The Forgotten Pearl’s Adventures: It’s no longer safe in court (A free write) Part 1
Disclaimer: I have played this character before but changed a bit
from how she was once written. Still an immortal cursed witch but dropped the vampire
part. This character will be highly historical based along with POTC. This
maybe done within several parts of her adventures to the sea.
February
13, 1542, was a day that no one close to one named Catherine Howard would ever
forget. 8:30 am, the once cheerful blonde young queen was lead from the tower
to where she would be ultimately taken from this world. The crowd was with
lords, ladies, and lowly people of the town. Court people all seemed to gather
around a bit further back from scaffold. Tower Green, the same location that
years earlier Anne Boleyn had been executed. Two moths to the flame of Henry
VIII. One was innocent of all charges while the other was naive and foolish
within her choices.
Deep
within the crowd with a cloak tightly pulled her head was one who looked
exactly like Catherine Howard. The night before the same person offered
Catherine to live eternally and to escape from what awaited her, but the young
queen foolishly said no. She would take her fate just like Anne before her.
Unlike Anne, the person with the cloak had no blood connection. It was the
simple fact that they knew the young queen was just young and knew little about
court life. Anne Boleyn knew what court life was all about and knew what it
meant to hold a title or rank within the court. Either way the two roses fell
under the spell of the king and burned for it.
The deeper reason the offer was the simple fact that the two of them were in
essence doppelgangers. Catherine Howard had more of a spine to take on the
punishment that she deserved yes, but in a way, she was never protected from in
the game of life. Elizabeth Boleyn stood in silence as some around her cheered
for the head to come off young Catherine’s body. The tension surrounding
Elizabeth could be cut with a knife as the hour drew closer to Nine in the
morning.
The air felt harsh each time Elizabeth breathed in as the young queen took the
scaffold. The young Boleyn looked up as the young queen began her speech. The
final speech was always given to those before they met their end, and some were
rather something to behold. Their final speeches are always written down to go
into history for ages. The Pearl of the Boleyn’s knew that Catherine had been
practicing for the moment that she would take her last breaths, but nothing
could truly prepare someone for the moment that it happens.
She watched as the young queen took center scaffold and looked out towards the
crowd. The two of them made eye contact for a moment. Tears filled Elizabeth’s
eyes as the seconds started to count down while Catherine simply gave a weak
smile back. Taking a deep breath, the young queen began to speak. “You have all
come here to watch me die and by the king’s orders I shall. May the Lord protect
and keep the King, our Lord.” She stated calmly then a gleam began to appear in
her eyes that was not there before. “ I
die a queen, but would rather die the wife of Thomas Culpeper.” Catherine finally
said allowing all her breath to leave her for a moment before she bowed and
took a step back. Turning her head, she held out a small purse filled with the
payment of her execution for the one who would be the one to take her head.
A simple bow of the head of the executioner before taking the small purse. Her
ladies in waiting quickly helped her kneel before the block. She turned for a
moment and gave a simple calm smile as they pulled her hair up into a bonnet to
keep it out of the way of the ax. Elizabeth watching all this looked up for a
moment to the sky above, “Anne.. She is coming to join you soon.” She said
inside her mind before looking back just as Catherine bent towards the block.
Right at nine in the morning the ax went down upon the neck of Catherine Howard.
Her lips were only moving due to nerves as she had said to herself moments
before the ax was coming down a simple prayer.
An
ache began to form in her heart as tears slid down her eyes and upon her
cheeks. As the crowd departed, Elizabeth stood there and watched as Catherine’s
ladies slowly began to wrap her body. She walked slowly and carefully up to
where they were,” Does she have a coffin?” She asked with a thick English
accent. “No.” one of the ladies said softly with tears in her eyes. The ladies
looked up at her for a moment and their eyes widen. “You look..” one began to
say. Elizabeth took her finger to lips and pressed it against her lips. “I know
I do. I offered her something before her today. She did not take it. Here.” she
said holding out a purse filled with some gold. “I will not allow the King to keep
her from resting in peace regardless of what she has done to him.” She said
with fire in her eyes. “To go against the king is death.” One of the ladies
stated with fear in their voice.
“He
will never know for he has already had his eyes on another.” Elizabeth replied
with a smile as another lady took the purse in her hands. “Will you stay while
we put her to rest?” that same lady asked. Elizabeth nodded. “I will but after
that I must leave. I fear it will not be safe for me anymore to be here.”
Elizabeth replied and the other ladies nodded.
Elizabeth watched and even helped clean the body, before adding perfumes to
Catherine’s skin. Once that was done, the group of ladies put her body into the
small coffin, said a few prayers, then allowed a few men to close the lid, and
slowly put the coffin into the ground. Once the coffin was completely covered,
Catherine’s ladies in waiting paid for the plot and coffin. Each stood there
sadly looking over where their queen would lay eternally. Each turned towards
Elizabeth, hugged her tightly, and thanked her. “Go now.” The head lady in
waiting and one who was the closest to Catherine said firmly. “I will. Be safe
even now you all need to do that.” She replied giving them each a purse full of
money then turned to make her way out of the Chapel of St Peter.
Elizabeth knew not what would happen next, but all she did know was to quickly
leave the only place she knew as home. She would not even get a chance to say
goodbye to her own family nor did she care to due to the anger she still
carried within her heart from her own mother’s testimony against Anne Boleyn which caused her to be executed. Anne and
Elizabeth were closed as children and even when they went to France. It was
hard to watch Anne leave this world the way she did and with lies on her name
still hanging in the air. Now with the death of Catherine, Elizabeth knew it
would no longer be a safe place.
The Pearl of England knew not where she would go or who she would call family.
She just knew that the sea could be the safest place to be for her. She was a doppelganger
of a newly executed English Queen, the cousin of another executed English Queen,
and a cursed immortal witch. The seas had laws, but freedom.
