ROYAL BLOOD | THE WHITE PRINCESS

36

Just then, an arrow glided through the air and found its way embedded in the bushes no more than a few feet away from George.

George turned his head, frowning when he realized that Henry wasn't intending to hit any animal.

Just then, Margaret shot a crossbow bolt, which glided past George to his right, the opposite direction that Henry's had gone in.

Lizbeth turned her head, watching Henry with a concerned look on her face.

"They say that you came here of your own free will," Maggie told Cathy in a hushed tone, trying to hide her uneasiness, "You should leave here if you can. Henry would be rid of him. He is looking for a reason and if he cannot find one, he will lock him up in any case, as he did my brother."

Not realizing that Lizbeth's eyes were on them, Cathy leaned toward Maggie, beginning to speak to her in a whisper. "I know you know he's George. And if you want your brother free, you should back his claim."

"Maggie, come here beside me," Lizbeth suddenly called out, causing Maggie and Cathy to turn to her with wide eyes.

Maggie turned, exchanging a look with Cathy before she rode forward until she was sitting beside Lizbeth's horse.

  A calm expression on his face, George turned to face Henry as he picked up the arrow he had just shot.

He frowned, however, as he watched Henry turn on his horse and make his way over to the Cathy the moment Maggie arrived next to Lizbeth.

Lizbeth frowned as well, feeling concerned when she saw her husband leave her to go to Cathy.

"Do you like to hunt?" Henry asked, averting all of his attention to Cathy instead of George for once.

Seeing that George's eyes were on him and Cathy, Henry was quick to speak up. "Go deeper in the bushes," He insisted, turning his attention back to Cathy

A few feet in front of them, Maggie began to ride forward and before following after her, Lizbeth watched Henry closely as he continued to converse with Cathy.

"You will dine with me tonight," He insisted, causing Cathy to frown at him.

"I have no appetite, Your Grace," Cathy replied, trying to decline Henry in the most polite way possible. She knew what he was doing and she refused to fall for it.

"You are without a husband. I will make sure you're taken care of," Henry responded, a smile on his face.

Not being able to take it anymore, Lizbeth balled her hands into tight fists and turned her attention back toward George before she exploded with anger.

She took a deep breath, beginning to ride forward. "Even as we were born technical bastards, our father always made sure we had an education equal to a royal child," She spoke up in a calm tone, "With such a royal education, you would know the patron saint of hunting."

George remained silent, purposely taking his time to act as though he didn't know the answer. He continued to have his back facing his sister, turning his head slightly to talk to her. "Saint Hubert, who saw the Cross between the antlers of a stag," He informed her in a calm, "But it wasn't any education who taught us that. It was our uncle Richard who taught us about him. He had been the one to take us all on our first hunt."

Just then, Henry released an arrow, one that ended up flying right past George, deep into the woods.

Lizbeth gasped, turning to Henry with a furious look on her face.

Finally, George turned to face Lizbeth, who locked eyes on him. "You know I am your brother. You knew it since the moment your husband and his mother paraded me through the streets of London. I saw it in your eyes. You just don't want to admit it out loud," he explained, only to back up when Henry shot another arrow, of which found itself embedded in a nearby tree.