August 17th, 1615
So many changes.
In the aftermath of the attempt upon the lives of both the High King and his heir, the Pomeran court had been turned upside down. Not only did the noble class have to deal with the knowledge that five of their own - five of the highest ranking men in the land - had planned and plotted with Coimbrans to assume control of the throne, but they also had to adjust their views on class distinctions. For, just a few days after the open attack at the festival, Henri, the King's brother, had openly acknowledged his children, Henry and Elspeth, elevating them to the noble ranks with a single proclamation. Not only that, but the King himself had ennobled them, creating Henry the Earl of Ayleth and master of the Castile Elyn, making him by default one of the wealthiest lords of the land.
As the news filtered out across the country, the nobles were shocked by the outpouring of love for their monarchy that came from the lower classes - not only in their anger at the attack upon them, but in genuine joy that one of their own had born children that were acknowledged and accepted at court.
With the trials of the five lords ongoing, their Coimbran counterparts already executed, the focus of the royal family turned toward fitting their newly acknowledged cousins for court life. Lessons filled each morning; each afternoon was spent on more practical matters. In a matter of weeks, both Henry and Elspeth were adept at reading and writing, with Henry growing proficient with weapons as Elspeth learned how to control a household. Yet they still found time for one another, needing that link to themselves and their mother, even as their regard for their father grew.
There were rough spots, however; not all the court was as welcoming as the royal family had been, and some of them were not afraid to make their dislike of the royal bastards known to their faces. It was after one particularly unpleasant encounter with a known agitator during a court session that Elspeth fled, to hide away in the rooms assigned to herself and her brother, unaware that the Crown Prince and Princess were dealing with the malcontent in her absence. But in that moment, as she sat by the window willing the summer sunshine to dry her tears, she longed for everything to be as it once was, even knowing that it could not.
Henry seemed to be faring better than his sister. He had always dreamed of a better life for himself and his family and had always fancied himself in a position where he could serve his king and the royal family. Now that it had become a reality, he was brimming with excitement at all the prospects that were open to them. Proving himself worthy of the title so kindly bestowed on him, he was a quick study, eager to learn all he could and proving he was up to the task.
Yes, there were those who were jealous and not so happy with their appointment at court, but Harry, at least, was mostly content to ignore them, hoping to eventually prove he was worthy of such an appointment. His sister did not seem to be adjusting so easily, however, her gentle heart hurt by the unkind words of those who were jealous of their elevated rank and station. It was after one such encounter that he found himself chasing after her, only to find her crying alone in her rooms, when she should be outside enjoying the sunshine.
"Sister!" he called as he pushed into their rooms to search for her. "Elspeth! Come, walk with me in the garden!"
Wiping her eyes quickly, Elspeth shook her head. "Please don't make me go where they can see me again," she pleaded with her brother. "I can't stand it, the way they stare and pass comment on me. I know I should not have run away, I know that, but Lady Margaret is so cruel."
"Lady Margaret is being dealt with as we speak," Harry informed her, unable to hide the gleam from his eyes as he relayed the news. "Just before I left, Stephan and Marianne themselves were giving her a dressing down in front of the entire court! She will do you no more harm, sister. We have been given the right to be here, and she is being banished as we speak," he told her, sitting down beside her and snatching her hands into his.
"But others will hate me for it," his sister whimpered. She knew she was softer at heart than most ladies at court, even the princess, but at home, she had never had to be hard. Yes, her hands bore calluses, but no one had ever used words to make her feel inferior before she had come here. She sighed softly, raising his hands to lay her cheek against his knuckles. "I keep thinking I want to go home."
His heart softened, sympathizing with her, but not quite wishing for the same things. He, for one, was reveling in his newfound purpose in life, while she seemed more than a little bit lost. He frowned sadly at her admission, knowing she was happy in the simple life they had enjoyed before the Coimbrans had turned their world upside down. "This is my fault," he said. "It is because I look like Stephan that all of this happened."
