Middleham Castle, Yorkshire
Bess followed the sound of voices to her father's sitting room, with him giving orders. "Prepare horses, my clothes."
"Yes, my lord."
He gave her a small smile when he saw her at the door. "Weapons. We ride to London."
She heard footsteps behind her and saw her mother approaching the room. "Bess, go to your room," the girl nodded, but she hid behind the door so she could overhear her parents.
"Richard, what's the matter? Are we at war?"
"The King is gravely ill."
Bess gasped. If Uncle Edward was dying, that would mean Edmund was about to be king.
"But Edmund..." her mother started, only to be cut off by her father.
"Edmund is a man grown, married and with a daughter already."
"Edmund is a boy," her mother contradicted. "He is only nineteen."
"He is of age. Charlotte had him send a missive requesting our presence at court. Pack what is indispensable for you and Bess. We ride in an hours' time."
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Margaret Beaufort and Lord Stanley were walking down the hallway as Edmund returned to the king's chambers. They spoke of the matter at hand and Margaret couldn't help but feel relieved.
"This is your divine act!" Lord Stanley snapped at Margaret in a hushed tone.
"I'm sure the Rivers whore will fish out some potion to restore his..." Margaret suddenly trailed off as they stopped in front of Edward's chambers.
Their eyes widened when they saw Elizabeth inside. Though it was Charlotte's older children who were inside, it did not change the fact that it was she and not Charlotte who was at the dying king's bedside.
Inside the room, Lily tried her hardest not to cry as she sat at her father's bedside, holding his hand. William stood nearby with Caitlin, who was crying.
Charlotte stood at the foot of Edward's bed, her face pressed against Edmund's chest as she cried, his broader frame obscuring her from view.
Just then, Cecily walked in, using her cane to assist herself in climbing up the small step to Edward's bed to stand beside Charlotte and her oldest grandson.
Edmund grabbed Cecily's arm, helping her remain standing as they stared down at Edward. She began to cry, her heart breaking at the thought of losing another one of her sons. First, she had lost four of them young, only for Edmund to be taken away as he was becoming a man. Then George, her precious George had died and now Edward. She'd had eight sons and she would be left with only one of them.
Outside the room, Lord Stanley leaned closer to Margaret. "If the king should die..."
"I'll send a missive to Brittany," Lord Stanley informed Margaret, who felt uneasy. "With Edmund on the throne, it might not be the best time for Henry to come back. He'll have to give his approval since it will no longer be Edward's reign."
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In his chambers, Edward continued to lay in bed, coughing violently as the fever became worse.
Charlotte was now sitting at his bedside again, tending to him. "It is the fate of kings, that we never get to see what kind of ruler our sons will be. I will never get to know what kind of king my wonderful son will become," Edward explained, smiling sadly as he turned to look at Edmund, who stood beside Richard.
"I beg you, Charlotte, Richard...be as one now. Care for Prince Edmund. Keep him safe. I trust my wife and my brother Richard to shape him into a great king but they will still need help...to put my son on his rightful throne," he coughed, turning to look toward Richard. "I ask of you, my brother, to support Queen Charlotte as my son's regent for the next two years. He is of age, but he will need the support of his mother and uncle as he learns how to rule a country." He paused once more, looking back at Charlotte. "Do you accept this, mon coeur?"
Charlotte remained silent, trying to hold back her tears as she nodded her head in response.
"Now leave us," Edward ordered the other subjects in the room. "I want to say goodbye to my wife."
Edward exchanged a look with Richard and Edmund, gesturing for them to convince the others to obey.
"Look upon your king one last time and remember him in your prayers," Edmund spoke up.
Once they were gone, Edward turned to Charlotte again. "Come here."
She grabbed ahold of his hand, holding it in her own as she looked down at him. She kissed his forehead before she laid down next to him.
"Please make sure our children are well cared for. Rickon is so young, I fear he will not remember me. I fear the same for Bella. Make sure to tell them and Arthur and Nora how much I loved them, for they may not remember me as well as their older siblings do. Promise me you'll do everything possible to secure Edmund's throne."
Charlotte nodded, tears falling down her cheeks. "I promise."
