June 1483, Westminster...
"Where are we going, mama?" Edmund asked as Marian fastened a burgundy cloak around his shoulders
"We are going to visit you cousins, chéri, at the Tower" she replied.
"The Tower?" Her son echoed, his gaze wandering over to his father who was standing by the window with Lisbet "are father and Lisbet coming too?"
Marian shook her head and stood, taking Edmund's hand.
"No. This is a special trip! Just for you and me!" Edmund grinned, happy that his mother was singling him out for the day. Happy that he would get to see his friend and cousin, young Richard, and pleased beyond all measure that he was to meet the King!
Little did he know, this was not a spontaneous visit to renew friendships, it was a plan devised by his mother, father and their friends, to make sure they truly did have both of the late King's sons, safely within their care. As Richard had said he would do, he had sent Buckingham, along with some fresh food as Marian had requested, to Westminster Abbey to collect the Prince but Elizabeth had firmly refused, saying that her son had been too ill to travel, was ailing with a cold.
Buckingham had not believed her tale for a second but had yielded that day, promising to return as soon as young Richard was better. This he did and at last the Prince had been collected and as the Gloucester family stood in their palace chambers, he was being escorted by Harry and Francis to be with his brother at the Tower.
Worried that Elizabeth may be so desperate that she would attempt to swap the boy with a lookalike, Anne had suggested to Marian that she take Edmund to see the boy, to confirm that it was him; Marian had readily agreed to the plan and was now kissing her husband goodbye, patting her eldest daughter's head affectionately before making her way to the courtyard with her son.
She knew for a fact that she would know if it was the Prince or a pretender just by glancing at him but didn't want to begrudge her son a small reunion with his friend, no matter the circumstances, and also would be grateful for Edmund's confirmation. It would end any doubts that she had now or would hold in the future on weather truly it was the King's brother or not. So, with Edmund clinging onto her waist, Marian nudged her horse into a trot and, with a few armed guards, set off through the streets of London to the Tower.
Marian listened to her son talk non stop on various topics during the journey. Smiled to herself when she heard him proclaim excitedly to the soldiers accompanying them that he was going to meet the king, smiled even more when she heard the men reply with amused, good natures murmurs of "good luck my little Lord" and "say hello to his grace for me"
By the time they reached the Tower, Eddie was practically leaping out of the saddle with uncontrollable excitement, his hold on his mother becoming tighter and tighter as he thought about meeting the King, his own cousin, and his friend again until she warned him that if he did cling on any tighter then he might crush her!
She dismounted on the green, the grass bright shades of emerald, the shadows of the imposing buildings which surrounded the main structure cascading shapes of darkness down on the two visitors.
Marian then lifted down Edmund who was staring around, now surprisingly silent, at the majestic buildings which towered over him.
"Is my cousin really here?" He then whispered to his mother. She nodded
"Yes, chéri" she replied walking forward with her son following behind her, his emotions now somber, a worried look on his face
"W-wouldn't he like to be at Westminster? W-with us?"
His mother stopped walking, turned and kneeled down on the ground in front of him, placing a gloved hand gently on his cheek. The boy tilted his head a little, nuzzling into her hand.
"He will be, Edmund. Soon. There will be a grand coronation for your cousin, the King, and then he will come to Westminster with his brother." She paused for a moment, smiled at her son "did you know that the King has asked for you specifically to be placed in his household once he is crowned?"
As predicted, Edmund's mood brightened considerably and he beamed, eyes as wide as saucers.
"For me?" He breathed in wonder
"Yes, chéri. For you"
His mind was consumed by thoughts of grandeur and the glittering court, the vision of being by the King's side and with his younger brother. He looked up, still grinning but then his smile suddenly vanished, replaced with a look of intense fear. Marian frowned and turned, looking where her son's eyes were fixed and then her expression turned fearful as well, for standing by the window in one of the towers, was the unmistakable figure of her mother. She was still clad in the colours of Lancaster and although Marian couldn't see her face clearly, she was sure that it wore no smile.
