She flattens her skirts several times as her hair is being done by one of her ladies in waiting.
"What am I doing here?" she mumbles to herself. "I am completely unprepared, I haven't been able to think of one thing to say to these troops." She begins to wring her hands and looks at herself in the mirror. She observes herself carefully, starting at her red hair and working her way slowly down to her feet. She sees what she knows all the troops will see- the body of a woman.
"What am I going to do?" She sighs and buries her head in her hands. The lady in waiting doing her hair pauses momentarily.
"Your majesty, if it isn't too bold to say, you may have the body of a woman, but you have a heart and mind that matches the best of men."
"It's so uncanny that my maids seem to be able to read my thoughts." Elizabeth thought to herself. She looked back in the mirror. "What would my father have done?" This was a question that helped Elizabeth when she was strongly feeling the restrictions her femininity created for her. She wondered what her father would have done in different situations
, and then puts her own spin on it.
"Just be honest your majesty. People value honesty." Elizabeth had to laugh at that. Her maid had obviously never been with her to face the Lords. They spit out more lies than one could ever have thought possible to conceive. Despite this, Elizabeth knew her maid was right. Honesty was her friend. It had gotten her this far, admitting that she realized how being a woman was such a hindrance for her.
***
As she sat there on her horse before the troops, she could feel herself shaking. She tried to sit up as straight and as tall as she could, and she prayed to any god that would listen that she did not look weak.
"Honesty." She whispered to herself reassuringly. She took a deep breath and began, "My loving people, I have been persuaded by some that are careful of my safety, to take heed how I committed myself to armed multitudes..."
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