~God save the King, God save the Queen~

6th of July 1483, the Tower of London....

Catherine smoothed the wet curls through her fingers as her ladies poured fresh water into her bath, sighing as it trickled down her skin and onto the surface covered with rose petals and lavender. The air smelt pleasantly of herbs and summer light flooded through the chamber windows, bathing the furniture and her skin in gold.

Already she could hear the bells of London ringing out, relentlessly chiming to tell all of the eventful day, telling them to flock to the Abbey to see their new King and Queen crowned. She'd thought it would be overshadowed by the decree of Parliament, Titulus Regalus they called it, naming her nephews and nieces illegitimate, and triggering the executions of Anthony Woodville and Richard Grey at Pontefract.

The guilt would never leave her heart for those deaths, especially Anthony's, but she felt a glow in her heart that day all the same, a happy one and couldn't refrain from a smile. It was if, just for a few hours at least, God had seen fit to cast away her cares.

No matter how much she'd cried for her kin the night before.

She pictured her sons, dressed in the cloth of gold doublets, her daughters in the golden dresses they'd squealed at the sight of. They would wear their hair down with coronets crowning their heads and Catherine chuckled to herself, letting her arms be lifted so oils could be rubbed into her skin.

Margery drew back her hair and gently squeezed the water from it, beginning to run an ivory comb through the golden tresses while Meg fetched a towel and Nell helped her Queen to rise. With the soft cloth wrapped around her, Catherine stepped forth from the warm water and walked to the window, looking down into the courtyard where a path of red velvet was laid. The beginning of the road to Westminster Abbey that she and Richard would ride along.

White rose petals were scattered over the courtyard, like a blanket of sweet smelling snow surrounding the nobles that waited, the jewels they wore shining like stars.

"You shall prove the greatest Queen of England" Margery said from behind her, patting her hair dry with a second towel and Catherine smiled. Was her friend right? Would she do well? How would she feel when the Queen's crown touched her head, the precious gold worn by Elizabeth and Marguerite before her.

"Thank you" She murmured "Dearest Margery, for always being so loyal to me; always standing by me"
"And I will continue to do so now come, let us dress you"

Catherine nodded and made her way to the foot of the bed where Nell waited with a shift of pure white silk in her hands that she gentled over the Queen's head. She let her towel fall so her shift could follow, soft against her skin and flowing to her ankles. She took a breath, sitting down and lifting her feet so Meg could slide on silk shoes embroidered with beautiful silver thread.

Next came her kirtle, white again and embroidered with white roses, followed by her gown and what a heavenly sight it was. Made of cloth of gold brocade, pearls decorated the beautiful hanging sleeves that would brush along the floor when she walked, trimmed with ermine as was the hem of the skirt.

It was draped gently over her body, the laces at the back tied tightly and the train straightened, creating a river of gold that covered the floorboards beneath. Rings were slid onto her fingers and her hair, now dried, was brushed through, left loose in shining curls down her back. It would look beautiful in the sunlight.

Her ladies looked at her with awe in their eyes, admiration so great it deprived them of words so all the could do was stare. Stepping back in their robes of cloth of silver, they dipped into low curtsies, bowing their heads until Catherine gestured for them to rise.

She knew what was next, the coronation furs that waited in the chest in a corner of the room and was lifted carefully out by her ladies. The heavy velvet rested in their careful hands, emblazoned with gold sigils and trimmed with ermine. Catherine could not speak as it was brought to her and she held out a hand, brushing her fingers over the jewels set in clasps of loops of gold, glimmering in green and crimson hues.

Emeralds and rubies.

The precious stones that had filled Queen Marguerite and Princes Edward's rings. Each had promised that she would one day rule the land, that she would wear the Queen's crown and she did. She was Queen but the King by her side was not Edward of Lancaster, it was Richard of York.

