~Allegiance~

10th of August, 1484....

The air was thick and close with swathes of cooling heat as rain poured down upon Middleham but none could find it in themselves to care with the arrival of John Neville, accompanied by his nineteen year old son, George, and three hundred men.

Many overtures of welcome were made in the courtyard, relived and joyful, and many embraces had; many knees bent to Edward who grinned and embraced his returned kin with vigour. John and Richard shared a warm embrace, after which the younger man slung an arm around his cousin's broad shoulders - grinning broadly - and inquired how his journey had been.

John replied it had proven smoother than expected and while they'd anticipated the people ready to join them they'd not predicted no pushbacks from the Percys! The past decades had proved that either clan of Percy and Neville would take any opportunity to shed the blood of the other but they'd ridden almost right past Alnwick and the gates had remained firmly shut!

George added his Father had been temped to set it alight, or at least a little of it, but alas could not bring himself to ruin the home they'd spent so many blessed years residing in. That, John agreed, and the fact he did not desire the cost the repairs would muster when it was restored to them!

The word in each village they passed, he continued, was that the North was now in open rebellion and its creeping tendrils of chaos were making their way further and further south! This pleased his listeners most thoroughly as they entered the castle, Edward having quickly fallen into step with George, staring up at the older boy in complete admiration as he would an older brother.

As Richard used to do with his brothers Constance thought as she watched for a moment before her eyes flicked to her lover and her smile widened when she saw almost the exact expression of her son adorning his face when he looked at John! In her youth she'd looked at Jamie just so!

The large party bustled to the nearest solar where and abundance of wine was called for wine and sweetmeats for the new arrivals, the men shaking their heads to expel the cool water droplets from their damp hair.

All sat where they could - Edward and Richard by the fire, Cecily and Aliénor on the rug between them, John leant upon the stone mantle, George and Howard in one window seat, Rob and Francis in the other, Constance at the nearby table with Marie to her right and Isabella to her left who's cow eyes and flaming cheeks directed towards the young man in the window closest to the hearth could not be more conspicuous!

"I do not only bring news of rebellion but news of allegiance" John announced once they were all settled and the wine poured "But two days ago I received a messenger from the Earl of Kildare"
"Ireland has long stood with my house as its friends and allies" Edward exclaimed, sitting up in his seat and his cousin nodded.

"That it has, your grace"
"Edward"
"Very well, Edward" John grinned "Dickon's own Father and his brother, Edmund - God rest their souls - took refuge there for a year and there were rumours throughout your Grandfather's life that they planned to make him King of Ireland. They were loyal friends to him, and to your Father and prove they will be to you"

"They are sending men?" Constance interjected "The Earl of Kildare holds paramount power and the Lords refused to swear to the bastard"

"Kildare sails with four hundred men for the King's cause, Con" John replied to be met with great whoops from the men around the room, their fists banging approval upon whichever surface they could find. Cecily joined in, patting the floor with a grin "The only bad tidings I bring is that the bastard you speak of no longer resides in the capital but has departed with a reported force of eight thousand"

Immediately the mood darkened somewhat and Constance saw her son swallow, his fingers tightening around his goblet.
"I am glad" He still declared "Let him come and let him die"

"Well said, lad" Richard murmured and Constance nodded her agreement but could not help the way her heart had begun to hammer and her knee tremble under the table. It would only be a matter of time until Arthur reached the North - it would be soon - and that meant her beloved son would soon wander into the clutches of death. And may not escape them.

If only she could wield a sword or be the shield that could protect him from all harm. She would happily face death in his place but she was no man nor no King nor the one the bastard had set out to hunt - though she was sure he had an axe sharpened for her neck or at least his whore Mother did. She'd been sharpening it for years. A pity she hasn't sliced her own throat on it.

"From what I have seen you have many of your own number already!" John quickly continued after a moment with a tight smile "Outside the walls is all but a city of tents!"

"Many have answered the King's call" Richard replied with a nod "and many more will come"
"I have no doubt" John took a large swig of wine "When can they be made ready to depart?"
"A week or so I would say, our preparation has been long and thorough, we need only a few details settling"

He nodded - pensive for a moment.
"It has also been made known to me that you have a certain traitor below stairs" He arched an eyebrow, looking to Edward.

"Very far below stairs I am glad to say" Was his reply "And soon to be in the ground"
"When is he to be disposed of?"
"I do not yet know for it is not decided what method shall be used to dispatch him to the devil. I don't know whether to inflict the most brutal thing my mind can conjure or to simply make him....disappear, as if he'd never existed"

"Isabella" Constance cut in cooly and placed down her goblet. Her girls had heard and seen more death in the past year than any needed in a lifetime and while she her second eldest was well disposed to hear the conversation, her heart told her not to permit it in that moment.

Perhaps it was the sight of her sweet son - merely a year older than Isabella - plotting a man's death that made it so? In any case, Aliénor and Cecily certainly did not need any more terrifying webs weaved for their minds to conjure in sleep "Take your sisters to the nursery"

"But-" Her Mother's pointed gaze curbed any protest and she gave a meek nod, rising from her seat (with a quick glance to George Neville) and quickly collecting her sisters - who did not wish to depart either - from the hearth. Returning to their Mother for a moment, she kissed their foreheads before sending them away and watched the door close with a sigh before looking back to the men. She gave a nod and they continued. 

"Well, he must be made an example of!" Returned John, cocking his head to the side - a slight frown tugging at his lips "Don't you agree, Dickon?"

