Archive of Our Own ^beta

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None of the queens were sure why they had been reincarnated. Most of them assumed they were being given a second chance. A chance to live their lives in a world which would treat them fairer and far kinder than they’d ever been in the past. A few of them believed they had unfinished business to attend to, even if they weren’t quite sure what that was yet.

The home which had been bestowed upon them was a grand one. It had four floors and each of the queens had their own bedroom suite. It couldn’t quite be classed as a palace but it could certainly be called a mansion. It was large enough that Catherine and Anne didn’t even realise the other was there for three whole days.

They had awoken in their individual beds, one by one and with varying degrees of confusion, curiosity and panic. Catherine woke up first, shortly followed by Anne. The queens actually thought it might just be the two of them for a while, that was until Jane and Anna joined them three weeks later. Almost an entire two months passed by before Katherine and Cathy reincarnated too completing the six.

It was evident from the moment Kat arrived that she was going to struggle the most out of the group. She awoke from the reincarnation and immediately let out a terrified scream. Jane and Anna rushed to her bedside and it took them several hours to calm her down and convince her that she wasn’t dreaming and she wasn’t about to be executed. Catherine and Anne stood in the hallway listening concerned. They couldn’t hear the whole thing, but they could hear enough to know this was another decapitation.

“You didn’t tell me there was another one.” Catherine shook her head gravely.

“I didn’t know.” Anne replied solemnly.

In the weeks that followed, the queens told their stories and brought the others up to speed with their history. Anna and Cathy were the only two to outlive Henry so it was up to them to inform the others of what inevitably finished off their ex husband. None of them were surprised.

Catherine of Aragon, having been the first to die, didn’t even realise that Henry had remarried after Anne. So finding out about the four others was a bit of a shock. Nevertheless, friendships began to form between the queens. Catherine, Jane and Cathy formed somewhat of a trio and spent their days hanging out together in the luxurious gardens which surrounded the property. Anne and Anna also formed a close bond. They were both fascinated with the 21st century and all the amazing technology that came with it. And they both usually stayed up way past midnight competing against each other on playstation or nintendo switch games.

As for Kat, she mainly hung out with Jane. She tried her best to build relationships with the other queens too but it was hard when she felt so on edge all the time. During the daytime she could hide it better and she did for the most part. She spent her days singing, dancing and watching movies. But she knew they could all hear her panic attacks at night. She could tell because Catherine would cast her sympathetic glances first thing in the morning and ask her if she was “doing okay.” She could tell because Anna would make her camomile teas before she went to bed at night. And mostly, she could tell because Anne didn’t seem to want anything to do with her.

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A full month passed by and Kat started to feel more and more at home in the twenty-first century. She also started to bond with the other queens - well with most of them. Anne had still barely spoken two words to her and when she did, she kept it brief. Kat assumed that her cousin had her reasons and she didn’t push her. But she did wonder what exactly she’d done to offend her.

Kat enjoyed the freedom and perks to modern day life. She loved singing along to the radio, painting her nails and making microwave popcorn for movie marathons. But that didn’t stop the past from coming back to haunt her during her sleep.

No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t shake the nightmares away. The flashbacks of her death were so vivid and realistic. She could practically feel the blood gushing down her throat. She relived the experience over and over until she could do nothing but scream.

“Katherine!” The nineteen year old felt herself being shaken awake. “Katherine wake up!”

Abruptly, Kat shot up and gasped, clutching at her neck. Coughing and spluttering she tried to figure out if she was alive or not.

“It’s okay, you’re okay.” Jane reassured her quickly. “You were screaming and holding your breath and I was worried you would stop breathing.”

“I’m- fine-” Kat sobbed though hagged breaths. Her heart was pounding and she was completely drenched from head to toe with sweat. She wondered how long she’d been dreaming for and how many of the others had heard her. Probably all of them.

“I’m so sorry.” Kat cried weakly, her body trembling. She was completely embarrassed but her brain would just not switch off. She could still feel the cold hard metal of the axe cutting into her skin. And there was so much blood.

Kat whimpered, squeezing her eyes closed and tried to with everything she had to stop visualising it.

