Julia Hopkins
Silence choked the house. Anne didn’t dare to move, her hand frozen holding the doorknob. There were no words, nothing she could say to lift the heavy blanket of this. She wasn’t naive. Anne had heard stories of crossdressing maids going to war, gossip about guards with hips a little too wide and voices a little too high. She had assumed that was all they were, tales for little girls who preferred swords over dolls. Of course, all stories are made with a touch of truth.
Anne couldn't hear what Henry was doing in the bedroom and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Forcing her hand off the door, she walked into the front room and sat herself on the wooden chair. There, she allowed herself a moment of peace before burying her hands in her face and letting out a silent scream. An out-loud scream would have alerted the neighbors and neither person wanted that. Her hands shook against her skin.
Secrecy was natural back home. Everyone had something to hide, something to drown in bravado and lies until it choked. Gossip was accepted in whispers while tilling fields and cooking vats of stew but to openly spread someone's life for display was a sin unworthy of precious daylight hours. No one liked a tattletale, far be it from them to judge life so loudly when they locked their past sins to their chests, in cages, never to pass through their lips.
From the moment Anne entered the palace, rumors had flown around her. The gossip rules she had grown up no longer held true. People didn’t whisper in dark shadows over pints of ale, they shouted and spread them like butter on toast. Some were innocent, wondering if she had family back in Edinburgh (she did not) or about her favorite dish (the castle chef made beef once and Anne would be willing to spend every coin she made to have it again) Most were not. Most were made from envious maids and outraged nobles. Rumors of being a bastard royal, an enchantress, even one of being her Highness's secret lover. All were false, as most rumors are, but the idea was enough to convince people that the Devil sent her.
Anne's thoughts were swept aside as Henry exited the bedroom, fully dressed. She whipped to the side and the two made tenacious eye contact. The moon was high in the sky and highlighting Henry's face, blue tint made him look ethereal.
Anne was the first to look away, eyes gliding to the floor. He took a shallow breath as he stalked over to her chair. “I think it's best if you leave.”
She studied the floor, looked up to Henry then shot her eyes down again.
“You will not tell anyone what you saw.”
Anne nodded.
“If this makes it out, I can assure you that you will find a fate worse than death.”
Henry and Anne's hands trembled to the rhythm of their thumping heartbeats.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Grabbing the waning candle holder, Henry grabbed her by the arm. Gone was the soft attraction between the two, replaced by something unidentifiable. The two walked outside into the cool night air. There were no guards outside the door, everyone long since tucked themselves into bed as the moon steadily rose in the air.
The walk to the ladies cabin was eerily calm. The usual rustling of leaves and near silent movements of animals were absent and in their place was tension unlike any Anne had known before. ‘Why did I open the damn door?’
~
The ladies were sleeping in small groups on the assorted furniture. Henry gently pushed open the door and paused before stiffly releasing Annes arm. Warm red marks led up her bicep to the tip of her shoulder. She could feel his eyes on her head but looking up seemed so hard, a heavy weight pulling it to the floor.
“Right then.” Henry turned on his heel and walked away, the heavy door sliding shut behind him. A few moments passed before the princess shot up.
“Anne!” She whisper-yelled. “Are you alright?”
Anne, with startling silence, walked slowly to Her Highnesses' startlingly empty bed. Clearly the days spent together had not changed her views on sleeping alone. She sat herself on the dusty, dirty floor and let out a quiet sob.
The room was so, so quiet. Her eyes were flooded with tears and her vision swam. Hands reached out, smoothing her hair and uttering soft, comforting cooing sounds. Anne was able to recognize that her head was in the princesses lap as she sang a soft lullaby before letting her eyes drag her into darkness.