~Smoke and Mirrors~

February 1478, Westminster Palace....

With a contented sigh, Constance brushed her hands over the gentle swell beneath her nightgown gown, looking out over the palace gardens from her bedchamber; the bushes bathing in the golden rays of morning. She was four months along and glowed with the health of pregnancy, her cheeks rosy; hair shining.

"Perhaps you will make me the proud Mother of three Princes?" She murmured, cradling the small bump as she sat by the hearth, basking in the warmth of the fire battling against the winter chill "You will be called Charles if you are, my own little Charlie, for my Father"

Glancing over to the little table beside her, she took up the letter from its polished surface, snapping the wax seal that bore a York rose with a crown. In keeping with her vow, she'd written to Marie every day and her daughter had written back dutifully, every piece of parchment infused with love.

Unfolding the paper, she sighed, smiling at the sight of Marie's familiar handwriting.

My Dearest Lady Mother and beloved Queen,

Edward, Uncle Dickon and I fast approach London and both my brother and I cannot wait to be admitted to your presence once more. I have missed you as I would miss my own heart if I lost it and long for the days where we may sit and talk as we once did. I've missed my Lord Father most dearly (as has Edward who is eager to show him his skills with the sword) and hope he shall indulge me in a dance one night, perhaps at the masque you have planned?

I still adore my Ladies and am most grateful you chose them to serve me! We are firm friends and I am particularly attached to Joan who possesses the greatest talent for humour I have ever known! Lady Alice is a good and kind friend to me, helping me navigate my household so I may attend each task to perfection as you do and, once more, am grateful you selected her as my governess.

Since I saw you this Christmas past, I have grown at least an inch so that I soon may be as tall as you, although Neddy is definitely building the stature of a King! While six years my junior he is superior in height and towers over most boys his age, making him look older in years!

I know he and Uncle Dickon were not able to travel to see you at Christmas due to the snow they suffered at Ludlow but he had told me each day of our travel (and will have told you in his own letters) he misses you and Father dearly and was most sorry he could not be in attendance at court.

Uncle Dickon says we must depart now so I shall end here, Mother, wishing you, and the baby, all the health our Lord above can bestow.

Your ever-loving, humble daughter,

Princess Marie of England

Laying the better down with a smile, Constance felt excitement bubble in her stomach. Her two eldest would arrive any day now and she couldn't wait to hold her precious little ones in her arms, though from the sound of it Edward was no longer very little! The thought of her boy growing made her heart fill with both joy and sadness, wondering what he would be like as an adult.

A knock came at the door and Constance called for entry, letting out a cry of delight when her little boy toddled through into her bedchamber, one tiny hand in his nurse's.

"Well, good morning, sweet boy!" She always had little Richard brought to her when she rose "And how are we today?" Richard giggled happily as he reached his Mother, letting go of his nurse and clinging to her skirts, trying to hoist himself up.
"Mama!" He babbled and she lifted him into her arms, waving his nurse away "Mama! Mama!"

"Yes, my darling!" She cooed, smoothing a hand over his feathery brown hair "and don't you look handsome today!" He was in a little gown of dark blue velvet, embroidered with gold thread and nuzzled into her neck before plonking himself on her lap, clapping his hands "You are so very perfect" She murmured "My sweet sweet boy....your brother and sister think so too, see" She picked up the letter, holding it for him to look at "This is from Marie"

"Mawe!" He repeated happily, still unable to pronounce her name properly.
"Yes, my love! And she's coming to us with your older brother Neddy!"
"Eddy!"
She chuckled, kissing him.
"And they will sit you on their laps like you sit on mine and tell the stories of where they live!"

"Home" Richard hummed and Constance took his little hand, pressing a gentle kiss to it.

"Yes, sweet boy, they have their own homes now, but you will not for a long time, I have decided to keep you with me, just as I kept Marie. After all, it is not unusual for second sons to stay with their Mothers" Richard babbled to himself, watching his Mother as she helped him to stand on her knees, hands on his tiny waist "Your sisters will belong to foreign nations, your brother belongs to England, but you, my sweet boy, are mine and mine alone" 

"Another morning with our Prince?"
Constance looked up with a smile as Edward walked in, already dressed, and sunk down into the chair opposite. Little Richard immediately noted his presence and turned in his Mother's arms, giggling and clapping his hands; reaching out.

