#&. —— the crown weighs heavy till it’s banging on my eyelids. / queen of england

[groigne-a]

          she loathes                  the very action of having to ask for help, be it towards him or anyone at court. she hates the mere fact of having to rely on other people for success. she has always fended for herself, fought for her own survival in the wolves pit that is henry’s court. if she had relied on her father or uncle, she would have been lost in a green corner of ireland, cut away from the world. anne has shaped herself into the woman she is today, and she has done so on her own. 

           but asking for help cannot be avoided, and neither can HE; he, cromwell, the man she raised from the mud left behind by wolsey, and placed into the position he occupies now. the very man who owes his intimacy with the king to her ; the two can rarely be seen separated now, while anne  —  they drift apart more and more, and more and more does her bedroom door remain untouched, unopened, as she waits for nightly visits which become less and less frequent. the king is at his prayers, they inform her, and she thinks, he might be praying for a son, but only i can provide him with one. she thinks, he might be at prayers with little jane seymour, but he already has a bastard son, and it would not do to have another one. 

           yet when she goes to him, she finds his door closed to her. she is barred from his presence, like one infectious. they have quarrelled, as always, but nowadays their reconciliation can sometimes take weeks, and they are not always as sweet as they used to be. what else can she do but go looking for help to be allowed at his sides once more ? who knows how long it might take this time ?

          of course, cromwell is not inclined towards relinquishing the power he holds over her, now, and why should he ? they, too, have their falling apart, but they never seem to come together again, and instead they let the bitterness foam at their mouth every time they meet. this time is not going to be any different. she clenches her jaw, the muscles twitching. ‵ then see this as an opportunity, cromwell, to show me that our friendship remains unaltered ′ there has been words  -—  threats, spoken in heat and anger, but she is extending her hand now, she is saying, we can still work together, if you show yourself to be compliant to my will, as you once were. 

           ‵ it is in the interest of the kingdom that the king and the queen shall be reconciled, and everyone at court knows that the well-being of england is your only concern ′ but it’s a lie, isn’t it ? his only concern is holding onto his position, his claws firmly dug into henry’s back. his only concern is to retain his power, to retain the king’s ear within the reach of his words. his only concern, is to keep her out of the game  -—  just like wolsey before him. 

           and just like wolsey, she shall crush him if he doesn’t move in the right direction soon enough. 

               @threecardtrick    /    contd.

[groigne]

      &.               tag drop ! 

[groigne-a]

Will you help me put the rest of my armor on? - xo Henry

song of achilles | A C C E P T I N G | @astrainfinitude

         anne frowned                   suppressing a smile. “ i believe this is what squires are for, my love ” she pointed out, before taking her husband’s hand. “ you know i dislike you jousting… i wish you wouldn’t. you might get hurt… ”

[groigne-a]

         she is you                      but younger, livelier  -—  prettier. that’s what her mind tells her. freshly arrived from france where the talks placed her in the vicinities of the FRENCH KING’S bed, and with the men of her family surrounding the king, her surname could have been boleyn and it would not SURPRISE anyone. but she is not family : she is an unknown object for now, and she will have to decide whether to make an enemy or a friend of her. " and how has our brother france been recently ? " a sweet smile and a neutral subject, maybe enough to imply she knows what the gossips talk about. 

                 @consultingsister                 ⁄                   sc.

[groigne-a]

          " i know                  what your sister is doing " meaning she knew one of the reynolds siblings spent more time with the king than a maid of honour should, if she was PROPER. " there is nothing i can do about her " henry has seen her fits of jealousy, temper unleashed and screaming blue murder about his behaviour  -—  that hasn’t stopped his unfaithfulness from happening. " but you still work for ME, so i would suggest you keep your behaviour in check if you WISH to keep your place here " 

             @athenawrought             ⁄             sc. 

[groigne-a]

the boob and the queen for the ship meme ----- historical

ship meme | A C C E P T I N G | @astrainfinitude

who   comes   home   drunk   ?

henry ; anne never drinks to drunkness

who   tops   in   bed   ?

henry loves it when anne tops so she happily does it, but then it depends on the pain in his leg

who    does    the    laundry   ?

they’re king and queen — they have maids

who   cleans   the   mess   ?

if they make a mess, they call for their household to clean it up

who   leaves   a   mess   ?

anne has a tendency to break things when she gets angry

who  throws   food   at   the   other   ?

they are both too dignified to throw food

who   spins   around   in   the   squeaky   chair    ?

henry would make anne spin to make her laugh

who   gets   jealous   easiest   ?

they’re both heavily jealous of anyone who dares look at the other, but anne is more vocal in her jealousies ( perhaps because henry is not faithful while she is... )

who   cuddles   the   other   ?

henry loves to wrap anne in his arms

who   feeds   the   pets   ?

anne  —  she’s the only one to have a pet

who   cooks    the    meals   ?

the kitchen boys

who   spends   the   longest   time   getting   ready   ?

they both have to take a lot of time getting ready, but anne takes the most time

who   spends   the   most   money   ?

anne spends a lot in clothes and jewellery ; henry spends a lot in jousts and war ships

[groigne-a]

          " are you                     the new maid ? " anne looked her up and down, examining her like she would a new horse. " i need help with my bodice " 

              @zeitlosleben               ⁄                  sc. 