"Don't retire from court life until he and William both have sons to secure the York line," Edward continued, coughing as he did so.
"Please, Edward," Charlotte pleaded, not wanting to think about the future when the love of her life was dying in front of her. "Don't leave me. Not like this. I beg you."
"Please..." Edward trailed off, tears in his own eyes. "Mon coeur, promise me."
"I will," Charlotte managed to get out as she nodded her head, "I promise."
"You made me realize there was more to life than being King of England. I thank you for that, for being at my side through it all. You've brought me such happiness. You've given me seven wonderful children as well, and a beautiful stepdaughter. They are all children who will prosper in life with their strong and determined mother at their side," Edward explained and Charlotte continued to try her hardest to hold back her sobs.
"What will I do without you?" Charlotte asked in a soft tone as she stared down at him.
Edward weakly lifted his hand, placing it on the side of her face. She leaned forward, her forehead pressing against his. "Live for the both of us, mon coeur," he whispered softly. "Live for us both Charlotte. Try to be happy without me. Find someone who can give you a love you can get lost in. You deserve it. Find someone who can give you a love that consumes you. Find someone who can give you passion and adventure and even a little danger."
"I won't," Charlotte argued, tears finally beginning to spill down her alabaster skin as she placed her head on his chest, feeling his feeble breathing. "I can't live without you. You are more than my husband, more than the man I love. I can't...I can't go forward without you by my side. You're the love of my life, my home, the reason why my heart beats every day."
"As you are mine. You always have been. That is why I need you to keep going forward. My heart would break if I knew you would not, if you would simply wallow in your grief," he pressed a kiss to her hair. "Thank you for being at my side through it all. I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for always coming back to me. I love you more than anything, mon coeur, don't you forget that."
"Thank you," she whispered softly. "Thank you for getting me out of my grief over Edmund, for showing me that I could be happy without betraying his memory. Thank you for the past twenty three years of my life. Thank you for giving me seven beautiful children and for caring for Caitlin as if she were your own."
"I love you, mon coeur. I've loved you for years and I still love you now," Edward coughed. "And if there's a life after death, I'll still love you then."
"I'm not ready," she sobbed. "I'm not ready for a life without you."
"You are," Edward murmured. "You are. You've always been the stronger one out of us both. You can survive anything."
"I survived everything we went through, because we went through it. Together. Without you, Edward...I don't know if I can go on."
"We will meet again," he vowed weakly. "If I have to wait fifty years in purgatory, I will do so. I will wait for you, but you can't join me until you've lived your life."
"I'll see Edmund safe on the throne," she promised. "I'll make sure the Yorks are safe and perhaps once I have enough grandchildren I might try to find someone who makes me happy, but you were it for me, mon cheri. I may love again, but I will never be in love. I could never feel for someone else what I feel for you. No one else will make my heart skip by just smiling or know just what to say to make me flush as if I were a teenager again. You are the love of my life and no one will ever take your place in my heart," Charlotte frowned when she didn't get an answer, only to find that she no longer felt his heart beating beneath her head. "Edward?" She lifted her head, immediately seeing that his eyes were now closed and he was no longer moving.
"Edward, please," Charlotte cried out hysterically. "Please, no. No. I need more time. We need more time. We earned the right to have more time together. Edward, please..." she trailed off, cupping his lifeless face in her hands, "I can't lose you. I need you. Please don't leave me alone. Please," she pleaded, her voice cracking. "Not like this, Edward, no..."
Charlotte began to sob even louder as she stared down at his lifeless body, beginning to come to terms with the fact that he was gone, the man she loved more than anything in the world was now taken from her.
Shakily, she took his rings from his fingers and made her way to the door.
Charlotte uneasily walked out of the room, her face streaked with tears and her eyes red. She met Edmund's eyes across the room and walked towards her eldest son, dropping into a curtsy in front of him, taking his hands into hers.
"Mon fils. Mon roi. My son. My king."
A sob escaped her mouth as she finished uttering those four words in English. She'd done her duty. Edward was gone, but she was reminding England the Yorks were not. One king had breathed for the last time, but another's reign was just starting.