Big Bang Fic: Between Golden Worlds, Chapter 6
Title: Between golden worlds
Author: pamymex3girl
Rating: T, just to be on the safe side
Pairings/characters: Susan, Lucy, Edmund, Peter, Mary Tudor, Thomas more; Susan/Caspian, Susan/OC, Peter/OC, all normal Tudor couples
Disclaimer: I do not own neither the narnian characters nor the historical characters, just my story.
Possible Spoilers/Warnings: death, spoilers for the first three Narnia movies and three seasons of the tudors
Author's Notes: I’ve used some scenes from the series the Tudors and although I’ve tried to be historically accurate I’ve changed some things. I’ve also changed the age of the Pevensies when they went back to Narnia for the second and the third time
Summary: It is August 1524 and the Pevensies are being send to the English court. Having just lost their own world they must now learn to walk in this world. They must accept their place and live their lives, but they must be careful. For the court of Henry VIII is a dangerous place, one step in the wrong direction could prove disastrous...
Chapter 6
29 November, 1930
There were times he was surprised by how much life could change in but a year.
A year-ago Wolsey had been in disgrace, but the king had spared him; even made sure he had somewhere to go and a promise that perhaps someday everything could be better. Perhaps that was what had killed him in the end that promise, the fear of his enemies that Wolsey would be able to climb up again and take them down. He’d been with Sir Thomas when he’d learned that Wolsey was to be arrested for high treason, they’d been friends Edmund knew and to this day, he admires his calm and composure, despite the obvious pain in his eyes. In the year that had passed he and More had grown even closer, to the point where the latter felt sure that he could talk of anything with him Edmund would keep his secrets, whether he agreed or not.
He’d asked him, yesterday actually, if he believed the king would truly turn away from Rome.
More had looked at him, like he saw him for the first time, and admitted that despite his feverish prayers and the hope that the king’s conscience would win out, he believed that yes the king would turn away from the pope. He could understand it too; he pointed out, to an extend; a king needed male issue after all. Edmund often wondered if Mary had heard about this, if she knew that it didn’t matter how good she was at her lessons, unless she could change her sex, she would forever be inferior; and he wished that Henry could have seen his sisters as queens, for they had at times been better than him and Peter, been able to smooth things over without bloodshed.
Edmund had asked More if he thought Wolsey would be spared.
More never answered.
****
Fitzroy liked his company, almost as much as he liked Surrey.
The three of them would stroll the gardens and talk about what was going on at court; despite his young age, the boy knew a lot more than he was given credit. At times, he missed his brother and sisters, and Narnia too, but he had come to accept that this was his place in life. That he should not dwell on what he could not have and instead focus on that which he did have, on that which he now had. It might even be better if he could forget what he had had and just focus on this world, but something felt so wrong about forgetting Narnia; about pretending that it did not exist. He also knew that he should spend more time with his wife, but he truly couldn’t be bothered; and since neither of the Henry’s spend time with their wife's, he thought nothing of it.
It was a boy their first child and Peter named him Henry, to both the king and his son.
He made FitzRoy the boy’s godfather and asked his wife, Mary Howard, if she were the godmother. He hoped that his brother and sisters could understand why he’d done it; it would be much better for his child (and for him) if he made sure the royal family came to like him. And this was the way; he knew it was; he promised himself that he would make Edmund the godfather of his next child and Susan the godmother. However, he couldn’t think about that now, now all that mattered was this boy and the life it was going to have.
He was going to make sure it was a grand life.
****
Mary as iill.
On its own this was not strange; she had after all always been weaker than other children. This time, however, it seemed to be worse, the fever that had taken a hold of her was so strong that for several nights, the doctors were sure she would die. Not for the first time Lucy wished she had her special potion, so that she could heal her best friend and make everything alright again; but of course, she could not do that, so she took care of her the best she could. Still Mary got more ill every day, and every few seconds she asked (begged) for her mother and all Lucy could say was ‘She isn’t here, but we send a message. Surely, she’ll be here soon.’ She hadn’t slept the last few days, always making sure she was by her princess’s side, should she need something.
