The year was 1535... I found myself outside King Henry VIII's dwellings, Greenwich Palace. It was Winter Solstice. The magic was thick in the air and it had drawn me there. The snowflakes floated gently around me and I gazed up at the star-filled sky. Sounds of the courtiers echoed faintly on the other side of the elaborate engraved doors of the finest wood. As I felt my awareness shift, the door slowly opened on its own and I floated through the threshold. Time seemed to stop and yet meld together as I felt my mind and my body taken over by a force I couldn't control. I felt invisible eyes peering at me and the sense of being watched. I saw a door glowing in front of me, marked with an elaborate cross and the King's Crest of the Lion. As I stood with my head bowed, auburn tresses flowing around my face, I heard a cultured, melodious voice entice me to enter.
"You are welcome here. Do not be afraid."
A young dark-haired beautiful woman with caramel skin and amber eyes sat on the magnificently jeweled and mosaic tiled floor. Enclosing her was a giant symbol of a pentacle, encrusted with diamonds and rubies and inscribed with ancient symbols. Her silken and beaded sparkling gown was in shades of blue and violet with fresh-water pearls sewed into the hems. She was wearing a jeweled tiara with sparkling sapphires and aquamarines and the shape of the crescent moon. Her glowing amber eyes locked into mine as she raised her slim, elegant arms to the sky. As I looked up, the moon shone directly through a skylight in the cathedral ceiling. The stars seemed to almost penetrate the glass as she continued to chant and call upon the Goddess.
"I am Queen Ann," she said simply. "Come sit with me by the fire"
The flames seem to envelope us as she stepped outside the enchanted circle, offering me her bejeweled hand. I was intrigued by her beauty, while not traditional, radiated with intelligence and wit. She reached for the decanter of spiced red wine and offered me a goblet with the same pentacle upon it. I drank deeply of the intoxicating blend, almost as fascinating as she was.