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dreamcatcherfication · 4 years

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Rotten to the Core

I really wish I had a better name for this fic, but this is the best I could do. (Also yes, I know this fic is messy, but I’m multitasking intensely so please cut me some slack).

Hello everyone! This fic was requested by an anon you can check out here, and this is my attempt at making that request a reality. This fic is supposed to be kind of “the calm before the storm” except we never actually see the storm and I’m never going to write it so HAHA SUCKERS. This piece is short and definitely not my best work, but I still hope you enjoy! If it’s unedited, it’s because I have a lot of stuff I need to get done right now. Sorry for any spelling/grammatical errors, I forgot how to breath correctly.

Writing Masterpost

If you want to send a request or a prompt, my inbox is always open! I publish a story at 8:00 AM PST everyday, so I’m always in need of new ideas. If you want to be tagged in my works, just let me know and I’ll be sure to tag you!

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Trigger Warnings: References to violence (very very minimal)

There were many reasons for Catherine of Aragon to hate Anne Boleyn. Multiple times she had insulted Catherine, seeing her as old and unfit to rule. She had made Catherine seem unappealing in the eyes of the king, ruining her appearance. The most notable of all being how she had turned the king against Catherine, convincing the king to annul their marriage and send Catherine away for the rest of her life. She fought when she could, but ultimately it meant nothing. It was humiliating, but Catherine had bared it all like any respectable lady should. Like any respectable queen should.

But now, in this new, modern world, Catherine was finding it hard to hold her tongue. There was no king who could hurt her, no country she had to protect. It was her, Anne, and four other women. There was no easy way for them to understand where they were, but one thing was clear - they were stuck together.

It tooks weeks to even get a place to stay, and even then it was small and crowded with the six queens. Everything was strange, and the queens chose to form smaller groups with those they felt comfortable with. Anne, Katherine, and Anna had grown close (although there was still an abundance of awkwardness) while Aragon and Parr chose to enjoy each other’s company. The only queen who didn’t seem to have any affiliation with one group was Jane, who split her time equally between both groups and herself.

That didn’t mean there weren’t times when the different groups would interact. When the six first woke up in the foreign world, Aragon and Anne had settled on an agreement. They weren’t friendly with each other, but they drew a truce for the time being as they adjusted to things. Neither queen was ready to confront the past, so they did their best to ignore it at all times.

At least that’s what Aragon thought.

Sitting on the small couch in their apartment, Aragon flipped through an old newspaper, reading headlines from a time long past. She heard a shuffling to her side and turned her gaze, eyes landing on Katherine. The teen was shifting on her feet as she stared at the open spot next to Aragon on the couch.

Patting the spot next to her, Aragon scooted to the side and made room for the fifth queen. Hesitantly watching the spot, Katherine resisted for a moment before sitting down. Aragon made a grunt of approval and returned her attention to the newspaper.

They sat in companionable silence before Katherine cleared her throat. “Um… why haven’t you said anything?”

“What do you mean?” Aragon set down the newspaper and put on a soft smile. Aragon pitied Katherine, despite knowing that it was the wrong way to feel. She couldn’t imagine someone so soft and sweet having a story like she did.

Biting her lip, Katherine explained, “Well, Anne told me that you’re rude and uncaring. She said you would yell at me and hurt me for what happened.”

Shooting up off of the couch, Aragon clenched her fists. At the sudden movement, Katherine recoiled backwards. “I would never do that Katherine,” Aragon gritted through her teeth. Taking a moment to compose herself, Aragon let a short calmness wash over her. “I promise, I’m not going to yell at you or hurt you. Anne was lying.”

“But why would Anne lie?” Katherine asked, scratching the couch cushion.

“I don’t know,” Aragon replied. “I thought we had a truce.” She sighed, and put a hand on the couch next to Katherine’s. “I’m going to go talk to Anne. But don’t believe her, okay? I’m not a bad person.” Katherine furrowed her eyebrows, but then she nodded and got off the couch, disappearing into another room (probably to go find Anna).

Making her way around the apartment, Aragon zeroed in on Anne. She approached her successor and intensely galred at her. Anne was sitting in a desk chair, spinning around and playing with a multi-colored cube. For some reason, Anne had become obsessed with these children’s games since discovering them, and it wasn’t uncommon to find her with one. “Anne,” Aragon coughed and gained her attention.

“Catherine?” Anne stopped playing with the cube. “What do you want?” Her tone wasn’t accusatory, but she did seem annoyed that the older queen was talking to her.

“Why would you tell Howard that I would hurt her?” Aragon spoke levelly, controlling her internal frustration.

Shrugging, Anne returned her attention to the cube. Her fingers seemed to move faster. “I thought you would. You always were a massive bitch.”

Mouth dropping open, Aragon almost physically restrained herself from scolding Anne. It’s not the right thing to do, she told herself. Even if Anne was infuriating, Aragon would stay calm and collected. It wasn’t like her to lash out, so she would let Anne speak her mind all she wanted. “Anne, please don’t tell your cousin lies about me.”

“It’s the truth,” Anne replied, her voice flat. “You’ve always been uptight, and you’re only going to hurt us in the long run. I’m keeping us safe.”

“By pushing me out of the picture?” Aragon muttered. Before Anne could respond, Aragon had left the room, her body straight and still as she traversed the hallways.

Without even acknowledging any of the other queens she passed, Aragon grabbed a coat and made her way out of the front door of the apartment. It was cold out, but that didn’t bother Aragon. What bothered her was Anne breaking their truce. Aragon never liked it - why would she? - but she still had the common decency to respect Anne as someone going through the exact same situation as her. Apparently, Anne did not have that.

Aragon had no idea where she was going, but she needed to take a walk and let off some steam. There would be no yelling at Anne, instead silent frustration and betrayal. Why was it so hard to respect Aragon as a person? Shoving her hands in her pockets, Aragon let her feet carry her forward.

“Wait!” a voice called, stopping the queen in her tracks. Spinning around, Aragon allowed herself to relax when she saw it was only Cathy. The queen was huffing from exertion after sprinting from the house to catch up with Aragon’s brisk walk. “What’s wrong?”

Rolling her eyes and scoffing, Aragon controlled her face. “Boleyn’s convinced her cousin that I’m evil and going to hurt her.”

Cathy scrunched her eyebrows. “Why would she do that?”

Shooting Cathy a pointed look, Aragon replied, “She’s like an apple. Rotten to the core.”

Clicking her tongue, Cathy struggled for words. “I don’t think that’s fair.”

“And it’s fair for her to break our truce and lie about me to her impressionable cousin?” Aragon growled.

Clearly, Cathy was uncomfortable and had no idea how to handle the situation. “I don’t think it’s fair to say she’s bad all throughout. Anne’s confused and scared, and you’re the only person she can take her anger out on.”

“So we’re going to let her get away with it?” Aragon sighed.

Cathy’s mouth formed different words before any of them actually came out. “Well, no. But Anne won’t succeed, regardless of if we intervene or not. She’s lying, and the others know that.”

