~Return to Court~
Three years later, June 1469, Leeds Castle....
The countess felt herself smile as she walked down the torchlit hallways of Leeds castle to where her own chambers waited, reading the letter from her sister which lay in her hands.
At 16, Eleanor now considered herself to be an independent adult and had stove to prove herself such. For instance, during Christmas of 1467, after she had turned 15, she had proclaimed to her kin and to the court that she was to reside at Leeds castle and once she had departed the January of 1468 she had not returned since.
For she had not wanted to.
At first she had felt rather homesick and considered returning to the court for she missed her sisters dearly, her brothers and parents too! She missed Edward's company, George's too; missed how they would both strive to make her laugh whenever her expression appeared to display even the slightest discontentment!
But as time moved on and the months finally turned into a year, Eleanor found that she relished each moment that she spent at Leeds castle. Here she was the Queen, she was the one who gave orders instead of taking them, she had a responsibility to the people that lived on her lands and a household of her own to run!
Here, in the county of Kent, she had a purpose, a chance to make a true change in the lives of others for the better and she swore to herself that she would prove a more than worthy candidate for the task!
And so she did.
She attended dinners with the local Lords to discuss how to improve the workings of the land and educated her mind with extensive reading upon the subjects which she needed to know. Sometimes her maids would find her asleep in the library during the early hours of the morning, her head atop an opened book which discussed the laws of the land or farm work.
Personally, they did not think a lady needed to know such things but they dared not to comment for not only had Eleanor had developed an extremely strong will (not that one wasn't already in her possession) and a rather quick temper at times, they loved her with all their hearts.
In fact she had won the hearts of all her servants and her people within months of her arrival! She was generous and caring, seeking to sooth their troubles and be a fair a mistress as any could ever boast!
Unlike other great Lords and Ladies, Eleanor would listen to their worries and troubles, would never dismiss any discontent that came into her hearing and by doing so she had earned not only the undying respect of those who knew her but also their loyalty and love which she treasured.
And it was because of this the Countess had not once travelled to court since she had left, even though her sister and the King frequently requested her presence in London. However, she did write to them often; as she did the rest of her family and friends.
When she was not working to improve the lives of her people, she often took pleasure in hunting, making full use of the extensive woodland which was in her possession. More often than not she would return home victorious, having shot a stag or some other prized possession such as a boar and out of her happiness and generosity, she would invite the people of her lands into her home and have them share in her conquest of the day.
And her kindness never went unrewarded. Every so often the servants of the castle would band together to give their Countess little gifts such as ribbons or thread (which they knew she loved having woven into the intricate braids and buns she adored) but for the Christmas of 1468, the had simply outdone themselves in Eleanor's eyes.
One of her maids (Annette) had noticed that her mistress wished for a dog. Not the ones that she kept for hunting in the kennels such as the many Alaunts or Greyhounds but a dog that would sit at her feet and trot by her side weather in the castle or out in the gardens! And so she and the others came together to think of ways that they could make their Countess' wish a reality and eventually found a solution!
On Christmas Day, after the grand feast Eleanor had arranged, the servants stepped forward and presented her with a small Talbot Hound with a coat the purest white and hanging ears that perked up at the sound of Eleanor's instant adoration.
The 16 year old had taken the small puppy into her arms immediately and been almost moved to tears as the little pup stared up at her with large brown eyes.
She had named the Talbot Hound Fortuna and now she followed her owner around the castle, trotting happily at her ankles from dawn till dusk.
"My sister, the Queen, has written to me again!" Eleanor announced as she walked into her bedchamber and her maids immediately stopped and curtsied, sending warm, welcoming smiles the Countesses' way as she made herself comfortable in the velvet cushioned window seat by her bed "she has invited me to court for the King's royal progress!"
"You should go, my lady!" The flaxen haired, Johanna offered as she folded a blue gown and placed it inside a coffer.
"Yes! I am sure Queen Elizabeth missed you most dearly, my lady!" Raven haired Annette agreed as Fortuna tried to hop onto Eleanor's lap, wagging her long tail. The other two, brown haired Grace and golden haired Isabel nodded in agreement and Eleanor smiled, as always enjoying the way each of her ladies spoke their minds in her presence.
This had been one of her first orders upon meeting them and they had obeyed but were always sure to keep their thoughts to themselves when in other company, something with the Countess thanked them for.
"Hm" she wondered aloud, picking up the puppy and placing her on her knee, watching her maids bustle around her "Tis true I have not ventured from here for nearing two years now....and I do miss my kin! I think I shall go! We set out tomorrow!"
At once the chamber erupted into a form of organised chairs as the four ladies began to rush around (much to Eleanor's amusement), instantly pulling out empty coffers and throwing open the ones that were filled with gowns.
"Which of us are to accompany you, my lady?" Annette called, ducking as Johanna tripped, sending a hairbrush flying over her fellow maid's head.
Eleanor grinned as she stood, putting Fortuna gently to the ground as she folded her letter.
"All of you!" She announced and the other women suddenly stopped their tasks, turning to stare at their mistress with wide eyes that began to sparkle with excitement.
"Truly?" Grace whispered.
"We are to all accompany you to the Royal Court?" Isabel continued and gave a squeal of joy as Eleanor nodded.
