~Flames of the Future~

29th of June, 1484, Middleham....

Thrice she'd been to his bed.

She wished it were more but that was not possible, those three times held risk enough. Both Alice and Martha had remarked on the new bloom of healthy colour in her cheeks, the new sparkle to her eyes and lightness in her laugh.

She'd told them it was due to the freedom they'd claimed that past week and Constance hoped they would think no more of it! After all, it wasn't entirely a falsehood!

She relished the moments she and Richard could afford, basking in his affection, and on the third night she lay beside him in his bed, on her front, head on his chest, their intertwined bodies and the thin sheet that covered them, lit by the glow of the fire.

She looked up at him, hands resting beneath her chin, his fingers gently massaging the crown of her head, and smiled. He was so utterly lovely, she thought, as she watched him stare up at the canopy: relaxed, happy. She wanted to remember every inch of his face.

They'd both been well satisfied in the past hours. It was about three in the morning she estimated, only two hours or so left, which meant both were determined to evade sleep. Being so comfortable in one another's company and so warm it proved a rather difficult task but at least they had locked all the doors so no one could enter unannounced.

It made them feel even more disconnected from the real world. With the doors bolted, they were in their own secret haven where no misfortune or misery could touch them. They had only one another and that was all they wanted, all they needed.

She chuckled when a certain thought crossed her mind. Richard glanced down at her.
"What is it, sweetheart?"
"I hope you did not covet me while I was your brother's wife" She replied with a grin "I do remember well the way you looked when I came down the stairs in Burgundy" He raised his eyebrows, resting his head back again and smiling.

"I doubt there is a man alive that would've been able to claim his words, except perhaps a blind one. I for one was certainly glad I could see, even more so now" His fingers trailed down her head to draw gentle patterns on her shoulders and back, the roughness of their calloused tips pleasant against her soft skin. Constance hummed. She had certainly been beautiful that night.

"I never imagined I would be any man's mistress" She murmured. That was what she was, she supposed, she was a women who had lain with a man who was not not her husband. But it was different too, she thought, their partnership was not the same as Edward and Jane Shore's had been or God forbid he and Elizabeth's! No, he had not taken her as his mistress, she was no whore!

She, as a widow, had chosen him as the man with which she wished to share her bed and they did not plan on parading themselves around as men and their Mistresses did!

Surely that made it different, less of a sin perhaps, though she did not much care for her own sins when she knew not if there was a God to hold them against her and there were such demons as Elizabeth and her bastard sons plaguing the earth!

That was another thing, her monthly courses had all but ceased and she had not carried a child in almost four years (heavens, Charlie was growing she thought sadly), she would not bear a bastard! She and Richard were lovers more than merely a man and his mistress for they were equals.

He looked down at her again, an affectionate smile on his lips and sat up somewhat against the headboard, taking her with him, her hair covering them both like a slightly tangled silken blanket.

"You have no husband and I no wife, we are not bound in the eyes of God to others nor by law so if I choose to take you as my Mistress, my sweetheart, who is to stop me?"

There, she thought triumphantly, reassured, Richard thought the same, but that did not stop her reply.

"The Woodvilles"
His smile faltered (as did hers) and he shook his head, his hand ceasing it's gentle strokes on her back to pull her atop him, the other coming to rest upon her cheek as she settled her legs either side of his hips.

"No" He answered bluntly "None shall take you from me, Connie. Not the Woodvilles, not the bastard on the throne" He shook his head again "No one" Her smile returned though she and he both knew they should not make such promises.

"And none shall take you from me" She told him "Not now I have found you" Planting a soft kiss to his lips, she shuffled off his lap and nestled into his side, head on his shoulder; a hand on his chest. His arms encircled her.

"I did not covet you" He said after a moment, making her peer up at him "but I did love you that I shall not deny" He sighed, staring at the hearth "I have always loved you. As a boy I loved you as a sister, as a young man I loved you as a my dear friend and Queen and now" He looked down at her "I love you as a woman, as the flowers love the sun and the stars the night. I confess, I have for some time now"

She took a deep breath, blinking to try and hold back the tears that had unexpectedly sprung to her eyes at his words. He loved her....he truly loved her, clearly holding no qualms about saying so, and she loved him.

Just not in the same way.

She loved him as a very dear friend, more than that as she desired him in every way possible, her body burned for him, but she did not love him as she'd loved Ned.

