Months I spent in confinement as my baby grew from within me, only Lizzie, Maggie and sadly Cecily were the only family permitted to visit me or attend me. My belly swelled as I was slowly become ready to bring my child into the world.
-Dream-
I walked down the halls of my home, with a sense of freedom and mischief. The White Rose hung proudly, greeting me like a warm embrace. I found myself nearing the courtyard hearing sounds of a fight. When I drew closer I saw my father.
"Papa!" I beamed. He stopped and turned to me, he was so young, the years of pain, illness and many girls not etched onto his face.
"My Hope." I ran over and jumped into and embrace. He had dropped his sword to accommodate my immediate need to hold him.
"I have missed you Papa." I mumbled into his shoulder. He let me down as we separated a little, enough so that he could hold my face in his hands.
"As I have missed you, my precious Hope." he kissed my head. Papa lead me over to the steps of our home and sit down
"How can you be here? You have been gone for so long, so much has happened since I lost you." I took his hands and squeezed them tightly
"I know, you have wed and are now with child. My Grandchild. Your destiny is falling into place." he smiled softly tucking a stray piece of my hair back.
"But what about Richard? He is the only one of my brothers to survive, shouldn't I be helping him? Return him to the throne instead of Henry Tudor." I question, Papa sighed and kissed my hands
"No, my sweet. You know as well as I that I have nothing but love for my boys but I now know this was not their path, but yours. You and your union have and will continue to unite the houses, your child will be the mixture of both red and white. But that is not to say it will be easy." he told me
"What do you mean?"
"The people crave peace. The need it, but have never really had it. When I reigned there was always the threat of it returning to a Lancastrian which it did but when Henry married you, the choice between one or the other was almost crushed. Almost. Some will not accept that the houses are united, some cannot and it is them you have to be wary of my sweet. Now that you are married, that you have a child that is nearly here and that you soon will be crowned, you will have to protect it. Protect it with everything you have, and everything I taught you, Hope.
They will try to take it from you, but you must never let them. Not for one second. You need to let him in, Hope."
"Who?"
"Henry Tudor. I may be dead but that doesn't mean I am gone. I see the way he looks at you, right from the very first moment he laid his eyes on you." he grinned "He is yours, and once he knows that you are his in every way possible you will be more important than ever. No one will ever surpass in his love for you. Not even that retched mother of his." I laughed but then I stopped feeling this intense pain.
"Ah! Wh...what is happening!" I yelled clutching onto him
"It is time my Hope. Wake Up!"
-End-
----------0-
"Lizzie!" I screamed rolling out of bed and gripping onto the post. The door swung open and my sister can running through.
"Hope, Hope what's happening? Is it the baby?" I nodded suffering through the pain. She helped me stand and walk around as the Ladies, Maggie and Cecily arrived. I was in pain for hours
"Something, something is different."
"I will tell, the Kings mother." Cecily stated
"You bring that woman anywhere near me I will kill you, Cecily." I growled at her but she ignored my threats and left anyway. The midwife arrived and was trying to guide me through it. The pain passed once more and i panted heavily while laying half on the bed
"I don't want him to come out, Lizzie. The curse will kill him, it will kill my boy." I sobbed
"What curse?" Maggie questioned
"I need our mother, she helped us cast it, she can help us undo it. I cannot loose him." I breathed. The door opened I saw Lady Margaret.
"Quickly ale, to dull the pain."
"Oh God not you, I truly am In hell if your here." I groaned as I felt aware of pain "Get me my mother!" I screeched. When the pain dulled slightly Maggie let me have some of the ale. And I was told to push, I did but nothing happened
"I am scared." I whimpered
"Push harder, Hope!" Cecily told me
"I need my mother, please get me my mother. Lizzie tell them to open the shutters. I need air and daylight." I gripped onto her tightly
"Do as she says." Lizzie ordered but there was not fresh air or light.
"Just do what Lady Margret says." Cecily urged as I screamed again.
"Oh shut up, Cecily. You traitor!" I groaned as Lizzie dabbed my head with cold water which made me feel a little better.
---------
My child still had not been born and I had lost count of how long I had been in this cycle of trying to bring him out and end the short more intense pains. I now lie across the bed, I just wanted to give up.
"They say the need to toss her in a blanket to loosen the baby." I heard Cecily
"No!" Lad Margaret denied "You will not do that."
"But she isn't pushing hard enough." Cecily replied
"Hope, listen to me." my mother in law insisted
"Fuck you." I mumbled weakly.
"At least she still has her sharp tongue." Lizzie chuckled stroking my hair, then helping me sit up.
"You must push this baby out or you will be made to suffer as I was." she took a hold of my hands
"Ugh, seeing your face makes me suffer, not my baby." I grumbled standing up
"Your insults do not help you now."
"The days she stops insulting you, Lady Margaret, is the day we should all be worried." Lizzie retorted I held onto the frame of the bed
"I can't." I whimpered
"When I gave birth to Henry, I was just a girl. I thought i would die from the pain. But I knew it was my destiny and my child, if he would live would be King of England because God wished it." she ranted
"My boy will die, you killed my boy." I panted
"Do not say that, the child will live do you hear me?!" I was sat down in a birthing chair
"Lizzie, Lizzie." I grasped onto her "Tell me the story that mother told us. About when we were born." she knelt down to me
"She was helping Lady Grandmother with matches for our Aunts. Wasn't she." Lizzie spoke "She wasn't expecting the two of us, you arrived first and I was not far behind. Father pushed his way into the room just as I arrived. But he held you in his arms first and insisted that you were named Hope. From that moment you were his favourite. Much to everyone's dismay." She laughed
"Yes."
"Now push, Hope. Push!" she encouraged and I did, I screamed as I drew on every bit of strength I could.
"He's coming, Hope. Keep going, you can do it!" I pushed even harder till my head hurt "He's here. You did it." I heard little screams and I threw my head back.
"Praise god. Give him to me." Margaret ordered
"No! No! Lizzie, give him to lizzie. Not her, Lizzie." I insisted "Lizzie take him." she did as I asked and I lifted my head to look at my mother in law.
"Over my dead body will you sink your claws into my child."
YOU ARE READING
York's Hope.
FanfictionEveryone seemed to know my destiny before I did. I am their Hope, I am His Hope. Hope is what I was names and Hope is what I shall bring. To my father, to my family, to my King.
