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The week following the argument and following apologies from the first three queens was bliss. It was as if a cloud had lifted from the household.
All of the arguments from then on were lighthearted, teasing.
Catherine still held an air of indifference around herself and was deadpan with her teasing. But after the conversation with Anne, it was almost as if she lost a piece of armor. Now, you were far more likely to get a smile from the oldest queen.
Anne had lost some of her temper and had taken to calling the other queens nicknames, usually French. She even began calling Catherine, Catalina and even Lina.
Jane’s apologies became less common. When she would apologize for something unnecessary the other queens would gently tell her not to apologize.
Anna was able to relax more now that the big arguments had been handled. Instead of stopping a fight, she was engaged in friendly conversation, asking about how the others day had gone.
Kat was around the others more often. She was still quiet compared to some of the others, but she was seen out of Anne and Anna’s shadows more often now.
It was far more common to see Cathy out of her room now that the yelling mostly vanished. You could easily find her perched in an armchair with a notebook. Usually Kitty was with her, both girls either reading and writing or talking quietly as a friendship blossomed.
But the arguments hadn’t been the only problems in the household. No, now that the anger and frustration was out of the way. It allowed the queens to see the fear that had taken root alongside their anger. The fear that presented itself as nightmares.
Catherine woke up sobbing and refusing to wake up the others. She dreams of the sorrows from her past life. She dreamt of Mary, her darling girl that she left behind in her past life. She dreamt of her imprisonment after her first husband's death. She dreamt of dying, the harsh pain in her chest taking all of her breath away. Everyone heard her cries, but didn’t know how to bring it up.
Anna watched all of the other queens die. Her guilt taking hold of her dreams. She never woke up crying or screaming. But every morning after one of these dreams, she kept a closer eye on her fellow queens. No one knew about her dreams.
Jane dreamed about what could have been. She dreamt about a life with Edward and everything it would have been. Those nights she woke up with tears falling down her cheeks. Other nights, she dreamed of Anne’s death, sometimes even Kat’s, she always had to get up and check on the other women afterwards. Rarely, it was even her own death.
It is hard for Cathy to sleep sometimes. So her sleep was usually dreamless. So no one quite knew what she dreamed about when she rarely did.
Anne and Katherine were the worst when it came to nightmares.
It was common to hear Anne wake up with a scream. The other queens would reach her side only to find her clawing at her neck, drawing blood. It was always a race to reach her before the scar reopened. Her nightmare was almost always the same. Her execution with loud, cheering voices crying for her death. Much rarer are the dreams of burning, burning like her execution was originally meant to be.
As for Kat, it wasn’t just nightmares. Fear seems to follow the youngest queen wherever she goes. There was always an anxious feeling in her gut whenever she ran into a strange man while out with the other queens.
It was hard for her to even trust the other queens at first. She spent days wondering if she could believe that they wouldn’t use her or turn their backs on her like everyone else in the world had. Sometimes, that sick feeling still came back and she found herself doubting their words. But they proved again and again that Kat could trust them.
It’s been a while since she last felt distrust towards the other five queens.
But even with how terrified Kat was awake, it was always worse when she slept.
Nearly every night, a night terror sprung up in her dreams. Sometimes it was Mannox. Sometimes it was Francis. Henry. Thomas. Sometimes it was the tower, where she laid her head on a block for hours until finally she saw her own death again, all played behind closed eyelids.
Sometimes, Kat would wake up shrieking, the night terror still gripping tightly to her mind and refusing to leave. The other queens always found her thrashing, trying wildly to remove hands that weren’t there or keep on the head she believed to be lost. At least one of the queens stayed to protect her from the dreams on those nights. If it was bad enough, all of the queens did.
Other nights were almost silent. Kat woke up gasping, unable to muster the energy to scream and cry. Her body burned where other hands had touched and her neck burned even worse. On nights like those, Kat would simply lay there until she caught her breath before creeping out of her room, carefully avoiding floorboards.
In the beginning, it had been to grab a glass of water, maybe a snack as she reoriented herself to the present.
But now, she would head straight for another queen’s room. Whichever queen happened to be chosen that night would simply let the girl into their bed as they kept her safe for the rest of the night.
