ROYAL BLOOD
— 13. Madwoman
At Westminster Palace, in her rooms, Lizbeth laid on her bed alongside Lizzie. Teddy stood near the fireplace, smearing something unknown to them on the wall. Cecily sat near the window, doing needlework. Maggie was sitting at the edge of the bed as Lizzie ran her fingers through her cousin's hair.
"There is no news from anyone?" Lizbeth asked as she sighed in frustration, "Mother? The King?"
"Perhaps she's not allowed to, Lizzie," Cecily spoke up, causing Lizbeth to turn to her with a weird look.
She knew something that she didn't, she just knew it.
"She would find a way, you know she would," Lizzie argued defensively.
Cecily found herself rolling her eyes. She was annoyed that Lizzie was always on Nora's side, despite her being the cause of their mother's unhappiness as queen.
"Ruth isn't even here," Lizzie realized as she glanced around to see one of the ladies nowhere around.
Lizbeth sighed, turning to address Maggie. "Maggie, will you go to the stables and ask Ned, the stable boy, if he's been passed any letters?"
Maggie obediently nodded her head, just before leaving the room.
Soon enough, Maggie made it down the steps to find that it was pouring outside. She was on the verge of walking onto the dirt when Ned stopped in front of her on his horse.
She worriedly glanced around, seeing the dead bodies that were wrapped in sheets. There was another dead body, too. It belonged to a guard and it wasn't wrapped in a sheet like the others.
One of the guards rushed over to his side and knelt beside his body, checking to see if he was alright.
"Get back!" Ned warned Maggie in a stern tone as he climbed off his horse, "There's sickness."
"Sickness?" Maggie frowned, a concerned look on her face.
"Plague, or something," Ned replied, not knowing the right answer, "I don't know. They sweat and then they drop down dead. You mustn't take it to the queen."
"Is there any word from the Queen's mother, my Aunt Nora?" Maggie asked concerned.
"Word?" Ned frowned in confusion, "She's up there, in the old tower. Would you return these to her?" He asked as he held up Nora's necklace and Katherine's ring.
Maggie quickly grabbed ahold of the ring and the necklace. She returned to Lizbeth's chambers, only to be stopped by Cecily before she could actually enter the room.
She had been forced to tell Cecily the news instead of Lizbeth and Lizzie. She didn't know if it was a good idea, but she was forced to do it anyway.
"He says that they are falling down and dying," Maggie informed Cecily in a fearful tone, "What should we do?"
"Stay as far away from them as possible," Cecily answered as if it were obvious.
"He says that Nora is still here," Maggie continued to explain to her in a hushed tone, "That she's locked up in the Old Tower."
"And all the more reason that Lizbeth shouldn't know," Cecily answered in a calm tone, "She'd only go out looking for her and she might get ill and harm the baby. Lady Margaret said I was to keep her safe."
Cecily sent Maggie a small glare, just before walking back into Lizbeth's chambers.
After a moment, they entered the room and Lizbeth turned to Maggie, giving her a questioning look. "No," Maggie lied to her cousin, "No notes."
Lizbeth studied Maggie's expression closely, realizing that something was wrong. "What is it, Maggie?" She asked as she sat up from lying on the bed.
"Nothing, it's just..." Maggie uneasily trailed off as she forced herself to smile, "I wish there was news."
Lizzie watched the group closely, noticing how Cecily watched Maggie like a hawk as she sat down. Maggie lowered her head, avoiding eye contact with Lizzie and Lizbeth.
_____
Later on that day, the door opened to Lizbeth's chambers and Cecily entered, holding out a letter. "It's from the king," She informed Lizbeth in a calm tone as she handed it to her half-sister.
Lizbeth wasted no time snatching the letter from Cecily before she began to read it.
My darling wife,
I had imagined that when I wrote to you as you asked me to, I would write to you of victory and triumph. I thought I'd write to you of the good impression I was leaving on my country and countrymen with help from the advice you had given me before I left.
Yet somehow, one week out of London, I find myself with a knife embedded in my flesh.
I suppose I have you, my wife, to thank for that? After all, it was done by a York named Frances Lovell, a man guarded by men who are known for their undying to you and your mother, the Queen in all but name as they call her.
I assume you're unhappy to hear that your loving husband, the father of your unborn child is alive and well.
Your mother is surely the cause of this, along with you, I assume. I thought I'd tell you that if she were to have been with me on this progress like you expected her to be, she would have not returned to you with her head.
I imagine you wonder that if she isn't with me, where is she?
Luckily for us all, my mother had the good sense to leave her locked away in the castle. And she shall remain there until I return.
Your Husband,
Henry
Lizbeth immediately stood up, turning to her sisters and her cousins with wide eyes. "My mother is not with Henry. She is here," She informed them, causing Lizzie's eyes to widen in shock.
"What?" She asked in disbelief while Cecily and Maggie didn't look as shocked.