However, she needed her mother and no matter how hard she tried she could not take her place.
She though she knew why Mary was ill as well, the rumors that she had tried to make sure never reached her had finally done so, and she’d heard the entire truth. She’d spend the last year worrying, fretting about her mother; wondering what sort of spell this women, Boleyn, had put on her father that he would put such a good and honest woman aside for a harlot. (Lucy admonished her when she’d said it, but privately she’d agreed. What kind of woman, after all, came between a married couple and then tried to declare the child a bastard?). Now, however, it had finally caught up with her, and she was lying deadly ill in her bed and there was nothing she could do but wait.
Wait and pray, beg Aslan not to take her only friend away, since he already took Narnia.
****
She was with the queen when the message about her daughter’s illness reached her.
The queen had gone to beg her husband but all he had done was send a physician, proclaiming that a queen should be by her king’s side; however, she was free to go to her daughter and stay there if she so wished. The queen understood the implication and only sends a message, praying that her daughter would understand. Susan would have liked to have gone with her, to visit Lucy, but even if the Queen had been allowed to go, she would not have allowed Susan to go. Her pregnancy, though not so far along that it came in the way of her duties, was something the queen like to worry over. And since it was a happy thing in her life, and there were so many bad things, Susan allowed her to make clothes and even plans. It was almost; Susan had to admit, like having a mother.
Being married had been far better than she had ever dreamed it could be.
When she married him, she’d been afraid he would treat her horribly, but he was kind; understanding that she was afraid and lost, he had done everything in his power to make sure she was alright. When she told him, she was pregnant, he’d been genuinely happy (she wonders, briefly, if he is faithful to her, but decides that it doesn’t matter as long as he is kind to her. After all she was in love with another man, and perhaps he had loved someone else as well, if he had she could not begrudge him, not even if that love had sprung after their marriage had taken place.) Still she hoped for a boy; she did not want to go through the Queen’s ordeal; even if her husband did not care, her father definitely would. Or his father would, who even knew at this time.
She felt the baby kick and pointed it out to the queen, creating a small smile on her mistress's face was the best she could do for her. She wished she could do more.
30 November, 1930
Cardinal Wolsey, though not longer a Cardinal, was dead.
He’d been stripped of all his offices, and all his prestige left to die in a corner of the country; robbed of the love of his beloved king and even that had not been enough for his enemies. He’d been dragged out of his house in the cold night, charged with treason, and then he’d started a long and painful journey towards London. Towards the tower in which he would reside and the scaffold he would eventually walk, but he had never made it. More said in private, and Edmund couldn’t help but agree, that Wolsey had probably not wanted to arrive and that an illness, which might not have killed him at another time, combined with the fear had finally done the old man in. The king was heartbroken, only thinking of his old friend, and made sure he was buried with honor.
However, Edmund could not help but wonder what would have happened had Wolsey made it to the tower.
He would have gone to trial for treason, and he would have been found guilty; the king would have made sure he was spared the most gruesome death, and he would be beheaded. Would the king have saved him in the end, only meaning it as a warning? Would the king have remembered his old friend then or forgotten him? Would he have allowed a man, who he had cared for deeply and who had stood by his side for many years, to walk the long walk towards the scaffold, lay down his head and have an axe struck it off? Could he do it? He knew More was wondering it as well, and he realized with a jolt what the scariest prospect was. Not that it had happened and not the knowledge that he probably would have allowed him to die, but that he could do it again.
And the next one, whoever he was, might not be so lucky to die before the king had to make a choice.
****
Mary finally woke up that morning.
