#her first letter to cromwell she actually immediately uses the first person

[fideidefenswhore]

In June 1534, Mary sent a letter of protest to numerous foreign officials including Chapuys and Charles V. Written in Latin, the letter included a sentence that translates to, 'To clarify all the details of this Scripture we have, we say, we maintain, we assert, and protest that our identity is a mere fact of our knowledge and after mature deliberation on the testimony of my manual, a sign and seal of my own.' Through this, Mary was insisting to the world outside of England that in no way did she intend to renounce her title or give in to pressures to marry or enter a convent without the consent of her mother. This in itself could easily have been interpreted as treason [...] as it turned out, Chapuys had actually written the letter and gave it to Catherine to pass along to Mary to rewrite, copy, sign and distribute ten months earlier.

Mary I in Writing: Letters, Literature, and Representation (Queenship and Power), Edited by Valerie Schutte & Jessica Hower, [Chapter 1: Derek M. Taylor]

[carewyncromwell]

[Carewyn was very content with her placement in Slytherin. Sure, from the time she arrived, plenty of people expressed suspicion toward her because of her brother -- even Slytherin’s newest Prefect, a dark-haired boy with hollowed-out cheeks and tiny eyes named Felix Rosier, had taken Carewyn aside and made it clear that he was going to keep a very close eye on Carewyn and he didn’t want her to jeopardize Slytherin winning the House Cup by causing trouble like her brother used to. It was frustrating to the point that Carewyn thought she’d quickly get tired of it. 

But even with that, after the Sorting Ceremony and her back-and-forth with the Sorting Hat, she felt like Slytherin was her best place. And her feelings were validated by one of her new dormmates being Rowan Khanna -- the girl she’d met next to Flourish and Blotts. Even though the rest of the girls in her new dorm kept their distance, Rowan was very happy that Carewyn and she were going to share a room, and she immediately asked if she could take the four-poster bed next to Carewyn’s. (Which, yeah, sure, of course Carewyn was fine with -- she’d picked the bed on the far end so that it’d be closest to the window that overlooked the Black Lake...but if it also was the bed closest to the one person who seemed to like her, that was a nice plus too.) Rowan also ended up standing up for Carewyn the following morning when a group of older Slytherins in the commonroom decided to pick on her for being related to “that delinquent Cromwell” --

“Family doesn’t mean anything! ...I-I mean...judging by a lot of other last names in here -- Avery, Nott, Rosier -- some of us have Death Eaters in our family. I think Carewyn will be an amazing Slytherin.”

Rowan’s determination and loyalty despite the flush in her cheeks, the tenseness in her shoulders, and the slight anxiety in her shaking voice warmed Carewyn’s heart. The two girls then headed to Charms together and ended up sitting next to each other during class.

Charms had been Carewyn’s first class, and it pretty much immediately became her favorite. Carewyn had kind of expected Professor Flitwick might give her the side-eye too, since he used to be Jacob’s Head of House, but he was a very amiable teacher who expressed a lot of enthusiasm for Carewyn’s talent for the subject. When Carewyn actually managed to light her wand with Lumos in her first class -- something only one other student, Ben Copper from Gryffindor, managed to do -- Flitwick was so thrilled and proud that he awarded Slytherin ten house points. He then went on to add ten more when Rowan correctly answered what the stronger version of the charm and the countercharm were (Lumos Maxima and Nox, respectively). 

After class, Carewyn said goodbye to Rowan and headed up to the tower where she’d learned the Owlery was, so that she could send a letter to her mother, Lane, with the news of her house placement. The Owlery was actually kind of a nice place, despite all the owl droppings and the noise -- the view of the grounds one got from it was pretty impressive.

Carewyn looked over the windowsill, taking in some of the other towers.]

That really tall tower over there -- is that the Astronomy Tower? Reckon the view has to be the best from there...

[She looked out over the shining Black Lake, and she felt her shoulders relax. She’d noticed some movement around the windows of her dorm last night -- she figured it had to be the Merpeople that Lane had told her and Jacob lived there -- and the thought that there really was a whole underwater kingdom down there, under the dark waves, was enthralling. 

Once Carewyn had contented herself with overlooking the grounds for a while, she headed back downstairs, all the way back down toward the dungeons. Their next class was Potions, taught by Slytherin’s own Head of House, Severus Snape -- and true to Carewyn’s initial first impression of the man when she saw him at the staff table, the rumors around the first-year class were that he was not someone to mess with.]

[When Carewyn descended the stairs that led down to the dungeons, though, she was surprised when she noticed a familiar tall girl with glasses standing in front of the Potions classroom, looking noticeably uncomfortable.]

Rowan?

[She was clearly talking to somebody, but Carewyn couldn’t see who it was at first, given how much taller Rowan was compared to them. Carewyn could hear them, though, and they sounded thoroughly unpleasant, almost bratty.]

???: “Do you want me to knock you down again? Well then,

[Rowan, to her credit, tried to stand her ground.]

Rowan: “I -- I can’t! I mean, it’s logically impossible! You can’t be the Most Powerful Witch at Hogwarts -- to do that, you’d have to be more powerful than Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout, Madame Hooch, Madame Pomfrey, every single seventh-year, sixth-year, fifth-year -- and well, y-you’re just a first-year like me!”

[Carewyn realized, once she’d gotten closer, that she did recognize the girl Rowan was talking to -- it was one of the girls from their dormroom who had avoided talking to her the night before. Carewyn’s eyes narrowed noticeably as she approached.]

Carewyn: “(coolly) That’s too bad. I’d say Rowan’s pretty brilliant.” 

[Both Rowan and the other girl were startled by Carewyn’s arrival.]

Rowan: “(delighted) Carewyn!”

[Carewyn’s eyes were fixed on the girl in front of Rowan -- a feat that wasn’t as hard as it usually was, since the girl was about her size, rather than inches taller than her like most of the rest of the first-year class. She also gave off an aura that Carewyn pretty instantly disliked -- there was something mean-spirited and immature coming off of her, not unlike Bobbie Matthis.]

Carewyn: “And I don’t see why someone who’s the ‘Most Powerful’ anything would need to bully people.”

[The girl’s oddly colored magenta eyes flashed.]

???: “‘Carewyn,’ is it? Well, I reckon you don’t see potential any more than you see your brother these days. What happened to him again? Ran away like a little baby, after going nuts and getting expelled?”

[Carewyn’s blue eyes flashed. She wanted to lash out immediately, but she desperately tried to keep her temper, even as her face flushed.]

She’s just trying to get a rise out of you -- just trying to make you upset --

Carewyn: “I’m not trying to pick a fight. Just leave Rowan alone.”

???: “I don’t take orders from anyone -- least of all someone who clearly wouldn’t know greatness if it bit her on the nose.”

[Rowan immediately jumped in to try to defend Carewyn, even though her voice was noticeably shakier.]

Rowan: “That’s not true, Merula! Carewyn's a great witch! She lit her wand in Charms before any of us Slytherins did...P-Professor Flitwick said that was something he rarely saw in any first-year class!”

Merula: “(scoffs) Oh yeah? Well, I overheard the professors whispering about little Miss Cromwell at the Feast, and they didn’t sound so flattering then. They thought you were going to be a troublemaker, just like your mad brother -- ”

Carewyn: “(hotly) My brother is not mad.”

[She wished she’d been able to keep her temper, but the discussion of Jacob, especially surrounded by such blatant lies, just hurt too much.]

Merula: “(smugly) Awfully defensive about that, aren’t we?”

[Carewyn tried to reestablish a hold on her temper. She turned to Rowan, speaking to her under her breath.]

Carewyn: “Come on, Rowan -- we should get to class -- ”

Merula: “(mockingly) Yeah, Rowan -- go cower behind your little buddy, rather than actually stand up for yourself. Honestly -- you act so smart in Charms, but you’re really just a cowardly little mouse! Maybe you’d actually make something of yourself, if you weren’t so insecure!”

Carewyn: “(offended) Insecure?”

[Carewyn had really and truly wanted to just walk away and go cool off -- but that word just hit her temper in exactly the wrong way. 

