BLOODLINES
— 29. Considerable Loss

    In Kathy's chambers, Kathy was sitting in her bath while Marie sat nearby on the bed, holding her newborn daughter in her arms. Kathy's sister, Mary, sat there as well, smiling innocently. Kathy tilted her head back and sighed deeply, the hot water bringing comfort and a soothing sensation to her aching muscles.

"What was it like, to be in battle?" Mary asked Kathy, a curious look on her face.

"It was both thrilling and frightening. I felt a rush I had never experienced before. But the fear of death clung to me always," She explained, closing her eyes as she smiled at the thought, "I killed the Scottish king myself."

"It would seem congratulations is in order," Marie told Kathy, a smile forming on her lips.

"No, I fear it is anything but," Kathy admitted as she shook her head.

"How so?" Mary asked, a concerned look on her face.

"I fear that our sister Meg will never forgive me. She loved him, I believe. And I never knew that. I was the one to kill him and she knows that." Kathy explained, genuine tears beginning to form in her eyes, "She told me I love no one but myself, Henry, and Charlie."

"That's not true," Marie replied, smiling as she shook her head, "You love England too."

Kathy groaned and splashed water at Marie because of her horrible joke, causing Marie and Mary to laugh in amusement.

"I've begun to admire you, you know. More than ever before. You have the heart of a warrior. Just like Edith," Marie confessed, causing Kathy to turn to her with a curious look on her face.

"Who?" Kathy asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"As a girl, Nora once told me a story of a woman named Edith. She was a lady-in-waiting to her mother, Katherine Neville. She was bastard-born, but damn that girl could fight," Edith explained, causing Kathy and Marie to smile in amusement, "She fought in battle but no one ever knew she was a woman on the battlefield because she always wore a helmet and she fought like the most formidable of warriors would. She was a hero to the Lancastrians and won them many great victories against the Yorks."

"What happened to her?" Mary asked, a curious look on her face.

"I don't know. Nora never told me," She explained, smiling at Kathy in admiration, "You are a hero to England, Kathy, whether or not Henry decides to give you the credit for it."

"You and I both know he will take the credit for himself," Kathy replied, sighing as she leaned back in her tub, "My muscles ache from battle."

"You know what will make you feel better?" Mary asked, a playful look on her face, "A certain someone when he returns from France."

"If you say Charlie, I'm going to smack you," Kathy snapped at Mary, who smiled in response while Marie chuckled.

"He still loves you, even after all these years," Mary reminded her in a calm tone, "Why can't you just accept his advances already?"

"Deep down, Henry knows of what has occurred between Charlie and me in the past. If we rekindle what we had in the past, Henry will be furious," Kathy explained, sighing as she turned to look her sister in the eyes, "There is something you must learn, Mary. Happiness is the one thing we women of royal blood can never have."

Mary remained silent and sighed. She looked down at the ground, thinking hard about what Kathy had said.

____

The church bells rang as Henry and his army rode back into England. Kathy rolled her eyes as Henry raised the coat of King James upwards as if he had won the battle. "Arrogant bastard," She muttered under her breath as she began to clap.

"God save King Henry!" Thomas Boleyn shouted out and from where she stood, holding her daughter while her son stood beside her, Marie smiled at her husband from afar.

Catherine walked forward and curtsied to Henry. The Tudor King smiled, laying King James' coat at her feet before he knelt before her. "Thank you for sending me the king of Scotland's hide, my queen. I flew his tunic as a flag."

"A modest victory over a foolish border raid, trifling in the shadow of your French triumph," Catherine assured him and Kathy rolled her eyes since she thought otherwise.

"I bring you a gift," He informed her as he stood up, "The Duke of Longueville in chains."

"What does one do with a French Duke?" Catherine asked in a sarcastic tone as the man was brought forward.

"Put him in the Tower," Charlie spoke up and Kathy smiled as she turned to glance at him, "There he can contemplate his gotten French soul."

The crowd chuckled and Kathy smiled, playfully rolling her eyes. Briefly, she and Charlie locked eyes, but she was quick to look away.

"Go on, you dog," Henry told Oviedo with a smile on his face since he noticed the way the man longed to go to his wife, "Go to her."

Oviedo smiled, bowing to Henry in thanks before he rushed over to Lina.

"We feast tonight. We'll celebrate our victory and gives thanks to Almighty God!" Henry announced and just as he was about to walk into the castle, Catherine invited him to her bed.

However, Henry ended up declining, claiming that Wolsey said it could harm the baby.

Catherine ended up snapping at Wolsey, but the moment he walked away, Kathy walked over to Catherine and linked arms with her.

Catherine was confused at first, knowing how Kathy usually despised her and did everything she could to torment her. Though she supposed after fighting in battle and leading an army alongside her, Kathy was beginning to warm up to her.

