~Where my Heart Doth Lie~

May 1470....

"Papa!"

Henry's excited screech filled the air as he caught sight of his Father riding through the Tower gates beside the King. Attempting to pull away from his Mother's skirts, his little legs were eager, trying to run despite being able to manage little more than a quick toddle. Even then he had a tendency to fall and so Catherine held him fast, scooping him into her arms while the Queen stood at her side.

The sun shone down upon them, gloriously blinding against the backdrop of clear blue that coloured the sky, celebrating the York victory. The storm was long gone, it's fury vanished, fallen to allow entry to the soft peace that filled the land. For then, at least.

Neither woman had spoken of that nightmarish night since it'd come to pass two weeks ago but no words needed to leave their lips for the other to know of the constant dread filling their stomach at the memory of it.

It was a dread that refused to sway, refused to dissipate even when Elizabeth revealed that she was with child; carried a York Prince within her belly. The river had told her of her good fortune, she said, and now she prayed daily to the Holy Virgin for the safe deliverance of her son. Still the worry of the storm lingered, not even lessened by the joy of new life, leading Catherine to believe a life had been taken.

But who's, she could not say.

The King grinned from ear to ear as he rode to the Tower steps, signalling over his shoulder for the heavy wagons that followed to gather by his side. They were filled with peaches and salt cod, Catherine realised and Elizabeth let out an overjoyed cry, rushing to her husband as he leapt from his horse to embrace her.

"For my Queen and our son!" He declared, looking triumphantly to his brother who let a small smile flit across his lips "And you must have some too Dickon!"

"Papa!" Henry squealed again, wiggling in his Mother's arms and that was when Richard's face truly lit, eyes filling with adoration at the sight of his wife and child. The relief was all too clear and Catherine could not help but rush down the wooden steps to greet him, gathering his armoured body into her soft embrace; Henry clasped between them.

"Oh, my love" She breathed, pressing kisses to his cheeks "You do not know...."

"How relived you are?" He finished with a wry smile, smoothing a hand over Henry's flaxen curls as the little boy clasped onto the leather straps of his armour "As relived as I am, I'll wager" Lifting his son into his arms, he took Catherine's hand, gently leading her away from the confines of the tower while Edward and Elizabeth indulged in their joyous reunion.

The Duchess stole a ripened peach as she passed one of the wagons, rubbing a thumb over its soft, fuzzy skin while she thought.

In silence the little family wandered, away from the arriving horses, away from their King and Queen, walking slowly across the green to where a great oak lay. A soft breeze stirred the air around them, rustling the tree's leaves as they ducked under its snakelike branches, settling themselves at the sturdy base.

Though he was free to move, Henry chose to stay with his Father, settling himself happily in his lap while the two seventeen year olds gazed at one another. Reaching out, Catherine brushed a hand through Richard's soft curls, letting her palm rest against his cheek.
"I love you" She whispered and he smiled, turning his head to kiss her fingers.
"I know, ma belle"

"Ma...mama!" Henry called, reaching out curiously for the peach she held and grinning when it was promptly handed to him.

He held the rounded fruit carefully, letting his fingers gently prod at the soft flesh until he decided to let his mouth explore; little teeth digging into the skin. A stream of juice ran down his dimpled chin, dripping onto the collar of his doublet and his parents smiled, chuckling at the delighted giggle that left him at the discovery of such a sweet taste on his tongue.

Looking at her son, Catherine was once more reminded of the dread she felt when she thought of the storm, of the fear a life had been forfeit to the terrifying waves conjured by the Queen's hand.
"Where is Warwick?" She asked quietly and Richard's heavy sigh answered her, a sign of the sadness to come.

"In France" He answered "With George, the Countess, Anne....and Isabel too. They survived the storm and although Edward's men raised the harbour gate of Calais, they made it to shore" A second sigh left his lips "They are safe, in a way, but they are not without their own losses" Catherine frowned, flicking her gaze momentarily to her son as he took another eager bite of peach, completely enthralled by his little meal.

"Their own losses? W-what do you mean?"
Richard shook his head, casting his eyes to the ground.

