Sheriff Hutton Castle, September 1483,
Marian and Lisbet watched on happily as Edmund rode Galahad around the courtyard of Sheriff Hutton castle where the royal family were to stay while the King dealt with business he had to attend to in York.
The Queen had managed to convince her husband to let her accompany him on his journey and, with them, their two eldest children as she had said 'it will be good for the people to see their soon to be Prince of Wales and eldest Princess, Richard. It is also time that the children become accustomed to being in public' and with that she had managed to win him over.
Marian had left Anne in London, for she trusted no one else to take care of her children in her absence and her friend had eagerly agreed, promising fervently that the children would not come to any harm while the King and Queen were away.
So, the royal party departed London for York and Sheriff Hutton in early September, though it took longer than expected to reach the city for there were many in the villages and towns that the royals stopped to rest in over night that wished to pay homage to their new King and Queen; assure them of their undying love and loyalty.
Once in York, Richard had been swept up by all the duties he had to attend to, often arriving back at Sheriff Hutton tired and wanting nothing more than to go to bed with Marian in his arms which she was more than happy to do.
"Look mama!" Edmund cried with a grin as he nudged the white palfrey into a canter and Marian applauded him.
"Well done, Ed! You are a fine horseman indeed!"
"When can I have a go, Eddie?" Lisbet called out "you know that I do want to ride Galahad too and you have kept him to yourself all morning!"
"Now now, ma chérie" Marian chided gently "have patience, your turn will come...besides, from what your father has told me, you shall not have to compete for Galahad with your brother for long for you are to have your own horse!"
Lisbet looked up at her, now excited as she gasped, her hands clasping together.
"Really? I am to have my very own horse?"
"Yes! You are! You are a Princess now, Lisbet, it is expected that you should have your own steed"
Lisbet sat up straight, fantasising on what her horse would be like, absentmindedly playing with her necklace, rolling the cross around her fingers. Would it be white like Galahad or perhaps a velvety midnight black? Perhaps it would be like her mother's, a fine chestnut or maybe like her father's which was a soft grey?
The young girl decided that any colour would do, as long as the horse was hers, that was all that mattered, and she found herself grinning again as she thought of the prospect, watching Edmund, now galloping, around the well and leant against her mother who immediately put an arm around her shoulders, resting her head upon her daughter's.
"I love you very much, Lisbet" Marian whispered "I hope you know that..."
༒༒༒
Standing on the steps of York Minster, Richard and Marian listened to the petitions that were being presented to them, longing to return to Sheriff Hutton, while Edmund and Lisbet played a game of Jacks with Harry and Lord Stanley in an unused chamber to occupy themselves, although Marian heartily disapproved of the latter being there. She didn't want Thomas Stanley to have anything to do with her children but couldn't seem to make her husband understand that no matter how hard she tried.
"And I win again!" Harry announced, laughing as the two children in front of him rolled their eyes
"I'm sure you must be cheating, Uncle Harry!" Lisbet complained "you have won four times in a row! What do you think, my lord?" She turned to Stanley who arched his eyebrows, surprised that she was speaking to him
"I think that the Duke is simply a lucky man, your grace" he said, attempting a smile though it did little to warm his cold features "and has had many years of practice at this game. Many more years than you, Princess"
"That may be so" Lisbet said turning her attention back to the other man "though I am sure he must have a trick up his sleeve!"
Harry grinned at her in response.
"Nothing more than a quick hand and an eye for precision, Lisbet" he said and eventually she grinned back.
"Oh stop your complaining!" Edmund ordered, looking at his sister "just because you do not always win doesn't mean we all have to hear you whining about it! Now, let's have another round! I intend to beat you this time, Uncle Harry!"
"Haha! We shall see about that, lad"
"Yes, we shall!"
But they didn't get the chance as the sound of hooves on cobble made the group look to the window and Lisbet darted from her seat, climbing up to the window, opening it and poking her head out into the September air.
She shivered a little and pulled her cloak more securely around her but kept looking and eventually her eyes fell upon a band of horses which had stopped outside the minster. The soldiers that were riding the horses dismounted, emblems of the White Boar and Gold eagle upon their cloaks, and knelt before the King and Queen who then nodded in acknowledgement; signalled for them to rise.
"What do you see, Lisbet?" Harry asked
"Soldiers" she replied "there are soldiers, papa's soldiers"
"Well what are they doing here?" Stanley asked, sounding rather impatient and Lisbet turned round to glare at him for a moment but instead caught Harry and Stanley throwing each other worried glances and realised that Lord Thomas had not been speaking to her after all.