“It’s okay love.” Jane held her hand out and waited for Katherine to hold it back. She’d learned from experience not to suddenly touch the youngest queen during one of these episodes. She also never asked her what the nightmares were about. She didn't really need to. The two queens sat side by side for several minutes not speaking. Eventually Kat placed her own trembling hand into Janes who squeezed it gently back.

“Would you like me to run you a bath?” Jane offered kindly.

“I’ll be fine,” Kat shook her head, “I can do it.”

“Okay. If you need me, you come and get me okay?” Jane reassured her. Katherine nodded, knowing she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t be disturbing Jane’s sleep any more than she already had done. The third queen shot her a sympathetic smile before quietly letting herself out of her bedroom.

Kat waited until she was sure that Jane had gone before attempting to stand. Her body felt weak and frail and she was still shaking from the aftershocks of the nightmare. Eventually, she traipsed across the room to her ensuite bathroom and turned the taps on the bathtub to full blast.

She peeled off her sticky pyjamas and crossed her arms across her chest. She tried desperately to steady the constant tremors which were wracking her body but the adrenaline coursing through her veins made that extremely difficult.

And that’s when she caught site of it. Her reflection.

Tentatively, she took two steps closer to the mirror. Her eyes immediately falling to her scar. An ugly, aggressive and constant reminder of how she died. It was impossible not to notice it and she had caught the other queens looking at it too - even Anne. Katherine ran her fingers along the length of the scar, gently feeling each soft jagged line and each indent. She only stopped once she realised she was crying again.

Kat lowered her fragile body slowly into the tub. The bath water was too hot and it stung her skin and made her feel lightheaded. The only solace she got was from her pink, floral scented soap. The sweet smell reminding her of daisy chains and fairy cakes and happier times.

She washed herself from tip to toe and gradually she began to relax. The panic and stress began to ease and all memories of those last few moments were put away for now. And by the time she was done, she felt a little less lost and little more herself. At least until the next time.

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Jane continued to be a big comfort to Katherine and it soon became routine for her to enter the youngest queens bedroom whenever she had a nightmare to console her. Jane would wipe away her tears and tell her everything would be okay. This helped a little and it certainly made the nights a lot less lonely. But Kat hated to be a burden and so she tried even harder to suppress her nightmares so not to bother Jane.

It didn’t work.

After a particularly bad night, Kat woke to find that she had slept in. Sitting up in bed, she rubbed her eyes in confusion. Catherine wouldn’t usually allow them to sleep in and would come knocking on their doors to make sure they were all at the breakfast table by 08:30 at the latest. But this morning the light was beaming through the curtains in a way that only the afternoon sun could. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table and had a mini heart attack when she noticed the time. 12:45. She had long missed breakfast but there was no sign of Catherine of Aragon.

Kat quickly got dressed and ventured downstairs. The thought did cross her mind that the others may have been abducted, so she was relieved when she heard the quiet murmur of voices coming from the kitchen. Kat peeped inside. Jane was busy cooking on the stove whilst Cathy and Anne were both sat at the table. She quietly joined them.

“Good morning.” Kat greeted the other queens.

“Good morning Kitty.” Jane greeted her back brightly.

“I think you mean good afternoon sleepyhead!” Cathy teased. Kat smiled sheepishly and sat down next to her. She knew Cathy was joking but she hoped the others didn’t think she was lazy. She made a conscious note to set multiple alarms in future so she didn’t sleep in again.

“Did you sleep well love?” Jane asked, a faint hint of concern in her voice.

“Yes, fine thank you.” Kat lied. “I’m sorry I missed breakfast.”

“Don’t worry about it sweetheart.” Jane replied, placing a mug of hot tea in front of the youngest queen. “I had a little word with Catherine and we both decided that you needed the extra rest today.”

Cathy and Anne cast each other knowing looks which Katherine pretended not to notice. This was so embarrassing. Everyone will have noticed she wasn't there for breakfast and they were probably all talking about her. Obviously they will have heard the commotion last night. The nightmares had been so vivid, it honestly felt like she was about to die. It had taken Jane a long time to settle her down, even having to hold down her arms to stop her from lashing out. And then came the tears. She just couldn’t catch a grip of reality and found herself sobbing in pain for almost an hour.

