The Rose of Lancaster | The White Queen

And as the years go by

Summer 1469, three years later, Marian is 15...

Three years past and Marian became more and more a custom to the Yorkist court. She began to make friends and grew close with the Queen and her family. Marian had been with Elizabeth for the births of her next two daughters Mary and Cecily; even got to hold one of the babies when they were born. She would often speak to Elizabeth or Jaquetta when she felt at all lonely and found that she felt she could trust them. Her opinion on King Edward even improved after a while! She found him to be a merry young man who wanted nothing more than peace (quite the opposite to her mother) and began to like him. Especially after he taught her how to throw knives one day when he'd been a little bit drunk.

Marian wouldn't say that she was a Yorkist. No, her Lancastrian roots still stopped her from going that far however, the 15 year old could say that she no longer despised the York's. As time passed she thought less and less of her own family (which she often felt guilty for) and even less of escape but the more time she spent at Westminster with the Plantagenets, the more at home she felt. During the first few months after her first attempted escape she had tried again multiple times, even making it fully out of the palace grounds once or twice but somehow Richard always caught her and brought her back.

Marian and Richard formed a close bond over the three years she was a court. They were often in each other's company, either comparing books or riding together. Marian felt quite content with her situation.

༒༒༒

The King was on his annual progress of his country and the Queen (along with her daughters and Marian) were travelling to meet him. Marian adored the 3 little princesses. She had virtually forgotten all about the idea of them being her 'replacement' and thought of them as little sisters of her own.
They had to stop multiple times on the journey there as the little Princesses repeatedly needed to relieve themselves.

"We shall never get there if we have to stop every three minutes girls" The Queen called when the party had stopped for the 6th time. Holding out her hand, she let Lizzie grab onto it, helping her out of the bushes while she held Mary in one arm. Marian followed closely behind, carrying Cecily on her hip.
"Where's father?" Lizzie asked
"I told you, he's travelling his kingdom!" Elizabeth replied
"We are riding to join him" Marian added, smiling at the little girl
Just as they were all about to clamber back into the carriage, three men on horseback approached them.

"Elizabeth" the one of them called. It was Baron rivers and his sons Anthony and John.
"Father! What are you doing here?" The Queen asked, approaching them.
"We are to ride with you, there is a rebellion. A Robin of Revesdale." He announced seriously

"That's a fanciful name for some petty rebel, father" Elizabeth said, almost laughing "Edward will stamp it all out in a heartbeat"
"Someone is paying the men, Elizabeth" John spoke. "They have strong new boots and this is Warwick's country"
"Warwick? What threat is Warwick to us now? Edward pushed him aside over his secret deal with France three years ago!"
"This is no joke, Elizabeth!"
"It is certain" now it was Anthony's turn to speak "there are thousands of men at arms marching under Warwick's orders, he's king making again..."