BORN IN A BIKINI

This is my first AU Tudors story! The setting is quite modern but proud young Princess Mary and caring Jane Seymour are their true selves in just about every way. Please comment nicely!

"You know the kind my father goes for," Mary Tudor said, making a sour face as she gazed out the window at the royal swimming pool. The woman lying beside the pool looked right at home, her golden head resting on a dark blue cushion and her long tanned legs sticking out a mile against the smooth white background of the reclining deck chair. "This one was probably born in a bikini!"

"Don't be too quick to judge Jane Seymour." The Spanish ambassador gave Mary a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "They say the young queen has already started a campaign to improve the morals of the royal court. Too many young people are drinking in the royal gardens after dark, lords and ladies and even some of the servants."

"Huh!" Princess Mary turned away from the window and went back to her desk. The school year was over, but the kindly ambassador was helping her improve her Latin for next term. Mary wanted to study hard and make her father proud. She didn't care about dressing up and going out with other kids. Not at all!

"How would you like to accompany me to the charity fashion show this evening, Princess Mary?" Jane Seymour was smiling like a fashion model in a television commercial for ultra-sexy toothpaste.

"Sorry, I have a headache." Mary hated the way slim, sporty Jane just popped into her bedroom, looking so alive and glamorous. Mary felt pale and dumpy by comparison. And she really did have a headache. After finishing her homework she'd put on an old CD of Spanish classical guitar and cried herself to sleep on the bed. She always cried when she thought about Katherine of Aragon.

"Oh! Well I'm sorry I woke you. We'll do something together another time, I'm sure." The pretty young queen sounded so embarrassed that for a moment Mary almost felt sorry for her. Jane turned to go, but then without looking at Mary she stopped for a moment with her slim fingers resting lightly on the doorknob. "Sometimes when I'm sad I like to be with other people. Sometimes it feels good to talk about those feelings."

"Humph!" Mary threw herself down on the bed and buried her face in the pillow. The sexy click-clack of Jane's high heels soon faded. But even with her eyes shut Mary could see the slim blonde walking down the hall. She saw Jane climbing into a limousine, riding off to the fashion show in the same jewels Mary's mother used to wear. Maybe she was alone. Or maybe Mary's father was with her, looking pleased at all the cameras snapping pictures of the two of them, pleased at everything Jane wore and everything she said or did. Looking pleased that good Queen Katherine was no longer part of the picture . . .

Mary jumped up from the bed, feeling like she had to get out of her room or go out of her mind. She only had on ripped jeans and a halter top, but so what? Mary wasn't going to any fashion shows. She just wanted to get away and be bad for a change.

"You know what I'd like to do? I'd like get Queen Jane good!" The drunken gardener's son picked up an empty beer can and threw it at a nearby tree. He missed and the kids all laughed.

"That's not a good idea." It was after midnight. Princess Mary felt tired right down to her toes and dizzy from drinking so much beer. But she wouldn't allow disrespect to the royal family. Not that she was ashamed of getting friendly with the servants who tended the grounds. They were crude, and the boys drank far too much, but at least they weren't all fake and glamorous. They remembered the way things used to be, when Katherine of Aragon was queen.

Suddenly there was a blinding glare from the headlights of a fancy limousine. Mary and her friends were lying around on some big rocks by the side of the road, drinking beer from cans and throwing the empties around. Dazed by the bright light, Mary froze where she was, even though the other kids were already ducking out of sight behind the rocks and bushes that lined the drive. As the long limousine glided past Mary saw a glamorous goddess in diamonds and furs looking right at her. Jane saw her too.

The next morning, Mary got a summons to appear before her royal father. There was no-one around as she walked towards her father's study, her knees shaky and her head still aching from the night before. Jane Seymour would have told on her, of course. The new queen would be anxious to get rid of her, to make way for children of her own. Mary knew she was going to die alone, far from the royal palace, just like her mother. But she was still Katherine's daughter. She walked slowly, with her head up high.

"Ah, there you are!" Her father's booming voice immediately made Mary's headache even worse. But the fat and selfish monster who had destroyed her mother was actually smiling. "I hear reports from all sides that your studies are going well. You are improving every day!" Henry VIII paused, to let the great honor of his praise sink in. And then he issued a command. "Still, I expect you to relax now and then. Too much gloom and solitude isn't good for a young woman! Do you understand me, girl?"

"Yes, father. I hope I can continue to please you." Mary was still afraid, but she couldn't hold back the question. "Did the queen enjoy last night's charity event? I heard it was a great success!"

"Jane never tells me anything," the king grumbled. "She was out so late I was asleep by the time that she got back. I would have gone with her, even though I can never stay awake at these boring charity events. But Jane says I need my rest, and it's best to obey the queen. After all, I'm not as young as I once was. But we've all got to grow up sometime! Do you understand me, girl?"

"Yes, father." Mary was so relieved she nearly sank to the floor. But when she got back to her room, sweet relief turned sour with shame and guilt. Proud Mary knew she had been a fool. But Jane, the poised and glamorous new queen, had seen her stumble and still kept her secret. Why did she do it?

Mary went over to the window, and looked down at the royal pool. Jane Seymour looked like a swimsuit model, her long legs sticking out a mile and her body looking flawless in the hot sun. Mary looked at her for a long time before she went and got her own bathing suit out of the closet.