Katherine took a sip of her tea before helping herself to a bowl of plain porridge which she ate quietly, hopeful that the less she spoke the less the others would focus on her. Conversations came and went between the others. Cathy and Jane were planning on planting beanstalks in the garden and were discussing the materials they would need in depth. Gardening had never interested Kat so she zoned out entirely.

She had recently found a youtube channel about a baby bunny rescue centre and she was quickly becoming obsessed. They were just so small and fluffy and innocent. They were so playful and she loved watching them munch on hay and carrots and lettuce leaves.

“You know there’s books you can read that can help with the nightmares?” Cathy suddenly interrupted her thoughts. Kats smile fell at the invasive change in topic as she realised the other queens definitely weren't going to drop this.

“Cathy!” Jane scolded.

“I’m just thinking of ways to help!” Cathy insisted. “There’s a self help book I have upstairs about mindfulness and it has some really useful advice. It’s surely worth a try?”

“Self help?” Kat repeated confused. Her cheeks flushed red wishing this conversation would just end already.

“It can be really helpful Kat. Please try it. The mindfulness techniques in particular. I really think they could help you. I’ll go get it and you can take a look okay?”

“Okay.” Kat agreed, trying not to appear visibly upset. Cathy smiled widely and ran out of the room to fetch the book and the room once again fell silent.

“Don’t take the book.” Anne was the first to break the silence. Kat blinked surprised as she glanced over at the second queen. The second queen looked angry, furious even. Kat felt even more confused than ever. What had she done now? She hadn’t even been talking to Anne.

“I don’t want to hurt her feelings…” Kat justified her thought process, albeit shooting her older cousin a sceptical look.

Anne returned the look and they held eye contact in a rare and unexpected moment of solidarity. For the first time since the reincarnation, Kat got the feeling that someone actually got it.

When Cathy came back with the book, Kat sat and listened whilst the sixth queen pointed out all the bits she thought would be useful. But she couldn't help but keep glancing over at Anne who was clenching her fists in annoyance.

“Thank you Cathy. It’s really generous of you.” Kat politely accepted the book. She figured maybe if she made it look as though the book helped it would get her off her back and hopefully they’d all stop talking about her. She emptied her leftover porridge into the bin and quickly escaped the now tense atmosphere in the kitchen.

“Tsk...” Anne angrily shook her head, the moment Kat was out of sight.

“What’s got your knickers in a twist?“ Cathy raised an eyebrow.

“A self help book? Seriously Cathy?” Anne berated angrily. “Show me the page on public executions and how to come to terms with the loss of your head?!”

“At least I’m trying to help her which is more than can be said for you!” Cathy shouted back. “She can’t live the rest of her life with debilitating nightmares.”

“How would you know? Maybe the nightmares are there for a reason. Maybe that’s her brains way of coping with it.” Anne snapped.

“She needs help!! Surely you are not so cold hearted that you can’t see that the nightmares are getting worse not better?!”

“She doesn’t need to be patronised. She’s entitled to feel upset. If you’d given me a self help book I would have hit you with it!”

“Ladies enough! No one is hitting anybody!” Jane sternly interrupted the argument. “We all care about Katherine.”

“Well some people have a funny way of showing it.” Cathy huffed, storming out of the room.

Anne scowled but stayed at table, seemingly deep in thought. Jane continued preparing the dinner but took note of the protective side that had came out of the second queen.

Anne had noticeably rejected her cousin since they’d got here and she had not as much as alluded to her own beheading before now, let alone Katherines. She had spent the last four months trying her hardest to avoid talking to the youngest queen and would frequently walk out of the room if she entered it. So why was she suddenly defending her now?

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Over the next few days, Kat did everything she could to appear normal and less anxious in front of the other queens. She made a special effort not to jump at every noise and sudden movement like she usually did. She also discovered that if she slept for shorter periods of time that the nightmares were less frequent and less intense. So she set multiple alarms on her phone to stop herself from sleeping for too long at night. She was really tired, but it was worth it to stop from waking the other queens with her nightly screams.

