BLOODLINES
—12. In God's Arms

    In the Privy Council room, Kathy sat with her father, grandmother, and the rest of the Privy Council, looking pale.

"Maximilian has yet again refused to hand over the traitors Edmund of York and Lizzie Plantagenet. Even with the news of the King marrying his daughter, he has continued to do so," Margaret explained and many of the men sighed in frustration, "We have offered trade deals, money. God knows his country needs it, but still, he has refused."

"He is coming for me," Henry spoke up, a nervous look on his face, "Because of what happened to Nora. He was fond of her. Just like everyone else. He means to claim vengeance on me," He paused, turning to glance over at Edmund Dudely, "Dudley, where's my army?"

"Ah, yes, Your Grace," Dudley began to say, only to have everyone's head turn when Harry entered the council meeting lately.

"Your Grace," Everyone but Henry, Margaret, and Kathy stood to greet and bow to their prince.

As they sat down, Dudley continued to explain the whole ordeal to the king and the rest of the council. "The military expansion is a costly venture—"

"Uh, sorry," Harry spoke up and sat in the back of the room near his grandmother on a large chair instead of at the actual table, "Why do we need men? Wh-Why are we expanding?"

Margaret turned to her grandson, giving an outrageous look. "Because the threat of an invasion led by Edmund of York—"

"Oh, right. Edmund, the York," Harry answered in an almost sarcastic tone, "Son of the brother Mother killed alongside Nora of Lancaster. George, was it?"

"Yes," Margaret confirmed, trying to contain her anger as she turned to look back at the rest of the council.

"We had agreed on a defense tax, but it'll take time to raise the funds to pay the men—" Dudley began to explain, only to be cut off once more.

"Well, then don't raise them," Harry suggested as he leaned back in his seat, "You are hell-bent on robbing the people. Pull men from the armies of all the nobles sitting here. Stafford, how large is your retinue, three-hundred men, four-hundred?"

Kathy sighed, facepalming herself. "Harry, enough," She wanted her brother, who continued on.

"What, Kathy?" Harry asked his sister with an attitude, "If we centralize the military, our father wouldn't have to beg and simper to all these men like a serving maid."

Margaret turned to Harry with wide eyes while Kathy tensed up, knowing that as her father chuckled, he was on the verge of yelling at Henry in front of everyone.

"My son is angry, because a girl who he is obsessively in love with, prefers a king to a boy," Henry spoke up in a calm tone and Harry looked down at the ground, trying to contain his anger, "He is so fond of bringing up Nora of Lancaster as of late, but as I recall, she was just like Marie in that way. She preferred the famous King Edward to my uncle, Jasper Tudor. But you didn't see my Uncle Jasper acting like a spoiled brat as you are when it happened, did we?" He explained, beginning to speak in a louder, angrier tone as he went on, "Perhaps if my son spent less time on girls and ale, and roping his elder sister into his trouble-causing ways, he would know we are already drawing men from all these noble houses!"

By the time Henry was getting to the end of his rant, he was standing up and yelling at Harry in front of the entire privy council.

Harry stared at his father, looking bored and unbothered by Henry's outburst.

"And so your contribution to this privy council is of no use whatsoever!" Henry continued on and Margaret was quick to stand up.

"Gentlemen, please leave us," She insisted and the men were quick to obey, not wanting to stand witness to the argument that was about to occur, "The council is dismissed."

Kathy stood up as well, standing beside her grandmother as Harry walked closer to his father.

"Ale can be a marvelous thing," Harry spoke up calmly as he poured himself a glass of wine, "It lures my darling sister and me into taverns on a quest for insobriety, but while you men grow old with talk..." He trailed off, causing the councilmen to stop and turn to look at Harry, "She and I discover. Edmund of York is here, in London. With Lizzie Plantagenet."

Harry smiled at the group's shocked expressions. He walked toward the door, only to stop to turn to glance at Kathy. "Come, sister. It seems their old ways are unable to comprehend our ways of the new age that is soon to come when I am in power," He insisted and despite feeling uneasy, Kathy wasted no time following after her brother.

"Harry, Harry!" Margaret called out, quick to chase after the prince and his sister.

By the time that Margaret had stopped them from walking away, Henry was already storming out of the privy council room and toward them, an angry look on his face.

"So it's true, Edmund of York is here?" Margaret asked, a desperate look on his face.

"It's not difficult to rule, to find out what you want to know, if the people love you," Henry spoke up as he looked directly at his father.

Henry scoffed when he saw the taunting look his son was giving him. He turned to glance at Kathy, who remained silent, clearly choosing to be loyal to her brother than to tell the truth.

"Where is he?" Henry asked in a stern tone and both of his children didn't reply.

"He's very near the palace," Harry replied, purposely being vague with his answer.

"Where is he?!" Henry shouted at Harry at the top of his lungs.

Margaret quickly turned and walked over to her son, wanting to calm him done before he ruined all chances of getting answers out of the sibling duo.

"I will deal with this," Margaret assured Henry, who glared at Harry for a long moment as his son smiled at him tauntingly.