She turned back around, her eyes flying to Merula’s face again like a shot. As was often the case when Carewyn got truly angry, her voice went down a pitch and noticeably quieter, rather than shriller or more volatile.]

Carewyn: “(lower and harsher) If anyone here is insecure, it’s you. Only some really scared, insecure person would think that the way to be ‘great’ is to bully people into saying what you want to hear, rather than actually work hard to earn that praise. Go win some house points yourself, if you’re that mad that Rowan and I got some.”

[Something flickered in Merula’s expression, making it visibly more hostile -- clearly Carewyn had struck a nerve. She took a sharp step forward and got right up in Carewyn’s face.]

Merula: “(aggressively) I suppose you think you’re better than me, Cromwell?”

[Carewyn took a step back to put some distance between them, but her blue eyes never left the other girl’s magenta, shooting daggers into them.]

Carewyn: “(very coldly) No. I know I’m better than you. Because I don’t tear other people down, just to try to make myself feel stronger.”

I’ll be a great witch by helping people, not hurting them. 

[Merula’s face flushed with loathing, but before she could summon up a proper response, a very icy voice interrupted.]

Snape: “What’s all this?”

[All three girls looked up, startled.]

Rowan: “P-Professor Snape!”

Snape: “(dryly) Cromwell -- I had a feeling you would be trouble.”

[Snape’s black eyes were locked squarely on Carewyn, boring into her with as much light and kindness as some endless pit. It made her gaze fall down to the floor, rather than staying focused up at him.]

So the professors really did think I’d be a troublemaker...?

Carewyn: “...I wasn’t trying to cause trouble, sir -- Merula was bullying Rowan, so I -- ”

[But the professor seemed disinterested in an explanation.]

[With Snape’s eyes boring into the tops of their heads, the three Slytherin girls all headed into the classroom. 

The rest of the class was already inside, leaving only one table with empty seats -- and so, much to Carewyn’s displeasure, she had to share a table with Merula. Once she realized she’d have to, though, Carewyn purposefully took the seat next to Merula, so as to create a physical barrier between her and Rowan. The tiny ginger also shot a warning glare at Merula as she did so.

With a furtive glance at Merula, Rowan leaned in very close to Carewyn to whisper in her ear so only she’d be able to hear.]

Rowan: “...Thanks for standing up for me, Carewyn. I’ve never really been that good at standing up for myself -- ”

Carewyn: “(very quietly, but reassuringly) That’s not true! You didn’t tell Merula what she wanted to hear, even if she was bullying you. (gently) I thought you were brilliant.”

[Rowan flushed darkly, and she looked visibly touched as she smiled.

For their first Potions class, the first-years were expected to brew a Cure for Boils, using the recipe in their textbook. Carewyn had been a bit nervous about messing up -- after all, as Rowan herself pointed out early on, the last thing either of them needed was making Snape angry a second time. So, once she’d read over the instructions in her book, Carewyn fetched all the ingredients she needed and loaded them all carefully into her arms. When she’d returned to her workspace with her ingredients in hand and started to methodically arrange them on the table so she could remember the order they had to be added in, Merula saw fit to taunt her.]

[At the time, Carewyn hadn’t paid the comment too much mind -- just some usual “tough talk” from someone who clearly had decided she was going to do better than Carewyn in Potions.]

Well, if Merula working hard makes Snape award her house points, at least Felix Rosier will have something to be pleased about. Then maybe he and the others won’t compare me to “my delinquent brother” so much...

[Carewyn dreaded the thought of how insufferable this girl probably was about being good at something, though -- from her experience, bullies were often both sore losers and winners.

The process of brewing the Boil-Curing Potion took almost an hour. It was honestly a bit of a relief when Carewyn was finally finished. As much as her mother had always accented the importance of patience, she already thought to herself that she much preferred Charms -- at least in that case, she only had to consider wand movement, pronunciation, and overall focus in whether or not she succeeded, rather than be nervous at every step of a long process that she’d made a mistake. But to her relief, her potion actually looked okay! Better than okay -- it looked just the way it was supposed to, based on the textbook’s description.

Or at least it did -- before it started fizzing and sputtering.]

Carewyn: “Huh? What’s happening?”

[Rowan looked alarmed.]

Rowan: “Carewyn, did you add Bulbadox Powder!?”

Carewyn: “What?”

Rowan: “(anxious) From my studies, this looks like the beginnings of the explosive reaction caused by adding Bulba -- !”

[BAM!

Carewyn just barely managed to catapult backward in time to avoid the explosion and the liquid that was flung out in all directions, splashing the table and floor.

Carewyn stared, horrorstruck, at her cauldron. It had been blasted apart, the Boil-Curing potion she’d worked so hard on now seeping out of the fragments onto the table. An unsettling, smoky green steam came off of the pewter pieces, staining the air with a smell like burning socks.]

Merula: “(very coolly) Congratulations. You have cured the table of boils.”

[Snape swept over like a very displeased bat.]

Snape: “(sharply) Reckless girl! Thinking to outclass your brother in mayhem, I see. Well, not in my classroom -- ten points from Slytherin!”

[Carewyn’s mouth dropped open. Her focus went to Merula like a shot, just in time to see her magenta eyes glinting with satisfaction.

Carewyn’s blue eyes widened in outrage.]

Carewyn: “...You cheat! Rather than just brew a good potion yourself, you had to make me mess up, just so you could look like you were better than me -- ?”

Snape: “(eyes narrowing) Take responsibility for your incompetence, Cromwell.”

[Carewyn whirled back on Snape, her voice urgent.]

Carewyn: “(insistently) Professor, before class, Merula was bullying Rowan just because she won Slytherin points in Charms and she didn’t. Then right after I went to go get my ingredients, Merula said that I was already ‘guaranteed to fail.’ She must’ve put Bulbadox Powder in my cauldron while Rowan and I were getting our ingredients, just to get back at me for standing up for Rowan.”

[Despite the suspicion in Snape’s features, he didn’t shut Carewyn down right away, as he considered the green steam coming off of Carewyn’s cauldron.]

Snape: “Is this true, Miss Snyde?”

[Merula’s response was so disingenuous that it made Carewyn want to hit her.]

Carewyn: “(shaking with righteous anger) You lying, spiteful -- !”

Snape: “(barking) Enough. Or is ten points being taken not enough for you, Cromwell?”

[Carewyn seethed. Despite this, though, Snape’s beady eye trailed from Carewyn’s broken cauldron to Merula.]

Snape: “(lowly) Your family has represented Slytherin well, Miss Snyde. I will be watching you closely to ensure you do the same.”

[Something in Merula’s “innocent” expression faltered. Snape turned and swept away, his black robes billowing behind him.

Rowan brought a hand up onto Carewyn’s shoulder and gave it a supportive squeeze.]

Rowan: “(whispers) I’m so sorry, Carewyn...your potion looked close to perfect, too...”

[Merula regarded Carewyn with a rather condescending expression.]

Merula: “(airily) It’s only going to get worse, Cromwell. If you can’t even brew a potion without making a cauldron explode, how do you ever think you’ll be a better witch than me?”

[Carewyn’s eyes flashed at her angrily.]

Rowan: “(annoyed too) Yeah! Carewyn’s right -- Slytherin could’ve won ten more points if you’d just brewed a good potion yourself instead of sabotaging Carewyn’s! Instead, now we’re behind!"

Merula: “I’d rather lose some House Points now than have Cromwell ruin Slytherin house forever.”

[Her magenta eyes narrowed upon Carewyn as her lips curled up in a smirk.] 

Merula: “Besides...now it’s obvious that I’m the most important first-year, and you’re nothing but a disgrace -- just like your brother.”

[Carewyn opened her mouth to snap at her, but Snape inadvertently cut her off.]

Snape: “Dismissed. I’ve had enough of all of you for one day.”

[Carewyn was still steaming as Merula arrogantly got up and swept away from the table and out of the dungeons. Looking for a way to distract herself from her temper, she looked down at her broken cauldron and sighed.]

Carewyn: “(lowly) I’d better clean this up. Merula’s sure not going to...”

Maybe Snape won’t be as mad, if I at least try to help.

Rowan: “Would you like me to help you?”