Lucy could honestly tell she had never felt as relieved as in that moment, though she suspected she had, she heard the governess tell a messenger to hurry and tell the queen behind her, but she did not care. Mary was weak, that much was obvious, and she was in pain, who wouldn’t be in her situation, but she was better and alive, and it was all that mattered. Perhaps Aslan, who’d obviously heard her prayers would grant another wish as well and find a way to save both queen and princess, but somehow she doubted it. Maybe, there was nothing anyone could do; maybe this was the way things were supposed to go.
What would happen to them, Lucy wondered, if the king won?
Surely, the fact that she was his daughter, and that he loved her, would save her from the bigger humiliation? Surely, he would not send her away and forget about her? He’d love her always, maybe he’d reduce her household; change her status, but he would not turn her away; she was sure of it. He loved his daughter and he would need her as an heir, at least until he had a son and even afterwards; for children could easily die especially young ones. She smiled softly at her friend, trying to reassure her, but she knew there was nothing she could do.
Mary knew the truth and she also knew it was just a matter of time.
****
He had to admit he hadn’t really seen this one coming.
He thought the king would send a warning with Wolsey and then let him go, perhaps even restore him to his former glory; however, the man had died before he had reached the tower, so one would never know. But then the message came that the king had been declared head of the Church of England, so far as the law of Christ allowed it anyway. Peter thought, briefly he thought, that might mean he was not head of anything; however, he did not say it out loud, there were ears everywhere, even as far away from here. What surprised him the most about the next few days was FitzRoy, when he heard of his ill sister, he sent her flowers and several pieces of fruit from his estates, to cheer her up.
He understood why; he had two sisters after all, but he did not think he would do it.
They had not grown up together after all, only met a handful of time; never truly close. And the king was moving against her mother; one wrong move against him could mean the end, even being his son would only go that far. However, the king loved his daughter dearly, the one time he had seen them together was proof of this, and perhaps it should not have been a surprise that the King was proud of the son who cared so much for his sister whom he dared to send a message, without asking for permission.
Still one had to be careful in this climate, but he could not just point that out, so he held his mouth and prayed that everything would turn out alright.
For everyone, even the queen and her little daughter.
Prologue | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Epilogue
Author: pamymex3girl
Rating: T, just to be on the safe side
Pairings/characters: Susan, Lucy, Edmund, Peter, Mary Tudor, Thomas more; Susan/Caspian, Susan/OC, Peter/OC, all normal Tudor couples
Disclaimer: I do not own neither the narnian characters nor the historical characters, just my story.
Possible Spoilers/Warnings: death, spoilers for the first three Narnia movies and three seasons of the tudors
Author's Notes: I’ve used some scenes from the series the Tudors and although I’ve tried to be historically accurate I’ve changed some things. I’ve also changed the age of the Pevensies when they went back to Narnia for the second and the third time
Summary: It is August 1524 and the Pevensies are being send to the English court. Having just lost their own world they must now learn to walk in this world. They must accept their place and live their lives, but they must be careful. For the court of Henry VIII is a dangerous place, one step in the wrong direction could prove disastrous...
Chapter 6
29 November, 1930
There were times he was surprised by how much life could change in but a year.
A year-ago Wolsey had been in disgrace, but the king had spared him; even made sure he had somewhere to go and a promise that perhaps someday everything could be better. Perhaps that was what had killed him in the end that promise, the fear of his enemies that Wolsey would be able to climb up again and take them down. He’d been with Sir Thomas when he’d learned that Wolsey was to be arrested for high treason, they’d been friends Edmund knew and to this day, he admires his calm and composure, despite the obvious pain in his eyes. In the year that had passed he and More had grown even closer, to the point where the latter felt sure that he could talk of anything with him Edmund would keep his secrets, whether he agreed or not.
He’d asked him, yesterday actually, if he believed the king would truly turn away from Rome.