Lisbet came away from the window and the two men's gazes immediately shot round to her. "Well?" Stanley repeated, his words now directed at the young girl.
"They gave papa a letter" she said calmly and with that Harry began to smile (though Lisbet thought it was a rather uneasy grin) and he picked the 8 year old up.
"Shall we go and investigate?" He asked and the girl nodded
"Yes! Let's!" She said happily, allowing Harry to carry her from the room, Edmund and Lord Stanley close behind. When they finally reached the Minster front steps, Harry lowered Lisbet to the ground and she ran over to Marian who was watching her husband break the seal on the letter.
"Mama?" She asked quietly and the Queen looked down at her
"Yes, chérie?"
"What is the letter about?" Marian widened her eyes then smiled
"How did you know we received a letter, Lisbet?"
"I saw the soldiers hand it to papa! I saw it from the window!"
The Queen looked from her daughter to Harry who was grinning at her
"Did you orchestrate this by any chance, Harry?"
"No! I'm innocent in this!" Buckingham replied, still grinning "it was your own daughter's inquisitiveness that lead to her discovery"
Marian chuckled and looked back to her daughter who had by now gone to Richard, who was frowning, and was peering up at him.
"What did the letter say papa?" She asked. Richard shook his head
"There has been an attempt to break your cousins free from the tower..." he said; Harry and Stanley stepped forward "the moment we are in the north and miles away...Sir Robert Brackenbury has written to me"
Marian turned to her husband, her expression turning one of deep concern.
"But they were unsuccessful in getting the princes out?"
"They are not Princes anymore" Richard snapped, momentarily glaring at Marian who took a step back, bowing her head as his words stung her "I'm sorry" he then said and she shook her head, taking Lisbet's hand.
"Your grace?" Stanley asked
"Your son, Lord Strange, found out and sent a warning. It came too late but I am grateful to him." Stanley bowed, stepped back to Harry again who now chose to join in the conversation
"You must punish those concerned and show no mercy" he stated, face now solemn and determined, all traces of his usual merry grin gone.
"The boys are safe under lock and key. I shall have them moved further into the tower, restricting their movements to their rooms so that they are more secure"
"Surely you do not mean that?" Marian immediately protested "they are little boys! They shall be feeling imprisoned already and now you intend to restrict where they can go even more?"
"Yes. I do mean it, Marian, I would be grateful if you do not question me on this"
"At least allow them to still shoot on the green! You know how much Edward does love to shoot"
Richard took a step towards his wife.
"I would advise you to stop now. My decision is final so do not push me on the matter"
"But..." Marian began again, trying in earnest to make her husband see reason.
"Do not push me, Marian" Richard repeated "you will not like the consequences" The Queen raised her eyebrows, took another step back.
"Is that a threat, my lord?" She asked and Richard sighed, shook his head and reached for her free hand.
"Of course not" he said, but then his expression hardened somewhat as her hand jerked away from his "I think it best that you return to the castle with the children"
"You're dismissing me?" She gasped, laughing uneasily, she did not believe what he had just said until he nodded and confirmed his words
"Yes I am. Harry will accompany you"
"Richard, really?" Harry asked but quickly retreated when Richard shot him a glance of anger.
"Do as I say, Harry. That is a command"
"But I am the Queen, Richard. The people will expect me by your side" Marian explained
"And I am the King. The people will accept the situation. Now, go back to the castle and wait for my return"
Marian stared at Richard for a little longer, her initial shock quickly giving way to a heated anger. Heavenly Christ above she felt like she wanted to shout the whole Minster down for a second or two. However, she did not want to give onlookers the satisfaction of a scene, something to gossip about and so she bowed her head again and sank down into a deep curtsy, the most submissive looking curtsy that she could muster and when she rose, she kept her eyes lowered to the ground.
"As you wish, my lord" she said slowly and when she glanced up she could see Richard's face had turned a bright shade of red. Whether it was from embarrassment or from anger, Marian couldn't tell, but his expression brought her a brief feeling of grim satisfaction and she smiled triumphantly before lowering her eyes to the stone of the steps again and turning towards her children.
She took their hands and they descended the steps of York mister. As the three met Harry at the horses, Marian saw that he was grinning in amusement at her.
"Nice one, Marian" he whispered as he helped her up onto her horse and Marian laughed loudly, no doubt catching Richard's attention for a second and she saw him stare at her before turning back to the crowd of Lords that wanted to speak to him.
