ROYAL BLOOD
— 2. We are Yorks
At Wingfield Castle in Suffolk, the Tudor men rode in, killing any man who dared to stand against them. The men were led by Jasper Tudor and Lord Strange.
"Where is the Earl of Warwick?" One of the men roared out as John de la Pole, his wife, Eliza, and their son entered the room.
"Get out!" John de la Pole shouted angrily while his wife was more submissive.
"Have it. Have everything you want. Please don't hurt us," Eliza pleaded as Duchess Cecily, her mother, entered with Maggie and Teddy following close behind her.
"For York! For Cousin Arthur!" Teddy exclaimed loudly as he threw his fist in the air.
Alarmed, Maggie rushed over to her little brother and pulled him close to her. "They're not Arthur's men, they're Tudors." She quickly told him, watching as some of the Tudor men killed the soldiers loyal to her aunt and uncle.
Just then, Jasper Tudor entered alongside Lord Strange, ordering the men in French to fall back and not attack anyone else.
Cecily's eyes widened, shocked by the scene that unfolded before her.
"King Henry Tudor has ordered the traitors to be brought to London," Jasper informed the group in a stern tone.
"Traitors?!" John de la Pole exclaimed, an incredulous look on his face.
"Men who fought against him in the battle," Lord Strange spoke up in a calm tone.
"Well, that doesn't make us traitors!" John de la Pole jr. complained, a look of disbelief on his face, "We fought for our king, Arthur!"
"King Henry has declared his reign began the day before the battle," Jasper responded, causing Eliza's eyes to widen in horror, "Those that fought against him are declared traitors."
Lord Strange turned his head, his eyes locking on Teddy. Cecily noticed and pushed Teddy and his sister back, shielding them with her arm.
Lord Strange noticed anyway and Maggie felt uneasy as she tried to hold Teddy as close to her as possible. "Ah, the Earl of Warwick. The king is waiting for you."
"No," Maggie cried out, a terrified look on her face.
The men stepped forward, on the verge of grabbing Teddy when Cecily spoke up. "Nora will kill you if you dare lay a hand on either of them."
"Nora of Lancaster is no one to be feared any longer. Her lands and titles will be taken from her soon enough. She is nothing now. She would do well to remember that. As would you," Lord Strange explained, causing Cecily to scoff loudly.
"You're a fool if you think her lands and titles are what make that woman powerful," Cecily commented and while Lord Strange told the men to take Teddy anyway, Jasper felt uneasy.
He knew Cecily was right.
He had seen it firsthand when Nora went from being stuck in an abusive marriage with Arthur Neville to becoming Duchess of Bedford in her own right with half of England at her beck and call.
Then and even now, she had the ability to wage war to take the throne of England and men from both House Lancaster and York were more than willing to take her side. They still were.
Back then, however, there was only one thing stopping her from taking that throne. Edward.
Edward was long gone now and the man who murdered her firstborn had taken the throne. If Nora wanted to, she could have more than half of England on her side and take the throne by force. If she did so, Henry would surely not be king for long.
The question was, would Nora still do such a thing if her daughter was Henry's queen?
_____
In London, at Westminster Palace, Henry walked through the castle, servants and other men and women bowing to him immediately after passing by him. It made him feel weird and out of place.
His mother followed close behind him as he walked toward the throne.
Still, it didn't feel right.
He supposed it never would. He was unhappy and he had the feeling that would never change. He had a throne that meant nothing to him now that it meant he couldn't have Lizbeth.
She was what he wanted all along and before he sailed for England from France to take Arthur's throne, she wanted him too.
Everything was different now and he could never forgive himself. Two days had passed since he killed Arthur and every night as he slept, his dreams were plagued with the images of his former friend and Thomas. Oh, Thomas.
He was brutally beaten to death and the sight of it was what distracted Arthur long ago enough to give Henry time to kill him.
If it hadn't been for that, Arthur would have won. Henry knew that. Arthur had been quicker than him and far stronger than him. He would have won if Lord Stanley hadn't stabbed Thomas in the back and let his men brutally beat him.
Henry had been disgusted by the sight and felt consumed with guilt. He regretted it more than anything.
He didn't even want the throne. His mother told him it was his only choice if he wanted to survive, that it was his destiny.
Henry felt as though he didn't believe that anymore, though. It was clear his mother was enjoying their family's newfound power far more than he was.
He hated it. The crown felt heavy on his head, even more than it did when he put it on the first time he put it on at the aftermath of the Battle at Bosworth.