"Don't say that," she frowned, squeezing his hands hard. "Don't ever say that. It is no one's fault that you and Stephan share a face, and there is nothing wrong with that face. I love this face; it belongs to my brother, and I love him more than anything." She looked into his eyes imploringly. "Tell me what I should do to make you happy, Henry. That's all that matters."
"I am happy, sweetling," Harry assured her gently. "I have longed for something like this all my life. It is not my happiness that worries me, but yours. I do not wish to see you sad or to see you cry," he told her, prying one hand from her grip to gently brush the tears from her face. "What can I do to make you happy' That is what matters."
"Make me like the princess?" she suggested, a quiet, hopeless smile on her pretty face as she shook her head lightly. Marianne was the way she was because she had been raised to it, but even Elspeth knew that the harsh words still hurt her. The difference was that Marianne had her place absolutely secure, and would reinforce it with the birth of a healthy son. "I don't feel I have a purpose," Elspeth admitted. "I am not made to do nothing more than look pretty and play the lady. All the women here at court ....they're here to either catch a husband, or for their husbands to show off how beautiful and rich they are. They are just trophies, nothing more."
"What is it you wish to do, sweetling?" he asked her, though he had a few ideas of his own. "You bring hope to the people. Have you thought of that' They adore you because you are of them. Perhaps you can think of a way to help them further. We were like them. We are still like them, in many ways. We understand their lives, their struggles. Perhaps we can use our new stations to help them further," he suggested, though he wasn't entirely sure how to do that just yet.
"I do not want to leave you," she said quietly. "Or Father, or the princess. Surely if I want to make myself of some use, I will have to leave the court, and that would mean leaving you all behind." Drawing in a deep breath, she straightened her back. "And that would only fuel the unpleasantness behind my back."
"You never have to leave me, if you do not wish it, love," he assured her, though he knew that was unlikely true. Still, she was too tender, too gentle a heart to brave this life alone. "And if I am not with you, Marianne will be. Or Father, or one of our cousins. You need never be alone, dear heart. I swear it. I will always be here for you. You will always be welcome in my home. Always," he tried to assure her further, pressing her hand to his cheek.
So many changes.
In the aftermath of the attempt upon the lives of both the High King and his heir, the Pomeran court had been turned upside down. Not only did the noble class have to deal with the knowledge that five of their own - five of the highest ranking men in the land - had planned and plotted with Coimbrans to assume control of the throne, but they also had to adjust their views on class distinctions. For, just a few days after the open attack at the festival, Henri, the King's brother, had openly acknowledged his children, Henry and Elspeth, elevating them to the noble ranks with a single proclamation. Not only that, but the King himself had ennobled them, creating Henry the Earl of Ayleth and master of the Castile Elyn, making him by default one of the wealthiest lords of the land.
As the news filtered out across the country, the nobles were shocked by the outpouring of love for their monarchy that came from the lower classes - not only in their anger at the attack upon them, but in genuine joy that one of their own had born children that were acknowledged and accepted at court.
With the trials of the five lords ongoing, their Coimbran counterparts already executed, the focus of the royal family turned toward fitting their newly acknowledged cousins for court life. Lessons filled each morning; each afternoon was spent on more practical matters. In a matter of weeks, both Henry and Elspeth were adept at reading and writing, with Henry growing proficient with weapons as Elspeth learned how to control a household. Yet they still found time for one another, needing that link to themselves and their mother, even as their regard for their father grew.
There were rough spots, however; not all the court was as welcoming as the royal family had been, and some of them were not afraid to make their dislike of the royal bastards known to their faces. It was after one particularly unpleasant encounter with a known agitator during a court session that Elspeth fled, to hide away in the rooms assigned to herself and her brother, unaware that the Crown Prince and Princess were dealing with the malcontent in her absence. But in that moment, as she sat by the window willing the summer sunshine to dry her tears, she longed for everything to be as it once was, even knowing that it could not.
Henry seemed to be faring better than his sister. He had always dreamed of a better life for himself and his family and had always fancied himself in a position where he could serve his king and the royal family. Now that it had become a reality, he was brimming with excitement at all the prospects that were open to them. Proving himself worthy of the title so kindly bestowed on him, he was a quick study, eager to learn all he could and proving he was up to the task.
