28th January 1547
The king lay dying. The slender, athletic figure of his youth had all but disappeared; only his spirit now hung on to his past vigor and energy. The wound in his leg had destroyed his ability to hunt, but not his hunger for it. His many wives had destroyed his faith in love, but not his desire for it. He was overweight and bad tempered. He longed for the days of his youth, when he could ride carelessly through the woods of his kingdom, Charles Brandon at his side. But now Brandon was dead. Cromwell, too, was dead. Wolsey was dead. More was dead. Everyone was dead, and only he was left. Of all his closest advisers and friends, he had outlived them all.
His children sat gathered around his bedside. His eldest Mary, her silken hair the exact same shade as her mother's. And Elizabeth, his youngest daughter. The daughter he had sacrificed almost everything for hoping she would be a son. He regretted treating her so terribly for the most of her childhood, and blaming her for the actions of her mother. And finally his son, his darling Edward, Prince of Wales. His eyes were those of his mother, the most kind hearted and goodly wife the king had ever had. Mary's hand grasped his cold one, and as a solitary tear rolled down her cheek, her father smiled.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDCApZ5hox
"Do not weep for me Mary. Pray for me, but do not weep." He said, his voice thin and worn. She nodded silently. In her other hand she clutched her rosary, (such an obvious display of Catholicism, and yet her father, who had tried so hard to abolish the Catholic church in England, did not seem to mind) praying already for his soul.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8WqH3KHo9
All too soon, he was gone. He had said goodbye to his wife Katherine, and kissed the hands of both of his daughter's. His son, still a young boy, looked at his father with fearful eyes.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuzLGTkF4e
"You are to be king, my son."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Mf08SgN8E
"Yes, sir." He said bravely.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifOCrrWocH
"I was not much older than you, when I came to the crown. I have faith that you will govern England well. You shall be a just and honorable king."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNunAxwkHb
And then, his eyes had closed, his breathing had stopped and his grip on his daughter's hand loosened.
One.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRun86RgBj
The first he heard was the sound of rain hitting the window. When he opened his eyes, the room was dark, save from the light of a few candles. Henry saw her before she noticed he was awake. She was sitting in a rocking chair by the fire, mending one of his shirts. He recognized her instantly.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZEC6odJBHf
"Katherine?" He asked, his voice hoarse.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIuNLxgq5v
"Husband." She said, beaming.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZlwObbPrR
"I thought I was..." He began.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOhxwtfCfV
"You are. I am too." She said simply, with a shrug. "Consider this as your path to the afterlife." Before he could respond, she began to speak once more.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6K4DB0AEiE
"I trust you have raised our daughter well? I was always proud of her."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvlMJh69Hj
"She is much like her mother." Henry said with a smile.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0BbMuRCWG
"Then I hope you have not treated her in the same way that you did me." She said coldly. Henry remained silent. "I was your lawful wife, Henry. You know that as well as I. Was the Boleyn girl worth it? Did she give you the son I could not?"852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUkji7gGiy
"I regret bitterly my actions towards you. If I could but return to the past..."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrnwtnIyWF
"I will forgive you. All I ever wanted was an apology."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZesJvED8M2
"Then I am sorry Katherine. I am sorry that I took Mary from you, and I am sorry that I humiliated you, I see now that I was wrong. I see now that I was misled."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXc00h4ATI
She did not reply, and a small smile formed at the corner of her mouth.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMc1U6RH7ls
"All I ever wanted." She repeated. She nodded to the door. "You may go."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcN8sbf5DL
"Go? Go where?"852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLn2FtVnDYD
"I am sure there are others waiting for you." She said simply, turning back to her sewing.
