Los Patentes de Corso [England, Spain]

[Spain]

Not doubting by your obedience to my general,
by your concord in the camp,
and by your valour in the field,
we shall shortly have a famous victory
over the enemies of my God, of my kingdom,
and of my people.
- Elizabeth I, Queen of England

Anglo-Spanish Relations Through the Spanish Armada
1509 - 1588
Over the English Channel

Having returned from a long journey, Antonio ascended the stairs that lined the grand hall as he made his way to his room. Ever since he had returned from his journey to England to witness the wedding of King Henry VIII and Catalina de Aragon, a strange feeling of content had flooded over him. After all, His Majesties had always raised him alongside their children, thus it would only make sense that he would have a great attachment to the princess. Granted, what struck him more was the impression that he had received upon meeting the embodiment of England. Though he had heard stories from Francis when he was younger, the image that was created was quite different than what he had seen in real life. Rather than the grumpy old man persona that he had heard about, the appearance of the Englishman was quite youthful, though his green eyes were heavily overshadowed by the thick frames that he called eyebrows. Antonio had refrained from pointing it out (at such commendable self-control) but felt that in spite of all rumors that he had heard, Arthur appeared as ordinary as his people, though perhaps a little too reserved in comparison to what Antonio was use to.

But regardless of what had taken place, Antonio was excited to be able to meet a new fiend, someone that he would work closely with in the future. Throwing off his cloak and kicking off his boots, which were left in a trail from his doorway to his desk, he sat down and immediately took out a piece of parchment and began to compose a letter as formally as he could. After all, this was one of those things that was better taken care of sooner, lest he forget to do it later.

20 June 1509

[/i]Arthur,

¡Salud! It was great to be able to see you again, it was very exciting to be able to actually see the lands that my Lord and Lady had told me much about when they returned from their journeys to see your king and queen. Despite the difficulties we have encountered until we arrived at the wedding day, I believe that all the efforts that we went through are worth something. Needless to say, I found your humble abode to be quite cute and charming. Most of the places that I have lived in were these large stone palaces, so it was nice to see something different! Though I will have to say, you should come over to my home sometime, I think that you would enjoy the sunny climate and the different types of architecture.

That said though, I thought that the ceremony was pretty splendid, it is exciting to see so many people so accepting of Catalina the second time around. I would have to admit that I was a bit worried about her when I was told that she was going to be marrying your king. After all, my princess is quite a lovely bride, is she not? Even the rest of the Christian kingdoms have agreed that she is a beautiful thing! That said, it was a relief for me to see that she will be under the care of such a capable and gallant youth! I enjoyed going hunting with him and liked talking with him – it seems that we have a lot of common interests. Based on what I see, your king will be greatly loved by your people and that the future of your kingdom will be secured once we see the fruits of the marriage.

As our kingdoms have forged this alliance, Arthur, I hope that we will be able to work closely together on several challenges that face our kingdoms, whether it be the threat to our faith or future challenges to our existence. Should anything ever arise, please be sure to inform me, because the Kingdom of Spain is ready to stand by a close brother in Christ when crisis should arise. May the Lord bless your king, your people and your kingdom forever.

Con todo mi afecto,
Antonio de Fernandez y Carriedo[/ul]
Once he was done, he set down the quill and read through the letter quickly. Satisfied enough with the manner of the letter, Antonio started to wave he parchment to help the ink dry faster. Would Arthur respond? Though he did not think about it too much, he would assume that it would at least be the polite thing to do, after all, he always replied when someone wrote to him. Olive green eyes staring at the ceiling as he entertained the thought, Antonio could not help but smile as he folded the paper and sealed it with his seal. He was optimistic and hopeful of the great promise that this alliance would bring.

---

Notes:
- Con todo mi afecto: With all my affection; we Spaniards are affectionate, so stop getting the heebie-jeebies
- The action post was suppose to set things up -- and give you a little background on what the Spaniard thought before we dove into just letter compositions.
- Expect things to get awkward pretty soon... though in all honesty, an England and Spain getting along historically is funny in itself.[/font]

[England]

Dearest Antonio,

I'm pleased my land was able to reach your expectations, and I'm more than honoured for it to be something your court deems fit to speak so highly of it to you. As you say though, everything thus far has been worth it. I only hope that our alliance will continue to prosper in this way, I'm more than sure that united in this way there would be much we can offer one another in many regards. I hope that their long and happy unity via marriage will provide us with an even more sturdy basis for us to work upon, and as such I would be nothing but thrilled to be able to bear witness to your own land. It would be rather nice to find myself in something other than this constant drizzle my nation seems to be rutted into at the moment.

