Katherine Howard leaned back on her desk chair and pondered over the lyrics she had just written for her song.
All you wanna do
All you wanna do baby
Is touch me love me
Can't get enough see
All you wanna do
All you wanna do baby
Is please me squeeze me
Burst and abuse me
She looked at the last phrase of the chorus and tapped her pen. It was a bit dark if she was being honest, but then again the subject matter of her song was the entire point of it all. To just show them how much she has gone through all those years all the while barely reaching adulthood without any guidance.
Katherine wasn't exactly sure what made her wrote the phrase, the words did make sense to the tune that she was making up in her head, in line with the song's beat and progression. But still, what was it?
She skimmed over her notes, scribbles and crossed out lyrics on it yet she can still make out the choruses. Mannox, Dereham, Henry, and Thomas, all of them included in her anthem, as well as the actions they took at her. At Mannox's chorus, she noted the age difference between them; her barely entering her teenage years while he loomed at her with seniority. At Dereham's, she notes the ache she felt after completing a task for him. For Henry's, well, there's not much aside that he made her thought she was finally at the place she was meant to be, where she belongs, although she was too late to realize he already has his sights on her to take on next.
Thomas... Thomas' verse is where she felt the most betrayal. Katherine thought she finally had a friend in court, a confidant outside her circle of false smiles and pretenses. The two shared stories, meet-up at secluded areas to escape from duties, stood by one another for support.
That was what she thought.
She thinks back to those, their touch, their stares, their voices still taunting her at the back of her head. She makes the effort of pushing those all away and focus back at the task at hand.
Tearing her gaze from her table, she settles on watching outside her window, idly noticing a bee landing on some of the potted plants she had placed there. The bee seems to be doing something to her roses (a rose without a thorn he did say, she thought dryly) and a few seconds later, it flew away.
Now that got her thinking.
What was that phrase that people use nowadays to explain intercourse?
A quick Google search later and she crossed out the phrase "burst and abuse me" to something a little more tamed to replace it.
All you wanna do
All you wanna do baby
Is please me squeeze me
Birds and the bees me
Was it a bit more childish than intended? Yes. But that was the intention after all.
Katherine Howard was practically a child when all of those happened to her.
"Oh, so that's what you look like in full costume."
Anne looks away from putting on her lipstick to the presence in the doorway of her shared dressing room via mirror. Capping the tube, she addresses him. "One, why are you here, and two, how did you get in here?"
Her uninvited, but welcomed, guest leans against the door frame. "Can't I not watch my talented girlfriend in the show she's in?"
"Got me there." She adjusts her space buns whilst still looking at the mirror. "But seriously, aren't you supposed to be at work or something right now? Seeing our show should be the least of your priorities."
"Oh come on Nan, lighten up. I'm on my break anyway. I was grabbing a snack at the Theatre Café, so I might as well stop by to see you guys before going back."
Putting the finishing touches on her make-up and smoothing down her skirt, she finally comes face to face with the Earl.
"Huh," she gives him a small smile. "Now isn't that-"
"Ladies of the Six company, This is your 15 minute call. 15 minute call, thank you."
Both looked up at the speaker of the room as it spoke. The beheaded queen then muttered, "Thank you 15."
Resting her hands on her hips, she absentmindedly plays with the mic holster of her costume...
...In which the said object is not there.
She glances at it for a split second before looking around. She lifts up some of the things scattered about on the table each of them share, her anxiety rising steadily the longer she can't find her microphone.
"I swear to god where did I put that bugger-"
"Ahem, looking for something?"
Whirling around to see her boyfriend once again, he now holds in his grasp the familiar gold mic with a green stripe standing out.
Anne narrows her eyes at him. "Give. That. To. Me."
"Make me." He merely gave her a smirk.
Without warning, she launches herself to him, inevitably starting the tug-of-war between her and him. The microphone acting as a somewhat rope in between.
________________________________
Meanwhile....
The rest of the queens are standing on-stage, waiting for their final member to join them as well as for the show to start. The royal violet curtain hides them from the audience's view as they continue to converse amongst themselves.
Anya popped her head out to see that the six are still incomplete. "Okay, where in the fuck is Anne?"
The queens looked at one another and gave a collective shrug, a silent answer that they too don't know.
Groaning once again, the stage manager spoke to the brother of the second wife, who was managing the sound board, through her headset.
"Hey George, any clue on where the hell is that sister of yours are?"
