How I edit my own work - Plus a story to read too - 18

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Because Dominic was in the half-way world of the spirits, Katherine knew he could not yet have been reincarnated into a new being and so she had time and chance to visit with her friend, Elizabeth.

She also reasoned that she would be better out of that world and in the world of man, to avoid more contact with her scheming, deceitful husband, thus avoiding the chance of speaking with him again.

Another cold and bleak day dawned and she watched the sun rise above the sprawling city that she remembered as fields and small villages. The city had its own beauty of course, but Katherine much preferred the woodlands and fields she remembered. ‘If only I could lay waste to the structures and recreate the serenity of nature in this world, as I can in the next,’ she thought and sighed.

Katherine went to find Elizabeth and it would seem she was having a busy day of it.

Katherine watched the scurrying and flustered servants around Elizabeth’s household and she waited to see the proceedings.

The day of Queen Elizabeth the First’s coronation was one of fulfilment and a great sacrifice for one woman. She gave up her life for her country and with it, her chance of motherhood and normalcy.

As Elizabeth went forward through London, the crowds greeted her with a love and adoration Elizabeth had cultivated deliberately, for she knew her security lay in the arms of her subjects. If the country loved and adored her, then there was less likely to be revolution.

A pageant of red and white greeted Elizabeth at the top of Gracechurch Street. She gazed up at the figures of her ancestors, Henry VII and his wife, Henry VIII her father and Anne Boleyn her mother and father. Katherine saw the figure of her friend above the other figures, standing alone and she glanced at Elizabeth to see her reaction.

A wistful expression flitted across her eyes and perhaps Katherine imagined it, it was gone in an instant.

At Cornhill, a second pageant had been erected. Decorated in rich banners, the religious doctrine read:

While that Religion True shall
Ignorance suppress,
And with her weighty foot break
Superstition’s head . . .

From Fenchurch to Cheapside, decorations of damasks, silks and tapestries. Banners and streamers hung from every window it seemed, blowing in the brisk, cold wind of January.

The city’s gift of a purse of 1000 gold marks in a silk purse was received with the dignity Katherine knew had been hard-earned. Elizabeth had not been set to be Queen until her sister Mary had died without child.

Elizabeth received the purse with a speech.

“I thank my Lord Mayor, his brethren and you all. And whereas your request is that I should continue your good Lady and Queen, be ye ensured that I will be as good unto you as ever queen was unto her people. No will in me can lack, neither, do I trust, shall there lack any power. And persuade yourselves that for the safety and quietness of you all, I will not spare, if need be to spend my blood. God thank you all.’

The speech received a rapturous response from the crowd. Women dabbed at their eyes, ‘Remember Old King Harry the Eighth?’ Katherine heard. ‘‘I warrant you it is for gladness,’ came the reply.

Yet another pageant depicted Time and Katherine saw her bob her head in a little nod as she understood the pageant’s meaning and she heard Elizabeth say, “Time?” And Time hath brought me hither”.

Father Time stepped forth, leading his daughter, Truth. Truth handed Elizabeth a bible and she took it in grace and kissed it. Then she laid it upon her breast, clasping it to her.

As Elizabeth and her entourage passed into the Abbey, Katherine looked back and saw the blue cloth she had walked upon, already being claimed by the people in the crowd. The custom of coronations, Katherine thought.

Katherine stood by her side as the crown was placed upon her head and she smiled at her friend, the Queen.

Elizabeth returned the smile with a small nod of her newly-crowned head and Katherine knew that if Dominic showed up in this place before Elizabeth passed through to the next realm, she would do her utmost to aid Katherine in her quest – whatever the cost.

Katherine heard a foreign lilt by her side, a musical, gentle accent. ‘she exceeded the bounds of gravity and decorum.’

Katherine nodded to herself. ‘That she did,’ she thought.

Katherine was an almost constant companion for many years and Elizabeth gave as much of her time as she possibly could, but that time was limited for Elizabeth had many duties because of her position.

Elizabeth had to be diplomatic when fending off unsuitable and undesirable suitors sent by neighbouring kingdoms in attempts to ally with England in order to further their own ends. Elizabeth confided in Katherine on many occasion and gave some of her suitors unkind nick-names just to see Katherine smile.

She had to be religious leader and was in constant turmoil because of her predecessor’s predilections for murdering those who opposed her religious beliefs. Both Elizabeth’s father and sister had murdered in the name of religion and Katherine was certain that Morgana would not have been happy at those kinds of sacrifices to her name.

Most of all, Elizabeth had to be a King in all but gender. If once she faltered, it would be excused as being because she was a mere woman and Elizabeth never wanted to accept the opinion that she was less of a monarch. And so Elizabeth strived to the best of her ability and that was always exceptional.

Gone were the days when her Ladies in Waiting would gossip to her. The ladies dare not gossip in range of her hearing, let alone in her company. Elizabeth was lonely and Katherine became her one source of companionship and her confidant.

The business of the day, would be discussed at length with Katherine. Elizabeth whispered so as not to give anyone cause to think she was going mad.

Katherine frequently left to see if she could find where Dominic had been reincarnated and the length of time she was away varied a great deal, for Katherine still could not measure the passage of time in one world when she was in another.

Kathrine returned one day from a long absence to find Elizabeth in a happy mood. She had a new distraction. At the first opportunity, Elizabeth told Katherine about the young man vying for her attention at every opportunity.

He was so very much younger than Elizabeth and the Queen knew that scandalmongers would be busy speculating on her business. For once, Elizabeth was beginning to not care and was falling under the spell of his attentive advances.

Katherine loved to hear Elizabeth gossip about him, she enjoyed the vibrancy with which Elizabeth described her new paramour. Katherine shared the thrill that Elizabeth felt when she described him, handsome, virile and scandalously youthful!