A/N: Just a thought that popped into my head… not sure about it, but worth a try.

7 September 1523

Time had broken the hearts of Henry's family… had taken all their precious love and bonds and thrown them away.

Prince Henry, Duke of York, was not raised to be King. At thirty-two, he was still surprised that there was even such a possibility. His brother, Arthur II, was the King of England, and had been since 1507. Henry had always been the spare, the one that was not supposed to have heirs. But here he was.

Arthur and his wife, Katherine of Aragon, had trouble bearing children. They only had none to survive infancy, leaving the question of the succession open.

With no child, Arthur decided it was time for his brother to marry and father heirs; else the Tudor dynasty would be ended. Queen Katherine, a princess of Spain by birth, wanted him to marry one of her Spanish nieces. But Henry would have none of it – he would marry his lady-love and none other. Anne Boleyn, the daughter of widower Sir Thomas Boleyn and his first wife, Lady Elizabeth Howard, herself the daughter of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, had become his bride.

When their engagement was announced, Arthur had honored Boleyn with the title Viscount Rochford, and when they had wed in January he had been named Earl of Ormond, allowing his son to become Viscount Rochford. Now, with the birth of his brother's first child, Arthur was going to name Boleyn the Duke of Wiltshire.

With his three children by his first wife, Sir Thomas was skilled at arranging great marriages. His eldest, Mary Boleyn, had been the King of France's mistress, and thus she had three bastards – Jacqueline Valois, Luc Valois, and Brigitte Valois. She had returned to England and married Sir William Carey, who had been made a baron on the occasion of his sister-in-law's marriage to a prince. As of yet, the Careys had no legitimate children, but it was possible that they soon would.

Anne herself was only sixteen when they married – was only sixteen to this day. Their marriage had been a triumph for the Boleyns, as was the fact that she was pregnant almost immediately. She had been a virgin on their wedding night – Henry was sure of that – and she had been quick to conceive.

As for George Boleyn, he was nineteen currently. His marriage to Lady Jane Parker, a baron's daughter, was said to be pending, though Henry thought Lady Jane was perhaps the strangest creature he had ever met. George and Anne were close, closer than Mary and Anne were, and sometimes Henry envied them that.

But he himself had two sisters, Margaret and Mary. He was very close with Mary, though not with Margaret. When Margaret was young she had left to marry James IV of Scotland and they had one surviving son, James V, who had been made King of Scots ten years ago when he was only a baby of a year old due to his father's death. Margaret was married a second time, to Archibald Douglas, the Earl of Angus, a year after James IV's death, and had one daughter, Lady Margaret Douglas. Lady Margaret was brought up essentially with her half-brother.

But Henry was closest to Mary, his younger sister. Mary had been married to Louis XII for a few months in 1514, though this yielded no children. She then secretly married Henry's best friend, Charles Brandon. Charles was made Earl of Lincoln and he and Queen Mary, as she was called, had three children of her own, Lady Frances, Lady Eleanor, and Lord Henry, who had only just been born.

And now it was Henry's turn to lose. He had seen his brother mourn time and time again for the loss of a child, but now he was mourning another loss entirely.

Anne was dying. She had given birth to a child – a beautiful, healthy daughter, who she begged him to call Elizabeth. She made him promise to love Elizabeth and give her the best of everything. Henry "Hal" Fitzroy, Henry's little illegitimate son, stood by him as his stepmother struggle with fever.

Hal was his son by Bessie Blount, and was born in 1519. Anne had begged him to raise Hal and Elizabeth together, so Henry had sent for Hal, who was very fond of his stepmother. He would place them under the care of his sister, and he would have them cared for together at Hatfield House. Mary would remain at court with Charles and oversee the household from afar. The Carey children, if they came, would be placed there, too, and Henry was sure Arthur would want the last Tudor heir that was not King of Scotland, Margaret Douglas, to also have a place in the royal nursery.

Anne – his beloved Anne – was going to die, and he accepted that. Now all he could do was cherish Elizabeth with everything he had.

12 September 1523

"Well, Anne's dead," Mary Tudor, Dowager Queen of France announced sadly. She put down the letter that carried the sad news. Her husband sighed, knowing that her brother, his friend, would be mourning.

"May she rest in peace," he declared. "I imagine Henry wants us back at court to be with him?"

"Yes," Mary nodded, frowning slightly. "He's sending Hal and the new princess, Elizabeth, to Hatfield House, and wants us to send our children with them, and for me to oversee the household through governesses. Lady Margaret Douglas is being sent there, as well – Lady Carey's child will be as well, when it is born."

"You'll do it, of course," Charles guessed, and his wife nodded.

"Lady Bryan is to be the head governess," she declared. "George Boleyn is to be chief mourner at her funeral… Henry's arranged it to be a very grand affair, and the memorial he is putting up for her is something wildly enviable."