[groigne-a]

❛ be careful with words. they can be forgiven, but never forgotten. ❜

various starters | A C C E P T I N G | @threecardtrick

         she gives cromwell               a side look, knowing very well what he meant. her mouth is drawn into a thin line, ANNOYED  -—  often she speaks her mind freely, because she is the queen and therefore UNTOUCHABLE ; because in france when she was 16, men would ask for her opinions, for her thoughts. she has learnt to talk faster than her mind. “ yes, i said i would give the lady mary a BREAKFAST she would remember ” perhaps cromwell was right and she should mind her speech ; that people surrounding her wish to see her FALL and could use the tiniest pebble to strike her down. “ but it was obviously a JEST, a witty thought which got away ”

[groigne-a]

MAIN VERSES

☓  ⁞   i was just a card, caught up in the stars.        /        (  court of france. )       ――  taking  place  between  1515  &  1521  ;  anne  is  a  maid  to  queen  mary,  sister  of  henry  viii,  then  to  queen  claude,  wife  of  francis  i.  her  sister  mary  is  with  her  until  1519. she  is  often  regarded  as  the  less  pretty,  less  ambitious  boleyn  sister  (  her  sister  mary  had  an  affair  with  francis  ).  historically  speaking,  anne  was  13  /  14  when  she  arrived  in  france ;  for  roleplaying  sake,  i  will  play  her  as  being  16  /  17 

☓  ⁞   i must become a lion-hearted girl.        /        (  court of england. )       ――    taking  place  between  1522  &  1526  ;  anne  is  a  maid  to  queen  catherine,  henry  viii’s  first  wife.  she  was  remarked  at  the  ‘château  vert’  pageant  where  she  played  perseverance.  she  was  called  back  to  england  to  marry  her  cousin,  james  butler,  but  negotiations  failed.  during  that  time,  she  is  courted  by  henry  percy,  the  future  earl  of  nothumberland,  but  their  secret  engagement  is  broken  off  by  cardinal  wosley,  the  lord  chancellor.  henry  viii  begins  his  pursuit  of  her,  after  ending  his  affair  with  mary  boleyn. 

☓  ⁞   over the glowing hill i will conquer.        /        (  pre-coronation. )       ――    taking  place  between  1526  &  1533  ;  the  seven-year  courtship  between  henry  and  anne,  before  they  married  and  she  was  crowned  queen,  and   the  whole  process  of  the  annulment  of  henry’s  first  marriage  to  catherine  of  aragon.  she  became  close  to  thomas  cromwell,  both  aspiring  to  a  rise  in  power  at  court.  during  that  time  she  gets  rid  of  wolsey,  against  whom  she  held  a  grudge  regarding  the  henry  percy  matter.  she  is  a  notorious  virgin  and  the  subject  to  a  wide  range  of  gossips,  which  cromwell  manages  to  keep  quiet.

☓  ⁞   the crown weighs heavy till it’s banging on my eyelids.        /        (  queen of england. )       ――    taking  place  between  1533  &  1534  ;  it  covers  the  stable,  quiet  queendom  of  anne,  from  her  coronation  until  her  first  miscarriage,  after  which  henry  began  considering  taking  a  new  wife.  anne’s  power  is  at  its  peak  :  she  gets  rid  of  thomas  more  (  former  lord  chancellor  )  for  refusing  to  acknowledge  her  marriage,  with  the  help  of  thomas  cromwell.  her  enemies  are  tamed  and  remains  quiet  and  in  hiding.  she  enjoys  the  king’s  love  and  affections  and  gives  birth  to  a  daughter,  elizabeth i. 

☓  ⁞   did i build a ship to wreck ?.        /        (  downfall. )       ――    taking  place  between  1534  &  1536  ;  anne’s  reign  becomes  uncertain  as  the  king  is  displeased  by  the  lack  of  male  heir  and  with  anne’s  behaviour  :  the  fiery  temper  which  he  had  loved  now  becomes  a  source  of  fights  as  anne  refuses  to  fit  into  the  docile  and  submissive  wife  mold.  she  miscarries  two  children,  one  of  them  which  had  the  appearances  of  a  male.  the  king  becomes  interested  in  jane  seymour, one  of  anne’s  maids.   