"Be careful of that one. He was brought to power by my mother. He will soon try to rule through Henry as my grandmother ruled through my father," She explained to Catherine in a hushed tone.

"How do you know?" Catherine asked, a concerned look on her face.

"When my mother was pregnant with Arthur, my grandmother tried to do the same thing. She tried to make a distance between my mother and father by forcing her into her confinement. And even after she birthed my brother, she tried to keep my father away from her," She informed Catherine, who looked concerned by the whole ordeal.

"And did it work?" Catherine asked, feeling uneasy.

"My mother knew how to work her charms on my father. She convinced him to decide otherwise. With a little bit of work, you could do the same to Henry," Kathy explained, smiling slightly at Catherine.

At another part of the courtyard, Stafford climbed off his horse. He smiled as he walked over to Marie, who was holding their daughter.

"Papa!" Edward suddenly exchanged and ran over to his father, who immediately picked him up.

"Hello, my son," He greeted little Edward, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

From afar, Henry watched, a part of him looking jealous and upset. Briefly, Marie turned to glance at him, sighing before she quickly looked away and smiled at her husband while Henry walked into the castle.

Stafford smiled and walked over to Marie, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I've missed you," He confessed and Marie smiled at him.

"It's a girl," She informed him and her husband smiled down at their daughter.

"She is a beautiful baby girl. What should we name her?" He asked her curiously and Marie's smile immediately faded.

He looked over at Marie, who had an uneasy look on her face. "What is it?" He asked, looking concerned.

"If you agree, I would like to name her Nora," She admitted and Stafford immediately looked hesitant, knowing the risks. In all honesty, nowadays, there weren't many people in England naming their children, knowing the background of the name. Every time someone thought of the name Nora, they thought of a cunning, defiant, and arrogant young woman, which was things no woman was supposed to be.

"Nora, it is," Stafford replied after a moment of silence and they began to smile.

Moments later, they entered their chambers and Marie placed Nora in her cradle. She took a seat on the bed and placed Edward in her lap while her husband sat beside her.

"You must be exhausted from all the fighting," Marie spoke up, smiling at her husband.

Stafford remained silent. He looked down at the ground in disappointment and shook his head slightly.

"What is it?" She asked in concern as she grabbed hold of her hand.

"You want to know the truth? There wasn't much of any battle, unlike Kathy here in England. In France, we never truly met with danger. The French ran away like cowards. And the siege of Tournai?" He asked, letting out a large scoff, "All we did was wait and wait and nothing more. All that time, all I could think of was returning to you and our children."

Marie smiled and Stafford smiled, leaning forward to kiss her. He wrapped his arm around her and leaned her head against his chest as little Edward sat in their laps.

____

That evening, like any other evening before a feast or celebration, Marie was the lady in waiting appointed to help Catherine prepare.

Catherine fed her pet bird before walking over to Marie. She handed her the bowl and Marie smiled, immediately placing it down on the table. "What do you think will occur at the celebrations tonight, Your Grace?"

"There will be dancing and drinking and stories, I suppose," Catherine explained as she placed on every ring Marie handed to her.

"Will you tell stories of Scotland, of what you and Kathy achieved up North?" Marie asked, a smile forming on her lips.

"There is nothing to tell," Catherine argued and Marie shook her head.

"Kathy told me otherwise," Marie pointed out and Catherine sighed, realizing Marie wasn't like the others. She may have been considered just any other noble lady, but she wasn't. She practically apart of the English royal family. She was raised alongside them and she was closer to Kathy and Henry than almost anyone.

"I will listen to the king instead," Catherine corrected her and Marie nodded in understanding.

"Here's one, then," A voice suddenly spoke up, causing Marie's eyes to widen when she saw Henry standing in the doorway.

Marie lowered her head and quickly curtsied to Henry as she was expected to.

"When the French felt the tide turn against them, they fled the field so quickly, they left their spurs behind them," Henry explained with a smile on his face, "I'm surprised we didn't chase them into the sea," He paused, turning to look directly at Marie, "Stafford calls it the Battle of the Spurs."

Catherine laughed and Henry smiled, placing a hand on her belly. However, as he did so, his eyes seemed to be on Marie, who was staring down at the ground to avoid eye contact with him.

"Uh, Marie, leave us, please," Catherine insisted and Marie nodded, curtsying to her king and queen before she left the room.

____

At the celebrations that night, Kathy sat beside Mary, smiling as she watched Henry Pole and Charlie being knighted by Henry. "For service to king and country and for chasing down those French cowards..." He trailed off as the crowd laughed and clapped, "I bid you both now rise. Sir Henry Pole and Sir Charles Brandon."

Henry laughed loudly and walked over to Charlie, wasting no time hugging his friend.