The two sisters noticed their sister and cousin's reaction and frowned in concern. "You both knew?" Lizbeth questioned, glancing between Cecily and Maggie.
"There's sickness," Maggie informed her cousins, an uneasy look on her face, "It's the reason why we didn't tell you. We didn't want you or the baby getting ill."
Knowing that Maggie was most likely innocent in the whole ordeal, unlike Cecily, Lizbeth glared at her sister before she and Lizzie walked past them.
Cecily and Maggie exchanged a look, just before following after the two elder girls alongside Teddy.
"Lizbeth, you are not allowed to be out here," Cecily complained, earning a loud scoff from her elder sister.
"And when have I ever followed orders that weren't my own?" Lizbeth retorted as Cecily picked up a mask.
Lizbeth walked until she turned a corner, only to find the castle emptier than usual.
Lizzie frowned, noticing what Lizbeth had. "How bad is it?"
She didn't get an answer, causing Lizbeth to turn to the other girls with a stern look. "She asked how bad! Answer her," She demanded, desperate to know the answer as well.
Maggie turned to Cecily, who refused to answer. She sighed, looking back at Lizbeth and Lizzie. "People are dying. Everyone's afraid."
"That's why you haven't seen the servant girl, she's dead," Cecily finally added in, sounding annoyed.
"And Mother? And Katherine?" Lizbeth asked worriedly.
"They're safe," Cecily answered calmly, not seeing it as a big deal as Lizbeth and Lizzie did, "They're locked up."
Lizbeth frowned, confused about the whole ordeal. "Has anybody sent help out to the people?" She asked, looking almost horrified when Maggie shook her head.
Did the Tudors know anything of ruling?
"Unbelievable!" Lizbeth groaned in frustration as she shoved past the group.
"Lizbeth, where are you going?" Maggie asked in concern as she, Lizzie, and Teddy followed after the older girl while Cecily walked in the opposite direction.
"To do what these fools should have done the moment they learned of the sickness reaching London," Lizbeth answered in an annoyed tone.
______
In York, Henry stood near one of the high windows in the abbey he was forced to remain at with the majority of the people who had come with him on the Royal Progress.
He turned his head, watching as his mother walked over to him with a plate of food. "How long must I be cooped up here?" He asked his mother in an aggravated tone as he took the plate of food from her grasp, "I should have ridden out with Jasper."
"Henry, you are the King," Margaret reminded her son in a low, stern tone.
"Is this what it means then, is it? Crouched here in the darkness with my mother like a coward," He explained, growing fed up with everything, "You know, Lizbeth's father and brother did far worse when they were king. They put themselves on the line. It helped show that they weren't afraid and the people loved them for it."
"And where are they both now?" Margaret asked, trying to hide the disdain she felt due to the fact that Henry had the audacity to mention Edward and Arthur.
"Tell me, is this how you saw it?" Henry asked his mother with an attitude, "When you willed me to be the King of England?"
"If you are dead then you are king of nowhere. Even a mother's love cannot pull you from the grave," Margaret explained, earning an eye roll from her son.
As she said the words, Henry only thought about Lizbeth's siblings. The four brothers she had lost and her little sister. Henry knew his own mother was behind Grace's death and he himself was at fault for Arthur and Thomas'.
Nora had loved all her children more than anything in the world, yet that clearly didn't pull them from the grave. Instead, they died, taking a part of their mother with her.
With each child she lost, Nora lost a part of herself. She lost a part of her humanity. The kindness and selflessness that once made Nora, Nora. The queen in all but name. Even Henry could see that. Lizbeth did too, even if she didn't want to admit it.
"Henry, as we are this far in the north, I thought we should make useful politics of it," Margaret suddenly spoke up, snapping Henry out of his thoughts, "King James of Scotland needs a wife. We will meet him on the border and offer him Nora. If he accepts..." She trailed off and Henry stared at her in utter amusement, "Then England will be rid of her forever and the Scottish threat against us will be ended."
"You're entirely serious?" Henry asked and laughed at his mother's in amusement, "You seriously believe that I would give up my wife's mother to the King of Scotland, just because I refuse to execute her? Don't you think, that if we put Nora in Scotland, she'd bring the Scottish Army to attack us, joining with the Northern Lords as they rode down, till we were hopelessly outnumbered, slaughtered and York returned to power, all in a single stroke? Do you realize who that woman is? You claim she has no power, but she has more power than any of us because she has the loyalty and devotion of the people, just like her father did."
Margaret's lips parted, unable to form the right words. Henry began to walk past his mother, only to suddenly stop. He leaned closer to her, an aggravated look on his face. "If you spent less time flirting with my Uncle Jasper and insisting on tormenting my wife and her mother because of the petty jealousy you have toward them, perhaps you might give better counsel."
Margaret's eyes widened, staring at her son in shock as he walked away.