“But Katherine -”

“Has never interacted with you one on one,” Cathy explained. “She doesn’t know who to trust, and if you act like yourself… that girl’s got some great intuition from what I’ve seen. She’ll figure it out on her own. And Jane and Anna already know you aren’t a bad person. They’re smart enough not to believe everything Anne says.”

Watching Cathy, Aragon couldn’t help the pit in her stomach. “And what about Anne, will she hate me for eternity?” She knew it was wrong to ask Cathy for an answer she obviously didn’t have, but Aragon did it anyway.

“Anne doesn’t hate you,” Cathy told her. “I’ve seen the way she acts, and she doesn’t hate you. She’s intimidated by you, if anything.”

“What?”

Nodding, Cathy started motioning with her hands. “You were always more loved than she was. No matter how much she tries to bait you, you never fall for it. Or at least, you never let her see it. Anne isn’t a villian, she’s someone who’s been dropped in the middle of a strange new world, and she’s jealous of how composed you are. So she’s trying to tear you down as a defense mechanism.”

“How do you know all of this,” Aragon asked.

“Sometimes it’s better to watch than engage,” Cathy admitted. “I’ve learned a lot about all of you.”

A shiver went up Aragon’s spine, but she ignored it. “I suppose it’s time for us to go back and pretend like nothing happened,” she lamented.

Cathy shrugged. “We could.” At Aragon’s dejected face, she offered, “Or you could finish telling me what’s wrong. I know you’ve been keeping everything inside.”

“Another thing you’ve observed?” Cathy nodded. “There’s no fooling you.” There was a moment of silence as Aragon prepared her words. “It’s that… we’re here to work together, aren’t we?”

“Yeah.”

“Well then why are we always fighting?” Aragon took her hands out of her pockets. “Why is it so hard for us to work through the past? I don’t want to be at odds with Anne! I’m sick and tired of this.” At the end of her sentence, Aragon let out a big sigh. “We are worth so much more than fighting over some dead monarch who wasn’t even worth our time in the first place.”

When Aragon made eye contact with her goddaughter, she relished in the approval on her face. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

“Yes, but what are we going to do about it?” Aragon groaned and glanced up at the sky. “How are we supposed to move on from years of pain and trauma and abuse?”

Raising her eyebrows with a small smirk, Cathy replied, “We talk it out.”

Again, Aragon was confused by her goddaughter’s train of thought. “What do you mean? We’ve tried that before.”

“But this time,” Cathy put a finger up, “we all do it together. We sit down and force each other to confront everything. It’ll make things worse,” she shrugged, “but then things will get better. We have to try.”

Once more, Aragon sighed. She moved over to Cathy and pulled her into a side hug. “Can we just stand here for a moment before we talk with the others?”

“We can stand here for as long as you want.”

The two of them stood on the sidewalk, arm in arm, relishing in the short moment of peace. There would be a storm to come, and soon. But they were ready to face it. Together.

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Tag List:

@radcowboyalmondtree @boleynhowards @annabanana2401 @babeebobo @dont-lose-your-queerhead @everything-insanity @mindless-pidgeon @i-wanna-dance-and-sing-six @thedemidisaster @its-totes-gods-will @thatbolxyngirl @thenameisnoone @sixqueendom

#six the musical fanfiction #six the musical fanfic #six the musical fic #six fanfiction #six fanfic #sixfic #catherine of aragon #catherine parr #request #i dont have much to tag for this fic #other than im sorry its so bad #i wrote this really late at night #and im pretty stressed out so #its not exactly high quality #but still #i hope you enjoy!

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shalebridge-cradle · 4 years

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Historical References in What Are You Going to Do With Your Life? Chapters 4-6

Chapter 4

Whoever is getting executed… would probably be better off at Tyburn, for all the indignity they will suffer. Tyburn was where the regular criminals got hanged, including the ringleaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace (see below). Tower Hill was the next step up (this is where George Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell and both Thomas and Edward Seymour were executed), then Tower Green, where Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard were beheaded.

The song Anne sings (and is referenced in the opening notes) is called With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm, written in 1934 and found here. The three queens referenced in the last verse are the same three that appear in this scene – Jane Seymour, Anne Boleyn, and Catherine Parr.

Anne Boleyn is trying hard not to reference all the people she saw tortured and killed while haunting the Tower, including her sister-in-law Jane Parker-Boleyn and her cousin Katherine Howard. And also likely bemoaning the fact she can’t play with Henry’s mace-gun.

Catherine’s attempted mugging is a reference to two things – her near-execution for heresy during her third marriage, and being held hostage by the Pilgrimage of Grace during her second (a rebellion against Henry’s break from the Catholic church – her husband at the time, John Neville, was a Catholic who wasn’t directly involved, and some participants attempted to force him to support their cause).

Catherine Parr was the first English queen to be Queen of both England and Ireland, following Henry’s adoption of the title of King of Ireland in 1542.

Chapter 5

Anne Boleyn was charged with adultery, treason and incest – but not witchcraft. Henry VIII, however, did claim he had been seduced into the marriage by ‘sortilege’, a French word meaning either ‘deception’ or ‘spells’.

Anna’s comment about Parr’s looks was recorded by Eustace Chapuys, Holy Roman ambassador to England. Cleves was quoted saying regarding the marriage, “Madam Parr is taking a great burden on herself”. She was right.

“When you started opening and closing that locket in front of me, it made me feel… angry. Is that what you want?” Henry gave Jane Seymour a locket with a miniature portrait of himself in it, which Jane started opening and closing in Queen Anne’s presence. Anne ripped the locket off of her with such force, she injured her hand in doing so.

Jane Seymour’s only reported involvement in her husband’s politics was in 1536, where she asked the king to pardon the participants of the Pilgrimage of Grace. The king refused, and supposedly reminded her of Boleyn’s fate should she go against him in the future.

‘Yea’ and ‘Nay’ were used concurrently with ‘Yes’ and ‘No’, but in different contexts. ‘Yea’ and ‘Nay’ were used for positively-phrased questions (“Will they go?” “Do you think he deserved it?”), with yea as confirmation and nay as contradiction.‘Yes’ and ‘No’ were for negatively-phrased questions (“Will they not go?” “Doesn’t that hurt?”), with no as confirmation and yes as a contradiction.

The false claims Anne makes about her personal appearance are most likely to be attributed to Nicholas Sander, a Catholic propagandist who was in exile during the reign of Elizabeth I. Her skeleton was exhumed during Queen Victoria’s reign – she was about 5’ 3”, and did not have a sixth finger on either hand.

Parr’s comments are in reference to The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir. The assumption about Howard being an ‘empty-headed wanton’ is made on page 3.

Chapter 6

Boleyn was “going through some stuff” in the 1600s because Elizabeth I died in 1603. The events she makes reference to are the Great Plague of London, the Great Fire of London, and the English Civil War.

