ROYAL BLOOD
— 20. Burns
The moment Lizbeth had seen the carriage that carried her son arrive, she ran outside as fast as she could, sprinting toward it.
Cecily had gotten out of the carriage first, holding her arms outwards for the midwife to place Arthur in.
Arthur began to cry and Lizbeth felt somewhat relieved to see that he was still fine.
"Give him to me," Lizbeth demanded, a desperate look on her face, "Give him to me!"
The midwife obeyed Lizbeth, placing the boy in his mother's arms while Cecily smiled happily. "I have been practicing," she informed her sister, "I am to be a married woman. To John Welles. he's Lady Margaret's half-brother, so he's very close to the throne."
"Didn't Father and my mother kill his brother?" Lizbeth frowned in confusion, recalling that when she, Arthur, Thomas, and Grace resided at Pembroke Castle with Henry, her mother had rode across England to help Edward win a battle that was secretly orchestrated by Lord Warwick and not the Lancasters as they once thought.
Nora had manipulated Margaret's half-brother into running across the battlefield to tell Edward the truth behind the battle. There, he begged for mercy, and Edward ended up driving a sword through his belly.
"We needn't speak of that," Cecily demanded as she continued to smile, "He's rich and handsome. He smiled at me through the whole christening. Lady Margaret says I'm to have him."
"Does he have a say in it?" Maggie commented, earning an amused smile from Lizbeth.
However, it ended up fading when she looked around to see Lizzie nowhere in sight. "Where is our sister?" She asked, a concerned look on her face.
"Perhaps you should ask your husband," Cecily encouraged Lizbeth as she gestured toward something behind her.
Lizbeth turned her head, only to see Margaret staring at them. She exchanged a brief look with Lizbeth, just before walking away with her ladies following soon after her.
Lizbeth had wasted no time heading back into the castle, walking in the direction she knew Henry would have gone in. She soon locked eyes on him and was quick to speak up. "Henry?" She called out, causing Henry to stop walking.
He turned to face her, giving Lizbeth the time to walk over to him while holding their crying son.
"He cried throughout," Henry informed Lizbeth as he thought about the story he was once told as a boy by Nora about how Lizbeth's brother Arthur had remained quiet throughout his own christening, which had shocked everyone, "I suppose that's what they do," He continued on, trying to force himself to stop thinking about the man he killed that happened to be his own wife's brother.
"It is," Lizbeth replied, no longer speaking kindly to him as she did before he left and Henry already knew why, "Would you mind telling me where my sister Lizzie is? It seems she did not return with you lot and I'd like to know where she is. She is apart of my household, after all."
"She's locked up in a dungeon," Henry informed Lizbeth calmly.
"What for? She's done nothing," Lizbeth responded with an attitude.
"My mother proved she was behind the Lovell plot to kill me. She wanted vengeance for killing her brother Arthur, who I'm told was also her lover," He explained before he began to walk away.
She glared at him angrily, only to watch as he suddenly stopped and turned to face her. "She wanted Teddy on the throne and for that reason, I cannot set him free," He explained as he walked back over to her once more, "My enemies require a figurehead. He would be snatched and made to be that symbol."
Henry began to walk away once more, only to have Lizbeth speak up. "You said that you would free him!" She complained, an angry look on her face, "You promised me you would."
"I did no such thing," He argued in a stern tone, "I said I would consider it and take a view. You must listen far more carefully to what people say if you wish to be a queen."
"I am a queen and it's the only reason you're even able to sit upon my brother's throne in the first place after you killed him and your mother killed my other brothers," Lizbeth snapped at him, her voice laced with venom, "And you will not leave my sister in a dungeon. I forbid it. If she is to be kept from me, then house her in an abbey. She is of noble birth. She is the daughter of a king and the sister of the Queen of England. It is not right for her to be treated in such a way. Let it be Bermondsey Abbey, at least there is a garden."