Yes, there were those who were jealous and not so happy with their appointment at court, but Harry, at least, was mostly content to ignore them, hoping to eventually prove he was worthy of such an appointment. His sister did not seem to be adjusting so easily, however, her gentle heart hurt by the unkind words of those who were jealous of their elevated rank and station. It was after one such encounter that he found himself chasing after her, only to find her crying alone in her rooms, when she should be outside enjoying the sunshine.
"Sister!" he called as he pushed into their rooms to search for her. "Elspeth! Come, walk with me in the garden!"
Wiping her eyes quickly, Elspeth shook her head. "Please don't make me go where they can see me again," she pleaded with her brother. "I can't stand it, the way they stare and pass comment on me. I know I should not have run away, I know that, but Lady Margaret is so cruel."
"Lady Margaret is being dealt with as we speak," Harry informed her, unable to hide the gleam from his eyes as he relayed the news. "Just before I left, Stephan and Marianne themselves were giving her a dressing down in front of the entire court! She will do you no more harm, sister. We have been given the right to be here, and she is being banished as we speak," he told her, sitting down beside her and snatching her hands into his.
"But others will hate me for it," his sister whimpered. She knew she was softer at heart than most ladies at court, even the princess, but at home, she had never had to be hard. Yes, her hands bore calluses, but no one had ever used words to make her feel inferior before she had come here. She sighed softly, raising his hands to lay her cheek against his knuckles. "I keep thinking I want to go home."
His heart softened, sympathizing with her, but not quite wishing for the same things. He, for one, was reveling in his newfound purpose in life, while she seemed more than a little bit lost. He frowned sadly at her admission, knowing she was happy in the simple life they had enjoyed before the Coimbrans had turned their world upside down. "This is my fault," he said. "It is because I look like Stephan that all of this happened."
"Don't say that," she frowned, squeezing his hands hard. "Don't ever say that. It is no one's fault that you and Stephan share a face, and there is nothing wrong with that face. I love this face; it belongs to my brother, and I love him more than anything." She looked into his eyes imploringly. "Tell me what I should do to make you happy, Henry. That's all that matters."
"I am happy, sweetling," Harry assured her gently. "I have longed for something like this all my life. It is not my happiness that worries me, but yours. I do not wish to see you sad or to see you cry," he told her, prying one hand from her grip to gently brush the tears from her face. "What can I do to make you happy' That is what matters."
"Make me like the princess?" she suggested, a quiet, hopeless smile on her pretty face as she shook her head lightly. Marianne was the way she was because she had been raised to it, but even Elspeth knew that the harsh words still hurt her. The difference was that Marianne had her place absolutely secure, and would reinforce it with the birth of a healthy son. "I don't feel I have a purpose," Elspeth admitted. "I am not made to do nothing more than look pretty and play the lady. All the women here at court ....they're here to either catch a husband, or for their husbands to show off how beautiful and rich they are. They are just trophies, nothing more."
"What is it you wish to do, sweetling?" he asked her, though he had a few ideas of his own. "You bring hope to the people. Have you thought of that' They adore you because you are of them. Perhaps you can think of a way to help them further. We were like them. We are still like them, in many ways. We understand their lives, their struggles. Perhaps we can use our new stations to help them further," he suggested, though he wasn't entirely sure how to do that just yet.
"I do not want to leave you," she said quietly. "Or Father, or the princess. Surely if I want to make myself of some use, I will have to leave the court, and that would mean leaving you all behind." Drawing in a deep breath, she straightened her back. "And that would only fuel the unpleasantness behind my back."
"You never have to leave me, if you do not wish it, love," he assured her, though he knew that was unlikely true. Still, she was too tender, too gentle a heart to brave this life alone. "And if I am not with you, Marianne will be. Or Father, or one of our cousins. You need never be alone, dear heart. I swear it. I will always be here for you. You will always be welcome in my home. Always," he tried to assure her further, pressing her hand to his cheek.