How different life could have been, she thought before shaking the thought from her head. That day was not for the past, it was for the future, a new reign and a new life. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes as the heavy cloak was lifted onto her shoulders and the clasps were connected with a polished loop of gold.

"There" Margery whispered, straightening the soft velvet as Nell and Meg went to fetch the children from Anne "You are ready"

"Am I?" Catherine asked "Am I truly? Throughout my life I have been many different people, more than I ever thought I would. I have been the daughter of an Earl, the prized hostage of the Neville's, Lady Bergavenny, a York captive, the Duchess of Gloucester, a Mother to an heir, a Lancastrian captive, a Prince's first and last love, the lady of the North, a Queen's most trusted companion and friend and now....I am to be Queen myself. It is what my childhood heart always dreamt of but now....now I do not want it. There is a part of me that does, a part that has lived within me since I was six, praying for salvation and a crown while locked away in the Far Tower but another part tells me it isn't right. What right have we to take the crown from a little boy?"

Margery smiled and gently cupped her face, wiping away the tears that had slid down her cheeks. They had grown together, stood together always, they were as close as sisters and Margery had been by her Lady's side the majority of her life.

"The same right his Father had" She told her "You and Richard are the rightful rulers"

"Your grace? Catherine?" The two broke apart as Nell's voice called to them and she rushed into the room.
"Nell?" Catherine asked "What is it? What's wrong?"
Nell sighed and gave a small shrug.
"It's the Princess Cecily!" She explained "Princess Joan is with her but she is refusing to come out of her rooms! She says she's scared!"

"Oh my poor baby" In an instant Catherine had unclasped her furs and handed the heavy garment to Margery, taking Nell's slender hand "take me to her, take me to my little one"

Through the Tower they moved, quickly, not stopping once to listen to the bells or catch their breath as they climbed the winding staircase to the children's rooms. Her robes of gold and the summer heat were not a pleasant combination and Catherine felt she was going to be cooked alive by the end but that did not stop her.

When she came to her daughters rooms she waved her friend away, instructing her to wait with the others and slowly opened the door, popping her head around it. Tears welled in her eyes at the sight she saw. In the window was sat Joan, beautiful in her cloth of gold with Cecily in her lap. The little girl had curled herself into a ball, and hid her face in her sister's shoulder, shivering with sobs.

"My darling" Catherine cried, rushing into the room and when Cecily heard her she scrambled from Joan's lap and toddled across the chamber, little arms outstretched. Her lower lip trembled and she continued to cry when her Mother caught her, carefully kneeling down so she could cradle her baby against her "oh my love" She murmured into Cecily's soft curls "My little girl, what is wrong? Today is a day for celebration, not for tears!"

"B-but there are so many people!" Cecily whimpered "I don't like it!" Catherine's heart ached. Cecily had always been an anxious little thing and the idea of streets full of unknown people watching her every move was just too much for her little mind.
"My love, I know you are afraid...."

"What do you know of fear?"
Catherine looked up as Joan spoke, the question burning her mind, sending shocks of past pain down her spine and she held out a hand, bringing her eldest daughter to her side.

"Everything" She said firmly as Joan knelt by her "Everything and more. I was kidnapped at the age of six by my deadliest enemies, kept in a small room by myself for five months and then married to a man three times my age who was of that enemy family. Even after I was free I could not sleep without fear, I could not linger in darkness without terror holding me fast. My mind was filled with nightmares and every time I heard an unfamiliar noise I would break down in tears, unable to breathe, unable to move because I thought my captors were coming to take me away again, that they were going to murder my family as they promised to do"

Cecily had stopped crying now and stared up at her Mother with big blue eyes, her thumb in her mouth, while tears welled in Joan's "I couldn't let strangers touch me, I hardly let them near me as I didn't know what they would do and I was not used to tendernesses from those I didn't know. Yes, I know everything about fear, my jewels but that means I also know how to conquer it"

