~Lord of the North~

October 1472....

"Well, Henry, it certainly seems you have a fine army here!" Catherine remarked as she looked over the painted wooden soldiers her four year old son had lined up for his Father's later inspection. Rob and Francis had spent hours whittling the forces for him before they left for their respective estates and Henry treasured each one!

Richard showed him how to place them as real ranks would stand and he listened attentively, staring in awe at his Father whom he knew led men into battle and won! Again and again he wished Richard would win another soon so he could tell him an epic tale but (little did he know) that was the very last thing Catherine wanted!

A battle meant war and there was no reason on this earth why she would want her husband to wander willingly into another! It was a pity sometimes that he was so devoted to Edward, for if he commanded Richard to wage a war across the world he would do it! If Catherine did not care for Edward she was sure it would be more than enough to make her resent him.

"Ah ah" She chided gently when four month old Joan reached from her little bundle of blankets lying on the nursery rug to grasp at one of the soldiers "They are your brother's dearest" Looking about, she claimed the nearby soft rabbit Margery had made, created from cloth and stuffed with feathers. Joan took the toy with eager fingers, rubbing her little cheek against the bunny's ears with a smile.

She gurgled her happiness and Catherine laughed, leaning down to nuzzle into the softness of her little neck. Immediately little hands grasped onto her hair (Joan and Henry were both the same in that), gently tugging and stroking "My sweet little girl" She cooed when she pulled away and Joan took to sucking on her rabbit's ear.

"Mother!" Henry called "Mother look!" Catherine did so and smiled as he began to move his soldiers back and forth, some on foot some on horseback.
"Ah! A true army!" A merry voice called and Henry shrieked in delight as Richard walked into the nursery, a letter in his hand.

"Just what I said!" Catherine laughed, gathering Joan in her little swaddling shawls and rising to her feet.

Richard grinned at their daughter and swept her into his arms, kissing and cuddling her until she giggled and began to grab onto his hair "Something has put you in a jovial mood, my love!" Catherine remarked, brushing a kiss to his cheek and leading him to the window seat while Henry began to line up his soldiers again, one by one; eager to show his Father he remembered his words.

"Indeed I have!" Richard exclaimed, sitting happily on the cushions and bobbing Joan in his arms, continuing to smile down into her little face "We all do, ma belle, for Ned has bestowed upon us an honour we will never forget!"

"Oh Lord! That sounds rather ominous!"
"Not at all! Just wait until you hear!"
"I'll hear when you tell me!"

Richard grinned his boyish grin, a rare curve of his lips that meant certain joy and set his wife's heart fluttering in her chest. It was not long since they'd obtained yet more land when the King had gifted them a large estate in the North for Joan's birth! Warwick castle this time!

"Edward has decided he needs a ruler in the north" He said and Catherine's eyes widened somewhat though it was not in surprise. The north was rigidly for Lancaster and the Percys, to place a York leader there was only sensible to quell rebellion and ensure peace "Someone to control the entirety of the lands there and their nobles and so....he has made me Lord of the North"

She gasped and she clapped her hands in delight, grinning from ear to ear.
"Lord of the North?" She breathed and Richard nodded eagerly.

"I am to have my own council!" He told her, lifting Henry onto his lap (holding Joan in one arm) when he ran to his side, curious at the sudden excitement "men under my rule, I am to obtain peace!"
"Like King Arthur!"

His eyes glistened at that, glowing like they did in his youth at the thought.

"Oh Cate" He murmured "We have been raised high, higher than any, we are second only to the King and Queen themselves!" Catherine grinned and leant forward, kissing him fully on the lips. She had soared, just as her parents would've wished her too and now, she was to rule over the North at Richard's side, a place they had once held despite it going unsaid.

While a York ruled, a Percy would be at his side and perhaps their son after, the perfect mix of the white rose and red to appease all!
"Lord of the North!" She whispered "What a thing, my love"

꧁꧂

With her head on his chest and one hand dancing down his left arm, tracing patterns on his skin, Catherine smiled into the candlelit darkness of their chamber. They were still in the afterglow of their lovemaking, something that had seemingly been intensified by the good news of that day.

Richard had kissed all the way down her body and up again, making her giggle before their joined moans filled the chamber. Their heads were filled with thoughts of grandeur, of a new life that would bring them to a new level of privilege and their children too. Now as the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Lord and Lady of the North, they would wield more influence than almost any!

The only thing that tugged at her heart was the prospect of moving from the safe walls of Fotheringhay. They would have to, of course, they would have to install themselves strategically in the North if they were to govern it. Not only that but it would have to be grand, befitting of a Prince and his Princess; a place that would command respect. Where that would be was on her mind as she raised her head.
"Where will we live, my love?"

Richard's eyes flicked from the canopy of their bed to her and he sat up, settling back against the pillows as Catherine propped herself up on her elbow.
"Well" He murmured "Middleham is the stronghold of the....." Immediately her hand covered his mouth, silencing him from the dreaded words that even the beginning of had been enough to make her breath chest tightened.

