The Glow

Catherine knows she was drunk last night. That's all she remembers when she wakes up with tired limbs and a splitting headache.

She slowly opens her eyes and sees that she, once again, was facing Anne. The queen deliberately turns away, quietly enough that Anne won't wake up, and is about to roll out of bed when she realizes what she's wearing. Or more, what she's not.

The brunette calmly but quickly turns back around to look at the sleeping Anne, to find that she isn't wearing clothes either. No, no, no, this couldn't have happened. I couldn't have..... Unfortunately for her, the green woman starts to stir awake as well.

Anne too, wakes up with tired limbs and a pounding headache. Groaning, she sits up in her spot, greeting the other as she does.

"Ugh. Morning queenie." Looking towards the Spaniard, the French notes the panicked expression oner her face. Strange. Catherine's never panicked like this. It's now that Anne fully takes in the situation they're in. Catherine making an attempt to cover her otherwise naked body with the covers, and her own naked body only half covered by the sheets she sat up in. Certain marks cover both of their necks.

The lady in waiting opens her mouth to say something, but no words are released. The uncertainty of both causes a very awkward and uncomfortable silence. Anne doesn't want to be in this situation any longer, and so she jumps out of bed, quickly finding her clothes for the day and putting them on. When she looks back, she's relieved to see that Catherine is wearing clothes.

Neither of them speak as they finish preparing themselves, Anne silently waiting as Catherine she had her morning prayer. Both make their way to the dining hall and eat their breakfast without a word. The two leave for their respective duties without a goodbye. Their entire routine is thrown off after last night.

And that's something Catherine does not like.

Being the sneaky spy she is, Mary sees the tension between her favorite people as she peers in from the doorway. Thankfully, today is the princess's break day from studies, so she has the entire day to investigate.

She starts with Anne.

The raven-haired proceeds with her daily tasks, but her mind keeps replaying the prior events. Waking up naked, seeing Catherine was naked, realizing both of them were naked in the same bed. Perhaps if she hadn't gotten so drunk she could've prevented it from happening. But, Catherine did look.....no. What was she thinking? She couldn't have wanted it. She couldn't have liked it. She couldn't like Catherine. The queen. The beautiful queen....

"Anne?" The voice of a child startles the French woman. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, I thought you knew I was here. Are you alright?" Anne turns around and gives Mary a reassuring smile.

"No worries. I'm....alright. Not fully great to be honest." The young girl stares at the older with concern, Anne admiring her sweetness.

"Do you want to talk about it? I'll listen. And I won't tell mother if you don't want me to." The green woman contemplates her options as the two make their way to the couch. On one hand, she doesn't want to worry the twelve year old, but on another, she'd really like to talk to someone, and Mary is willing to listen.

"Are you sure you're alright with it? And that you won't tell Catherine?" With the mini queen's nod, Anne sighs and starts to confess. "I hope you didn't notice, but I had gotten really drunk last night, and so I don't remember much. But I remember wobbling into the chambers, some stuff happened, and then my whole body felt...hot? I remember crashing onto the bed, and that's really all I remember of last night."

The girl with a mission has some thoughts to herself as she's being told this. So it's last night's events that caused the tension. If they were both drunk, I probably won't get much of an answer out of them. But perhaps I can piece some things together.

"Is that it?"

".....I wish it was. I'm going to trust that you're mature enough to hear this next part." Anne adds, though she knows that the clever girl can handle the information. "When I woke up this morning, Catherine looked....scared. And then after a few seconds I realized....that neither of us were wearing clothes. Mary, I do hope this doesn't make thing strange between us!"

Okay, so they don't remember what happened last night, but when they woke up, they were both naked.....oh. Oh. Oh. Well then. At least we're closer to our end goal! Hehe....that is quite the conclusion. And strangely enough, the right one.

"No no, it doesn't change anything! Well, between us."

"That's what I'm afraid of, Mary. Catherine is a great person, I admire her so much. We've only been friends for a month, and I'm scared of losing her! We're set back to square one."

Right. So I'm certain both of them have come to this conclusion that they've....yeah. And if Anne is scared of losing mother, I'm sure mother feels the same way about Anne. They shouldn't be avoiding each other like this then. Judging from the way they describe one another....

"Anne, do you like mother?" The green woman is confused for a good moment before asking for clarification.

"What ever do you mean? Of course I like Catherine!"

"I mean.....do you see her in......that way?" This question causes Anne to go deeper into her thoughts. Surely, Mary is asking if she like Catherine romantically. But does she? Yes, she finds both men and women attractive, a secret she must keep to herself if she wants to stay alive, but what was her stance on the queen? "If you're having trouble, try describing Catherine. And maybe listen carefully to what you're saying."

"Really? Okay." Describe Catherine, huh? "Well, I've described her to you before, but I guess I'll do it again." Where to start? "First off, she's a strong, confident, leader type of person. On the outside, she seems strict and honestly kinda mean, but if you get to know her, she's just doing her job, and she cares so much and is really kind to a lot of people. She gives off a little formal smile to most people, but when she smiles for real, it feels so warm like the sun, and it's the most adorable thing ever. And don't even get me started on how beautiful she is, like her brown hair that's surprisingly really soft, and her golden eyes that have some sort of sparkle to them and......."

Oh. Oh no. Anne's eyes widen as she realizes how easily it was to describe her friend. And she wasn't even done. No no no no no. Little crushes are one thing. This....is a lot more than that.

