monarch

Seen from the hills in the distance, the army that is heading towards Princess Mary's Manor looks like an ugly gray snake wriggling over the lush fields.Above them, the dust raised by men and horses made a khaki mist hang over the fields.

Princess Mary came out of the mansion. As she walked down the front steps, she put on gloves for herself, and her riding boots had already been fitted with spurs.

A black Andalusian horse had been led down the steps by the groom, its nostrils were blowing heavily, and its front hooves were kicking impatiently on the ground.

Princess Mary walked up to the horse and gently touched the horse's neck to calm the noble animal.

"Why did you call so many people here?" She turned to the captain of the guard who had been following her since just now, and pointed in the direction of the fountain.Following her fingers, one could see a group of fully armed knights ready to go.

"I have selected twenty elites from your guard." The captain said, "They will try their best to protect your safety."

Princess Mary smiled slightly, "You said there were about 500 people across from us."

"Unfortunately, Your Majesty, it is true." The captain of the guard bit his lip.

"Then what do you think twenty people can do?" Princess Mary shook her head, "You are trying to build a dam with branches and soil to hold back the flood. If they really want to harm me, I'm afraid You won't change your mind just because you have twenty swords." She reached out and touched the hilt at her waist, "21 to be precise."

"If something goes wrong, these twenty people can at least buy you some time." The captain of the guard still insisted on his opinion, "In fact, in my opinion, you should leave immediately and I will lead the people under me to resist. That'll probably buy you an hour, and by then you'll be ten miles away."

Princess Mary waved at him, "Wars are not won by running away."

Without waiting for the groom to come to his aid, she leapt onto the horse, startling the Spanish ambassador, who had been watching her belly with apprehension.

"I don't need so many people to follow me." She looked down at the captain of the guard condescendingly, "If you are worried, just follow me alone."

The captain of the guard bowed slightly, "If this is your order."

"And you, Mr. Bishop." Princess Mary looked at Bishop Gardner who was standing on the steps, panting because of the sprint from the living room to the gate just now, "You follow me too, the three of us are enough gone."

Bishop Gardner jumped back in fright, and his heels hit the steps. If the Spanish ambassador beside him had not had quick eyesight and quick hands, he would have fallen on his back to the ground.

"You... are you asking me to go with you?" Bishop Gardiner's rosy and bright face suddenly turned pale, "Yes... I would like to follow you...but I must First of all..." He muttered in a terrified voice as if in a daze, "you know... I'm a priest, a public servant in the government... I carry a cross instead of a sword, with a A quill, not a saber...According to the Romans, I am a civil servant in a toga...Of course I am willing to give my life for you...but I don't know how it can help you..."

The bishop moved back slowly while speaking.He touched his ears constantly, and touched his nose from time to time, obviously trying his best to hide his inner panic.

"You also said that you are the representative of the government." Princess Mary pulled the rein to calm the impatient horse, "As a member of the cabinet, I need you to stand behind me as a symbol of the government. His Excellency the cardinal and the Spanish ambassador are both foreign envoys who are inconvenient to appear, and only you are suitable to ride beside me on horseback."

"Ah...you are right..." Bishop Gardiner pretended to be thinking deeply, "I am willing to give up my life for you... I am not only proficient in laws and doctrines, but when necessary I also Can use the short sword... But this, this is a bit too sudden... I wonder if I will continue to be your advisor to control the overall situation for you? This will have a greater effect..."

Princess Mary smiled slightly. Having dealt with Bishop Gardner for so long, she deeply understood the temperament of this lord.After appreciating the bishop's embarrassment, she finally said, "You don't need to use any weapons, just follow me. The only thing I need you to do is this."

She bent down and whispered to the bishop, "At times like this, the prime minister should always stand with his queen."

The meaning implied in this sentence is like strong wine, which made the Bishop a little more courageous. "Ah, yes, yes, you are right, I should follow behind you... I am at your command, Your Majesty." When he said this, his tone was not so much loyal to Princess Mary, but rather Embolden yourself.

Princess Mary nodded in satisfaction, "Lead a horse for the bishop!" She looked at Bishop Gardner again, "You know how to ride a horse, my lord bishop?"

Bishop Gardner looked at the big black horse walking towards him with a pale face, "I think I will, Your Majesty." His voice became a little shrill because of fear.

He climbed onto the horse with the help of two guards, holding the rein carefully as if it might bite.

"Now let's go!" Princess Mary clamped the horse's belly with her legs, and before she could use the spurs to pierce the horse's body, the horse rushed out like an arrow from the string, and jumped out of the gate. Along the road lined with acacias, periwinkle and rosemary rushed towards the army that had appeared before them.