"I'd rather be alive with no memorial than dead with a nice one," Charles grumbled, and Mary had to laugh.

"Yes, I suppose so," she agreed. "But poor Henry has nothing else he could do… already Katherine's trying to arrange a marriage between him and her niece."

"Which one? She's got so many," he reminded her.

"The daughter of her sister, Juana, the youngest and only postmortem child of Philip, Juana's husband is called Catalina, but here she shall be known as Catherine of Castile. Her brother is Charles I of Spain, and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. The other option is an older sister of Charles and Catalina's, called Eleanor of Castile, who is Dowager Queen of Portugal."

"Two good brides," Charles nodded approvingly. "But still, perhaps Anne was better for him. I think she was, for her temper matched his and she would not let him have his way. If he'd taken a mistress while she was alive, I don't think she'd have left him to it. It's a mercy that he didn't."

"No one will ever be as good for him as Anne was," Mary agreed. "But I suppose one of these princesses can handle him."

15 September 1523

"My wife has been dead for less than a week! Her funeral was yesterday! And already, you ask me to remarry," Henry yelled outrageously. Queen Katherine had never gotten along with him, and this was the final straw.

"It is for the good of the country!" she shrieked. Henry glared.

"You were raised a princess," Henry told her, his voice low and threatening. "And you learned many lessons surrounding royalty, and how we must act. But you forgot one very important lesson, Katherine."

Henry's attendants and Katherine's ladies leaned forward, all eager to hear what lesson their Queen had forgotten – or, perhaps, never learned.

"Royals are people, too – people with emotions, people who love and who hate. And we have as much right as anybody else to mourn a wife not yet cold in her grave."

"Not when their country's succession is in danger, they aren't!" Katherine shrieked. "For now you've got Elizabeth, but if she's not accepted, you must have a son! You must remarry – to a good, Spanish princess – and have heirs for England!"

A daughter is better than no heir at all," Henry reminded her. "And if I do remarry, who's to say that I must marry a princess? Furthermore, who's to say that I must marry a Spanish one?"

Katherine gasped, at a loss for words. She knew that typically, she held more power than the average Queen, as Arthur listened to her and heeded her advice. But he knew her to be blinded by her ambitions for Spanish and Imperial alliances, and the interests of her own blood, and that often translated to unnecessary cruelty toward her siblings. He didn't listen to her in terms of his family.

"Send for the King!" Henry ordered, and one of Katherine's ladies rushed out to do as he commanded.

Arthur arrived, and immediately he noticed the tension between his wife and brother.

"Your brother is a selfish creature, who will not think of the good of his country!"

"Your wife is a heartless Queen, who will not allow a man to mourn for his wife!"

Arthur froze. Many times, Katherine and Henry had disagreed, but it had all been settled quickly. Even when Henry wished to marry Anne, and Katherine had thrown a fit, they both knew he would accept no other, and it was for the good of England.

He had known this moment was coming, and he had dreaded it.

"What is going on here?" he demanded, needing time to think. "Katherine I shall hear your side of this story, with no interruptions from Henry. Then Henry I shall hear your side, with no interruptions from Katherine."

Katherine told how she had sent for the Prince her brother-in-law, and had spoken calmly and kindly to him about the possibility of marrying again. It was for the good of England, she explained, and it would result in an alliance with her home country of Spain.

Henry then told how Katherine had sent for him and assaulted him with names of Spanish and Portuguese princesses, and the benefits of each potential bride, not twenty-four hours after the funeral of Anne. "Not yet cold in her grave and already on the verge of replacement!" he had stormed. He explained that he would take no bride – not with Anne so recently dead, and that he would honor her by waiting out a year.

"No mistresses, no women, no courting, nothing, for an entire year," Arthur contemplated. "All of your attention will remain on your children and this country, which you will one day be king of, for a year from the day of Anne's death. When you fail in this, you will marry."

"But an heir must be born!" Katherine protested weakly.

"We can wait a year," Arthur placated her. "Even if I should die in that time, or Henry should, it is not likely that both of us shall. And if so, Elizabeth shall be Queen… you were not so against a Queen Regnant one upon a time." Arthur gave his wife a questioning look, as though wondering at her hypocrisy. Katherine blushed, knowing the implications of her words.

"I've nothing against a female ruler," she declared. "My mother, Isabel I, was the greatest ruler Castile ever had. But England is not Spain, and Queen Regnants are much less welcome here, as the only one, the Empress Mathilda, was not a good one. A son would be more welcome by the people."

"Then Elizabeth will do for now," Arthur concluded, and walked out of the room, bringing many observers with him.

22 September 1524

"I must admit I'm surprised you kept your word," Arthur admitted. "It's been more than a year since Anne died, and in all that time I haven't seen you look twice at any woman. I'm rather impressed."

Henry grinned at his older brother.

"I'm glad I did," he said. "It honored Anne, in a way, and I think she'd have liked it. But I suppose I've got to marry now – some Spanish princess, if your wife has anything to say about it."

