Thank you, glad that you liked It, that's what I was aiming for!
There and Back Again: The English Journeys of Catherine of Aragon
- Thread starter Awkwardvulture
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Chapter 119, May 1521
Alcázar of Toledo, Kingdom of Castile, May 1521
Her husband had entered the throne room with a grim smile across his face.
Uneasy, Isabella of Portugal, the Queen of Castile asked,”What has happened my King?”
Striding forward, past the courtiers who were all but tripping over themselves to prostrate before him. Climbing up the dais, When he sat upon the throne adjacent to Isabella’s Ferdinand finally answered, his voice quick and decisive,”I am marshalling my forces for war! My brother, The Holy Roman Emperor and I have decided it is time that Francesco Sforza take his rightful place as Duke of Milan.”
How very interesting was what Isabella thought, but did nothing except nod in obedient agreement
Looking down at the crowd before them. Ferdinand fixed his gaze on a husky man on the edge of the crowd, with long dark hair and a bushy beard,“Francesco Sforza!” He called out from his seat,”Do you accept my offer? To drive out the French tyrant out of your lands?”
The men knelt to his knees, drawing his dress sword and pressing it to the ground,”Yes I do accept, Your Majesty, and I swear that once assume my place as Duke of Milan I shall be your most steadfast ally, the first to raise his sword against King Francis.”
Her husband smiled, a mischievous sparkle in his eye,”Good, rise then Duke Francesco. Come with me and my council, we have a war to plan.”
…
They were in the Queen’s private chambers when Isabella grew quite unnerved by the prospect of her husband going off to war. He had returned from his meeting in the strategy room some time ago, and Isabella had finished putting her nightgown back on.
Standing across from where Ferdinand sat up in her bed, she pleaded,”Must you go with your army Ferdinand? Surely you can delegate command to your generals, men such as de Leyva, who have been leading men in battle for decades?”
The King of all Spain shrugged her bare shoulders,”I could, but what kind of a King wouldn’t at least follow his men on campaign, and share in their depravations? No Isabella, I may not be the greatest of warriors, but I am no coward.”
The Queen folded her arms, pouting slightly,”You will do what you must then?”
Her husband crawled across the bed, to the left side, the side that she normally laid on, and put his feet onto the floor. Walking over to her, he wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace, planting a kiss on her cheek,”Yes Isabella I shall. I promise you that I will be careful, I won’t put myself at any unnecessary risks, that I can do for. I need you to do something for me, however…”
“What is it my love?” Isabella of Portugal asked
“I need you to rule Spain while I am off in France and Italy my Queen, to safeguard our kingdom for Juan. I know that you will do well in this, you are named for our grandmother after all, and the nobles trust you. You were born for this.”
The young woman was almost brought to tears, both of sorrow, and gratitude. The sorrow she felt because she feared her husband would die off on some battlefield, while she was grateful for the trust that he held for her, that she would be regent.
She held him tighter as if it were the last time she would ever have him again,”I love you, Ferdinand. I pray that with the help of the English King and the Emperor you will find victory, and that you will return to us soon.”
....
PS: I will probably only be using Isabella's POV once, but I felt it would be useful in this case.
This is slander smh. I only said it could be interesting madam...
I hope Ferdinand survives the war. It was also cringy when Ferdinand said “our grandmother”.
Well he has a decent chance of doing so, but wars can be dangerous... Yeah hahhaa, but there was no way of avoiding the fact thay they are cousins. Thank you so much!
Dang it Ferdinand! Don't go to Milan, send your generals there and stay in Spain like a sensible king!
This is true, but the memes the people of today could come up with... 😅
It's mostly about appearances, so Ferdinand will be cautious, he's more of a diplomat and schemer than a soldier, but he will go with his men to boost their moral. As for how the war will proceed, well it'll unfold soon enough. Thank you very much!
Oh they will, they certainly love her, given that she's named for and descended from one of Spain's most effective Queens. Thank you so much!
Chapter 120, June 1521
Richmond Palace, Kingdom of England, June 1521
It was the third week of June and England was preparing for war. Eleanor, its Queen, stood in the green outside of the palace, watching her eldest child happily frolicking through the grass. Mary was closely followed by a pair of her young friends; Agnes Willoughby, her future sister-in-law, and Maud Percy, the Earl of Northumberland’s youngest daughter, who at seven had recently grown close to Mary during one of her father’s visits to court. The cause of this most recent visit was unfortunate, however, as the Earl had been called to testify against the traitor Duke of Buckingham, whose death Eleanor was grateful for. In fact, despite the famed tradition of a Queen supplicating herself before her husband to show mercy to the condemned, Eleanor of Austria did no such thing. She would not lower herself to save such a vile man, who would have seen her husband, and no doubt her son, dead. No, in fact, Eleanor, along with Wolsey, had rather firmly pushed Henry to not only have the man beheaded but also for his attainder, which was pronounced before him publicly to ensure that he knew he had ruined his family with his crimes. The Queen of England was grimly pleased with this, even as she watched the girls play together. That whore Anne Stafford now sees that I never forgive a single slight against me, her brother is dead, and his family ruined. Stepping towards the girls, her thoughts drifted back to the coming war, of the steps that Henry had taken to ensure that he and her brothers would prevail. Namely, Mary’s betrothal. Coming closer to the three and Lady Pole, her daughter’s governess she called out,”Mary, Maud, and Agnes, can you all come here please?”
The girls all listened, though Eleanor could see Maud’s lip twitch a little, clearly she and the others were enjoying their time and did not really want to go over.
As her daughter drew near, the girl bowed her head, whining slightly,”What is it mama? We were just looking at the butterflies.”
The other girls stood awkwardly, they did not want to be there any more than Mary, though had the sense not to say anything.
Eleanor bent down and gave her only daughter a quick smile,”This will only take a moment Mary, then you can all go back to playing, alright?”
Mary Tudor shook her head,”Alright mama.”
“Good…” Eleanor continued,”Now, how would you like to be a Queen?”
The girl laughed, eyes crinkled and her teeth showing, though one of her front teeth had fallen out early, which only made her more adorable in Eleanor’s eyes,”Don’t be silly mama, Harry will be King, everyone knows that boys come first!”
The Queen found this rather funny but stayed silent as she did not want to encourage such remarks. Well, there’s no mistaking who her mother is.
Margaret Pole, the Lady Governess spluttered,”Your Highness, be respectful of Her Majesty!”
Mary quickly apologized, though Eleanor could tell she wasn’t truly sorry for her little joke.
“You are right Mary; you wouldn’t be Queen of England. Your father has betrothed you to King James of Scotland, so that he will not come to the aid of the French. So, you will be a Queen, but of Scotland once you are grown up.”
“Really?” Mary beamed, almost in disbelief
“Yes really, now go on and play with your friends.”
Mary, Maud, and Agnes curtseyed before Eleanor and then raced off back into the field, closely followed by Lady Pole, and she heard Maud exclaim,”You’ll be Queen of Scotland? Isn't that splendid Mary?!"