How is it that the country thought the best move was to decapitate the body politic? The ‘body politic’ is a long-standing metaphor by which a state, society or church is compared to a biological organism (usually a human body). In a monarchy, the king was usually depicted as either the heart or the head of this body, the latter shown in this terrifying book cover.

Parr’s nightmare is reference to when her tomb was opened in 1782 by John Locust. He reports that the body was in good condition, than that the flesh on her arm was ‘white and moist’, and that he took a few locks of her hair before sealing her up again. The next time the coffin was opened, nothing was left but a skeleton.

Maria? I cannot see you. Do not leave me alone. Where are you? María de Salinas, Baroness Willoughby de Eresby and ‘Maria on the drums’, reportedly held Catherine of Aragon as she died, having forced her way into Kimbolton Castle to see her. Catherine Parr was reported to have learned Spanish after becoming queen, and so the language is translated.

Henry VIII’s last wife was young enough to be named after his first. Gross.

“What happened to Mary? Was she queen? Was she happy?” Queen? Yes. Happy? Hard no. Mary I was reported to have executed roughly 300 or so people during her reign. Even if we use the lower estimate of 50,000 people over 36 years, Henry VIII executed significantly more of his subjects per year (about 1400) than Mary did throughout her whole tenure as queen. It does not in any way excuse her actions (or the actions of monarchs before and after her), but the name ‘Bloody Mary’ likely comes from being on the wrong side of England’s conflict of faith.

The card game being played by Boleyn, Howard and von Kleve is Primero, which was popular in the Tudor period. You knock on the table and say “Vada” (Go) when you’re happy with your hand. If someone else has also knocked, you face off – the better hand wins.

‘The Cat Came Back’ is a comic song written in 1893 about a cat (colour varies depending on the version) that refuses to leave, despite what his reluctant owner does. I hate the song, but I like the pun.

The word beginning with ‘p’ that Howard was going to say was ‘poison’. There were rumours, also thrown around after the deaths of Catherine Parr and Edward VI, that Catherine of Aragon was poisoned. The black growth discovered on her heart during embalming wasn’t understood to be cancer at the time. This theory was mentioned by Christina of Denmark, one of Henry’s potential fourth wives and relative to Catherine of Aragon, as a reason she had no desire to marry Henry (amongst others). Boleyn refutes this potential cause of death; she, along with Henry, was a possible suspect.

(Side note: Christina of Denmark was pretty great. She reportedly struggled to keep a straight face while the English ambassador told her how gentle and kind Henry was, and supposedly said “If I had two heads, one should be at the King of England’s disposal”. She was out of the running pretty definitively, though not due to her ‘match with the Duke of Milan’ as per the show. He was dead as of 1535, and Christina was still a widow from 1537 to 1539, when Henry was pursuing her. She was married to the future Duke of Lorraine (Anne of Cleves’ old betrothed) in 1541.)

“…even though Boleyn will probably outplay me again.” I was researching whether or not Catherine of Aragon was reported to have played cards, and in doing so found many Etsy listings and one oil painting by a William Maw Egley. The line is a reference to both the events of the painting and Anne taking the position of queen from Catherine.

#the cradle will write #What Are You Going to Do With Your Life: Work

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dreamcatcherfication · 4 years

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And Then The Earth Would Shatter

@nightingale6374 I tried not to do it again but I just had to

Hello everyone, welcome back to another episode of I’m dying inside - today we have: I’ve Been Watching We Are The Tigers On Repeat And I’m Sobbing While Also Binging Bandstand On Playbill!

Current Mood: T I R E D. But anyway, anon requested a dark secret being revealed after one of the queens’ shows! I thought I’d do a Jane-centric fic because I don’t have enough of those. Unfortunately, that also means Jane is hardest for me to write, so I apologize if she seems a little out of character. Regardless, I hope you enjoy! Sorry for any spelling/grammatical errors, you can read the above section for my excuse.

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Trigger Warnings: Mentions of beheading, implied disassociation

Big moments tended to start out normal, Jane realized. Every time there was a surprise in store, no one would be expecting it. That’s what made it a surprise, wasn’t it? The fact that before anything shocking happened, there was normal. The calm before the storm.

The queens had just finished another evening show and were absolutely beat. Everyone was milling around the theatre, some of the queens even stagedooring. As for Jane, she was curled up in her dressing room chair, staring at her reflection in the mirror. It had been bothering her for a while, but today seemed worse than usual. Lately, during Anne’s song, Jane had been feeling a pit form in her stomach every time Anne shouted, “Oh my God guys, he’s actually going to chop my head off!”

Even though all of them brushed it off, they could see the small hint of fear in Anne’s eyes every time she spoke the words. It was eating Jane up from the inside out knowing that it was her fault. Yet still, she couldn’t say anything. She was known for being the silent one to the point where it was natural for her to hide everything - big and small. She never told the others that she was allergic to dogs, and she kept it hidden even when Anna and Kat would make her go with them to the dog park. That was something small, something inconsequential that no one had to know.

Then there were the bigger things. The things that haunted Jane everyday of her life. Her hollow eyes stared at the mirror, unblinking as white noise rang throughout her brain. It was the only way she could keep herself from thinking terrible thoughts. White noise and complete blankness was her only option. “Hi Jane,” she was broken out of her thoughtlessness by a voice at the dressing room door.

It was Cathy, of course it was, although a voice in the back of Jane’s mind told her there was more to it. That ‘Cathy’ was here for something more than to say hello. “Before you yell at me, I know it’s my fault.”

Cathy was understandably confused by Jane’s choice of greeting. “I wasn’t planning on yelling at you -”

“But you would have, I know,” Jane continued, her voice rising. “I know exactly what’s going to happen. You’ve been waiting for this moment, I know you have!”

When Jane’s voice got louder, the other queens slowly started filtering into the room to investigate. Aragon shot Cathy a questioning look, but Cathy could only shrug. She had only come to get changed out of her costume, but now Jane was having a full on breakdown. Anne had an arm around Kat as they walked into the room, the smiles on their faces fading slightly as they caught on to the atmosphere. Anna was standing in the doorway, silently watching everyone in order to make sure nothing went awry.

“Is everything alright, Jane?” Cathy asked, approaching the other queen. “No one is mad at you.”

“You will be,” she muttered, eyes breaking away from her reflection. “You’ll all hate me for it.”

Anne let go of Kat and moved next to Cathy. “What is ‘it’ Jane?”

All expression fell from Jane’s face as regret came over her. “Oh Anne, I’m so sorry.”

Unease started to build in Anne’s chest at Jane’s words. “What is it Jane?” she spoke more forcefully.

Like she had snapped her fingers, everything came tumbling out of Jane’s mouth, the dam breaking under the pressure of her guilt. “I didn’t mean for any of it to happen. But when Henry said he wanted to marry me, I knew it would be impossible for an annulment. I thought - it was only a possibility, I didn’t really mean it.” Every sentence was a stutter out of Jane’s mouth.