He supposed it was just the guilt and regret that was consuming him more and more as each minute passed while being king of England.
He didn't want it.
It was too late, though. There was no going back now and that pained him most of all.
He had nothing but the crown now. He killed the two men who had been the only people he ever called true friends in his life. He betrayed the only woman who ever gave him sanctuary from people who wanted him dead, despite the person who wanted him dead the most being her own lover, the king. And worst of all, he betrayed the woman he loved.
He still had a large bruise on the right side of his face from where she punched him. When her fist collided with his jaw two nights before, it hurt, but the pain of knowing she'd never forgive him hurt more.
He should have never listened to Jasper and especially his mother. As the King of England, Arthur would have been more than willing to pardon Henry and welcome him back to England if he knew his own father, King Edward, had been willing to do the same before he did to make sure his daughter lived a happy life.
Now, it was all ruined. Arthur had been killed by his hand. He had taken his throne and in the process, he lost what that mattered most to him. Lizbeth.
"This is yours now, Henry," Margaret suddenly spoke up, causing Henry to slowly turn to his mother after she snapped him out of his thoughts, "Your kingdom. Your throne."
It shouldn't be, he thought to himself as he looked back at the vacant throne that resided just a few feet in front of him.
He snapped himself out of his thoughts, forcing himself to act proud and confident after his victory, despite the guilt and regret that continued to consume him.
He walked over to one of the guards. He took the banner the man held that had the white rose of House York displayed on it. He eyed it for a long moment before looking back at the man.
"Burn them," he spoke to the rest of the servants and the guards in a stern tone, "And ban the snow from falling. I will have nothing white in England."
He clasped his hands together and looked around, letting out a large sigh.
"Where are my rooms?" He asked his mother, causing her to smile in satisfaction.
She was glad to see her son happy, not knowing that in truth, he wasn't. He was miserable.
She led to him to the king's rooms and Henry glanced around, his heartbreaking when he saw some of Arthur's belongings still lying about.
This used to be Arthur's rooms and now after killing him, they were his.
They shouldn't have been.
"The King's rooms, Henry," Margaret informed her son in a proud tone. She smiled, eying him closely. "I have dreamed of this my entire life."
"You always said God had chosen me," Henry spoke up in a calm tone, a part of him not believing it though, "You have always known His will."
If God had chosen him, why did four innocent boys and Arthur and Thomas have to die for him to become king?
"And He will guide you," Margaret assured her son in a calm tone, "As will I as I know England."
There was a moment of silence between them before Margaret pointed toward the door within the king's rooms that led to the Queen's rooms. "I will take the queen's rooms for myself," She decided, causing Henry to chuckle as he turned to look at her.
"Lizbeth surely won't be happy about that," He remarked, causing Margaret's smile to fade.
"She will be your wife. What you says, goes. Not the other way around. You would do well to remind her of that constantly because as we can already tell, she does not know how to act and when not to speak," Margaret explained, giving him a scolding look as she referred to what happened at the war camps.
After a moment, she smiled and walked towards the Queen's rooms, "Anyways, the queen's rooms, my rooms, are right through this passageway," She explained and with that, she disappeared into the passageway, causing Henry to sigh in defeat.
______
When the men escorting them to Westminster decided to rest just outside Westminster, Lizbeth remained on the horse she was sharing with Katherine. The younger York girl hadn't spoken a word since they left Bedford Castle. Lizzie and Lizbeth had told her to do so, knowing the young girl had a mouth on her much worse than Lizbeth's. She would surely get herself into trouble, which was the last thing they wanted.
While Lizbeth knew when she was going too far, Katherine didn't. Lizbeth merely spoke her mind, but Katherine didn't. She was just plain rude and she didn't care what people thought. She clearly took after Thomas in rudeness and Lizbeth completely understood why the duo had been each other's favorite siblings.
Lizbeth also knew her youngest sister had gotten worse since then. She, after all, lost not only her twin brother to the Tudors, but her favorite sibling Thomas. Her protector.
She had been forced to leave the sword he had given her before he left for battle at Bedford Castle, just as Lizbeth did with Henry and Arthur's identical swords.
Unlike Katherine's, though, Stanley had secretly taken Nora's swords from Bedford Castle. He wanted to give them to the king to remain in his good graces, even after Henry learned that one of his step father's men had slapped a little girl in the face and that Stanley himself had laid a hand on Nora of Lancaster when he was specifically ordered not to.
"How lovely," Lizbeth suddenly spoke up, a sarcastic smile on her face, "He claims to love me, yet this is how he chooses to treat me, the woman he expects to marry. He should have shown at least some respect."
