Toledo, Castile. 23rd of December, 1522.
George’s arrival in Spain was truly what Anne needed to come out of her misery. Having an ally in the Spanish court that was not her husband improved her confidence as Holy Roman Empress and helped ensure the Christmastide celebrations of that year would be happy and peaceful for her. Though Anne did miss Mary and their mother very deeply, try as she did to forget them, she was content to have her brother near.
And, if she had to be honest, the celebrations around the end of the year in Toledo were not as different as they were in London. There were a lot more formalities around the feasts and balls, yes, but the same atmosphere of festivities surrounded the court and capital, putting everyone in a happy mood. Many nobles had come to see the king, and meet her, and she played the role of queen as well as she could. She was sure she had embarrassed herself on more than one occasion, but Charles and George both assured her that she did splendidly and she decided to trust them.
With her pregnancy so advanced, she could not stay for long at each celebration during the twelve days, for fear of overwhelming the baby, but Anne tried to enjoy herself as much as possible each time. Because of this, their presents were presented early, so she could see them and inspect them.
She had so many gifts! Much more than what she had received during her life as a knight’s daughter. The Duke of Alba sent her an expensive necklace with diamonds from the New World, and the Duchess Santángelo, two prized horses for her to enjoy. The greatest gift, however, came from the Pope, who sent a golden clock, pearl earrings and a beautifully illuminated Book of Hours, along with a letter detailing his interest in meeting the new Queen of Spain. Pope Adrian VI had been Charles’ preceptor once and he saw these gifts as a victory.
“Don’t you see, my love?” he told her as she tried on the earrings, looking at herself in the mirror, “His Holiness has recognized our union. With this letter, no one can say our marriage is unequal, or that you are not my queen.”
“I suppose so,” she said. Her years at Marguerite d’Alençon’s court had taught her to distrust the Pope, who nothing if not a man who claimed to speak for God, but Anne knew Charles would not like hearing that, so she stayed quiet.
Her favourite gift, however, remained that of George’s. As she retired to bed, he came to see her one last time before rejoining the festivities, since he was now a treasured member of Charles’ court as his brother-in-law. Her brother hesitated over the entire affair and only calmed down when Anne dismissed her ladies.
She understood his panic when he kneeled before her and pulled from his satchel, a book bound in leather. Anne hesitated as she picked up the tome and opened it, reading on the first page something written in Latin. De captivitate Babylonica ecclesiae, praeludium Martini Lutheri. On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, by Martin Luther.
She stared at her brother in horror, “How did you get this here? Charles has prohibited all works of Luther in his realm. You could be arrested if someone saw you with this!”
George only smirked, “You forgot your copy at home, Annie, and I could not keep you away from your beloved writings.” He arched an eyebrow, “I sneaked it in when I entered the country. No one even noticed it.”
Anne could laugh. Her little foolish brother had done something he shouldn’t. Again. And she would have to be the one to clean up his mess. Again.
But she didn’t say anything. She looked at the book instead, and then at George’s face. “Don’t worry, Your Majesty,” he said, “Everything will be fine. Nothing will happen to us, now that you are married to the Emperor.”
“It is not so simple,” she told him, “Many are cursing our good fortune, and will not hesitate to see us taken down. This,” she shook the book in front of him, “Will only fuel their actions, should they find out.”
“Are you telling me you don’t plan to even read it?” he said, “It was very expensive for me to buy in England.”
She hesitated, “I didn’t say that.” She sighed, “I’m only telling you to be careful, George. If Charles were to set me aside, we would not have anything to fall back on. We would be penniless and destroyed.”
Instead of an answer, George only touched her belly, caressing the curve and her son kicked, happy for the attention, “I don’t think he will, sister. I don’t think he will.”