No, if she was to be moved from the safety of her home, she would not go somewhere where she didn't feel safe, where she didn't feel she would keep her children safe. If she was forced there she would spend her days and nights in fear, looking over her shoulder for the ghosts of Warwick and his men, keeping her children at her skirts. That was not what she needed and certainly not what they needed.

In truth, it scared her.

"Anywhere but Middleham" She pleaded "I beg of you" Richard frowned and he gathered her into his arms, placing gentle kisses over her face.

"You need never beg me for anything, Cate" He told her softly and she nodded against his chest "Forgive me, I was not thinking, of course we cannot reside at Middleham" A wave of relief washed over her, making her visibly relax in his arms once more and Richard's heart sunk in his chest. The thought that the terrors of her childhood still plagued her made him want to kill Warwick himself and he held her tighter "I swore myself to your happiness and I will see I do my duty by it each day"

"You always have done" She whispered "and I hope I have done the same for you"
"You merely need to breathe to see that duty fulfilled, ma belle, surely you know that? So, where are we to lay our roots?"

"We have roots here" She reasoned, though she knew her argument to be futile At Fotheringhay! It is the first place I have been able to do so and to think I have to leave it...."

Richard sighed and kissed her again. He knew how much her home meant to them, more than any other, for while it had been his first place of command, it was her first place of true safety since childhood. To take her from it would be like taking a babe from it's Mother's arms and he hated to do it but it had to be done.

"I know, Cate" He told her gently "but our King commands it and while I bend to your will I must also bend to his. For England"
"So we must find a new home then?"
"We must but we shall return to Fotheringhay" He added quickly, eager to soothe her nerves "of that I have no doubt....now to find a place for us all..."

'A place for us all' Catherine repeated in her mind. She needed to find a home, another home, and relinquish the one she'd known for four years. Trying desperately not to dwell on her sadness, she sought through the castles of the North that she knew they owned. There were many, that was to be sure, but none that felt like home to her and so she sough the second option: the safest.

"What about Bamburgh Castle?" She suggested "In Northumberland? I know it was captured by York forces many years ago and it's position is of high advantage. It's next to the sea and high above the land, moreover it is very grand! The perfect position for the Lord of the North!" Richard smiled.

"Bamburgh?" He repeated thoughtfully "You think well, my love. It has advantages, as you say and we would certainly be able to rule the North from it while keeping the Scot's from the border if need be...."
"There then!" Catherine exclaimed, laughing a little and Richard sought to keep her happiness returned, gently turning over so she was beneath him. If he could not bring her joy with talk of their move, he could at least bring her pleasure while they talked of it, he thought.

"Still" He murmured as he began to press kisses to her neck "Middleham is the stronghold of the North. It must be occupied by one loyal to me" One hand wandered along her side and cupped a sensitive breast, gently stroking across it with his thumb and making Catherine gasp. She writhed a little, trying to think while pleasure was stoked in her veins.

"Francis?" She suggested, her back arching from the mattress and Richard nodded. Why, Francis was the perfect candidate and he decided to reward Catherine for her answer by slipping a hand between her thighs, finding her wet, and slipping two fingers inside her.

"Francis it is!" He agreed, grinning at her soft moan that was muffled when she buried her head in the pillow beside her "He shall do well! Though I'll send someone with him as he's still young" Leaning down to capture her lips again, he began rocking his fingers in and out of her, chuckling when her hips began to move "John Howard would do well I think. Rob shall come with us. You can take his wife as your Lady in waiting? You need more than Margery!"

"Very well" She replied, crying out when Richard pressed his thumb against her clit. Her arms wound around his neck and she drew him down towards her "we have made love already twice this night" She murmured but let her legs spread wider to allow him room between them. Richard simply smiled against her lips, staring to tail kisses along her jaw.

"Exactly" He replied "So what is one more?" Trailing a hand down her leg, he hooked it around his waist, still thrusting his fingers in and out, crooking them until her body shuddered and she cried out his name. Wetness flooded between her legs and her head fell back onto the pillow as she saw stars before her eyes.
"Now" She demanded, pulling him towards her "Now, Dickon!"

He was more than happy to oblige and they both moaned when he thrust into her, their voices muffled by the crush of their lips against each other's.
"Wherever we are" he whispered through quickening breaths "Wherever we go, I will protect you, I will protect our children" he punctuated each word with a thrust and Catherine moaned, nodding as she could not form words.

Only soft groans escaped her, lingering and desperate as she sought a second release and wound her fingers into Richard's hair, tugging "I will never let you go" He swore "You are mine to protect and protect you I will"

꧁꧂

Just as she had done so many times before, Catherine stood atop the bailey walls and looked over her lands and the village below. A sight she would soon have to leave she thought with sadness, the place where she had found a home and her two children had been born. They would return one day, just like Richard promised but how far away would one day be?

How long would they be separated form their lands and people? She almost laughed at that. In truth, she would be separated from neither for as Lady of the North, all those who resided in and out of she and Richard's lands were under their jurisdiction.