"It's surely being done as a show of strength, that he will not be ruled by you, especially after what you did at the war camps just days ago," Nora explained and Lizzie and Lizbeth exchanged an amused look as they thought about the stunt Lizbeth pulled to escape Henry, "He would have already been in London days ago if he hadn't been forced to lead his men through the woods to search for you after you punched him in the face and brutally killed six of his men."
Lizzie scoffed loudly, quick to take her sister's side. "It's the least he deserves, after killing Thomas and my poor Arthur," She remarked, causing Nora to freeze and feel uneasy.
Nora immediately grabbed ahold of Lizzie's hand, causing the York girl to turn to look at her with a nervous look on her face.
"Lizzie," Nora scolded the girl in a stern, yet hushed tone, "You must never speak of what happened between you two. Ever. No one can know. It would mean your head. From this day on, you are a maid that had no involvement with the former king. Do you understand?"
Lizzie looked down at Nora and nodded her head, knowing the elder woman had a point.
"At least tell us that our poor brother got away and sails for Burgundy," Lizbeth whispered to her mother, an uneasy look on her face.
"We must pray to God that he has. Your Aunt Margaret is our only hope until I am able to get out of here," Nora confessed, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
Lizbeth watched her mother walk away, feeling bad as she noticed how it seemed to be taking everything inside Nora not to break down.
"I hope they die," Katherine suddenly spoke up, snapping Lizbeth out of her thoughts.
She, Lizzie, and Cecily turned to Katherine, staring at her in utter surprise.
"What did you just say, Katherine?" Cecily frowned, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.
"I hope they all die for what they've done to our family. Every last one of them," Katherine growled and Lizzie found herself feeling uneasy about what her half-sister had said.
They all felt that way. Though it was one thing thinking it, but if anyone, like Katherine, had said it out loud, it could mean their heads.
"You mustn't say such things. It's treason. It could mean your head, Kathy," Lizzie whispered to Katherine in a hushed tone.
"My life is gone in any case," Katherine shrugged her shoulders without a care in the world, "At least I would die being honest, not living a lie like you all plan to do."
______
At Bedford Castle, George sat underneath the floorboards, tightly clutching the dagger his mother had given him years before in his left hand.
He tried to remain silent and calm as he listened to the Frenchmen loyal to Henry Tudor ransack the place. It seemed as though they were searching for something, but of what he did not know.
As the men entered the room that he was in, he placed a hand over his mouth and tried to keep quiet. They knocked papers off of his mother's desk and even knocked over the bookshelf.
Once they found nothing of use to them in the room, they left, causing him to feel relieved.
They hadn't found him.
Now, he just had to wait for them to leave the castle. Once they did, he'd be able to flee to the coast, where he could bribe a boatman to give him passage to France.
Everyone in England thought he was dead. Henry Tudor wouldn't have spies at the boat ports searching for him. He'd be able to flee to France at ease.
It made him feel like a coward, though, to be running but he knew it was necessary.
It made George think about how his own father had been forced to do the same while Nora was pregnant with him.
His father had been forced to flee to Flanders with his brothers while Nora was in London, working from the inside to put Edward back on the throne.
Now, George's mother was doing the same for him.
And just like his father, George wasn't being a coward. He was simply doing what it took to survive. Just like his father, he prayed he'd be able to restore House York to power and take England back from the Lancastrians who sought to rule the land that was his home.
He needed to. He needed to take back what was rightfully his and his family's. And so he would. No matter what it took.
_____
The York girls, especially Lizzie and Lizbeth found themselves feeling horrified by the sight that befell them once they entered the courtyard of Westminster Palace.
Nora tried not to tear up by the chaos and violence occurring in the same courtyard that used to hold such happy moments in her life.
All the times she used to reunite with Edward after a battle. The times she'd fool around like a child with him and his brothers. The times where she'd watch her children play. The times where she and Edward would laugh as they watched Lizbeth beat both Thomas and Arthur with swords.
Now, it was nothing like it.
Everything around her seemed darker and it looked as though the Tudor men were barbarians compared to the men who formerly served the House of York.
Where was their honor? Where was their chivalry? She did not see it, that was for sure.
"What in God's name is this?" Nora asked quietly, a horrified look on her face when she even saw women being mistreated by the guards loyal to the House of Tudor.
"Our cousins are here," Lizzie spoke up when she spotted Maggie and Teddy, "And our aunt and Uncle."
