Albion Rising: A Henry Frederick Timeline
- Thread starter VVD0D95
- Start date
Aren't there two other possibilities:
1) Someone else is trying to create a false flag operation against the Spanish
2) Someone in the Spanish government is doing it without the rest of the government knowing about it.
This is what we past the 4th wall know. But yes, the pro-Spanish faction is going to spin these two options for what it's worth.
Robert Carr can be sent to Ireland to help sort things out. It can be the way he gets put out of the picture so King James can go get George Villiers.
Carr would think it would be his punishment by the King and would try to stop the rebellion but ends up making it worse. Or whatever the author has in mind.
I mean, all King James knows for certain is that someone claiming to be an O'Sullivan has claimed that Cahir would get backing from the O’Donnells and the MacCafferty if he marched on Dublin.
Chapter 52: Birth
VVD0D95
Banned
Chapter 52: Birth
May, 1611
Anna Maria screamed as the pain hit her again. She’d been enjoying a nice game of cards when suddenly she’d been wracked with the most excruciating agony. Lady Essex had looked down and almost fainted. Anna’s water had broken. Someone had rushed off to get the midwives and the doctor and then she’d been guided to the birthing chair, where she was now.
“Push a little harder, Your Highness.” The Midwife said.
Anna obliged, tensing her muscles and pushing with all her might. By God this was painful, what idiot decided to make childbirth this painful? Was it a man? It would’ve been a man who decided this, she was sure of it. No woman would ever want to bring life into the world like this.
“Just a little harder, Your Highness.” The Midwife said.
“I am pushing as hard as I can!” Anna grumbled in Polish. Yet she felt another spasm of pain hit her and rolled back against the chair.
“Is everything alright?” A voice asked. That was her father-in-law, the King. Why he was here she didn’t know. Apparently, it was tradition for there to be witnesses for Royal births. Why she didn’t know, but she hadn’t had the heart or the energy to tell her father-in-law to go away. And so, he was here, alongside her mother-in-law, and Henry and a few chosen courtiers.
It was hot, excruciatingly hot.
“Open the windows!” Henry barked. Anna Maria realised that she’d said that bit out loud.
“But Your Highness that could effect the baby.” The Doctor, some fat bald man said.
“It won’t you bloody idiot.” Someone else said, maybe The Midwife.
“Open the windows!” Henry barked, and someone hurried to oblige, and the next thing Anna knew there was a cool breeze hitting her face. She sighed and slumped back into the chair.
She didn’t get the chance to rest though, because another spasm of pain hit her. “Henry!” She yelled then.
“I’m here, my love.” Henry said. Anna turned to her right and saw him standing there. She grabbed his hand and yanked him close.
“I hate you!” Anna screamed as more pain hit her.
Another bout of pain wracked through her, causing Anna to grip Henry’s hand tighter. She didn’t hate her husband. Indeed, her time in confinement had made her realise how she actually felt. “I love you!” She screamed as the pain overwhelmed her.
“Just a little more, Your Highness. I can see the head!” The Midwife said.
Anna pushed, by God did she push. She used all of her energy to force the being inside of her, out, and as she put her effort into it, she feared that she might lose consciousness. She was so tired, so very, very tired. It seemed Henry was aware of this, for he started speaking to her then.
“We’re going to travel when this is done, my love. We’ll visit Scotland. I’ll show you Stirling and Edinburgh.”
Right now, Anna wanted to sleep, but she listened as Henry continued.
“We’ll tour the castle and visit Falkland Palace and Linlithgow and all the other sights. And I’ll show you where I learned to ride.”
“I’d like that.” Anna said softly, wincing as another bout of pain hit her.
“Push, Your Highness!” The Midwife exclaimed.
Anna didn’t look down but she pushed and pushed, and then she felt something, or heard something. There was a brief moment of silence and then she heard crying. Long, defiant crying as if the thing couldn’t believe it had been ripped from its shelter.
Anna blinked; tiredness was slowly engulfing her. She needed to stay awake though. Her mother had suffered from tiredness after a birth and had not woken up again. She wouldn’t do that.
“What is it?” Anna asked tiredly.
“A boy, Your Highness. It’s a boy!” The Midwife exclaimed happily.
Anna smiled and then she was being helped up by Henry and by her ladies and guided toward the bed where she was tucked in, propped up against the pillows.
“Do you want to hold him, Your Highness?” Someone asked.
“Yes!” Anna exclaimed, why would she not want to hold her own son?
There was a bit of shuffling and then she felt something get placed in her arms. She looked down and her heart melted. Staring up at her with his father’s eyes, and her hair, was their son. He cooed at her and her heart melted some more. “He looks just like you.” Henry whispered to her, she glanced around and saw him looking at her and their son, over her shoulder.
“I think he looks like you.” Anna replied. She could see Henry’s cheeks in their son’s, and his eyes were Henry’s, they were already grinning as if planning some sort of great mischief.
Anna reluctantly looked up from their son when she heard footsteps approaching the bed. She expected it to be the King, but was instead surprised to find herself looking at some mousy looking creature who had a quill and paper in his hands. “What are Your Highnesses calling His Highness?”
Anna shared a look with Henry, they’d debated a few names, and hadn’t yet been able to settle on one, at least not before she’d had to enter confinement. She was about to say as much when another voice-this one belonging to the King-spoke up. “Arthur James.”
Anna looked at Henry and raised an eyebrow in silent question, was the King really going to name their son Arthur? After what had happened to the last two Prince Arthurs to be born?
Henry nodded albeit reluctantly. It seemed that the King had told Henry of this beforehand and there would be no room for disagreement.
Anna bit her tongue in disapproval, but then glanced at Henry again and then together they said. “Arthur James, for he is the first Prince to be born following the union of the Crowns.”
“An excellent choice, Your Highnesses.” The mousy man said, making a note before bowing and disappearing.
Anna looked down as their son cooed at his name. “He likes it.” She said smiling, her heart full.
Théodore de Mayerne - Wikipedia
VVD0D95
Banned
He's got a wee bit of a thinning hairlineThe Royal head physician at the time IOTL was this guy, and he didn't look too bald, though I give you fatThéodore de Mayerne - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Yes indeed, especially if he avoids getting involved with the Carrs ttl.
This may be overly cynical, but I'm pretty sure that's just their imagination. Newborn babies tend to look more like squashed, wrinkled Winston Churchills.