"Mary, I'm in love with your mother."

"Oh, I know." Anne turns to Mary in shock, jaw open. "You two seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact, it was starting to get annoying." Are we that obvious? Does anyone else know? Does Henry know? Wait, no, he's too dense, he wouldn't notice. 

"Hold on, no one else knows right?" The young girl shakes her head. "You cannot tell your mother this." Another shake of her head.

"I won't, because you should tell her yourself. I'm telling you, the two of you are into each other and--"

"Mary, I don't mean to interrupt, but there is no way that Catherine likes me back." Mary gives the older woman a skeptical look, causing Anne to further prove her argument. "We started out hating each other's guts, and we've only been friends for a month! She's the rightful queen, and I'm the suck up who strolled on in and ruined everything!"

"That's not true! Mother hadn't opened up to anyone before you. Not even Miss Jane. She always bottled up her feelings, and then you opened them!"

"How do you know about that?"

"Not important. But what is important is that you talk to Catherine." Anne is about to reply when one of the other lady in waiting's asks for Mary. After nodding, the child turns to Anne once more. "I'll see you later. Just, think about it?" With that, the clever girl leaves Anne by herself in the room.

No. Catherine couldn't possibly like me back. 

~     ~     ~

Mary isn't invited for lunch today, so she eats alone, writing various things in her journal (an older one, not the one she was gifted for her birthday). Mary's plan for the rest of the day is to get answers from her mother as well, right after lunch. But she is expecting to go find her mother, not for Catherine to come to her.

"Mary, if you're finished, I'd like to speak with you." With this, the child quickly finishes the last of her food before going up to the queen. "Let's talk in your room." The mother and daughter walk to the chambers quite slowly. But once they arrive, the two take a seat on the bed, Catherine with a somber look upon her face.

"Is something wrong, mother?" Mary recognizes Catherine's habits, this one being the same expression she has when she's about to admit something.

"Mary, your mother's committed a sin. A very big one, in fact. And I'm sure that I will be punished by God, but I ask for your forgiveness. Though, I don't blame you if you don't wish to forgive me."

"Mum...."

"Mary, I've done a terrible thing; I'm just going to put it bluntly, daughter. Last night, Anne and I were drunk, and we had sex. I don't remember, actually, but I'm sure of it. When I woke up this morning, we were both naked. I'm terribly sorry mi hija. I have not excuse for committing such a sin and--"

"Mum!" The sudden change in Mary's voice startles Catherine. "I already know what happened--I was talking to Anne earlier and she told me. Well, indirectly, but still. I'm not mad." The Spaniard lets out a sigh of relief, quietly thanking the young girl. "But, I want to make sure. Is this why the two of you are acting so strange?"

"I.....yes. As much as I don't want to admit it, Anne has really made some things better. I'm grateful that she has been brought into my life, and that we've become friends. I hope that this won't change anything, but the reality is that it will."

Just as I thought. The princess thinks to herself. They're both scared of losing the other. And this is why they're soulmates. 

"Mum, do you like Anne?" With a tilt of the gold woman's head, the twelve year old elaborates. "As in, more than friends?"

"Why would you propose such a thing?" Despite keeping a neutral face, Mary notes the blush creeping onto her mother's cheeks. And as much as she tries to fight it, Mary can't stop a smirk from forming on her face. "Anne and I are just friends."

"If that's true, then describe her. Then I can determine it for myself." As her daughter says this, Catherine is reminded of herself at Mary's age. How the time flies. The older of the two is skeptical at the proposal, but proceeds nonetheless.

"Well, okay. Anne, is....an interesting case to say the least. I'd consider her a pretty talkative person. She always has all this energy inside of her, and because we have to keep our cool in front of Henry, she has to release it all in conversation, or behind closed doors. She's a bit mischievous, but also knows when to be serious. She has this sort of contagious happiness, because I'm telling you, whenever she's around I feel like smiling. And I'm sure it's no secret that she's absolutely beautiful, with her shiny black hair, and her eyes....there's something truly mesmerizing about them and...."

This cannot be happening. Catherine's eyes widen at the realization, just like Anne had. I can't be....queer. It's a sin. I can't....

"Mother?"

"Mary, I'm sorry. Your mother is a monster." The deadpan face upon Catherine's face scares the young girl. The way she speaks without emotion, without hope, it's something Mary isn't used to.

"No mother! You're not! You can't be a monster just because you love Anne." The Spaniard is unconvinced. Catholicism is what she grew up with, and Catholicism says that queer people will burn in hell. Mary, on the other hand, is trying to think of what to say, without spoiling her theory. "......Mother, I've had these thoughts about other girls as well."

The queen is even more shocked than she was originally. Not only her, but her own daughter was queer as well! What had they done to deserve such a fate?

"Were we destined to be punished, Mary?"

"But if our God is love, then would he punish us for who we love? Surely, loving another woman doesn't violate His most important commandment. 'Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.'"

"Matthew 22:37-38." The two recite, having memorized the verse long ago. Catherine tries her best to hold back the water droplets she feels forming in her eyes. 

"Since when did you become so wise and grown up?" They both share a smile.

"I get that from you, Mum." The mother embraces her daughter in a heart-filled hug, so, so thankful of her understanding. "But I still think you should tell Anne. Or at least talk to her about what happened."

"I'm not so sure, darling."

"Aw, come on! Not you too!"

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Catherine isn't sure what to think of anything that had happened recently, but she knows one thing.

Anne does not like me back.