"Isabel lost her child...." He murmured and immediately Catherine felt guilt seep into her heart, into her soul. Tears pricked at her eyes and she leant her head against the tree trunk, it's rough bark digging into her scalp while remorse twisted in her chest. She did not like Isabel and it would be a lie to say she ever had but never would that dislike make her wish the loss of a child upon her.

No woman deserved that....

Her eyes fluttered close, two tears rolling down her cheeks as the feeling of guilt continued to etch itself into her heart, carving a hole never to be filled. She had not conjured the storm, she had not woven the magic to make the waves rise, the wind blow....but she had been party to it. She had seen, had watched. It was true, she was not to know Isabel was aboard or that her ambitious Father would force her to set sail.

But she was....and he had....

"The babe came too early...." Richard continued quietly "the storm did not help and now, well, Warwick has nothing" Catherine sighed, reaching out and bringing Henry onto her lap, his fingers sticky with peach juice, the only thing still sweet in the world, it seemed.

"You are right...." She breathed "He is desperate and destitute....he has nothing. God he has never been more dangerous! We would be fools to think the worst is over!" Clutching her boy tightly, she pressed a kiss to his hair, watching her husband with worried eyes, especially when he returned her gaze with a look in his eyes that confirmed she was right.

In Warwick losing everything, there was nothing to prevent him from dealing with the devil himself to regain power. He was more dangerous than when he'd had England at his feet; Edward at his beck and call.

"I will keep you safe, sweetheart" Richard promised, taking her hand and kissing it "I will keep you both safe!" Catherine smiled at that, shuffling forward into his embrace while their son crawled between them.

"And who will keep you safe?" She asked, peering up at him "Let's go home, my love. Let us go home to Fotheringhay before our enemies strike. Let us have this summer for our own, Dickon"

"Sumner! Sumner pretty!" Henry gurgled, taking the last of the peach between his lips and biting down eagerly, making Richard smile, nodding his agreement.
"Yes" He replied "Let's go home"

꧁꧂

July, Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire....

A soft smile flitted across Catherine's lips as she gazed out over the ramparts of the bailey, her eyes dancing over the fields of lush green grass and flowers that swayed in the wind. It was perfect, her home, a paradise crafted from God's own hand; an Eden amongst the turmoil that was the rest of England.

Her home.

Richard had fulfilled his promise, he had given her a home, a true home where she and her family belonged and she adored him for it.

The village across from the castle was abuzz with life, calls of merchants and friends echoing through the fresh summer air. The Duchess took delight in watching the colourful dots in the distance go about their daily business, buying food while children played happily in the market square or splashed in the nearby stream.

Fotheringhay's people had rejoiced at their Duke and Duchess' return just three weeks prior and Catherine was sure she could still smell the smoke from the bonfires that had burned bright in the streets. She and Richard had walked through the village with their son the morning after their return, to find they were greeted by bright smiles; cheers so loud they were almost deafening.

The people's warm welcome assured them they were loved and Henry took great delight in playing with the village children. Through bushes and the ever growing crowd of people the little Lord had toddled, a crowd of small friends by his side, making his Mother smile.

She considered it a blessing that he did not yet distinguish between rank and that he was still young enough to play with any whom he chose. Of course, when he grew he could do the same but it would not be advised and by then he would have other young Lords to keep him company. Perhaps soon, he would have a little male cousin by the Queen, she thought. It was what England needed more than anything to defend against Warwick.

The church bells struck two, a delicate chime that echoed across the land in a pleasant melody, familiar to every ear that heard it. Catherine smiled and, with a sigh, she pushed her body from the cold stone she leant against, gathering her crimson coloured skirts in her arms before making for the stairs. Richard had been hard at work that morning, unable even in his own home to escape the calls of courtly duty and so she decided she would see him.

Even if she provided a break that lasted a minute or two, she hoped it would give him some much needed respite. Perhaps she could help lessen his duties as she so often did? It was not a task she particularly enjoyed but for her love she would do it.