"Would you like to go to your Father, sweeting?"
"Papa! Papa!" Richard babbled and Constance passed him to his Father who sat him on his lap, pressing a kiss to his hair.

"I remember Dickon when he was this age" He murmured fondly "He was smaller but a curious little thing who's spirit could not be doubted even then! He had a fondness for trying to cram anything and everything into his mouth! Even George's fingers! He bit them once...." The mirth in his voice trailed away, leaving a listlessness stirred by memories. Constance's smile fell too.

"Still no word of George?"
He shook his head.

"Still no word of George. I didn't think the slippery bastard had any friends but it seems he does for they're keeping him hidden. In all honesty I'm surprised he hasn't fled to Burgundy to plead his case with our sister now her husband is dead, he wished to marry your niece too, demanded it after the peace treaty with France, but, then again, he was never the brightest although he thinks he could outwit God himself with little effort"

"He was never the kindest either" Constance murmured, watching her son play with his Father's golden chain "The sorcerer you caught and executed on his lands predicted our deaths, Edward, I only hope he does not approach London and...."

"He will not hurt our children" Edward interrupted sternly, reading her thoughts "He will never harm our children and he will not do so at this masque as I know you are worrying about. There will be extra guards around the palace and London all night if he does come here, which likely means he's regained his wits and wishes to grovel as usual, he will not want to hurt his chances of regaining his lands by harming the children"

"You said yourself he had descended into madness" She countered and Edward sighed, an affectionate smile on his lips as he placed Richard on his chair and knelt at her skirts.

"Pensez-vous que je laisserais quelqu'un faire du mal à nos bébés?" 'Do you think I would ever let anyone harm our babes?' He asked, cradling her cheek with one hand, the other placed on her belly. She shook her head, knowing he'd raise heaven to the ground before he allowed that "Alors c'est tout ce qu'il y a à dire, ne te laisse pas troubler, ma chérie, c'est mon devoir juré de les protéger et toi et moi, de quoi que ce soit à tout moment" 'Then that is all there is to be said, do not let it trouble you, sweetheart, it is my sworn duty to protect them and you and I shall, from anything at any time'

Standing, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, then the tip of her nose, then her lips, punctuating each one with a whispered 'I love you'.
"Je t'aime aussi" 'I love you too' She replied "Et je te fais confiance" 'and I trust you'
"Good. Now, I shall send for our breakfast, we will take it together"

༻᯽༺

"Richard!" Constance greeted merrily as she descended the palace steps into the courtyard, smiling as her brother in law bowed to her "It gladdens my heart to see you!"
"As it does mine to see you!" He chuckled, accepting her hug happily before she moved away to see to her children.

Marie clambered our first, bedecked in jewels and a beautiful emerald green gown trimmed with ermine and a placket of cloth of gold; a cloak to match.
"Ma Mère!" The thirteen year old exclaimed happily, her eyes glowing with the light of a thousand stars when she saw her Mother, curtsying quickly before rushing into her arms.

"My dear girl! My dear little love!" Constance laughed, overcome with joy as she felt her daughter sink into her embrace again, felt her soft hair beneath her crown "It seems an age since I saw you!"
"It is but two months" Marie giggled, smiling when her Mother kissed her cheeks "but I have grown!"
"I'm sure you have!"

"So have I, Mother!"
Constance gasped as her son stepped forth from the carriage, handsomely dressed in York murrey and blue, cloth of silver making his cloak, and taller than she'd ever imagined him to be, Marie had been right as always! He wore a bejewelled dagger on his leather belt, along with a small sword. She realised with a jolt, he looked even more like his Father, even his smile was truly now Edward's as he stepped forth and swept a graceful bow before embracing her.

"Mama" He sighed happily and Constance wrapped her arms around him, inhaling the scent of lavender in his golden hair. He may have grown but he was still her little boy.

"My sweet boy" She murmured "My darling Edward, how I have missed you! I think my heart may have broken had I been forced to wait longer to see you!"
"I've missed you too!" He told her "but I'm happy with Uncle Dickon and Marie comes to visit!"