And lastly, she made sure she regularly read Cathy’s book in sight of the others too. Or rather she made sure she held the book in front of her face whilst she watched youtube videos on her phone. Which was exactly what she was doing that Sunday morning as she lay on one of the sun loungers in the corner of the garden.

“Looks like you’re really getting into that book.”

Kat jumped out of her skin and whipped her head around faster than ordinarily possible. Stood behind her was Anne with an eyebrow raised and mischievous smirk.

“How long have you been stood there?” Kat accused, holding her hand to her chest to steady her pounding heart.

“Long enough to know you’re not even reading it.” Anne informed her, laying down on the lounger next to her. “What are you watching anyway?”

“Bunny rescue.” The younger queen admitted cautiously, “Please don’t tell Cathy.”

“Why?? Does Parr hate bunnies?” Anne teased.

“You know what I mean.” Kat pleaded, “Just don’t tell her that I’ve not read her book. I will read it eventually, just not today.”

“I could have told you that book would be useless.” Anne shrugged.

“Please Anne, please promise not to say anything.” Kat begged.

“Fine. I promise.” Anne agreed, finding the whole thing amusing.

Kat quietly returned to her video. The bunnies were being fed, her favourite part, and she didn’t want to miss it. She loved watching their cute tiny faces as they chomped through mountains of veggies.

She was so absorbed with the video that it took her a few minutes to realise that Anne was still there, watching alongside her. She wondered why her cousin was hanging out with her for the first time. But didn’t dare mention it as she didn’t want to scare her away and ruin it.

“I had a rabbit in my old life.” Anne was first to break the silence.

“You did? What was their name?” Kat asked, her eyes wide and curious.

“Etienne.” Anne smirked, enjoying the delight on her cousins face.

“You are so lucky! I never had any pets.” Kat admitted. Her family had been more interested in hunting rabbits, not keeping them as members of the family. Her dad would often go out to the woods and return with game and fox and other poor creatures who, ironically, would suffer the same fate she did.

“I have an idea.” Anne stood up suddenly, a twinkle in her eye. “What do you say we go get ourselves some actual real life baby bunnies?”

“Are you serious?!” Kat squealed, excitement taking over, “But wait, Jane and Catherine, we should check with them first?”

“Why should we?” Anne furrowed her brow dismissively.

“Well because, they’re like, older? They’re in charge?” Kat rationalised her thought process. This was partly true. Catherine and Jane had done a lot for them over the last few months. Always ensuring they had enough food to eat, clothes to wear, daily essentials. It had never occurred to her to do something without asking them first.

“Kitty, you are quite literally 500 years old.” Anne pointed out. “I am 520 years old which according to your rules makes me in charge and I say, let’s go!”

Kat noted the nickname her cousin had referred to her as. The only other person who ever called her that was Jane. The name ‘Kitty’ somehow clicked with her. She thought she might even prefer it to her actual name. It was sweeter, funner and it distinguished her from all the other Catherine’s who she both lived with and was eternally tied to.

"Or are you too scared?" Anne raised an inciting eyebrow.

“Fine. Lets go." Kat replied nonchalantly, impressing the second queen with her impulsive decision.

Anne laughed as Kat jumped to her feet and ran inside the house to get ready. She followed her inside and opened up her laptop to google the nearest animal shelter. She knew Catherine and Jane would probably freak out when they got back from mass. But somehow she could sense that her younger counterpart needed this.

Forty minutes later and Anne found herself stood outside her cousins bedroom impatiently. The fifth queen seemed to be taking forever to do her hair and makeup and Anne was getting restless.

“Kitty, come on!” Anne pleaded, “You’re not chickening out are you?”

“No of course not!” Kat shouted through the door. “I’ll just be five more minutes.”

“We’re going to an animal shelter not a beauty contest.” Anne had enough of waiting outside and abruptly let herself inside Kats room. She immediately realised what the problem was. Kat was trying to cover her scar with makeup.