“Jane,” Anne’s lip was curling upwards into a snarl, “Tell me what you mean.”

“It was my idea for Henry to accuse you of adultery. I thought if you were convicted of a crime, it would give him reason to break the marriage. I didn’t think he would kill you, Anne! But it was because of me that all of this happened and - and I have to live with that everyday.”

Fire was raging behind Anne’s eyes. “Oh boohoo, you have to live with the trauma of causing somebody’s death. Well guess what, I have to live with the trauma of my beheading. Do you know what it’s like to wake up every night, clawing at your throat because you’re back on that chopping block? No, you don’t. All you know is the pleasures of being the King’s favorite.”

“Anne -” Jane tried to explain, but the queen was hearing none of it.

“I trusted you Jane. I learned to trust you and you didn’t even have the decency to trust me back. So don’t bother apologizing, I don’t want to hear it.” And then Anne stormed out of the room, her footsteps loud as she got far away from the dressing room.

The other four queens were in varying degrees of shock. Cathy was watching Jane with disappointment, her head subtly shaking. “The least you could have done was told one of us,” she whispered, and then exited the room, off to go track down the furious Anne.

Aragon’s hands were shaking, even when she tried to hold them still. She wasn’t focused on Jane, instead dealing with her own inner demons. “I need a moment to myself,” she confessed, before following Cathy out of the room and making her way towards a bathroom.

That left Anna and Kat with Jane. Kat immediately collapsed into her chair at Jane’s revelation, her eyes glazed over and faraway. Anna tried to get her to stand up, but Kat flinched away. Despite her momentarily catatonic state, Kat didn’t want to leave her spot. Anna decided to leave the girl be and moved over towards Jane. “Jane?” she spoke lightly, her voice steady and emotionless. “Are you alright?”

“Why aren’t you yelling at me,” Jane choked out, her eyes refusing to meet Anna’s.

Kneeling next to the other queen’s chair, Anna shrugged. “Maybe because I’m not mad. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t agree with what you did,” Jane frowned and sunk further into her chair, “but I’m not going to yell at you for it. You seem to know your actions were wrong, so there’s no reason for me to lecture you. And you’re going to need someone on your side if things get bad.”

Jane glanced up, meeting Anna’s eyes. “You’re on my side?”

The German queen nodded, standing from her position next to Jane. “Yes, I am. And I’m going to help you make things right. Or better, at least.”

Ruefully, Jane picked at her shirt collar. “How am I supposed to do that? Anne will never forgive me for what I’ve done, no matter how much I regret it.”

“Anne’s angry, she’s betrayed,” Anna explained, “but she’ll forgive you. Maybe not today, maybe not for months to come, but she will. It’s your responsibility to earn her trust back. We’re going to do this one by one if we have to. Starting with Kat.” Anna pointed to the frozen girl next to Jane.

The way Kat didn’t even respond to her name worried Jane, but she shoved it away in order to stand up and put herself in front of the girl. “Kat… I shouldn’t have kept that secret. Knowing what I did to Anne, knowing how it affects you. It was wrong of me. I should’ve said something and I’m sorry.”

Kat mumbled something, but it was too quiet to be heard. “What?” Anna prodded, putting a hand on Kat’s shoulder. The girl pushed it off and hid in her chair.

“You don’t have to say sorry to me,” Kat murmured.

“I should,” Jane replied, moving her hand to Kat’s but then thinking better of it. “My mistake affects all of you, and I have to make up for that.”

Noncommittally, Kat’s eyes wandered the floor. “Apologize to Annie. Once she’s willing to forgive you, then you can apologize to me. She’s more important.”

Jane wanted to argue, but she knew Kat was right. Turning to face Anna, Jane hardened her face. “I’m going to go track down the others. You stay with her,” she spoke with resolve.

A small smile made its way onto Anna’s face as she nodded. “Do what you need to do Seymour.”

As Jane left the dressing room, she practically crashed into Aragon. The other queen seemed to have bags under her eyes that appeared out of nowhere, as well as sweat dripping from her forehead. “Catherine?” Jane questioned her friend.

“I would’ve done the same,” Aragon admitted, hanging her head in shame.

“What?”

It took all of her willpower to look up into Jane’s confused eyes. “Your idea for Henry to accuse Anne of adultery. If I was in your position, I would’ve done the same thing. And I hate myself for it.”

Jane grabbed her friend’s hand. “But you love Anne.”

“I didn’t back then. Neither did you, that’s why you did it. That’s why I would have done it,” Aragon huffed and clenched her fists. “That was a long time ago when we were pitted against each other.”

“Still, I shouldn’t have done it,” Jane scolded herself.

Her breaths were shaky, but Aragon tried to offer any consolation she could. “Don’t tell yourself off for things you did in the past. It’s done. Focus on the now. Isn’t that what modern life has taught us?” Without waiting for a response, Aragon left Jane and went into the dressing room where Kat and Anna were waiting.

Standing alone in the hallway, Jane took a moment to psych herself up. If she said anything wrong, anything that wasn’t 100% perfect, Anne would never forgive her. Maybe forgiveness wasn’t the goal. Maybe she was shooting for something else. But she needed to get this right. Gathering up all her courage, Jane started marching down the hall to where she knew Anne would be waiting.

When Jane reached the door to the rehearsal room, she was met with Cathy crossing her arms. “Jane,” she stated monotonously, “I don’t think it’s a good time.”

“It won’t ever be a good time,” Jane sighed, wringing her hands. “I made a mistake Cathy, I can say it a million times. But I need to talk to Anne.”

Maybe Jane was imagining it, but Cathy’s face morphed into one of respect as she stepped away from the door. “If you do anything wrong, she’ll never forgive you.”

“I know,” Jane said for what felt like the hundredth time.

Inside the room, Anne was pacing furiously. She turned around when the door opened and shot Jane a glare. There were tears in the corners of her eyes. “What do you want? Come to tell me you planned to kill Elizabeth too?”

“No!” Jane gasped, putting her hands up. “I would never.”

“Yeah, well I’m not so sure anymore,” Anne hissed, digging her heels into the ground. “I forgave you, for everything that happened. You know, I probably would’ve forgiven you if you told me the truth from the start. But you had to lie and ruin everything.”

Jane looked at the ground and inhaled, preparing her words. “I’ve lost your trust. And I understand that. I hope that one day we can build it back -”

“Cut the bullshit,” Anne rolled her eyes. “I don’t want your premeditated, Oxford apology.”

Keeping her voice as steady as she possibly could, Jane answered, “You’re right.” There was a long pause between the two of them before Jane continued. “A lot happened in the past that we can’t change. I hate that I had a role to play in your death, but that’s the fact of it. So whether you like it or not, I’m going to do everything in my power to make this life better. I’ve already failed once by not telling you the truth. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m asking for a second chance.”

At first, Anne seemed like she was going to reject the idea. Her eyes were narrowed as she glared at Jane, her nostrils flaring with malice. But she surprised Jane by saying, “We’ve already gotten second chances. What you want is a third chance.”