"I am glad!" She replied, pulling away and linking her arms with her children's "You must warm yourselves in my chambers and tell me all of what has happened since I saw you last! Your Father shall wish to hear too once the council frees him! Neddy, I hear you have advanced in the art of the sword?"

"I have!" He said, preening as they mounted the steps "and I should very much like to show you and Father!"

"I'm sure he will be more than pleased to watch! He may even challenge you to a duel!"
Edward laughed.
"If so he will surely win! Uncle Dickon says he's the finest warrior England has ever seen!"

"And you, Marie?" Constance asked "I expect to meet your ladies soon! Especially since your praise of them was so high and I did not do so at Christmas! I also receive letters from Lady Alice, as you know, and she says you are as apt at running a household as you are at everything else you put your hand to!"
"She is an excellent tutor!"

They chatted all the way to the Queen's chambers and Constance ordered food, the children's favourite tarts and sweetmeats, as they settled by the fire, Marie elegantly removing her cloak and draping it over the back of her chair.

"Thank you!" She said as her Mother poured her a cup of hot spiced wine from a silver pitcher and Edward grinned as he bit into a candied orange segment his Father had had imported and made for the Queen's pregnancy.

"Only the best for you, my loves" She replied, taking one for herself and settling in her chair "You too" She murmured, looking down and stroking a hand over her belly.

༻᯽༺

"It is perfect" Constance hummed happily, admiring her cloth of silver gown in the mirror with its hanging sleeves, trimmed with ermine, marching perfectly with her diamond jewellery. Her eyes flicked up to her head, her hair in an intricate braid, crafted by Florence, pearls throughout it, and her face with a silver unicorn mask, the horn encrusted with light sapphires.

It was a creature, representing virtue and grace, possessing the power to purify poisoned waters and the Queen had thought it perfect for the masque! The Unicorn was only able to be caught by virgins and she was married to Edward, whom she thought was the furthest from a virgin a man could get, but merely chuckled at the thought.

"You look beautiful" Beth praised, donning the mask of a rabbit and Katherine bummed in agreement, wearing the mask of a falcon. Florence's mask was a dog, Margaret's an owl, Isabella's a griffin and Lizzy's a beautiful white dove.

"As do all of you" Constance replied "We make quite a fine group, don't you agree? A mix of both wise and kind creatures"
"I glimpsed the decorations for tonight!" Margaret said, a buzz of excitement to her voice "they are most beautiful!"

The door opened and Constance laughed in delight as Edward strode in, donning a doublet of cloth of gold beneath a great furred robe, wearing a lion's mask. Of course he had chosen a lion, she thought, smiling widely as he walked over to her and her ladies curtsied.

"Your grace" They chorused and she waved them away.

"You may enjoy the night!"

"Ah, my beautiful Queen!" Edward greeted as they left, sweeping her into his arms and kissing her soundly on the lips "You look divine, the unicorn suits you!"
"As the lion suits you!" She returned, stroking the fur at the top of his mask "Have you had Neddy dressed as a lion cub?"

"I have!" He confirmed proudly "He shall, after all, one day, be as I am! Be King! A proud English lion! Marie is a Phoenix, her gown is truly exquisite!"
"Ah!" Constance exclaimed "She's refused to tell me what her costume is; says it's a surprise!" Edward grinned.

"Then when we see her, we shall be the very portrait of shock!"
"I very much hope so! You know how much she yearns for our approval"
"And we will give it at every turn!"
She giggled as Edward went down on one knee and gently placed his hands on either side of her belly.

"Hello, little Prince" He murmured against the bump, resting his head against it "this shall be your first masque! When you are born I shall take you to see the lions at the Tower menagerie! I'm sure you would like that!"

"A newborn babe listening to the roar of lions?" Constance laughed "I'm not sure that shall go very well, my love! In any case, it shall have to wait, we have a masque to attend"
"Indeed we do, let us go!" He took her hand and, together, they processed out of her chambers and she had to hold back a gasp at the glittering sight that met her eyes.