Charlie smiled and walked over to where Edward Stafford stood with Marie. Marie picked up a glass of wine, just before handing it to her friend. "Well, that has reduced the value of a knighthood by some degrees, wouldn't you say?" Edward commented, causing the group of three to laugh.

Charlie turned, smiling directly at Kathy, who sat in front of him. "I'm even more of a catch than I was before, aren't I, dog?"

"If anyone is a dog, it's you," Kathy retorted, a smirk forming on her lips, "I have no doubt you'll prove to be an irredeemable bore about the entire knighthood ordeal. My stories of triumphs in Scotland shall always override yours, won't they, dear Charlie?"

The girls around Kathy, including Mary, began to giggle at Kathy's retort while Charlie playfully rolled his eyes. He was on the verge of walking away when Kathy spoke up.

"I'm glad you're alive, Charlie," Kathy finally spoke up, causing him to turn to see her holding her drink out to him.

"As I am that you are," He replied, the two of them clinking their glasses together. They stared at each other for a long moment, just before Charlie walked away. She watched him leave, a smile forming on her lips.

She turned, only to roll her eyes when she saw the look Mary was giving her. "Oh, shut up."

"And Thomas Howard?" Catherine suddenly asked Henry, causing everyone's head to turn since they knew she was wondering if the man was also to be knighted, "A commendation for him, perhaps?"

"For holding up your skirt hem in a muddy field?" Henry retorted, causing even Kathy to look annoyed.

"His Grace is right. Howard has had enough titles for one lifetime," Wolsey spoke up as he and Henry chuckled.

Moments later, Catherine walked off and Kathy moved to sit beside Henry, the two of them clinking their glasses together as they decided to get drunk.

After numerous glasses, Henry smiled and turned to glance at Howard. "Howard," He called out, but the man still didn't turn, "I say, Howard!" He spoke up loudly and Howard finally turned, "I've still got my cock."

General Howard smiled and raised his glass. Kathy smiled, shaking her head at her brother's words. "You're a pig."

"You're just jealous you don't have one," Henry retorted and Kathy chuckled as she turned to her brother.

"Now, why would I that? So it can do all the thinking for me?" Kathy asked her brother with a taunting smirk on her face, "Or perhaps so I can stick it in whoever I find pretty and gradually begin to kill myself with the many diseases I ended up catching along the way?"

The men around Kathy began to laugh, including Charlie, who Henry looked directly at. He turned and glared at the men who laughed, causing them to immediately fall silent.

He turned to Kathy, who smirked at him playfully as she took a large sip of her wine.

Several moments later, in another part of the celebration, Marie was smiling as she was in the middle of a conversation with her husband when Herny walked over to them.

"Marie?" He called out, causing her to turn to him in confusion since she never expected him to speak to her in public when her husband was standing literally right in front of her.

"Yes, Your Grace?" Marie asked, knowing it must have been important.

"Where is the queen on who you attend?" Henry questioned and Marie gave him a puzzled look, "I cannot see her."

"I...I don't know," Marie replied, a concerned look on her face.

"What of my sister?" Henry asked as well, but the moment he saw the clueless look on her face, he sighed and walked away.

Marie turned to her husband, exchanging a puzzled look with him. "What was that about?"

"I don't know," Edward confessed, shaking his head slightly.

_____

Outside in the courtyard, Kathy stumbled slightly as she found herself a bit drunk. She had needed some air outside and decided to take a walk. However, the moment she saw Catherine sitting in the middle of the courtyard crying, she knew something was wrong.

"Catherine?" She called out and the moment she didn't get an answer, she ran over to the girl, "Catherine!"

"No, I can—I cannot look," Catherine cried out, frantically shaking her head as she kept her eyes closed.

A soft gasped escaped Kathy's lips as she found the body of a stillborn child lying at Catherine's feet. She had given birth early and it was dead.

Kathy sighed and knelt behind Catherine. She wrapped her arms around the girl, not knowing what else to do. "It's alright, it's going to be alright," She told her in a soft tone. She turned, noticing some guards moving toward them when she decided to yell, "Stay back! Stay back!"

"I can't look," Catherine sobbed, weeping as tears even filled Kathy's eyes.

Kathy lifted her head, a single tear spilling down her cheek at the sight of the stillborn baby. "It was a boy," She admitted softly as she hugged the girl.

"Catherine? Kathy?" A voice suddenly called out, causing Kathy to turn to see Henry making his way over to them.

However, the moment he laid eyes on the dead child lying on the ground, he froze in place. He turned his head and exchanged a look with Kathy, tears filling both of their eyes. "Fetch a nurse," Henry spoke up softly, only to turn and speak louder to the guards, "Fetch a nurse!"

The guards immediately ran off and Kathy held Catherine close to her as Henry knelt next to them as well. "I'm sorry," She sobbed, heartbroken by the death of yet another one of their sons, "I'm sorry."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I spot a budding friendship between Kathy and Catherine 👀