Finally, he whipped on his heel and walked away while Margaret made her way back over to her grandchildren, her hands on her hips.

"I don't know what you're up in arms about," Harry replied in an unbothered tone, "You always want me at the council meetings with Kathy."

"If you cut yourself off from your father, you cut yourself off from the source of your power," Margaret pointed out before turning to Kathy, "And that especially goes for you if you want to remain an unmarried princess. One wrong decision and you could be married off like Meg."

Kathy remained silent, beginning to feel uneasy about her grandmother's reminder. She was right, after all.

"There's an apothecary on Charm Street," Harry spoke up, an annoyed look on his face, "Edmund of York is hiding there with Lizzie Plantagenet."

Margaret was on the verge of walking away, only to stop to turn to look at her two grandchildren once more. "You know, sometimes I wonder about you and your sister, Harry," She whispered to him, a disapproving look on her face, "Are you two ever for England or only for yourselves and each other?"

Harry remained silent, casually drinking his wine as his grandmother walked away. Before walking away together, he and Kathy exchanged a look with each other. With that, they walked away together in silence.

____

That night, Harry sat with Charlie in his chambers, both of them playing a game of cards as they drank wine.

"So what's it gonna be?" Charlie asked as he placed down his cards, believing he had a winning hand.

Just then, Harry placed his own cards down, revealing that he was the winner. He laughed, slamming his hand down on the table. "Ha!" He exclaimed, a smile on his face as he downed the rest of his wine.

"Where is Kathy?" Charlie found himself asking as he glanced around, "At least, she is a good sport when she wins."

Harry smiled in amusement as he turned to look at Charlie. "I don't know, she's been acting odd lately. I barely see her anymore."

"Tell me about it," Charlie muttered under his breath, but Harry had heard him.

He turned to give him a questioning look. Just as he was about to question him, the double doors to his room opened and his grandmother entered.

Harry smiled, standing up from his seat before turning his back to Margaret. "You can't come in, Lady Grandmother," He told her, pouring the last of his wine into his cup before turning to look back at her, "Unless you bring more wine."

Harry waved the empty pitcher at his grandmother, causing Charlie to chuckle.

Hearing the boy laugh, Margaret turned to him and gave him an annoyed look. His smile immediately faded and he bowed to the woman. "My lady," he told her, just before taking the empty wine pitcher from Harry before he left the room to get more.

In truth, he was only doing it to have an excuse to go see Kathy.

Once Charlie was gone, Margaret turned to Harry, an angry look on her face. "The soldiers stormed the shop and found his man, but Edmund of York and Lizzie Plantagenet had gone. We questioned the man. In the end, he told us his master had sailed," She informed him and Harry smiled, shrugging without a care in the world, "Perhaps if you'd told us sooner, we'd have caught him!"

"Perhaps my father brought it on himself," Harry retorted in a calm tone and Margaret found herself giving him an angry look.

"And perhaps your blood will stain the English soil for what you did today!" Margaret scolded him in an angry tone, "It doesn't matter if you are her sister's son. Lizzie Plantagenet would cut your throat in a heartbeat, but you let him slip the net and safe passage back to the Hapsburgs, all because some Burgundian girl who's practically Nora incarnate has pitted you against your father like some commoner in a brawl. If you aren't careful, you will tear England apart for this girl just like your grandfather did to have Nora. And I will not stand back and do nothing as history repeats itself."

"Well, thank you for the visit, Lady Grandmother," Harry replied, bored with what she was saying, "Will you ask Charlie to come back in on your way out?"

Annoyed, Harry walked back to his table before he sat down. He rolled his eyes, however, when his grandmother sat down in Charlie's old spot.

"What you feel for her is lust," Margaret complained to Harry, "It's of the flesh. It's not of the heart. You're...You're a healthy, strong young man. You've had kingship thrust upon as a burden on your grief."

She paused, turning her head to see Harry leaning back in his chair as he avoided eye contact with her. "Perhaps there are some appetites that you've not had free rein to...satisfy," She explained and Harry frowned, wondering what the hell the woman was speaking of, "You claim your father and I are not of this 'new age' that you and your sister have envisioned for England that surely includes pleasure and I have decided to prove you wrong."

"What?" Harry asked Margaret, only to have his question be answered when the door to his chambers opened.

Lord Stafford walked in, followed by four young ladies that Harry did not know.

"Lord Stafford has some friends for you to meet," Margaret informed Harry, who smiled as he leaned forward in his seat and eyed the women intently, "While I go to evening prayer."

Several moments later, in the royal chapel, Margaret was praying alone when someone suddenly knelt beside her. She turned her head, frowning when she saw that was Harry kneeling before her. He couldn't have been done already. She had just left his room.

"Thank you, but what I feel for her is of the heart. I have loved her since I was ten-years-old," He confessed, causing Margaret's eyes to widen at the revelation, "If she wants my father, I will step aside. But if she wants me, I will fight him, to the death if needs be."

  As Harry stood back up and left the chapel, Margaret felt horrified, feeling as though history was, indeed, repeating itself more than ever before.

