An Endless Supply Of Rubies

Civil Unrest I

Fanfic: An Endless Supply of Rubies Ch 19, Tudors | FanFiction

A/N: Here's a short little chapter because I had a spare few moments in my studying and I just had this image in my head and I needed to write about it. Yes, Anne was killed in the story. I'm sorry to all of the Anne fans out there. I've never really favored one Queen over another. There have been things about all of them that I don't like, and times that I've felt sympathy for them. Therefore, each Queen will have her time in the spotlight. Also, to anyone else going through midterms/finals, best of luck to you!

31 May 1536

The wedding had been a joyous occasion, Charles decided. It was clear from the looks on the faces of all of the guests that people were more excited about Queen Jane than they had been about Anne Boleyn. As the King had promised Amelia, Mary Boleyn and her husband were back at court. Mary had a joyous expression on her face, but Charles could tell from the look in her eyes that the deaths of her brother and sister weighed heavily on her heart.

The King had decided to let Charles return home to Westhorpe the day after the wedding, and Charles left faster than a strike of lightning. He was anxious to return home to see Amelia. If there was one thing he did not want to miss, it was the birth of his second child.

He wondered how Amelia was getting along with her sisters. From what he knew of the Lady Mary, she had grown to be very prim and proper. She came off as cold and emotionally unattached whenever Charles had seen her in her adult years. It was probably resultant of having lost contact with her mother.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, he had no idea how she would act. She was so young. Had she even been able to understand that her mother was dead? Did she understand that she was no longer a princess and would have to behave differently?

How would John take it? He guessed that John would be excited to have more people around. He had loved being at court, spending time with Frances and Catherine. There were other children around court as well, but it was clear that John liked Frances above all the others.

He wasn't prepared for how alive the house was when he returned. Charles could hear John and Elizabeth laughing and screaming with joy. The pair were running through the different halls and rooms. Mary was smiling brightly and laughing as well as she chased the two children, her arms outstretched as though she was aiming to grab them.

Amelia was sitting in the front room, embroidering a dress she was making for Elizabeth, a wide smile on her face as she watched her sisters and son running around. When she saw Charles, her smile seemed to get brighter.

He walked over to her wordlessly, his own smile growing with each step he took. God, she was beautiful, and kind, and intelligent... it seemed every time he saw her he fell more and more in love. Charles helped Amelia out of her chair and kissed her passionately.

The giggles of children made them break away from each other. Charles looked over with a surprised look on his face. As soon as he saw John and Elizabeth, they took off in the other direction and headed for the garden.

Lady Mary stood near the door, her head turned away from the couple, a small smile on her face. She turned back when she noticed they had seen her. "Your Grace," she said, with a curtsy.

Charles looked at his wife, and then back at his sister-in-law. He walked over to Mary and offered her his hand, which she accepted.

"Lady Mary, you are welcome in our home at any time," Charles told her. "And please, call me Charles. We are family, after all."

Mary couldn't help but hug him. Charles was surprised at first, but then wrapped his arms around her. All Mary had ever wanted was to be brought back into her family. To hear someone say that made her overjoyed.

"Thank you, Charles," she told him. "I ask that you simply call me Mary, as you call my sister Amelia or my sister Elizabeth."

The two children came running back into the room, and looked at Mary expectantly. Mary and Charles shared a look, before Mary shouted that Charles was after them, and the three started to run away from Charles, who started chasing them around the house.

They continued to play their games for the rest of the afternoon, occasionally stopping by Amelia to tell her stories of the adventures that they had.

After supper, Mary and Amelia put John and Elizabeth to bed. Mary was happy to chat with her sister and Charles, and pleased to hear of Henry's marriage to Jane, telling the pair that she would gladly accept Jane as the King's lawfully wedded wife. Eventually, Mary grew tired, exhausted after her long day of chasing John and Elizabeth, and bid the couple good night.

Amelia and Charles retired to their own chambers shortly after. As they settled into their bed, Charles pulled Amelia to his chest and wrapped his arm just above his stomach, running his free hand through her hair. He felt her nestle into his chest as she began to fall asleep. He smiled in the darkness. Charles was glad to be home, and happy that his little family had grown, and the halls of Westhorpe were alive again.