She hears a crackle for a bit until the Viscount responded.
"Not really. Though if I have to hazard a guess, she's probably still at the dressing room she shares with Aragon and Cleves."
"Why didn't I tried that before..." She mutters until she spoke to him back. "Alright, I'll try that option, thanks."
"No problem."
Releasing her fingers off the button of the headset, she scans the rest of the stage until she sets her sights on Maggie, who is the only one not occupied at the moment.
"Maggie, can I ask a favor for a sec?"
The guitarist sets down her instrument. "Sure, what's up?"
"Well you can see that one of six is missing," she rubs the back of her neck. "And I was kinda wondering if you can drag Anne's ass here before we can start in a few minutes."
"Say no more."
Stepping down from her podium, she passes by Anya for a bit before disappearing off-stage and onto the, quote unquote "stairs of death,” to retrieve her best friend.
______________________________________
"Oh come on Harry! Give it to me!"
The Queen gave him a full on pout as the Earl holds the microphone infuriatingly out of her reach.
And she's already wearing heels for fuck's sake.
"Aww, what's the matter? Can't reach the mic cause you're short?" He teased as the Boleyn girl in front of him fumes further.
If he's being honest, seeing Anne getting heated on something is quite amusing to him. The usually carefree, devil-may-care queen being determined on achieving something is just endearing to him.
"I am not short!" Her indignant response breaks his train of thought. "You're just so freakishly tall! Besides, at least my height is average compared to some others."
Anya, the two simultaneously thought of the musical's 5'2 stage manager.
"Regardless," he gives her that shit eating grin once again (which she would have found attractive in any other situation but now's not the time). "You still can't reach it, and you're already wearing heels mon coeur."
At this point, Anne has both of his wrists on hold, inevitably pinning him in a spread out position on the wall. But what nags her to no end is that the mic is still out of reach since his right arm, the one holding the object, is fully extended, merely hanging over head at that.
She had two options to retrieve it back:
One, she can adjust her grip on him. Though doing so would cause him to most likely slip away.
Two, she could pin him down in a different position. Where, what and how exactly? She's does not know.
"I will only ask this nicely once Henry," her voice was thick with saccharine, "give it back to me. Please?"
"Hmm..."
He puts on a thoughtful look, until he leans in at her ear and whispers huskily.
"I'll think about it maybe," he pauses. "How about no, baby."
The audicity to use her own song.
Oh, he’s in for it now.
Percy leans back and sees that his girlfriend's currently flushed cheeks, which is usually colored with the dusted light pink blush from the make-up, is almost subpar to her red lipstick.
He should probably do that more often when they're alone.
He sees her trying to shake herself back into focus and lets a grin of satisfaction cross his face for that small victory. If anything gives him joy in both lifetimes, it's being able to make Anne Boleyn a blushing mess.
Anne continues to glare at him, though flustered she may be. "I swear to god Henry, give me the mic or I'll..." She trails off, not really sure on what she'll actually do to him.
"Or you'll what?" He gives her a raised brow.
"Ladies of the Six company, this is your beginners call."
The second queen's eyes grew wide at the announcement, panic already flooding through her. Unknowingly, she slackened her hold on her captive, which hasn't gone unnoticed by him.
Taking the chance, Percy managed to get himself free before making a break for it to the door, the golden microphone still within his grasp. He barely made it three steps to it until he was pinned down once more by none other than his girlfriend.
Who happens to lay on top of him. Panting heavily that is.
"Heh," he lets out a chuckle. "Well so much for that idea." He hands out to her the golden mic. With a smile, the beheaded queen was about to take the offending object back until she noticed a presence at the doorway.
Who happens to have an amused look on her face.
"You know," her lady-in-waiting began, "I can tell the others that you weren't feeling well if you're still busy."
Anne quickly scrambles for an explanation. "Mags, this isn't exactly what it looks like."
"You sure? You on top of him and him on the floor, doesn't exactly leave anything to imagination."
Oh if only I had my phone with me right now, this is blackmail worthy. She muses with a grin.
"She has a point on that." The second queen quickly shoots a glare to her boyfriend.
She gets off of him and dusts off the nonexistent dirt on her skirt. Mic in hand, she goes out of the dressing room and finally down to the stage. The stomping of her heels doesn’t go unnoticed to the two occupants left in the dressing room.
Percy and Maggie left lingering gazes at the door of where the queen had just left. "Please tell me you won't tell the others?" The Earl pleaded to the guitarist.