Well, tonight happened to be a silent night for Kat.
This time, it had been Mannox, teaching her to play the lute as the lesson slowly became more and more intimate until it was an entirely different lesson.
Kat was quickly on her feet and creeping to her door as her mind flashed through who to go too.
Tomorrow was Sunday, meaning Catherine had mass, so Kat didn’t want to make her too tired. Jane was always a comforting presence, very much like a mother, but for some reason, Kat didn’t feel like that was who she should go to. The same was with Anna, the older woman would always be there if Kat needed her, but something was telling her that wasn’t who she needed at the moment.
This left Anne and Cathy.
Cathy was the most common person for Kat to go too. They had met up while Kat had been getting water after one of these silent night terrors. Cathy had made her way down to get a cup of coffee before returning to her room to write. Kat had gone with the girl and they spent a while simply talking. But eventually, Kat felt the urge to go back to sleep, and dragged Cathy with her. Kat wouldn’t be alone and she could also make sure Cathy actually slept. It had led to a quick friendship between the two and so Cathy was Kat’s go to for the silent night terrors.
But Cathy had a deadline for her writing this time and Kat didn’t want to interrupt, she would bug Cathy to get some sleep tomorrow night.
This left Anne as the final choice. If Cathy was busy and Anne wasn't having a nightmare, it was usually the latter that Kat went to. Anne understood the beheading part of her nightmares, so she was a trusted source of comfort for the younger cousin.
So Kat made her way down the hall to the green room. Only to see bedsheets thrown back and no Anne in sight.
Kat frowned but quickly figured out where her cousin would go. Anne wasn’t the kind of person to talk about her feelings. Kat was an exception, and even she didn’t know everything. The talks with Catherine and Jane had been important and now that they were over, Anne was back to bottling everything up behind laughter.
So whenever Anne had a nightmare she didn’t wake up screaming from, she usually went up to the attic.
Sure enough, that was where Kat found her.
Anne was stretched out in the hammock, one foot on the floor pushing herself. Her eyes were open as she stared almost blankly at the ceiling. Kat took a moment to glance at Anne’s neck.
No scratch marks or blood. Good. Perhaps it wasn’t too bad tonight.
“Annie?”
Anne’s head jolted in Kat’s direction and she smiled upon seeing her cousin.
“Hey, Chaton!” Anne said, but her smile morphed into a frown. “Was it a nightmare?”
Kat tensed slightly but made her way over to Anne, standing in front of the hammock as Anne sat up in it. “Yeah…”
Anne winced. “I’m guessing you would rather not talk about it?”
“If you don’t mind?” Kat said, shifting nervously and playing with her fingers.
“Of course not!” Anne said as she stood up, giving Kat a smile. Kat wasn’t going to mention how the smile didn’t reach Anne’s eyes.
The two cousins made their way to the couch and sat down together. Anne making sure to give Kat space, knowing that the girl was still very uncomfortable with touch unless she approved it.
“Did you have a nightmare too?” Kat asked.
“No, for once.” Anne said with a small snort. “I just couldn’t sleep this time.”
Kat let out a small hum. “Sorry that you can’t.”
“Thanks, but it isn’t your fault.”
After that the two fell into a comfortable silence. Anne tapping her foot and Kat still playing with her fingers.
“Hey, we should do each other’s hair! I saw something called hair dye and I think it would look great on you.” Anne spoke up suddenly, giving Kat an excited look.
“Hair dye?” Kat said curiously, glancing at Anne.
“Yeah! It puts color in your hair! You can do stuff like blue and green! There’s pink too!” Anne chirped, now sitting on the edge of the couch.
“Oh! That sounds fun!” Kat beamed at Anne, interested in the idea of putting color in her hair. “I saw something online I would like to try with your hair, but I don’t think I have any extra hair ties…”
Anne glanced at Kat mischievously. “Shopping trip?”
Kat blinked in surprise. “This late at night?”
“Yeah!” Anne cheered, getting to her feet. “There won’t even be that many people outside at this hour so we can go look around and get back. I don’t think we’ll be able to sleep anyways!”
