FRAGMENTS OF A DYNASTY
Based on the TV Show "Tudors"

Summary: Henry thinks about his children and how badly he had treated them.

Pairings: implied Katherine of Aragon /Henry, Anne Boleyn/Henry, Jane Seymour/Henry, Kitty Howard/Henry, Mary/Phillip of Bavaria, parental Henry/Mary, Henry/Elizabeth, Henry/Edward, and sibling love Mary/Elizabeth/Edward.

Henry was certain he had never felt so relieved in his life.

Not when he got rid of Katherine and the shouting stopped, not when he got rid of Anne and married Jane, not when Bessie gave birth to a son when he thought it was impossible, not even when Arthur and his father died and he had been made king.

He was so relieved that he felt himself drowning in the emotion. Edward, his beloved legitimate boy, almost died but God had saved him. God still wants Edward to be king. It was a relief that no one but a father with one son and had lost sons before could understand.

He had feared that Edward would die like Prince Henry that Katherine had given birth to and Henry Fitzroy that Bessie had given birth to.

But no, thank god, Jane's son survived and that proved to the world that Jane was his rightful wife.

After he kissed his son's forehead, told him to recover quickly and that he loved him, Henry rushed off to the chapel to show God is gratitude for giving his son another chance at life. He did not expect the sight that greeted him there.

Mary had, of course, come with him because she had been in York with him when the news arrived and it was a sign of sibling love that she rushed back with him. He should have realised that she would have went straight to the chapel to pray for Edward's life.

He just did not expect to see Elizabeth there too.

Lady Bryan had said that Elizabeth was the one to discover Edward was ill. Elizabeth had been visiting and she had played games with Edward, taught him a little Latin told him stories and put him to bed instead of a maid and that was when she discovered he had a fever and alerted Lady Bryan.

In many ways he should be grateful that Elizabeth was a loving sister who had nothing but Edward's health and happiness in mind but a little part of him thought it was her fault Edward was ill.

It drives me a little mad that out of his three children it is Anne Boleyn's daughter with the best health.

He hated himself for that thought. No matter how much he resented Anne for not being satisfied with him, to flirt and encourage other men, to take them to her bed, he could never resent Elizabeth. He thought he could, once, he ignored her and did not send money for her and did not read the letters from Lady Bryan complaining about how Elizabeth had no clothes that fit her.

Jane changed that.

Just like she changed his relationship with Mary.

He had neglected Mary. He had ignored her pleas, taken her away from her dying mother, made her a servant to Elizabeth, ignored her illnesses, and sent threats of death if she did not obey his orders.

Jane had brought his two daughters back to him that Christmas and he could not stop that niggling feeling of guilt in the back of his mind.

Mary was his pearl. She was beautiful, intelligent, elegant, and pious. She was the perfect virtuous woman and she resembled him far too much for him to deny she was his. He was pleased to see how she had grown to be the perfect lady. How she did hold onto that bitter resentment. He felt guilty that she was at the peak of child bearing age and he still had not married her to someone. But who could he give his pearl to? No royal house would take her because she is a bastard, no English lord could be trusted because he might have ambitions for the throne, and his beloved new sister Anne's cousin could not marry Mary because Henry feared he too would have ambitions to be king.

After all if the German princess was to be put aside for a little girl and was no longer called queen what wouldn't the Germans do to put their prince onto the English throne to replace her?

Then there was Elizabeth. He could not help but adore his little Elizabeth. She was his jewel, she was different from Mary in many ways, she was beautiful and intelligent like Mary but she was...she was different. She sparkled. She was vibrant, noticeable, charming, witty, was centre of the attention. She was literally the brightest jewel in all of England. She was her mother's daughter. Anne had been vibrant and sparkling before he had her beheaded. She looked like Anne, moved like Anne, dressed like Anne, but she did not speak like Anne. She spoke like a scholar, an obedient one. Her red hair was evidence that she was his. She had his mother's hair and he remembered how he longed to touch it as a tiny boy.

They could have been the greatest queens in Europe and instead they were simply bastard children praying for their legitimate brother to survive.

He did not know Edward. He loved his son, thought him to be beautiful in a masculine way, intelligent as he should be, but he did not speak with Edward enough to have a full grasp of his son's person. He did not want to risk Edward's health. All he could say was Edward, like Elizabeth, was the image of his mother. Blonde, pale, blue eyes, angelic looking, that was all he could say.

He cleared his throat loudly causing his daughters to jump. He ignored the memories rising of Cromwell and Wolsey informing him of Katherine and Anne praying for his health the many times he had fallen ill or been injured. "My daughters, give thanks to God, your brother has made it through the worse and is on the road of recovery," he said.

"Oh thank God!" Mary almost collapsed in relieve. If it had not been for Elizabeth holding onto her she might have.

"How soon till he is recovered?" Elizabeth asked.

She looked like she had been crying. Her eyes were rimmed with redness and her nose was equally red as if she had been rubbing it raw.

"I do not know. I advise you two to return to your homes and rest. You are both looking far too pale and I do not want you two to fall ill either."

They murmured their answers and curtsied before him. He kissed their foreheads and then sent them off their way before making to back to Edward's rooms. He did not want to dwell on the idea of Mary being bedridden with another illness like so many times before or Elizabeth looking pale and feverish. The idea did not appeal to him.

He had been a dreadful father in many ways. He had always sworn he would not be like his father – cold, uncaring, never approving...but he had not been so much better. He had blamed their mother's sins on them, he did not speak to them often enough, he did not know them...

He had to take comfort in that his children loved one another enough to make up for the lack of love they have from their parents.

He frowned. It should not be like that at all. They should have a loving caring mother and a father who adored them. They deserved it. He could give them his love and try to make amends but nothing could replace that hole that pious strict Katherine, vibrant warm Anne, and sweet tender Jane had left in their children.

Silly innocent Kitty was a child herself.

He sat by his son's bedside and tries to suppress the sudden urge to hurt himself. He was a Christian prince. He was doing his duty to his country. He was a good man.

The mantra was not working as well as it used to when he was divorcing Katherine.

Pass me that lovely little gun
My dear, my darling one
The cleaners are coming, one by one
You don't even want to let them start

They are knocking now upon your door
They measure the room, they know the score
They're mopping up the butcher's floor
Of your broken little hearts

O children

Forgive us now for what we've done
It started out as a bit of fun
Here, take these before we run away
The keys to the gulag

O children
Lift up your voice, lift up your voice
Children
Rejoice, rejoice

O'Children by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

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