She thinks about it for a second. "Alright, I won't."
"Oh thank god-"
"On one condition."
Percy felt himself winced at that. "And that condition is...?"
"Just treat her right this time around or else you'll get to feel what its like to have a guitar on your head."
With that, the lady-in-waiting cheerily left the room with the semi-request and semi-threat still hanging in the air. Leaving behind an Earl gaping at it like a goldfish.
_______________________________________________
When Anne was asked on what took her so long to get down to the stage, her reply was simple.
She knows he's not doing well, isn't that obvious.
Who wouldn't after the only known family he has (until the discovery of his parents still being alive that is), has now vanished into thin air.
Well not air per se, but the meaning is still intact.
After she has spoken for a bit with Ray and Maya after the service, she returns back at the training ground of the monastery. Where the red clad occupant is sitting in place, gaze still lingering at the vase where they all paid their respects.
He doesn't even flinch when she sat beside him.
"I didn't get to hug her one last time..."
He fiddles with the straps on his gi, breathing in and out deeply.
She looks up at the setting sky. "Think there's a chance we'll see her again?"
He stills his movements and thinks it over. "Knowing our luck, I hope so. In this side or the other."
She hums at his statement.
The two stayed there until they were called in by the Sensei.
The first 3 wives just entered the house tired, no luck in finding their youngest member. Hopefully Parr wasn't home from her meeting with Joan.
"You think she's home?"
"Nah, she's suppose to be back by-"
"Ahem."
Standing before them is the sixth wife, arms crossed, and looking very pissed.
"How. Can. You. Three. Lose. A CHILD?!?!"
The three flinched at the shout from the usually quiet woman.
"Wait, how'd you found out?" Anne asked as she pulled out a twig from her hair.
"Cleves."
Collectively, the oldest wives are now plotting her demise mentally as Parr continue to scold them.
"This is like Edward all over again..." Jane trailed off as she brushed the leaves off her white dress, noting to herself to not use such colors when searching a toddler.
"Well, we can always go out again-"
Aragon's reply was cut off by a sudden thud against the floor, more specifically, Anne's bedroom floor.
"Should we check it?"
"Probably just a cat."
Regardless, the queens climbed up to her bedroom and opened the door, much to the relief of the first 3 wives.
"For god's sake you were just here the entire time?!"
Sitting there innocently at the book fort surrounding her is the missing baby they have searched the entirety of London: Katherine Howard.
The baby gurgled as Anne picked her up and cradled her as the queens now considered to baby proof the house, along with a few extra measures just in case.
The young boy let out in astonishment as he sees the aerialist seamlessly flipping through the air, swinging and catching the bars that was met to her halfway and grips on it, continuing the cycle.
He wants to see it much closer in action.
So being a curious little kid that one is, he looks around for the closest place he could watch the action.
He soon gets a bright idea as soon as his eyes met the high platform and the steps leading on it.
________________
Good God does it feel great for her to be in the air again.
Granted its been a few weeks, that as well as the time it took to set-up the Tent, but it still feels rejuvenating to her and her brother to do what they love once more.
Swing, flip, grip, and hang on the hoop, then swing again, is what goes on in her mind like a routine as she practiced about in the unoccupied ring.
Swing, flip, gri- oh wait shit-!
She was about to land on the pedestal when she sees a boy, no less younger than 7 years old she thinks, is standing near the fricking edge of the platform.
How the fuck did he... Ok first things first, land where I don't hit him.
She hangs off the bar for a few minutes, planning the spot where she doesn't knock him over. Once settled, she began to swing back and forth and gains momentum, with the last swing high enough, she let's go of the bar and lands behind the boy.
Whom of which, has his mouth a jar at the feat she had just committed.
Anne dusts off her hands and stands. "You alright kid or...?"
"Holy crap lady, that was amazing!" He praises to the suddenly startled aerialist.
"Thanks kid, but that was nothing-"
"Nothing? But all those moves you did-" he gestures about wildly with his hands "-it looks like you were flying through the air!"
She chuckles and looks impressed at the boy's enthusiasm. "Well I'm glad you think so, but first things first; what's your name kid?"
"I'm Henry, but you can call me Hal!" He gives her a toothy grin, "mama and papa brought me and my sister here today, something about checking on the condition of the circus or something I think."
"Hal huh?" Wait, did he just said to 'check on the condition of the circus?'
