Prologue

                                    

                                          
On the day of February 18, 1516, the announcement of Queen Catherine of Aragon and England's starting of her labor spreaded like wildfire through Hampton court and the kingdom of England. King Henry VIII Tudor of England was in a council meeting when he received the news and rushed to the chapel, where he prayed to God for the birth of a living and healthy child. What he desperately needed was a male to carry on the legacy of the Tudor dynasty. It had been seven years of his marriage to Catherine, with no child. Catherine only had miscarriages and stillbirths. She did give birth to a little boy, who sadly died when he was a few weeks old. They could only hope that this time would be different. In the royal bedchambers, Catherine pushed as hard as she could. She begged God to give her a living child, better yet, a son. It was her duty as the Queen of England to give the kingdom an heir it desperately needed. After a long and painful childbirth, Catherine gave birth to two healthy baby girls, twins. 
When the news of the two girls' births reached Henry VIII, he was over the moon and announced that there would be feasts, jousts, and parties to celebrate the birth of his twin daughters. While it pained him that the babies were only girls, the fact that they were twins was a sign that God was smiling down at him and Catherine. With Catherine, the exhausted new mother laid in the bed, with a bundle of blankets in her arms while the other laid in the bassinet next to her. She smiled at both of her bundle of joys and whispered to them, "Oh, my darlings. Wait until your papa sees you." 
As if on cue, the sound of the herald announcing the King's presence grabbed Catherine's attention. The midwives, physicians, and ladies-in-waiting all curtsied/bowed  to the King as he walked into the royal bedchambers. Henry smiled at the sight of his wife. She might have looked sweaty and exhausted but to Henry, it was a sight he wished he would never forget. Catherine whispered, in fear of waking the sleeping baby girls, "My love......" Henry walked over to his wife and smiled, looking at both of the babes. Sensing that the royal couple needed to be alone, the principal lady-in-waiting  ushered everyone out of the bedchambers, smiling at her mistress as she closed the doors. Catherine smiled at her husband and whispered to him, looking at the bassinet, "The one in the bassinet is the eldest. I supposed Your Majesty would've wanted to hold her first, as she is your heir." Henry gently picked up the sleeping babe into his arms, quietly hushing the babe as she began to fuss as the sudden change of movement. The babe had a tuft of auburn hair, like his, and bright blue eyes, like his. He knew that as babies grew, their features would change. Catherine smiled lovingly at her husband and whispered to him, "What shall we name them, my love?" Henry whispered, looking at the other small babe in his wife's arms, "Mary for the youngest, after the Virgin Mary herself. For the eldest......*He paused as a lump in throat came* Elizabeth, after my Lady Mother." Catherine took notice of Henry's pause and placed her hand on his knee, giving him a comforting smile. She knew of how close her husband was with his mother and how hard her death hit him. 
When they were married and before any birth, the two have spoke of names they would want a child of theirs to be named. Henry spoke of how if they had any daughter, he would want her to be named after his beloved mother. When he was the Duke of York, he was very close with his mother. There were many things he had admired of his mother. He only hoped that his eldest twin daughter would have his mother's virtues. The babe in Henry's arms, now named Elizabeth, wriggled in her father's arms. The King looked down at his eldest daughter, smiling loving. He hoped, through Elizabeth, the legacy of his family's dynasty would continue.