_____

That same day, Marie knocked on the door of Kathy's room before entering the girl's room. Kathy sat up from her bed and turned to Marie, a concerned look on her face.

Marie sighed, taking a seat at the edge of Kathy's bed as she held out a glass vial. "I learned the elixir from Nora. It will terminate a pregnancy and leave you unharmed," She informed her friend in a calm tone.

Kathy looked down at the vial and grabbed it, a deeply uneasy look on her face. "Will it work?" She asked as she felt deeply nervous about the whole ordeal, "It wasn't like the one you gave me to prevent pregnancy did."

"It did work. You were just not responsible enough to take it every time you bedded Charlie, which was quite a lot," Marie explained in a disapproving tone.

"Marie, I'm afraid," The Princess confessed in a whisper, "I am never afraid but as of late, I find myself always feeling afraid."

"Do you think I should put all of this behind me and finally marry for duty?" Kathy asked, a worried look on her face.

"No, I don't," Marie confessed as she shook her head, "Nora of Lancaster's blood runs through your veins. You could amount to so much more than being some Duke's wife. Your brother will be king soon enough and he loves you more than anyone. He will keep you safe and if you wish to stay unmarried, he will allow you to."

"I love him," Kathy confessed in a whisper, tears beginning to form in her eyes as she talked about Charlie, "I try. I try all the time to push him away because I know what we have with each other will only end in heartbreak, but I continue to let him back in," She paused, turning to look directly at Marie, "You want to know why? Because I know I would never let anyone else get that close to me in fear of being hurt."

Kathy began to cry and Marie moved closer to her, beginning to hug the heartbroken girl.

___

After Kathy had finally fallen asleep, Marie began to walk out of Kathy's room, only to come face to face with Harry.

"Harry," Marie greeted the prince, a puzzled look on his face, "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you," Harry informed her in a determined tone as he moved closer to her, "I wanted to tell you something."

"May I say what I need to say first?" Marie asked and Harry sighed in defeat as he nodded his head, "I know why you came to look for me. You want to tell me that you will fight for me, correct?"

"Yes, I—" Harry began to say, only to be cut off by Marie.

"And you hate your father for stealing me away from you, and wanted me to come here to let me know that if I marry him, I condemn myself to a miserable, loveless life, which is the last thing you want for me. I know," Marie explained and Harry nodded in agreement, "Don't you understand, Harry? That is what girls like me do. Not everyone has the same benefits of Kathy when being of royal blood. Most girls of royal blood like myself would have been married off by now. Usually to men twice their age. We would have no choice in the matter either."

"So you're saying you must marry him because he said so," Harry realized, furrowing his eyebrows at Marie.

"Because he is the king and I am his ward," Marie replied, a saddened look on her face.

  Marie slowly walked closer to Harry, grabbing ahold of his hands. "And there is nothing we can do to change what is happening. You will wed Catherine of Aragon and I must marry your father whether I want to or not. I will not let history repeat itself. I will not let you tear apart England just to have me."

"You know, when I first met you, I only liked you for the same reason Kathy did. Our mother didn't want us to get too close to you in fear that you would corrupt us. But as time went on and I got to know you better, I fell in love with you. And I haven't known as many women as you think I have, Marie, and those that I have are rather of the flesh."

   Harry paused, cupping Marie's face in his hands. "You are far more than that and you always will be. I mean, I do. I do want to bed you but clearly, you are not ready for such things. We haven't even truly kissed yet, for God's sake," He began to ramble, causing them both to chuckle, "The point is that I am deeply in love with you and no matter what happens, I always will love you. And the love we have for each other exalts us into God's arms. It is his greatest gift to us. It makes us one with him. Marie, it leaves duty in the shadows. Can't you see that? You are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and always will be," He confessed, causing Marie to smile up at him, "You make me yearn to be king just so that I can be a better man for you."

"You have a way with words," Marie complained as she avoided eye contact with Harry, "Just like Kathy. It is a trait you've gained from your mother, who gained it from hers. Nora. And Nora inherited it from Katherine Neville, a woman who was notorious for being able to convince even the wisest of men that her lies were the truth. Just like all of them, you bend words to your whim."

"Perhaps you should feel what I'm saying, then," Harry whispered softly before Marie could react, he had lightly pushed her against the wall before he kissed her.

After years of flirting and confessing their undying love, they had finally kissed without anyone interrupting them.

Harry placed one hand on the wall, pushing himself closer to Marie as he deepened the kiss. 

Slowly, they pulled away from each other and Marie's eyes fluttered open as she stared up at Harry in shock. He ran his thumb over her lip, smiling down at the girl he loved.

"I shall wait for your answer. No matter how long it takes. But I pray that is yes," He whispered to her softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead before he walked away without another word said.

Marie turned, brushing her fingertips over her lips as she watched Harry walk away. She sighed, a saddened look appearing on her face at the thought.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

They finally kissed!

Of this entire book series, who was favorite your main ship?

Edward and Nora?

Henry and Lizbeth?

Harry and Marie?