She looks at the boy wanly. "Say kid, you don't happen to be the son of Catalina Trastamará-Tudor and Arthur Tudor right?"
Hal nods gleefully at the sound of his parents names.
Anne, meanwhile, cringes a bit and mumbles under her breath, "Your mother is going to kill me when she finds out you're up here, my God."
Resting her hands on her hips, the female trapezist scans their surroundings, noting how far up they are- almost reaching the Tent's "ceiling" for that matter.
She walks closer to the edge, gesturing to the boy to stand back a bit, and catches the still swinging about bar, and ties it near the of the platform.
"Alright, I don't want to get in trouble with your parents, so why don't you just run along back to them alright?" Anne looks back to him, "besides, it is way too dangerous for you to be far up here."
Hal takes a few steps at the edge, looks down, and immediately regrets his decision.
Anne was not kidding when she said that they were high up.
He steps back for a bit and crouches down, knees pressed up to his chest as he continues to curl himself up tighter to a ball. Why did he thought it was a good idea to climb up to something that is very much high from the ground?
She notices the familiar form, something that her younger cousin used to do when she was not used to trapeze back then.
"Hey," she takes an indian seat in front of the trembling boy, "let me guess, fear of heights?"
He nods from his curled up state.
"Don't worry, it's going to be alright kid, let's get you down now." She was about to stand and get him up until she sees him shake his feverishly.
"N-n-no go down... Too... Too high from the g-ground..." He hugs himself tighter.
"Well we can't exactly stay up here all day..." She mumbles as she tries to think of a solution to their dilemma. Emerald eyes scans about as to what she can exactly use.
It finally landed on the bar she tied up earlier.
Well if he doesn't want to take the steps down...
God, she hopes to him or whatever higher being is up there, let's hope his mom doesn't throw a fit when she finds out about this.
"Okay Hal, I have an idea on how to get us down from here, but I need you to cooperate with me, okay kid?"
He nods at her stiffly as he peeped an eye at her, brown with hints of gold is what meets her, just like his mother's.
_________________
She breathes in deeply, and then let's it out.
Gripping the bar in her hands, she asks the kid clinging onto her tightly, "You doing alright there Hal?"
She can feel him nod and buries his head deeper into her hair, wanting to not witness what is about to happen.
"Alright kid, here we go!"
She swings off the platform, the boy clungs on to her tighter as the aerialist begins to gain momentum to succeed on catching the hoop hanging in the center.
At the last swing, she lets go of the bar and falls to catch the hoop, Anne is almost certain the young boy is about to cut off her air circulation by the way he tightened his grip.
She catches the hoop and hangs off it with one arm for a bit, and hangs her other one on it as well. With both hands on the hoop, she hoists herself up (with a bit more difficulty than usual) and sits on it, getting the hoop to go down.
Once lowered enough, she steps off it and taps the kid on his head. "Hey Hal, look, we're not up high anymore."
He lifts his head tentatively from her hair and sees that they are no longer up so high anymore.
Letting him down, Hal immediately dove in to give Anne a hug.
"Thank you..." He hugs her tighter, "and I'm sorry for sneaking up there, I promise it won't happen again, you won't tell mama right?"
She gives him a pat on his head. "Don't worry I won't, but next time, make sure to not go about climbing things without supervision alright?"
He nods to her once more and she reciprocates the hug.
"Hal!"
Anne broke away from him upon hearing the familiar voice. He gives her a sheepish smile and a wave before running back to his mother.
Catalina opens up her arms as soon as her son was near, spinning him about before setting him down. "And where exactly have you been off to little man?" She ruffles his hair with a chuckle.
"Mama!" The boy whines wholeheartedly as he tried to tame his curls, "I was just exploring the place, oh and I made a new friend, uh..."
"Anne, Anne Boleyn kid," she supplied as she got closer to mother and son. "And it's been a while since I last saw you here Catalina, how's the rest of the family?"
The Spaniard raised a brow at her before responding. "Quite well, Mary's just been accepted to that ballet school she's been practicing nonstop for, and this one-" she lays a hand on his shoulder "-is planning to be an engineer."
The trapezist lets out a low whistle. "Well someone is certainly aiming for something big," she ruffles his hair, "just make sure you study hard kid, and if that doesn't work out, you always have a place here in the troupe."
His eyes sparkled at the prospect.
Catalina, meanwhile, shakes her head. "Alright, enough of that. Come on, we need to get home."
