'Sometimes we have to sacrifice our youths in order to let people live.'
Tulia Byrne has been a Queen for longer than she could remember. Her story begins so carefree and so full of love and yet by the end of it you'll be wondering if you even know...
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12th February 1554
The morning had commenced only a few hours ago and fast was broken like any other day of the week, yet this day would be marked into history as the day that the 'false Queen' Lady Jane Grey and her husband Guildford Dudley were executed.
Tulia Byrne sat at the aged mirror in her room, perfectly still as her hand maiden brushed the cascaded of red that flowed like a fiery river down the back of her blue dress.
"Where is everyone today Magdalene" Tulia asked, her icy blue eyes piercing the older woman's with a suspicious stare. Magdalene was a short woman in her early thirties with dark brown hair and soft brown eyes.
"No where particular, my lady. they're probably just busy with their duties." She lied, the handmaiden knew exactly what was occurring today at the tower of London but held the belief that the ten year old girl should not be exposed to such horrors at such a young age.
"That isn't true is it?" Tulia sighed, wincing slightly as the handmaiden pulled slightly on a tangled knot that had accumulated at the bottom of her head. "I'm usually woken up to break fast when the stable boy crosses the courtyard for work, I haven't seen him at all today."
"He may be ill, My lady." Magdalene chuckled, smiling slightly at the younger girls observations, "And don't let your mother or father know that you've been ogling the stable boy, he's a good six years older than you my child."
"Father said that I could marry whom ever I liked." Tulia smiled proudly with her head held high and shoulders back.
"Yes, but not a stable boy." Magdalene countered. Before Tulia could reply, the doors opened widely as Tulia' mother stepped inside, crown placed carefully on her head and a tight smile splayed across her lips.
"Tulia darling, I would like you to accompany me to the tower of London today." Mary spoke, eyes holding little to no emotion for her only daughter before turning to the handmaiden who had curtsied upon her entrance " I expect her hair to be finished in the next ten minutes or you will be joining us at the tower for something completely different." and with that she left.
Magdalene sped up the process of making the plaits that were placed upon Tulia's head with a worried expression that Tulia could not ignore.
"Do you fear my mother, Magdalene?" Tulia whispered quietly, lowering her head slightly.
"Of course not." Magdalene lied yet again, guiding the head of the princess back up and looking at her through the mirror, " The Queens actions were completely justified, I was taking too long on a job that should've been finished long ago."
"I fear her." Tulia spoke, eyes meeting with the older ladies through the mirror. "and I know that you do to."
Checking that her hair was finished, the princess got up from her chair and walked towards the doors of her chambers, smiling slightly at her handmaiden before gracefully exiting her chambers and walking towards where her mother was situated at the bottom of the hall waiting for her. As she reached her, her mother placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her through the castle and out to a carriage.