“Can I have a little privacy please?!” Kat replied exacerbated, but the second queen simply closed the bedroom door behind them.

“Trust me, that’s never going to work.” Anne sighed, sitting down next to her cousin on the vanity chair.

“I can’t go out in public looking like this, I just can’t.” Kats eyes welled with tears. “Everyone will notice and ask questions and I’m not ready for that.”

Anne paused for thought, staring at their reflections in the vanity mirror. A sudden pang of guilt swirled through her stomach as she realised how much Kat needed support and how little she felt able to give her. They looked more alike than she initially thought too. Similar bone structure, similar eye colour, similar scars.

“I’m gonna let you in on a little secret okay?” Anne spoke softly. She lifted her arms behind her head and unclasped the black velvet choker which she’d discreetly been wearing to cover her own scar. Taking care to be inordinately gentle, she reattached the garment around her cousins neck, making sure it was neither too tight nor too loose.

Kat sat as still as she possibly could whilst Anne arranged the choker, suppressing every involuntary urge to flinch. It felt warm against her skin and the parts which usually tingled with numbness and nerve damage suddenly didn’t quite as much.

“There. Now no one will know there’s anything there.” Anne smiled genuinely, “It looks good on you. Makes you look tough.”

Kat turned to look at herself in the mirror sceptically but blinked surprised when she realised how well this flimsy piece of black fabric did at covering her scar.

“But what about yours?” Kat worried out loud. She had never seen her cousins scar up close before and her neck was now completely exposed without the choker she always adorned.

“Do you ever stop worrying?” Anne teased, “I bought about twenty chokers when we first got here and I’ve got two spares in my bag.”

If Kat looked sad for a moment it was quickly disguised with a smile. Maybe all this time she was just worrying too much.

“Anyway, if we don’t leave soon all the cute bunnies will be gone.” Anne whined, climbing to her feet. “Can we like leave now?”

Kat grinned and followed Anne out into the hall and down the stairs. They were both suddenly overcome with the giggles at the prospect of the little adventure they were about to undertake. Anna cast them a curious look, but didn’t get the chance to ask them any questions before the two cousins escaped through the front door in a fit of laughter. Kat wondered why exactly her cousin had changed her tune so suddenly. Why was Anne being so nice to her? She was both confused and at the same time happy to just role with it. She also knew they were going to be in serious trouble when they returned with their new pets. But for the first time in a really, really long time, Kat was carefree.

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As expected, Jane and Catherine freaked out when they got home and discovered that rabbits had taken over the conservatory. Anne and Kat adopted two bunnies from the same litter and they were extremely cute. They also purchased just about every single bunny accessory you could imagine.

Anne assured Jane and Catherine that they would look after them and wouldn’t cause a mess. And after a bit of a rocky start, the bunnies soon became part of the family. Kat absolutely adored them and Anne was sure she’d made the right decision. Seeing her cousin genuinely happy for the first time since they got here was worth the drama.

Kat never took her choker off after Anne gave it to her. Anne had been right. Wearing the choker empowered her and made her feel confident as opposed to a victim. And only those who knew them well enough knew the scars they were hiding beneath them.

The two cousins started hanging out together every day. They could usually be found, making each other laugh until they had tears in their eyes. The others were surprised by the sudden turnaround, having gone from not speaking at all to best friends within a matter of a week or two. They seemed to bring out the best in each other. Anne was less argumentative and cheeky. And she had revealed a more laidback and mischievous side to Kat. Their friendship was a breath of fresh air in the household.

“No, no no! Absolutely not!” Catherine walked into the living room, her eyes wide with horror when she saw Anne and Kat playing with the bunnies on the sofa. “Anne, ¡soy alergica!”

“C'est n'importe quoi.” Anne responded with a smirk.

Kat sniggered, understanding enough French to know what her cousin had said. The eldest queen however, was not finding it amusing and her face began to turn red with anger.

“I am serious ladies. Take them outside immediately before I take an anaphylactic shock!”