Two852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBzeZlXSoN
Henry stepped through the door. He should have been in a hallway, dark and cold. Instead, he was in the grounds of his favourite palace. It was summer, and the sun was blinding. His eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, and he saw another woman. She was dark, much like Katherine. She was wearing a deep green that had always suited her. The pearls at her neck hung just as they always had. Her neck itself was as slender as it had always been. There was no scar across it, there was no indication... no notion that he had... that she had been condemned... there was nothing to suggest she had died so violently.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUC5CLry0GB
"Henry." She said smoothly. Her voice was like melted butter and all at once, he was transported back to a time when he loved her.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYxHjlA8Yk
"Anne." He said curtly. He had forgotten what she had looked like. Forgotten the sound of her voice, forgotten the curve of her hips and the soft skin of her cheeks.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBvgrW9oeb
"We were here, do you remember? When I told you I was expecting Elizabeth? You were so happy." She looked towards the castle behind them. "Does she remember me? Henry please, tell me that she has been told how much I loved her."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErgAKeEOqq
"She knows why you are not with her today."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHxZVGhl6O
"I am not with her today because of Cromwell." She said coldly. Her eyes were dark, her face had lost any trace of good humour it had previously possessed.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vQ8Xmm2fR
"Cromwell gathered evidence I could not argue with, Anne."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghAyBUErTd
"Did it occur to you that the evidence was false? Did it occur to you that murdering me was not the only option?"852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkHURnpnNw
Henry was about to protest, to insist that it was not murder, that death was the penalty for treason and it was not murder. He found himself weak, too weak to argue.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVIBa7Y4ry
"I wanted to see her grow up, Henry. I loved her so, so much. Maybe I could not have given you a son, but you robbed me of my daughter."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1w6uBGehvY
"If it is any consolation to you, Cromwell is dead. He was executed." He said, fighting back a hysterical laugh. Anne however, did laugh.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FYalmm9lJ
"You sign the death warrant for everybody, don't you Henry? I am amazed you did not execute yourself."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oeXnAtRCt
He had always admired her sharp tongue, her bold wit.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98XKFBbaqT
"I am sorry, Anne. For taking away your chance at being a mother." He looked into her eyes, those deep, dark eyes that once promised everything he desired. All at once, he was on his knees before her. "I beg you Anne, forgive me."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7oY9SdTAt
She grasped his hand and kissed the back of it.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNBU3xdLMu
"I shall always love you, my king." She whispered. "You can continue, now."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5hSNlqu0J
Henry faltered.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLurzLcBwSw
"If I could stay, if I could make things right, I would do it."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKTWWR2Rgs
"I would have you stay. I would have us go back to how we were, when I was carrying your child and the both of us were so hopeful that it would be a son and heir. I would have us go back to those days and never leave, but I have a feeling that you have others to see." She said, taking a step back. He nodded, and bid her good day, leaving her alone in the grounds of their summer home.
Three852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfsYVRt6EKC
This time, Henry was in the Queen's chambers at Richmond. They were empty, devoid of all furniture. But she was there; her golden hair still as bright as he remembered.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAPCD95Kao
"I was starting to think you would never arrive." She said.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BuMH0EYMl
"Jane." He said, breathing a sigh of relief. Of all his wives, she had never betrayed his trust. She had given him a son.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSJuazXhZS
"Were you with her? With Anne?"852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZlnkzR3IX
He nodded. She smiled.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2yzQPf9E2
"I do not mind. But I do not wish to speak of her; forgive me, for I know not how long we have, and I must ask you about our son. Is he well?"852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTOWmtYYl8
"He is king." Henry said softly. Jane's face warmed.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8x4eMbSkGw
"He shall be a wonderful king. Is he strong? He is not sickly? And he is kind and generous and fair and honest?" She said, her words rolling into one another. Henry laughed.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQ2vacH2Sk
"He is perfect. He will be a remarkable king. I have complete faith in him, he is your son, after all."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiib65Dni86
"Indeed he is." Jane said, smiling at the floor. "You have nothing to apologise for here, Henry. You need not stay."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPONITqWxx0
"I love you Jane. Of all my wives you were the most true, the most kind, the most beautiful. You died giving me my son, and every day I thank you for it. You were the most selfless woman I ever knew. I stay not because I want to apologise, but because I do not want to leave."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtA5P8193g
Jane blushed, a soft pink colour that Henry had always enjoyed. She was a true English rose.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcg4y2HWTp4
"What lies beyond this, Jane? Katherine mentioned an afterlife. When I go through that door, what will I see? Who will I encounter there?"852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6t5UDMw6Z
Jane shrugged.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREIB4oTWSM
"That is up to you. The afterlife will be waiting for you, and I with it. We will see each other again, husband."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHoJ43Tuls
"If I will see you again, does that mean I am to see Katherine again? And Anne?"852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEqxxirPhG
Jane bit her lip.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdl6sn53S6V
"I do not know, husband. That too, is up to you."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwh1dY2Ou6
"Then I shall see you, and only you, again Jane." He kissed her cheek softly, longing to stay.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtnmMuTRzA
"You must go, continue with your path Henry. The sooner you reach the end, the sooner we shall be reunited."