“Well then, I’d like to have a third chance Anne. Third time’s the charm?” Jane extended her hand as an olive branch. A hug didn’t seem quite right, but she wanted to offer something.

Anne watched the hand warily, her stance defensive. At Jane’s hopeful look, she gave in and grabbed her hand. “Last chance Seymour, make it count.”

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#six the musical fanfiction #six the musical fanfic #six the musical fic #six fanfiction #six fanfic #sixfic #request #the title is from the song high #yes it's by preston max allen #from his carrie 2: the rage parody musical #it's so hilarious and i love the music #i have a problem guys #i didn't have much time to edit this #so it might not be great #jane seymour #all the other queens are there #but it focuses on her #not my best work but i still hope you enjoy!

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dreamcatcherfication · 4 years

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Ghosts Are Just as Real as You and Me - Part 5

Five parts? This is further than I thought I’d get. All I can say about this chapter is that Aragon is a saint and she deserves all our love for being the best person ever. Aka she’s the only one who hasn’t made bad decisions yet. This chapter might seem a little disjointed, seeing as it’s written in snapshots, but I wanted to try the new style. Hope you enjoy! Sorry for any spelling/grammatical errors, the only thing I’ve eaten today is a burnt piece of toast off the floor.

Writing Masterpost

Prompts | More Prompts | The Trifecta of Prompts | Original Prompts

Trigger Warnings: Anxiety, (very) brief violence, cursing, Henry VIII

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Anne Boleyn had a plan. Or well, half a plan. Okay, maybe more like a fourth of a plan, but she was trying. There was no way she intended to help Henry tear her family apart, but there was only so much she could do. He had put her in an impossible position and Anne needed all her wits to figure a way out.

At first, she had tried avoiding Kitty. If Anne didn’t hang around Kit, she wouldn’t have anything to give Henry. After her confrontation with Cathy yesterday, Anne had gone to her room to make sure everything was as it should be. Henry had demanded she write him a letter on everyone’s actions in the past week, so she had done as he asked, leaving the finished product outside her window. By isolating herself, Anne’s hope was that the letter wouldn’t provide him with his much needed information. But her behavior had become suspicious. Cathy was catching on, Anne knew that, so she had to try a different approach. It was a long shot, but Anne needed to start acting on her fourth of a plan.

“Hey Kit,” Anne poked her head into her cousin’s room. Kit glanced up from her book and smiled.

“Hey Annie, what’s up?” She put a bookmark in the page and set the book down, devoting her attention to Anne.

Inhaling through her nose, Anne pushed away any internal doubt. “Do you want to go on a walk with me? Through the park or something like that.”

Standing up Kit agreed. “Sure Anne. Two days in a row, this must be a record.”

Silently recalling what Kit was referring to, Anne remembered Kitty’s absence as well as Jane’s and Aragon’s. That must’ve been what she was referring to. Anne felt a pang of hurt run through her body because of how little she was involved in what was going on with her cousin. Usually they were attached at the hip, but because of Henry… “Great! Let’s go now.”

Anne ruffled Kit’s hair goodnaturedly as the two of them shared a grin. Without even acknowledging any of the other queens, the two of them beelined for the door. Praying no one would comment, Anne opened the door and ushered Kit outside. “Anne where are you taking -” she heard Cathy call, but Anne shut the door and blocked her voice out.

“Did someone call your name?” Kit asked, taking a step towards the door.

“Nope,” Anne blocked her advance. “You’re probably just hearing things.”

Kit’s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Anne, but she said nothing about her strange behavior. “Right…”

Attempting to cover up, Anne put on a dazzling smile. “Let’s get going, eh.”

Staring at the door, Cathy hadn’t moved from her spot. Anne had completely blown her off. For usually being the center of Anne’s attention, it was startling to Cathy. Not that she... wanted Anne’s attention. But it didn’t feel good to be completely disregarded. She must have looked offended, because when Jane entered the room, she immediately stopped in front of Cathy. “Is something wrong?”

Turning away from the door, Cathy faced Jane. She debated what to tell her, before confessing, “Anne’s been acting weird. Not weird in her normal way. I asked her where she was going with Kit and she totally ignored me.”

Jane frowned. “She has been very withdrawn lately. Is there anything else?”

Cathy bit her tongue. She could tell Jane about Anne’s journal or… “No. Just that her personality did a full 180 and that’s what’s bothering me.”

“Yes, well Anne is unpredictable, maybe she’s planning something?”

Glancing around Jane at the door, Cathy flared her nostrils. “Yeah, maybe.”

Catching Cathy’s strange reaction, Jane was flooded with suspicion. There was something Cathy wasn’t sharing with her. Jane wouldn’t push, but filed away the thought for later. If Cathy was being secretive, that immediately made Jane trust her less, especially around Kit. “There’s certainly a lot of pressure on everyone. Especially with Henry popping up everywhere.”

Pausing, Cathy swiveled her head back to Jane. Her mouth opened slightly. “The only person who’s seen Henry was Kit. Unless…”

“No,” Jane quickly covered up. “I meant it… not literally?” Her excuse sounded more like a question than an answer. “It feels like he’s everywhere, is what I mean. No one else has seen him.”

If Jane was suspicious of Cathy, Cathy was doubly suspicious of her. Jane tended to be more collected than the others (bar Aragon), and seeing her suddenly stuttering was a red flag for Cathy. Something wasn’t right. Jane knew something like Cathy did, and she wasn’t sharing. Two could play that game.

The two women who had been helping each other only moments before were now standing in cold silence. They both regarded each other with narrowed eyes and upturned lips. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go write.”

“Of course,” Jane replied, the usual warmth in her gaze gone. “I wouldn’t want to keep you.” They shared a nod, the same thought on both their minds.

The game is on.

“So Kit, what’ve you been up to lately?” Anne started the conversation, putting her hands into her pockets.

The girl in question shrugged and kicked a rock on the sidewalk. “Not much. I started looking into taking online school.”

Smiling supportively, Anne gave her cousin her approval. “That’s really cool, Kit. What classes? Please don’t say something boring like maths.”

“Nah,” Kit shook her head. “Science and art. But mainly history.”

Scrunching her nose, Anne fumbled with her words momentarily. “Are you - uh, sure that’s the best option?”

“Yes,” Kit stated resolutely. “History’s always interested me. I want to know more, even if I’m a part of it. We missed so much Annie, aren’t you the least bit curious about how we got here?”

“I know how we got here -”

“You know,” Kit laughed, “what the internet and Hamilton have taught you. There’s more to it.”

“Eh,” Anne wasn’t particularly dedicated. “Why focus so much on history when you can live in the now? I’m tired of worrying what already happened. What’s done is done. We’re here for a second chance, we shouldn’t waste it.”

It was hard for Kit not to agree. “I can’t argue with that. We should use our second chances to do something we want to.”