Nora climbed off her horse and as she turned her head, she found herself locking eyes with Ned, who knew already.
"Your Grace," He greeted her and bowed his head slightly.
"Thank you, Ned," She told him softly and watched as he led the horse away, immediately thinking of an idea.
"Aunt Nora!" Teddy exclaimed as he ran toward Nora with Maggie chasing after him.
"Teddy! Teddy, wait!" Maggie scolded her younger brother, seeing as though it was her duty to watch her over him.
"Teddy!" Cecily shouted as well, following close behind Maggie alongside her daughter Eliza and her family with the assistance of her cane.
Teddy ran straight toward Nora, who immediately bent down to meet him at eye view. Teddy ran into Nora's arms and Nora immediately hugged the young boy, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.
"Maggie, I found Aunt Nora!" Teddy exclaimed, not even realizing that his sister and his grandmother Cecily were already coming over to them.
"Dear God, save us," Eliza complained in a hushed tone, finding herself consumed with despair, "My brothers and my nephews are all dead and now we shall be dead."
"He dates his kingship from the day before the battle, so we're named traitors," Her husband, John de la Pole informed the group, causing Nora to let out a quiet scoff.
She wasn't surprised.
It was something that was clearly Margaret's idea. Henry surely would have been able to think of something so clever on his own.
"But he cannot simply--" Lizzie began to complain, but her aunt Eliza was quick to cut her off.
"Well, he has. And Parliament has allowed it," Eliza explained and Lizbeth felt uneasy.
"Or his mother did," Cecily finally spoke up as she looked directly at Nora, "That woman's waited half her life to take her vengeance on you and the rest of the House of York."
"She took four of my sons and my innocent daughter. Was that not enough vengeance for her?" Nora complained and Cecily gave her a sympathetic look, as did the rest of the group.
Nora didn't want sympathy. She didn't care for it. She never did. She wanted vengeance. Nothing more. Nothing less.
"I am so sorry for your sons and Grace. I still can't believe they would dare do such a thing to an innocent little girl like Grace," Eliza quickly spoke up, giving Nora a saddened look, "The England we once knew is gone, and with it chivalry and honor."
Nora turned her head, spotting Lord Strange and Sir William Stanley walking toward them from afar. She sighed, turning her head to look back at Eliza. "As Edward once told me, Eliza. We are Yorks. We do not quake in fear. This man has nothing but a bastard's claim to the throne. It won't be long before someone starts a rebellion. All we must do it and sit back and see how this plays out."
"Something tells me the person who shall start that rebellion is standing right before me," Cecily commented, a small, satisfied smirk on her face as she looked directly at Nora.
"You know me too well, Cecily," Nora replied playfully, her lips curling upwards as Lord Strange walked over to them.
"You will appear before the king," he told Cecily, Eliza, and her family.
Cecily turned to Nora, who nodded in encouragement. The elder woman smiled, taking the time to walk over to the woman she always viewed to be like a daughter to her.
She cupped Nora's face in her hands. She leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Nora's cheek. Before pulling away, she moved her lips closer to Nora's ear.
"I pray whatever you have planned works, Nora. You are this family's only hope and I have faith you will do whatever it takes to restore our family back to glory," Cecily whispered, slowly pulling away, "But you must be careful, my love. I lost my sons and five grandchildren. I refuse to lose you, too."
Nora looked Cecily in the eyes and nodded. Cecily sent her grandchildren a small smile before leaving with the others while Nora remained with her girls.
Following their grandmother, aunt, and uncle, Maggie tightly clutched Teddy's arm as she spoke to her younger brother. "You must not speak unless I tell you to. You needn't be afraid, dear Teddy. Aunt Nora will keep us safe. She always has," She explained, just before they continued to walk away.
Once they were gone, Lizbeth glanced around, a disgusted look on her face. "What has this place come to?" She asked herself quietly.
It no longer felt like home, that was for sure. It only made her feel sick to her stomach.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I don't care what you guys think, even as the author, I don't hate Henry, even after what he did to Arthur. 😬
He's CONSUMED with guilt and time and time again it's stated that he didn't even want any of this. His mother forced it upon him and we all know that to be true.
Henry himself even admits that if it weren't for Thomas dying, Arthur would have easily won. 🤷🏻♀️
I kinda pity him.
But just wait, the dynamic between him, Lizbeth, and Margaret is going to be funny 😂
Henry is a total simp for Lizbeth as he tries to convince her to forgive him and Margaret HATES it cuz Lizbeth totally bashes both of them and Henry does nothing in retaliation.