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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~Two birds, One Stone~
June 1483....
In the council chamber they all waited: Catherine, George, Francis, Rob Brackenbury, Hal and a new man amongst their ranks: the Duke of Buckingham. Catherine knew him as the husband of the youngest Woodville and with his sandy blonde hair and blue eyes she could almost count him has one! What help to her or her husband he could be she didn't know but he was sat at the table all the same.
"Where is his grace?" He asked at length and Hal snorted, earning a stern look from his sister. "I would have thought you knew since you declared as soon as you walked through those doors that you were here by his invitation and yet we have rarely laid eyes on you, your grace"
"Brother" Catherine tutted "If his grace is here by the Lord Protector's invitation then we are not to question it, are we?" Hal simply grinned and gave a small nod in her direction "My husband shall be along shortly" No sooner had she spoken the words than the chamber doors were thrust open by guards in black liveries and Richard entered, prompting all present to rise to their feet.
"Please, sit" He grumbled, waving dismissively as he took his place at the head of the table, watching the others take their places once more "We have much to discuss as I'm sure you know, concerning the future of our country and our King who is now safely installed in the Tower"
"And a child" Hal finished "We must handle our next steps with care, brother" Catherine looked up at the endearment, eyes connecting with his across the table as she tried to fathom weather it was real or not. It was certainly possible, it had been used before and Hal was here was he not? Even if he was not the fondest of Richard, he would at least support her and her children so, in turn, him too.
"Hal is right" She vouched "So what are we to do? One York brother is in the Tower, the other in the crypt of Westminster Abbey. What do we do?" "Are you suggesting we fetch him?" Francis asked "We cannot break sanctuary" "And I'm not insinuating we do!"
"But we must fetch him" The eyes of the table turned to Buckingham as he spoke, including Richard's, curious as to what this unfamiliar man may say, may plan "And we must make it a situation the Dowager Queen cannot refuse" He continued once he recognised their attention was firmly in his grasp "Not unless she wishes to start another war which the people will not thank her for"
"No" Catherine agreed with a nod "The people have had enough of war but our peace is on a knife's edge"
"So we must remove it from that edge by securing ourselves" He concluded "And to do that we must have the other Prince in our custody" "It would most likely be safer for him" Brackenbury suggested "His Mother is a clever woman, I would not put it past her to use him in a plot"