More had looked at him, like he saw him for the first time, and admitted that despite his feverish prayers and the hope that the king’s conscience would win out, he believed that yes the king would turn away from the pope. He could understand it too; he pointed out, to an extend; a king needed male issue after all. Edmund often wondered if Mary had heard about this, if she knew that it didn’t matter how good she was at her lessons, unless she could change her sex, she would forever be inferior; and he wished that Henry could have seen his sisters as queens, for they had at times been better than him and Peter, been able to smooth things over without bloodshed.
Edmund had asked More if he thought Wolsey would be spared.
More never answered.
****
Fitzroy liked his company, almost as much as he liked Surrey.
The three of them would stroll the gardens and talk about what was going on at court; despite his young age, the boy knew a lot more than he was given credit. At times, he missed his brother and sisters, and Narnia too, but he had come to accept that this was his place in life. That he should not dwell on what he could not have and instead focus on that which he did have, on that which he now had. It might even be better if he could forget what he had had and just focus on this world, but something felt so wrong about forgetting Narnia; about pretending that it did not exist. He also knew that he should spend more time with his wife, but he truly couldn’t be bothered; and since neither of the Henry’s spend time with their wife's, he thought nothing of it.
It was a boy their first child and Peter named him Henry, to both the king and his son.
He made FitzRoy the boy’s godfather and asked his wife, Mary Howard, if she were the godmother. He hoped that his brother and sisters could understand why he’d done it; it would be much better for his child (and for him) if he made sure the royal family came to like him. And this was the way; he knew it was; he promised himself that he would make Edmund the godfather of his next child and Susan the godmother. However, he couldn’t think about that now, now all that mattered was this boy and the life it was going to have.
He was going to make sure it was a grand life.
****
Mary as iill.
On its own this was not strange; she had after all always been weaker than other children. This time, however, it seemed to be worse, the fever that had taken a hold of her was so strong that for several nights, the doctors were sure she would die. Not for the first time Lucy wished she had her special potion, so that she could heal her best friend and make everything alright again; but of course, she could not do that, so she took care of her the best she could. Still Mary got more ill every day, and every few seconds she asked (begged) for her mother and all Lucy could say was ‘She isn’t here, but we send a message. Surely, she’ll be here soon.’ She hadn’t slept the last few days, always making sure she was by her princess’s side, should she need something.
However, she needed her mother and no matter how hard she tried she could not take her place.
She though she knew why Mary was ill as well, the rumors that she had tried to make sure never reached her had finally done so, and she’d heard the entire truth. She’d spend the last year worrying, fretting about her mother; wondering what sort of spell this women, Boleyn, had put on her father that he would put such a good and honest woman aside for a harlot. (Lucy admonished her when she’d said it, but privately she’d agreed. What kind of woman, after all, came between a married couple and then tried to declare the child a bastard?). Now, however, it had finally caught up with her, and she was lying deadly ill in her bed and there was nothing she could do but wait.
Wait and pray, beg Aslan not to take her only friend away, since he already took Narnia.
****
She was with the queen when the message about her daughter’s illness reached her.
The queen had gone to beg her husband but all he had done was send a physician, proclaiming that a queen should be by her king’s side; however, she was free to go to her daughter and stay there if she so wished. The queen understood the implication and only sends a message, praying that her daughter would understand. Susan would have liked to have gone with her, to visit Lucy, but even if the Queen had been allowed to go, she would not have allowed Susan to go. Her pregnancy, though not so far along that it came in the way of her duties, was something the queen like to worry over. And since it was a happy thing in her life, and there were so many bad things, Susan allowed her to make clothes and even plans. It was almost; Susan had to admit, like having a mother.
Being married had been far better than she had ever dreamed it could be.
When she married him, she’d been afraid he would treat her horribly, but he was kind; understanding that she was afraid and lost, he had done everything in his power to make sure she was alright. When she told him, she was pregnant, he’d been genuinely happy (she wonders, briefly, if he is faithful to her, but decides that it doesn’t matter as long as he is kind to her. After all she was in love with another man, and perhaps he had loved someone else as well, if he had she could not begrudge him, not even if that love had sprung after their marriage had taken place.) Still she hoped for a boy; she did not want to go through the Queen’s ordeal; even if her husband did not care, her father definitely would. Or his father would, who even knew at this time.
