A Typical Time in a Tudor Court

Hampton Court Palace,
London, England
April 1547

The faces, each with a smile, passed by quickly each blurring into one another, they all said polite things, offering their bows and their curtsies and offering greetings from a plethora of countries - some of which the King himself had not heard of. Edward, son of Henry VIII nodded and tried hard to sit up on his uncomfortable thrown of gold and tried to look as interested as he could, the mission grew harder and harder. The occasional whisper from his uncle and Lord Protector, Edward Seymour kept him awake, only by the nature of his threats and the occasional slap on the arm each time Edward looked up and over his perfectly formed nose at his uncle, it was unacceptable to touch the king. Even if you were his uncle.
Edward noticed, and with thankful relief leaned back as he heard the music start and saw the women and men in front of him break into a set of wonderful dancing. Colours, from reds, to purples and gold’s and blues swayed in front of him, creating a rainbow of colour and a sea of hair and faces. Edward sat and watched, as he had been advised, he did not join in the merriments for that would have been so very informal of him, unroyal. He wasn't much for dancing, certainly not for people he did not know. His irritation grew throughout the night, annoyed that his uncles had dragged him away from his most important studies for this; a night of what potentially was drunken dancing which would end in whoring, philandering and sinning under the eyes of God. No matter how many times those appointed to serve the king food approached he did not accept, only raised his hand enough o shoo them away.
The evening was setting in and the candles had been lit, Edward was almost asleep on his raised level when a voice holding authority spoke loud and clear. 'For the guests and the pleasure of his most honourable majesty, King Edward the Sixth, the king's sisters, the Lady Elizabeth and the Lady Mary Tudor.' a small trumpet played as the ladies walked up the hall, the crowd parting for them as they approached their brother and curtsied in front of him, a small acknowledgment and thank you as they muttered a blessing he blinked and leaned back as the man spoke again 'And his majesty's cousin, the Lady Jane Grey.' The young king looked up and spotted the girl walking in his direction, nervous, small and timid had approached and curtsied, Edward moved enough to offer the girl a hand to kiss. She did so before receiving a knuckle kiss from the king himself. 'Your Majesty.' She curtsied again and walked away joining the crowd as they continued dancing. He tried his hardest to ignore her, a king could not be interested in the social aspects of life, she was his cousin and after all, a marriage was not to be something he yet enjoyed, his father King Henry had made his wishes clear, he would not marry till he reached his maturity.
He tempted his eyes away from her with everything, other women, one's less attracted or of closer relative, with food, with men to talk to, with books with anything; they would not be tempted away from the girl. She wore the brightest of dresses with the nicest of hair and the prettiest of faces. She was his age and of noble birth. Once satisfied that he should wait no longer, and convinced his uncle and Lord Protector were far enough away he gained the attention of his younger uncle, 'Sir Thomas.'
'Your Grace?'
'I wish you do me a favour.'
'What may that be sire?'
'The Lady Jane, I wish to speak with her.'
'Of course your grace.' The man was about to leave and achieve the girls attention when Edward grabbed the man’s arm.
'Sir Thomas, no, art you a fool?'
'Your grace?' The man struggled to stifle a tone which indicated his irritation at a nine year old calling him a fool quite well, not enough though.
'My uncle, and your brother, Lord Somerset, he won’t allow such conversations to happen. Inform her that she should wait in the palace grounds at midnight, she is after all staying at court is she not?'
'Yes sire.' nothing more was said, Edward was unsure as to whether Sir Thomas was answering his question or just agreeing with him. He minded little as long as nothing hindered his attempt and the Lady Jane was in the palace grounds, little else did matter.

At a little before eleven in the evening the merriments died off as the King was feeling both sickly and tired and had to retreat to his bed chambers where Sir Thomas was unsurprised he asked to be left alone to sleep and not to be checked on until his breakfast arrived in the morning.