I must agree with you in this aspect though, she is indeed a fine woman. I can think of no finer bride for my King than she, and I am more than sure that they will both be content with their state of matrimony. He is indeed a rather amissable fellow, so I should imagine she will be more than content with him as her husband. Indeed, I am more than content that you enjoyred your time with him. He's spoken very highly of you, whatever you did you seem to have him impressed. Not something I've seen many do to him I must admit, you should be proud of yourself.

I'm more than sure that we'll be able to face any problems that face us, doing so together will no doubt prove to be much more beneficial than trying to do so alone. I too look forward to working closely with you, I'm utterly sure I could learn a great deal from you. I am also incredibly honoured by your offer, and should the need for aid arise I will most certainly turn to you my friend. Please know that the same offer is extended to you should you need it. If anything falls amiss then I will be at your side without hesitation, and there is no doubt in my mind that my people will raise themselves to aid you in any way that they may possibly do so.

May good fortune smile upon you in the days to come.

Sincerely,
Arthur Kirkland

ooc;;
Good GOD it's odd posting with them like this together 8'l
I'd have moved it on, but I thought it made more sense for you to do that on this part, che XD
/toolazytoaddmorethanjustaletter8c

[Spain]

September 24, 1524

Querido Arthur,

I hope that this letter finds you in a good state as it appears that we have been living in turbulent times. The recent visit to your kingdom, I enjoyed our conversation about various subjects of importance. It is hard to believe that twenty years have passed since the union of my beloved Catalina to Lord Henry. I am happy to say that I had seen Maria recently, she has grown into a very fine lady – one who is just as interested in the academics as her mother. It is apparent that your court has invested in finding the best tutors and instructors for her. It is hard to imagine that it was only a while ago when Catalina rode into battle against the Scots when heavy with child and was able to defeat them! My, is it a blessing to see children approach adulthood.

And though we have only recently met, my visit primarily to see how your queen is fairing, I would have to say that I enjoyed my time in London. I have to say that it is impressive how much your kingdom has grown since my first arrival. I hear that you have been investing heavily in sea travel, please let me know if you should need any assistance from me.

Finally, I wanted to write to you because while it would have been easier to address this in person with you, I was not aware of it until the last day of my stay. While I still think the highest of His Highness, I am concerned with a few of the rumors that I have heard during my stay, albeit that these are the result of idle hands and wandering eyes of young maidens in your court. As you and I both know, Catalina is no longer as youthful as she was when she first came to your lands, though she has maintained most of her beauty. I am very saddened to hear that a male heir had not been provided and can only imagine the anxiety and pressure has been brought upon your king. And as gallant of a man Henry can be, I hope that he remembers that God has blessed him with a very capable child, wise beyond her years and possessing bright prospectives. As his guardian, I hope that you will guard him against others have been made aware of his vulnerability, and hope that God will help him ease his troubled mind.

Whilst I shall not meddle too much on the affairs of your Lord and will not change my fond opinion of him, I will confess that I am troubled by the rumors that he may discard our well established alliance. As you may know, my masters have always expressed deep interest in their relationship with your kingdom and am ready to help as needed. I hope that your king should remember his queen and all that she has done for him.

May God bless you and our friendship for many years to come.

Con todo mi afecto,
Antonio de Fernandez y Carriedo

---

Notes:
- I'm so sorry I'm so preachy in there. ;A; I figure people writing while a bit upset sound like that.
- For some reason, it always seems like, this would be the attitude that would piss England off? Let me know if I should hit it with another angle.
- FYI. The son she was pregnant with when she rode against the Scots did not survive.

[England]

Dearest Antonio,

Ah, she has indeed grown into a fine young flower. It has been an utter pleasure watching her blossom into the woman. She's much like her mother in many ways, which is no doubt one of her finer features I should say. A brave woman by any means, one who has helped lead my people very well.