“Come on Kitty Kat. Let’s take the girls out for a little bit of sunshine.” Anne smirked, lifting the little black rabbit up and taking her out into the garden. Kat apologised to Catherine, placing a gentle touch on her arm before picking up the fluffy white and black bunny and following her cousin outside.

Kat placed the bunny in the playpen and lay down on the grass. She hadn’t slept for more than three hours at a time in over a week and if she was honest, it was starting to catch up with her. So far, she had managed to keep the nightmares at bay but she was starting to develop dark circles under her eyes and was finding it difficult to stay focused.

She took a big yawn and stretched her arms above her head. But she only got three seconds to relax before the awful sensation of being tickled spread through her body. Her eyes popped open and sure enough Anne was standing above her, tickling her armpits.

“Ahhh! Stoopp!” Kat scream laughed. Grabbing Anne’s wrists and pushing her off.

Anne laughed, bending over in hysterics at her cousins reaction. Kat leapt at the chance to retaliate and tickled the second queen on the stomach, but to her dismay Anne didn’t even flinch.

“I’m not ticklish.” Anne smiled smugly.

“What?! That’s not fair!” Kat pouted, folding her arms.

“What can I say, I’m just talented.”

“Pull me up.” Kat huffed.

“Yes your majesty.” Anne replied, still obviously in a joking mood.

“Funny.” Kat narrowed her eyes.

“I know.” Anne quipped, helping her cousin up off the grass. “Let’s go see what Cathy and Jane are making for dinner. I’m starving.”

The queens ate dinner together in the dining room as they usually did. Jane made a large pie and Cathy made gratin dauphinois. All the queens finished their plates except for Kat which did not go unnoticed by Jane. This was not unusual behaviour for the youngest queen who picked at her food no matter what was put in front of her. But today she must have only managed two or three bites and was noticeably spaced out.

“Are you feeling alright love?” Jane queried, as Kat stepped up to the counter to clean her plate. The other queens had all finished and were congregating in the living room for movie night.

“I’m fine.” Kat smiled, rinsing her plate under the hot tap.

“I noticed you didn’t eat much, did you not like it? I can make you something else?” Jane worried genuinely.

“No, no honestly I’m fine.” Kat insisted, not wanting any extra fuss. And she meant it. She was happier than she’d been in weeks. It was hard to explain, but she just felt too tired to eat. “I’m really not that hungry. It was delicious, thank you.”

Jane stood in silence, struggling to get inside the youngest queens head. She could tell that something was up but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Kat insisted she was fine and linked Janes arm as they both followed the other queens into the living room.

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It had been eight weeks since Anna of Cleves reincarnated and joined Catherine, Anne and Jane in the 21st century. The fourth queen was down to earth, funny and intelligent. She got along with all the queens but out of all of them she got along with Anne the most.

The two queens found it easy to confide in one another too. Opening up about many things. Their pasts, their hopes and their worries. They even discussed each others previous lovers and joked together about Henrys podgy belly. But Anne never, ever spoke about her death. The handful of times it was ever brought up, she changed topic immediately, particularly in front of Catherine or Jane. So Anna quickly realised that this topic was off limits.

From the moment Anna arrived, the first three queens had about a million questions for her. Especially when they learned that the fourth queen had outlived their ex husband. But they agreed not to discuss in depth the final two queens who had yet to join them. Including what happened between them and Henry and how they died.

Anna knew of the family links which tied the fifth and sixth queens to the others. But she didn’t reveal this to them. She just didn’t feel like it was her place. But as time went on, she began to realise she might have made a mistake when it came to her closest friend in the house.

Anne was was sitting alone in the living room on her phone when Anna approached her one evening, a serious look of her face.

“I need to tell you something and I wanted to tell you away from the others because it affects you more than it does them.” Anna blurted out.

Anne frowned and put her phone down intrigued.

“So I told you that there were two more queens after me right?” Anna sat down next to her on the couch.

“You did.” Anne replied.

“Have you looked them up?” Anna queried, analysing her friends expression closely. She secretly hoped that Anne already knew, so she wouldn’t have to be the one to break the news.

“No.” Anne raised an eyebrow wondering where this strange conversation was leading.

