An Endless Supply Of Rubies

Civil Unrest IV

Fanfic: An Endless Supply of Rubies Ch 22, Tudors | FanFiction

A/N: Procrastinating finals? Me? Naturally.

6 July 1536

Henry was looking forward to seeing his daughters. He missed Amelia dearly, of course. Things had felt different at court since her departure. She had brought him joy and laughter, and now he only felt stress. Since she had recently had a child, Henry had granted her request of having Charles stay in at Westhorpe for just a little longer. Cromwell had to be given titles without Charles present. This vexed the King, but he did it for his daughter.

He was anxious to see Mary. The last time he had seen her was when he had gone to visit his Elizabeth after she was born. In truth, he felt a little guilty for not saying anything to her when he was there, or visiting her one of the numerous times she had fallen ill to the point where a physician needed to be called in.

Jane was excited to meet Mary as well. Her father didn't necessarily approve of her favoring Mary, but Jane still believed that Catherine had been a true Queen, and that Mary and Amelia were true daughters. She hadn't seen Amelia since before Anne had been executed, and looked forward to meeting her newborn child.

Amelia, meanwhile, was directing the household with a panic. Her father was coming to Westhorpe, and he had requested that he not see Elizabeth, but he wanted to see John. Elizabeth and John were hard to separate. They were partners in crime almost all the time. Eventually, she had bribed Elizabeth to sit quietly in the kitchen with William and promised that she would be able to help the older man make supper. John, who was completely uninterested in learning anything about cooking, was more than happy to follow his mother and his brother around the house.

Eventually, she gave up on having her home look as amazing as she wanted it to. Amelia went to the study were she and Mary were supposed to meet the king and sat down with a sigh, rocking her younger son gently.

"Would you like me to hold him for a little while?" Mary asked Amelia, appearing suddenly beside her sister.

Amelia nodded graciously and passed her son into Mary's arms. "He's much heavier than he looks," she said, exhausted.

Queen Jane entered the room at that moment, and Amelia rose to curtsy alongside her sister.

Jane smiled. "Lady Amelia, it is so nice to see you again," she said as Mary passed Amelia's son back to her. Jane beckoned Mary forward. "Lady Mary, I am so pleased to make your acquaintance. I have only heard good things about you, and I hope to hear more. I do have a gift for you." The Queen gestured to one of the ladies behind her, who brought fourth a red velvet pouch for Mary.

"Your Majesty is too kind," Mary gasped, gazing at the beautiful brooch that the Queen had given her.

"Mary, gifts like these are easy compared with gifts of the heart," the Queen stated softly, grasping Mary's hands in hers. "It gives me more pleasure than I can say to see you reconciled with your father."

Mary noticed at that moment that her father had appeared in the doorway, and she fell to the floor in a deep curtsey after mentally pinching herself and ensuring that she wasn't hallucinating.

The King walked forward quickly, but slowed his pace as he approached Mary. She looked almost the same as she had the last time that he saw her. He noticed Amelia in the background holding a baby, but his focus for the moment was on Mary.

When she didn't rise as the rest had, he spoke softly. "Mary?" he asked.

"Your Majesty," she responded, still not meeting his gaze.

His hand went to her chin and tilted her head up gently, following it as as she rose. A look of bewilderment crossed his face. Was she afraid of him? He didn't want her to, not anymore at least. She was a beautiful and regal as he remembered, but seemed to have a spark of life in her eyes that he had missed the last time they had seen each other. Perhaps the decision to send her to live with Amelia was one of the best he could have made for her.

He pulled her aside, unsure of what he should say to her. "Here's a note for a thousand crowns," he eventually said, handing her the note. "If you need anything else, you need only ask.

"Thank you, your Majesty," Mary said, relieve evident in her voice.

Henry smiled broadly and took Mary's face in his hands. "Father," he replied, similarly to what he had told Amelia when she first arrived.

A tear of happiness fell from Mary's cheek. "Yes, father," she responded.

Henry pressed his forehead against Mary's, and then gave her forehead a kiss. He heard Amelia cough in the background, and smiled before pulling Mary into a warm embrace. Mary was shocked to say the least, but the gesture was comforting to her as she returned it.

Eventually, they broke, and Jane went to her husband's side as the three turned to face Amelia.

"Your Majesties, it gives me great pleasure to introduce you to your grandson, Owen Brandon," Amelia announced proudly, rising from the seat she had taken a second time.

Jane smiled congratulatory, and took the child from Amelia, marveling at how small the boy was and how his now-opened eyes looked just like Charles's eyes. Henry smiled as well. He could tell that the boy would grow up to be strong, and was already thinking of what titles could be bestowed upon him, since John was going to inherit Charles's title after his death.

The older boy, John, was excited to see his grandfather, and Henry swept him up in his arms with a laugh. "Do you like your brother, John?" Henry asked.

John nodded. "He cries a lot, but mother likes him, so I do too," John told him.

"All children cry when they are young," Henry responded, placing John on the ground so he could meet Jane. Jane passed Owen to Henry, and he marveled at the baby boy as well.

A feeling of jealousy niggled its way into his mind. Charles now had two sons to inherit his land, while Henry still had none. He hoped that Jane would have a child soon, a son to inherit his kingdom, or else he might just leave his crown to John instead.