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Henry VIII (Part 1)

By vox 10 June, 2006 03:56 This article has been read 1727 times.

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“Mother, please! It’s all I’ve dreamed about for years!”

“No son, you can’t become a royal guard. You’re too young!”

“Please! I’ll grow a beard and I’ll pass! I know I will! Just let me try!” Henry screamed. It wasn’t the first time an argument had broken out. Henry was only fifteen, and wanted to join the guards, but they only accepted people over eighteen. He was convinced he could join if he acted properly.

“You can’t join and that’s that!” his mother snarled. Henry stormed out of the smelly kitchen.

Henry and his mother were slaves to some baron or another, not even they knew who they worked for. Well, really they weren’t slaves but they got very little pay. This is why Henry wanted to join the guards. He heard they paid a lot. Also he couldn’t wait to be in uniform.

He sat on his mouldy bed and picked up the rusting piece of metal on the floor. He had found it a while ago and used it to see his reflection, even though it was all bent and hard to see in. He did look older than he actually was, but not old enough to pass for a guard.

“But I will be I grow a beard,” he though angrily. He had been planning this for years. He could go! The guards might not think he is old enough, but the king will and he was what mattered.

That night they didn’t speak through angrily. He had been planning this for years. He could go! The guards might not think he is old enough, but the king will and he was what mattered.

That night they didn’t speak through dinner.

As Henry was climbing into bed and his mother came.

“I know, I can’t join,” said Henry sourly.

“No its not that…I’ve been thinking about this and…you can join.” She said slowly.

Henry’s sourness turned to confusion (he had bee begging her for years) then happiness at what he was hearing.

“You…you’re joking?” said Henry. His mother smiled.

“No I’m not!” she laughed.

Next day, Henry went to the place to sign up. All went well; they asked his name, age and if he had any talents. The guard inspector didn’t notice anything was wrong.

He was told that firstly he would have to train up a bit. He was sent to a guard called Jim, who was apparently “the best in the business” which were the inspectors own words.

Jim was a nice guy, he understood that Henry was new, but he had a feeling that Henry was hiding something.

“So how old are you?” Jim questioned him.

“F-eighteen,” said Henry.

“Really…you know I heard this one kid has tricked the guards,” he said. “Apparently he’s younger than eighteen and is working here.”

Henry’s heart skipped a beat. “R-really?” he asked.

“Yeah…anyway back to business. Your first job is as a simple guard. You’ll stand by the gate and people will come in various disguises and you have to tell people to come and go, see how many you’ll get right.”

Henry positioned himself by the gate.

“No, no, no, not like that! Come here, straighten your back, look forward, don’t move and now we’ll see if you can do it properly…by tickling you!” he screamed.

Henry fell to the floor laughing.

“Oh you are terrible at this…”

It transpired that Henry was actually quite good at his job (despite what Jim said), and soon got a job inside the royal chambers, a job many will kill to have.

He was savouring the job he got. The royal chambers were where the king slept, but for some reason threw were two doors in the ball.

Soon, though, Henry heard some strange things. He could hear some strange whisperings in the king’s bedroom. One was Henry VIII, their reigning king, but the other was a low rasping voice.

“But,” said the king; “you can’t tell the world about this!”

“Yes I can,” replied the other voice. “As I’ve been telling you what to do for years.”

“But, sire!” said Henry VIII, pleadingly. Sire…he called the voice sire….

“Quiet!” the other person, shouted.

There was silence. Apparently Henry VIII was thinking. A change came over him. “No. I’ve been leading your life, and now I’m taking charge!” exclaimed Henry VIII.

“You can’t! I am the rightful King!” said the voice.

“Charles, I don’t care if you came down from the heavens above, I’m taking full charge! You’ve done nothing for my kingdom but fall in love over and over again and-“

“Only because you murder my wives!” There was a stunned silence following this statement. Henry heard Henry VIII leave the room through the back entrance of the room.

Henry thought it was his duty as a guard to protect the king, so he burst into the room. He did not expect to see what he did there. There was an old man, yet with an air some young, lying on the magnificent bed. He seemed to be forty, but had a face of a ninety year old. He was heavily disfigured; this person could not be a king.

“Come, my child. You must help me.”

Henry took a small step towards him. He wasn’t sure whether to trust this man or not. Was he really a king?

Closer…I know you are underage... ” his beard and voice did not fool this man. Henry’s fright must have brought out the child in him. “It is mot that…I just knew you must be the one they talk about, you seem… different.” It was as if he could read minds.

“The other guards will have murdered me on the spot….you still have faith for and old man…But that’s beside the point…you must help me! Please! I have no strength to tell the world this…about this scandal!”