Vines wound around every pillar and tapestry rail, glimmering with cloth of gold ribbons. The echo of drums and flutes filled her ears, the scent of hot food filled her nose. Dancers dressed as mythical creatures, fawns, dryads, fairies, flirting gracefully this way and that, winding themselves amongst the courtiers who had certainly made an effort with their costumes!

Most wore masks bearing their family emblem so she knew who many were but that didn't distract from the beautiful spectacle they made in the light of the torches. They let themselves be lead about the castle by the dancers and soon, Edward had found their son (who was adorable in his lion cub costume, the very miniature image of his Father) and was following one with him.

Constance was happy to explore alone, giggling almost girlishly as a nymph spun around her skirts, a mask of leaves hiding her face before she glided away.

"Lady Mother!"

"Marie!" She exclaimed as her daughter approached, her mouth forming into a small O as she sunk into a curtsy and her costume glowed in the light. Marie's gown looked like fire, a mix of red velvet and orange silk, making her gown an array of feathery flames. The sleeves were long, dagged and trailed on the floor like wings and her mask was just as beautiful, cloth of gold with orange silk swirls; a trail of silver thread around them.

"You look beautiful, little love!" Even with her mask, Constance could see the way Marie flushed pink with pride, grinning from ear to ear.
"Thank you, ma Mère! I see you are a unicorn? You suit silver"
Constance smiled.

"As you suit the phoenix's flames!" Reaching out, she linked their arms and they continued the exploration of the palace together "Have you had chance to enjoy the revels? Have your ladies?"

"They adore them! Particularly Grace! She's never been to a court masque be...." Her voice trailed away as she realised her mistake, biting her tongue and cursing herself as she heard her Mother's sharp intake of breath. Grace had become very dear to her heart but she had to remember not to speak of her before her Mother! "My apologies" She quickly said, squeezing her arm "I did not think"

"You do not need to" Constance returned, smiling warmly at her, all trace of awkwardness gone from her expression "I am glad you are fond of her, I met her before I sent her to you, did you know?" Marie shook her head, more than surprised "I thought her very sweet, she inherited your Father's good qualities as well as his fair looks and her Mother has raised her well with all the grace and charms of a Lady yet feeding her no ideas above her station"

Anyone who heard would know she was talking about the Woodvilles.

"Father made my eldest bastard brother the Earl of Salisbury last year" Marie murmured and Constance nodded.

"He did. I suppose he had to do something of the sort, all Kings do, but let us pay no mind to the Woodville brood tonight, little love, let us enjoy it! We will find your Father and he shall give you the dance you wished for!"

Marie smiled, leaning her head against her Mother's shoulder. She was right, she had no need to think about the Woodvilles, they were of no consequence now. They lived in obscurity and there they would stay.

Eventually they came to a small clearing in the halls where the King and his son were standing.
"Father!"
"Ah, Marie!" Curtsying quickly, she embraced him and he chuckled "I believe you wished for a dance?"
"I did, Father!"
He took her hand, smiling.
"Come! I know where the dancing is!"

Constance smiled as she watched them walk away, Edward complimenting their daughter's costume while Marie chatted away, eager to tell him every detail of her life away from court. There would definitely be a conversation on hunting that night and that was something that would see them both enthused!

"You look very noble!" She said as Neddy bowed to her, grinning.
"Thank you, ma Mère. I wish my mane were a little bit bigger" He murmured, plucking at the wisps of orange fur to make them bigger and Constance chuckled, taking his hands.
"It will be" She assured him "When you are older you will be the same as your Father"

"That is what I keep telling him every time he complains about not being tall enough!" Richard's voice joked and she looked up to see him smiling, donning a cloth of silver doublet and a white boar mask.

"Well I think you're quite tall enough already!" She told Neddy who instinctively pulled himself up to his full height "You are only seven, sweet boy, if you keep growing at the rate you are you will be a giant!"
"I think I would quite like that" He hummed in reply "I could stamp on Lancastrians!"

That set both adults laughing, Richard shaking his head affectionately.
"I don't think there are any left for you to stamp on, lad!" He said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder "But if the Scottish continue their border raids
you may go and stamp on them!"

