ROYAL BLOOD
— 41. Revelations
It was nighttime. Lizbeth walked through the dimly lit hallways of Westminster, wearing only a nightgown.
She frowned, squinting her eyes to see a throne at the end of the dark hallway. She slowly walked closer, her eyes widening at the sight of Henry sitting upon the throne.
"Henry?" She called out, a confused look on her face, "What..."
Lizbeth suddenly gasped, looking down to see a stream of blood moving toward her. She continued to walk forward, however, walking right through the river of blood.
She walked past the bodies around her, ones that happened to belong to her dead brothers and sisters.
She continued to walk toward Henry, despite the fact that he was wearing her brother's crown and the bodies of her siblings and her Uncle Richard laid on the ground near his throne.
She suddenly froze, however, when she heard someone calling out to her from behind. It was a mere whisper, but she could still hear the person and immediately knew who it was.
"Lizbeth...Lizbeth..." He called out to her in a whisper, causing Lizbeth to gasp as she whipped herself around to face her father.
He wore his crown and Arthur stood to his right while Thomas stood to his left.
"Father?" She whispered softly, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"I'm ashamed of you," Edward confessed as he shook his head, "Marrying the man who is the reason your brothers and sister are dead? How could you do such a thing? How could you betray your family like that? You're a disgrace."
"Father—" Lizbeth began to cry out.
"What happened to family above all?" Edward practically shouted at her, "Did none of it matter!"
"I'm sorry—"
"Lizbeth," A voice called out, causing Lizbeth to turn to see Henry standing behind her alongside Harry, Arthur, and Kathy.
"Henry," She whispered softly, glancing between her husband and children, and her father and brothers.
"Choose," Edward insisted in a calm tone, "You must choose, Lizbeth."
"You're dead. Why would I choose a family that's already dead?" Lizbeth asked her father in a whisper.
"I'm not," A voice suddenly spoke up, causing Lizbeth to turn again to see George standing before her as well, "They took my son. You let Lady Margaret kill my son. Would you let them kill me as well?"
"Of course not. You are my brother," Lizbeth argued in a defensive tone.
"What sister you are," George scoffed loudly, "You've let them torture me for months now, allowing them to treat me like trash. The Tudors shall pay for what they've done and you will pay as well."
"What—" Lizbeth began to ask, only to be cut off when she heard Kathy scream.
Lizbeth whipped herself around, only to cry out at the sight of George suddenly sitting upon the throne instead of Henry.
She slowly looked up, continuing to cry at the sight of her children's heads and her husband's head mounted upon spikes near the throne.
"No," Lizbeth cried out, placing a hand over her mouth. She sobbed, falling to her knees as she took in the sight of her dead children and husband while her brother sat upon the throne, smiling.
"You are the reason Mother's children are dead. Now, we shall take yours," George informed her in a calm tone, causing Lizbeth to let out a large scream as she dropped her to her knees, blood surrounding her.
Lizbeth let out a large gasp as she woke up. She sat up, climbing out of bed to see that blood was no longer covering her gown or feet. It was just a dream. But would it remain that way for long?
____
At the Tower of London, George stood in his cell, seeming to be unbothered by his imprisonment. It wasn't his first time staying in the Tower of London and just like last time, he intended to get out of there. No matter what it took.
Margaret Beaufort arrived in front of the door to George's cell. She slid open the opening to the cell, peeking in to see George standing in silence.
He wasn't afraid, which was the first thing Margaret noticed. The look on her face made her think that George didn't intend to stay there long.
His face was badly beaten, but even then, he seemed unbothered. He was just like Nora.
Knowing that Margaret was staring at him, George slowly lifted his head to see the woman in the eye.
Margaret tried not to look uneasy, despite feeling just that as George stared at her closely.
"You killed the rest of us. What's one more, right?" George suddenly asked the woman, his lips curling upwards.
Margaret took one last look at George and due to not being able to take it anymore, she closed the opening in the door.
George quietly laughed, knowing that deep down, Margaret was afraid of both him and his mother.
____
Where they were staying at in London, Nora stood with some others loyal to the House of York. Just then, there was a knock on the door and Nora had the feeling it was George returning to her.
Nora turned her head, watching as John de la Pole entered, followed by both Maggie and Cathy Gordon.
She felt a pang in her chest, beginning to feel worried when she found her son nowhere in sight. "Where is George? Where is my son?" She asked, a deeply concerned look on her face.
"The Tower," Maggie informed her aunt, feeling uneasy about the whole ordeal while Cathy rushed to be at her mother-in-law's side, "We slipped out whilst everyone was sleeping. They're all exhausted from the fire. Even the guards."
Cathy rushed to hug Nora, who was quick to hug her back. "Henry beat him so badly," she informed Nora in a fearful tone, "Lizbeth had been the one to stop him. She pushed him straight to the ground."
Nora remained silent for a long moment, trying to take in what Cathy was saying. She sighed, grabbing onto the woman's hands as she looked into her eyes. "You must write to King James. Tell him we need Scotland, we need his armies now."
