The Tudor Bride

The cold, damp air of the Tower of London clings to you like a shroud. You stare out the narrow window at the grey, weeping sky, the rain mirroring the tears you refuse to shed. Twelve days you've been here, the once-Queen of England, now a prisoner. Hope, a fragile thing, has finally broken. You know you are to die for crimes you didn't commit. Your only offense, in the eyes of the King, was failing to provide a male heir. Yet, the whispers of treason and adultery echo through the stone walls.

You think of your family, the ones who should have protected you. Your mother, a distant memory, remembered only by the scent of roses. Your father, who sacrificed you and George for titles and wealth. Poor George, your brother, whose innocent love was twisted into something vile, now facing death because of you. And Mary, your sister, whom you banished in a fit of jealousy, now a source of regret and longing.

Then there is Henry. The man you loved, who fought kingdoms for you, now casting you aside after only three years. He has annulled your marriage, declared your precious daughter Elizabeth a bastard, and turned to Jane Seymour. It is a betrayal that cuts deeper than any sword.

But then, a messenger arrives, Master Kingston, with news that defies your expectations. You are not to die. Instead, you are to be moved from the Tower and brought before the King. A private audience awaits, and with it, a fate you could never have imagined.