[Carewyn shook her head.]

Carewyn: “(trying to smile) That’s okay. It’s my cauldron that broke, I may as well take care of it. You go on ahead.”

[Rowan frowned uncomfortably. Then, after a moment, she tentatively suggested,]

Rowan: “...I could always wait out in the hall for you, if you’d like. Then maybe we can head back to the commonroom together! I’d love to get to work on our Charms homework...”

[Carewyn smiled.]

Carewyn: “...Okay. Sure.”

Maybe I can keep Merula from bothering Rowan again, if we walk together.

[With a weak smile, Rowan slowly gathered her stuff and went to go wait in the hall, while Carewyn took out a rag and started cleaning up her ruined potion. Unfortunately Snape seemed to be pointedly ignoring her -- Carewyn was a little irritated that he didn’t even have the courtesy to say “thank you,” but she reminded herself that he was clearly in a rotten mood, and that probably distracted him. Carewyn herself ended up getting distracted from chucking the fragments of ruined cauldron in a box of broken supplies in the Potions storeroom, though, when another member of their class who’d also lingered behind approached her.]

[It was Ben Copper, the nervous-looking blond Gryffindor boy who’d also managed to light his wand in Charms class. Even if Carewyn hadn’t recognized him, though, he quickly introduced himself.]

Ben: “I’m Ben -- Ben Copper. I’m in Gryffindor -- or at least, I was sorted there...I don’t reckon I’m really the best fit for it...”

[Carewyn tilted her head at him, slightly confused, which only seemed to make Ben more nervous.]

Ben: “A-anyway! I just...wanted to say thank you, for standing up to Merula Snyde. What you said...about her tearing people down to make herself feel stronger...that was really brave of you to say, especially when you must’ve known how mad it would make her...”

[Carewyn blinked.]

Carewyn: “You heard that?”

[Ben suddenly looked very sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.]

Ben: “I was watching from the end of the corridor. I’ve been trying to follow Merula so she can’t sneak up on me. I tried to avoid her after running into her on the Hogwarts Express, but...well, I wasn’t doing so well with that. And at least now if she sees me following her, I can always run away!”

[Carewyn frowned.]

Carewyn: “So you first ran into Merula on the train?”

[Ben’s head and shoulders fell noticeably as he looked down at his shoes.]

Ben: “Yeah. I ran into her in the hallway outside the train compartment she was sitting in, and she ended up tormenting me the whole way. She kept threatening me -- said I didn’t belong here, since I’m a ‘filthy Mudblood’...”

[The word immediately made Carewyn stiffen in disgust and righteous anger.]

Of course she’s that awful sort! Why am I not surprised?

Carewyn: “That’s terrible!”

[Ben tried to smile uncomfortably.]

Ben: “I gathered that word wasn’t something decent people use.”

Carewyn: “(fiercely) Use, or think, or -- or even believe! Having magical blood doesn’t matter in the least bit! Anyone with any sort of brain knows that -- and only the most disgusting, cowardly people would try to insult someone for having a Muggle family.”

[Ben looked a little reassured.]

Ben: “...Well, it’s like you guessed before, Carewyn. Merula’s obsessed with being the best witch in our year -- and she thinks she has to impose her will on us, to prove it. I’m just glad you were brave enough to stand up to her -- (mumbles) I’m certainly not...it’s a joke that I got put in Gryffindor...”

[The memory of the Sorting Hat and her own uncertainty about her placement rippled over Carewyn’s mind.]

Carewyn: “Being a Gryffindor shouldn’t mean you have to be brave all the time. Everyone’s afraid of something.”

Ben: “(gloomily) Not me -- I’m afraid of everything. But I mean, this whole place -- Hogwarts, the Wizarding World -- I don’t know it, like you and Charlie and Jae and Corey and Merula do. Maybe if I did, I wouldn’t be so terrified of the dragons that can incinerate you and the potions that can put you into a cursed sleep and the plants that can strangle you and the Lethifolds that can suck your soul out and -- ”

Carewyn: “(firmly) All of that stuff is scary, Ben. It makes sense that you’re not used to everything yet -- I’m sure you’ll be able to adjust, if you just give it some time. You’re already Professor Flitwick’s best student.”

[Ben flushed with pride.]

Ben: “...Well, I don’t know about that...you’re pretty good at Charms too.”

Carewyn: “(dismissively) Only because I’ve seen my mum use spells like that before. You had to do it without growing up around any magic at all -- that’s much more impressive.”

[Carewyn headed back over to her table and fetched her schoolbag.]

Carewyn: “I’d better go -- Rowan’s waiting for me. But...don’t pay Merula any mind, Ben. You absolutely belong here.”

[Ben’s flushed face spread into a rather emotional smile.]

[Carewyn gave a short wave over her shoulder, before darting out of the classroom to go find Rowan.]

((OOC: YES! Introducing the Merula-Carewyn rivalry! *double-clicks “What is This Feeling?” on her ITunes and tags @dat-silvers-girl​ because she expressed interest in this 💜* 

Although in the game, it’s insinuated multiple times that Jacob and MC were in the same house, Jacob Cromwell was a Ravenclaw, while Carewyn is (of course) a Slytherin. 

Carewyn, when she was younger, was much quicker to anger than she is when she gets older, as well as much more judgmental of others. Thanks to her as-of-yet-unrealized Legilimency potential, Carewyn has always had a knack for making quick judgments about people that usually end up being correct, so she doesn’t tend to look much past the surface, at this stage. This changes, though, when she befriends Barnaby Lee and -- eventually -- even ends up mending fences enough with Merula to work together with her to deal with the Vaults. 

Felix is much stricter and less helpful with Carewyn than he is with MC in the game. This changes in Carewyn’s third year, where Felix finally puts down his pride enough to acknowledge Carewyn isn’t like her brother and that she’s legitimately a pretty good kid. 

Although Carewyn’s best subject is Charms and she’s very talented at it, I always headcanoned Ben as a Charms prodigy and thus Flitwick’s best student by a mile.)) 

[groigne-a]

Do you think Anne actually loved the King or was it all show and mostly ambition as Wolf Hall's interpretation of her seems to believe?

          // so when i started                       writing anne, i had only watch the series and started reading ‘wolf hall’, so i was conflicted on this question  -—  as are many historians still tbh. we have henry love letters to anne, so we have no doubt of henry’s love for her ( and obviously, the lengths he went to to have her as his wife are part of history and shaped england forever ) but anne’s replies to those letters have disappeared, probably destroyed by her enemies after her death. so what were her real feelings ? i think the only remaining piece of exchange between henry and anne is found inside a book of prayers on which they each wrote their feelings for one another : 

henry wrote in french : “If you remember my love in your prayers as strongly as I adore you, I shall hardly be forgotten, for I am yours. Henry R. forever.” under an image of a flayed christ

anne wrote in english : “By daily proof you shall me find To be to you both loving and kind.” under an image of the annunciation aka the virgin mary being told she’s going to have a son. 

             now we can’t date those inscriptions and we can’t know at which point during their courtship it happened, but as eric ives wrote in his biography of anne, we can fairly assume that by july 1527, anne and henry were in fact betrothed to one another ( in his 5th letter to her, henry speaks of a ‘present so beautiful’ and ‘for the fine interpretation and the too humble submission’ which makes ives assume anne promised her virginity to him after his 4th letter to her, where he promised her marriage ) ; before those two letters, we see that anne allowed henry to play at courtly love with her, but no more : in his second letter to her, henry pledges her to give herself to him ‘body and soul’ but when they meet, henry pushes matter a little too far ( probably asking her to become his mistress ) and anne immediately backs away and retires herself from court. it’s only when henry promises marriage to her that she comes back. anne withdrawing herself completely helped henry realised how much he loved her. 

             it’s good to note that, at that point, henry had already decided he would divorce katherine to marry another ; he just realised that his new wife would be anne, rather than some foreign princess like his advisors would have liked. shortly after anne’s agreement to marry, henry petitioned rome and they both thought the annulment would be a quick matter. 