She half wished she could, that she could return his affections without a second thought, but her heart was still tied to Edward and the bonds that bound them would not easily be undone. He knew that.

"How much time?" She breathed and he kissed the top of her head, gently squeezing his arms around her. She nodded, leaning further into his embrace and the hand around her back trailed down her arm, taking her hand.

He understood.
She knew he did.
They could read one another so well he did not need to say it.

"A little over a year and a half" He answered "Since the Christmas of 1482. I think my affections truly began upon George's death. The way in which you comforted me, attempted to sway Ned to mercy, stirred something within my heart I had not felt since my Anne and it only increased during the few times I saw you after, though it was not until that Christmas, when I looked upon the beauty of your face, the joy it beheld when you laid eyes upon me at my arrival, embraced me, did I realise the true depth of my feelings for you"

Constance smiled and her hands came to cup his face. While she could not return his love, she could show him how much his words meant to her. Leaning forward, she pressed a kiss to his lips, deepening it as the seconds went by until she finally drew away, placing a second kiss to his right cheek. How she came do deserve such a galant and loving man as he, she did not know.

"You are the very best of men" She whispered "And far too good for me" Richard only shook his head.
"Naught is too good for you, Connie" He replied "It never will be. And now I ask you as your humble servant if you would ride with me today" She arched an eyebrow, a smirk tickling her lips.
"I thought I already did"

His merry laugh filled the room, making her heart leap and he grinned at her, mirth sparkling in his eyes as well as fresh desire. It made the pit of her stomach tingle with delighted pleasure.

"Lord my appetite for you is insatiable!" He said "Now come here and kiss me again"

She was more than happy to do as he bade.

༻᯽༺

It was perhaps foolish to ride out without guards but they did so anyway, assuring Isabella (when she noticed they were going unaccompanied - she noticed everything) that they simply wished for some good hunting on such a fine day and would be perfectly safe and back before the sun set.

She'd sworn to hold them to that and they knew she would.

There was no real danger, the people of Middleham and those who lived about were loyal to the house of York, to Richard, and awaited the return of her son almost as eagerly as she. The most they would face outside the castle walls were a few bows and curtsies!

Besides, they would not travel far out of sight of the castle, merely into the woodland above it for there was no telling if they would need to return at any given minute and the sport to be had there was good enough.

They simply wished for an hour or two away from politics as they were in the confines of Richard's bedchamber, only there was no fear of being caught because there was no secrecy and they certainly wouldn't be partaking in the same activities!

And so they headed out from Middleham, the sun pouring down on them, despite some gathering dark clouds sailing across the sky. The air was filled with their lighthearted laughs and jokes, the sound of their horses hooves pounding against the earth; bows and quivers rattling against their saddlebags.

They quickly disappeared into the embrace of the trees, the branches brushing their clothes, skimming their skin.

"That feels a little better!" Richard called over his shoulder to Constance who was only a few paces behind "To be safe from the glare of the sun"

"Indeed" She agreed as they slowed their horses into a brisk trot before slowing to a walk alongside one another. It was true bliss to be free from Richard Grey's insipid conversation that usually polluted such outings "but I think it may rain, I thought so as we rode out"

"And if it does?" Richard asked with an affectionate grin "We have the shelter of the trees and it shall cool the air, sweetheart" A crimson blush immediately rushed to her cheeks and she looked around the woods, conscious of any possible listeners nearby. He'd said it so easily, not hesitating for one moment before the endearment slipped from his tongue. Her gaze found her hands, curled around leather reins.

"I do not like the rain" She said after a moment, looking to the forest ahead "I never have! I do not know if you remember how much I complained of the weather when I first arrived but I like it no more now despite residing upon these shores for almost twenty four years! Far longer than I lived in France!"

"Oh I remember it well!" Richard chuckled with a shake of his head "Most likely due to George's imitations of you which were surprisingly accurate for a boy of eleven"

Her head spun in a flash toward him.
"George?" A surprised laugh left her lips "George used to imitate me?"

"Of course he did!" Richard replied "You were Edward's new wife and French I might add!"
"And George was George!" She finished with a sigh. It was sad - the man he became from the boy he was "I would be surprised if he hadn't made fun of me. That was his nature" He hummed.

George had always possessed a sharp streak, one that would prove amusing when he was young, it was only a shame that streak had corroded the rest of him and turned his quick witted tongue to a knife; his blood to poison.