"Katherine and I have picked suitable princesses from several countries," Arthur told him. "Catherine of Castile and Eleanor of Castile are both nieces of Katherine's, but Renee of France is not, and we know she was a dear friend of Anne's. There are a few others, and you can pick the one you marry… but Henry, I am asking you to marry one of them."

"Not Renee," Henry declared automatically. "As you say, she was Anne's friend… I could never marry a friend of Anne's. It would seem… wrong, I suppose. And she would remind me of Anne too much. It would make Katherine happy if I married the Castilian girl, wouldn't it?"

"It would," Arthur agreed. "But she won't say anything either way, and she can't argue the succession if you chose someone else. This is your choice, Henry, but I would like you to be married by New Years."

Henry nodded, "Yes, I'll look into it. I'll give you my answer by October."

23 October 1534

Lady Bryan watched the Duke of York as he balanced his year old daughter on his knee.

He was good with her, an attentive and loving father. He spent many days at Hatfield House, bestowing much-needed attention on his daughter, and on his son, as well. Lord Henry, or Lord Hal as he was called commonly, stood next to his father and his sister. The child was truly a miracle – he didn't resent Elizabeth in the slightest for being legitimate while he was only a bastard. He was protective of her, and adored her completely. He often sat and played with her for hours, or told her about her mother, who was the only mother he could ever remember.

Sitting around the duke were the other members of the little household. Lady Frances Brandon held her brother, Lord Henry Brandon, and Lady Eleanor Brandon hovered around them with Lady Catherine Carey in her arms. Lady Margaret Douglas sat at her uncle's feet.

Only days ago had Lady Bryan had heard that there was a possibility of Lady Carey's children by the French King coming to Hatfield. She was waiting for the prince to say something about it, and praying he would not. She loved children, especially those under her care, but she did not think adding three more burdens – particularly burdens being sent from France – would be the best idea for her current charges. But she did not speak.

"Hal," she heard the prince say, "Would you like a new mother?"

Hal didn't answer, and seemed surprised.

"The King, your Uncle and the Queen, your Aunt, think should remarry again," Henry told his son. "Do you think I should? Would you make sure Elizabeth knows all about her mama?"

"Yes, Father," Hal promised, thinking about the woman who had only been his mother for a few short months. His life had drastically improved during her time as his mother, and he would be forever grateful, and love her forever, and make sure her daughter was petted and cared for and happy always.

"Good boy," Henry nodded. "I'll bring your new stepmother to meet you soon.

5 November 1524

"I already married for political purposes," Eleanor protested. "Manuel I, my husband, had married my aunt Isabella, who died childless, and my aunt Maria, both sisters of Mama. Now my sister Catalina is going to marry our cousin and my stepson, Juan II, and you want me to marry Henry of England?"

"Our aunt Katherine married his brother, Arthur," Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor begged his sister. "She is very happy there, though it is cold, and would help you to adjust. Spain and Portugal are united through numerous blood ties, but as Arthur II and Queen Katherine have no children, none link us to England. If you marry Prince Henry, who is set to be King, I promise you shall be very happy."

"I suppose I could marry him," Eleanor agreed. "I am nineteen… I was only a young girl when I married Manuel, but I am a woman now. Yes, I think I will marry him, and be mother of the King of England! But I hear he has bastards… my ladies told me. Henry and Elizabeth, they are called, are they not?"

"Lord Henry Fitzroy is a bastard, born to a woman by the name of Bessie Blount. But Elizabeth is not… she is a legitimate daughter and heiress, born by Henry's wife, Anne Boleyn, who died in childbirth. Your daughters will rank after Elizabeth, but your sons shall be before her."

"Oh, dear, this shall be difficult," Eleanor sighed. "Bastards I can ignore on the whole, but stepchildren are more difficult. With Manuel's children I simply called them "cousin," as they were my cousins. But what on earth would I do with Henry's Elizabeth?"

14 December 1525

"She's beautiful," Eleanor, Dowager Queen of Portugal and Duchess of York, sighed as she looked at the bundle in her arms. She had just given birth to a daughter, a beautiful Princess of York.

Eleanor had loved Elizabeth immediately, and was always good to her, and even Hal and the other Hatfield children had grown on the Spanish princess. With the help of her aunt, the Queen, Eleanor had quickly come to be a prominent member of English society. While she and Henry did not love each other, they got along reasonably well, and Eleanor was now delighted with the child in her arms.

"What shall you call her?" Juana, or Joan, the only lady-in-waiting that had remained in England with Eleanor as Maria de Salinas had remained with Queen Katherine, asked.

"I shall let her father decide," Eleanor declared, knowing that some men were angry with daughters. Just in case this was true, she would placate Henry with this small service.

A/N: What do you think? Should I continue? What should I name the baby? Should Henry be mad?