Harry helped Edmund and Lisbet up onto Galahad before mounting his own horse and following Marian through the streets of York; nudging his horse into a brisk trot so that he could stay next to her. Once out of the city, Marian ordered the soldiers that were escorting them to the castle to ride with the children behind herself and Harry so that they may talk and the soldiers immediately fell back.
"I cannot believe Richard would do this!" Marian said, turning her head to Harry who returned her gaze with a sympathetic look"he made me look a complete fool!"
"Personally I think you handled it rather well, Marian" Harry replied "that was the most graceful curtsey I have mayhap ever seen considering the circumstances and the fact that I could clearly see you were seething with rage"
I was! And I think I still am! I have a feeling it shall not be the most pleasant of evenings"
"Then I think I shall occupy myself with a night out enjoying the pleasures of York if that is the case!" Marian chuckled slightly
"That is probably a rather wise idea, Harry. I'm tempted to join you!" Harry looked over at her, raising his eyes brows before grinning.
"I'm not sure that would be advisable, Marian. After all, you do know what I intend to spend my night doing, don't you?"
"Drinking and whoring your way to an early grave?" Marian asked, smirking at the man next to her.
"Precisely! And as the Queen I don't think that that is something you should be doing! You are meant to reign over us for decades to come! Do not let a small quarrel and an enraged mind cut those years short!"
They rounded a corner and at last Sheriff Hutton came into sight and Marian relaxed a little.
"You are right, Harry. Now, let us not speak of this any longer." She grinned a little at her friend
"How about a game of cards once we get back to the castle? I need my mood lighting! Perhaps you can even teach the children how to play?"
"Now that is a brilliant idea! Although I do not think Richard shall approve"
"Richard is not here!" Marian retorted and nodded towards the castle "race you?" She said
"I thought you'd never ask!" Harry replied and his horse surged forward into a gallop.
Marian let out a laugh and was quick to follow him, overtaking him easily and passing under the gatehouse a fair distance ahead. When Harry finally arrived she grinned, strands of dark hair that had escaped her elaborate braid, framing her face.
"I win" she stated
"It seems you have!" He replied merrily and both adults turned as they heard the sound of hooves on cobble again and saw the children canter into the courtyard.
"Finally!" Edmund cried "Uncle Harry has lost at something! Lord, I thought this day would never come!"
"Yes, well done, mama!" Lisbet called as Harry dismounted and lifted her down from behind Edmund.
"Ah, well, don't you worry, Lisbet!" He said as he carried her into the hall "my days of triumph shall soon return and I shall be more victorious than ever before!"
"I don't doubt it, Harry!" Marian said as she entered the great hall with Edmund by her side "but until then, I shall revel in my victory! Now, let us get to that game of cards!"
༒༒༒
"I win, I win!" Lisbet shouted in excitement as she won yet another round and danced happily about the solar, Edmund glaring in annoyance at his little sister. She had won almost every game and he thought it mightily unfair, although restrained himself from saying anything as he remembered that just a few hours prior he had told her off for complaining and was sure she would find a way to turn his words back upon him as she so often did "shall we play again?" Lisbet then asked.
"No" Edmund said quickly, shaking his head and standing from his seat; running to his mother, kissing her on the cheek "goodnight mama" he said and hastily departed the room, his sister chasing after him, laughing loudly.
A few minutes later, the sound of horses entering the courtyard could be heard and the Queen moved to the window, peering down into the darkness of the night, trying to find the figure of her husband which she quickly spotted and sighed, looking back to Harry and sighing.
"I think it best that I retire to my chambers and you escape into the city for I have a feeling this is either about to result in the loudest shouting match ever to grace the earth or it shall be nothing more than a cold silence."
"I think we would all prefer the latter" Harry observed before smiling one last time and leaving the solar.
After he was gone, Marian made her way to her bedchamber and changed into her nightgown, dismissing the servants and sitting before the fire; staring into the flames until she heard the door open and glanced up to see Richard heading towards her. She rose from her seat and, deciding to do the same as earlier, curtsied and bowed her head.
"My Lord" she said coldly before returning to her seat and continuing to pretend to take an interest in the dancing flames. Richard sat down opposite her, dark blue eyes quickly assessing her.
"How was the rest of your day?" She asked nonchalantly, looking up from the fire "are you still intent on incarcerating two innocent little children?" She heard her husband sigh
"I am not incarcerating them, I am protecting them. Protecting them from people who would take them away"
"Ah yes, I'm sure they shall see it like that." Marian shot back
"It does not matter how they see it, my lady, what matters is that they are secure so they cannot be snatched from our grasp"
"Christ, Richard!" Marian cried, shaking her head "they are little boys! 9 and 12 years old!"
