~The Final Fight~

17th of September 1485, Middleham....

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Eleanor held her hands together, clasping them so tightly that they hurt. One knee shook, jittering up and down relentlessly while she tried to focus on her breathing; the steady rattle of her armour filling her ears.

In....

Out....

In....

Out....

Each breath shook with fear and anticipation, each ounce of air sending a new shock through her veins; a tremor through her heart. Dawn was many hours behind but Eleanor had been awake long before the first rays of light blessed the hills and valleys of Wensleydale with their golden glow.

She hadn't slept a wink.

By the time the sunrise had graced England, the Queen was already dressed in her armour with her sword strapped firmly to her side and her golden cloak on her shoulders; crown on her head. Her ladies had offered to stay with her but she had sent them away with a silent wave of her hand, any words she wanted to say drying up in her throat.

Pacing for a while she had tried to clear her head, walking back and forth across her room while she avoided the windows. Though they were closed and securely bolted in an attempt to keep the noises of the awakening armies nearby out, some of the noise filtered through in small choruses.

Hooves on cobblestone, barked orders from irritated nobles each wrought up with battle nerves that were wound tightly in the pit of everyone's stomach.

At last she had sat at the end of her bed and that was where she remained while the morning sun rose, perched tentatively on the very edge of the covers. Every so often her eyes would flick sharply to her chamber door, as if she expected for some dark force to come bursting through at any moment, or to her dressing table mirror.

The stony faced warrior that stared back at her was almost unrecognisable to her but she knew it was her. The red curly hair that cascaded down to her hips, the green eyes that were still bright against her pale skin despite the slight glaze of grief over them were hers, all hers.

And yet they weren't. She felt as if she were looking on from another body, watching from a distance that was miles away from her bedchamber and from the castle.

Taking another shaking breath, Eleanor shook her head to herself and forced herself to stand, making herself move towards the doors and pull them open; walk out into the hall. She had to rally her spirits, she had to be strong.

And she had to see her children.

She knew they would be in the nursery, all of them together. Despite the vast difference in ages between all the children who resided at Middleham they were a tight knit group who loved one another and sought to comfort each other in their grief. Once more, Eleanor was proved right.

All garbed in their black robes of silk and velvet with pale and ashen faces, the children sat huddled together on the cushions and blankets that were arranged by the fireplace.

The nursery walls were still lined with vibrant tapestries and sunlight lit the room but the array of colours did nothing to brighten the desolate atmosphere that was almost intoxicating to the senses.

Eliza had Katheryn nestled in her arms and Anthony on her knee, Matilda next to her leaning against George. The twins Edward and Cecily were sprawled aimlessly on the blankets next to one of the family wolfhounds; Nell and Thomas next to Maggie and Teddy.

At the sound of clanking metal they all looked up sharply, a certain wariness in their eyes they they had come to hold ever since they heard about the King's death. Each of the children now feared for their lives and for their safety and that fear had taken a toll on them all, even the youngest who still had no full concept of their situation had taken to looking over their shoulder at the slightest noise.

"Shuffle up" Eleanor murmured, placing down her gauntlets and the children all moved to the side so that she could sit down but immediately swarmed her once she was settled. Nell and Adela crawled into her lap and Teddy practically threw himself at his Aunt, clinging to her arm "there there, lad" she soothed as she ran a hand through his tawny hair and looked at the pairs of eyes that were now fixated on her.

They looked for her for safety, for reassurance, for the words that would set their minds at ease and tell them that their world would not crumble into dust. Eleanor's heart ached. The promises they wanted she could not make, the words they wanted she could not say and mean, not truly.

She could tell them she loved them.
She could promise that she would try to win, that she would do everything in her power to try and fight her way to victory.

But she couldn't promise she would win, no, she wouldn't risk breaking their hearts in that way.
She couldn't promise that by sundown her children wouldn't be orphans and their house wouldn't be torn and burned into nothing more than ashes and memories. In that moment she wouldn't make promises that she couldn't keep.

"Mama?" The soft voice of little Anthony broke her from her momentary silence and she glanced right to the little boy who was peering up anxiously into her face from where he was propped up on Eliza's lap.

"Yes?" Her reply was barely a whisper, barely a word it was so quiet and she felt the children tense a little more. Shaking her head, Eleanor forced a smile onto her face and gathered those in her arms closer to her, kissing each of their heads in turn "I will do everything I can for you" she told them firmly "everything, my dears. I am going into battle today as you know and...."

