My Nephew, My King

Arthur's Wedding

The next time Arthur saw Anne, she was sitting beside the water, picking flowers and weaving them together to make a necklace. As always, he was captivated by her beauty. Quietly, he slipped up behind her and put both hands over her eyes.

Slowly, Anne removed the hand covering her left eye and pressed it to her lips. Then she looked up at Arthur and smiled.

"How are you, my lovely?" he asked.

"Very happy, now that you're here," she replied. He sat beside her, and they both watched the ducks swim and dive.

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you for quite some time now," Arthur began. "But every time I try, I lose my nerve."

"But you're a King!" Anne exclaimed. "What could you possibly want to ask me that would make you feel afraid?"

"Something I've never asked anyone before." Arthur smiled. His heart was racing madly, but he knew that it was now or never. "Anne Boleyn, will you marry me?"

Katherine saw her oldest son, the King, sitting quietly with a mysterious smile on his face.

"What's on your mind?" she asked him.

"Mother!" Arthur jumped, startled. "I didn't even realize that you were in the same room."

Katherine chuckled. "You must be very deeply in thought."

"I am," Arthur admitted. "I've just asked the lady Anne Boleyn for her hand in marriage, and she's accepted."

"The lady Anne Boleyn?" Katherine gasped, shocked. "But she's a commoner!"

"Nevertheless, I love her and want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"Well, if you're sure this is what you really want, then I wish you the best," said Katherine. "Your happiness is more important to me than any potential alliance with a foreign kingdom."

"Thank you, Mother, from the bottom of my heart." Arthur went to his mother and embraced her and kissed her cheek.

Arthur and Anne were married in the same church in which Arthur's parents had been married all those years ago. Arthur's family sat on one side of the church, and Anne's family sat on the other.

Arthur's younger sister, Joanna, looked across the aisle and saw a very nice looking man sitting with the bride's family. He was slender and of about average height, with brown hair and eyes and a mustache. He caught her eye and smiled. She decided that she simply had to meet him and talk to him after the ceremony.

At the reception that followed, Joanna was standing beside the table sipping from a glass of champagne when she heard a voice at her shoulder.

"They do make a lovely couple, don't they?"

Joanna jumped.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you." Joanna turned to see the smiling face of the good-looking young man she'd admired during the ceremony.

"That's all right." She giggled nervously.

"I'm the brother of the bride. My name's George Boleyn." He held out his hand to her. She placed her hand in his own, and he kissed it.

"It's nice to meet you, George. I'm Princess Joanna."

"I know." He grinned. "Perhaps we could go horseback riding together sometime, if you'd like."

"That sounds like a lovely idea!" Joanna suddenly felt very happy.

Arthur felt shy as he went in to Anne on their first night together. He knew the mechanics of what to expect, of course, but the idea of actually experiencing physical intimacy with the woman he loved both overwhelmed and thrilled him.

Anne smiled shyly when she saw him. With trembling hands he reached for her, and she went into his arms. Soon their mutual nervousness had been transformed into passion as they came together as husband and wife for the first time.