89 Chapter 22: Epilogue

Hello guys! English, it is not my motherly language, I'm French so I apologize if there are some mistakes. Don't hesitate to tell me where they are so that I can improve.

This is my first full length fiction, with chapters, I hope it will please you. It is a AU where Katherine Howard does not marry Henry and where Cromwell is spared. Instead of Katherine, Henry marries a French noble lady, on the advice of Cromwell.

And so it ends. It has been almost two years since I started this story, out of boredom. I want to thank everyone who left a comment. It is you who made me finish this, I am not known for finishing stories built with chapters. And yet, here we stand, at the epilogue of The French Bride. This story is far from perfect but I enjoyed writing it and it has made me improve a lot. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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The French Bride

Epilogue

Summer cannot last. Winter always comes. No matter how long summer can be. To everything, there is a season. A time to be born and a time to die. That is the right order of Life. No matter how hard or unfair it can seem to us.

Charles Brandon was the first one to die, the 24th of August 1545, after a short illness. He left and made Mary become a widow, alone with their baby son Eustace and his little sister Catherine, born on the 16th of December 1544. She was heartbroken. Chapuys remained by her side, trying to ease as he could the pain of the loss and the fear of having to raise two babies who were fatherless. The duke's death cast a gloomy atmosphere at court. The king mourned him deeply and realized that he could be the next one.

' We have to talk, my lord Hertford, about the arrangements that have to be made, for the prince's minority, after I am dead. '

Henry VIII died on the 28th of January 1547, after a month of illness and agony. His queen remained by his side as long as she could but he sent her away to be with Elizabeth and Edward a week before he passed away. He did not want her to see his soul leaving his body. Edward Seymour, after the king's death, went to tell Marina Tudor the sad new. She became very pale and seemed about to faint. She signed herself, gathered her courage and walked to her stepson's chambers.

' Mother? What is it? ' He asked

She walked to him and bowed to him.

' The king is dead. Long live the king. ' She said, her eyes full of sadness

The boy and his sister Elizabeth burst into tears in Marina's arms.

' I want you to stay with me, please do not let me alone, I'm so scared of what awaits me. ' Edward begged

' I am at Your Majesty's command. ' The widow replied

' I am your son, not your master. ' The new king said

Henry's wish to be buried next to Jane Seymour was respected. After the burial, the dead king's will was read in front of the whole court.

I, Henry VIII, king of England, Ireland and France, Defender of the Faith and Supreme Head of the Church of England, want this to happen after my death:

My son Edward will become King. Should he die childless, the Act of Succession must be respected.

My children are free to marry who they want. I want them to know what I have known with the love of my life.

My wife, Queen Marina, is free to remarry who she desires. I want her to be happy.

My wife is to be treated and respected as if I was living still.

Until my heir comes of age, there will be a regent to rule England with him. It is my wish that my wife, Queen Marina, becomes Lady Protector of the realm for I know all the love she has in her heart for our children and our people.

It left everyone speechless. It meant having a woman ruling England for a few years. Marina was not certain if she was glad to have this position. She loved England. She loved her children. But was she capable of ruling a country? Nevertheless, it was Henry's last wishes. She could not let him down.

' The Queen Dowager will be regent. If anyone is displeased with it, he is free to leave court. Any attack against it will be considered as treason and punished as treason. ' Edward said

He knew he was still very young but he had to be strong from the very beginning. It was vital. Nevetheless, to ease everyone, he kept his father's government.

A few days later, Marina realized that she was pregnant. She was in her third month. But the events that happened kept her so " busy " that she did not found out sooner. It was Henry's last gift.

' If it is a boy, his name will be Charles, as you so wished it after the duke's death. '

It was a daughter, born the 9th of July 1547, christened Henrietta-Charlotte Françoise, in honour of Francis I, who died the 31st of March 1547, breaking Marina's heart once again.

Edward's health became better with time passing by.

In 1549, Eric de Champagne, Marina's cousin, came to England. He asked Edward for the hand of his half-sister, Elizabeth. Their correspondance never stopped since that day of summer 1543 when Elizabeth was dreaming of Eric's beauty. The young man came to England thrice after King Henry's death. And he fell in love with Elizabeth. He admired her spirit when he read her letters, he started to admire her appearance. A lovely teenager of sixteen, her hair red and beautiful, shining under the sun, her magnificent eyes inherited from her mother, her fair complexion and her grace made the franch aristocrat fall for the princess. And Elizabeth returned the favour, time gifted Eric as well. Edward gave his approval without any doubt. The bride to be accepted to become a catholic in order to marry her beloved fiancé. For the sake of appearances and to respect the law. But Ambroise, duke of Champagne, told his sister-in-law that on his estate, privately, she could continue to be a protestant. Elizabeth married Eric on the 19th of May 1549. The 7th of September 1550, she gave birth to their first child, a healthy baby boy she named Robert, in honour of her dear friend Robert Dudley. Little Robb, as he was nicknamed, was soon followed by two brothers and two sisters: Louis, Aliénor, Jeanne and Ambroise ( who was a real surprise for his parents ).