Striding through the castle halls, Catherine felt undoubtedly at peace, a happiness thrumming through her veins that put a spring into her step. Skirts rustling behind her, she toyed with the diamond shaped pendant around her neck, running her fingers along the delicate grooves where both she and her husband's mottos were etched.

Binding them together for all eternity.

Sunlight streamed through the open windows, filling the stone passageways with beams of golden sunlight that gave Fotheringhay a life all its own. One peaceful summer was what the Duke and Duchess sought and so far their wish had been granted. Tucked away in their country retreat, they had known naught but happiness and Catherine's smile widened at the sound of her son's merry laughter as it echoed from the floor below.

No doubt he would be playing with Roland for Margery was absent in her chambers. That past week she had given birth to a healthy baby boy, something that had sent the entire Gloucester household into a flurry of good spirits!

The little lad was a strong thing and both Dickie and Margery were more than delighted, christening him John upon the second dawn after his birth. She would visit her trusty friend later, Catherine decided, perhaps take her some flowers from the gardens? After all, Margery did love the roses when they were in bloom!

She knew she did not need to knock and so entered Richard's study unannounced, slipping through the heavy door with a smile on her face.

Her husband was not at his desk but tucked snugly in the arched window behind it, his dark head bent over a letter held firmly in his hands, the words engrossing him so much that he did not notice his wife's arrival. A small frown was fixed upon his lips, one that betrayed deep thoughts swirling around in his avid brain, conjured by the letter's intriguing contents.

Catherine crept forward, slowly sidling towards the desk before she sunk into Richard's great oak chair, arranging her skirts around her.
"What is that, Richard?"

His eyes darted up, widening with surprise when he saw her, grinning at him.
"A letter...."
"Well, I can see that!" She replied and he moved from the window, wandering slowly towards the hearth with his gaze once more fixed on the page he held "Who from?"

"Edward" He murmured quietly and she sighed. Letters from the King had become a constant dread to her for, while they used to be sources of amusement, now they only ever seemed to carry ill tidings!
"It's not about Warwick is it? You seem troubled" She observed, watching him closely.

"I am" He admitted, at long last looking up so that their eyes met once more "But I'm not sure if you shall be" Now it was Catherine's turn to frown and she tilted her head, mulling over his words until he spoke again "Edward has taken the Earldom of Northumberland from John" A surprised gasp filled the room and Richard looked at the letter again as if searching for something that contradicted his words.

Catherine shook her head and her frown deepened, one hand beginning to play with her necklace again as her mind whirled with questions. What cause had Edward to do such a thing? Surely he needed all the support from his allies he could muster with Warwick stirring a storm across the sea. This....this seemed naught but foolishness! And Richard had said she wouldn't be troubled by it! How could she not be?

Besides, she was fond of John, he knew that!

"Taken it?" She exclaimed in disbelief "But John has been naught but loyal to him!"
"I know" Richard replied grimly, still eyeing her with a note of hesitance in his eyes "That is not all"
"Not all?" She echoed, trying to think what else this letter could possibly contain. Only the new owner of such an illustrious title could serve to shock her more, she concluded "Why? Who has he given it to?"

An unusually tense silence thrummed between them.

"Your brother"

Catherine's eyes went wide with shock and once more the room was filled with her disbelieving gasp. She shook her head once, twice, three times, all the while staring at her husband, simply struck dumb. No, Hal could not have the Earldom of Northumberland!

It was his birthright, his true title but Edward had taken it from him! The Percys were enemies to York while John Neville was an ally, an important one that needed to be kept! There was no reason upon the earth why Edward would return the Percys to their previous grandeur!

"Hal? Hal has the Earldom of Northumberland?"

Richard hummed and she shook her head again, her heart caught between disbelief and a blossoming warmth that whispered happiness "Well it is his birthright" She continued "He should have it only...."

"Only John has not done anything wrong and your brother is Lancastrian" Richard finished, making her arch an eyebrow.
"I do not see his loyalty as a reason for denying him...."
"You would if he were any other" He interrupted and she huffed a little.