The captain of the guard rode his horse closely behind Princess Mary, while Bishop Gardner, who was farther behind, was busy keeping himself from being knocked off his horse.

The army on the opposite side obviously also noticed the three people who came forward. In the midst of the panic, the soldiers marching in the column changed into a horizontal line, while the cavalry gathered on both sides of the infantry team.

As the distance got closer, Princess Mary could clearly see the fat man who was riding a horse surrounded by a group of soldiers. The Earl of Nottingham's fat face shining with oil could be seen at a glance even hundreds of feet away.

To the First Minister, Princess Mary and her Spanish friends were not only the greatest and most dangerous threat, but also the most imminent.Therefore, under the strict order of the Chief Minister, the Earl of Nottingham had no choice but to brave the scorching heat and personally lead the army to arrest Princess Mary.

Seeing that there were only three of them, the Earl of Nottingham couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.He had long expected that with Princess Mary's character, she would never be caught without a fight, and a fierce battle was inevitable.But now there are only two people following Princess Mary, and one of them is even as useless as himself.

The task this time may not be as difficult as imagined. This was what the Earl of Nottingham was thinking when Princess Mary reined in the reins and dismounted a few dozen steps away.

The count tried his best to put on a dignified appearance. He waved his hand and signaled the soldiers standing in front of him to make way for him, and he rode his horse forward.However, he didn't dare to take too many risks after all, so he just moved from behind several rows of soldiers to in front of them.

"Mary Tudor." He raised his arm and pointed at him, "I arrest you in the name of Her Majesty and Parliament!" His short, fat little fingers trembled slightly, and his voice sounded like A soprano in a London theater, in fact the way he said it was inexplicably reminiscent of a country girl who's been dumped by a wrongdoer.

Princess Mary didn't even look at the Earl, as if he were some dirty thing stuck to the floor.She untied the long sword hanging from her waist, put it on the ground, and waved to the captain of the guard behind her, signaling him to back away, but Bishop Gardner had already hid in the ground without waiting for Princess Mary's order. Ten paces behind the captain of the guard.

"Dear warriors," she called out, throwing her head up, "do you know me?"

The soldiers standing in the front row lowered their heads with some guilt, and a few bold ones nodded slightly despite the sinister eyes of the Earl of Nottingham.

"It seems that you recognize me," cried the princess even louder. "I am the daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, Princess of Spain, and sister of your former King Edward VI. and his legal heir."

"I am your queen!" The light in her eyes was almost as bright as the sun in the sky, making several soldiers who were close couldn't help but dazzle their eyes.

"She's talking nonsense!" The Earl of Nottingham's voice recalled inappropriately again, and it sounded more shrill than before. "Queen Jane is your legitimate queen. In the name of the queen, I order you to arrest her immediately!"

Princess Mary ignored the screaming Earl of Nottingham, "Every one of you has sworn allegiance to my brother King Edward, and some of you older people have also sworn allegiance to my father Henry VIII. Are you now Are you going to raise your arms against their daughter and sister?"

She opened her arms. "If you're going to shoot at me or draw your swords and shoot at your queen, do it. I'm standing here and I'm not going anywhere!"

"I order you to arrest her!" The Earl of Nottingham yelled hysterically, not knowing whether it was out of anger or fear, "Are the swords and muskets in your hands just for display?"

Princess Mary finally looked at the Earl for the first time, and cast a contemptuous smile at him.

She walked towards a tall centurion standing at the front of the line. His beard and hair looked a little gray, and he was obviously not young.

"Sir." She looked at the other's shiny breastplate and the shiny spear in his hand, "How old are you?"

The centurion looked around his companions with some embarrassment, as if seeking advice, but they all lowered their heads and avoided his gaze, so he could only bite the bullet and look at the person walking in front of him. Princess Mary.

"42 years old, Your Majesty. I became a member of the army 25 years ago, under the command of your venerable father, King Henry." The centurion bowed to the princess, and he drew back the spear in his hand. Received.

"25 years ago," Princess Mary repeated.

"Yes, Your Highness." The centurion nodded and added, "I have also had the honor to meet your mother, Her Majesty Queen Catherine."

"Have you seen my mother?"

"Yes, Your Highness, we have seen His Majesty the King and Queen at the review ceremony, and we have sworn allegiance to them."

Princess Mary nodded, "You swore allegiance to my mother, are you going to use your spear against her daughter now?" She took a step forward, raised her head, and looked into the eyes of the centurion .

"Stop wasting time!" the Earl of Nottingham was still yelling, "Arrest her quickly, I order you!"

The centurion's face was flushed red, and his tall body was trembling. He looked at the Earl of Nottingham with pleading eyes, but all he saw was the purple-red face distorted by his exasperation.

