The Glow

The sun shines through the window, signaling the start of a new day. Catherine squeezes her eyes tightly before slowly opening them. She stretches a bit before kneeling on the floor by the bed to say her morning prayer.

To the Lord Almighty above, thank you for waking me up to this day. May my actions please you, and the others around me. Give me the wisdom I need to get through today, this week, and forever. In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

The queen gets up from the floor, proceeding to change out of her nightgown and into normal attire--corset and all. The dress she puts on is gold, with some black accents. She's just started to brush her hair when her most trusted lady in waiting's opens the door.

"Your Majesty. Henry would like to see you in the throne room as soon as possible."

"Alright. Thank you, Jane." The lady in waiting nods and exits to let her queen finish up. Catherine finishes with her hair, puts on slight makeup, then makes her way to meet with her husband.

In the halls, the brunette can't help but wonder why Henry would want to meet with her. He barely talks with her about official business, never about religion. She might be required for another beheading, but something with the way Jane had brought the message told Catherine it wasn't that. Oh, of course. Another mistress. 

The thought of another mistress doesn't faze her composed attitude. Yes, her Glow has yet to occur, and this mistress could steal Henry away, but she's sure of it. Henry is her soulmate. The Glow just needs to come and confirm it.

Catherine is queen after all. Nothing could get better than that.

The queen arrives in the throne room, Henry in the center chair against the wall per usual. She makes her way to the middle of the room and faces her husband.

"You asked to see me, husband?"

"Yes. I am welcoming miss Anne Boleyn back into England from France." Boleyn? Like one of his other mistresses. Shouldn't be any different then. "She will be staying in your chambers." Catherine's jaw drops--figuratively of course, she must maintain her dignity.

"I-I'm sorry, Henry, what?" Perhaps I misheard.

"I said she will be sharing your chambers." Not even kicking me out to a different chambers. Sharing. "That's not a problem. Is it?" His tone is almost threatening Catherine to say otherwise. On one hand, she will not like sharing a bed with a mistress. On the other, she wouldn't want to upset her husband and soulmate..

"No. It isn't. I shall have my maids prepare her things."

"There's no need, I've taken care of it myself." The statement shocks the Spaniard. Henry always throws that certain task her way. "Why don't you sit? She should be here soon." The king's wife nods.

"Yes, of course." As if on cue, the couple's daughter runs in almost immediately after her mother sits down. "Hello, Mary. May we help you?" The sentence itself isn't all that uncommon for a queen, what matters is the tone. And the motherly tone gives Mary a sense of love, which she knew her mother did, whereas her father would rather pretend she didn't exist. 

"I saw the pretty lady outside. May I meet her as well mother?" Catherine looks to Henry, who keeps his eyes glued to the door. He either didn't hear, or just doesn't care. She makes the decision herself.

"It is alright with me." Catherine brings Mary up into her lap, and all three members of the royal family stare at the door, anticipating the new woman's arrival.

Thomas Cromwell came through the entrance, hands behind his back. Two other courtiers walk in as well, leading the guest into the throne room. The woman has hair as black as midnight, the front of it tied up in two buns, the rest flowing smoothly behind her. Contrasted by her sparkling, emerald green eyes. Her flattering dress is the same shade of green as her eyes, and seems to trace her figure well. And to top it off, slight blush and bright red lipstick.

"Your Highnesses. I present to you, Miss Anne Boleyn." At the announcement, Henry almost immediately gets up from his throne and walks down to greet his guest. Another thing he hadn't done for the other mistresses. The king kisses the woman's hand, which annoys the queen. The new arrival catches her superior's glares, and send her a smirk, as if to call her out for jealousy.

Is she...trying to take Henry away from me? I may not truly love him, let's be honest it's very rare for a woman to genuinely love her soulmate these days, but he is my husband. And my soulmate. He may be interested in you now. But he is mine. You will not steal his Glow.

"The pleasure is mine, Miss Boleyn. I'm so glad you've agreed to stay with us in the palace." Catherine doesn't like the way Henry fawns over this new girl. As calmly as she can, she sets her daughter down, takes her hand, and walks over to greet her new roommate. That thought disgusts me. Henry, surprisingly, notices his family's presence and introduces them. "Miss Boleyn, this is my daughter Mary, and my wife Catherine." The two greet the black-haired woman accordingly. "You'll be sleeping in Catherine's chambers."

On the outside, Anne is calm and accepts the proposal. On the inside however, she's boiling. This girl doesn't know when to quit. Just hand him over to me, and everything will be fine. The green woman thinks to herself.

~     ~     ~

Come night time, Catherine is both exhausted and infuriated. The Boleyn girl had continuously flirted with her husband throughout the day. She had to flirt with her husband as well to make sure he still knows she exists.

Mary had noticed the tension between the two women and had asked her mother about. All that Catherine had told her was that it had to do with her Glow. The bright young girl didn't seem completely satisfied, but she had accepted the answer anyway. 

The queen enters her chambers to find a certain mistress undressing. A heat starts to build in Catherine. Why was this girl going to be sleeping in her chambers? If she could, she'd kick this thing out of the palace. But sadly, if she wants the Glow to happen between her and Henry, she needs Henry to be happy. Meaning the girl stays.

Catherine closes the door, then starts to prepare for bed. She turns her back towards Boleyn as she removes the dress, corset, and such before putting on her nightgown. When she turns around, the other in the room is staring at her.

"And what do you want?" The Spanish ruler's tone is icy, but fails to break the French woman's confidence.

"I don't know what Henry sees in you. He'd be better off with me. I just have to make the Glow happen, and you're long gone."

"Now, now, what makes you think that you are his soulmate? Because, he's clearly mine." Catherine is quick to argue as she wipes the makeup off of her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize the two of you have shared a Glow....oh wait. You haven't. My bad." Boleyn's voice is dripping with mockery, feeding her superior's rage even more.

"You know as much as I do that the Glow doesn't always occur right away."

"Yeah, but doesn't not occur."

"You are impossible." Catherine insults as she briskly makes her way to the bed, taking the side that's closest to the window and purposely faces away from the center.

"Not as impossible as you." Boleyn retorts back, positioning herself on the side of the bed closest to the door, facing away from her enemy.

It's safe to assume that the night was full of discomfort. Neither girl could sleep. Only plotting how to trigger their Glow with the king. Mary on the other hand noticed something right away. Perhaps something other than hate. And the young girl is determined to figure out what that something is.