"The source of the fear will most likely never go away and even now I sometimes wake screaming for your Father to save me but I can walk into daylight with the knowledge that I am strong, that I survived what they put me through and while they broke me, when I brought myself back together I was stronger than I ever was and only got stronger still. I made myself strong by facing my fears, by conquering them as a King would a kingdom so they were mine and I was the one holding them, they were not holding me"

She nodded, strong in her words that echoed along to her younger self, the child that had cowered away from the light, telling her to be strong, that one day she would be made of steel "You too can conquer anything and I know this because you are my flesh and blood, my daughters, as strong as any man and stronger than any fear that would seek to claim you. You are not only daughters of the house of York but daughters of the House of Percy just as I am and do you know what?"

"What, Mama?" Cecily whispered and Catherine gathered her daughter's close, looking into their eyes.

"Us Percys do not quake in fear"

꧁꧂

Hand in hand with her two daughters, Catherine made her way out of the Tower, telling them to listen to the bells, to look for their brothers. When they came into the day, it was bathed in sunlight; the sky blue, beautiful and clear but for a few white clouds that looked as soft as sheep's wool.

Two white Stallions waited before the closed Tower gates, their saddles made of supple leather and reins embroidered with gold. Nobles were gathered around, sparkling, smiling, waiting for their King and Queen to appear and admiring the open carriage that had been designed specifically for the children with the lions and lilies of England painted on the polished wooden doors.

The seats were lined with fur and the three Princes were already sitting happily in it, the eldest chatting to his Uncle Hal and Grandmother, Eleanor, who both wore the colours of their house. Catherine couldn't help but smile at the sight of them and Eleanor beamed when she saw her daughter, curtsying with pride in her eyes.

"Ah!" Margery exclaimed from where she had been standing, holding the Queen's furs with the other Ladies "There you are! We were beginning to fear you'd be late!" Catherine smiled and escorted her daughters towards the carriage, nodding to the guard opening the door and helping them up the steps.

"Henry, look after them" She instructed and he gave a determined nod, making her blow a kiss in his direction as Nell lifted her hair and the heavy cloak was lifted onto her shoulders; the clasp fastened.
"You look beautiful, Mama" Cecily breathed, leaning over the side of the carriage with Henry's arms wrapped around her little waist to ensure she didn't fall.

"She does, doesn't she?" Even then, after 19 years of marriage, Catherine still blushed at the sound of her husband's voice and turned to him with a shy smile. He was smiling too, dressed in cloth of gold same as she, with a heavy cloak of white and gold, trimmed with ermine; rings on his fingers. Rob and Francis carried his train and Hal would carry it at the coronation, just as Anne would carry hers.

Gathering her skirts, she made to sink into a curtsy but he caught her elbow, raising her upright and bestowing a gentle kiss to her lips.

"Never bow to me, sweet Cate" He whispered, resting their foreheads together for a moment "Never" She nodded and felt him take her hand before they made their way to the horses, smiling at each other all the way. It seemed all her life she had been waiting for this moment.

And now, it was finally here.

"Cat!" That voice was certainly familiar and Catherine turned to see Anne, garbed in cloth of silver and sapphires trotting happily at her side. The coronet of a Viscountess (for that was what Francis had been raised to, just the previous week as part of the coronation honours) sat on her head and her cheeks were rosy with rare colour, smile wide with joy "Tis a fine day, is it not? I hear the people of London are out in full for you and Richard!"

"God I hope I don't make a mistake!" Catherine replied, as they came to the horses and she ascended the mounting block, balancing herself in the uncomfortable side saddle "It's more likely when I have to ride like this" She added "Forget elegant, it's deadly!"

Anne grinned and draped her cloak elegantly over the back of the horse, looking up at her friend with a glint of amusement in her eyes.
"Just wave and smile! You shall do well!"
"Ever the role of us women" Catherine returned and the two burst into giggles, catching Richard's attention.

