Chapter Text
Lena looked around nervously. All the other women were dressed in much finer garments than her own, but the dress she was wearing was the best her step-grandmother, Lady Tilney, Duchess of Norfolk, could afford, even though she’d had a sizable estate.
As one of the newest Ladies in Waiting for the new Queen, Anne of Cleves, Lena knew little of what would happen to her next. It would take years to rise to the rank of Lady of the Bedchamber. Lady Tilney had already prepared her for the eventuality that she’d marry in under a year, so she might not even need to think about that eventuality in the future.
Someone's brisk steps pulled Lena out of her musings. An older blonde woman gained her attention, walking with purpose to the head of the room where she could overlook all the ladies. Lena immediately noticed her spectacles, precariously balanced on the bridge of her nose and artfully decorated. Lena couldn’t remember ever seeing any that didn’t look bulky and like a reminder of the disability, but this lady somehow made them look chic and as if it wasn’t even a problem to be visually impaired.
As soon as she turned her bespectacled gaze onto the waiting gathering, all the ladies fell silent.
“Good morning, ladies! For those of you who are new, I’m Lady Grant. I’ve been Head Lady of the Bedchamber for over ten years now, so you can calculate for yourselves how many Queens I’ve served, God rest their souls.”
A murmur went through the small crowd that immediately ceased once Lady Grant leveled them with a stern look.
“I will not tolerate tardiness or any form of misconduct. You all have been chosen to be Ladies in Waiting for the new Queen, but it will be your responsibility to hold the position and it is my task to enforce the rules if something should not be up to the Queen’s standards.”
Heads bowed down to avoid Lady Grant’s piercing eyes. This woman could make or break her future, and Lena would do her damndest to meet her expectations. She was her family’s only chance out of the poverty her father’s gambling had put them in.
“Now, for the three new girls, I’ve assigned you a mentor to show you exactly how I like my duties to be done.” Lady Grant spoke once more. “Miss Arias will help Miss Rojas, Miss Alexandra Danvers will help Miss Olsen and Miss Kara Danvers will help Miss Howard. It is on you, mentors, if your charge makes mistakes, so be warned. The future Queen will surely bring some of her own staff, but it is on us to include her in our culture, to teach her our traditions and customs befitting of the Queen of England. I’m told she shall arrive on New Year’s Day, and until then, her quarters need to be readied, everything from linen for the bedding, her bathing chambers and closet. We must prepare for the Royal Wedding as well, naturally. I will coordinate with the Woman of the Chamber more on that.”
Cat finished and turned to a circle of older women, all in finer clothing than even Lady Tilney had worn. They immediately began talking amongst themselves, paying nobody else any mind, so Lena took another look around. A blonde woman caught her eye. She was easily taller than Lena and was walking directly to her.
“Are you Miss Howard? I’m Miss Danvers, well, Miss Kara Danvers, and you’ve been assigned to me.”
Lena nodded and dipped into a quick curtsey out of habit. Kara chuckled at that and waved her off. “No need for that here, we all have the same standing now as Ladies in Waiting. We all have some form of noble blood, so technically we’re all Ladies of some rank or another, but amongst us girls, we usually just use our names, and if we’re at court we’ll say Miss Howard or Miss Danvers, like Cat just did.”
Lena furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “Cat?”
“Oh,” Kara chuckled behind her hand, barely hiding her wide grin. “Lady Grant’s full name is Cathrin Grant, and since there are a lot of Cathrin’s, she apparently decided as a young girl to go by Cat and stuck to it ever since. Only in informal circles and if you know her of course.”
“Oh I know the burden well,” Lena smiled. At Kara’s prompting look, she continued. “My name is Katheryn as well. I decided to go by my middle name since I was young, Eleanor. And to my close friends, I’m just Lena, but it’s been a while since I’ve been around them.”
Kara nodded in sympathy, although the charming smile from before graced her lips quickly again. “So, what would you prefer I call you?”
“You may call me Lena. I have a feeling we’ll be spending a lot of time in each other’s company,” Lena answered with a smile that mirrored Kara’s.
