Chapter Text
Katherine quietly walked through the halls of the large country home. It was only half past four in the morning and none of the other Queens had woken up yet- something Kat would like to keep that way.
She heads for the kitchen first, needing something to eat before her early morning outing. An apple from the fruit basket is enough to quench her hunger until eight at least. She quickly ate the apple, which was very juicy and crunchy, before throwing away it's core in the compost bin.
She continues her journey to the corridor. She takes her leather boots from the cabinet by the door and sits down on the wooden bench in the corridor. She puts on her boots, which are much like the ones she had as a young girl, when she had still been living in her grandmother's home.
After lacing them up she goes to the coat rack hanging on the wall. She plows through the jackets with annoyance.
That's the burden of living with six women. Katherine thinks to herself. She lets out a huff and finally finds her favourite coat. Although she bought it at the flea market, it was one of her best possessions. The coat was almost like a replica of the one she had when she had been Queen. It was made of a thick, dark blue wool, cinched at the waist and big gathers making the knee length coat flare out from her hips.
Inspecting herself in the tall mirror for a moment- she smiles.
The coat and the blue linen dress accentuate her natural figure. Her boots with slight heels make her calves look more elegant from under her dress. Her light brown hair is up in a loose bun, with some stray, wavy hair framing her face.
Katherine gives a nod to herself. Although it's still dark outside and no one would see her anyways, she still wanted to look good. Not for anyone else, just herself.
She leaves the home and walks to the stables attached at the right side.
It's dark and a little chilly in late spring, but Katherine doesn't mind. She knows early in the morning is the only time she can go horseback riding peacefully, without interruptions or questions from the other Queens.
Besides, the early sunrise made it all the more worth it. The way the sky would light up in soft pinks and purples was easily the most beautiful thing to Katherine.
Katherine took a lot of pride in riding horseback. But even so, this had been her little escapade every single morning. She never told any of the other Queens about it, because she valued her time alone more than anything.
The youngest queen knew deep down she was the black sheep in their so-called 'family'. Since the day they had been resurrected she had preferred to keep the other women at an arm's length. Never speaking when she wasn't spoken to and never giving away more than she had to.
The other Queens were bold, even the ones Katherine hadn't expected to be opinionated had their way of letting the others know what they thought.
Kat had never been like that, allowing others to make the right decision for her, staying obedient, being a respectful young woman- as was expected of her during her short lifetime.
All of the others had lived longer lives. They had experience with how the world worked. They knew how to wrap everyone around their finger and how to slap someone down, even with their underhand.
In a way the other's intimidated her. She had been nothing compared to them. She barely survived a year on the throne, before Henry shunned her.
The thoughts of her between the other Queens wandered through her mind as she rode. She had no idea what she had done to deserve a second chance in life, but she wasn't going to screw it up.
…
Around 6.30 o'clock she enters the house again. Just as quiet as before she takes off her coat and riding boots.
She walks to the kitchen to grab something to drink, but is surprised to find Catherine of Aragon already at the table with a cup of tea, reading her bible.
"Good morning Katherine." The elder of the two said, closing her bible to give her attention to Kat.
"Good morning, Catalina." Kat said and did a small courtesy to the first queen. Catalina was the only of the 5 queens Katherine ever bowed to. The other 4 had told her to knock it off, but she knew it satisfied Catalina that someone still treated her with dignity and respect.
Catalina her lips curl up ever so slightly as she takes a sip of her tea. "You're up early."
"I couldn't fall back asleep, so I took a stroll around the garden." She lies easily. Only once before had any of the Queens seen her slip in this early in the mornings. She had given them the same excuse.
"That's quite an undertaking." Catalina said with a nod. "Why don't you join me for a cup? I'll read you my favourite passage."
Katherine nods. "Of course." She goes to grab herself some tea and sits down at the table with the eldest.
She had never been much of a reader- mostly because she never learned how to properly read. Kat didn't understand much of what Catalina was reading to her, but she knew listening to her and asking her about the stories massively made Catalina feel heard and respected. She knew because of this Catalina had a soft spot for her.
When they are done discussing the passage, Kat excuses herself and heads upstairs. She had lost roughly half an hour of her usual bathing time, but she didn't let it stop her from soaking in the hot water for a while.
Lucky for Katherine she had shared the bathroom with Anna, who barely spent any time in the bathroom in the morning. This gave her the time she needed to take a bath, pin her hair up, get dressed and stare in the mirror for longer than she should.