He turned back to Princess Mary, his lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out, and the spear fell from his powerless hand to the ground.

"Damn it!" The Earl of Nottingham yelled loudly, thinking of the musketeers standing behind the line, he quickly cast his sinister eyes in that direction, "Are those muskets in your hands just for display? Shoot, I order you shot!"

However, to his fury, the gunshots did not ring out.The musketeers stood there like statues, muskets slung over their shoulders, but no one pulled the trigger.

The Earl of Nottingham trembled nervously, "Shoot, are you deaf? I order you to shoot, in the name of the Queen!"

He picked up the whip and whipped it towards the soldier closest to him, but a huge force grabbed the whip and pulled it violently. If he hadn't let go of his hand in time, the whole person would have been thrown from the horse's back. up and down.

The count looked around in astonishment, and the guards around him all looked at him with cold eyes, and one of them still held his riding whip in his hand.

A sudden despair and fear enveloped the Earl of Nottingham, and he seemed to understand the situation he was in in an instant.He trembled all over, like those who suffer from malaria.His teeth kept bumping against each other in his mouth, making a slight rubbing sound.

He reached out and took out a pistol from the back of his waist.

"If you don't want to do it, then I'll do it myself." He grumbled as he poured gunpowder into the muzzle of the gun. His fingers kept trembling, and the black gunpowder flowed through his fingers, Gathered in a small pile on the ground.

Princess Mary stood motionless, with an enigmatic smile on her face, watching the Earl of Nottingham laboriously put buckshot into the muzzle of his pistol.

The captain of the guard strode forward and stood between Princess Mary and the Earl of Nottingham.

"Get back quickly!" He pushed Princess Mary back without any explanation.

However, to his surprise, Princess Mary did not panic, and she said in a calm and scary voice, "Please get out of the way."

"Your Majesty!" the captain of the guard shouted dissatisfiedly, "this is not the time to argue!"

The Earl of Nottingham had already raised his arm and put the fire twister on the matchlock.

"He can't hit me." Princess Mary shook her head slightly, pushed away the captain of the guard guarding her, and looked at the black muzzle of the Earl of Nottingham with a confident expression.

The match was burning to the end, and a wisp of white smoke came out from the earl's muzzle, followed by a dull gunshot of "ping".

The bullet flew past Princess Mary and flew about fifty paces before falling into the ground.

The Earl of Nottingham wanted to reload again, but the pistol in his hand was snatched away by someone.He sat on the horse in a daze, looking around blankly, as if he didn't understand what happened.

The soldiers stared at Princess Mary with wide eyes, and the sunlight from behind cast her grief on her, making her appear to be enveloped in a layer of holy light.

Princess Mary quickly made a sign of the cross on her chest, and she turned to the soldiers again, "Warriors, would you like to follow this pathetic traitor, or follow me, daughter of King Henry VIII, please choose!"

"Long live the Queen!" came a high-pitched cry from one corner of the queue!

Like an avalanche, the soldiers in the team threw their swords and muskets to the ground one after another, knelt down on one knee, and pledged their allegiance to Princess Mary, "Long live the Queen!" Cheers echoed over the field like a tidal wave.

The fat body of the Earl of Nottingham trembled even more. He quietly tried to turn the horse's head to escape, but several soldiers with sharp eyes and quick hands had already pulled the reins of his mount and looked at the trembling earl on the saddle with threatening eyes.

The Earl of Nottingham felt that his trousers were a little wet. He rolled off the horse, his fat body fell to the ground, and his gorgeous riding clothes and armor were covered with dust.

The count knelt on the ground, looked at Princess Mary with flattering eyes, and begged in a trembling cry: "Your Highness... this is all the chief minister's idea... it is he who insists on making his daughter-in-law queen, and he Treat you as a thorn in the side... I have long been dissatisfied with his ambition... I have not done anything to you... Please show mercy..."

Princess Mary waved her hand, and two soldiers came forward. One of them seemed to be dissatisfied with the Earl of Nottingham, and kicked him violently, kicking his fat body a few steps away.

The poor count fell into a faint, and the two soldiers dragged him away like a dead dog.

Bishop Gardner appeared out of nowhere, "Your Majesty is indeed a monarch blessed by God!" He panted loudly, "This is really a miracle."

The captain of the guard shook his head disapprovingly, "You just put yourself in deep danger, Your Majesty."

"Didn't I say that he couldn't hit it?" Princess Mary said, "God will not allow it." A smile mixed with relief and excitement appeared on her face, "My mother will not allow it either. "

She waved her hands at the excited soldiers, "I can now be sure that this is God's will! I am the messenger of God!" She looked up at the unpredictable clouds in the sky and murmured.