Henry stood in place. He stared at Nora closely for a long moment, just before turning his back to her. He began to walk away, only to hear Lizbeth shouting at him. "If you had any sense at all, Henry, you would realize this is your mother's doing," She growled at him, causing Henry to turn to face her, "She does not like the fact that we have grown to care for each other. She wants to get me back for that. First, she locked up my mother and when that did not work, she framed my sister, the last person I have that I can trust, and imprisoned for something she didn't even do."
Henry forced himself to ignore Lizbeth and walked away, disregarding the voice in the back of his head telling him that she had a point.
_____
Outside of the palace in Burgundy, lords and ladies watched as Katherine played a game against Lord Strange, which she was clearly winning.
He frowned as the people began to clap for Katherine, seeing though he thought he himself had won.
"No, that's...that's...This line here, that's out," He commented and Katherine was quick to correct him.
"No, it was not. I think I'd know," She argued with him as she walked toward where it would be considered out, "This, you idiot, is out or are you that blind? You lost the point, Lord Strange. Lose the sour look on your face and come to terms with the fact that you've been beaten by a fourteen-year-old girl yet again."
Mary clapped her hands together, she and Maximilian laughing at Katherine's comment while Lord Strange rolled his eyes.
At another part of the gardens, Jasper watched the scene occur with an amused look on his face.
He hadn't even noticed that Nora was walking up to him at that moment. "You should have told me that your friend is such a marvelous court jester."
"Oh, he is no friend of mine," Jasper responded, causing Nora to chuckle.
"Good. If he was, I would have had to scold you on your poor choice of company," She remarked, causing them both to smile as she walked to stand beside him.
They both looked ahead, watching Katherine beat Lord Strange once again in the game they were playing. "Your youngest daughter...She reminds me of you when you were her age. Her persistent need to win is as bad as yours."
"Oh, I was never that bad," Nora argued and Jasper nodded his head.
"You were," He retorted, causing them both to laugh since they knew he was right.
"She reminds me of her father," Nora confesses, a sad smile on her face as she looked over at Katherine.
Jasper turned to Nora, an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry for my clumsiness. I never meant to cause you pain. It is the last thing I want for you after everything you've been through."
Nora smiled and simply nodded. "Will you walk?" She asked, purposely changing the subject.
Jasper nodded, the two of them wasting no time beginning to walk together. "I thought you'd be celebrating, what with Henry having a son," Nora explained and Jasper was quick to add into her comment.
"Which also means that you're a grandmother now," He commented and Nora smiled.
"Indeed," She confirmed before Jasper continued on.
"So, you know, then, that Henry's position is much stronger. There will be alliances, a betrothal for the Prince. And, uh..." he trailed off as Nora stopped walking and turned to face him.
"Should we choose a French princess and make our peace with them?" He asked as he picked a flower from the garden next to him.
He smiled slightly, holding it out toward her.
She playfully rolled her eyes, taking the flower from his grasp before she began to twirl the stem of it between her fingers. "And France is the enemy on Burgundy's doorstep. It would mean you would wage war on my sister-in-law with them. But think about, Jasper, does it truly matter to Burgundy when they're already fighting you both as it is?"
"It is decided, then. You wish to wage war on us alongside Burgundy," Jasper commented and Nora smiled mischievously as she continued to walk with Jasper following after her.
"I have no love of war, I never have. You know this. But sometimes it's necessary. No matter what you say, I cannot like your king," She explained and Jasper sighed in defeat, desperate to convince her to switch back to her side.
Not just because it was what Henry needed to happen, but he himself did not wish to fight on the opposing side of Nora for a second time.
"He is your son-in-law now. The father of your first grandchild," Jasper reminded her, but Nora was quick to cut him off.
"And the man who stole my eldest daughter from me and killed my firstborn son," She retorted, but Jasper continued to argue with her.