"Catherine?" Anne's gentle voice was carried on the wind and Catherine smiled as she climbed the bailey steps to stand at her side. The younger woman fiddled with the rings on her fingers, shuffling from foot to foot as she too gazed over the ramparts.

"What is it?" Catherine asked, linking their arms in an effort to soothe her. She hated to see Anne ill at ease and hoped her discomfort was not caused by George. He had plagued her long enough "you know you can speak to me about anything, Annie?" Pale blue eyes stared up at her and she smiled encouragingly.
"The household has heard you are Lady of the North" She began softly "And that you are to move to Bamburgh?"

"We are" Catherine confirmed with a slight frown "Is this what concerns you? Do you not want to move North?" Anne shook her head.
"I do, my friend! Truly I do! Only....it is not to Bamburgh I wish to go" Catherine's frown deepened somewhat and she tilted her head.
"Well, if you will not go to Bamburgh where will you...."

"Middleham" Anne answered swiftly, providing a swift explanation when her friend's jaw fell "It is a place of hell for you but a place of paradise for me!" Drawing her arm from Catherine's she looked over the village, of the people that pottered along the street "This" She said "This is your home and Middleham is mine. I am the Kingmaker's daughter, a Neville, it is where I belong"

"So what do you wish?" Her friend asked softly. Though her wish for separation stung her somewhat, she understood what Anne wanted: to go home. She had longer for it too.
"Place me under Francis' guardianship" Anne said, taking Catherine's arm again.
"Francis is too young for a ward, Anne...."
"Then John Howard's!" She reasoned "Is he not to govern at Francis' side until he comes of age?"

The Duchess nodded and joined Anne at the ramparts, feeling the sting in her heart lessen somewhat when she saw her cheeks were pinned with a hot flush. A hot flush only stirred by one that made the heart flutter.

"You like him, don't you?" She chuckled "Francis?" Anne only blinked, leaning on the rampart's stone.
"You know he has been my friend since childhood"

"I know he has recently divorced his wife with the King's blessing!" Catherine replied, making Anne blush deeper "but yes I wish to see you happy and if you wish to reside at Middleham, you have my consent to go!" The Neville girl turned, her face now lit with the joy of the girlish youth that had long left her and it was a beautiful thing to see again. After all, she was only sixteen and if Middleham was how her happiness would return then Catherine would help her get there.

"Are you sure?" She still asked, amused at Anne's light laugh "Definitely sure?"
"I am sure, Cat!" She replied "but I promise I shall visit as I do not expect you to for reasons we all understand" Catherine shrugged, returning her gaze to the little village and its people.
"Perhaps one day" She sighed "but that day will not be easy"

꧁꧂

"One, two, thwee, four...." Henry murmured as he stacked his Father's books one on top of the other. While Richard was away organising the household for the great move north (as it had come to be known) he and his Mother were ordering his Father's books. She was going to do it alone and had already summoned servants to help place the heavy, leather bound books into coffers but then little Henry had arrived.

Fresh from his nap and eager to help his Mother in any way he could, he'd immediately volunteered to help and she'd obliged him. Sending the servants away, she sat him in a corner with a little cushion and developed a pattern, one that attended to the task while allowing little Henry to be involved. She would take a stack of books from the nearest shelf and set them in front of him, letting him count them, one by one while she placed another stack in a chest.

He would heave and huff, using all the strength his little body possessed to move the books from one pile to another but he took pride in it and did it with a smile. His Father often told him that if he was to be a knight he would have to endure trials of strength and Henry wished to be a strong boy, so he did all he could!

One day he would wield a sword like the knights in the tales his parents read to him, one day he would ride by his Father on a fine horse and do his Mother proud! And of course he would eat as many apple pies as he could muster!

Once he was done with his counting, he would clap his hands and call to Catherine, asking for more and she would do as he asked. He seemed to hold a fascination with the books that were handed to him, stopping in his counting every once in a while to look through a page or two. Settling the leather on his lap, he'd stare at the parchment and its colourful pictures, the words they contained no more than strange squiggles to his eye!

"Pony!" He would exclaim when he saw a horse and knight "Uncle Neddy!" He'd say when he saw a King, making his Mother smile "Father!" He laughed when he saw a soldier, pointing at the little painted figure in delight before he gave a little huff as he picked the book up and lifted it onto the pile beside him.

Catherine drew another from the almost vacant bookcase and flicked through the pages. It was a book on chivalry, she quickly realised, and one Richard had had from childhood by the look of the fading drawings and corners that were crumpled from being turned too many times.

A particular image caught her eye, a knight with his sword drawn and a crown on his head, dressed in shining armour. Angels in white gowns with long golden hair sang down from the heaven's praising him for his great deed and just beneath the hoof of the knight's great charger lay three words 'tante le desiree' in her husband's own hand.

"I have desired it so much" She translated, brushing a finger across his motto which was scrawled beneath "desire it no more my love" She whispered, her eyes flicking to the knight again. The dream of a boy, the reality of a man "For you have it all"