees, and pinks and purples and blues coming from the flowers and hedges my great-grandmother had so lovingly planted. We also had a small lake, to which as a young boy  my nanny would take me on strolls around, as she believed fresh air was a way to maintain a healthy body and spirit, and prevent disease.

My household was always busy as we had countless servants. Each of my siblings and I had our own nanny, we had four cooks, my mother had many personal handmaidens and in every room there were servants both male and female, to satisfy our every whim.

As a child it felt normal to own a home such as my own, as I rarely ventured outside our estate due to my mother's concerns for my safety. This meant that I never understood the concept of poverty and apart from my four siblings. I was rather isolated and thus spoiled.

I was the family favourite, the eldest boy with strong features, thick mahogany coloured hair, pale ivory skin and smoky hazel eyes, a true Englishman. Unfortunately, my oldest sibling was born female, which always caused a rift between my parents, as my father always blamed my mother for her mistake of bearing him a girl first, just like Queen Catherine and Queen Anne. However, my mother never let her hurt show to us children and in public she managed to make people believe she had a loving supporting husband and that she was his doting wife.

To me she was the strongest woman in all of England, including the Queen. Whilst this was treacherous thinking, I simply did not care.

When I was a young man, Mary the first or 'Bloody Mary' was the tyrannical ruler of our magnificent country, with her younger sister Elizabeth locked in the tower of London. Mary was said to believe that Elizabeth and her supporters were trying to usurp her throne, which was her reasoning for keeping her out of reach.

Being closer to Elizabeth's age, I sympathised with the girl, however I could not vocalise my opinions being both young and without comprising my family's position. So instead I decided that should Elizabeth ever ascend to the throne I would use every tool in my power to help her, and in the meantime I would try to expand the influence of my family and increase my own power amongst the members of court. 

The court, especially to a young boy, was like heaven on earth. There were luxury fabrics used as curtains, with intricate tapestries and grand paintings lining the walls. Every member of court was smothered in the latest fashions, created with only the most expensive and exclusive materials. The walls were trimmed with delicately carved wood; the throne was also made of wood but was gilded in gold leaf and had embroidered fabric covering the thickly cushioned seat. The entire hall had glass paned windows as a show of wealth, but once early light came through, the hall seemed to exude colours and warmth.

Walking through the hall there were the guards and male servants of the Queen littered around the room, wearing the uniform of the House of Tudor. The uniform consisted of black breeches and a white shirt, covered in a black overcoat with the Tudor rose carefully embroidered at the right side of every man's chest (above their heart to show their loyalty to the crown). A hat sat atop their heads, which was mostly black with a frilled trim lined with red ribbon. They had a stiff white ruff covering their necks which was for both protection and fashion purposes.

The servants were there to service the Queen and provide her with whatever she wished for within minutes. The guards and servants,could be told apart due to each guard standing against the wall with a vast metal pike in their hand, not including the two guards permanently stationed alongside the Queen. Each guard was stationed perfectly, so they always had the Queen in their sights with each sworn to protect Her Majesty with their lives.  Even as I grew older, I still found the guards to be intimidating, and I was always on the right side of the law.

I could not imagine the fear these men would strike into the hearts of criminals. 

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A/N Hello and welcome to my new book 'Virgin Queen' my arse! I would like to express my gratitude to anyone who reads this and just to state the protagonist and his family are a work of fiction, although there will be historical figures in the story not every part will be 100% accurate. However i will try to stay as close to fact as possible as i adore history and the Tudor dynasty happen to be my favourite part. Just to say please do not copy my work and any hate submitted will not result in changes however i will listen to any constructive criticism given.

Thank you once again and i hope to update once a week.

Alex Vance-Hudson