Realizing she was being given a perfect opportunity, Anne gently prodded, “Speaking of second chances, why do you think Henry’s got one?” It was a good way for Anne to get the conversation started so she could press Kitty harder on the Henry topic.

“No.” Kit stopped in place. “I’m out on a nice walk with my cousin who’s been avoiding me for the past week. We are not going to talk about that -” she clenched her teeth in order not to curse, “terrible man. He’s not here right now. I’m not going to let him ruin a perfectly nice afternoon.”

Anne had to admire Kit’s resolve. The protective part of her was ready to defend Kitty at every corner, but the girl looked plenty capable of protecting herself. After the initial shock of Henry’s confrontation had faded, Kit had hardened herself. She had let him get to her once, and she wouldn’t let it happen again, even if it meant she had to cut off her fear. On the inside, Kit felt all sorts of emotions churning in her chest, the kind that would send her running to Jane normally. But she couldn’t do that. She would power through, and she would survive.

Anna had locked the door to her room as she practiced her boxing. A punching bag was makeshift hung from the ceiling as she practiced her stances and kicks. Her grunts were loud, a mix of exertion and frustration. She wasn’t getting the results she wanted and it was working her up. Punch after punch after kick after punch, the bag swung back and forth. Still, Anna was having trouble with the heavier weighted bags. If she couldn’t beat something that wasn’t fighting back, how could she match Henry?

A knock came from the other side of her door followed by, “Can I come in?”

“One second,” Anna called. As fast as she could, Anna took down the punching bag and slid it into her closet, out of view. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she attempted to appear cool and collected. Unlocking the door, she let Aragon in.

Aragon’s eyes darted around the room as she walked in, sensing something off. She didn’t comment on it, electing to give Anna her privacy. But there was something she did need to talk about with her fellow divorcee. “Anna.”

“Catherine.”

Sighing, Aragon held her hands together. “I’ve noticed you’ve been out a lot lately. Or shut up in your room. I know how close you and Kitty are, and I don’t think you should be doing this.”

Feeling her defensive instincts kick in, Anna stepped forward. “What do you mean, ‘doing this’?”

Staying calm, Aragon stared Anna in the eyes. “I don’t know, and I don’t need to know. But you’ve disappeared and it’s not helping anyone. I know you care about Kit. She’s doing fine on her own, but we’re all worried about her. If she breaks, you’re the best person to help her. I know Jane or Anne might not feel that way, but I see the way you two act around each other.”

“That sounds vaguely like spying,” Anna commented, leaning against her wall.

“I suppose it does.” Aragon just seemed tired, drained. Anna felt bad, treating her so rudely. “I mean to say that she trusts you more than anyone else. Kit knows you in a way she doesn’t know any of us. She may trust Jane and Anne with everything, but you’re her best friend.”

There was a twinge in Anna’s heart as she thought about Aragon’s words. She had barely seen Kit this past week, too busy with her own goals. But if Anna didn’t do this, she would be putting Kit in harm’s way. She could afford to lose some of Kit’s trust. She couldn’t afford to lose Kit. “You said she’s been doing fine on her own,” Anna stated bluntly. “She doesn’t need me.”

“Of course she needs you,” Aragon fired back.

Straightening up and stepping away from the wall, Anna tightened her fists. “Don’t treat Kit like a child. She may be young, but she’s not a baby, Catherine.”

The bags under Aragon’s eyes seemed to become even more pronounced when she looked down. “I don’t mean to baby her. I’m not trying to control anyone, but we need to stay unified. If Henry is coming for us, he’s going to come for our cracks. Pulling away from Kit isn’t going to help anyone, Anna.”

“Well that’s not your choice to make now, is it,” Anna refused to give in. Part of her hoped Henry would come and attack them. That way she would have her chance to take him down.

Murmuring, “One track mind,” Aragon started to make her way out of the room.

“What did you say?” Anna asked, trying to disguise the frustration building in her voice.

Her eyes boring straight through Anna, Aragon replied, “One track mind. Don’t focus so much on one thing that you block everything else out.” With that she exited the room and closed the door, leaving Anna alone.

“What does she know,” Anna consoled herself, going to the closet. She pulled the punching bag out, hanging it up once more. Even if Anna secretly understood what Aragon was telling her, she couldn’t take the time to listen. Anna wouldn’t allow herself to waste a second.

On the other side of the door, Aragon had sunk to the floor. She curled up in a ball and muffled her screaming. Yesterday, she had acted like she noticed nothing, being the happy companion Jane and Kitty had needed. But Aragon saw the nervousness behind each of Kit’s movements, especially when she struggled to tell the barista her order. She noticed Jane’s change in demeanor after parking the car. She was witnessing Anna pull away from the group and hurt herself in order to do whatever it is she thought she was doing. Aragon saw how suspicious Cathy had gotten of everyone, constantly watching and judging. She saw how Anne had lost her light and hidden from them all in some misguided attempt to protect her cousin.

The worst part of it all was that Aragon could watch on and do nothing. The others didn’t give her credit for her observations. Aragon wouldn’t push, that was a violation of respect towards the others, but God, did she want to. If she could just help them, any one of them.

A sob came out of her mouth as she curled into herself tighter.

Anne and Kit had reached a small children’s playground when they decided to stop walking. It was the middle of a school day and no one was around but the two of them. Kit was sitting on one of the swings while Anne stood at the top of the play structure. It was a bit of an odd picture, both of them being far too big for the miniaturized playthings, but neither of them mentioned it. “I missed this,” Kit spoke up.

“Missed what?” Anne smiled down at her cousin, rocking back and forth on her feet.

“You and me,” Kit explained. “I know it’s only been a week, but you disappeared and I started thinking maybe it was my fault or -”

“No!” Anne quickly assured her. “It’s never your fault Kitty.”

“Then why were you avoiding me?” Kit stood up off the swing and walked until she was under Anne. She tilted her head up and reached a hand out. Grabbing her cousin, Anne helped to hoist her onto the structure.

“I wasn’t avoiding you.”

Frowning, Kit pushed, “Then what were you doing?”

“I…” when Anne couldn’t find an excuse, she admitted, “Okay, I was avoiding you.”

Hurt flashed across Kit’s face, but she stifled it. Best not to dwell on feelings if she could avoid them. “Why would you avoid me?”

There was no way Anne could explain it to Kit without telling her everything. “It’s… complicated.

“Perhaps I could help explain.” The two cousins whipped around at the familiar voice, bodies freezing when they saw him. Henry was standing on the other side of the playground, his smirk just as sickening as Kit remembered. “It’s not as complicated as you make it sound, Dear Anne.”

“Get the fuck away from us,” Anne ordered, stepping in front of Kit.

Henry pretended to look offended. “But I thought you would love to see me after agreeing to help me. Your letter was very insightful.”

Holding back her fear, Kit questioned, “What’s he talking about Anne?”

“It’s not important,” Anne said, not taking her eyes off Henry.

“It actually is quite important,” Henry contradicted Anne, approaching the two. Anne and Kit started to take steps back off the structure. “Without your insight I wouldn’t be able to see how well things are going. You’re all so predictable,” he spit out the last part.