They were pulled into a conversation with the other mentors and charges soon after, but Kara didn’t move from her side for the rest of the day.
Over the following week, Lena’s days didn’t look much different to her days at Lady Tilney’s estate. The biggest difference was probably that she finally had somebody whose company she enjoyed. She met Kara every morning near the kitchens for a quick bite before they set off to work. They’d been assigned to polish every piece of material that should be shiny in the new Queen’s quarters. Kara suggested they start with the jewellery first to get the labour-intensive work out of the way. Lena didn’t mind it, since she got to listen to Kara sharing stories of her and her sister Alex’s childhood at court.
Kara was a good teacher too, making sure to explain what Cat wanted as a result with every new task they began and guiding Lena through the process.
They finished the preparations just in time for the new Queen’s arrival. Lady Anna of Cleeves seemed very shy when she arrived with her small entourage, hiding in her quarters almost all of the time. Only Cat and her Ladies of the Bedchamber got to interact with her before the Royal Wedding, the big wedding ball being the first occasion Lena and Kara saw her for longer than five minutes.
Per Cat’s instructions, they kept busy at the ball, mingling with the nobles and lords of their standing, accepting dances when it was appropriate while still being on alert for the Queen’s needs.
Lena noticed how the Queen only danced with the King when it was expected of her. She seemed to enjoy the spectacle of the dancing crowd, the music and the chatter around her, but she stayed a spectator the whole night, watching from the outside with a frozen smile on her face. Whenever King Henry approached her, the smile grew, but it stayed just as icy.
Meanwhile, Kara introduced her to more people Lena had ever met. She knew from first interactions that she’d avoid some of them desperately, like Lord and Lady Graves, siblings that seemed to be only looking to climb higher in society, or Lady Teschmacher, who Kara warned her was one of the court’s biggest gossips.
Others like Lord Dox, Lady Nal or most of the other ladies in waiting seemed friendly enough. Lena was pleased to learn that Lord Dox, who was called Brainy by his friends thanks to his unending curiosity and ever growing knowledge in the most unusual topics, shared some interests with her regarding the sciences and music as well. Usually, a lady was frowned upon when she followed these interests, but Lord Dox ensnared her in a conversation far longer than was maybe appropriate.
Some time later, Kara pulled her away from Brainy, gesturing to Cat who had her eyes narrowed at them. Summoned by the stare, they approached her, dipped into a quick curtsey and awaited their no doubt stern talking to. But Cat didn’t say what Lena was expecting.
“The Queen is ready to retire to her chambers to prepare herself for the wedding night. Please go ahead and make sure everything is prepped for her change of attire as well as her bathing chambers. This night might be one of the most important for our country yet, and it’s in our hands to make it as perfect for Her Majesty as possible.”
“As you wish, Lady Grant,” Kara answered for them both before they dipped into another curtsey and hurried out of the room with as much grace as was necessary.
As it turned out, their efforts were a bit of a waste that first night and all that followed. Rumor had it that the Queen was not willing to see the wedding night through because of some happenstance on the night of her arrival in the country. Lena couldn’t fault her for not wanting to spend the night with the King. Although a man of great power, it did not seem appealing to lay with him. On top of that, he appeared equally uninterested in his new Queen, so it came to no surprise to the Ladies in Waiting that the preparations for a night between the royal couple weren’t needed after close to two months.
Silently, arrangements for another annulment were being made, but for the court and the country, appearances were kept up. They still held audiences together and danced the appropriate amount of dances together at every ball, but Lena and the other ladies knew that Queen Anne’s time at court was drawing to a close.
Lena worried about her status with the impending departure of the Queen. Would she lose her rank amidst the ladies? Her step-grandmother's words kept ringing in her ear, that her goal should be to find a husband quickly and not climb the social ladder in court to secure a safer future for their whole family and not just herself.
She didn’t feel ready for any of that. She’d just found her footing in her tasks, made friends with Kara and some other courtiers, and wasn’t ready to either lose it because she would be let go when the Queen went or lose it because her future husband would demand other things from her.
