-𝑂𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙-
It's the year 1466 and King Edward IV is on the throne of England. His wife and Queen ,Elizabeth Woodville, has just given birth to her first daughter ,Lizzie, but not all is w...
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Kneeling by the Queen's bed, Richard gazed at his wife as she lay beneath the covers, pale, unmoving, sound asleep. After giving birth to her son she had slipped out of consciousness and when the attempts to wake her became futile, a physician was called for.
He said that she would live but needed rest and care, both of which Richard said he knew he could provide and said that as soon as Marian was well, they would return to Middleham where it was quieter.
Richard jumped a little as Marian suddenly began to stir. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently. "Marian" he whispered softly "Marian its Richard"
It took a few eternal moments, but at last her eyelids fluttered open to reveal tired dark eyes that quickly came to life as they saw their greatest love. "Richard" she said, slowly, beginning to smile at him "you are still here..." He nodded, smiling back at her "I never left your side...not once" they gazed at each other for a few minutes and then Marian spoke "Where is our son, Richard?"
His expression brightened even more at the very mention of their child and he leapt up from the bed with a proud smile on his face. He quickly made his way over to the cradle that the child was in and slowly lifted his son into his arms, rocking him gently and carrying him back to the bed where Marian was ,little by little, attempting to sit up on the pillows and beaming at the sight of the baby in her husband's arms.
Richard handed the bundle of white blanket and baby to his wife and then clambered onto the other side of the bed, settling himself next to Marian and their son; pulling them both close to him. Marian rested her head against his chest "He is perfect" she said as the babe opened his eyes "he has your eyes, Richard! Blue like a stormy sea..."
She beamed again and Richard kissed the top of her head, smiled at her excitement "I love you" he whispered "And I love you" Marian replied "and now, we have a son...our son, Richard!" She giggled as the baby yawned, clenching and unclenching his little fists. Marian looked up at her husband who was evidently in a state of uninterrupted joy "what do you think we should name him?"
"I think...Edmund" he said after a moment of thought "if that is agreeable to you, love?" The Duchess nodded eagerly in response "Edmund is a fine name! Yes...yes I do like it very much!" She paused, hesitated for a second before continuing "I-is it after your brother?" Richard nodded and Marian knew it was not wise for her to ask any further than that.
Edmund had been Richard's elder brother, the second of what was then the four sons of York. But when Richard was 8 Edmund had been murdered after the battle of Wakefield when he was just 17, a battle in which Richard had also lost his father and Marian knew that even though he was so very young when it happened, it still caused him pain to think on it.