               now to the question : did anne love henry ? does her coldness at first only show a greater ambition than just being a mistress ? i think not. now we must analyse from which background anne comes from : the court of margaret of austria, regent of the netherlands, and the court of france  -—  but not the lavish court of francis i, with little morals. anne was maid of honour to queen claude, one of the most pious and devout queens of europe. she was also in the company of the king’s mother, louise of savoy, who had strict morals. people like thomas cranmer, archbishop of canterbury, found her to be a woman of high morals and piousness. i think, first and foremost, anne wanted to make things right : yes, she loved henry, and she wanted to give him an heir. in ‘wolf hall’, after the discovery of the drawing, anne says ‘i mean to have him’ and the focus is only on having the king, and the crown ; in truth, anne said ‘for the hope i have that the realm may be happy by my issue, i am resolved to have him whatsoever might become of me’  -— the focus here is on giving henry a son and stabilise the realm ! on another occasion, henry told anne she had made him many eyes, to which she reply with the line about the prophecy and a queen who shall be burnt, and added ‘but even if i were to suffer a thousand deaths, my love for you will not abate one jot’ 

             was she ambitious ? like hell she was. on one occasion, as he saw the annulment matter was proving itself to be more difficult than he had previously thought, henry begged anne to just settle for a title such as the ‘royal mistress’ in france ; anne obviously refused and convinced henry to keep on fighting for their marriage, then moved back to court to prevent any more ‘cracks’ on henry’s part, who could still be easily subdued by the likes of wolsey and more. anne used her proximity to the king to advance her family matters, too, and to get rid of their political enemies, wolsey first. but once the cardinal had fallen, she lost a lot of support in the pursuit of the marriage, including her uncle norfolk. yet she never stopped fighting for it, and eventually got what she wanted. 

            can’t ambition and love go hand in hand ? i don’t think it necessarily annul one another ; i think they can definitely be two sides of the same coin. i think anne found the perfect combination between her feelings and her personal ambition. and i think it’s possible to acknowledge that she did love henry while enjoying the ‘wolf hall’ portrayal immensely ( like i do ! ) because, since it’s written with cromwell’s pov, we 1) don’t have many scenes between henry and anne, 2) it’s only what cromwell think it is  -—  and we see, in the writings of the politicians of the times ( ambassadors first among those ) that appearances can be extremely misleading. 

           tl;dr : i think anne loved henry, but was also an extremely ambitious, self-made woman who fought for what she wanted : the crown obviously, but also to give henry, the man she loved, a son and a stable kingdom to him through that issue. 

[carewyncromwell]

Whew! Three drawings for the price of one for the POTC AU! The first two feature our new Pirate King Jules Farrier-Weasley @cursebreakerfarrier (flanked by Jacob “Black Jack” Cromwell Roberts and Orion Amari), and Cutler Beckett (flanked by Carewyn Cromwell “Carey Weasley” and Patricia Rakepick). The last one features the human form of our Davy Jones, Finn McGarry @theguythatdraws, with his One True Love Chiara Dalma, A.K.A. Calypso! These took a while, but they were fun to do, so I hope you like them.

Jules’s “tunic” is actually the same chemise she cut up while she was still on board the Artemis, as seen in a doodle on a previous post. Carewyn’s new uniform (which we’ll address in this part) is based on yet another of James Norrington’s costumes, this time the one he wears in the third Pirates film. Unlike the character whose role she roughly fills, though, Carey isn’t going to die unceremoniously in the middle of the damn story after getting this costume change. (Why no, I’m not bitter about the fact that Jack Davenport didn’t get more screentime and that Norrington didn’t get to be the Javert to Captain Jack Sparrow’s Valjean in the sequels the way he so could’ve been after the first movie, why would you think that? *snort*)

Now that we’re getting more into the Davy Jones/Calypso stuff, I can acknowledge how much I’ve changed from the original films’ depictions of the characters, as well as why. Personally I find the characters’ relationship to be a bit toxic and not as romantic as it should be. Calypso, being a goddess, could very easily not understand things like the passage of time through a man’s eyes, but the excuse she gives for why she wasn’t there to support her lover after all of the hard and lonely work he’d put in for her after ten years is just “it’s who I am.” I get that she’s a manifestation of the sea and not something you can pin down and all that jazz, but at the same time, it was cruel to follow her own selfish whims over considering her lover’s feelings. She presumably then also didn’t even try following up with Jones after he returned to the sea, as they aren’t able to sort out that misunderstanding before the events of At World’s End. (I mean, she’s a shape-shifting goddess of the sea, and she made him that way in the first place, so it’s not like she couldn’t have met him somewhere that wasn’t dry land.) I understand Jones couldn’t expect her to change her nature, and that’s fair, but it doesn’t make me like Calypso very much or feel much of anything for her relationship with Jones. And on the flip side, Jones decides to take out his pain at this misunderstanding (which he really should’ve tried clearing up AGES before the events of At World’s End) on his lover in the most spiteful, vindictive way -- teaching a bunch of pirates how to trap an immortal goddess into a mortal body that definitely has none of the power innate to her, presumably feels pain, and could even age or die. Rather than trying to quit the job Calypso gave him or even trying to figure out what happened, he decides to clip the wings of the woman he supposedly loves, all due to his own pain at being betrayed. So I don’t feel much for Jones as a character and for his relationship with Calypso either. In the end, when they quasi-make up, I didn’t think it was earned or that it was a good outcome for either of them. I do think there’s some tragedy in the situation, for they clearly feel deeply for each other, but their romance is really dysfunctional in my opinion, and I think it could’ve been handled a lot better if you wanted to make the pairing as romantic as the theme Hans Zimmer wrote for it. (As a side, take a listen to this lovely lyric cover someone wrote for the Davy Jones theme, it’s so good!) This is part of why I like being able to write Chia and Finn (the Calypso and Jones analogues in this AU) with a more sympathetic backstory, as well as some organic development for both them and their relationship while they’re apart from each other, which I kind of think was lacking in Tia Dalma/Calypso in particular.

Previous part is here, whole tag is here, and I hope you all enjoy!

x~x~x~x

Carewyn was perturbed by how fast an armada of ships from Port Royal caught up with the Flying Dutchman, once Rakepick had Jones send one of his cursed crew members with a message for Beckett. It was as though the head of the East India Trading Company had been waiting in eager anticipation of the Dutchman locating Shipwreck Cove ever since he gave her and Rakepick the mission in the first place.

Among the armada was the Clearwater, and Carewyn was shocked and a little happy to see Percy crossing over to the Dutchman from his ship and leaping off the gangplank to greet her. The youngest of the three Weasley brothers who’d joined the Navy gave her a salute for formalities’ sake, but he couldn’t keep the relieved smile off his face.

“Commodore Weasley,” he said formally.

“Captain Weasley,” said Carewyn in return.

As soon as they’d greeted each other, both of them loosened considerably. Carewyn opened her arms and brought Percy into a rather mannish hug, clapping his back the way Bill often did whenever he hugged his brothers.

“Jones’s men treated you well, I hope?” Percy murmured under his breath, his voice betraying some cold suspicion despite himself.

“Well enough,” Carewyn said softly.

When they broke apart, Percy was smiling a bit more fully. 

“It is good to see you, Carey,” he said, his faintly pompous voice nonetheless incredibly sincere, “though I’m afraid I’ll have my own ship to run now...”

Carewyn smiled proudly. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. A Commodore needs a talented Captain in his fleet.”

‘I know how long you’ve dreamed of moving up the ranks. Even if the Navy isn’t what it should be...I’m glad that you’re living your dream, Percy.’

Percy’s brown eyes softened, clearly touched. Before he could say anything, however, a familiar, aloof voice interrupted him.

"A Commodore does indeed need a talented Captain...”

Both Weasleys turned to Cutler Beckett as he stepped down onto the deck of the Dutchman beside them. His small eyes were locked firmly on Carewyn.

“...as does the Admiral of the fleet.”

He materialized a folded letter and held it out to Carewyn. Her eyebrows furrowed as she opened it, before her eyes widened upon its contents and the royal wax seal at the bottom.