It's a testament of your courts to be able to present such a woman to the world.

Oh? Well I'm pleased to see our efforts are obvious. It's rather hard catching up to already existing forces such as yourself, but we are so fond of a good challenge over here. It's simply not worth it if someone merely hands you everything over with no effort being invested to take what it is you want or need. So whilst your offer is more than appreciate I'm pleased to say that for now we're able enough to continue as we were, though if trouble occurs I'll not hesitate to call upon you as you say.

As for his highness.

He may at times have his moments of weakness in the eyes of God, but I assure you they are nothing more than sinful thoughts. He's faithful to church and wife, and I assure you he will verily remain to be so. If you have any more ill content toward matters then there is no need, their union is as strong as ever. He is simply a man after all, something I'm sure you can understand.

Our Alliance is fine, of course. It is my hope that it should continue for many more years to come.

Sincerely,
Arthur Kirkland


ooc://
Uhhhhhh I'm not late
at all
nope :c
I'll not do it again ajaja

I tried to make it longer, but like... uhm.... it sounded retarded :/

[Spain]

If the last communication he had with Arthur had given the Spaniard a peace of mind, the turn of events in the years that came after caused Antonio much distress. Given the recent events that had transpired, the Spaniard was rendered speechless the news had arrived – the initial reaction was to confirm with the network of spies in England that Catalina had indeed been reverted back to Dowager Princess of Wales. Though he was not as familiar with the English titles, but he was certain that it was what she was called when she was married to the former Prince of Wales. Frowning, he found it more troubling that even though it was kept a secret, the quiet whispers in the court talked about the King of England’s secret marriage. A marriage not only to a heretic, but a house wrecker and a shrew, he thought to himself bitterly. Sentiments that he had kept buried inside, a culmination of the fondness he had for the princess when he was young, the sense of betrayal that he felt at the decision caused him to parade back and forth furiously. If this had happened when Fernándo was alive, he was sure that the king would have said something (not that the kingdom was in any situation to do anything about it at the moment).

Then finally turning back to his desk, he sat down and started to write.

November 13, 1531

Querido Arthur,

It has been long since we had last communicated with you and I hope that this letter finds you in good health. It appears that much has happened in recent years. Though I am certain that neither of us have changed in character, our world as it sands appears to continue to experience changes, presenting us with new challenges and rewards. By subduing our traditional rivals, we hope to enter a time of peace that would be uninterrupted by skirmishes and disputes. Sadly, with the recent fall-outs between the Church and those who challenge the Faith, I am concerned that this period may also come to an end.

I know of anyone else that I could discuss this with other than you, however, there have been men, men I regard as enlightened, who have rose up in challenging the authority of the Church. As a servant of the Lord, my king and myself have taken it upon us to champion the causes of the Lord and bring back the lost to the Truth. However, Arthur, I regard you in the highest of regards and am certain that you would continue to guide your king in the wisest of ways when needed. I have been again troubled by the rumors that I have heard about what has befallen dear Catalina. What has your bastard of a king done to her?!

I cannot help but be troubled by the fact that the king would be so easily swayed by the worldly treasures, fixating himself on the carnal desires and so easily turn away from his marital oaths. It is alarming to see that his constant obsession for a male heir and for divorce drive him to secede from the Church. As I am certain that the object of his affections may deserve much merit, but I cannot help but feel distress in the recent development of events. Though I am far from being a sinless man, but I also am concerned about how easily a man can turn away in the face of trials. He sucks for doing such a sucky thing.

I do not expect to find the answer to my questions or to find immediate comfort. As I am certain that it has been a difficult period for you as well. But whatever, just convert back o Catholicism and we'll be all good. However, do know that I am always a willing friend and would be delighted to come to your aid as needed.


Con todo mi afecto,
Antonio de Fernandez y Carriedo

Upon finishing the letter, Antonio read through he entire letter and sighed. Resisting the urge to add a silver-tongued heretic and some other choice words in concerns to the mistress’s virtue, the Spaniard then looked at what he had written and tried to cross out some of parts of the letter. Dismissing the fact that the careless language and subsequent corrections were more distracting than anything, he sealed he letter and tossed it across the desk.