Eyes widening in betrayal, Kit started to step away from Anne. “You’re helping him?”

“I would never help him,” Anne growled.

“But you are,” Henry’s tone was light but his eyes were threatening. “I even have your letter if you’d like sweet sweet Kitty to see it.” He pulled out Anne’s letter from the night before and waved it around like a prize.

The betrayal on Kit’s face was enough to break Anne. “Kit, you have to believe me, he’s lying.”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” Kit’s eyes flicked between the two of them. “Did you bring me here so he could find me?”

“Of course not!” Anne shouted, distress building in her stomach. There was the fear building that Kit wouldn’t believe her, and she couldn’t afford that. Anne had a plan. She wouldn’t let Henry change the game before she got her turn. “There’s a lot going on that you don’t understand, Kit.”

“Because you never tell me anything,” Kit shot back, her voice icy.

While the cousins argued, Henry had come closer “I can’t stay much longer,” Henry brought the cousins’ attention back to him. He was now far too close for comfort, his terrible stench engulfing the two girls. “But you can have a little souvenir before I go.”

And then he pulled out a knife and stabbed Kit.

-------------------------------

Tag List:

@radcowboyalmondtree @boleynhowards @annabanana2401 @babeebobo @dont-lose-your-queerhead @obliviousasheck @theatergirl06

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dreamcatcherfication · 4 years

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The Queens of London Part 3 - My Loneliness is Killing Me

Hello hello hello! Chapter three has arrived, and boy does this one have some developments in it. (I say that like action happens. It doesn’t really). This chapter is mainly exposition and worldbuilding for you all, but there is some good drama throughout and some action in there. Sorry for any spelling/grammatical errors, my dog ate my chromebook.

Writing Masterpost

NOTE: I know historically that Katherine Brandon is Maria de Salinas’s daughter, but for the sake of this story we’re going to pretend that they aren’t related. Otherwise, it would cause a lot of plot holes with Maria’s involvement with the queens that’s just way too hard to work out for how the story is being written.

If anyone wants to send in prompts or requests, my inbox is always open, I love hearing from you all! Here are some prompts and asks if you ever feel like dropping by:

Prompts | More Prompts | The Trifecta of Prompts | Random Asks

Trigger Warnings: Vague mentions of sexual abuse

Part 1 | Part 2

The Queens and their ladies sat around the table listening to what Jane and Joan had gathered on Kat. “She was very uncomfortable,” Jane noted.

“Especially when I called her Brandon,” Joan threw in. “This girl’s hiding something, the only problem is we don’t know what.”

Cathy twirled a pen in her fingers. “Well this certainly complicates things.”

“Why don’t we just confront her on it?” Anne asked.

Maggie nodded along with her. “She can’t lie to all of us.”

“No,” Aragon sighed, “that wouldn’t work. She’d get defensive. If nine suspicious women surrounded you and demanded the truth, would you confess?” Anne let her eyes fall as her suggestion was rejected.

“Why are we talking about Kat as if she’s already a criminal?” Anna asked from her chair. She was leaning on the arm and had her leg up at an angle, a stance she put on to suggest that she had little stake in the conversation. Really, the others knew Anna had a big heart and was willing to intervene on behalf of any of them.

“She’s right,” Jane agreed. “I can keep an eye on her, like you all suggested, but other than that, we leave it be. Kat looks properly like a kid, we shouldn’t treat her like a hardened criminal.”

Cathy sat up and reminded the group, “She does supposedly deal with the Black Market, though.”

“Yes, we can’t forget about that,” Maria affirmed.

Rubbing her forehead, Bessie stood up. “I usually just let you do your thing, but this is dragging on. Let me just do a quick synopsis and then we can go home, kay?” When there was no objection from any of the others, Bessie continued, “Okay. Katherine Brandon, well known for her popular record label and dealings with the Black Market, has never been seen in public. Apparently, that’s because she looks like a seventeen year old. Although we don’t officially know her age, something’s clearly wrong with this whole situation. What I believe we’re all thinking right now is that Katherine Brandon is an alias.”

“Exactly,” Joan pointed at Bessie. “She flinches every time we say her name. Normally I would suggest that means she isn’t Katherine Brandon, but there’s no way anyone else could have gotten ahold of that note. Besides, what random person opens an envelope not addressed to them?”

Agreeing with Joan, Bessie finished the basic rundown. “We can’t directly confront her on this suspicion, but we can have Jane keep an eye on her. There will be no stalking,” she said this directly in Anne’s direction. “And things will continue as planned. Sound good?”

There was unanimous agreement among the group as they disbanded the meeting. As everyone got up, Anne pulled Cathy to the side. “Hey, is it just me or is there something familiar about Kat?”

The journalist frowned. “Not that I could tell. Why ask me?”

Anne shrugged and hid an embarrassed face. “You know the most, I figured if anyone would have any idea, it would be you.”

Giving Anne a kind smile, Cathy clicked her pen. “Well I’ll keep an eye out and tell you if I suddenly recognize her.”

“Thanks Cathy.” Those were the last words the queens exchanged before leaving for the night, set to return at the same time tomorrow.

Making it home, Kat immediately went to her old laptop and worked on getting it running. She had the thing from when she still lived with her father, but after being kicked out she was unable to get anything better. When the screen was properly lit, she typed in Jane Seymour Joan and waited for any information to pop up. First off, she got a bunch of photos of Jane at promotional events with Joan at her side. The two of them looked close, maybe even siblings.

There was an article attached to one of the pictures, so Kat clicked on it and started reading. “Joan Meutas is the co-owner of the Seymour fortune with her close friend Jane Seymour. Okay, so not related,” Kat talked to herself as she read. “The two are rarely seen without the other and they deal with Seymour related activities equally. When asked about allowing Joan to control half of her fortune, Jane said ‘Controlling all that money by myself is for too much power. I trust Joan to handle it far better than I could all alone. We work together and that’s what works best for us.’” Kat couldn’t help but feel her respect for this woman grow.

Moving on, Kat did her best to find the other ladies she had never met. She remembered Jane mentioning the names Maria, Bessie, and Maggie, so she started searching. After no results were yielded from Anne Boleyn Maria and Catherine Parr Maria, Kat struck gold with Aragon News Maria. There wasn’t as much personal stuff on her as there was on Joan, but there was quite a bit of work related information. Maria de Salinas is the close friend of CEO Catherine of Aragon and works beside her as the CFO of Aragon News. It is unclear when the two of them met, but when Catherine inherited her business, Maria was immediately appointed the CFO beside her.