"What amuses you so, Cate?" He asked but she shook her head, still laughing.
"Oh, nothing, my love! Simply the order of life!"
A round of giggles sounded behind them and they both turned to see their children grinning at one another, the girls playing with their crowns, the boys admiring the daggers on their belts.

"Do you have yours, Joaney?" Henry asked tauntingly, not expecting to have a blade pointing at his chest a moment later.Their Father had taught her well, perhaps a little too well, he thought!
"What do you think?" She replied with a smile "I never go anywhere without it"

"She's got you Henry!" Edward declared in a sing-song voice and the others erupted into more giggles while Henry simply rolled his eyes; pride stung.
"Children" He murmured but that only earned him a jab in the chest with Joan's dagger "Careful!" He exclaimed "I don't want this doublet ruined, I've only had it two days!" Now it was her turn to roll her eyes and slipped her dagger carefully back into the sheath in her sleeve, placing a finger to her lips to make the little ones giggle.

"It's a secret!" She told them in an exciting whisper and they nodded eagerly, each offering up their pinkies as an oath to keep her secret hidden "Even you, Henny" She said when they were done and her brother flushed a bright shade of red, eyes wide, incredulous, and looking at all the people around him. Nobles, knights, men whose ranks he dreamt of being part of and now his sister was demanding he make pinky promises?

"I am the Prince of Wales, Joan, I'm not a child"
"You're not declared Prince of Wales yet" Joan retorted "And besides, I don't recall making a pinky promise goes against your code of chivalry, does it? If anything" She put her hand dramatically to her forehead, leaning back as if she would faint "You are aiding a fair maiden"  He raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think fair is the word"
The carriage was filled with laughter again and Henry earned a slap on the arm but he couldn't hide his grin!

"They are happy then" Catherine sighed, watching the children with a warm heart as she adjusted her reins.
"And you are not?" Richard asked "remember, my love, we are the rightful rulers. This day is our God given right!"

"Government given!" She corrected with another sigh and turned back towards the gates where the roar of the people was becoming clearer and clearer to her ears "But I suppose I would like to think God is on our side"

"He is!" Richard assured her "And it will stay that way, as long as we govern our Kingdom with justice and fairness" A smile flickered at the corners of her lips. We had said, not just him as King but her as Queen. They would rule together just as they did in the North and the thought made her stomach jump with a childish joy, almost the same feeling she would get when they were young; he would look at her from across a room, captivated.

"I love you" She said, looking at him as the royal trumpets on the Tower ramparts rang out and her joy turned to a twisted knot of nerves "You know that don't you, Dickon?" He smiled, the gates began to open.

"Of course I do" He replied firmly "Just as you know I love you more than life itself"

With one last lingering glance at each other, the gates were pulled open and the shade of the courtyard ripped away, blinding them with the full light of the sun. The people roared, waving, cheering, the bells rung, pealing so loud God himself could hear and their horses moved forward, taking them into the streets lined with a carpet of crimson red. Blood red.

'The evidence of what we have taken to be here' She thought but kept a smile firm on her face and did not look back. It was best she did not, for if she had she would've seen two young boys peering down from their rooms in the white Tower, grief marking their faces and tears streaming down their cheeks.

꧁꧂

"Queen Catherine! Queen Catherine!"

Catherine could not help but smile, her ears ringing with the regal cry the people cheered, a call she had waited her whole life to hear. Now she finally did. White roses rained down from windows, showering her with sweet petals that dispelled the city smell, turning it do a different place. Everything that day was different.

A great procession had been crafted for the King and Queen, trumpeters marching ahead to tell the people of their approach, soldiers dressed in murrey and blue, holding their swords aloft lining the way to Westminster, nobles riding behind the royals, carrying their standards to show their fealty.

Banners descended from windows in great velvet waterfalls, some murrey, bearing the crest and motto of the King, others blue and bearing the crest and motto of the Queen. All had white roses emblazoned on them, their centres glimmering with the golden thread they'd been embroidered with.

