Prompt 13: “I’m sorry I’m not what you signed up for.”
Queens: Jane Seymour and Anne Boleyn
Anne curled up in the corner. 2am had been and gone, and she was reasonably sure no one would be awake anymore. “Stupid, stupid, stupid” she mutters under her breath. Tears stream down her face as she finally releases all the pent up emotions from the day. She’s so upset she doesn’t even hear the door open. “Anne?” a voice whispers from the doorway. Anne jumps, not realising anyone was awake. “Yeah,” she replies, wiping away her tears in an attempt to pretend she’s okay. “Annie, are you okay?” the voice questions. Anne nods and whispers “yeah- no I’m fine- I’m fine”. Jane reveals herself to be the voice. “Annie, what’s the matter?” Jane whispers, spotting the tear tracks running down Anne’s face. Anne shrugs and whispers “It doesn’t matter Jane. Go back to bed. Wait- why are you even awake?” She quickly adds, desperately trying to distract Jane. Jane shakes her head and sits down opposite Anne. “Anne, I can tell something is up. You’ve been crying, and it’s obvious so don’t try to deny it,” Jane says, observing Anne. Of all the queens, Anne is the most likely to run from her emotions, sometimes literally. But Anne does not attempt to run this time; in fact, she barely moves at all. “I’m sorry I’m not what you signed up for” she whispers, tears streaming down her face again. “Annie, what do you mean?” Jane queries, making her way over to hug Anne. Anne immediately accepts the hug, sobbing into Jane’s chest while Jane strokes Anne’s hair and lets her cry. Something about having someone to hold is strangely comforting to Jane.
Minutes pass and Anne calms down eventually. Jane cautiously poses the question again. “What do you mean Annie?”. Anne curls up. “I’m sorry I’m not what you signed up for” she repeats. Jane looks confused. “I’m nothing like how I used to be, and I feel so bad that I was so mean to you back then, but I don’t know how to express that, and I don’t know who I am, and everyone seems to have figured themselves out, and I don’t know what to do” Anne blurts, not taking a second to breathe. “Okay, Annie breathe please” Jane starts, stroking Annie’s hair. Anne starts to calm down and relaxes a little. “Sorry Janey, I overreacted” she whispers, slightly embarrassed. “I get it, Annie” Jane responds “none of us knows what we’re doing. We’re just muddling through. I forgave you years ago Anne, and I spent time with Henry, I know what he’s like, and I can’t hold it against you”. Anne looks at Jane in disbelief. “Why don’t you hate me?” She whispers in shock. “Even I hate me”. Jane shakes her head. “Annie, I don’t hate anyone. I’m not going to hold anything that happened in the past against you. I did things I’m not proud of too, but this is a new life, and I intend to treat it as such” Jane tells Anne. Anne doesn't look convinced, but she’s not crying anymore, and Jane acknowledges the progress. There’s a long way to go, but they’ll get there.