Wedding of King James V to Marie de Guise

 I take my brother's hand and pull him towards the dance floor. And smile as music starts and I begin to remember when I was younger and we used to dance and these memories are wonderful

I was happy when I danced with my sister and it certainly took my mind off of this foul place i was in.

I am happy that's Henry is enjoying himself without incident. Not I thought of where he is. I will try to keep his mind occupied so that he will not wander and he will concentrate on our dancing. Laughing and dancing like we used to to keep each other company. I enjoyed that time with him and today we can dance and smile to each other again.

I watched my father dancing with his sister Mary and he does seem to be more relaxed but he could change at any time so I am still anxious to get him away.

I will dance with aunt Margaret and then she will help to escort him off the premises without incident.

Will you dance with me aunt and then we can usher father out to the carriage as soon as the dance ends?

I smile at my niece and take her hand.

I would love to Mary, after all it is a wedding and we should be enjoying ourselves.

I look to my brother as we all leave the dance floor.

I am so happy that you were able to attend my son's wedding and that you have enjoyed a dance with our sister but time is getting late and I worry about you having a safe journey to the border.

I smile at my aunt and I want her to be happy on the occasion of her son's marriage.

Of course it is a wonderful wedding party and I hope that cousin James is very happy with his new wife for I have heard that she is a very intelligent and capable lady.

I look at everyone dancing and enjoying themselves and hope that our marriage will be a happy one and we will soon produce an heir for Scotland.

I look at my handsome husband the king of Scots, expecting him to dance with me now that all the formalities are done with. I put out my hand to James and make a low curtsey.

Husband?

I look at my sister Maragaret.

"It was very nice dancing with you sister but now i must leave before nightfall.

I take my new wife's hand and I lead her to the dancefloor.

"Come Marie let us dance and show everyone a new dance.

Mary would you dance with me I escorted her to the dance floor and I looked at her lovely face I will be more than happy to dance with my sweet Mary

I look at my new husband holding out his hand to me and I put my hand in his.

I would be delighted my king.

The wedding was lovely and it was nice to see everyone enjoying themselves but I am relieved to be leaving with father.

Yes I will say my goodbyes very quickly and ready to go.

I see Henry and Mary making ready to leave so I go over to say goodbye.

I am so pleased that you were able to attend and I hope the homeward journey is not too arduous. I don't know where our sister Mary is now but I expect she is dancing with some young man. I will relay your best wishes to her but you must be on your way now before the weather turns bad.

I come from around the corner Here I am Margaret this was a wonderful day for me.  We should go now I don't want our ride home rocky.  Margaret thank you for such hospitality. Give everyone a hug for me .Love you all. I also have a wonderful secret to tell you. I am to be married to my love King Gustav of Sweden and I wish for you to be there for me to witness the marriage. Please say that you will come  

I am so happy for you Mary and of course I will be there for your most important event. You are so lucky to marry for love and to someone who loves you back. Where is the ceremony to take place?

Mary is such a dreamer and I hope that she won't be disappointed with her bridegroom after the wedding.

It was a lovely service but I am glad that we are on our way back to England, this country is so bleak and wild.

I try my hardest to shake my father from his black mood as it will be a long journey if he is going to fume all the way.

Dear Margaret I hope that you can come with us to see the wedding. It would be an honor for you to stand with me to see the vows perform. You are near and dear to me and I will be excited if you were there to witness the nuptials. And then when we go off together to Sweden Gustav and I will go and have a small wedding in his country. The happiness I feel to be his wife is amazing. Margaret I did not know that I could feel the love I have for him so I wish that you will be there but if you cannot just knowing that you will be thinking of me and praying for me it will be like you are standing there.with me.

Sweet Mary thinks that the only important thing in life is being in love and I hope that the king of Sweden will protect her from all the bad and strife in the world. I expect Sweden is a fairly easy realm to govern so she will never have to make a painful decision as I have had to endure.

Sweet Mary, let us say goodnight now, it has been a long, joyous day and my James and his bride were radiant in the Church. It was quite stressful though too and I am so pleased that our brother got away without any drama.

I hug my sister tightly, before making my way down the dimly lit corridor towards my room. The day's excitements ache in my bones: I have eaten too much, drunk too little, danced too wildly. My son...my little boy is now a husband, and will have children of his own-

My heart pounds in my chest: grandchildren. I feel I am too young to be a grandmother, and yet, there shall be grandchildren.

My servants help undress me, unpinning my once vibrantly red hair. In the mirror's face, I begin to notice how tired I look; the wrinkles around my eyes. I have lived longer than my lady mother did; she died at thirty and seven years of age.

"I wonder," my mind narrates my thoughts, "If mama had lived longer, would she have looked like this?" There is an ache in my chest from the thought: mama never saw her children grown, never met her grandchildren.

And yet, here I am: thirteen years my mother's senior, doing all of the things she couldn't.

I climb into my warm bed and think on my memories of my mother: I have all but forgotten her face, all these years later. Only in my dreams, now, am I still young, still a child.

Only in my dreams, does my mother still live.

I sit to the side, a large drink in hand and look upon the guests as they take their leave I hold it up "congratulations to the happy couple"