The day was one of splendour and Catherine didn't think she had ever heard the people of London cheer so long or so loud. Not even for Elizabeth!

She'd been worried that the people did not love her but as soon as she'd rode through the gates, the thought had been swept away. They beamed at her, waving, calling, basking in her warm smiles. 'Of course they love you' She could hear her brother say and looked behind to see Hal grinning at her with a look of pride that could consume the entire earth, carrying a standard bearing the Percy colours

She was the link between York and Lancaster, she was the Lady of the North who helped to bring peace and prosperity. There were no calls for Queen Elizabeth, there were no calls for Queen Marguerite, there was only Queen Catherine. Queen Catherine of York. She was closer to Gods than to men and somewhere up above she could feel her Father and her Grandfather smiling down on her.

"I love you" She whispered, the soft words lost to the crowd but she kept smiling and raised a hand to wave, summoning a riotous cheer from the people.

"Queen Catherine!" They cried, faces brighter than the sun with happiness "God save Queen Catherine and God save King Richard!" Beside her, Richard beamed, waving to the crowds calling to him as if he had been born to it. While he liked his power and responsibility, he'd never been one to seek the spotlight but now he had been forced into it, no one would've been able to detect his true nature.

He grinned, nodded to his subjects, watching the rose petals falling around him, covering the red velvet beneath his horse's hooves.

Red against white, the Neville colours. God he hoped Catherine didn't see but one look at his wife told him she was too consumed by the day to notice. For centuries, minstrels would sing tales of her beauty, he thought for with her golden hair and bright blue eyes, how could they think her anything less than an angel?

Her beauty was greater than Elizabeth's could ever be for it was not just on the outside.

"Cate!" She answered his call in a moment, light blue eyes meeting his dark ones with a smile on her face. He grinned and nodded ahead, making her attention turn to the great building beginning to loom over them. Westminster Abbey. With towering spires and intricately carved stone, bells calling out with a chime so sweet it was like a choir of angels, even an Emperor would be in awe and Catherine forgot to breathe for a moment.

In the great stone hall, it's pillars and great painted ceiling pointing up to God, she would be crowned Queen. Queen of all England and her husband the King; their son the future ruler. The day was hot but the shadow the building cast them into was cool and goosebumps erupted on her skin, making her shiver as she pulled her horse to a halt.

A hoard of the court had already arrived and some (the highest ranking) were waiting outside of the Abbey doors and bowed the lowest they could before filtering inside. Soon, the nobility of the procession arrived and dismounted, bowing before their King and Queen as mounting blocks were placed for them to descend elegantly to the earth.

Gathering her skirts, Catherine found her hands shaking and only just managed a smile when she saw Hal appear at her side, hand outstretched to help her down.

"One step at a time, sweet sister" He told her and she did what he said, clutching his hand tightly as she descended, Richard too. Her feet hit the earth with a quiet thud and she finally found the courage to breathe again, watching her brother kneel before her. Raising her skirts a little, he gently removed her shoes, as was the custom and smiled up at her, nodding for her to take the hand Richard extended.

He rose with his head bowed and she went to her husband, smiling at him while the crowds cheered relentlessly behind them.
"See" He murmured as she slipped her hand into his and he held them high between them "They love us"

"They do!" Anne agreed, lifting the train of the Queen's furs while Hal lifted the King's and Francis collected the large sword of state, a gigantic blade with a bejewelled hilt he held proudly in front of him, the point upright "And shall continue to do so"

Just like at the Tower, trumpets called out and Richard squeezed Catherine's hand as they set their gazes forward and moved up the velvet-covered steps into the house of God.

"King Richard! Queen Catherine!" That was the last thing they heard before the doors were pulled closed and the royal couple were faced with the court.