Frozen by the sudden sight of Margaret of Anjou, neither Edmund nor Marian moved until one of the soldiers came up behind them
"Are you alright, my lady?" He asked gently. Marian jumped a little.
"Yes, yes I-I'm fine" she replied quickly, tearing her eyes away from the window and taking the hand which the man had extended towards her. As she rose she stumbled slightly but the soldier caught her in his arms and she managed to right herself, quickly adjusting the gold, ruby encrusted girdle that hung about her waist, smoothing out her cerulean silk gown and brushing the traces of dirt from her heavy hanging sleeves.
"Are you sure you are alright, my lady?"
She nodded, looked up to the window where Margaret had been, but the woman had vanished and Marian was able to compose herself a little.
"Yes, thank you" she answered, taking Edmund's hand and squeezing it reassuringly.
"Are you alright, my darling?" She asked the boy. He nodded, though was clearly rather shaken and Marian decided to quickly pull him inside the Tower, the soldier behind them, looking around warily, hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Who was that woman, mama?" The little boy asked as they began to ascend the steps. His mother shook her head.
"That..." she said slowly "was your grandmother"
"Your grace, your Aunt, the Duchess of Gloucester and your cousin, Edmund Plantagenet are here to see you" one of the guards announced.
"Send them in" Marian heard Edward call back, authority in his voice.
Marian and Edmund advanced into the chamber and immediately both sunk to the ground when the King appeared, wearing a wide smile on his young face.
"Ah, aunt!" He greeted as he took her hand, brought her to her feet "you look radiant, as always" Marian smiled
"Thank you, Edward. You may remember my eldest son from Christmases at court? This is Edmund"
The King turned to his cousin, brought him to his feet as well.
"My little cousin!" He greeted merrily, the authority in his voice vanishing as it always did when he became at ease with the people around him.
"Your grace" Edmund replied, bowing his head
"It is good to meet you again"
Edmund looked up, surprised at the King's familiarity.
"And you, your grace" he said slowly
Edward laughed, put an arm round the younger boy's shoulders
"Please, do call me Edward. I have heard from your mother that many call you Eddie or Ed?"
They walked over to an ornate oak chest and sat down.
"That is right, E-edward"
"Then may I call you by them as well?"
Edmund grinned and nodded eagerly, ecstatic that he had found a friend in the King who before now had only been a distant acquaintance. "Would you be willing to play a game of chess?"
Edmund nodded again and the king gently nudged him off the chest, opened it and, after much digging around, brought out a medium size wooden box. He put it on the floor, unfolded the board inside and began to set out the solid gold and silver chess pieces on the newly polished black and white squares.
Marian's eyes widened a little as she saw the board game, knelt down next to Edward and slowly reached out to pick up the golden Queen.
"Where did you get this..." she whispered, studying the figure she held in her hand, turning it from side to side. Edward raised his head in surprise and Edmund sat on the other side of the board, in front of them, looking at the chess piece his mother was holding.
"I found it in that chest" the King answered "do you know it?" Marian nodded slightly
"Yes...yes...it was mine...from when I was little...I never thought I would see it again"
"This was yours, mama?" Edmund exclaimed. Marian nodded again
"It was a gift...from my father...for my ninth birthday" a nostalgic smile appeared on her face "I remember it well...that was the year Ed got his first sword..."
"Who's Ed?" The King asked, now curious about his Aunt's past
"Ed was my twin brother...you may know him as...as Edward of Lancaster"
Edward frowned a little as he began to put two and two together in his head
"You were the Lancastrian Princess?" He said, eyes widening with wonder as he stared up at his aunt who smiled ,a little, back at him
"Yes...I was. I thought you might have already known that through your lessons" she laughed uneasily
"I was hardly ever taught about the Lancastrian royals at Ludlow, only the ones like Margaret of Anjou, who I assume is your mother, and the Lancastrian Prince reputed to be a monster, who I now know to be your brother"
She laughed again
"No, I suppose you wouldn't have been taught about me...but, that was my old life...it is in the past and matters little to me now" she was about to change the topic but the King began to speak again
"Wait..." he whispered "you, you are the warrior that saved the battle of Barnet!"
