ROYAL BLOOD | THE WHITE PRINCESS

8

"How did you--" Lizbeth began to ask, only to be cut off as her mother walked back into the room.

Lizbeth sighed in defeat, turning her attention to Lizzie, who remained calm. "Haven't you realized by now, Lizbeth?" Lizzie asked her sister in a calm tone, "No matter if the Tudors are in power or not, they will always be people around us loyal to your mother. She is the queen in all but name, after all. She has spies all around England. She always will."

"Yet she does not trust either of us," Lizbeth confessed, a disappointed look on her face.

"You are married to Henry Tudor, Lizbeth," Lizzie reminded her in a calm tone, "And I am loyal to you. Of course she would not tell us everything."

Lizzie exchanged a look with Lizbeth, just before walking back into their chambers together.

____

In the courtyard, Henry and Lizbeth walked out together, wearing the king's and queen's robes for their coronation.

The crowd applauded and Margaret sat nearby on her horse, watching the scene occur. She watched on, smiling at Henry, but didn't like the idea of how he was having Lizbeth crowned alongside him.

   Inside the castle, Cecily watched on from the window of the room she shared with her sisters, cousins, and Nora. Teddy stood near her, jumping on the bed.

She watched Henry and Lizbeth being led to their horses, a hint of jealousy in her eyes.
"So, Lizbeth has a king to wed, but what about the rest of us?" She asked the group, sounding annoyed.

"Who's king?" Teddy asked, his eyes lighting up, "Is it me?"

Nora smiled at the boy's question. She walked over to him, picking him up before placing him down on the floor instead of the bed. "No, my love, and you mustn't say such a thing again, do you understand?" She asked kindly as she cupped her face in her hands.

"Yes, Aunt Nora," Teddy sheepishly answered. He smiled widely, nodding his head in understanding.

"It isn't fair that we are not allowed to our own sister's coronation," Cecily continued to complain. She sighed, taking a seat down on the bed, "I'm sick to death of being cooped up here."

"It is to take precautions. Think about it, Cecily. What if they were to cheer for us?" Lizzie questioned, raising a brow at her elder sister, "The Londoners love the House of York. They cannot risk that."

"Our cousins are there. And Aunt Eliza," Cecily argued and Nora's smile immediately faded.

"Well, they have turned their coats to Tudor. Us, on the other hand, have not. Henry will want to make a show of the Yorks he does have on his side," She explained in a stern tone.

Outside in the streets of London, guards rode on their horses as they escorted the king and queen through.

People clapped and as much as the Tudors didn't want to admit it, it was obvious they were mostly cheering for Lizbeth. Even now, they loved her, just like they loved her father.

While Henry rode through the procession with a face of stone, Lizbeth smiled, waving at the numerous peasants who called out for her. She politely waved and she turned her head, noticing how Margaret was glaring at her.

Lizbeth smiled at her daringly, just before she continuing to wave to the small folk.

When they finally reached the palace, Henry and Lizbeth stopped at the beginning of the aisle.

They glanced at each other, locking hands before they began to walk up the aisle together, toward their thrones.

Lizbeth felt uneasy, but she maintained composure.