Still, she put on a bright smile every time she was asked to dance, made new acquaintances at every ball, laughed at thoughtless chatter and charmed her way through every evening. She wouldn’t be a burden on her family like her father was. She’d turn their fate around.
At the Spring Ball, Cat called her over, her face unreadable. Lena had a feeling that this wasn’t something good. She sank into a curtsey and met Cat’s piercing eyes anyways.
As usual, the older woman got straight to the point. “The King would like to ask for a dance, Miss Howard. I know it is not very common, but you appear to have caught his eye. This may mean nothing, but it might as well mean everything in light of the going-ons behind the scenes. I hope you know what this could mean for you and will act accordingly.”
Lena was too stunned by Lady Grant’s words to do more than nod dumbly. Her eyes searched for Kara in the crowd and immediately found her, watching their exchange with a half curious, half worried look.
Lena swallowed down her fears and let herself be led by Cat to the front of the room where the thrones stood. They both sank into the deepest curtsey possible and waited for, what, to Lena felt like an eternity, before they rose.
“Lady Katheryn Howard, Your Majesty.” Cat announced.
The King inclined his head towards her, and Lena curtseyed again, thankful for all her etiquette lessons.
Slowly, King Henry stepped down from his throne, nodding his thanks to Lady Grant before offering his hand to Lena.
“A dance with you, Lady Howard, would please me,” he murmured, the baritone of his voice a bit breathy.
Lena pasted on her most charming smile and slipped her hand in his, even though it was too hot and sweaty for her liking.
“I'm most honored, Your Majesty,” Lena replied, trying not to wince at the tight grip the King had around her fingers.
The court parted for them as he led them into the middle of the room. Thankfully, the music picked up a quicker rhythm, a song that only called for hands touching as opposed to him laying his arm around her waist.
They began moving through the familiar steps of the dance, Lena concentrating on keeping her smile up while the King's breath picked up and brushed sourly over her face with every puff.
“Your beautiful gown caught my eye tonight and then your smile held my gaze captive,” he said, in what probably should've been a gentle murmur, but came out almost heavingly.
Still, Lena inclined her head demurely and gave that winning smile once more.
“Your Majesty flatters me,” Lena replied, mindful of the fact that most eyes in the room were on the two of them.
His grip tightened again, his gaze boring into her uncomfortably even when the dance demanded they turn their heads.
Cat's words flitted through her mind again
“This may mean nothing, but it might as well mean everything…”
Lena didn't want it to mean everything. She wanted it to mean nothing. The King was her father's age, even older maybe, and the feeling of his hands around hers was an easy indication why Queen Anne wasn't fond of spending the night with him.
And yet, one didn't refuse the King of England.
Lena danced, she smiled, she chuckled when the King complimented her more through clumsy breaths.
After what felt like an eternity, the song came to a close. Lena held her breath, unsure if he would let her go or demand another dance. She stood frozen for multiple seconds, not daring to pull her hands from his, listening to the music and the chatter around them.
When the musicians started playing another quick melody, the King finally let her go. Lena suspected his lungs didn't have the capacity for another fast rhythm, but she schooled her features into a thankful expression, bowing deeply in thanks for his attention and the dance.
“I’d be delighted to repeat this at another time, Lady Howard,” he said, his lips pulled up in a grimace that should probably resemble a smile, but was still too torn up by his heavy breathing.
“Your Majesty, honors me greatly. It would be my pleasure,” Lena answered and sank into another deep curtsey until he'd turned around and went back to his throne.
As soon as she was gone, Kara was at her side, pulling her from the middle of the room as graceful as possible.
“What in the holy lord was that?” she whispered in Lena’s ear, getting them both a drink out of nowhere and almost shoving it into Lena’s hands.
“I haven’t the slightest idea,” Lena answered and downed her drink as lady-like as possible.
“He said he liked my gown and that my smile held him captive or something. I mean, he isn’t even divorced yet, but he still says those things to me?”
“I don’t even know what to say,” Kara said, looking just shy of throwing her hands in the air in utter disbelief.
The rest of the night passed in a blur. All night, other ladies circled Lena and asked a thousand questions about how the dance was and what the King was like up close, but Lena didn’t remember any of her polite phrases later.