Kat considered Anne’s words. It was true that there wouldn’t be many people out at this time of night. Anne was right about being unable to go back to sleep, too. Kat was almost wide awake at this point. She also wouldn’t be alone, as Anne would be right beside her. As a final plus, she was interested in the hair dye.
“Alright.” Kat relented easily with a smile, also getting to her feet. “Meet you at the door?”
“Yep!” Anne said, already heading for the stairs to go get dressed.
~~||~~||~~
Why they didn’t go to the convenience store, Kat will never know. But Anne claimed they would find better hair dyes at the mall and Kat wasn’t going to argue. Besides, it was night so there wouldn’t be many people in the usually crowded building, it would be nice to look around.
There were still some people around but it wasn’t the crowded mass that occurred during the day.
“So, what do you want to do first?” Anne asked, spinning to fully face Kat. “Hair stuff or look around?”
“Hair Stuff.” Kat answered pretty quickly.
“Got it!” Anne replied as the girls made their way to the hair shop.
As they entered, Kat quickly spotted the hair ties and grabbed some that were green. Anne was already over at the hair dyes.
“So what color do you wanna do?” Anne questioned, earning a small shrug from Kat.
“I don’t know, that’s a lot of colors.”
Both cousins' eyes trailed over the many different colors on the shelves. When Anne suggested dying Kat’s hair, neither of them expected the very wide range of colors before them.
Finally, Kat’s eyes trailed to a hot pink color. She picked up the box and showed it to Anne. “I really like this one.”
The older cousin beamed and giggled. “It would go with your pink aesthetic too! I knew you would choose pink!”
“Well, I guess I do wear a lot of pink...” Kat mumbled, embarrassed that her color choice was that obvious.
After that, it didn’t take long to check out and begin window shopping.
Anne was bouncing from one store to the other, her hyperactivity remaining even with how late, or early, it was. Kat trailed behind her cousin, the duo talking about the clothes and items they found.
“This would look good on Anna!” Kat commented, pointing out a red and black jacket in the display.
But she didn’t get a response.
Kat faltered, glancing around the area quickly for her cousin. Kat found her standing in front of a different window further down, simply staring at something. Kat was worried as she quickly made her way to Anne’s side.
“Annie? What’s wrong?” Kat asked gently, placing a hand on Anne’s shoulder. But Anne didn’t look upset. In fact, she looked like she was debating something.
“Look at this!” Anne said, causing Kat’s eyes to trail to the window.
In the display was a wide array of necklaces and other jewelry. But the largest case was a collection of black bands with the different letters of the alphabet attached to them. Next to the case was a mannequin head with the band holding the letter A around its neck. The case read; ‘chokers.’
“Chokers?” Kat mumbled absently, eyes turning to the one with the letter ‘K.’
Anne was practically vibrating again as she turned to Kat. “Kitty, they’re big enough to hide our scars!”
Oh.
Suddenly it all clicked for Kat why her cousin was so excited about the chokers.
Kat pauses for a moment, considering her cousin’s words.
She always felt as if people were staring at her scar. It was part of the reason she didn’t go out as much as the other queens did. It always gave her a burning feeling in that very scar at the thought of people staring, even worse making fun of it or asking questions. Something to cover it up with would be very nice, and she could also get one with a ‘K’ for her name...
With her mind made up, Kat looked back at Anne with a beaming smile. “How about we get ourselves some chokers?”
Anne beamed up at Kat, quickly making her way into the store with Kat right behind her.
When they came out, they now held a second bag with two chokers inside holding a ‘B’ and a ‘K’ respectively.
~~||~~||~~
It was the next morning and Jane Seymour had made breakfast for all of the queens. Cathy and Catherine were already downstairs and Jane could hear Anna entering the front door after her morning run.
This left the second and fifth queens to wake up.
But when Jane checked both rooms, they weren’t there. So she headed to the final place they could be, the attic.
When she reached the top of the steps, she immediately stopped in surprise.