Edward seemed pleased at that and bowed before walking away, saying he was going to find one of his friends.

"Rob's eldest son" Richard informed her "He stays at Middleham often and the two have become fast friends, they remind me of Francis and I when we were young!" It made Constance happy to know her son was content; that he had friends. She often worried if he had companions and thought it may be time to appoint some to him, like Richard had when he was a boy.

"In fact" He continued as they began to walk, an amused smile on his face "He has developed a liking for Sir Robert Brackenbury's eldest daughter, Anne!" Constance laughed quietly to herself, shaking her head.

"I suppose it would only be expected for him to take after Ned!"

"Indeed" Richard agreed "It is rather funny to watch, though, the little, or rather not so little, Prince of Wales trailing after a girl twice his age like a pageboy! I didn't know Ned when he was seven, I wasn't alive, but I do remember him being able to seduce any woman he wanted. He got at least five of my attendants into his bed when I was a boy!"

"Of course he did" Constance chuckled, she could well imagine Edward seducing his little brother's nurses. He was still a very handsome man but when he was in his youth, at the age she'd met him, and younger, he truly had been irresistible - clearly God's favourite "I imagine all he had to do was say a few sweet words, do a few sweet things, gaze at them with those eyes of his....it worked on me! How goes life at Ludlow?"

"Quiet" He answered "Which suits me perfectly fine! After the war with France I worried I would never have one year of peace in my life!"
"Now you have had two!" She laughed, smiling when he offered her his arm and she took it "And we will have many more! Unless Edward takes it into his mind to invade Scotland, which I don't believe he will do. He has enough on his agenda"
"Don't we all, Con...."

"Neddy has been telling me of the hunting trips you take him on!" She said brightly "He says you are the best shot the world has ever seen!" Richard chuckled, giving an affectionate shake of his head.
"I'm not as good as Ned, I shall loose my high position once he is at court more and sees him hunt!"

"Hm, maybe so" She agreed "but you will never lose the place in his heart! He adores you, Dickon, looks up to you! From the way he talks, you are more a second Father to him than an Uncle" Constance saw the way his cheeks flared at that, followed by the characteristic slight bashful bow of his head.

"He speaks too highly of me"
"Nonsense! You are the best of men, Richard, it is only natural he should view you in such a light!"

"There is weakness, can you not all smell it?"

A wretched voice echoed through the air, thick with rage and twisted by madness.

"It is crumbling, soon it will fall and you will all be crushed by it!"

Constance and Richard's heads snapped towards one another.
"George"
Before she had even finished breathing the word, Richard had taken her hand and began pulling her through the palace, back the way they came, the courtiers beginning to murmur amongst themselves as George's voice grew louder.

Suddenly their masks were no longer fun - they were frightening.

"My King!" Richard yelled as Edward appeared at the end of a corridor and he hurried towards them, pulling off his mask.
"The swine is here!" He hissed "I can hear him!"
"We can all hear him!" Constance snapped, looking behind him "Edward....where are the children?"

Her heart leapt with fear in her chest, pounding against her ribs at a bruising rate.

She'd feared he'd come to London, she'd feared he'd harm her children. Edward said he would not but here George was and her children were nowhere to be seen.

"Marie?" She called, pulling off her own mask, looking around as it tumbled from her hand to the floor "Marie! Edward!"
Picking up her skirts, she began to run back down the corridor and Edward went in the other direction.

"Remove your masks! Now!" He roared and the courtiers did as they were bade, the Queen's ladies and King's men hurrying to find the royal children and the royal traitor.

"My friend, Thomas Burdett refused the quicker death that he was entitled to if he had confessed his guilt! Now what does that tell you about this man?"

Constance covered her ears as George's voice struck the air again, seeping into her mind, seemingly twisting around the tree branches as the dancers did.

"George!" She heard Edward yell and continued her run, tears pooling in her eyes as she called out to her children.

"Marie! Edward! Where are you?"
"George! You coward!"

"Mother! Mother we are here!"
Constance let out a cry as she came to a circle where four of the corridors connected, a fire in the centre, and her beloved children rushed from the one opposite.