"Aww," the boy lets out until waving a goodbye to Anne.
She returns the gesture as well and looks at his mother, giving her a parting nod.
Catalina returns the sentiment before the mother-and-son duo left.
Making sure that they were really out of sight, the Boleyn girl makes her way back to the center of the ring and begins to practice with the hoop once more.
Giggles and gurgles greeted them as 4 babies looked up at them with innocent smiles.
Wait, FOUR babies?
Aragon pinches the bridge of her nose. "Don't tell me that Katherine is the new baby..."
Boleyn picked up the toddler and looked at the familiar pink tipped hair.
Anne sighs. "Yep it's her."
Groans circulated the home.
Anne gently puts her newly infantilized cousin on the ground and went to the kitchen. The others followed suit after her, that is before making sure all of the toddlers were all accounted for.
What greeted the rest of the normal sized queens is one Anne Boleyn pacing about in the kitchen, muttering to herself.
This goes on for a few minutes until she finally addressed the elephant in the room.
"Let me summarize how I feel about this situation in the best English woman way I can... Ahem... HOWETH THINE FUCKETH-"
Anne wasn't entirely sure when she and her husband started to have problems. Granted if you were an immortal goddess that has been around for literal centuries, what would her life would be if it weren't for a few road bumps in the way?
A whole damn easier and much more peaceful if she were to admit, as well as a bit bland if she were honest. Unlike the other gods and goddesses that reside on the Mountain, the Goddess of Spring and Ruler of the Underworld were the only ones who has been remarkably faithful to each other.
"Keep your head, keep your head low
Oh, you gotta keep your head low
If you wanna keep your head
Oh, you gotta keep your head"
So, imagine her surprise when she found out that the realm the two have been co-ruling over, since the dawn of man, has been turned into a smoke-filled metropolis filled to the brim as shades left and right work seamlessly in a steady rhythm.
The sight itself almost made her sick.
The train moved to a slow stop, her King stepped out first and opened the door; she followed suit as well, pulling her fur coat closer to her, already expecting the familiar chill of his town.
It did not.
What greeted her was a scorching heat, similar to the summer months she has spent up-top whenever her husband didn't fetch her too early. The artificial glare of the lights and heat coming from the factories already made her unsettled.
And it didn't felt right.
"In the coldest time of year, why is it so hot down here?" She took of her coat at this point, holding it by her hip as she continued to berate him. "Hotter than a crucible, it ain't right and it ain't natural"
A surprised look overtook Harry's features. He thought she would appreciate on what he'd done to the place; he made it to suit her needs after all.
"Lover, you were gone so long
Lover, I was lonesome
So I built a foundry
In the ground beneath your feet"
He gestures to the surface they had been standing on. Sure enough, there was a giant circular metal mold near them, overflowing with the melted minerals of his kingdom.
"Here, I fashioned things of steel
Oil drums and automobiles
Then I kept that furnace fed
With the fossils of the dead
Lover, when you feel that fire
Think of it as my desire
Think of it as my desire for you!"
Harry looked at her once again, hoping to see the familiar zeal in her eyes that was once present when she came back home.
What met him instead was a tentative stare from the goddess; mouth sealed shut as her emerald eyes quickly scanned the working city.
___________________________________
Meanwhile on the land of the mortals...
Kate feels the familiar chill of the wind as she was heading back to her bar. Tightening her coat, she looks above the clouds and sees that it's darkening.
Quickly, might she add.
Sweet mother of Hera, there they go again. She thinks ruefully as she quickened her pace to her destination. Hopefully this time they won't cause an earthquake or volcano to erupt, Gods know that the damn storm was enough.
It really does.
For the past couple of decades, Anne and Harry have been having some difficulty in their marriage so to speak. Instead of confronting or admitting these troubles to one another, the two coped with it in different ways: the Goddess drowns her sorrows in every drink she could get as her husband continues to expand the building of his realm.
The amount of times the messenger of the gods has played marriage counselor to the two makes one wonder if she should add that to her field set.
Finally reaching the bar, she sets down her things and adresses the two occupants of the place.
"It's best that you both gather what you need now," she emphasizes the last word, "Gods know what those two assholes are arguing about this time six feet underground."
Catalina nodded at the owner and went about to gather what they need. Arthur, meanwhile, still remained seated on where he sat; back hunched over as he continues to write in his notebook on the table.
"I'll sing a song, of a love gone wrong..." Is what he mutters underneath his breath.