“I’d already had this prepared ahead of time, prior to your departure from Port Royal,” said Beckett with a cool smile. “I wrote to the King of how impressed I was with your dedication, ingenuity, and talents, and he was most pleased. When I requested you to be at the head of my fleet for this upcoming venture, he agreed immediately. Upon receiving Madam Rakepick’s letter about you initiating the search for the Tower Raven’s old fleet and using one of their own ships to guide us to our target...I knew that my faith had been more than warranted.”

His eyes narrowed slightly over his cold, satisfied smile.

“Congratulations...Admiral Carey Weasley.”

The “honor” the King had bestowed upon her, if one could call it that, made Carewyn feel ill for multiple reasons. Not only did she truly not, NOT want to fight the Pirate Lords and whatever ships they gathered together, but she knew that she had largely gotten the position thanks to the effort of Rakepick -- who had for whatever reason credited Carewyn for following the Phoenix rather than taking credit herself -- and Beckett -- who Carewyn didn’t trust as far as she could throw him, but couldn’t figure out why exactly he had so much “faith” in her. Was she truly that good of an actress to completely fool him? She wanted to think so -- and yet the way he looked at her, not unlike how Rakepick looked at her, spoke of him knowing something she didn’t. Sadly Percy, even if he had seemed legitimately troubled by the hangings in Port Royal, was not distrustful enough of Beckett to express anything but pride in Carewyn’s accomplishment, so Carewyn couldn’t talk to him or anyone else about her suspicions.

When she confronted Rakepick about what she wrote to Beckett, the older woman’s response was oddly coy.

“I already told you you don’t belong on this ship,” she said, her dark blue eyes locked firmly onto Carewyn’s with a murky emotion she couldn’t quite identify. “Now that you’re Admiral, you’ll have more power to command your own ship, overlooking the Dutchman as well as the rest of the fleet.”

Carewyn’s eyes narrowed. “So you wrote that so I’d get off the Dutchman?”

Rakepick’s eyes narrowed slightly too, becoming more solemn. “You heard Lord Beckett -- he’d already planned this for you in advance. Although my reasons are different from his, I’m more than willing to play along with his whims, if it means I get what I want.”

“And what is it you want, Rakepick?”

Rakepick’s red lips curled up into a cool smirk. “Now, Admiral...one can hardly expect a lady to answer such a personal question.”

Not long after confronting Rakepick, Beckett summoned Carewyn to his cabin on his flagship, a Man O’ War called the HMS Lion. Unlike any of their previous meetings in his office, Carewyn found the cabin completely empty except for Beckett when she arrived -- in the past, Percy or Rakepick had been there too, as well as one or two employees of the East India Trading Company. It gave her the feeling that Beckett wanted this meeting to be more private than the others, which gave her a terrible sense of foreboding.

“You wished to see me, Lord Beckett?” she asked, once she’d finished saluting him.

“Yes,” said Beckett.

He was sitting behind his desk, which once again had a map laid out with different model soldiers and ships littered all over it. There were also seven Piece of Eight coins lined up in a neat little row -- he was once again playing with the eighth, rolling it along his fingers lackadaisically.

“Word has come from Shipwreck Cove, from the so-called ‘Pirate King,’“ he said, his eyes on the coin in his hand. “She wishes to rendez-vous on a tiny island on the far side of Shipwreck Island at sunset tonight, a ways away from the Cove. No weapons -- just talking.”

Beckett’s eyes flickered up to Carewyn’s face almost critically.

“...The Pirate King...signed her name as ‘Captain Jules Weasley’ -- so she’d be an old flame of yours, would she not?”

Carewyn stiffened slightly. ‘Jules is the Pirate King?’

She covered up her surprise quickly, her blue eyes narrowing.

“Miss Farrier -- pardon, Mrs. William Weasley -- never commanded any affection from me. Although her father bid she court me, her feelings were always for my brother -- so much so that she followed him into piracy.”

Beckett’s lips spread into a cold smile. “Then it’s as I surmised. Governor Farrier expressed frustration that his daughter had not managed to ensnare your heart, as opposed to your older brother’s -- especially considering how much she seemed to enjoy your company...”

Carewyn could not figure out what Beckett was trying to suss out from this conversation and it troubled her greatly -- so she put on her best, coldest expression and lied through her teeth.

“Whatever woman I respected in the past is dead, now that she’s an enemy of the Crown,” she said harshly. “I know no ‘Captain Jules Weasley’...nor do I wish to.”

Beckett’s smile did not shift in the slightest. If anything, his small, dark eyes flickered in something almost like triumph.

“I understand your sensitivity to the matter. You truly do love with all of your heart, don’t you, Admiral Weasley?”

Carewyn’s eyebrows knit tightly over her eyes in confusion, but she did not reply. Beckett put the Piece of Eight coin down in the row on his deck and rose from his chair, moving over to the decanter of red wine on the side table so he could pour a glass.

“I saw you with Captain Weasley, before you left Port Royal -- and of course, your reunion on-board the Dutchman, earlier today. I also heard quite a few interesting rumors circulated among our prisoners from Tortuga, speaking of your honor and the respect you showed them despite their criminal status...even moving a woman into a cell with her husband without being asked, if I’m not mistaken...”

His voice was very aloof and was tinged with a bizarre fascination, like an entomologist might have for a rare butterfly he’d pinned to his wall. Carewyn felt like her heart was being squeezed, but she dare not say anything.

Beckett finished pouring out two glasses of wine and put down the decanter so he could pick up both glasses.

“It’s not something I’m familiar with, that kind of concern for others.”

He offered the glass of red wine to Carewyn, his eyes boring into her face. Carewyn kept her face as blank as she could even though she could feel the blood leaving it as she took the glass of wine from him, but did not drink it.

“...I did not mean to displease you, Lord Beckett,” she said lowly.

Beckett’s eyes flickered again with that strange satisfaction as he took a sip from his glass of wine.

“On the contrary -- it’s only appropriate, for a woman to have a gentle heart.”

Carewyn stiffened sharply.

‘No. No, no, no -- !’

It was one thing for Rakepick to find out, but Beckett to know -- did Rakepick tell him? No, she said she wasn’t really doing any of this for Beckett -- should she deny it, Carewyn wondered? But if she did, and he caught her in a lie, could that make it worse -- ? 

Her hesitation made Beckett’s eyes gleam with greater satisfaction than ever.

“Then I was right,” he murmured. “I admit, I wasn’t sure. True, your voice is higher than one normally hears and you’re smaller than most, but I know first hand that means nothing. And your military record...had it not been for me having met and employed Patricia Rakepick previously, I would never have believed a woman could be so skilled in battle and strategy, nor so aggressive. But when Captain Weasley expressed such interest in me having hired a woman, and even went out of his way to bring it up to you...my interest was peaked. All the more so when I found out how truly useful you are, as an officer.”

Carewyn felt like she was drowning in horrifying, icy cold water. Beckett knew she was a woman -- he knew she was a woman, and could tell anyone about it, if he so chose. She’d not only lose her position -- the one thing that she had left that she could use to protect Jacob, Orion, Bill, Charlie, and Jules...but she’d be cast out in disgrace, leaving her with nothing -- possibly taking Percy along with her for having kept her true gender a secret --

Her blue eyes had drifted down to the floor absently, but were not focusing on anything.

Yet...Beckett had said nothing of his suspicions to anyone. True, he hadn’t known for sure...but why would he recommend her to the King as an Admiral, if he’d suspected?

And then it hit her.

She bowed her head, casting her eyes into shadow as she put down her untouched wine glass on the side table.

“...What do you want from me, Lord Beckett?”

Beckett raised his eyebrows but did not respond.

“You very easily could’ve gotten both Percy and me cast out of the Navy in disgrace,” she said, keeping her voice low in an attempt to try to keep it steady, “yet you’ve kept me and even helped get me promoted, presumably because I’m so ‘useful.’ What use do I have, for you?”

Beckett gave her something of a patronizing smile as he stepped forward, coming up right in front of Carewyn so that his chin rested just shy of her shoulder and he could look at her face out the side of his eye.