_____
In Westminster, Lizbeth made her way toward the room where all the king's riches were kept. It was guarded by two men, who bowed upon seeing the Queen. Lizzie, Maggie, and Teddy stood alongside her, ready to help her if need be.
"The people need physicians, food, and burials," She explained to the men in a stern tone, "Unlock the treasure room. Who has the key?"
One of the guards was about to speak up, only to stop when Bishop Morton walked over with Cecily. "I do," He answered as he and Cecily removed their masks, "As his Grace's chancellor."
Lizbeth turned to look at the duo, a deeply annoyed look on her face. "Then don't just stand there and open it for God's sakes," She ordered in a stern tone.
"Madam, you risk your child's life and your own by straying from your—" He began to explain, but Lizbeth grew bored.
"Oh, do shut up," She told him, causing Bishop Morton to look offended while Lizzie smiled in amusement.
Lizbeth turned to the guards, a smile on her face. "Kick it down."
"They will do no such thing. You are not the King—" Bishop started to say, only to have Lizbeth cut him off.
"Yes, but I am the Queen. I was crowned alongside Henry as joint rulers, even if no one wants to admit it. I have just as much say as he does in royal matters," She explained before turning to face the two guards once more, speaking in a stern tone, "I said, kick...it... down. Or would you rather your families die of plague because the new Royal Family knows nothing of politics and thinks they can remain in their castles while the people of London suffer?"
With that, the two guards wasted no time beginning to attempt to kick down the door.
"Stop," Bishop Morton demanded, but the men didn't listen.
"Kick it! Kick it!" Teddy excitedly shouted as he began to run toward the door before Maggie stopped him.
"Stop! This is robbery and treason," Bishop Morton complained, only to have Lizbeth turn to him with a smirk.
"No, what is treason is you refusing an order from your queen. I could have you executed, do you know that?" Lizbeth threatened him with a smile on her face, "However, I shall let it slide for your sake."
"Stand back!" A man suddenly spoke up as he pushed through the crowd holding bolt cutters.
The two guards stepped out of the way, allowing the third guard to cut the lock on the door.
Lizbeth watched on, smiling in satisfaction alongside Lizzie.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy," Lizzie spoke up before Bishop Morton snapped back.
"Thou shall not steal," He retorted, reciting another verse in the bible, "And this gold is the King's."
"Not all," She retorted, earning a look of disbelief from Bishop Morton, "Most of it, I suppose, was taken from my family when you lot took my brother's throne. It is also our royal duty to provide. You should know that given you served on both my father and brother's council."
Bishop Morton continued to argue Lizbeth going into the treasure room. However, she continued to ignore him and entered alongside Lizzie and their cousins.
Lizzie opened up a chest, revealing numerous bags of gods.
Lizbeth walked over, smiling at the sight of it. She picked it up, just before making her over to Maggie. "Have the guards take this out to the sick," She ordered in a calm tone, "Watch them safely from a distance, but make sure the people do indeed get what they need. Lizzie, go with them."
Lizzie nodded, just before walking off with the gold alongside Teddy and Maggie.
"This will not go unpunished," Bishop Morton complained, causing Lizbeth to roll her eyes as she turned to face him.
"Do you truly think I care?" She asked, an amused look on his face.
"There will be repercussions," He continued on, causing her smile to fade.
"Where is my mother?" She suddenly asked, tilting her head to give Bishop Morton a questioning look.
"I do not have to tell you that," He argued as she walked closer to the man.
She stopped suddenly and turned to one of the guards. Before any of them could react, she had pulled the dagger from the man's sheath.
Bishop Morton's eyes widened in alarm, believing she was going to attempt to harm him.
Instead, he became even more horrified as she watched her press the tip of the sharp blade against her belly.
"My mother is locked in this palace and you will tell me where or I shall stab myself in the belly, killing myself and my child as we bleed out out on the floor in front of you," She explained in an almost taunting tone, "Would you like that, sir?"
"Only a demon would harm a child," He stated, staring at Lizbeth in horror.
"Then I suppose the king has a demon for a mother since she harmed five," She retorted and both Cecily and Bishop Morton stared at Lizbeth in horror as she placed the blade against the side of her neck instead.
"You think I won't, Bishop Morton? Watch me," She told the man, smiling slightly as she began to slowly cut across her neck with the blade.
Before she could actually get to her throat and cause her untimely death, though, Bishop Morton had spoken up. "You are your mother's daughter," he glared at her as he began to back away from her.
"Oh, I am, indeed," She boasted, smiling widely as he began to walk away from her with Cecily, who stared at her as if she were ashamed to be her sister.
"God will judge you for your sins," He growled at her as he continued to walk away with Cecily.
"He will judge you and Margaret for yours as well," She called out to him, slowly removing the dagger from her neck.
She sighed in defeat, wincing in pain as she wiped the small stream of blood spilling from the left side of her neck.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Lizbeth is too much sometimes 😭