"Was" Richard repeated rather wistfully "So many people we knew have been lost to death"
Too many. It was true. But they were not allowed to think on such things for the moment and it would do them no good to wallow in grief for lost souls.

"Not one another" She said, a soft smile gracing her lips, prompting his suddenly gloomy expression to fade almost instantly.

"No" He agreed "And we won't"
"I do not think our hunt shall boast great success. It's going to rain for certes" She said, looking up at the sky which was quickly becoming encased in grey but Richard only grinned again.
"Then we'll get wet" And he nudged his horse into a trot, leaving her to catch up, huffing a laugh.

She truly hated the rain.
But her love for being in the company of Richard far outweighed her animosity and so she eagerly followed.

They rode for a half hour or so until they came to a small clearing, scattered with rocks large enough to perch on, a few of them beneath the leafy branches of the surrounding trees. Attached to their saddlebags, lying limp, were the afternoon's spoils.

Despite Constance's misgivings, they'd managed to shoot two pheasants and a rather unlucky rabbit. It was no King's feast but it was a victory all the same.

Looking around, satisfied the glade would prove a fine place to eat the food they'd brought, Richard dismounted and tied his reins to a tree, patting his horse's neck before quickly turning back in to Constance.

Before she could even move an inch from her saddle he was at her side, offering up his arms with a smile. She felt a heated blush creep onto her cheeks again.

"Why thank you, Sir" She said as she moved her skirts, butterflies taking flight in her stomach as she slid into his embrace, his hands resting on her waist.
"It is an honour, my lady" He murmured, lowering her to the floor and brushing his lips against her neck before they parted. Winking, which made her body burn, he took her horse's reins, tying them next to his.

Wherever they were, whatever they were doing, he always wished to take care of each and every thing for her no matter how small, she thought, as she watched him. Whether it was offering her his arm when they walked or pulling out a chair for her each time she entered a room, he was always there, seeking ways to be attentive.

Once her horse was seen to, he untied his own thin summer cloak and draped it across a patch of grass before holding out his hand to Constance; helping her to sit. As she arranged her skirts while Richard fetched the food in their saddlebags, she found her gaze drawn to the sky again which was now entirely covered with soft grey clouds, tinted with a hint of black.

It was then she felt the cold splash of a raindrop hit the tip of her nose.

"No, no, absolutely not!" She declared, scrambling to get to her feet, glaring at Richard as he laughed, hands full of wrapped food while he watched her rush under the trees "It is not funny! I refuse to be drenched!"
"It's barely spitting!" He replied, still chuckling, and she scoffed. Ever since Edward had told her the variations of English rain, she'd hated that particular word, it was vulgar!

"Well if you are content to be covered in spit then by all means, remain in the gaze of the sky, my Lord!"
"It will not harm you!"
"It will harm my gown!"

As the droplets began to patter down at a greater paces, more and more falling from the darkened sky, the sound of galloping hooves emerged from the trees; quickly becoming apparent they were approaching.

"Return to the horses" Richard ordered and she immediately complied, rushing to detach their horses reins and hoist herself back into her saddle while he snatched up his cloak, stuffing the food back into the saddle bags. Turning their mounts, Richard's hand on the hilt of his dagger, they looked into the trees to see a rider garbed in York's murrey and blue fast approaching.

"Oh wonderful" Richard muttered bitterly under his breath for a rider being sent for them meant they were needed at the castle "I wonder if Grey has managed to escape and is threatening to throw himself from the ramparts"

"Oh, don't joke!" Constance scolded, anxiously watching the messenger approach. There was no predicting what news could be brought, only that it would likely be bad.

"Your graces!" The man called out as he arrived, sweeping the feathered cap he donned from his head to sweep a bow from the saddle "I apologise for the interruption but news has been received that could not wait"

"Well?" Constance demanded, sitting up a little straighter, nails digging crescents into her palms. The man inclined his head toward her.
"The King, your son, has landed upon English soil with the Princess Marie and many thousands of men"

The world about them slowed and she was sure time halted entirely for a moment with those words, rendering her unable to summon any form of reply other than a shaking exhale. He'd said her son had come, that he had landed. It felt she had been waiting an eternity to hear such blessed tidings and yet now they were here she couldn't quite believe them.

An uncomfortable tied itself in her stomach and she gripped her reins even tighter.