Marian was a little taken aback at this but Edward seemed not to notice, continuing
"My father told me the story often enough when I saw him, how a fair Lancastrian maid by the name of Marian switched sides during the first charge, securing the victory for York when they had been so sure they were to lose it all...I can't believe I never made the connection..." he was now staring at Marian in complete awe and admiration - as was Edmund, who had never known this about his mother, as his parents preferred not to speak of war; was now proud of her beyond measure.
Both Edmund and Edward were about to press her with further questions but the sudden noise of hooves on cobble gave Marian a welcome reprieve from the imminent interrogation and she breathed a heavy sigh of relief as both boys and made a beeline for the window. Edward undid the latch, threw the window open and looked down into the courtyard of the Tower
"Why, tis my brother!" He cried happily, turning towards Marian "what is he doing here?"
"Your uncle and I thought you might like some company while you prepare for your coronation" Marian replied "it has been set to be this Sunday!"
"This Sunday?!" Edmund repeated with fervour "will we be going, mama?"
"Well I will not have you miss it! That is an order" The King said before the Duchess could reply and she smiled
"Of course, your grace. Now should we go and greet your brother?"
Edward nodded and rose from the floor, walking quickly towards the door with Edmund on his heels, both boys eager to see young Richard.
Marian was fast to follow the two boys and stepped out of the tower just as they were embracing the newcomer.
"Richard!" Edmund cried "I can't believe it!"
Richard laughed
"Eddie!" He exclaimed "is that really you?!" His friend nodded and the two both laughed, more than pleased with seeing one another after so many months.
"Little brother" Edward greeted
"My liege" Richard replied, bowing in false ceremony
"I must admit, it's good to see you!"
"Yes, we haven't met since Christmas! It's been ever so boring without you or Eddie around!"
All the boys grinned at one another, no doubt planning in their young minds the mischievous deeds they would get up to together in the coming years.
"Well we're both here now!" Edmund said
"I'm glad to see you arrived safely, Richard!" Marian announced, walking forward after letting the boys have their little reunion. Richard immediately spun round.
"Marian! It is good to see you again, my mother sends her best wishes and so do my sisters who have not stopped requesting to see you since the last time you visited. They do miss you so, especially my older sisters."
"And I hope that they shall come back to Westminster as soon as your brother is crowned or sooner than that if your mother allows it"
Richard bowed his head, shaking it slightly.
"She won't. She's acting rather stubborn and cross at the moment"
Marian nodded in an an attempt to understand
"Well, she must be going through quite a lot right now" Richard made no reply and seeing the sudden unintentional tension that had appeared at the scene, Edward intervened
"Little brother" he called "you must come and see my chambers, I'll wager you will be quite jealous of them!" Now Richard grinned again
"Oh, we'll see about that!"
Edmund was just one step behind them but was caught by his mother as he made for the stairs
"Mama!" He cried "I want to go with them!"
"Another day, chéri" she chuckled "we must get
back to court before the sun sets or your father will not be pleased and we can't have that, can we?"
Edmund huffed a little but then reluctantly shook his head and began to walk towards his mother's horse, shoulders slightly slumped. Feeling a little sorry for him, Marian called out
"If you're good, Ed, you can have an apple tart" the boy's spirits soared in an instant and he turned around, beaming at the offer, nodding vigorously. Marian walked over and after swinging gracefully up onto her horse, one of the guards lifted her son up and sat him behind her, Edmund's arms immediately wrapping securely around her waist.
He looked up to where his cousin's room was and saw both Edward and Richard looking down from the window, waving to him, the younger one leaning out so far that his brother had to quickly snatch him back to safety before he could fall. Edmund laughed, waved merrily back and then the horse jolted into a swift trot and he was gone from the tower, gone from his cousins, in an instant.
He couldn't wait for the coronation, couldn't wait to become part of the King's household, couldn't wait for the adventures he was sure Edward, Richard and himself would have together, dreaming of a future where they would become the second set of the three sons of York, admired and revered by all (only this time, it hopefully wouldn't end in the execution of one of them).
Oh, how he wished those dreams of his would come to pass.