To Keep A King

Chapter 1

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February 1516
Greenwich Palace
London
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I dreamt about her again tonight. The woman whose name I don't know and whose face remains ever obscured. I dream the same dream almost every night: I start off alone in a large field under a grey sky. The grass is dewy and wet, the wind is strong but mild. There is fog everywhere. I call out but nobody hears me for my voice is carried off into the wind. Then she appears, this mystery woman. She glides past me effortlessly, unaffected by the fog or the wind whilst I am struggling to stand my ground in this storm. I call out to her as loudly as I can, but my voice makes only a small sound. I call again, even stronger than before, but it comes out barely above a whisper. She turns her head slightly, but not enough for me to see her face. She does not care that I am here too, or perhaps she cannot see me. Either way, she turns back and disappears into the fog. I wake up at this point. Sometimes I am drenched in sweat from my body trying so hard to make myself move in my dream. But most of the time I am calm when I wake up, calm except for this deep, inexplicable sense of dread. I don't know who this woman is, but I always have the sense that, one day, I will.

Sitting up slowly, I rest my hand on my rounded stomach and turn to wake Maria.
"Katherine," she stirs almost immediately, her voice concerned as always. "Is everything okay? Is it the baby?"

"I'm fine, Maria, we're both fine."

She climbs onto the bed next to me. For as long as I've known her, Maria de Salinas has been my closest friend, my most loyal servant and my most trusted confidant. She is intelligent and sensible, she knows when to defend me, when to agree with me, and, most importantly, when to disagree with me. There is nothing about me that Maria does not know. We sit in silence for a few minutes, just listening to the crackling fire at the end of the bed.

"I had the dream again, Maria. The one with the woman." I confess.

"Is it really the same every time?"

"Yes, it's exactly the same. I never hear her coming, but then I'm never surprised when I see her. And she never turns around to look at me."

"It is strange, I admit." Begins Maria. "But I expect it is related to your condition, the physicians have said that these recurring dreams are common."

"But I think almost that they would say that about anything," I say. "Nobody wants to tell a queen that her dreams are a bad sign, nobody would dare to say such a thing."

"I believe they will stop once you give birth." Maria states. "You are anxious, and I understand why, but you must not let these dreams and this woman, whoever she is, distract you from what is at stake here."

"You're right, but something in my mind tells me that she is important. No, more than that...that she is dangerous. It's hard to describe."

"If you feel that you are in danger then we must warn the King."

"But how can we? I don't know who she is, I never see her face. She is nothing but a spirit in a dream. No, she can't hurt me...as long as she stays in my dreams." I say.

"Then let us forget her. You are the Queen of England, Katherine, no woman has more power than you. Now tell me, do you feel prepared for the birth? It will surely be very soon."

"I have been prepared for this my whole life." I begin. "I know what to do, I know how important it is. But I am so very anxious. I cannot afford to lose another baby."

"A pregnancy is a wonderful thing, but it carries its challenges as well." Begins Maria. "You of all people know that. But you must keep your eye on the future: one day your child will rule England."