“Wha-who are you?” he was going to say, “what are you?” because of his malformed face, but though this was more appropriate.

“Ahh….of course, I have not introduced myself….I am Charles…and your rightful king.” He replied.

“But…what do you mean rightful king…my king is Henry, Henry VIII” piped up Henry.

Charles’ voice changed. Even through his deformity Henry could see a frown. “Henry is not your king. When I won the royal war…or war of roses, as you might call it, My mother, who was far too old to rule, said that I should take the crown. But she also said that no one would listen to a man with my illness. So for a while my br-my adviser took an active role as king, but he always followed what I told him. I did all moves for him; he just carried them out. He only asked that people knew about Henry not Charles, so we used his name. Things went smooth for a while but lately, he’s been trying to take charge. He let me fall in love over and over again, but because he didn’t like my wives he killed them. His first move against me. Then he broke away from the Catholic Church. Mistake two. And now, as you probably hear, he is threatening to take over completely. Now. I know his rule, and I know it will turn into a bloody ruthless time with his as king. You must tell the world, or stop him!” he concluded dramatically.

Henry believed him. It was a farfetched story; on the other hand Henry VIII did call him sire…

“Yes. I will help. I must.”

“Thank you,” replied Charles, “but you know I am not long for this world…” he slumped on the pillow of his bed.

Henry panicked. “The king was dead!” he thought. But then he heard slow breathing…he had just fallen asleep. Henry relaxed, let out a laugh of relief, and left the room.

Henry was up bright and early the next day. It was his day off but he had to go to the palace anyway just to let Henry VIII know he was going to tell the world his little secret.

Luckily for Henry, he was saw the king (or fake king) taking his early morning stroll accompanied by two guards. One was Jim but Henry could not recognise the other one.

He ran up to him and declared boldly, “KNOW YOUR SECRET!”

Jim turned around with a look of mild surprise on his face.

Henry VIII, though, looked livid.

“ARREST HIM!” he cried. The guards had no choice but to do so, but judging by the grip on Jim’s hand, he didn’t want to.

The king’s reaction just confirmed that Charles was the rightful king.

“I bet no-one has been a guard for a shorter time than him,” said one of the guards protecting his cell. It was three days after his fiasco. Henry through was carrying a secret. True he was no longer a guard, but he could escape the cell whenever he wanted to. There was a hole in the wall.

“Stupid king…” he muttered. He did, of course mean Henry VIII, and he did of course mean about his low security prisons.

That night he left the prison through the hole. He hid in bushed and such for a couple of days, just to see how angry Henry VIII was that the only person who knew of the scandal had escaped. He laughed at his fat red face behind the bushed.

The next day Henry had to find someone, anyone who would help. Luckily (he seemed to be having quite a lot of luck) he found Jim. He was sure Jim would trust him.

“Jim,” he whispered. “Jim! Pssst!” Jim looked around wildly for a while, before the spotted Henry in the Bushed.

“Henry?” he asked uncertainly. “Is-is that you?”

“Yes,” Henry said rather impatiently. “But-“

“I thought you were in jail!”

“I broke out but-“

“Broke out!” he exclaimed.

“Yes but keep it quiet! You have to help me…” Henry recited his story so far.

This left a stunned silence in the air before Jim reacted.

“O.K here’s what we have to do-“but he was cut off by a loud trumpet call from the castle: The Changing of the Guard.

“Of no” whispered Henry.

“I’ got to go” and with that Jim left leaving Henry quite alone, and scared. Henry was sure that call was different to a changing of the guard. But, thought Henry reasonably, it could just be a result of his muddled mind, trying to lift his spirits.

Henry was trying to think of what to do when suddenly two guards came down from the castle. He tried to listen to what they were saying.

“…It was too sudden.” One said

“I know. And you would think that, as we are the ones who protect him, we should at least know that he was the king” Henry pricked his ears. It couldn’t be, it just wasn’t right!

“I know…and in his will he said, “ Let Henry go free””

“Who’s Henry anyway? It couldn’t be Henry VIII but-“

“Henry VIII as in Charles brother right?”

Something stirred in Henry’s mind… “So my br-adviser took over…”

He was about to say brother, Henry knew it. The whole, terrible truth unfurled.

Henry VIII was Charles’ brother, Henry VIII just wanted the throne and not only that he had killed his brother!

Henry made sure the world would know that Charles was dead, they had a false king, and many other things beside.

Henry didn’t know how to do so though.

“A rumour,” thought Henry desperately.

“It rumour work…! Said Jim feebly. Henry told Jim everything.

If someone knew Jim was telling everyone that the King wasn’t proper, they might listen too him.

Over the next few days everyone knew of the Charles-Henry VIII conspiracy. Soon after no one had seen Henry Viii for weeks on end.