OOC: And with this, the AU takes a huge left turn from history.
They knew it simply as the "Sweating Sickness". It was arguably one of the most deadly and devastating plagues known to their time, and certainly the most mysterious. The most learned men of Europe knew almost nothing about its source, its transmission and little of how to treat or prevent it. It struck an area without warning, starting with a single isolated victim, and spread without remorse through a population, sparing perhaps half. And then, it would be over as quickly as it came.
Henry's dear friend, Sir William Compton, had been among the first to perish. From the country, the sickness flew straight for London, leaving death in its wake. As soon as the first signs began to appear and the first citizens began to gather outside Whitehall Palace, shouting for help, Henry had ordered the Court to be sequestered. Days passed, and soon the sickness had penetrated the walls of the Palace.
Fortifying himself with potions he had come to learn, Henry decreed that the uninfected members of the Court be sent immediately to secluded locations, so as to wait out the plague. Among these were Queen Katherine and his beloved Anne Boleyn and her family. The King himself haunted the nearly-empty palace for nearly a week, drinking his draughts and exercising vigorously to create natural sweats that he hoped would ward off the sickness.
When the Royal Surgeon pronounced the epidemic ended, and after the bodies had been burned and the palace scrubbed from top to bottom, Henry ordered the Court to return to Whitehall. He gathered a small retinue to accompany him on two personal visits to deliver the good news. The second of these was to the manor home of the Boleyn family.
When he arrived, Henry was clad in black from cap to toe and spoke gravely. Lord Boleyn showed him to the room where Anne was completing her recovery from a successful battle against the sickness.
"My love," said Henry softly, gazing at Anne.
They knew it simply as the "Sweating Sickness". It was arguably one of the most deadly and devastating plagues known to their time, and certainly the most mysterious. The most learned men of Europe knew almost nothing about its source, its transmission and little of how to treat or prevent it. It struck an area without warning, starting with a single isolated victim, and spread without remorse through a population, sparing perhaps half. And then, it would be over as quickly as it came.
Henry's dear friend, Sir William Compton, had been among the first to perish. From the country, the sickness flew straight for London, leaving death in its wake. As soon as the first signs began to appear and the first citizens began to gather outside Whitehall Palace, shouting for help, Henry had ordered the Court to be sequestered. Days passed, and soon the sickness had penetrated the walls of the Palace.
Fortifying himself with potions he had come to learn, Henry decreed that the uninfected members of the Court be sent immediately to secluded locations, so as to wait out the plague. Among these were Queen Katherine and his beloved Anne Boleyn and her family. The King himself haunted the nearly-empty palace for nearly a week, drinking his draughts and exercising vigorously to create natural sweats that he hoped would ward off the sickness.
When the Royal Surgeon pronounced the epidemic ended, and after the bodies had been burned and the palace scrubbed from top to bottom, Henry ordered the Court to return to Whitehall. He gathered a small retinue to accompany him on two personal visits to deliver the good news. The second of these was to the manor home of the Boleyn family.
When he arrived, Henry was clad in black from cap to toe and spoke gravely. Lord Boleyn showed him to the room where Anne was completing her recovery from a successful battle against the sickness.
"My love," said Henry softly, gazing at Anne.