The Private Chambers of Elizabeth... admittance only by her Majesty's Wish

*dismisses her lades and shuts the door firmly behind her, crossing to the desk where she unlocks a drawer where she keeps private correspondance*

Oh that I didst not have the weight of this heaped upon me too. Is it not enough that I hath such weighty matters of state and so few true friends I may trust?!

*reaches out for the un-opened correspondance she seeks, breaking the seal from her one-time suitor, Frederick of Denmark*

*wraps lightly on the door*

Tis Sir Nicholas ... you wished to see me my friend. Shall I come back another time?

*frowns and locks the letter safely away*

Enter Sir Nicholas! Thou art welcome my lord!

I sense this is a bad time *frowns* I should not have called on you in your privrate chamber and awaited your call. My apologies, I shall leave you to your business

Not at all my lord, we have important matters to discuss. Please inform my guards we are to be undisturbed, then take a seat.

I wish to get this meddlesome business settled immediately so that my mind can return to the important matter of governing my land and takeing care of the lives of mine subjects.

...I find I am still unsure whether to offer thee a drink. This will be unhappy business we have to discuss and I wudst soften the blow with a little wine, though I know not if such things to ease you or not?

*bows* as you wish

*informs the guards then takes a seat*
*his face is etched with an expression of profound worry*

I do still enjoy wine greatly, thank you

If I hath displeases you I am heartily sorry ... you know it wudst be my last wish to wrong thee

You hath neither displeased nor wronged my sir. I wish thee no ill will.

However, my status and my responsibilites often place upon me tasks which I am... displeased... to carry out. This is one of them. Though it will be unpleasant for us to discuss it wilt yeild great relief and ultimately - I hope - happiness for us both. Therefore I wudst get this done with at great speed.

Firstly, though I am your true friend, I wudst remind thee that I am Queen Regent of this country and thine first duty to me is one of a subject. Thou knowest me immovable in matters of state and I wudst ask that thee respect my following words and wishes as a true courtier.

I shalt allow thee to express thy mind on these matters as a friend, but - believe me well on this - any attempts to willfully defy me concerning these matters outside of this council will be dealt with by the Queen and not thine friend.

Understood?

*Elizabeth raises an eyebrow and stands from her desk with a determined and immovable Tudor stare to enforce her words and intentions as the true annointed Prince of this realm*

I understand *nods solemly, dreading what is to come even more*

Good my lord. I thought I could rely on you to understand my wishes, though I admit in your present state of great love for my constant rival I didst wonder if thou wudst openly defy my wishes. I see thee truly capable of keeping thine head at all times. This eases my worries for the future greatly.

This also means we can now discuss this matter as friends which wilt ease my burden greatly and allow you something almost amounting equal footing in this discussion. I didst not wish to have to issue thee with orders like some wicked child... but wudst do so with all hell fire behind me if the safety of my realm didst require it. I love England afore all other but God. Thou wudst do well to remember that when we are parted and Marie whispers treason in thine ear.

*frowns gravely as the pounding of any impending murderous discussions between her cousin and once loyal friend thunders through her heart and threatens to choke her. she swallops hard, falls back to her chair and sips lightly at a glass of wine at the hope it will ease her tongue a little*

Now, these are all mine wishes as Regent - and as your friend Elizabeth who is greatly troubled by these changes - regarding what I see as the impending marriage of yourself to mine cousin Marie Stuart, lately the Queen of Scots.

Firstly, I wudst have thee gone far from my court shortly after your nuptuals are announced. I wudst send thee hence with mine good wishes and blessings for the match but wish not to be troubled by the wedding and the inevitable company of murderous Catholic conspirators who wudst have my head on your happy day.

'twould please me greatly to correspond with thee and to meet on occasion when our paths do cross upon my yearly progress through my land.

Otherwise I cannot permit the husband of the false claimant to my throne at court without a specific invitation on matters of state from myself.

Understand sir that I do not wish thee far from me as Elizabeth. But as Regent and with the responsibilities of state your presance would threaten my life where previously it had made me feel safe. Please say you understand this request. It doth grieve me heavily to have to request it but I see no other choice.

*tears begin to fall from her eyes. she bites her lip, rises quickly from her chair, turns away so that the tears cannot be seen and takes a deep breath to compose herself*

You are sending me away? *his own eyes are glassy*

I am your friend, and will remain so always.

I am in love tis true, but not never so much that iI would betray you who have always been my true and faithful friend, the one person who hath plucked me from ruin and self-loathing and given me a reason to live, such as I can, once more.

you hath no need to hand down orders to me, you have only to ask me as my friend and I shall obey but how can you see me as a danger?

Marie can whipser what she will, I know your heart. I know well your love for your country, your people. It is my hope that Marie too will come to realize this petty rivialry is needless.

Even if thou cudst charm Marie into accepting me as the annointed Queen of mine own land, her Catholic status wudst attract the attentions of those who wudst kill me to put her upon my thone. She will attract them anyway, as will you, and I wudst rather have such treasonous souls as far from me as is possible.

Here I can reply upon the protection of mine court and the love of mine people. When Marie, her husband...

*eyes him with an anger which fleets away when she sees his own eyes do not betray her as she believes*

...and her entourage are present my death is at every turn. Her very presance in mine realm doth endanger me, but I cudst not turn away my own kin when she was without home and needing protection herself.

I also endanger her. My council wudst have her dead for they fear the country returning to the state where good Protestant subjects are burned in their hundreds. Many of my people wudst also have her dead, whether Protestand or Catholic, for she openly defies their Queen.