Cathy began to walk away, only to stop briefly to turn to face Nora. "Nora, you have spies, set them to find out where my son is," She pleaded and Nora turned, exchanging a look with Margaret before she looked back at the younger woman, "Edmund must be with me."
"I will have them search," Nora assured the girl, grabbing her hands and holding them in her own, "In the meantime, go and write your letter."
Cathy nodded and with that, she left the room without another word said.
Nora sighed, turning to face the group while Margaret and John de la Pole watched her closely. "Her child is in Flanders, not here," John de la Pole spoke up, causing Nora to turn to face him.
"Do you think it will help to tell her that?" Nora asked him with an attitude, "She has been through hell because of her marriage to George. It might cause a loss of feelings between them. Even if that happens, the need to save her missing son will ensure that she continues to help us," She explained, causing Maggie to frown as she listened to the conversation.
"Nora is right," Margaret agreed as she walked closer to the group, "We want her writing to Scotland, not weeping for her infant son."
"Henry will kill Prince George before our messenger is out of London—" John de la Pole began to argue, only to have Maggie speak up.
"No, he won't," Maggie argued, causing the group to sigh as they turned to look at the girl.
However, while John de la Pole reverted his attention back to Nora, Nora's eyes and Margaret's were on Maggie.
"I say we gather behind Warwick, even if he is simple-minded—" He started to explain, only to have Maggie cut him off once more.
"Lizbeth will not let Henry kill him," She spoke up, causing the group to turn to face her, "She knows he is her brother. She's known since the beginning, but she's finally starting to admit that out loud," She paused, turning her attention toward some of the men loyal to Nora, "Summon your men, my lords. My Aunt Nora is right. The time to strike is now."
While John and Margaret seemed shocked by Maggie giving orders, Nora began to smile proudly at the girl.
"Is that so?" She suddenly asked and Maggie tried to hide her uneasiness as Nora walked toward her, "All this time, Maggie, I thought you were like your mother. A little flower. A petite fleur tremblante as she was in her younger years. But you are not. I mean, look you," She paused, grabbing ahold of Maggie's hands as she smiled proudly, "A blazing white rose of York. Your father would be proud of you. I knew you had it in you."
"What would you like for me to do, Aunt Nora?" Maggie asked, a determined look on her face, "I want to help. What can I do?"
"Be my eyes and ears at court?" Nora asked curiously and Maggie nodded slightly.
"Cathy will stay here with you. She has no reason to return to Court. They will simply think she's run," Maggie explained and Nora continued to smile, wrapping an arm around her.
____
The next morning, followed by her ladies, Lizbeth walked toward the privy council room, where she knew Henry would be with his mother and other privy council members.
Men bowed to her as she passed and suddenly, she turned to her ladies. "Wait here," She insisted, just before finding herself stopping in front of the closed door to the council room.
"I told you, I told you over and over that you must decide and you did not," Margaret told Henry in a frustrated tone as she spoke of George, "The fire is an attempt on your life, and the lives of the princes!"
Finally, Lizbeth nodded at the guards, who wasted no time opening the door and allowing the Queen into the room.
While everyone's attention turned toward the queen, Margaret continued on, paying no mind to the Queen. "And the Spanish say that you must kill him. He must hang."
Lord Strange and Lord Stanley tensed up as they turned their attention toward Lizbeth. Her right hand was balled into a tight tist as she visibly tried to control her outburst.
They knew. They knew at that moment that it was true. The boy was, in fact, George and Margaret was speaking in front of the boy's own sister about executing him.
It didn't matter if she was Henry's Queen now, she was still a York and Yorks always stuck together no matter what. They were doomed.
"Yes, Mother. He must," Henry replied in a frustrated tone.
"The Spanish?" Lizbeth suddenly asked, a puzzled look on her face.
"Their ambassador, De Pueba is here," Henry informed his wife in a calm tone, "They will not grant the marriage between Princess Catherine and Prince Arthur unless the boy is dead."
"And the Earl of Warwick, too. Nora of Lancaster along with them," Bishop Morton added in, causing Lizbeth to sigh in defeat.
"De Puebla said Queen Isabella already told you this," Margaret spoke up and Lizbeth nodded her head without a care in the world.
"Yes," Lizbeth confirmed, turning her head to look at the woman while Henry sighed in defeat.
"Do you want your son married?" Margaret snapped at Lizbeth, causing the latter to turn to look at Henry instead, "You can deal with Warwick and Nora later but you must get rid of the pretender now."
Henry turned to his mother, giving her a questioning look since it seemed as though she had just ordered him, the king, to do something.
"You have a charge. He set the fire," Margaret continued on and without hesitation, Lizbeth spoke up.
"He did not set the fire," Lizbeth suddenly spoke up, an emotionless look on her face as Henry lifted his head to look at her, concerned, "I did."
"What?" Henry asked, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Margaret began to hatefully glare at Lizbeth. She turned to Henry, waiting for him to lash out at Lizbeth as she wished him to.
"Why?" Henry asked, feeling betrayed by her actions.
Lizbeth didn't care, though. She couldn't let it slide anymore. She refused to let Henry kill her brother. George was the last sibling she left. The Tudors cost her enough of her family. If she let them kill George, there was no going back and she'd never forgive herself.