Could what this messenger had said be true? After so many months, so many trials endured by so many souls, the time she had hoped for above any other had arrived?

The rain was becoming heavier by the moment, dripping past the leafy canopy above their heads and onto their clothes but for the first time she cared not. She barely even noticed the cool droplets against her skin.

Edward, her sweet boy, her son, was upon English soil as was her little love. They were there to see all things were put right, they had come for Edward's rightful throne.

"Where?" Richard immediately asked, no doubt already planning to join them "Where did their graces land?"

"Silverdale, my Lord" Was the reply "and already many of English blood have flocked to his banner, he is gaining more men by the hour he said"
"Who?" Constance inquired, finally able to conjure words again "Who said?"

The man's eyes suddenly went wide.
"Oh, forgive me, your grace!" He said "The message was sent by Sir Robert Percy, he says he did meet the King upon the day of his landing and now rides with him"

"Rob is alive?" Richard exclaimed and the messenger could only nod, eager to continue.
"The King is marching for Middleham, your graces"

"You may go" Constance murmured, though it was unlikely she would further notice his presence even if she did not issue an order for his departure.

"Yes" Richard agreed "You may return to the castle, we shall follow"
"Your graces" The man said, doffing his cap and bowing low once more before he turned his mount and sped off as quickly as he arrived.

"He is here" Constance whispered, making no move to follow as Richard had said "My boy....my boy has come"

"I thought you didn't want to get wet!" Richard replied with a smile, watching the rain drip down on her from above.

A small smile of her own was all the answer he got, her eyes looking at her horse's head but lost in a world of their own as she let out a small giggle and slowly slipped from her saddle. Looking out into the open glade where the rain was beginning to turn to a torrent, her feet began to move toward it, step by step, little by little.

Her boy had come home, one step, her boy had come to claim his throne, two steps, she would hold him in her arms again, three steps, her little love was with him, four.

A shuddering gasp fled her lips as she was encased in the shower, her skin instantly drenched and glistening, the fur of her gown sticking together in damp clumps as it was moved by the water striking it.

For the first time, she cared not.
What harm could rain do to her with such news warming her soul, drying her grief?

She kept walking step by step until she was in the centre of the glade and turned her face to the sky. Eyes fluttering closed, arms outstretched, she let the rain wash over her, smiling more with every drop that hit her skin; rolled down her face. She had no need for tears in that moment, the angels of heaven were weeping with joy for her, their own tears seeping into the earth so the whole world would know.

"My son has come home!" She cried into the air with a laugh "My Edward has come!" Beaming, she spun around and around like a little girl, not caring that her sleeves began to stick to her skin or her hair became plastered to her head, that she looked the most unbecoming of a Queen she thought she could possibly be! Not when her Edward was so close.

A deep laugh sounded from behind her and she opened her eyes, glancing over her shoulder to where Richard was watching, every joyous emotion swirling in his eyes.

"Join me!" She called, holding out a hand.
"We will be drenched!" He replied, making her giggle.

"And? We shall get drenched! Come!"
He did not need to be asked again, jumping from his saddle and almost running into the embrace of the rain. Almost immediately, he was as wet as she and smiling as the cool water hit his face "Is it not wonderful?" She cried, taking his hands hands in hers "Is this moment not simply perfect?"

He arched an eyebrow.
"It certainly looks so from where I am standing"

Shaking her head with a laugh, Constance pulled her hands from his and cupped his face, unashamedly claiming his lips; pressing her body against his. His hair was damp and cool against her fingers as they wound around the dark curls and he smiled into the kiss, giving a gentle squeeze to her waist.

It was so very perfect, she thought as she broke away with another laugh before wrapping her arms around her neck and hugging him tight. To her delight, he saw fit to pick her up and whirl her around like a spinning top, sending droplets of water flying from their clothes and her overjoyed giggles into the air!

"He's come home!" She laughed with unbridled glee and Richard laughed with her, their combined voices a symphony of joy "He has come back to me! He has come back!" He set her back down upon her feet.
"We knew that he would! He is a warrior, his Father's son and his Mother's!"

"And he has come home!" She exulted, looking up into his face, seeing her own joy reflected in his eyes invigorating her all the more "Soon, all shall be well! All will be right! And we shall have peace"
"We shall have peace" He agreed and bent his head to kiss her once more.