It was late on All Hallows Eve, and the night was a stormy one, with howls of wind, and sheets of rain. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth of England was reclined on her opulent bed, reading by candlelight, a small Scottish terrier at her feet. On the nightstand with the candleholder was a carafe of ruby red pomegranate wine and a chalice.
There had been a masque tonight, but Elizabeth herself had left early, pleading one of her migraines. She had persuasively convinced her attending ladies to stay and enjoy the festivities. Thankfully they had accepted her suggestion, and for now she was blissfully alone, except for Baxter, her terrier.
Even though she was at leisure, Elizabeth was none the less well turned out, in a black satin and lace nightgown, and a crushed black velvet dressing gown over it. It was exactly the kind of thing her mother would have worn, if one could truly believe what people said about such things. It was attractive on Elizabeth, accentuation her red hair, and the blackness of her eyes.
When she finished a chapter of the book she’d been reading, she laid it down for a moment, to get a sip of wine. She heard a window creak open, and the cold wind began to blow through the chamber, and blew out her candle. She fumbled to see about relighting the candle, but it was useless in the cold darkness. Baxter whimpered, and she petted him, to soothe him, gathering him against her.
The wind blew harder, and she heard sounds of movement, as though someone was in the chamber with her.
“Who’s there?!”, she asked, not really alarmed; she thought it might be one of her ladies returning.
To her surprise, a ghostly figure appeared, bathed in golden light, as though a thousand candles were burning. It was her mother, Anne Boleyn! Elizabeth’s heart fluttered, but she didn’t make a sound.
“It is I, my sweet Elizabeth, your lady mother.”, Anne said softly. She was dressed as she had been the day of her execution, in a gray gown. Her beautiful black hair hung long and loose around her, and in her arms she carried Purkoy, her beloved dog who had been killed by her enemies. Beside her stood a red-headed girl, actually now a young lady. “This is Mary. She is your sister. I was carrying her when your father…..when I died.”
“M-Mother, what are you doing here? Of course I am glad to see you, but why now?”
“You are now Queen, my daughter. Queen in your own right, as of course I could never be. I was at the mercy of the whims of men. I came to warn you not to let that be your fate. Never let a man usurp your power and authority, however much you think you may love him. It is your destiny to rule England wisely. “
Anne let Purkoy loose, and he ran over and began playing with Baxter happily.
Elizabeth came closer and embraced her younger sister Mary.
“I’m sorry….”, she whispers in a hoarse whisper in Mary’s ear, “that you never had a chance…..”
“It is alright, Sister. I have had Mother.”, Mary told her.
“Mary is not the only sibling you were deprived of, my Sweeting.”, Anne told Elizabeth. “Catherine Howard was expecting a child when your father executed her, as well. Hers was a son, and it was your father’s child, not Culpeper’s. She named him James.”
Elizabeth was reeling from everything that her mother was telling her. How different things might have been!
“We must go, my Elizabeth. Our time in your realm is very limited. I felt it of supreme urgency to warn you of the threats to your reign as a solitary woman. Never let anyone take that from you.”, Anne told her.
In a puff of smoke, Anne, Mary, and Purkoy vanished, Elizabeth’s candle relighted, and Elizabeth and Baxter cuddled on the bed, amazed at what they had just seen…..
The following morning, an elaborately turned out Queen Elizabeth met with her advisors, notifying them that she was no longer accepting suitors for marriage.
Even though she was at leisure, Elizabeth was none the less well turned out, in a black satin and lace nightgown, and a crushed black velvet dressing gown over it. It was exactly the kind of thing her mother would have worn, if one could truly believe what people said about such things. It was attractive on Elizabeth, accentuation her red hair, and the blackness of her eyes.
When she finished a chapter of the book she’d been reading, she laid it down for a moment, to get a sip of wine. She heard a window creak open, and the cold wind began to blow through the chamber, and blew out her candle. She fumbled to see about relighting the candle, but it was useless in the cold darkness. Baxter whimpered, and she petted him, to soothe him, gathering him against her.
The wind blew harder, and she heard sounds of movement, as though someone was in the chamber with her.
“Who’s there?!”, she asked, not really alarmed; she thought it might be one of her ladies returning.
To her surprise, a ghostly figure appeared, bathed in golden light, as though a thousand candles were burning. It was her mother, Anne Boleyn! Elizabeth’s heart fluttered, but she didn’t make a sound.
“It is I, my sweet Elizabeth, your lady mother.”, Anne said softly. She was dressed as she had been the day of her execution, in a gray gown. Her beautiful black hair hung long and loose around her, and in her arms she carried Purkoy, her beloved dog who had been killed by her enemies. Beside her stood a red-headed girl, actually now a young lady. “This is Mary. She is your sister. I was carrying her when your father…..when I died.”
“M-Mother, what are you doing here? Of course I am glad to see you, but why now?”
“You are now Queen, my daughter. Queen in your own right, as of course I could never be. I was at the mercy of the whims of men. I came to warn you not to let that be your fate. Never let a man usurp your power and authority, however much you think you may love him. It is your destiny to rule England wisely. “
Anne let Purkoy loose, and he ran over and began playing with Baxter happily.
Elizabeth came closer and embraced her younger sister Mary.
“I’m sorry….”, she whispers in a hoarse whisper in Mary’s ear, “that you never had a chance…..”
“It is alright, Sister. I have had Mother.”, Mary told her.
“Mary is not the only sibling you were deprived of, my Sweeting.”, Anne told Elizabeth. “Catherine Howard was expecting a child when your father executed her, as well. Hers was a son, and it was your father’s child, not Culpeper’s. She named him James.”
Elizabeth was reeling from everything that her mother was telling her. How different things might have been!
“We must go, my Elizabeth. Our time in your realm is very limited. I felt it of supreme urgency to warn you of the threats to your reign as a solitary woman. Never let anyone take that from you.”, Anne told her.
In a puff of smoke, Anne, Mary, and Purkoy vanished, Elizabeth’s candle relighted, and Elizabeth and Baxter cuddled on the bed, amazed at what they had just seen…..
The following morning, an elaborately turned out Queen Elizabeth met with her advisors, notifying them that she was no longer accepting suitors for marriage.
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