Lizbeth stared at Henry, not saying a word. She refused to do so with everyone else in the room.
Henry noticed that and sighed, keeping his eyes fixed on his wife as he spoke to the rest of the people in the room. "Leave us," He ordered and still, it took everyone a long moment to obey.
Finally, Lord Stanley, Lord Strange, and the others obeyed. However, despite that, Margaret remained in place.
"Do you think of yourself obey the King's orders? He told everyone to leave!" Lizbeth snapped at Margaret coldly, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
Margaret glared at Lizbeth hatefully, continuing to do so as she walked toward the door. "By all the saints, I wonder how you walk in a straight line, your wits are so dismally few."
"Says you," Lizbeth scoffed loudly, "Your stupidity and jealousy that cost my brothers and sisters their lives is the reason we're even dealing with all of this in the first place."
"How dare you—" Margaret snapped at Lizbeth, but before she could continue, Henry had cut her off.
"Lady Mother," he spoke up, causing Margaret to turn to her son, "Leave."
Margaret began to glare at Henry as well, but finally, she left the room.
Once everyone was gone and the door closed, Henry turned his attention to Lizbeth. He tried to contain his anger, but he failed miserably. However, Lizbeth failed as well with trying to keep a cold-looking face. She was now on the verge of crying.
"You want to know why I did what I did? I hoped he would escape," Lizbeth explained, tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she walked to stand across from Henry.
"Escape," Henry repeated after her, a disappointed look on his face.
"Yes," Lizbeth confirmed as she nodded her head.
"Why?" Henry asked her in a whisper, "Why would you want him to escape?"
"Henry, you must not kill him," Lizbeth suddenly begged him, beginning to cry as she avoided the question, "Elizabeth Woodville and my sister Lizzie called down a curse down on the murderer of the princes. The curse was made so that the murderers of the princes would never see their own sons grow to men, that their whole male line would be blighted, all of their sons, Henry, all of them dead in revenge for the princes. You are already responsible for the deaths of my brothers Arthur and Thomas. You mustn't kill this one as well. You mustn't, Henry."
Henry remained silent for a long moment. He stared at his wife closely, taking in what she was saying. "And you are saying that this curse would fall me because he is your brother. He is Prince George."
"Our sons, Henry," Lizbeth changed the subject, slamming her hands down on the table as she stared up at him with tears rushing down her cheeks, "Our boys. Our precious, beautiful boys!"
"He is your brother," Henry repeated, realizing that she was refusing to say the words outside, "After all this time, and now you tell me that it's true."
"You cannot kill him, Henry," Lizbeth pleaded and shook her head, "Please, you cannot kill him. I beg of you."
Lizbeth walked around the table to stand in front of Henry, continuing to beg. She hated to beg, but she had no other choice.
"You must find another way. We...we must find another way," She begged him, her lips quivering as she grabbed ahold of his hands and looked into his eyes.
Henry began to tear up, staring back at her with a hopeless look on his face. "There is no other way," He argued and Lizbeth's grip on his hands tightened.
"There is," She argued in a stern tone, "There has to be, if we just think."
Henry remained silent for a long moment, still trying to process what she was saying. "You can't be just worried about our sons because of what happened to Arthur and Thomas and what is going to happen to George..." He trailed off, causing him to give her a questioning look, "You're wracked with guilt for another reason. Why?"
"You know your family isn't only responsible for the deaths of them, Henry," Lizbeth reminded Henry, who was quick to argue when he knew she was referring to Elizabeth's boys, Edmund, and Katherine.
"No," Henry argued, shaking his head.
"I have been telling you for years, Henry, and deep down, you believe it. If you didn't, you wouldn't have just asked me," Lizbeth explained, grabbing ahold of his hands, "Your mother is the reason for the deaths of Edmund, Edward, and Richard. She was the one behind their deaths. And she is the reason Katherine is dead as well. That is what Jasper wanted to say in his last moments. He knew. And he wanted me to know as well. That's why he sent for me."
"No," Henry continued to argue and still, Lizbeth went on.
"When we went into Jasper's room to see him on his death bed, ink and quill were on the ground. He had been writing a letter. I saw with my own eyes paper burning in the fireplace. Your mother had been the last one to see him. She put the letter in the fire and she killed Jasper to stop him from telling you about what he had learned," Lizbeth explained and not being able to take it anymore, Henry tugged himself out of Lizbeth's grip before rushing toward the door.
"Henry!" She called out after him, but Henry had ignored her and left the room.
As he left the room, he walked right past his mother, who began to call out for him. He ignored her, though, still thinking about what Lizbeth had said.
What if she was right?
She killed Grace so easily. What made the deaths of the Princes in the Tower and Katherine any different? He remembered the conversation he had with her in Winchester about Katherine after Arthur's christening. She had even suggested having Katherine killed before she could be married off and coincidentally, even after Henry argued against it, Katherine ended up dead soon after Lord Strange and Jasper's arrival in Burgundy.
What if it was true? What if Lizbeth's ramblings were right? What if his mother was the reason behind everything happening to them?
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Going back updating twice a day. Only about five chapters left of this book!