Five852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnwtoFfZIg
He was in the country. It was not a house he had been to before.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyySvHJY9iR
"This was where I grew up, Henry."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7BZ5iyCZl
Her voice encouraged his anger, her face made him resentful of her.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisASGeRNFT
"Katharine Howard. I hoped I would not find you here."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPylktWbUU
"You had me executed Henry, where else would you expect to find me but in the land of the dead?"852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlQZx5CCYk
"You were guilty."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJiquVJt7f
"Perhaps it runs in the family. Anne was my cousin after all..." She said venomously.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGR2Yxph9Oe
"You go too far." He said, turning to leave.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjnl41xz0c
"You won't be able to leave. Your business here is not finished."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CE2sZYnu3
He stopped with his back to her. He said nothing, waiting for her to speak.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2sXwiJ7uG
"I was a child when we met Henry. A girl, not a woman. I was not ready to bear children, to be a wife. You expected too much of me."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYox5VsNNiA
"Perhaps I did, but I am not the guilty party. You admitted to adultery with Culpepper yourself. Our marriage was a lie, just like so many of my marriages."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPU91EZGw6P
"I was a young girl, Henry. A young girl in love. I made a mistake. You could have sent me to a nunnery, had the marriage annulled. Cutting my head off, was it necessary?"852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmHdxbvByF
"Then I apologise, I made a rash decision. I was angry."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtze7ALw3A
Katherine's expression softened.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDi1VitEuMC
"Do you remember what you called me? Your rose without a thorn."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfSEu04AV9
"I was wrong." Henry said.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2FiPNqBW9
"Aren't we all?" She said lightly. "Aren't we all dreadfully wrong about something? I was wrong thinking I could never be caught."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Jw1A2NPzR
"I have been wrong on many counts." He said despairingly, sitting on the small bed in the center of the room. "I had More executed, my oldest and most honest friend. I drove Wolsey to death, and I had Cromwell executed. I exiled Charles from court when he married my sister, and I treated my daughters terribly. I fear I shall be forever remembered as a tyrant."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXmvwF67sh
"No Henry. I do not think you shall be remembered as a tyrant. I think you shall be remembered for having so many wives. Most men only have one, you know? Not five."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5gvyaXMkty
"Six." He corrected her.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSJaLXRUxy
"Six. Of course you married again after me. Who is she?"852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLi3hHtdxOd
"The lady Catherine Parr."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjY1KQ7o7g7
Katherine nodded her head slowly.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSrV43G3J5
"I am sorry Henry. I was a foolish child. I do not doubt that your faith in marriage is shattered all together?"852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2X5XKcXyEA
He nodded. "Apart from Jane. Jane was my one true wife."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ksTc2JezR
Katherine smiled slightly. "Then go to her. I am sure she's waiting for you."852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNLFtdQyXT
He looked towards the door and she nodded in encouragement. He rose from the bed, bid her farewell and opened the door into a bright, white light.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMQuISP2Th
He knew that the wives he had wronged so woefully would never forgive him fully. He knew that he had been wrong. He could see that now, now that the troubles of living no longer weighed heavy on his shoulders. His leg no longer bothered him, he was healthy once again. He regretted his actions in life, but knew that he had changed the face of England's landscape forever. He knew his name would never die, he knew his line would live on through his son.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcKoqNCvqi
And so, Henry VIII passed into the halls of the dead, where so many of his predecessors had gone before him. He had been king on Earth; he was king once more in the land of those that will live forever.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRAMaJoaAe
The afterlife was not a physical location. The afterlife was not a cloud on which the saints danced. The afterlife was an idea; the afterlife was the guarantee that his memory would live through the ages. The afterlife was memory. The afterlife was knowing that hundreds of years from now, people would remember his name. And with that, King Henry, the eighth of that name, stepped into the afterlife.
Authors Note: I have not included Anne of Cleves or Catherine Parr in this, purely because they were still alive when Henry died. I wrote this because in life, his wives never got a say, never got to protest. In death, they were equal. I feel that if they could have met, his wives would have been much more blunt and forward with him. I would also like to think that Henry would have realised his mistakes (although this is probably unlikely!) and asked for forgiveness from his wives. Also, personally, I do not think that Jane was the wife he truly loved, but for the purpose of the story I have gone down that route. 852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwhHJM3he6
Also, I hope the end makes sense. I wanted to get across the point that kings do not need an afterlife, for they are still very much alive in memory; but to get to that point, Henry needed to let go of his tyranny and rash behavior in order to be worthy of such remembrance.852Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3bHvI0soa
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and then Add to home screen.