It is my wish that Scotland's people may one day be at peace, and that the kingdom will be at peace with my own. I do hope that someday the two realms will become one, though I know that is not within my lifetime and I wilt hand that task to Marie's son King James when he succeeds me to the throne of England.

...I wud not have her back upon her own throne. Though she is the rightful Queen she hath abdicated and the crown of Scotland belongs to her son James. I wudst not tear her country apart once more just to sit an unstable Queen upon it's throne. Though I do dream that you and she may return safely to Scotland to support James.

I wished that I could say I do understand, I do not understand politics nor do I want to.

But I do know and understand your heart, if you wish this it is because you feel you must because it is best for your realm. I have no choice but to respect you for it though it pains me so.

*gets ups and crosses the room to embrace her, it is not a romantic gesture but one of a friend comforting a friend*

What I say now I say as one person, one friend, to another. Pretend for a moment that we are not who we are. And I know it will make no diffrence but I shall say it anyway ... and once I leave this room I shall never speak of it again. I do not wish to leave. If I were given the choice ... *sighs gathering courage* If I were given a choice it wudst be you I would wed not she. But I think you have always known my heart and I know yours so have never given voice to my desires. I understand why that can never be so. But I wish very much to remain at your side as your friend ifs nothing more.


*looks at her intently*

if you ask me not to marry and remain I shall

*Elizabeth, who has been sitting in the castle gardens beneath the chamber by the lake gasps in horror. She runs her fingers through the water beckoning Melunisa to let her once more hear what is being said in Elizabeth's chamber*

*whispers* Poor, poor Marie..

*wrestles herswelf firmly from his grasp and turns upon him with anger*

How dare thee sir! How dare thee think thou canst offer thineself to the Queen of England! I have cast aside all others and thou art no different sir,

*takes a breath and composes herself a little, issueing her next words through gritted teeth*

I wudst remind thee of thine place and ask thee to sit down once more so we canst discuss the matters at hand.

I wilt not
*stamps her foot*
have foolish wrecless emotions hinder the business of my realm.

*bangs her fist firmly upon the desk and then takes her seat once more with a huff*

Tis not only my command as Queen that you leave upon announcement of your nuptuals, but my requirement as your friend.

*furiously blinks away a few treasonous tears that threaten to give away the Queen's true heart*

Now...

*deep breath and a forced smile*

...something a little more palatable, but still with it's problems, as is everything concerning Marie... *laughs lightly* ... thou hath chosen a troublesome lady my lord, I do hope she continues to be worth it!

I do hear she hath "made" thee a Duke of Albany. Alas as she hath abdicated her throne she hath not the right to grant this, but may in time persuade her son James to give you such an honour.

That said, I have a wedding gift to bestow uopn you early. Though I see you as more than worthy of Marie as a soul, I wudst raise thee higher in the peerage and more befitting of an annointed Queen... whether lapsed or not.

I wudst have thee made Marquis of Pembroke. The previous and only holder of that title was my mother Anne when my father King Henry didst bestow the title upon her before she bacame Queen. I intend that you honour this treasured family title by always referring to yourself as such whenever you have to state your rank, and with that I hope you wilt remember your loyalty to my mother and myself as well as the fact that we hold you most dear to our hearts.

...thou shalt also have to find a way to explain to Marie that she hast not actually made you Duke of Albany. Please explain I wudst raise you high upon the English peerage in order to allow you to somehow reach her status until the time when she can ask her son to bestow the title she intends.

*take his seat obediantly and stares at her icily* Forgive me your Majesty *he almost hisses the words. I had THOUGHT you said we could speak here freely, and I only wished to clear my heart if we must part. Apparently I oversteped my station and even in friendship, belive me I say it will NEVER happen again. *looks away broodily, blinking back tears *

*feels remorse, you see Elizabeth is a great empath with the women in her family. She can feel as they feel and think as they think. Elizabeth then turns to the water and creates a single circle with her finger before dropping a stone into it*

*whispers* It is time to let bygones be bygones. The stone, represents the trauma in Elizabeth (Tudor's) heart. As it falls into nothingness so shall her pain.

I hope.

I know she hath no right to bestow such a title nor do I want it anyway. I have no use for such things.

*still speaking coolly*

But I shall accept your wedding gift with graditude an concider it an honor. I will try to live my life and keep my self worthy of it.


I will explain this to Marie the best that I can

*looks down to see her own hands trembling with both fear, anger and regret. clasping them together she takes a breath and tries to correct what pain she may have inflicted*

Dearest Nicholas, I beg thine forgiveness for my outburst.

*looks to the items upon her desk to focus her eyes upon, afraid to look at Sir Nicholas*

though I claim the heart and stomach of a King, I fear I have the wreckless heart of my father and if I let it rule me it will be the undoing of both myself and my kingdom.

I see love as nothing but pain and distraction from my true path, and the idea of a husband often brings me nothing but fear.

*looks up to him once more feeling a little braver*

You hath trusted me well eith your secret this long time, so I shall trust you a little more Sir with mine. If it please you to reclaim what there is of our friendship sir I bid thee to be a gentleman and call my lady Kat Ashley to the room along with food and wine for us all.

*spiralling, falling, falling, falling down. The stone glows scarlet, the colour of love, passion - but who could forget that it is also the colour of blood*

How ironic *Elizabeth cackles under her breath*

*sighs* there is nothing to forgive *he speaks softly* I should have held my tounge. And your friendship is as it always has been, nothing can change that.

*gets up an bows before leaving the room to do her bidding*