Both girls were on the couch, curled into each other and fast asleep. But that wasn’t the surprising thing. The end of Kat’s hair was a bright hot pink and up in a ponytail. Anne’s hair was up in two buns but the rest of her hair was still flowing down her back. On the table in front of them sat two chokers with a ‘B’ and a ‘K.’
After taking a moment to contain her surprise, Jane smiled and stepped forward to the cousins.
“Anne? Kat?” Jane asked, gently tapping their shoulders.
Anne woke with a start, blinking as she gazed around the room. Kat’s eyes fluttered open and focused on Jane.
“Jane?” The younger cousin asked, yawning as she sat up straighter.
“That’s right, love.” Jane answered with a small laugh. “I’m loving your hair. Both of you.”
Anne was awake by this point and beamed at Jane. “Yeah? I knew Kat would look good with dyed hair!”
“She does, and you look good with your hair up too, Anne!” Jane said, looking to Anne this time.
“Thanks! It was Kat’s idea!” Anne replied, looking over at Kat proudly. The younger woman blushed but smiled back.
“And who found the jewelry?” Jane asked as the girls both stood up.
“Anne saw them when we were out.” Kat answered as she picked hers up off the table. “They’re chokers and they go around your neck.”
Jane understood immediately that it was for the scars, but didn’t mention it. Instead she noticed something else. “Wait, out? You two went out alone last night?!” Jane cut herself off before she could go further, taking a deep breath. “Breakfast is downstairs, we will be talking about appropriate times to go out later.”
Anne and Kat both shared an embarrassed look before the former spoke. “Sorry, mère!”
“It won’t happen again!” Alongside embarrassed, Kat looked slightly panicked.
Jane seemed to notice the panic. “You both promise it won’t happen again?”
She was met with quick nods.
Jane relaxed. “As long as you two understand. Just… if you go out that late, make sure the rest of us know about it.”
“Right!”
“Of course!”
“That’s all I can ask.” Jane said before turning and heading down the stairs.
As she headed down the stairs, Jane couldn’t help but ponder what mère meant.
~~||~~||~~
When Jane reached the kitchen, the other three queens were all in their seats at the table.
“Where’s Anne and Kat?” Catherine spoke up as Jane entered the room.
“They’ll be down in just a moment, they have a surprise for everyone!” Jane answered, taking her own seat with a beaming smile. The other three queens glanced at each other, confused.
They didn’t have to wait long, moments later, the two cousins stepped into the room.
This time, they had their chokers around their necks.
Jane was still beaming. Catherine straightened as she took in the sight of the two queens but wore a proud smile on her face. Cathy blinked in surprise and was looking mostly at Kat.
Anna was up and out of her chair, striding over to Anne and Kat.
“Wunderschönen!” Anna exclaimed, giving them a hug. “It looks wonderful on both of you!”
Cathy spoke up next, sounding very amused but her voice held a tired tone. “When did you two have time to go get hair dye and chokers?”
Kat flushed. “We couldn’t sleep…”
“So we went to the mall and got this stuff!” Anne spoke up energetically.
“And? How do you two feel?” Catherine asked the two.
“I don’t feel like people will stare at my scar.” Kat said, smiling happily. “I like it.”
“Same here!” Anne said, nodding along to Kat’s words.
“That’s wonderful, loves! Now grab a plate, the food is getting cold!” Jane urged and all three standing women were quickly taking their places.
During the meal, Kat and Anne couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces. They felt confident and proud, far less anxious than they had before. The other queens seemed to feel the fading, anxious energy, and had smiles of their own.
Anne and Anna also noticed something. Cathy was staring at Kat. Cathy also happened to be blushing. Whenever Kat turned to the other woman, Cathy glanced away to pretend that she definitely was not staring at Kat.
Anne had to hold back laughter at the scene and Anna was smirking. Oh, they were going to have fun with this.
~~||~~||~~
Later in the day, everyone went off to do their own thing. Catherine had left for mass quickly after eating. Cathy had grabbed her notebook from her room and was perched on her armchair, writing. Jane and Anna were watching the tv, keeping the volume low for Cathy.
As for the beheaded cousins…
Anne and Kat were in the hallway upstairs, in front of Anna’s room.