“Isn’t it obvious? You are an excellent Naval officer -- a leader and inspiration to those who serve under you. You’re world-renown for your honor, your courage -- your passion. You prompt people to fight with you -- for you -- with a loyalty that even the King of England himself cannot boast. Were you a man, you would be someone I’d be very threatened by, indeed. But since you are a woman...I can appeal to your heart.”

Carewyn could feel his breath sliding past her ear and she couldn’t help but cringe. She stubbornly refused to look him in the eye, keeping her gaze firmly on the floor.

“I’m afraid my disinterest in the once-Miss Farrier was not a one-off thing, Lord Beckett,” she said very dryly. “Romance is not something I think about very regularly.”

Orion’s face rippled over her mind, making her heart ache. Oh, if he were there, in that room -- the thought of him seeing her letting herself get pushed around by the man who’d branded him and sent the Navy after him for piracy...it made her feel ill.

Beckett’s lips curled up in a slightly tighter, almost miffed smile as he pulled away just enough that he was facing the wall behind her rather than looking at her face.

“...Oh...no, Admiral...you misunderstand me. I know I own no part of your heart...but Captain Weasley, he most assuredly does.”

Carewyn’s head shot up so she could look at him, her expression stricken despite herself.

“Your younger brother is not nearly as useful as you, but he has shown great dedication to me, since I threw him a bone and ensured his promotion. It’s a loyalty I hope that you will likewise show me...especially considering that both you and he have been given access to information that few others have been...and that I would do just about anything to ensure doesn’t become common knowledge...”

Carewyn stared at Beckett, her shock giving way to cold hatred. 

“So that’s it,” she murmured. “You’ll hold Percy’s and my lives and livelihoods over our heads, to make sure that I don’t surpass you, somehow. How I don’t know, considering that the Navy is not part of the East India Trading Company, nor shall it ever be, but clearly you feel loyalty is something to threaten out of people, rather than earn -- ”

“The only thing one can really earn in this world, Admiral, is money, and therefore power,” Beckett cut her off sharply, “and I have no intention of losing either, now that I’ve earned both of which I’m owed!”

He turned to look Carewyn straight-on in the eye, their faces mere inches apart. Gone was any hint of attempt at gentlemanly poise -- there was a hard edge to his gaze, not unlike the way he’d looked at Jones, but because he was actually an inch or so taller than Carewyn, he seemed to relish the power he had looking down at her both literally and figuratively.

“You will use your talents to serve my interests,” he said under his breath, “and I, in return, will continue to reward you and your brother, by ensuring that your careers and lives flourish under me. It’s just good business.”

At sundown, Beckett and Jules met at the tiny island agreed upon. Jules strolled down the long, narrow beach toward the shoreline where they were to meet, Jacob on one side of her and Orion on the other. She’d originally wanted Bill with her, but McNully was able to persuade her that she’d look that bit more intimidating to Beckett if she arrived in the company of two of the most wanted pirate captains in the world, and even Bill had to agree. Jules was determined to stand between Jacob and Orion, though, considering that there was still a lot of tension between them.

Jules had been furious with Jacob, when she’d learned about the deal he’d struck with Davy Jones. Even if he’d originally planned to give Jones “a Cromwell” as in Charles or Blaise Cromwell -- two objectively bad people who had been largely responsible for Carewyn and Jacob’s abusive, unloving childhoods -- Jules was also confident in thinking that Carewyn would be horrified, knowing that Jacob was willing to enslave another person to Davy Jones, just to find her. Jacob refused to feel guilty for that, but he clearly was destroyed by the knowledge that his choice had put Carewyn in so much danger. It was apparent from the way he talked about it and the way his hands and shoulders shook with silent sobs that Jacob would’ve sacrificed himself a hundred times over, if it would guarantee Carewyn wouldn’t be harmed.

Orion, by contrast, hadn’t said a word since Jacob told them what was going on. Throughout the entire conversation, he’d had his hands clasped tightly in front of him and kept his gaze downcast, even taking time to close his eyes for long periods of time as if he were meditating. Despite his silence and his detached affect, his usually stoic expression and unsteady breathing betrayed genuine anxiety. At one point, Bill brought a hand onto Orion’s shoulder to try to comfort him, and Orion actually subconsciously smacked his hand away.

“I’m sorry,” said the Captain quickly, his voice very hushed and tense as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose. “Just...please, don’t touch me.”

Bill, Charlie, and Jules all thought they could guess how Orion was feeling. Although the others had forcefully shot down the idea that Orion was the least bit responsible since he couldn’t have known the consequences of calling Carewyn by her real name, their words had done little to soften the Pirate Lord’s brow. If Orion’s past behavior hadn’t been indicative of how deeply he felt for Carewyn, then the way he clasped anxiously at his own hands and shut himself off from everyone else at the thought of her being doomed to spend the rest of her life trapped on board the Flying Dutchman made it crystal clear.

“Orion’s always valued his own freedom more than any kind of loot,” McNully murmured to the three Weasleys under her breath, “more than anything, really. And if he cares about the Commodore so much...”

“...He probably couldn’t bear it, if she lost hers,” finished Charlie, bowing his head and closing his eyes as they welled up with pain and righteous anger.

As Jules, Jacob, and Orion approached the shore, they caught sight of three people standing in the distance. The man in the middle dressed in black Orion identified as Cutler Beckett. On his left was an older woman as tall as Orion with hair as ginger red as Bill and Charlie’s that Jacob immediately recognized as Rakepick...and on his right was Carewyn, dressed in a new yellow-trimmed navy blue uniform and a black tricorn hat.

The three pirates stopped five feet away from the Head of the East India Trading Company and his two female companions, a notable sting of tension prickling at the air. Jules tried hard to keep her focus on Beckett, but her eyes were drawn to Carewyn despite herself. Although her friend faced Orion -- the person directly in front of her -- with a hard, stoic expression, she looked so pale. When Jules glanced over, she noticed out the side of her eye that Orion’s unreadable gaze was also locked on Carewyn, even as he took deep breaths through his nose and his hands clenched absently at his sides.

“Well, well,” said Beckett, his eyes narrowing darkly upon Orion’s face, “if it isn’t my old friend, Orion Amari.”

Orion glanced at Beckett out the side of his eye without turning his face away from Carewyn’s. Although his face remained rather calm, there was a faint edge to his soft-spoken response.

“...I did not think you were ever much in the market for friendship, Cutler Beckett...considering it’s something you cannot buy.”

His gaze returned to Carewyn. Beckett glanced from Carewyn to Orion, his lips curling up in a very cold smile.

“Ah, yes -- you and Amari are old friends also, aren’t you, Admiral Weasley?”

“Admiral?” repeated Orion, taken aback despite himself.

“Yes,” said Carewyn, and although her response was very cold, her eyes pulsed with emotion that she attempted to obscure by glancing to the side in Jacob’s direction rather than straight at Orion. “By order of the King, as a reward for my work alongside Lord Beckett.”

Jules could see Jacob’s jaw clench out the corner of her eye. She too felt like her heart was being squeezed. Carewyn no doubt hated her promotion with everything in her, if it was something she’d earned chasing after them on Beckett’s orders. Still...Jules couldn’t express that flat-out, so she put on the strongest expression she could.

“...I suppose congratulations are in order, then.” 

Carewyn flashed Jules a look. “I don’t want congratulations from you, Mrs. Weasley. Or should I call you ‘Your Majesty,’ now that you’ve started playacting as a royal?”

Jules’s lips came together tightly when she saw how broadly Beckett smirked. The small man’s reaction seemed to piss off Jacob too.

“You will show proper respect to the Pirate King,” he said with a fierce look at the Head of the East India Trading Company.

“Respect,” scorned Rakepick. “Is that a word you can even define, Black Jack?”

“As well as I could wring your neck, if I were allowed,” spat Jacob.

“I’m surprised your ‘Pirate King’ would want a man in her company who’s so comfortable threatening a lady’s life,” said Carewyn sharply.

‘Don’t start a fight with her,’ she thought desperately, praying that Jacob would be able to sense her intent even with the act she had to play. 

Unfortunately Jacob, as smart as he was, was never the best at reading people’s emotions -- and so when his narrowed eyes shot to Carewyn, she could see a flicker of pain. She surmised that even if he clearly didn’t think she believed what she was saying, it hurt him beyond reason, to see her having to defend the woman who’d tried to kill him.

