"I beat him!" Anne exclaimed with excitement as she jumped into Henry Percy's arms. "You should have seen the look on his face! Utter amazement."

"The king? You?" Henry mocked light-heartedly with a smile in his eyes.

Anne lightly punched his shoulder as she released him from her embrace. "Yes, me! It's taken many games to figure him out, but I doubt he'll ever beat me again."

"Such confidence!" Henry laughed. "Perhaps letting him win once in a while wouldn't hurt."

Anne frowned. "I'm not the type of lady who lets people win, I'm afraid."

It had been weeks since Anne's betrothal to James Butler had been broken - but to the happiness of all involved. Everyone except for, perhaps, Anne's father who had been looking forward to getting a title back in his family line. However, after he had heard that Anne had captured the heart of an earl's son, he had been greatly mollified. He would get his title in the end.

"He may have won a game, but I won your heart."

Anne smiled at his corny line. "Perhaps. But you had to work for it."

"There is truth to that to be sure. Pining is hard work." He looked into the distance with soulful eyes, mocking his own misery.

Anne followed his gaze when his look turned serious and she saw her mother was approaching them from the house. Anne could tell from the firm set of her mouth that she was upset.

"Henry," Anne whispered as she straightened her skirts, "my mother looks like she's on a mission of some sort."

"Not the good sort from the looks of things. That stride does not bode well for somebody. I hope it's not about us."

"Anne, Henry," Elizabeth began, still several steps away. "I've just heard the most terrible news." Elizabeth's breath hitched in her throat and she collapsed in a sobbing heap as she became undone.

"Mother?" Alarmed, Anne bent to her knees, taking her mother in her arms. "Is Father okay? Mary? ...George? Have you heard some new of your son? What is wrong?"

"Oh, Anne," her mother whispered. "I am so sorry, Anne. It's you and Henry, Anne. I'm so sorry."

Anne shook her head in confusion. What could she mean? Henry was at their side. They were both fine. "What do you mean?"

"It's the king. He has ended your engagement. He found out about it somehow and said he would not give it his blessing. Henry, your father has called for you to return home immediately."

Anne fell back to sit beside her mother as the air escaped from her lungs with such speed she had trouble recovering. As she tried to breathe air back in, she felt a deep sense of panic that she would never breathe again. She gripped her chest as her body collapsed around her. The beat of her heart seemed to race as her shoulders hunched and she curled into the fetal position next to her sobbing mother. Finally, she was able to pull air back into her lungs.

With her breath back in her body, Anne reflected on her mother's words. How can this be happening? she thought frantically. How could the king take my Henry away? It isn't supposed to go this way.

From her curled position, she looked up to see her lover kneeling beside her, seeking her eyes, panic clear on his face. "Anne, what are we to do?" he asked, his voice quiet, yet desperate.

But Anne only shook her head in dismay as her chin puckered and a lump rose in her throat. She didn't know what to do. Even her mother didn't know what to do. And so Anne laid beside her mother and cried.

Within moments, Henry held her in his arms and she could feel his body shake as he cried, too. It's all so unfair, Anne thought. After everything that has happened, it isn't supposed to end like this. For this moment, she took comfort in the arms of the only man she would ever love. She savoured his touch, burning each contact point into her mind so that she would remember it forever. There were few emotions as powerful as desperation and she could feel it in both of their bodies as they clung to each other, crying out their pain and despair. They both knew that if the king had already made the proclamation, they were lost to each other.

~~

The sight in the garden would have broken even the most hardened heart. It was, in truth, love being conquered by hate and jealousy...but it was not seen that way from every perspective. For some, it was the beginning of something great.

King Henry knew that Anne would be heartbroken when she heard this news of her engagement. However, he would be sad if the arrangement went as planned – something he could not abide. He was the king, after all, and he should get what he wanted ...and he desired Anne.

If someone were to ask the king when he had decided that his heart belonged to Anne Boleyn, he would not have been able to tell them. One day, he had simply seen her in a new light. His heart had stuttered in its regular rhythm...and he had simply been in love.

He sat back now in his chair by the window as he contemplated his next moves. Surely, Anne would see him as the villain for now. Perhaps, though, over time, his attentions and extravagant gifts would put her heart at ease in his presence. Patience and devotion would be his mainstays as he hunted down this new love.

"Darling, you look to be in deep thought this fine afternoon."

Henry jumped as his wife entered the room and put her hand lightly on his shoulder. He pushed the guilt he felt down as quickly as it rose. What was he to do about his wife?

"Good day, Catherine." He smiled inspite of himself.

"The ladies are all talking about Anne Boleyn. Apparently, she will not come out of her rooms for she suffers some form of malady that will not allow her to get out of bed."

"Strange...should we send her away? What if others were to catch it?" Even as the words left his mouth, he wondered what he could do to make his darling feel better.

"Send her away?" Catherine queried. "Only if you plan to send her to Northumberland, my lord." Catherine sat in the chair beside her husband. "Why did you end her engagement? I told you earlier that she was in love with him. You seemed happy for her at the time."

Henry paused under his wife's scrutiny. In fear of her jealousy against Anne, he lied, "I heard from the Earl of Northumberland. He did not approve of his son marrying so far beneath him. Other plans are in the works for Henry Percy. He is to marry Mary Talbot in good time."

"I see. Such is the life of a noble," Catherine muttered with some regret. "Perhaps she should go home for a time, then. She will need to get over her heartbreak."

"Perhaps you are right," Henry agreed reluctantly. Then he smiled a little bit. "The life of a noble? You did not do so badly."

Catherine smiled at her husband. "You are right, Henry. I could not have asked for a better match than the one I made with you." She patted his hand.

When had things changed so much? Henry wondered as he looked at his wife's hand. For in truth, he loved her no more. In addition to his empty heart, he desperately needed an heir to the throne and he knew that Catherine would not be able to give him one. She was simply too old. It had been years since her last conception.

"Catherine, I need an heir," he whispered with some desperation.

Startled, she turned her eyes to his as an unsettled feeling overcame her. "There is only one way for that to happen," she whispered back. She got up from her place and went to the door. After locking it, she lifted her skirts and approached her husband where he sat. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to get out of her dress without a maid. However, she would do her duty to her husband whatever the circumstances. This was the most important role she played in her life. To bring forth an heir for the throne of England.

Henry licked his lips as he turned her around. She was a good wife, always willing no matter the intrigue that was a foot in the palace. Pushing guilt down once more, he thought of Anne Boleyn as he tried to make an heir with his wife. She was right, after all, a male child with his wife was the only true way to get the heir he needed so desperately. What would become of his kingdom if he only had his daughter, Mary?

He needed an annulment.

He needed a younger wife.

As he released, he thought of Anne Boleyn, Anne Boleyn, Anne Boleyn.

Catherine turned her head and smiled at her husband. He pulled her skirts down and sat in his chair with a deep sigh.

"I've been praying, Henry. Several hours a day. The Lord will grant us the heir we plead for."

Henry looked at her with a certain sadness that confused her.

"I will go and pray right now, Henry. I will pray for our son. Perhaps this very deed is all the Lord needed to help us."

Henry nodded his head, knowing that no amount of prayer was going to make her womb less barren. Still, he found some tenderness for her devotion. "I will pray here, Catherine, for the very same thing."

Catherine smiled as she left the room and went to the chapel. She would spend the next four hours in fervent prayer, hoping against all odds that her prayers would reach the ear of her beloved God. That He would be so benevolent as to give her what she desired most. A son, and with that son, a more secure place at her husband's side.

~~

A/N Well, here we go! Things are about to get messy!! Please don't forget to comment and vote! :)