Part I: Chapter Twenty-three - The Treaty

1.6K 44 2
                                    

"Richard." Anne cried as her husband dismounted his horse. She ran towards him and he towards her. They fell into each other's arms like they had been apart for years. Anne did not care that the smell of the sea lingered around him, or how his hair was messy from his helmet. She had her beloved Richard in her arms, and that was all she wished for.

"Anne." He smiled before they kissed. Too long had they been apart. "Oh, Anne, I should never go away again. I missed you dearly, I could barely sleep at night." He could not stop his smiling, he was with Anne nothing could make him wipe the grin from his face.

"Me neither." Anne giggled like a little girl. "I have been with your brothers daughters. Princess Elizabeth never stops speaking does she?"

"No, she does not. But she is just excitable, it is only her age. You were once like that," Richard told Anne as he took her arm. A stable boy took his horses reins from him allowing the pair to walk on towards the castle. "She shall be happy this night no matter."

"Why would that be?" Anne asked. "It is not her birthday or any such celebration."

"Her father has returned from a war without any battle and is about to announce her betrothal to the Dauphin of France, Charles. They shall be married when they come of age." Richard smiled. "She wants to be queen of somewhere, she shall be queen of France when King Louis dies." He looked back at his fine bay stallion as it was un-tacked by the stable. "And Anjou is to return to France, 50,000 crowns Louis has paid for her to be freed from the tower. Perhaps he was the mystery father of that monstrous son of hers." At Richards words anger rose in Anne, Edward of Lancaster had been dead only four years and his legacy was already that he was a monster.

She was not unaware of the myths that surrounded her first husband, but he did little more than was expected of him. Those two men when he was seven, what was the punishment for treason? Beheading. And what were they guilty of? Treason for supporting York. No doubt his mother had pushed him, told him that they were the villains of the day of course a child would do such a thing out of cruelty. Edward of Lancaster was not saint, he was a soldier but a monster, that was too much of an exaggeration for Anne's liking.

She prepared herself for an argument, her side prepared, but she could not argue with Richard. He always won. Whether is was his advantage in age, size or knowledge he always won.

"Well Anjou shall be another burden taken from our hands." Anne calmed herself and spoke like he was unaffected by her husbands words.  "And your brothers, how do they fare?" Anne wanted to take the talk from that of the death of her first husband. Her thoughts from his death. His death haunted her, he died because she was promised to him and with her he would get his throne, he was not even a man. Just a boy.

"Well Edward is 75,000 crowns richer and most his loyal lords have becoming exceedingly more rich than before, and George is without the regency of France. He is not so happy." Richard grinned. "Especially at the fact we cannot war with them for seven years, he wants war and Edward can no longer give him it. He is rather angry to say the least."

"I suppose he shall have to deal with his misfortune." Anne sighed. George deserved every misfortune god could give to him. He was a horrid little man, scheming and rotten down to his soul. Yet he saw himself as King and had the charm with which to fool people into support.

Yet Anne was sure he would quickly fall from throne, and it would not be with grace. It would be with blood and loss.

"Yes, but hasn't he had a lot of it these past years." Richard said as they entered the castle. "Then again he should not have turned against our brother."

***

"Lady Anne." Princess Elizabeth shouted to Anne as she and Richard entered the hall that evening. She smiled up at them with her blue eyes glistening. "I am to be married, just like you and uncle Richard."

The Forgotten Rose {COMPLETED}Where stories live. Discover now