"You are all to come with me!" She declared "and shall each be presented to my sister, Queen Elizabeth of England!"
The Countess sat down again and watched as the four maids began to laugh and panic at the same time at the glistening prospect before them.
Eleanor knew that they were no true ladies in waiting, they were each the daughters of merchants, had not a drop of noble blood within their veins nor had ever set foot in the same room as any true royal.
But she did not care, these girls had become her friends, had shown her nothing but love and loyalty and she had to admit that she was proud of them! And watching them ready for the journey to London while Fortuna bounced around them gave her the greatest joy she had known.
꧁꧂
Eleanor smiled as she heard her maids giggling behind her as they rode into London. She hadn't been able to keep them quiet no matter how much she ordered them to lower their voices but on that day she was in an indulgent mood and so let their disobedience slide while she grinned at the guards either side of her that had escorted her from Leeds Castle to the City.
Their tabards, which they wore over their armour, were deep blue velvet, the edging silver and in the middle was a golden Phoenix with its wings spread. Eleanor's personal emblem.
She had chosen it just half a year after her arrival at Leeds as another way of asserting her power and her independence for the other nobles to see and for herself as well. For weeks she had scoured books upon the symbolism of heraldry and the meanings of animals that she took an interest in.
At last she had settled on the phoenix and had it embroidered in gold upon the first tapestry she had commissioned with it displayed upon. The very same tapestry now hung above her bed in Leeds castle with the words "vigilantes, expectans, amoeni" embroidered upon the deep blue velvet in the same gold thread as her emblem.
"Watching, waiting, winning" she whispered to herself, smiling as she recalled the day in June of 1468 when she had at last settled on her motto and how proud she had felt when she received a letter from Edward praising it.
"Will we meet the King, my lady?" Annette asked and Eleanor slowed Apollo a little for her servant to catch up with her.
"Perhaps!" She replied with a smile, almost giggling at the way her friends face lit up "after all, we shall be staying in the same residences as he!"
"We are about to arrive at the Palace, my Lady" one of the guards said and Eleanor nodded her thanks to him, nudging Apollo into a trot and leaving the others to follow along with her luggage train that the Londoners marvelled at.
Riding through the gates, Eleanor let her carefully crafted, composed facade fall as she saw her older sister, Elizabeth, waiting for her at the steps of the palace.
Practically leaping from her saddle, the Countess beamed as she ran towards the Queen and jumped into her waiting arms, holding her tight as a wave of happiness overcame her.
"Elizabeth!" She cried and Elizabeth chuckled, pulling back a bit to admire how much her little sister had grown.
"My my!" She exclaimed "you have grown into a woman! A true woman! By God Eleanor I have missed you!"
"And I you, sister!" Eleanor returned before looking over the Queen's shoulder to see three little girls running (or attempting to) down the steps of the palace.
Elizabeth's three daughters.
Since she had had her own little Elizabeth in 1466, the Queen had given birth to two more little York Princesses and there was no sign yet of a prince.
But still, the three girls were the most adorable children Eleanor had ever seen and she slowly bent down to greet them, smiling brightly at them. She wondered to herself if they would remember her at all, little Lizzie had only been a year old when she had left court, Mary had only just been born and Cecily, well, she had not met Cecily in the whole corse of her life!
And so she was shocked beyond words when the little 3 year old Lizzie gave an excited cry and ran to her, throwing herself into Eleanor's embrace.
"Aunt Lyanna!" The small child cried, making the countess smile as she saw she had bright red hair just like her own! Lizzie also seemed to notice this and gently tugged on her Aunt's braid, grinning as she held it next to her own.
"Lyanna?" Eleanor repeated, looking up at her sister who picked up young Cecily and kissed her cheek.
"If you remember, before you left I was teaching her to call you, Leena....well now she seems to have created her own name for you!" She explained and the Countess picked up Lizzie from the ground, wrapping the girl in her heavy emerald cloak that matched her velvet gown underneath.
Hearing a small yap and a child squeak, Eleanor quickly turned to see that Fortuna had escaped the care of Johanna and was now looking up with a wagging tail at Mary who was clutching a stuffed bunny toy to her chest while she stared at the little white dog before her.
"Ah I see you have met Fortuna, little one!"
Mary looked up with curious eyes, tilting her head at her aunt before she bent down and slowly began to stroke the little dog's coat, a smile gracing her lips as her confidence increased.
Placing Lizzie back onto her feet, Eleanor felt the small child take her hand as she walked over to where her four maids had now dismounted and were staring around in wonder at Westminster's courtyard but now their heads shot forward as their mistress approached with a little Princess and the true Queen of England in tow.
"These are my ladies" Eleanor said to Elizabeth once she had joined her "Annette, Johanna, Isabel and Grace!"
At once the four young women had almost fallen to their knees as they curtsied, bowing their heads as Elizabeth approached them, clasping her hands together as she smiled.
"Well well!" She said sweetly "I thank you for looking after my sister for the past year and almost a half! You have my gratitude for it for as you will surely know she can be rather strong willed!"
"Thank you, your grace" Annette whispered and the other three nodded in agreement when the Queen turned away from them to link her arm with her little sister's.
"Come, Eleanor" she said so that the others could not hear "we have much to catch up on do we not?"