Orion, however, very quickly adapted to the new method of “conversation,” fixing Carewyn with a calm, but piercing gaze.

“And I’m surprised that a honorable officer such as yourself would be so comfortable in the company of those with no honor whatsoever,” he said.

‘You’re in danger,’ Carewyn surmised he was trying to say. Her eyes narrowed upon Orion’s face.

“I beg your pardon?” she retorted. “I fail to see how a pirate has any leg to stand on, speaking of honor.” ‘What are you trying to tell me?’

“Even I have more honor than a captain who would burn an entire settlement to the ground,” murmured Orion. ‘Davy Jones.’

“Jones follows orders, as do we all...something else a pirate wouldn’t understand.” ‘What about Jones?’

"Orders...from Cutler Beckett, or from you? From what I’ve heard, you were on the Flying Dutchman yourself -- hardly a place one would expect to find Port Royal’s greatest hero.” ‘You must get away from Davy Jones. Get off of the Flying Dutchman.’

Carewyn’s blue eyes narrowed a bit more. First Rakepick wanted her off the Dutchman, and now Orion? Yes, Davy Jones was dangerous, but at present she found him much less of a threat than Beckett...

“A true hero knows that his reputation comes second to the good of the others,” she said very softly. “As does a loyal officer.” ‘I can’t leave.’

Something in Orion’s dark eyes flinched.

“Your older brother will be very disappointed, to know you’ve sold your loyalty so cheaply,” he said just as softly.

Carewyn felt her heart clench. She knew he didn’t mean Bill -- and yet the thought of both her surrogate brothers and Jacob was a silent knife to her back. She didn’t dare look at Jacob for fear her strong facade would crack, so she kept her focus solidly on Orion.

“I would think given your own history with Lord Beckett, you’d know full well how valuable of an ally he is, ” she shot back quickly, feigning temper as best she could, “and how dangerous of an enemy, as well. Both I and the brother who chose to follow the law rather than spit in its face are certainly glad for his aid, in ending your reign of terror.”

‘I can’t leave, not with what Beckett has over me and Percy. And if I do leave, then you’ll be in more danger than ever...’

Her eyes bore into Orion’s fiercely as she begged beyond reason he’d understand.

“...You may tell William...that I am no Bedlam maid in need of saving.”

‘You can’t help me. I love you.’

Deep in the depths of his sparkling black eyes, Carewyn could see a flicker of desperation, almost like anxiety. Afraid that Beckett might notice the crack in Orion’s expression, or in her own at the sight of it, she quickly whirled on Jules.

“He is the one who should stand down,” she said, her voice hardening further in an attempt to obscure her emotions. “All of you should, unless you wish to face down an entire armada.”

‘There are 34 Man O’ Wars waiting out there for you,’ she hoped Jules would be able to discern. Even if she didn’t know an armada had that many ships, Jacob and Orion would.

Jules, to her credit, matched Carewyn’s act with her own cold gaze. “Don’t underestimate us, Admiral Weasley. Both the British Navy and the East India Trading Company have done that consistently from the beginning.”

“And now we have come to the end,” said Beckett smoothly. “Of you and the rest of your Brethren.”

The others all turned to look at him. He flashed Orion a look better suited to a cockroach before redirecting his gaze onto Jules.

“Tell your Court this,” he said in an aloof, condescending voice. “You can fight, and all of you will die...or you can stand down, in which case only most of you will die. I daresay the Governor could be persuaded to spare you from the gallows, if you threw yourself on his mercy...and if I were to be merciful enough to leave out your new position, in my correspondence with the King...”

Jules’s dark eyes flashed with hatred as she strode forward, coming to a stop two feet from Beckett so she could glare right into his face.

“There are few things I can tolerate less than cowards who resort to blackmail just to make themselves feel powerful.”

She didn’t look at Carewyn, but Carewyn could sense Jules was thinking of her, as she said this.

“We will fight. And you’d best hope that we will show more mercy than you would, in our place.”

The Pirate King turned on her heel and walked away. With some reluctance, Orion and then Jacob turned away and strode quickly after her, leaving the other three alone on the shore.

“So be it,” said Beckett with a cold smile.

Carewyn couldn’t look at Rakepick or Beckett at her side. Her gaze was solidly locked on the departing backs of her brother, friend, and love as they began to shrink into the distance.

She’d never been very good at relying on or having faith in others...but in that moment, more than anything, she knew all she could do now was put her trust in Orion -- in Jules -- in Jacob -- in Bill and Charlie and all of the other pirates on Shipwreck Cove.

‘Please...please, be careful. Please be safe.’

In that moment of helplessness, she felt her heart ache all the more, watching Orion walk away. She closed her eyes, trying to bring back the memory of him standing shoulder to shoulder with her on the Artemis -- of him lying in bed as she tended to him, when they were young -- but it was no use. The graveness of the situation was too dire even for escapism...

Carewyn clutched her own arms behind her back. They suddenly felt so much heavier...as if there really were manacles there she couldn’t hope to break.

‘...Please...please live.’

On the opposite side of the island, both Jules and Jacob noticed the silent tears that had streaked down Orion’s face...but none had the heart to address it as they boarded the jollyboat that would take them back to the Artemis and to Shipwreck Cove.

At the same time that the pirates and the leaders of the British Navy were meeting, Davy Jones had been left behind on the Flying Dutchman with Percy supervising the troops. Beckett thought that Jones was threatened into line by how many soldiers were still guarding his heart, but thanks to Carewyn, Jones knew that Rakepick had stolen and relocated it. Now that he didn’t know where his heart was at all, he knew he couldn’t afford to move until he’d found it again -- and with Carewyn likely leaving the Dutchman with her new position as Admiral, it was likely it’d take a while before she could smuggle him any more information she might acquire about that. For the moment, though, Jones had put that concern on the back burner, for the Dutchman’s arrival near Shipwreck Cove gave him the opportunity to catch up with the Phoenix.

As luck would have it, when Jones phased through the Dutchman and onto the Phoenix, the ship was largely abandoned, since the crew had all gone ashore to Shipwreck Cove. The only person remaining was a small woman with long white hair, looking out to sea over the deck. In her hand was a pretty silver locket in the shape of a moon, the lid of which was cracked open so that a sweet, tinkling music box melody played.

Chia Dalma closed the locket half-way through the song, her eyes closing sadly as she clasped the locket close to her chest. She straightened up in shock, however, when she suddenly heard the rest of the tune echoing from behind her. She whirled around, to be faced with a giant, hulking shadow with writhing tentacles sprouting out from his jaw, holding an identical locket in his claw. Anyone would’ve been terrified at the sight -- but Chia looked upon the figure with tears in her eyes.

“Finn,” she breathed. Her lips were curled up in a weak smile, just as they had been before, but the joy was stained with so many other emotions -- grief, shame, and regret.

Davy Jones regarded Chia critically as he took several plodding steps toward her. “You know I haven’t been called that name in years.”

Chia bowed her head. “Nor have I been called my true name in years.”

Jones tilted his head, trying to read her expression better now she was looking away from him.

“I had not expected to find you like this,” he said very lowly. “You’ve never taken on such a small shape before.”

Chia’s eyes flashed with righteous anger as she raised her head. “That’s because this form is one I did not choose to take. It was thrust upon me by the Brethren Court.”

Jones straightened up slightly. His eyes narrowed to slits.

“...Then they did not kill or trap you. They transformed you.”

His voice was as low and growling as thunder. Chia clutched at the sides of her arms with her hands, her gaze smouldering with resentment as she glared down at the deck.

“Oh, but they did trap me,” she said bitterly, “trapped me in this single form, which can’t do even half of what I should be able to. I’ve been able to use what power I have to slow down the aging process, but this body still feels pain. This body still feels strain, and weakness, and hunger, and exhaustion, and longing...”

Something rippled over her eyes -- something more ashamed and pained.

“...I never knew...how much time truly weighs on a human,” she murmured.

Jones’s expression grew much more grim. “An immortal such as yourself should never have had to learn that.”

“Should never have had to, yes...but...”