All was silent as they took slow, measured steps down the centre of the vast Abbey chamber, the stone of the floor ice cold beneath their bare feet. Every breath they took shook with anticipation as the two thrones set on the dais at the end of the hall came closer and closer, as did the Archbishop of Canterbury standing between them, hands clasped, robes glittering.

Beside the thrones, placed on two cushions held by Bishops, were the crowns, polished, glimmering, but neither the King nor the Queen looked at them. They couldn't bring themselves to. Not yet.

The nobility of England stood on either side of the isle, bowing and curtsying as the King and Queen passed, bowing their heads in submission. Richard and Catherine kept their eyes forward, letting them ascend to the ceiling every so often, praying to God for success until they finally came to the foot of the dais and they slowly sunk to their knees.

Anne and Hal laid out their cloaks behind them and Francis lay the sword of stare at the foot of the thrones, bowing before the three went to take their places.

The King and Queen let their hands separate and brought their own together, clasping them in prayer as the Archbishop approached them and made the sign of the cross over their heads. A third bishop came to his side and offered the bowl of holy oil they were to be anointed in and his superior dipped a finger into it, coming to stand before Richard who raised his head.

"With this oil, I do anoint thee before God" He said, painting a cross on the King's forehead before making the same sign over his head and moving to the Queen. Taking a deep breath, Catherine looked up at him, hands still clasped and watched as he once more collected the oil before it was pressed to her forehead in the same holy sign of the cross "With this oil I do anoint thee before God"

Stepping back, he gestured for the two in front of him to rise and take their places on the thrones behind.

Catherine gulped and gathered her skirts, rising as steadily as she could to her feet and making her way to the Queen's throne. Her throne. The throne she had seen both Elizabeth and Marguerite occupy before her. What did Elizabeth think of her now? Was Marguerite watching from heaven? Was she pleased at the Queen's ascension or did her hatred for York burn brighter than ever?

Catherine had no time to think of answers and before she knew it, she was turning, lowering herself down onto the great throne occupied by so many before her and she was faced with the crowd. Looking ahead, she avoided all of their eyes, even the eyes of her Mother and Duchess Cecily who occupied the front row and looked on proudly.

The only person she dared glance for at a moment was Richard beside her, the sight of him giving her a little reassurance as their hands were lifted and the ceremonial rings slid onto their fingers. For once, the drone of Latin flowing from the Archbishop's mouth made no sense to her, it was simply a jumble of beautifully crafted words; holy words that would make her Queen.

A golden sceptre was placed in Richard's hand, then one in hers and she gulped when her fingers curled around the icy metal, melding her to the throne. The speech of Latin continued and when the Archbishop escaped the corner of her eye for one moment, she knew the weight of the crown would soon be set on her head.

First Richard was approached and he stared stonily ahead, the picture of composure "With this crown, I declare you, in the name of Almighty God, Richard, King of England, third of his name since the conquest" Edward's shining crown, encrusted with bejewelled splendour was lowered onto his head but not once did he blink, not once did he let his confidence waver "God save the King!" The Archbishop declared and the room erupted with the echo of his words, calling not just to Richard but the Lord himself.

Over and over again, the sacred words were called, yelled and it was only when the Queen's crown was taken up that the chamber once more fell to silence.

Catherine stared forward with the same determination Richard had, clutching her sceptre firm and steady as the Archbishop's footsteps halted beside her and she felt the mark of majesty held over her head "With this crown, I declare you, in the name of Almighty God, Catherine, Queen of England!" The crown was lowered onto her head and she kept her chin raised, feeling the weight send an ache down her neck.

It was an ache she must bear, she thought, and she'd do it proudly "God save the Queen!"

"God save the Queen!" The nobility cried, over and over just as they'd done for Richard "God save the Queen!" Even though the myriad of voices high and low, Catherine could hear her Mother's, calling out to her, proud, with a loving warmth so strong, she could feel it envelope her in safety "God save the Queen!" All cried again and the Abbey bells began to ring once more.