"I've told my dear nephew the very same many a time" Richard confirmed "and, though he is my King, I hope he shall still listen to his ageing Uncle's council on this matter. Begin as you mean to go on in this campaign, Edward, make a display of Grey's death to your men and the people. They shall respect you for it and, what is more, it shall ignite the flames of war in their hearts. His death marks the beginning of the end of the enemy downfall and must be made memorable and nothing inspires a man for battle more than the shed blood of the enemy - to see justice served"

Edward thought for a moment, resting his elbow on the chair arm and his chin upon his palm. He sighed and his eyes wandered to the ceiling then the hearth then back again, slightly narrowed. He sighed again, then nodded to himself.

"I shall have him hung from the gatehouse the day before our departure" He declared and once more the hammering of fists upon wood and stone reverberated around the room "That way all may see his death and he shall serve as the symbol of his kin's downfall" The approving response did not cease and Edward's head rolled in the direction of his Mother to see a hand clutching at her bodice and tears in her eyes.

Swallowing thickly, she sent him a slow nod and he returned it. He knew what she was thinking, her boy, her precious son had just condemned a man to die and suddenly the air of the room was all too close.

"Very good" He murmured, sharply standing which sent the others into silence. His hands twisted together and he looked around the chamber with a tight-lipped smile, feet itching to reach the door "I shall leave it to you, Uncle to make the arrangements. I am glad you are here, John" He inclined his head towards George "cousin"
"Your grace"

He tried not to grimace and swiftly turned his back "We shall meet for dinner in the great hall, have our finest food prepared" And in seconds he was gone, not even waiting for the guard upon the other side to open the door from him. Constance watched the scene with bated breath, a lump in her throat so large and knotted, she feared it would stop the air to her lungs entirely. Her boy had attempted to retain his composure and, indeed, had not given way to much emotion but she could see the silent trouble in his eyes, the unease in his quickness of gait and hasty exit.

"Enjoy the wine, my Lords, daughter" She said after only a moment, pushing herself from her chair and following her boy, trying to maintain the graceful with which she usually moved and not hurry after her son.

She followed his trail through the castle on instinct and found him in his rooms, perched on the side of the bed where the sheets were rumpled and the pillows dented with the ghostly silhouette of his head. One knee bobbing up and down, hands firmly against the covers, his head hung low, gaze trained upon the floor. It appeared he was intentionally avoiding the sight of his polished black armour which lay in the nearest corner upon its wooden figure.

She approached slowly, ever so careful as she sat beside him and placed a warm hand atop his, giving a gentle squeeze.

"What is it my love? I hope it was not me that upset you so"

He shook his head, golden curls flying abound his face, shoulders hunched in a childish manner. He was a child, she thought, a boy in the place of a man. 'Damn you, Edward' She seethed for a moment, the fingers of her free hand curling into a loose fist as she sighed.

"Then what is it, dear one?"
"I do not wish to burden you, Mother"
"You could never burden me!" She exclaimed and her hand sprang forth to cradle his face, gently turning it to hers "Never" She whispered and smiled sadly when he gently nuzzled his cheek into her palm, eyes shutting for a rare moment of peace. And then that moment was gone and he pulled away a little, hanging his head again.

"T'was not your gaze that upset me" He murmured "but the thoughts I could see within it. You see me as your boy because that is what I am. A boy. A child. Not a man, not a warrior but my Father's son who is barely old enough to compete in tourneys let alone sit the throne!" He shook his head "I know all others view me the same, the men that have come to fight for me, who I am to take into battle. How am I to lead them, to gain their faith when I am naught but a child with my Father's looks and a man's height? And when my wife arrives on English shores? A girl younger than my own youngest sister? They shall look upon us as mismatched dolls! Even Uncle Dickon views me as a child, I can see it in the way he looks at me whenever I address the men or any noble. He loves me, he will be loyal to me unto death but he thinks me a child!"

"Oh, Neddy" Constance sighed, shuffling closer to him to run a hand gently through his golden locks, resting her head against his "You speak with courage and conviction" She told him "Yes, you are young and, yes, people shall think you so but that does not mean you cannot prove to them you are worthy of their respect and fealty! I know you are, though I sometimes wish you were not. I do not wish to see you go to battle but I know that you will and you can. You are a skilled swordsman, a brave young man who may lack the experience of others but certainly does not lack wits or the ability to wage a calculated campaign! You conduct yourself in a manner most regal and all who become acquainted with you have no choice but to respect your intelligence! They know you are not one for folly"

"You only say that because you are my Mother"
"I say it because I know it to be true, my love" Raising her head, she smiled when he did not and moved from the bed to kneel upon the floor and peer up at his despondent face at which she tilted her head. His eyes found hers "You are my son, Neddy, my sweet, sweet boy but you are also now my King and I know in my heart you shall make a fine one because you had the two very best men raise you. This war is not easy and none expect you to behave as if it is! There are challenges to each day and you face them with such bravery and diplomacy, every time you speak I am filled with pride so great it is as if the sun has filled my chest! You can lead your army and you will lead them to victory"

Raising her eyebrows, she placed an upturned, open hand on his knee and her boy could not help the smile that broke through his shroud of doubt, softening his face. Lacing his fingers with hers, he nodded and she raised herself up on her knees, leaning their foreheads together as she sighed.

"You did well today" She told him "To have all looking solely to you for decisions is not easy but you stood up firmly to the task and I'm so very proud of you but now" Leaning back on her heels, she squeezed his hand "I wish for you to go to the stables and order two horses saddled so that we may go riding and spend the afternoon together away from the cares of this war"

He stared at her, puzzled, and looked to the nearby window where raindrops pattered upon the pains of glass.

"It is still raining" He knew of her strong dislike of rain, that she would do almost anything to avoid it, but his Mother only leant forward again, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"I do not care, my love! Let us be free for an hour or two upon the hills you so adore and ride as merrily as we would do when your Father walked amongst us"

With her words, his smile grew and for that moment he was not a King nor warrior, husband or politician, he was merely her little boy again and she smiled too.