Edward ruled England until his death in 1603. He was known as the Golden King, since he was the one to bring a golden age to his country, shaping it into the England we now know of. In 1561, he proposed to Mary Stuart, the young widow of the late king of France, Francis II. To ease her, he assured her that she would not be obliged to convert, as long as catholic and protestant did not try to convert each other.

' Our two countries would be united and protected, far away from the fear of war between us. We are neighbors. We should be friends. '

The duchess of Suffolk, Mary Brandon née Tudor, even told the young queen of Scots that catholics would not be persecuted. She was herself a catholic and yet, nothing happened to her or to her protégés. Mary Stuart agreed and became queen consort of England the 6th of June 1562. A year later, she gave birth to a daughter named Jane. The 19th of June 1566, England had a new heir: James, who would be king of England and Ireland after hs father's death. In 1570, the queen had twins, a boy and a girl, named Margery and Alexander. And finally, In 1572, Mary gave birth to a princess named Marina, Edward insisting upon the marriage between Mary and Edward was not a love match but they had respect and affection for one another. Edward respected her so much he never took a mistress. Her death in 1587, after a sudden illness, left him very sad.

' This is the first displeasure she gives us. ' He said before starting to cry

Mary Brandon died in 1590 after a uterine cancer. After Charles' death, soon to be followed by her father's and Chapuys', Mary lived for her children. Her family's love made her very happy. She also worked for friendship between England and Spain. She happened to be her broher's best ambassador. Catherine Brandon dedicated her life to God while Eustace Brandon married Anne Culpepper, the eldest child of Thomas and Katherine Culpepper, duke and duchess of Devonshire. Having no male heir, Anne happened to be her parents' heir and so, Eustace Brandon was to inherit the title and lands of his father-in-law after his demise.

Prince Henry loved England, but he loved God even more. He dedicated himself to religion. The Catholic Faith to be precise. He became a priest, remained in England, where he worked to prevent bloodshed in the name of Christ. He fought as hard as he could for his ideal: tolerance. He was given a Golden Rose by the Pope for his actions.

Prince Lloyd married Princess Elizabeth of France, daughter of King Henry II. The marriage was far from unhappy but they did not love each other. And Lloyd inherited something from his father: he liked women. Elizabeth bore him Isabelle and Catherine, and Lloyd loved his daughters very much, despite his loveless marriage. After having a few mistresses, he found love with one of his wife's lady-in-waiting. A lovely small and blond woman with big blue eyes named Colette. Elizabeth died in 1568 after a miscarriage. In 1570, Lloyd married Colette. She bore him a daughter and three sons: Anna, Owen, Thomas and William.

Princess Harmony married Philip II of Spain in 1558, the same year her brother married his french along with her half-sister Mary, she tried to create a long friendship between England and her new realm. Harmony was a good stepmother to Carlos, Philip's son. She gave him three daughters: Isabella, Dolores and Juana. She died of childbed fever in 1568, her little Juana following her in her grave a few months later, leaving all of her relatives shocked and sad. However, three years later, Philip married Harmony's sister, Anne, who gave him three sons: Ferdinand, Philip and Charles.

Princess Henrietta-Charlotte Françoise never married, saying that Princess of England was the most beautiful title on Earth and she would not give it up. She was her nephews and nieces' favourite aunt. During her life, she tried to mend the image of the royal family, just like her father started to do when he married her mother. She wanted the people to see them as respectful, a family like every family, except that the people of England were their children.

Ambroise of Champagne never married. He died in 1572, struck by illness. He was deeply mourned by his brother and his royal cousin, the queen dowager of England. Eric thus became duke of Champagne, along with his beloved Bessie. He found his brother's diary in which he found the reason why he never married. Ambroise was in love with Marina. But she married Henry. She was happy with him. That was all that mattered to him. His rival's death did hurt him, because he knew how sad Marina was. He never hoped that one day Marina would be his. She loved Henry too much. She belonged to him. She belonged to England.

Marina died in 1575. If she remained beautiful throughout the years, the demises of those she loved broke her heart and Ambroise's death, along with the discovering of his secret and suffering, was the final blow. During her reign as regent, she tried as hard as she could to be a just ruler, continuing her politic of tolerance. Edward happened to be a very clever boy, who knew how to deal with economical issues and how to avoid wars. When he reached sixteen, the regency stopped since he was perfectly able to rule by himself. Marina remained at court, doing politics only when she was asked to. She continued her good actions towards the poor and she found peace in her grandchildren. England, France and Spain mourned her and the Pope told that Europe lost a good christian soul.

Even if Ambroise de Champagne was never able to marry his cousin, Marina Tudor, History knew of a love story between an Ambroise and a Marina. Eric's youngest son fell deeply in love with his royal cousin, daughter of Edward VI.

In 1587, Ambroise of Champagne, son of Eric and Elizabeth of Champagne, née Tudor, married Marina Tudor, daughter of King Edward VI and of Mary Stuart. The marriage was a very happy one and blessed with five children: Edward, Alphonse, Marie-Antoinette, Anne and Louise.

The End