She felt the baby kick and pointed it out to the queen, creating a small smile on her mistress's face was the best she could do for her. She wished she could do more.
30 November, 1930
Cardinal Wolsey, though not longer a Cardinal, was dead.
He’d been stripped of all his offices, and all his prestige left to die in a corner of the country; robbed of the love of his beloved king and even that had not been enough for his enemies. He’d been dragged out of his house in the cold night, charged with treason, and then he’d started a long and painful journey towards London. Towards the tower in which he would reside and the scaffold he would eventually walk, but he had never made it. More said in private, and Edmund couldn’t help but agree, that Wolsey had probably not wanted to arrive and that an illness, which might not have killed him at another time, combined with the fear had finally done the old man in. The king was heartbroken, only thinking of his old friend, and made sure he was buried with honor.
However, Edmund could not help but wonder what would have happened had Wolsey made it to the tower.
He would have gone to trial for treason, and he would have been found guilty; the king would have made sure he was spared the most gruesome death, and he would be beheaded. Would the king have saved him in the end, only meaning it as a warning? Would the king have remembered his old friend then or forgotten him? Would he have allowed a man, who he had cared for deeply and who had stood by his side for many years, to walk the long walk towards the scaffold, lay down his head and have an axe struck it off? Could he do it? He knew More was wondering it as well, and he realized with a jolt what the scariest prospect was. Not that it had happened and not the knowledge that he probably would have allowed him to die, but that he could do it again.
And the next one, whoever he was, might not be so lucky to die before the king had to make a choice.
****
Mary finally woke up that morning.
Lucy could honestly tell she had never felt as relieved as in that moment, though she suspected she had, she heard the governess tell a messenger to hurry and tell the queen behind her, but she did not care. Mary was weak, that much was obvious, and she was in pain, who wouldn’t be in her situation, but she was better and alive, and it was all that mattered. Perhaps Aslan, who’d obviously heard her prayers would grant another wish as well and find a way to save both queen and princess, but somehow she doubted it. Maybe, there was nothing anyone could do; maybe this was the way things were supposed to go.
What would happen to them, Lucy wondered, if the king won?
Surely, the fact that she was his daughter, and that he loved her, would save her from the bigger humiliation? Surely, he would not send her away and forget about her? He’d love her always, maybe he’d reduce her household; change her status, but he would not turn her away; she was sure of it. He loved his daughter and he would need her as an heir, at least until he had a son and even afterwards; for children could easily die especially young ones. She smiled softly at her friend, trying to reassure her, but she knew there was nothing she could do.
Mary knew the truth and she also knew it was just a matter of time.
****
He had to admit he hadn’t really seen this one coming.
He thought the king would send a warning with Wolsey and then let him go, perhaps even restore him to his former glory; however, the man had died before he had reached the tower, so one would never know. But then the message came that the king had been declared head of the Church of England, so far as the law of Christ allowed it anyway. Peter thought, briefly he thought, that might mean he was not head of anything; however, he did not say it out loud, there were ears everywhere, even as far away from here. What surprised him the most about the next few days was FitzRoy, when he heard of his ill sister, he sent her flowers and several pieces of fruit from his estates, to cheer her up.
He understood why; he had two sisters after all, but he did not think he would do it.
They had not grown up together after all, only met a handful of time; never truly close. And the king was moving against her mother; one wrong move against him could mean the end, even being his son would only go that far. However, the king loved his daughter dearly, the one time he had seen them together was proof of this, and perhaps it should not have been a surprise that the King was proud of the son who cared so much for his sister whom he dared to send a message, without asking for permission.
Still one had to be careful in this climate, but he could not just point that out, so he held his mouth and prayed that everything would turn out alright.
For everyone, even the queen and her little daughter.
Prologue | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Epilogue