She looked up at Jones, her gray eyes pulsing with strength despite the pain rippling within.

“...why did you not tell me, how long ten years felt for you? I have felt those ten years several times over, trapped in this tiny, fragile, helpless body every single moment -- and it’s...it’s been torture. To know you took the job I gave you -- only coming ashore once every ten years, so you could help me with the burden of tending to the dead at sea -- when ten years feels like that, to you -- ”

Chia’s eyes flooded with tears.

“I gave you the position of ferryman because I wanted to spare you from death,” she whispered. “Because if I didn’t give you that role and give you some of my power, you would’ve died. I’d never thought that those ten years would feel so long -- drain you so much...”

Jones was quiet for a long moment. Then he brought up his claw to brush her bangs from her eye.

“It’s only natural that you saw things the way an immortal would. Time is no object to you -- ten years no doubt felt like a small price to pay, in the face of your life span. And...”

His eyes became a bit smaller.

“...it’s not exactly like I wanted to die and be separated from you either. Even though part of me always doubted you’d be there waiting for me, when I returned...even though I resented you for years because you weren’t there...”

A ghost of a smile flickered over his features.

“...I know I shouldn’t have expected you to see things as I have -- to change yourself to suit me. If you did...you wouldn’t be the goddess I fell in love with, would you?”

Chia smiled up at Jones, her eyes shining with tenderness.

“I tried to make it back to you,” she murmured. “When the Court transformed me, I tried so hard to get there, to reach you...”

She extended her hands, tentatively trailing them along his tentacled face. Jones seemed to tremble at her touch.

“I know of the danger you’re in, Finn,” said Chia seriously. “As long as Cutler Beckett has your heart, I know you’re beholden to him. But I have allies among this newest Brethren Court. If they convince the others to break my chains, as I’ve foreseen they will...then as soon as I am free, I will come for you. I will make sure you and I are never separated again...and I will make sure your captors suffer the consequences, for hurting the man I love.”

As her small white hands held his face, Jones’s face and frame suddenly began to morph. In an instant, the slimy texture, the tentacles clinging to his face, and his claw all vanished -- and there stood the tall, handsome pirate she’d fallen in love with so long ago.

Finn McGarry’s face broke out into a broken, soft smile. He stretched out his hand, caressing his love’s human cheek with more gentleness than his claw ever could have.

“Calypso...” he murmured.

Chia’s face broke out into a full smile as well. She knew she couldn’t permanently remove the fishy transformation, as it was something that had mutated Jones over the many years they’d been apart, due to his heartbreak and grief...but seeing him looking so much like his old self after so long...it made her currently human heart swell with love.

“Just as you gave me your heart, when you became captain of the Flying Dutchman,” she murmured, “so too will you always have mine.”

[carewyncromwell]

16 for AU ask! Ghost boi.

16. …Your MC met Duncan Ashe before he died?

During the Christmas break during Jacob’s fourth year, six-year-old Carewyn ended up intercepting one of Jacob’s letters from the person called “Ashe.” The letter had been accidentally opened in transit, so she picked the letter up off the ground and couldn’t help but read some of it. In it, Jacob’s friend mentioned him and someone named Olivia being at Hogwarts over the holidays. Carewyn gave the letter to her brother when he came down for breakfast that morning, but couldn’t help but ask him if his friends were lonely, staying at school over break. Jacob dismissed this, not understanding how they could be, since they could hang out together, but Carewyn persisted. “Wouldn’t you be sad that you couldn’t come home and see us, over the holidays?” Jacob uncomfortably tried to explain to his sister that both Duncan and Olivia weren’t as close with their families and therefore preferred to stay at school. Mama Lane Cromwell ended up overhearing this and immediately proposed to Jacob that he invite his friends over to their house for Christmas dinner. Jacob was initially a bit hesitant, feeling self-conscious about his friends seeing their small house, about whether or not they’d even have enough to feed five people, and about whether or not Olivia and Duncan would even want to come when Hogwarts already had great, bottomless feasts...but Lane and Carewyn finally wore Jacob down enough to at least ask. To Jacob’s complete surprise, both Duncan and Olivia immediately wrote back with a “Yes!”

Fast-forward to Christmas Day. Jacob and little Carewyn had helped Lane get ready for Jacob’s friends’ arrivals, making sure the house was clean and that the Christmas decorations were that little bit jollier. Jacob himself was nervous as all get out -- he’d always put out a rather bad-ass, intelligent, slacker, “cool” persona at school, but he knew how much his home didn’t completely reflect that. He wasn’t ashamed of his mother or sister -- far from it! He was incredibly proud of both of them. But his home and neighborhood, in the middle of the Muggle world, was a reminder that he didn’t come from much and that prior to Hogwarts he didn’t have anything except his mother and sister.

Carewyn, with her budding Legilimency potential, could sense her brother was uneasy and, after asking Jacob if he was okay, amazingly was able to suss out that Jacob was self-conscious about his friends seeing where he lived for the first time. Even though Carewyn never talks about this insecurity as a Hogwarts student or as an adult, the little girl had always been self-conscious about having to wear the same dress three times a week at school because of the Cromwell family’s poverty, so she immediately understood how Jacob felt. Grabbing her brother’s hand, she said that anyone should be proud of Jacob, knowing that he came from so little but was able to make do and become such a good student and wizard! “And if your friends can’t see that, then they’re not real friends!” Carewyn said fiercely. His eyes faintly wet with pride, Jacob ensnared Carewyn with an awkward hug around her neck and squeezed her against his side.

Duncan arrived first -- right on the dot, as to be expected. When he flew out of the Cromwells’ fireplace, Jacob couldn’t resist teasing him. “Well, lookee here, Pip! We’ve got a pile of Ashe in our Floo!”

“Ha ha ha,” said Duncan very coolly.

After Jacob helped his boy best friend to his feet, Carewyn dashed over, her eyes lighting up at the sight of him.

“Wait a minute -- are you Ashe?” she said in delight.

Duncan blinked in surprise and said, yeah, that was his surname.

The tiny six-year-old was thrilled. “Jacob’s always sent you so many letters, but he never let Mum or me read any of them,” she babbled. “He’d always shut himself up in his room -- he always took any letters you wrote him right into his room too, so Mum and I couldn’t see him read them!”

Duncan was stuck between surprise (touched that Jacob was so protective of his letters) and smug amusement, but he decided to act on the second, smirking broadly at his boy best friend.

“Oh really? Always had some private business to take care of, whenever you got a letter from me, Jacob?”

Jacob flushed as dark as a cherry, but playfully shoved Duncan with a smirk and a muttered “Bugger off!”

Olivia arrived not long later, and Lane ushered all four children into the dining room, asking Carewyn and Jacob to help set the table and figuring out what Olivia and Duncan wanted to drink with dinner. Lane also let Olivia and Duncan help themselves to her modest library while she was getting dinner ready, and soon Duncan was poring over her books on Cursebreaking and languages. Olivia immediately took to Carewyn, saying that she was indeed “as smart and sweet as [her] brother described.” Even Duncan didn’t take long to decide he really liked Carewyn too -- at one point he smugly predicted that she would be in his house when she got to school, which made Jacob laugh.

��Well, I suppose your house needs someone who can actually duel to save their life!” said the elder Cromwell cheekily.

“Carewyn doesn’t even have a wand yet, Jacob,” Olivia pointed out with a gentle, amused smile, “how do you know she’ll be good at wizard dueling, or even that she’ll want to do it?”

“I told Ashe before!” said Jacob, as he wrangled Carewyn into a sideways hug. “When my Pip gets to school, she’s going to kick his arse! Isn’t that right, Pip?”

“Jacob!” Carewyn whined. “I don’t want to hurt anybody -- that’s MEAN!”

The dinner was full of laughter from everyone, but no one more than Duncan. It was the first time in a long, long while that he’d actually enjoyed a family dinner -- that he’d actually felt like he belonged to a family, even if it wasn’t his own...and it made Duncan all the more glad that he’d decided to open his heart to the mad, reckless, arrogant, stupid, brilliant Ravenclaw named Jacob Cromwell.

HPHM AU Ask!