"To protect our boy! And...." Her voice faded slightly, eyes lowering themselves to the desk beneath "he's my brother, it's different. That title was our Grandfather's, our Father's and now it is his" Nodding to herself, she began to play with the papers strewn over the wooden surface, the notion that there would once more be Percys at Alnwick an almost unbelievable one. It was a dream in truth, a dream she had dreamt for many a year!

"But what of John?"

Catherine sighed at that, knowing her husband to be right. Inside her heart rejoiced for her brother, for the memory of their Father and their Grandfather but that joyful feeling was subdued with worry.

What of John, Richard had asked and she could not help but wonder the same. What would become of Warwick's younger brother now he had been deprived of one of the highest positions in the land? That was a motive for rebellion if any....

"John is loyal" She said, firmly as if to convince herself of the truth of her words which only showed her own doubt in them "He will not sway from Edward's side. He will be loyal to York....I am sure of it"

"Are you?" Richard asked, sounding as worried as she felt before he looked at the letter once more. With a sense of dread creeping into her heart, Catherine knew from that single glance there was more to be said and none of it would be good.
"What?" She murmured, catching the glint of stinging betrayal in his eyes "What has happened?"

"Warwick has allied himself with Marguerite of Anjou and....he's giving young Anne in marriage to her son, Edward of Lancaster"

Catherine's mind spun at his words, a feeling of sickness consuming her very soul and bile rose in her throat, it's bitter taste filling her mouth.

'No' She thought, shaking her head again 'No. No. No' It could not be true! It's simply could not be true! Queen Marguerite would never ally herself with that man! Her hatred for him was as virulent as Catherine's and she knew for a fact Warwick despised the Lancastrian Queen!

To see them together without a blade to the other's throat would be a sight as shocking as God and Satan sitting down to afternoon tea!

Their alliance would be almost a death sentence to the house of York; unavoidably deadly, but one that could never be....surely. Their hatred ran too deep to form an alliance for the sake of a common enemy, she thought, it was not possible for them to put the years of bloodshed aside for the throne....

But, of course, it was.
Nothing was too great a price for the throne.
Not for Queen Marguerite and certainly not for Warwick.

"How can he think to give his own daughter to that monster?"

At those words, Catherine's head snapped upwards and her eyes met her husband's in a blaze of sudden anger that forced her to stand.

"He is not a monster" She hissed, clearly taking Richard aback somewhat "Do not ever say that!"

"How can you be sure?" He demanded and she scoffed, the youthful fondness she'd felt for the young Lancastrian Prince rearing its head at full force even after years of being cast into the dark. In all honesty, the power of the feeling surprised her with its strength, a burning flame that erupted within moments, but she knew it was not a feeling to be denied and did not want it to be denied, letting it consume her, just as she would've done as a girl.

"How is he truly any different from you or your brothers?" She retorted sharply "Truly Richard, tell me! He may be of the blood of a different house but truly how different is Edward of Lancaster from Edward of York? Both believe they are the rightful heir to England's throne, both have been told by all around them that they are the rightful King of England! Both have dreamt of claiming the crown and the only difference is that your Edward managed it!" She shook her head, scoffing again at Richard's dumbstruck expression "Truly how can you name him a monster and not do the same for your own dear brother for I am sure he has killed more men!"

"They say he was ordering the beheadings of men by the age of ten!" He argued, his own anger inflamed by the insults thrown at his beloved elder brother. The protectiveness he felt for Edward's honour was almost childish in nature but it had been cultivated in childhood when his golden brother had been the only person he had to cling to for hope. So how could it have been anything other than childish?

"And would you not have been able to do the same?" Catherine cried in response, fighting the urge to stride up to her young husband and shake him to sense "If that is true then what of it? He only gave the orders, he did not swing the sword! Any child who can speak could do that! And if you were told at ten that you could give an order to end the men who wished your family harm, would you not do the same?"

That forced Richard into silence, his mouth opening and closing while he sought a response that never came. Catherine looked away, a hand once more closing around her necklace while she fought for breath, feeling the tight band of her childhood nightmares begin to force its way around her chest.

She had to leave, she had to run, her mind told her. There and then she had to leave.

"Cate...."
"No!" She yelled and pushed herself away from the desk, rushing across the study and through the door before Richard could take another breath.