She laid in bed wide awake, thinking her whole existence over. Of course, one dance didn’t mean anything concrete yet, but the reaction of the other courtiers as well as Cat’s words still made the significance of the situation apparent. Everyone seemed to think it was a big deal, so Lena was under no illusion that it wasn’t. The King never just danced with a lowly Lady in Waiting, even just once.
Now the question was if she’d want to play into the King’s attention or not. Rationally, she knew she didn’t want to. Lena never felt comfortable in the eyes of the public, loathed to be paraded around even in her step-grandmother’s estate. The Royal Court was a whole other level of attention that didn’t seem appealing at all.
And yet, Lena knew there was no way she could ever refuse the King if he should make more advances towards her. Her father had done too much damage to her family with his gambling and borrowing from the wrong people for her not to take the chance to fix it.
She resolved not to play into his attention, if there should be more, but if it came to it, she’d do what was best for her family. Becoming the Queen Consort was a sure way to get her family’s social standing higher than ever.
—
By the time May came around, it was common knowledge that the Queen would depart from court in the next month. Other people whispered about it constantly, about how she seemed so ungrateful and that she was more interested in her balls and festivities than supporting the king in leading the country.
It was also common knowledge in the palace that King Henry had no problem with his current wife leaving, that he had already set his sights on someone else, someone new.
Since the spring ball in march, King Henry had asked Lena to dance a total of six times, which was unheard of at court. He’d also especially requested her attendance at a garden soiree just a week ago, where they’d been observed talking for almost half an hour.
When the King excused himself, Lena turned around and immediately found Kara’s eyes in the crowd. They hadn’t talked about this whole situation yet, but Lena feared that she soon had to talk to somebody, or she might go insane over it. There was just no way the King of England was interested in her, right?
After most people had stopped staring, Lena and Kara moved away from the crowd, finding a relatively secluded spot behind big rose bushes.
“Kara, it’s simply not possible that this doesn't mean what I and everyone else thinks it means, right? I’m not blowing his constant attention out of proportion?”
Kara bit her lip and shook her head vehemently. “No, you’re not. I think it’s pretty obvious that he likes you in some capacity.”
“Not enough to…” Lena trailed off, not daring to speak the words.
“I’m not sure, Lena. Your social standing isn’t of the highest rank so it would be pretty uncommon for him to ask you to be his wife, but let’s look at his history. Uncommon could be his middle name with all the pioneering he did during his reign. Introducing the Church of England, so he could divorce his wife, beheading the next, divorcing the fourth most likely soon… Let alone the fact that he will have had four wives after next month is unheard of.”
Kara’s rambling somewhat soothed Lena’s nerves, even though the contents of it unsettled her.
“Everyone is already thinking it too, aren't they? He’s not making a secret out of the divorce anymore so every unmarried woman he talks to already has a target on her back.”
“If the target is ring shaped, it definitely looks like he is aiming for you.”
Lena suppressed a bone-deep sigh. They were still in public after all. She couldn’t afford to lose her decorum, not now.
Kara looked at her searchingly, her brows furrowed in a crinkle that was familiar to Lena by now. After a short moment, she took Lena’s hand in hers, worry marring her expression.
“Even if you wanted to, I don’t think you can refuse him and get away with your life.”
“No, you’re right. There’s no refusing the King of England. If he wants me, I’m going to be the next Queen and his fifth wife, God help me,” Lena agreed and bit her lip to stop it from wobbling. She felt tears prick at her eyes, but she couldn’t let them fall under any circumstances.
Kara saw right through her pretense, as good as it may be for the general court. She squeezed her hand and led her further into the gardens. She wound around big bushes on smaller and smaller walkways until they found themselves in a dead end that looked almost like a clearing in the woods. In the middle of it stood a small bench. Kara led her to it and brushed some fallen leaves off before she motioned for Lena to sit.
They weren’t surrounded by preying eyes here, hidden away, the plants around them completely quieting all sounds from the garden soiree. Kara looked around one last time before sitting down next to Lena and laying a careful arm around her.
