𝑂𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙....
In a world of bloody war and misgivings that lead to treason, there is only one thing Catherine Percy can be sure of and that is danger.
Her life had not always been thus, f...
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~Accords~
The shadows of the fire danced on the skirt of her nightgown, weaving delicate patterns of smoke and embers across the white linen.
Deep in thought, Catherine swayed slowly from side to side, oblivious to the world around her as she had been for the majority that evening. She'd played with Henry, visited Margery and baby John but as soon as she retreated to her chambers, her smiles vanished, replaced with the small frown she held on her lips.
Richard hadn't joined her for dinner and she hadn't sought him out since she'd left his study that afternoon. His prized stallion missing from the stables told her he'd ridden out into their lands but she'd not been able to see him when she peered out from the bailey ramparts and so simply retreated back to their rooms. It was a strange thing, to not have him by her side.
Their relationship was not one of turbulence and disagreements like some were. Most of the time they shared one thought, one mind and to not do so felt strange. It was unnatural, conjuring a sense of unease at the pit of her stomach that refused to slacken no matter how long she stared into the flames a servant had stoked for her. But her husband was not the only man that filled her mind, Prince Edward did too.
Until that day, his memory had been like a ghost to her mind, a shadowy figure that flitted in and out, catching her attention when the world was quiet. Now the apparition materialised before her very eyes, the figure of a man and not the boy she'd once known flickering amongst the flames.
Did the Prince still remember her with fondness as she remembered him? Or had her memory been soured by many years of separation and her marriage to a York Prince; the birth of her Henry?
She was not sure she would blame him if it had.
"I hate when there is discord between us"
His quiet voice startled her and Catherine jumped slightly as she felt Richard's hands slide slowly around her waist, waiting to see if she would pull away. She did not. Instead, she leant back against him, relishing the familiar warmth of his body pressing through his thin shirt "I'm sorry, ma belle" He murmured after a moment "I didn't know you were so fond of him....I shouldn't have spoken as I did"
Him, of course, meant Prince Edward and Catherine felt a small sigh leave her lips. She'd never told him that she'd known the Prince, he'd never been a topic of conversation to naturally spring up between them and she'd never exactly wanted to tell him. Perhaps it was time that she did? At least then he would understand why she'd reacted so that afternoon.
"I knew him as a boy" She admitted after a moment "He was dear to me and I believe....I was dear to him for a time at least. When I was first married to Georgie, he sought me out, climbed over the garden wall of all things, and....he offered to marry me"