"And they are a threat to us! This attempt has proven that the Woodville's still have power, can still command men. The men that tried to break into the Tower may not even be fighting for Elizabeth but for the Princes"
"You said they were not Princes anymore" Marian muttered and Richard let out another irritated sigh.
"They are not! But if men still fight for them then Edward and Richard's mere existence poses a threat to us, to our thrones and to our children!"
"And keeping them to their rooms is going to stop that?"
"It will help!" Richard shouted and now it was Marian's turn to sigh.
"I do not ask that you release them, Richard. I only ask that you do not keep them locked away entirely! It is completely unfair on them! Move them to more secure chambers if you will, post a million guards at their door if you think that shall ease your 'troubled' mind, but let them see the sun! Let them play out on the green and shoot like they love to do so that they may have just one glimpse of happiness or sense of normality!"
Richard stood up angrily from his seat, striding to a window and flinging it open, letting the cool, September night's breeze wash over him.
"My Lord" Marian began again "if it is security that you are worried about then why...why not have Edmund invested Prince of Wales" she caught Richard's attention and he turned to her.
He gave her a nod; a signal to continue which she did and would have done weather he had allowed it or not. "We can do it in York instead of waiting to invest him upon our return to London as we had planned. Think of it! Once our boy is proclaimed officially as the heir to the throne it will weaken the rebel resistance considerably, will prove that the crown of England is securely with you and shall not shift from you at any near point in the future!"
Marian rose from her seat and walked to the window, facing Richard who looked down on her, his expression noticeably softening as he saw the pleading look she held in her dark eyes. "and if we do this then we should invest Ned as Duke of York! That would give us yet another layer of protection from any would-be rebels." She paused for a moment to take a breath, looking out of the open window "think on it, Richard. I beg you to do so. Please do this, do this instead of locking away the two boys, for while they are not Princes anymore they are still our nephews...are innocent of anything...they share your blood, Edward's blood, and if you will not give them an ounce of freedom for their sake...then do it for your brother's. Do it for Edward."
She looked away from the window and back to Richard for a second and saw that he was about to pull her to him, but she didn't let him; moved away out of reach to the side of their bed and climbed under the covers, blowing out the candle that was flickering at her bedside and closing her eyes. Marian heard Richard undress and climb in beside her a few minutes later but he didn't reach out to her as he usually did; simply lay in an uneasy silence.
The King and Queen lay still in their bed for what seemed like an eternity but neither even travelled close to sleep, their minds still racing, hearts pounding and bruised.
Eventually, Marian felt Richard's fingers gently touch hers and allowed him to take her hand in his, stroking her knuckles with his thumb though she did not respond immediately, was content to let her hand lay limp in his grasp for a while.
"I'll do it" he whispered and she opened her eyes, regarding him rather suspiciously.
"Do what?" She enquired
"Invest our sons as Prince of Wales and Duke of York...and also I'll not entirely shut away our nephews. I still intend to move them to safer rooms but, upon reflection, I have come to think that there can be no harm in letting them play on the green. They shall be allowed to go on the green as often as they wish, but must be back in their rooms by the time the sun sets"
"Thank you, Richard" Marian replied, smiling slightly and shuffling a little closer to him, worries easing "you have no idea how much it means to hear you say that"
He managed to slip an arm around her waist, pull her gently up against his bare chest.
"I shall arrange to have Edmund invested at the Minster, then I shall proclaim Ned the Duke of York" Marian nodded and nuzzled into the crook of Richard's neck "I think it best that I also knight Dickon, we cannot have him feeling left out or being teased by his older brothers. I shall bestow an Dukedom on him as well, he shall be the Duke of Aumale or perhaps Hereford I think"
"Thank you" Marian whispered again "I know you may think me a sentimental fool when it comes to my concern for Edward's boys...but I cannot bear to think of things becoming harder for them then they are already...they must be so scared" Richard pulled back a little so that he could see her face, lifted her chin with his free hand so that she was looking into his eyes.
"We both well know that you have a sentimental streak and have for many a year but I do not think you foolish in the slightest, Mari. You are far far from it and do not ever believe otherwise..." he paused, let out a sigh, though it was one full of affection rather than the previous anger and annoyance, before he remembered something and spoke again: "oh, and, Mari?"
She tilted her head a little
"Yes?"
"I beg of you...never curtsy to me again" he said, smiling softly as she laughed and nodded in agreement.
He let his hand drop and Marian settled herself closer to him, her body becoming pressed against his as he secured his arms around her and the King and Queen fell into a dreamless sleep.