They’d never touched like that before, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable to Lena. She let herself sag into Kara’s side, relaxing her tense shoulders for the first time in weeks.
“I know, we haven’t known each other for a long time, but I promise you with everything in me, that you won’t be alone in this, if he should ask you to become his wife. I’ll be right by your side, the whole time, you just have to make me a Lady of the Bedchamber. We can get ready in the mornings together, and I can do your hair. You can tell me about your days every night and whenever he doesn’t request your presence, I’ll be here to entertain you.”
Lena didn’t know what to say because she still felt like crying. Kara was being so sweet and supportive in a most horrible situation. All Lena could do was lean a bit more into her friend.
Kara carefully placed a gentle kiss on top of her hair, and squeezed her a bit closer. “And not to play the devil’s advocate right now, but it would come with a lot of freedom. You’d help your family, you’d have access to everything you could want, all the dresses, all the instruments, all the books you’d want.”
“Just have to lay with a fifty year old man whenever he pleases,” Lena sighed defeatedly.
Kara winced at that which made Lena chuckle, although the situation wasn’t funny at all.
“My apologies, I didn’t mean to be so crass. I just always hoped I’d marry for love. And if not that, then at least someone closer to our age. But I suppose there could be worse deals.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean it’s a good deal either,” Kara agreed with her and rested her cheek gently on Lena’s head.
Her support meant more than Lena could ever try putting into words, so instead she squeezed Kara’s hand back. They stayed like that for long moments - Lena fighting the urge to cry out of a sense of friendship now more than her miserable situation.
When she’d collected herself enough and they returned to the party, they found it was winding down. Instead of lingering any longer, they left too, avoiding the curious glances from courtiers and the King alike.
Two weeks later, Queen Anne left the court. Lena didn’t know what was being told to the people of their country, but she did know that it was general knowledge at court that Henry had already set his eyes on a replacement.
The summer weeks passed in a blur. Cat had the Ladies in waiting clean out all of Queen’s Anne’s things and had her rooms prepared for someone new. Lena couldn’t shake the feeling that she was preparing her own future rooms, but speaking it out loud felt like a jinx she didn’t want to come true, so she worked quietly next to Kara, paying attention to detail like she’d been taught by her friend, all under the watchful gaze of Cat.
Behind closed doors, the divorce was signed in on the 8th of July. Lena felt like the day marked the beginning of the end of her life.
Since Queen Anne had left, Henry had sent her two letters, writing about how beautiful she looked and what a phenomenal dancer she was. He also complimented her conversation skills and her penmanship after Lena had written him back. One didn’t refuse the King of England.
When the next letter came only three days after the official end of King Henry’s marriage, Lena half expected a ring to fall out of the envelope. There was no doubting his intentions anymore, and somewhere during the sweltering summer weeks, Lena had resigned herself to her fate.
As it turned out, the letter didn’t contain a ring, but an invitation to dine with the King that very night.
She showed it to Kara first, then they went to Cat together, because Lena didn’t think that her legs were strong enough to carry her there on her own.
Lady Grant didn’t look surprised either. Lena hadn’t expected her to react happily, but the sigh that slipped Cat’s normally proper composure surprised her.
“I suppose, we’ll be bowing before you shortly, Miss Howard. I know this isn’t what you had envisioned your life at court to be, but we will all make the best of it.”
Lena hadn’t expected the candor, so she once more was at a loss for words. But Cat didn’t seem to anticipate an answer anyways. She handed the letter back and gave Lena a rare, reassuring smile.
“Keep your chin up and your smile firmly in place, Miss Howard, it’s not the end of the world yet. Your ladies in waiting will support you every step of the way.”
Lena nodded her head and gave a weak smile back. She left with Kara to get ready for the dinner that would change her life forever. She didn’t have the strength to do it alone, but thankfully, she didn’t have to.
Kara spent the whole afternoon with her, helping her prepare, although they didn’t share a lot of conversation. She walked Lena right up to the door to the dining room Henry had invited Lena too and even gave her a hug before taking her leave. Lena would have to enter on her own.