"Will you come back?"
Worried eyes widened at Maggie's question and Eleanor sighed, wiggling her arm free from her twins before she held her hand out to the little girl, trying to smile again as she took it.
'That grin' she thought when Maggie managed to smile back at her 'its so like George's'

George. What would George think if he were alive know? Would he have raised men and marched North to join Eleanor and fought with her? 'He would' a small voice told her and she knew it was telling the truth.

"I will fight as hard as I can to come back to you" she replied and Maggie nodded, as did the others.

"And if you don't?"

"George, you prick! How could you even...."
"No" Eleanor swiftly cut off Matilda's outraged cry at George's question and held up a hand for silence when her siblings began to protest too. "no" she repeated "he has every right to ask" looking to her eldest son, she tilted her head and beckoned him closer.

On his knees, George shuffled closer, now turning a deep shade of red from shame, almost as if he hadn't realised his outburst at first or had spoken aloud without meaning to.

"I'm sorry" his Mother merely smiled at him.
"Don't be sorry, my darling.....if I don't come back then....then you will be in charge of this family, George, and you must do what is best for you and your kin. You must protect them with everything that you are and everything that you have. The wheel of fortune is fickle but if this battle is lost then you must swear to me that you will do everything in your power to make sure it turns in our favour and that you live a good life. I do not mean by raising up an army and starting a rebellion against the Tudors, though if that is ever possible then you would have my full support. But until then, while you and the others are children, play your cards right and keep them safe. To me your lives come before the throne. Do you understand?"

For a moment the boy simply stared back at her, his eyes suddenly shining with tears before he nodded and practically leapt forward into her arms, clinging to her while the little ones made grunts of protests about being so unceremoniously shoved aside by their brother.

"I love you, Mama" he whispered and she wrapped her arms around him, swallowing back the sobs that rose in her throat.

"I love you too, my little Prince, I love all of you" raising her head she opened her arms and all of the children around her scrambled to find a place in her arms, beginning to cry "I will always be with you, no matter what happens and I will always love you. Always"

"Aunt Leena?"
They all looked up to see Georgie standing by the door, fully dressed in his armour with a sad frown on his face; his dark hair pulled back and highlighting the dark purple crescents under his eyes. He looked tired but no one found that strange, they were all tired. Taking a deep breath, Eleanor nodded to herself and slowly untangled herself from the children that clung to her, terrified to let go.

"It's time" she said and Georgie nodded, moving to the side as John appeared, also dressed in his armour, the white boar of Gloucester painted proudly on his pauldron.

"I'm fighting" he declared sternly when he saw slight surprise flicker in the troubled green depths of the Queen's eyes "for you and for Father" She gave him a short nod, unable to speak once again for the almost painful pit of neves that knotted itself tightly in her stomach and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Today we all fight for your Father....we fight for his memory, for his children and for all who have fallen fighting for the House of York"

꧁꧂

Marie, Anais and Jane were waiting for Eleanor in the great hall and she smiled as she saw them, pulling on her gauntlets once more and flexing each finger with ease. They would not be joining her on the battlefield but still they looked dressed for war with their breeches and daggers and met their Queen with encouraging smiles as they headed towards her.

Sweeping aside their braids Eleanor felt her heart swell as she saw they all had golden Phoenix badges pinned to the shirt, small pearls as the mythical creatures eyes. A delicate white rose was held in its talons and each of the three broaches were polished until they shon like the sun.

"Do you like them?" Anais asked as Eleanor's eyes filled with tears, momentarily wondering if they had made a mistake, a suspicion that was dashed as she suddenly let out a laugh and gathered her three Ladies into their arms.

"I love them!" She declared fervently, glancing up at the ceiling to blink back her tears as she pulled away "just as I love you three, I couldn't hope for more loyal friends and Ladies in waiting" the three before her glowed with pride.

"We may not be able to join you on the battlefield" Jane said, stepping forward to place a hand on Eleanor's arm "but we will serve you no matter what the outcome, indeed until our dying breaths have passed our lips" Marie and Anais nodded their agreement and Eleanor felt a new strength rush through her veins as she ushered them aside for a moment.

"Leena!"

"Just a minute!" She called back to Georgie as he waved at her. The battle was drawing nearer and nearer by the second "I must hurry" she said quickly and her friends were listening in an instant, ready to do their Queen's bidding, no matter the task "I want you to ready the children for travel and collect all of the jewels and coin you can find, oh and anything of mine or their Father's that is small enough to carry. Wait by the far entrance that leads out onto the moors away from the village and if you think the battle lost escape through there. There is a pack of horses waiting if they are needed, they are ready to go at a moments notice. Smuggle the children out and get them to France to be with their sister, Bess. They will be safe enough there, I believe, and if not then go to Burgundy where their Aunt Margaret of York is"

"Of course" Marie said firmly before she suddenly leant forward and kissed Eleanor on the cheek, squeezing her hands as she took them. "God keep you, my friend"
"And you" Eleanor replied "all of you" one final nod and she was away, marching determinedly out into the courtyard.

