The king sat on his throne, seeing to matters of state. He looked up at Bronson’s entrance, mildly interested, but appearing more bored than anything else. Doubtless the cold confined him indoors.
Bronson knelt before him, bowing his head deeply, Nigel behind him in similar pose. “Your highness,” he said, placing a hand on his heart as he knelt. “Long have I traveled to see you.”
“Patience has never been a dominant feature, Lord Blackmore. Rise,” King Henry VIII said, looking down at him, his brow wrinkled with a frown. “You come on the matter of your betrothal.”
“Aye, I do,” Bronson said, standing and assuming a respectful stance.
King Henry nodded and gestured to a servant with one hand. The silence in the room seemed to stretch abominably with anticipation. Bronson’s blood roared in his ears as he waited.
The king made conversation with him, asking news on the borders of his kingdom, and it was all he could do to respond to the king’s questions on the matter.
In a matter of minutes, struggling through the prolonged torture of conversing with royalty when he had no patience for it, Bronson heard the main door open behind them, and the king said, “She comes. Lord Bronson Blackmore, may I present, Lady Elizabeth Darrow.”
Bronson turned stiffly, facing the woman he was to marry.
Alex stood in the center walkway, her eyes shining with tears, the fingertips of one hand pressed to her lips to hush her cries.
The steel glove gripped his heart, choked the breath out of him. He felt as if he’d been slapped in the face. “How can this be?” he whispered, unable to believe she stood before him, her hair unbound, clothed in a sumptuous emerald gown befitting royalty.
Alex ran to him, rushing into his arms. He closed her in his embrace, kissing her hair, her face with desperation, afraid he’d gone mad, that she would vanish from his arms. She kissed him back, ignoring the stares of the court, the presence of the king.
“You’ve met, I see,” the king said behind them, a smile in his voice. “There are chambers behind me if you care for privacy.”
Without a word, they rushed to them, closing the door behind them. “What has happened?” Bronson asked on a ragged breath, unwilling to release her. “You are married—your uncle told me it was so.”
She shook her head, kissing his face, cupping his jaw. “He misunderstood. He knew I was to be married as soon as I came here. I did not know the name of my groom until I arrived.”
He gripped her shoulders, looking at her hard. “What is your name, Alex?”
“Elizabeth Alexandra Darrow. Montague was a lesser title of my father’s. I took it when my grandfather died and I was forced to flee before the king could find me. All for naught. Had I but gone to the king as I should, I would have had you and been your wife even now.”
He shuddered, closing her in his arms, shutting his eyes against the sting that pricked them. She squeezed him, sobbing against his chest.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he whispered brokenly. “I … I died at the thought of you married to another. I journeyed here in a fog of pain, dying more and more each day that passed.”
“I died too, thinking of you wedding another. I hated you, Bronson. Despised you for making me love you,” she whispered.
He released her, cupping her chin and tilting her face up to his so that he could look into her eyes. “I love you, Alex,” he murmured, descending for a kiss--, “Be my wife.”
“Forever and always, my love,” she whispered, meeting his kiss.
THE END
Glossary of Terms:
Airling: Wind between the ears rather than brain matter.
Applesquire: In some cases, I’ve seen this used similarly to pimp. I have also seen it used as another term for catamite.
Basemecu: Basically—kiss my ass.
Catamite: A young man who is another man’s lover, usually a higher ranking lord.
Certes: Used as an oath but literally meaning certainly, certain, or truly.
Clinker: To shrink.
Cods/Coddles: The testicles.
Cod piece: Usually made of leather, this casing tied into trunk hose, doublet etc. A cover for the genitalia for easier access of relieving oneself as well as decoration.
Doublet: Short jacket worn over tunic or trunk hose, or beneath the tunic depending on the tunic’s style. Could be slashed to show tunic beneath. Often has slit sleeves which hang down or can be pinned up on the shoulder.
Enow: Enough
Hose: The term breeches was not commonly in use, so hose were basically the pants of the age. Typically woolen, the hose in this story cover the entire leg, much like stockings. They are usually depicted as quite fitted, hugging the leg like a second skin.
Jerkin: Similar to the doublet but can also be like a vest.
Lightminded: Short on wit.
Lutanist/Lutist: A lute player.
Rapier: Slim bladed sword. King Henry VIII was introduced to this sword and its technique and it immediately became his weapon of choice, thereby spreading to the court. In the outer reaches of the kingdom, however, it wasn’t feasible for use in battle as armor was still in use, though fast dwindling, as well as broad swords.
Slashing: Process of slitting jerkin, doublet, or sleeves to reveal contrasting fabric beneath.
Trunk hose: More akin to breeches. The material is thicker, can be slashed or rushed, and usually comes down to the knees. Stockings would be gartered and cover the remainder of the leg.
Tunic: Long cover which goes over the shirt and can have long sleeves, short, or none at all. The tunic can also go over the doublet, almost like a coat, revealing the doublet or jerkin beneath. Tunics typically reached mid-thigh or to the knee on most men and the more conservative. The more fashionable gentlemen, and more radical, would wear their tunics cut just below their buttocks, showing off the groin area and cod pieces, which were just beginning to come into their own fashion.
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