Kat wasn’t entirely sure how Anne had roped her into pranking the fourth queen, but here she was, helping Anne cause her mischief.
Anne was currently perched on Kat’s shoulders, placing a plastic bucket filled with water on top of the door while Kat held the door in place.
“I cannot believe I agreed to this.” Kat mumbled to herself as Anne pulled her hand back through the crack in the door.
“I need someone tall, and you need more confidence!” Anne said, climbing down from Kat’s shoulders. “It’s a win-win!”
Kat furrowed her brows. “But through pranks?”
“Harmless pranks!” Anne clarified before giving Kat a pleading look. “Please? I need a partner in crime!”
Kat paused. Maybe Anne was right. Perhaps pranking would help her get a small confidence boost. She couldn’t quash the anxiety pooling in her stomach at doing something she probably shouldn’t. But she would give it a try. It may just work out as something helpful.
~~||~~||~~
Later that evening, as all of the queens sat in the living room, Anna went upstairs. Only a few seconds later, there was a thunderous crash from upstairs.
“WAS ZUR HÖLLE?!” There was a moment of silence before suddenly; “VERRÜCKTES MÄDCHEN!”
A cackling green blur shot from the couch and out the front door as a red blur shot down the stairs in pursuit.
Catherine was shaking her head in exasperation but held a fond smile. Cathy had frozen upon hearing the crash and shout, but held an amused smirk upon relaxing. Jane had her hands over her mouth, trying to hide her giggling.
Kat couldn’t hold back her own laughter at the sight.
~~||~~||~~
The next day, Anne had woken up and put on her choker before making her way downstairs. All of the other queens had woken up by this point. Catherine and Jane were in the living room, Cathy was sequestered away in her room, and Anna and Kat were up in the attic.
On the kitchen table was a pack of Oreos. Anne blinked and shrugged. She didn’t want to mess around making something when she could just eat Oreos.
So she pulled an Oreo out of the pack and took a bite. Only to freeze.
Someone replaced the cream with toothpaste.
“MERDE! TOOTHPASTE!?” Anne’s shriek could be heard from the kitchen, so Jane and Catherine quickly glanced over the back of the couch with curiosity.
Anne dashed out of the kitchen and looked at the two of them. “Where’s Anna?!”
“Attic.” Catherine replied simply before turning back to her book.
Jane watched as Anne dashed up the stairs. “I wonder how long it will be until she realizes the true culprit.”
“Anna will either let it play out for a while or will tell her almost immediately.” Catherine chuckled, turning the page. “It will go either way.”
~~||~~||~~
Anna and Kat were playing Smash Brothers when Anne reached the stairs. Upon hearing her, Anna grinned and paused the game. Next to her, Kat began giggling.
“Toothpaste Oreos?! Really, Anna?!” Anne cried as she reached the top.
“Who said it was me?” Anna asked. She put the controller down and crossed her arms with a smirk.
“What are you—?” Anne’s eyes narrowed. “As revenge, duh!”
“Well, believe it or not, it wasn’t me.” Anna said with a laugh.
“Then who was it?!” Anne questioned, brows furrowed in confusion and distrust.
“It was actually me.”
Anne blinked as she faced Kat.
“I—? you—? Huh?” Anne half stuttered, face shifting through several emotions before settling on pure surprise.
Kat laughed at Anne’s face before nodding almost shyly. “You said pranking would help me be more confident, right? So Anna helped me prank you. Did I surprise you?”
Anne seemed frozen, mouth agape for several seconds. To the point that Kat began to get worried that she made a huge mistake. But finally, a beaming grin stretched across Anne’s face.
“Oh mon dieu! Chaton, that was amazing! Do you think you’ll help me with more pranks now?!” Anne rambled, continuing on about how proud she was of Kat and the younger woman felt herself glowing.
Anna chuckled at the scene before turning to Kat with a smile. “I told you she wouldn’t be mad.”
Kat smiled right back.
~~||~~||~~
Katherine Howard was far from okay. She wasn’t entirely sure if she would ever be okay.
But she had been given a new life. A new life with five other former queens who were doing their best to be there for her.
So it was a start.