"Lizbeth and Henry love each other. He did not steal her. And if it isn't obvious by now, Henry regrets and is consumed by the guilt he carries after killing your son as each day passes. You have too strong a mind to let the past or old scores sway you, Nora," He explained, causing Nora to stop walking once more to turn to face him, "Henry won at Bosworth fairly. In fact, he was the outside chance. You know this."
"I suppose he has you to thank for that," Nora commented, smiling up at Jasper.
"I was by his side throughout the battle and since he was a child," Jasper replied in a calm tone, "I am heart and soul for Henry. I would give my life for him. You know that."
"I do," Nora smiled and nodded her head, "I know because long ago, you used to think the same way of me. But what does this boy do to inspire such loyalty from you and my own daughter?"
"When he has a goal he does not waiver. He was brave in exile, he is strong. He has greater loyalty than any man I've ever known," Jasper explained and Nora smiled, beginning to walk toward him.
She stopped when she was standing in front of him. She smirked, beginning to lean forward. "Then it seems, Jasper, Henry Tudor would make someone a very fine dog," She whispered, beginning to snicker as she began to walk away.
"Why must you be like this?" He complained as she began to walk away from him, "Nora? I know that despite your reputation, you will always have not only England on your side, but also all of Europe."
Nora smiled, playfully rolling her eyes as she turned to face him.
Jasper took a deep breath, just before he began to walk toward her. "I'm not a politician, or a lawyer. I don't have clever words nor a sharp tongue like you do. I am a man of war, just like the man, your father, raised me to be as he was. And while I have not lost my kin to it as you have, I've lost my life. The good years where I should have..." He trailed off, letting out a sigh in defeat.
"What?" She questioned, raising a brow at him.
Jasper remained silent for a moment. For a long while, he avoided eye contact with her, just before finally looking her in the eye once more. "I cannot bring your sons or your daughter back, Nora. But if we strike out for peace, then we can see that no one else you love is stolen from you."
Nora remained silent, genuinely thinking about the offer.
She used to say that love was better than war and perhaps she was right all along.
Nora smiled softly as she looked up at Jasper. She placed a hand on his chest briefly, just before retracting her hands. She gave him one last look, just before making away.
____
In London, Lizbeth entered Henry's room, seeing as though Henry had summoned her.
She walked in, finding Henry sitting at his desk. "You sent for me?" She asked and Henry wasted no time standing up and turning to face her.
"Yes," Henry answered in a calm tone.
"What for? If it's because you want to fuck me, then no. I shall not sleep with the man who has locked up my sister even though she is innocent. Good night," Lizbeth snapped at Henry and turned on her heel, beginning to walk away.
"Lizbeth, wait," Henry insisted and Lizbeth rolled his eyes as she turned to face him, "That is not why I asked you to come. I wanted to..." he trailed off, letting out a large sigh, "I wanted to know if even the smallest part of you is happy, happy that you are my wife and queen."
"Perhaps I'd be happy if you freed my poor cousin from the Tower and let my sister be with me," Lizbeth retorted with an attitude, "Both of them are innocent and only in there because my mother broke her promise to protect them just to save herself, allowing them to find themselves in trouble for something she did."
"You're angry with her," Henry realized, frowning in concern, "Why?"
"She left me," Lizbeth reminded him in a venomous tone, "She left me here to fend for myself. She promised she'd always be there for me and she left me. For what? For me to be Queen?" She asked, letting out a loud, humorless laugh, "What would be my role as queen, Henry? To warm your bed like a whore and breed your precious heirs while you rule England alone? We were crowned together, Henry, yet you haven't allowed me to rule in the slightest."
"It is a test. You're testing me," Henry retorted and Lizbeth began to smirk in amusement, "You want to prove to me that you know more about ruling than I do."
"It is not a test, it is a question, you fool," Lizbeth argued in a stern tone.
"Oh, no," Henry scoffed as he shook his head at her, "I know you better than that. I know you well enough to know it is a jibe. You compare my efforts to your father's or even Arthur's."