☓  ⁞   no hope for me, your last serving daughter.        /        (  the tower. )       ――    taking  place  after  anne’s  arrest  on  2  may  1536  until  her  death  on  19  may  1536  ;  anne  is  arrested  on  the  charges  of  adultery,  treason  and  incest.  she  is  accused  of  having  committed  adultery  (  which,  in  the  case  of  a  queen,  is  considered  an  act  of  high  treason  )  with  henry  norris,  william  brereton,  francis  weston,  mark  smeaton  and  her  own  brother,  george  boleyn.  the  charges  were  made  up  by  thomas  cromwell,  whom  the  king  had  asked  to  get  him  rid  of  anne  so  he  could  remarry  again  (  he  marries  jane  seymour  eleven  days  after  anne’s  execution  )  anne  proclaims  her  innocence,  and  so  do  all  the  men  accused  (  except  mark  smeaton,  who  was  tortured  )  being  noble,  she  goes  on  trial  before  her  peers  (  including  her  own  uncle,  the  duke  of  norfolk  )  and  is  found  guilty,  condemned  to  being  beheaded.  she  dies  on  19  may  :  she  was  35.  

[groigne-a]

“Maybe we shouldn’t.”

three little words | A C C E P T I N G | @threecardtrick

          expected words                 of reluctance, of hesitation, and she turns towards him her doe-eyed glance and the soft lips he has KISSED many times now. they share a secret between them, a dark one ; one they have kept far away from gossips and idle talks ( who could even IMAGINE them ? ) and between closed doors, within the shadows of whitehall hallways. she feels they might be UNTOUCHABLE. 

          “ maybe this is the only thing there is for us. maybe this is the only LIFE god has intended for us ” she smiles, somewhat reassuring, a hand over his. “ if it’s wrong, then it would not feel good ” 

[groigne-a]

“If angels can fall from heaven into hell then so we can all.”

askbox cleaning | A C C E P T I N G | @stardustmaiden

         " is it                 a warning ? “ she tilts her head to the side, eyebrows rising on her forehead ” or is it something you’re AFRAID of yourself, my lady ? “ her black eyes shine with a dark light, gaze intent and PIERCING. ” we shan’t be angels then ; we shall be humans thriving for nothing but the salvation of their soul “ a message : i will do what it takes to stay in my very own heaven. 

[groigne-a]

How does it feel to know that your husband's attentions are bestowed upon the same milkfaced maid that Thomas Cromwell also favors? Both men you thought surely your eternal servants. Both entirely exhausted of your shallow show.

          “ jane seymour means              nothing. she is just a passing fancy, like so many others before her. and cromwell means nothing either : everyone at court is above him. i don’t care on which of my women he sets his fancies upon. i suppose he was DISAPPOINTED in my sister, like so many before him, and he chose to turn towards someone so INSIGNIFICANT even him would feel better born than she. mistress seymour means nothing because she IS nothing : a ghost lurking in the shadows, a stupid girl. ”

[groigne-a]

❛ we should be kind, we should take warning, we should forgive each other. ❜

margaret atwood sentences | A C C E P T I N G | @threecardtrick

          forgiveness ? he came                before her to ask her that she should forgive him, for having forego herself and her daughter when the king might have passed away ? for having PRIVILEGED the bastard daughter of that foreign queen ? he said he cannot hold the throne for a barely-walking child, but he can for a sick teenager with a head like a thumbnail ? she SCOFFS. “ how can i forgive the man who endangered my child ? ” she doesn’t say only ( her ONLY child ) because she doesn’t want it to be so and if she doesn’t say it ( my only child ) then perhaps it won’t be true anymore some time soon. 

         “ there was nothing but UNKINDNESS towards me, towards elizabeth in your actions, cromwell. i can only offer you the same when you seem bound on making an enemy out of the woman who has ALWAYS helped you ” has she, though ? they rose together, surely  -—  but didn’t she untangle herself in due time from the blacksmith’s son, because his acquaintance didn’t suit that of what a QUEEN should keep ? 

[groigne-a]

Anne, what words do you have for the bastard Mary?

         ‵ i would tell her                to soften her attitude towards her father, because it is the only way she will get back into his favours. i would tell her it’s in her best interests to acknowledge me as the new queen, and to show me the respect my rank deserve. i would tell her it’s not too late for her to try and regain the place she held at court — if only she would take the right steps. ′

[groigne-a]

are you happy now, are you satisfied?

          ‘ why shouldn’t i                be ? england is ours. i am the queen this country has been waiting for and who will provide the heir to the throne. we will bring this country out of the dark ages of christianity. i have every reason to be happy and satisfied : i am the light who will brighten the days of our king. ‘

[groigne-a]

Most attractive man at court that isn't Henry?

sinday honesty | A C C E P T I N G

         “ thomas wyatt.                 i’ve always rejected him but i must admit he is pleasant to look at ”