"Oh, my loves!" Reaching out, she pulled them into her arms, taking away their masks so she could see they were truly well "He did not harm you? You have not seen him?" They both shook their heads, knowing full well of whom she spoke.

"If he had conceded, his heirs could've inherited, but he refused!"

"Where is he?" Edward demanded, storming out of the gloom with Richard and James by his side, courtiers appearing all around them "George!"

"Because this man, this man was innocent!"

He was everywhere and nowhere all at once, an invisible phantom floating through each corridor, each word more poisonous and twisted than the last.

"So your King, your great King, your beloved Edward. Is. A. Murderer. Just as you've murdered before, eh, Edward? When you took a pillow and you smothered old King Henry!"

The royals looked around wildly, Constance gasping when George suddenly appeared in the corridor facing her, materialising from nowhere like a demon come to wreak havoc.

He was dressed from head to toe in black, his skin deathly pale yet marred with purple crescents under his sunken eyes so dark they could've been bruises. In the torchlight, his eyes lost their dark brown hue and turned to an endless pool of black, wide with grief and madness.

She exhaled shakily.

His brothers froze at the sight, struck dumb for a moment as they took in the figure they knew to be George yet seemed a poor replacement for the handsome figure they'd once known. The nobles didn't dare approach him, pressing themselves into the walls as if they hoped to melt into the tapestries in an effort to stop his mad gaze turning on them.

"You are weak" He hissed at Edward, taking a step forward, the click of his boots echoing around the corridor "You have been ever since you let that Woodville whore into your life, that witch! She murdered my firstborn son, she murdered my wife! She has taken your soul and she rules England through you! You are her puppet!"

"George, you are mad!" Edward yelled and George's expression dropped from one of anger to despair as he stepped forward again, eyes twitching.

"Connie" He tried and she flinched, quaking "You believe me don't you?" A hopeful yet utterly terrifying smile momentarily stretched his lips "You know what I say is true! You have been victim to her to! She murdered your children!" His smile faded when she didn't reply and he stepped forward again, his voice raising to a shout "She cursed your babes and she killed them! Your sons and your daughters lie in the cold ground because of her and you know it!"

His gaze snapped back to Edward.

"England will rot in hell because of her! Because of you! Your kingdom will crumble and you will weep for those you love just as I have! You will feel my anger, you will feel my pain and you will feel it now!" With a maddened screech, he drew his dagger and lunged towards the King.

"No!" Edward roared, as the air filled with the clang of swords being drawn "Protect the Queen!" He yelled but need not have spoken for Richard was already in front of Constance, pushing her protectively behind him, sword drawn. Neddy did the same with Marie but she didn't show one flicker of fright. She slipped the dagger she carried from her sleeve and pointed it before her, standing by her brother.

George surged forward, eyes blazing, but as his knife came down, James blocked his path, throwing himself at him and tackling him to the ground. Constance screamed, clutching Richard's arm as she saw the dagger pierce her brother's doublet, sinking beneath his clothes and into his body.

"Jamie!"
The King's men and Edward himself piled onto James, holding George fast as he struggled, throwing strings of vile curses into the air, kicking and screaming like a man possessed.

"Take him!" Edward ordered "Take him!"
He was immediately obeyed and his guards dragged his brother away, binding his mouth to silence him at last.

Pushing Richard aside, Constance rushed to her brother, dropping to her knees, tears splashing down her face as she turned him over, fearing him dead.

"Jamie!" She sobbed, relived to see his eyes were open, though his face was twisted with pain.
"Went into my fucking shoulder" He gasped and she could see he was right, the dagger's hilt pressed up against his doublet, the knife beneath, soaking the velvet with warm blood.

"Don't leave me! You cannot leave me, Jamie!"
Despite his agony, he gave her a wry smile, flinching as he reached up and took her hand.
"Oh please, sister, you cannot be rid of me so easily!"

Constance tried to laugh but found she couldn't, she could only watch as servants brought a stretcher and gently carried James away. Trembling all over, she slowly got to her feet, her silver skirts stained with the crimson blood of her brother.

Looking at her husband and children with glistening eyes, she let out a quaking breath and so did Edward, pulling her and their children into him and hugging them fiercely; a shaken man.