The process continued with Bessie and Maggie. Margaret “Maggie” Lee is the main supplier of alcohol to Boleyn owned bars. While she does not own any alcohol companies, Margaret is known for providing some of the best mixes from different suppliers. Boleyn talks about her in many interviews as, “the best of both worlds. She makes a killer cocktail and she’s the best friend I’ve got…”

The article for Bessie was particularly long, so Kat skimmed it. Elizabeth “Bessie” Blount is the spokesperson for Cleves Fashion. She organizes the company’s events and speaks at press conferences in the place of legendary designer, Anna of Cleves. The two have been close friends for years, Elizabeth even collaborating with the designer on some occasions. There was a period of time where Elizabeth left the company to work for Aragon News, but she quickly quit under mysterious circumstances.

As much information as the articles had provided, Kat couldn’t help but have more questions than she started with. There was so much behind these nine incredible women, and she was hiding herself in their group, pretending to be someone she wasn’t.

Katherine Brandon is the owner of Darkrider Records and is known for writing many Number 1 hits in recent years. She appeared out of nowhere, taking the world by storm with her work and collaborations with rising artists. But perhaps the most interesting thing about Brandon is the lack of pictures of her. In fact, there is not a single confirmed photograph of Katherine Brandon, leading to some wild conspiracies surrounding her. Many claim that they’ve dealt with people under the alias Katherine Brandon in the Black Market, garnering Brandon an infamous reputation in the business world. Another one of the most famous conspiracies surrounding Katherine Brandon is that she is not a singular person, but rather a group of influential people pretending to be the figurehead of the company.

That was certainly quite the character Kat would have to play. Her only grace of good luck was the lack of information on Katherine Brandon. “Why am I doing this,” Kat mumbled under her breath.

The answer came clear as day, even though Kat didn’t want to accept it. Accepting her answer would mean continuing this dangerous lie. But her resolve was breaking down quickly, and Kat couldn’t help but think of her reasons. Backing out would mean her life would go back to the way it was. Playing music to passersby and barely making enough money to afford her dingy apartment. She didn’t even have much of an education, something she desperately wanted. These women had offered money in their note, but that wasn’t what really interested Kat. Of all things, it was because Kat was lonely. She had no one and nothing and slowly but surely it was killing her. This was probably her only chance at doing something worthwhile in her life. She could disappear off the map and never matter at all, or she could help take down a murderous, corrupt politician.

When phrasing it like that, Kat knew she never stood a chance of backing out.

Unfortunately, joining a secret plot to overthrow a wealthy politician did not really have any benefits. Waking up at the crack of dawn to get set up on the street was not something Kat particularly liked doing, but it was necessary if she wanted to make enough money from free music. At first she couldn’t make much money, but quickly Kat learned the trick was the length of time she spent playing, not the quality of the music.

Most of the time people dropped money out of pity, not because they enjoyed the music she played. Kat hated living off of pity money, but no one ever wanted to hire her for a job, leaving her with no choice. The day always started out slow with only a few dollars here and there, but business picked up later on in the day. Kat liked to refer to her music as if it was a real job, using terms like business and customers to make herself feel better about the whole situation.

As the pale morning started to fade and the sun began shining through the clouds, Kat huddled in on herself, obsessively checking her watch that was propped against her guitar case. 7:50. Kat anxiously chewed her lip and strummed the guitar, trying to keep her mind fixed on the music. In the next few minutes, Jane would walk by and for once Kat did not want to be noticed.

“Kat? What’re you doing here?” asked a voice, causing the girl to jump in her seat. Dread and nervousness settled in her stomach, but Kat put on her best facade. The minimal information on Katherine Brandon allowed her to build her character as she wished (Kat was glad she had taken those theatre classes when living with her father), so she tried her act on Jane.

Appearing calculated and confident, Kat glanced down at her instrument and then back at Jane. “Oh this?” Kat commented offhandedly, “I play out in public in order to attract anyone interested in music. You’d be surprised how many talents come by and start singing with the music. How do you think I recruit so many new stars to my label?”

Jane hid her surprise at Kat’s sudden change in demeanor well. The girl was acting completely different than the worried teen the night before, which immediately sent up red flags in Jane’s mind. “How long do you stay out here?”

“Eh, only a couple hours in the morning, I usually go to the company to put in some actual work. Can’t be slacking off.”

Taking note of the vagueness in the word “work”, Jane bobbed her head up and down. Kat was acting exactly how the queens had predicted Katherine Brandon would, something that shouldn’t have been strange. But Kat made a lasting first impression, and to have her do an entire 180 in a single night meant something was up. “I can’t stay for long, Kat, but I’ll be seeing you later tonight.”

Returning to her music, Kat gave a small wave, “Yes Jane, I’ll be there.” With that, Jane walked off and Kat sighed heavily, releasing the tension in her body. While her Katherine Brandon character wasn’t perfected, that portrayal was certainly more believable than the nervous girl Kat had been the night before. Being Katherine Brandon was far better than Kat being herself, and if that’s what it took for Kat to take her first steps into this new world, she would take it in a single leap.

The night came again quickly, Kat’s nerves skyrocketing as the first sign of darkness started creeping into the sky. This time, Kat was more prepared, so she pulled out her cleanest pair of pants and the nicest dress shirt she owned, regardless of the warmth. If she was to impress these women, she needed to dress elegantly while also appearing nonchalant.

Arriving at the closed theatre, Kat moved to open the door like the first night. Before she could grab the handle, someone’s hand wrapped around her mouth and another around her waist, wrestling her away from the door and into the alley beside the theatre. Screeching into the hand, Kat started thrashing in panic, pushing at her captor.

The person made a grunting noise and Kat squirmed, but they kept a tight grip on her waist. Suddenly, Kat was thrown back into the memories of hands on her waist, holding her and touching her. A sob came out of Kat’s mouth as she started to shake, only for her assailant to let her go.

“Kat?” came the soft voice of Anne Boleyn. The bar owner had quieted herself so she couldn’t be heard by anyone other than Kat. “I’m sorry, did I scare you too much?”

Spinning around and lifting her head, Kat realized the person who had attacked her was only Anne, her face heating up with shame as she saw how badly she’d spooked Kat. “Why would you do that?” Kat whispered hoarsely, trying to regain her composure.

Putting her hands in her coat pocket, Anne shrugged. “I was trying to test you, see how well you reacted to being attacked.”

“Yeah, well I’ve never been attacked like that before, so clearly I didn’t do well.” Kat sighed and clenched her fists so Anne could not see the trembling. “Just don’t do it again.”

Anne held her hands up defensively. “Sorry, sorry. You head inside, I’ll be in in a minute.” Kat nodded and moved around Anne and out of the alley. She shot one last glance at Anne before moving inside the theatre to join the other women.

When Anne was sure Kat was gone, she reached in her pocket and pulled out a wallet. Opening it up, Anne began muttering to herself. “Alright Brandon, let’s see what secrets you’re hiding in here.”

#six the musical fanfiction #six the musical fanfic #six the musical fic #six fanfiction #six fanfic #The Queens of London #part three #i'm not going to tag all the queens #because that's just going to get redundant #yes all the titles are based off of song lyrics #i'm trying to be aesthetic #my inbox is always open #ignore all the historical plot holes #especially with Katherine Brandon and Maria

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