The Italian Princess (Tudor Fictional Story)

A rusty arrival

Well, her weather forecasts were anything but accurate. No sooner had the sun set than the clouds gathered and it began to rain heavily. Victoria and Johanna's chambers had holes in the ceiling and soon they could no longer stay there. They made the best of it and they slept on the floor in Elisabetta's room. Victoria was already asleep, Johanna not yet. "Thank you, my lady," she said very faintly and with a strong French accent. "We are sisters after all, or will be," Elisabetta replied, but technically they are not because of their status, but she will always think of them as such. She smiled and leaned her head back against the wall. Although she was sometimes arrogant, she could also be an angel.

The next day the sun drew Elisabetta out of her cabin and she saw... Land! Solid ground! A sudden joy filled her body and she hurried to Mary's and Anne's cabin. Anne, who was still sleepy, asked, "What's going on?" Mary rubbed her eyes and was also surprised by Elisabetta's appearance, "Elisabetta? Is everything all right, you are just wearing your nightgown?" embarrassed... She quickly covered me with a blanket from Anne's bed. "I apologize... my clothes are all wet". It was just an excuse, of course, but they would not know that. Without asking, Mary said, "Well, ours are not, and to be honest... Your Italian fashions would not go with it."
Anne agreed with her sister: "Mary is right, your clothes are pretty, but... we are in England now after all" In a sad tone Elisabetta replied, "I understand completely, could you help me dress? I doubt Johanna or Victoria is capable of dressing like that" She could not let her pain show cause the clothes were the only thing that still connected her to her homeland... with her Florence. But, as Anne said, she was in England now, she would be English, and most of them had to believe that.

A few hours later they arrived at the shore and got into the carriages that the men at court had sent for them. No sooner had Elisabetta sat down, she fell asleep and had the best sleep she had had in a long time. While she was sleeping, a wolf visited her in her sleep, he was small, no bigger than a dog. His light grey fur felt warm and soft when her hands stroked it. He left after a short while, leaving her with many questions...

A few hours later

Someone tried to shake Elisabetta awake. "Mia Signora, wake up!" She heard Victoria shout. But her eyes were too tired to open and her muscles were hard as stone, her body weight like it filled with them. She was unable to move, then Elisabetta lost all her senses.

When she woke up she was lying in a bed and a strange man was sitting next to her, her voice came out low and very weak, "Who are you?" The man looked at her incredulously, "Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk, my Lady" That did not give much information but he was a Duke, a nobleman. "Where am I?" Was one of the first questions that went through her mind. The rather handsome duke replied, "You are at Hampton Court. When the king learned of your fainting and not-quite-stable condition, he sent some horsemen, including myself, to escort you here." The king sends men to escort her. But why? She looked around and Johanna and Victoria were not there, only 3 unknown ladies. "Where are my ladies? And where are Anne and Mary Boleyn?" Energy shot through her veins in a flash, giving her the strength to sit up quickly. The movement did not please the Duke at all, he placed his hand on her chest and pushed her back onto the bed. "My lady needs to rest," was his best excuse for his actions, but the anger got the better of her, "Out, out with you! How dare you touch me like that?" At her command, he left the room in a rush.

Elisabetta got up again and asked the ladies if they could dress her. They suggested a burgundy dress with fur sleeves that reminded them of the fur of the wolf she had seen. They tied her hair back and put a gable cap on her head. Around her neck, they tied a simple pearl necklace that was too plain for Elisabetta. She took a small box out of her suitcase. Inside were some jewels her mother had given to her. A red and gold pendant was fastened by one of the ladies right in the middle of the necklace. She looked down at the dress and one of the ladies said, "You look very pretty, my lady". A big smile spread across Elisabetta's face. "Thank you very much, what is your name?" That was how she met Joan, Bessie, and Catherine. But why was she being addressed as Lady? if she was to be a lady in waiting for herself. Well, tomorrow night's feast will certainly explain some of the confusing things.