“Seriously?” Anna replied in disbelief, “You seriously haven’t looked them up? You’ve never got curious and googled them or looked in a history book?”

“Um no..? We agreed not to?” Anne replied confused. Of course she was interested, but up until a couple of weeks ago she never knew they existed. She planned simply on meeting and getting to know them when they inevitably reincarnated.

“Wow okay. I really don’t know how you’re going to take this so I’m just going to come out and say it....” Anna exhaled nervously.

A long pause ensued whilst Anna gathered her thoughts and searched her brain for the most coherent way possible to break this to her friend.

“The fifth queen. The one who came after me. She was executed.” Anna revealed solemnly.

Anne blinked. Her expression barely changing.

“Well you have to give me more than that. How? When? Why? What was her name at least?” Anne questioned quickly.

“Well.. She was beheaded..” Anna admitted, relieved that so far, Anne seemed to be taking the news well.

“Classic Henry.” Anne retorted.

“And she was buried next to you I believe.”

“Oh how delightful.” Anne replied sarcastically. “And with whom exactly do I have the pleasure of sharing a grave?”

“Katherine Howard.”

Annes face paled as she processed that information. And a feeling of discomfort settled in the pit of Annas stomach as she watched the second queen join the dots. Her face looked as though someone had just slapped her.

“If you’re playing a horrible trick on me, really funny, please end it now.” Anne said seriously. Her eyes dark and fists clenched.

“It’s not a trick, I wouldn’t joke about something like this.” Anna sighed, realising that Anne definitely wasn’t taking it well after all. “Are you okay?”

“Fantastic thanks. Fucking Henry and my selfish, power hungry family. What is wrong with them!? They didn’t get it from me, so they had to give it another shot with her!” Anne shouted, her voice alarmingly loud.

“Anne..” Anna reached her hand out to comfort her, but she snatched it away.

“I’m fine! Seriously I’m fine. It’s just they are all fucking pathetic.” Anne wiped tears out of her eyes.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you cry. I just wanted to make sure you were prepared as it could be any day now that she arrives. I didn’t want you to find out like that.”

“Katherine was at least... I don’t even know.. twenty years younger than me, are you sure?” Anne queried. It was her last shred of hope that maybe, just maybe, Anna had made a mistake.

“I’m sure.” Anna admitted.

“Ugh that makes me feel sick.” Anne ran her hands through her long dark hair angrily and exhaled.

“I didnt know if you would have known her or not as the internet says...”

“Yeah I knew her.” Anne revealed, sadness lacing her voice, “Her horrible father dragged her around court like some kind of possession. She was actually one of the nice ones.”

“Yeah she was a sweetheart.” Anna agreed, sadly.

There was another long pause while both queens gathered their thoughts. Anna wondered what was going through Anne’s mind right now as the second queen wiped more angry tears from her eyes.

“I know you don’t like talking about it but you both went through such similar experiences. When she gets here, you could really support each other through this. I know theres things you aren’t talking to me about and that’s okay.” Anna spoke softly.

“Tsk.. Hi Katherine! Welcome to the 21st century! I heard you also got your head severed off. Let’s be friends so we can talk about how fucking horrific it was!”

“You don’t need to suffer through this alone. That’s all I’m saying.” Anna affirmed.

Anne shook her head. That was something she couldn’t imagine ever, ever opening up about to anyone.

“Thanks for telling me.” Anne folded her arms, and standing up.

“No problem.” Anna replied, recognising that the conversation was over. Anne left the room promptly and dashed upstairs to her bedroom, evidently still upset.

The fourth queen was left feeling conflicted and she started to doubt whether or not she’d done the right thing telling Anne about Katherine. She was relieved to have the weight off her shoulders, but maybe it hadn’t been her place to say anything after all?

She was lying awake that night, still mulling over if she made the right choice when she heard the bloodcurdling scream.

She emerged from her room and walked briskly down the corridor in the direction of the screaming, when she bumped into Jane. Who looked both frantic and relieved to have found help.

“Anna! It’s her, it’s the fifth queen. She’s here!”