𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄.

@sufflk​ liked for a mary rose tudor starter !!

“ you know i dislike mistress boleyn as much as you do, but if you keep that glare upon her being, henry may scold us. ” that said, even the look on mary’s face could not be called friendly or even just polite. it was barely a secret that mary heavily sided with katherine, whom she cherished and considered a true sister, and this whole infatuation for the boleyn girl was inappropriate. at this point, the dowager queen found herself much preferring mary boleyn over her sister as a mistress. “ and whilst you are his dearest friend and i am his favourite sister, i do not believe he will hold back. and i’ve only just yet recovered from his last tantrum. ”

"that's only if henry sees my face --" 

nonetheless, charles averts his gaze, instead lowering his eyes to the ground. he's not about to argue with mary, for after all, they share the same feelings about anne boleyn. as beneficial as his partnership with thomas boleyn had been, no matter how... unsteady, charles finds himself regretting every moment of it. 

“perhaps soon the romance will pass, and he will be on to his next mistress in due time.” it’s said wishfully, though he’s quite sure there’s something... different... about anne boleyn. he can’t quite put his finger on what it is, but he can taste danger in the air like the bite of a cold winter’s day.

The intricacies of the royal court and the ways of politics and power are entirely lost on her. She was never given the same preparation as a princess of the blood was to be queen: the only reason she was there was because Sir Francis Bryan had plucked her out of Lambeth and placed her in front of Edward Seymour and Charles Brandon. They eventually put her in the king’s way, and she soon found herself on the throne beside Henry. It was enough to make anyone’s head spin, and admittedly she was paying more attention to her pretty things and dancing than the responsibilities of the Queen of England.

Though she would have preferred the king’s company, the Duke’s presence was enough. She linked her arm through his, her steps easily matching his. He moved slower than she was used to due to his age, but the royal gardens offered distractions that kept her from running about. 

“You should take more walks, Your Grace,” she said, easily plucking one of the pink roses that they passed. “Surely His Majesty would not object to you getting some fresh air? The rooms I find you in are always so stuffy.” She wrinkled her nose a little, twirling the rose’s stem in her fingers.

“I…must also thank you,” Catherine continued as she bowed her head a little at the few courtiers who’d greeted her. “For introducing me to the king. I should have done so sooner, but…” With the whirlwind of events, she’d forgotten about it, and she’d recently just remembered.

he can’t help but chuckle at that, his mind conjuring up the king’s council rooms. while yes, there are windows, charles would argue (privately, of course) that it was the men who sit in chairs around the table that make the room feel, as she puts it, stuffy. he can hardly stand most of the others, and while most have good intent... some do not.

as much as catherine is young, inexperienced, everything opposite of what her station requires... there is something about her that makes charles think back to when he’d been a youth himself. he remembers the time fondly, growing up at court with henry by his side. they’d grown up together, no doubt causing their tutors much grief. he wonders if, had the circumstances been different, he would have been like her. after all, he was an orphan too. if his father hadn’t had henry’s father’s favor...