Henry smiled slightly, shaking his head as he began to walk around the room. "Everywhere I look around me, nobles conspire against me. Servants slip each other notes. They smile into my face and then behind me draw their knives."
"Well, that is what it is to be king," Lizbeth smiled as she nodded her head at him, "My father had to endure the same thing and with my mother's help, he dealt with it well. Arthur had to as well, but just like you, he couldn't deal with it. He couldn't deal with him because the man drawing the knife behind him back was you, Henry. You. The man who was like a brother to him."
"Well, it seems as though just like him, it more than I can bear each day," Henry complained in an aggravated tone, "Especially when the ones drawing the blade is my own wife and the woman who was once like a mother to me when my own mother couldn't be," He continued on and Lizbeth listened to him closely, "It has me waiting, wondering if I'll live till supper. Wondering if our son will live."
"Well, perhaps you shouldn't have killed Arthur, then!" Lizbeth shouted at him angrily as she took a step toward.
"How many times must I tell you that I had no choice, Lizbeth?!" he shouted at her, just as angrily, "I had been trained to do it all my life, whether it was what I wanted or not. They told me there was no other life for me and I was naive so I chose to believe them. After all, my life had been decided from the moment I was born! You hear my mother speak of it all the time. I know you do. She felt I had a destiny from the moment that she had me. I was to be the king for her because she dreamed of power. Perhaps you cannot understand being told your whole life what you are, with never any chance to think about it for yourself."
"Do you realize who you're talking to, Henry? I am a girl. Girls are told their entire lives about how the man they marry will be chosen by their fathers. I was the apple of my father's eye and despite being a bastard at the time, I was known for my beauty and the riches that came with marrying someone like me. I was destined to marry to foreign duke or even a prince, despite that not being what I wanted to do. I had been briefly betrothed to three different men already by the time I had reached my ninth birthday. So you can't say I do not understand what that feels like because I do."
Henry listened to Lizbeth closely, taking in everything she was saying before continuing on. "I sometimes wonder what I would have been. What I would have chosen had my life been ordinary," He confessed, his back facing Lizbeth.
Neither of them could see each other's visible sadness at the thought. They knew what they both would done if they had been ordinary.
At that moment, they both briefly closed their eyes and found themselves thinking of the dream they used to have when they were younger of living happily married to each other in Wales, with a family of their own away from court politics.
"Even after my father and brother died, I became a pawn for someone else," Lizbeth confessed as Henry turned to face her to see tears in her eyes, "A puppet for my mother's own ambition, which only grew after my uncle Richard died. It was she who craved the throne for me."
"I would have settled for a man—" She began to say, only to have Henry cut her off.
"A man you loved," Henry interrupted her, a saddened look on her face, "One that used to be me, but not anymore. Not after all I've done."
Henry remained silent for a long moment. He took the time to contain his sadness, just before he continued on. "I do not ask you to love me as I love you. We both know that will never happen. You will never love me as you used to. We've been through this many times before. But no matter what you say, there will always be a part of you that will never forgive me for what I've done and you're not alone because as you know, I can never forgive myself for what happen to your brothers and Grace. They wouldn't have died if it weren't for me. However, I hope you would have a tenderness me at least as we wed."
Lizbeth walked toward him, a sad look on her face. "That is all you want, Henry? A tenderness from me?" She asked in a whisper as she stared up at him, "That is all you wish to have with me?"
Lizbeth gulped, holding back her tears as she continued on. "You don't want someone who burns to be with you, Henry, someone who would ride across the battlefield, just to hear your voice?" She asked, her voice cracking, "Because that is what I've always wished to have. A love as strong and as difficult as my mother and father's. And I don't care what you say. I want that with you."
Lizbeth moved closer to him until she was standing right in front of him. She lifted her hands, cupping Henry's face in her hands. "I do not care what you say. I do. I do love you," She whispered to him softly, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
She leaned forward, pressing her lips against his. Henry pulled her closer, immediately beginning to kiss her as well.