"You are ready?" Thomas Howard called to her and she nodded, striding across the cobble stones towards the back walls of the castle.

"I am" she proclaimed "are the men assembled?" A short nod "Good. Tell them to turn to me, I have something to say to them before the battle begins" she mounted the steps two at a time, adrenaline beginning to rush through her veins, making her heart pound in her ears as she finally came to the top and gasped at the sight before her.

Suddenly all the noise of the day faded into silence, leaving nothing but the sight before her stunned eyes. Banners of murrey and blue fluttered in the wind sporting boars and phoenixes and polished metal of men and horses shon in the sun, blinding light reflecting off the iron. Her fifteen thousand men stood ready before her ranks upon ranks of soldiers and knights all with the fire of battle roaring in their veins.

Across the fields of bright green that were soon to be marred with the blood and bodies of the dead and dying stood the enemy, seventeen thousand men gathered from hither and thither, Brittany, Wales and England.

Nobles that were once loyal to the crown stood by Tudor's side with their men behind them and Eleanor felt her anger flare as she recognised some of the pennants that flew high above the traitor's heads.

'Cowards' she raged 'cowards all of them' as the order for her men to turn towards the castle made the air filled with the sound of moving metal that was almost like heavy rainfall and brought almost a comforting sense to the Queen for a moment.

Stepping forward, she stood tall as she gazed confidently over the ramparts to the upturned faces of her soldiers. Her hands were planted firmly upon the cold stone of the battlements as if her touch was meant to mark her territory. 'This is my land' the firm hold on the stone said 'my land and this is my castle. I will defend it from you'

In that moment she was glad she had chosen to make her speech from the walls, most commanders rode out in front of their armies and called their words at the tops of their voices but Richard told her that no matter how loud they were, most of what they said was lost to the wind. From her position on the wall, high above the rest, not only could her men see her but her voice would carry across the fields so that each of her men could hear her.

She wanted them to, wanted them to know that she stood with them and would fight with them to the very end no matter what the cost. This was their day, it was to be their victory or defeat as much as it was hers and she wanted them to know that; hear it from her lips. Looking over as many faces as she could one last time, Eleanor gathered all the courage and fight within her that she could muster and took a breath, raising her chin.

"You know me as your Queen" she began, calling out confidently across the land. The men straightened their backs at the sound of her voice, standing tall "the woman who sits beside your King with a crown on her head and children at her skirts; who sends her husband off to war. And I have done it many times as your wives and daughters have done for you. I do not know them or you as individuals but I know how they feel at this moment. Think of them now, waiting for you to return home with hope and love in their hearts"

Tears stung her eyes and she almost stumbled on her next words, catching herself just in time and forcing herself to go on. She would not fail in that moment, she would not give in to the pain within her heart "My Richard, your King, will not return to me for he has been murdered and his position almost snatched by a traitorous demon who plagues this land. King Richard may be gone but his children remain. Your children remain. Your wives and daughters, your sons. I know that many of you will only see defeat where I lead but we must stand our ground. You must stand your ground and fight. Fight for your families, fight for your lives! Fight for England! The England that blossomed under King Richard's York sun yet now threatens to wither and burn in the flames of this Welsh dragon who is no dragon, not truly."

The sparks of anger she felt brewing within her caught in an instant, flaring up into a roaring flame of rage, a creature of destruction with a list for blood that devoured her whole in an instant. And she embrace it, letting her anger fuel her words as her voice rose.

"He is no more than a coward who hides behind his men and his Mother like a spider in its web, awaiting its prey!" She broke her stance, striding across the ramparts from the middle to the left and looking out over the men there "Is this the man you want as your King?" She demanded "Do you want to see England fall into flames at the hands of this would-be usurper? We must fight as one this day to scotch the nest of evil that has landed on our soil! We must fight for our country, our families, our children!" She strode to the right and looked out again, almost running in her passion that took a hold of her more and more with each second, flooding her senses, whirling uncontrollably inside of her.

"I know that many of you may think little of me That you may think that I am nothing more than a mere woman, small and meek who is a fool for standing here before you as I do today. But I know and I tell you now that I am much more than that! I am not only a woman but a Queen. I am not only a fighter but a warrior who this day will lead you to victory against our enemies!"

With triumph and determination filling her voice she marched back to the middle of the walls and climbed up onto the battlements and stood firm, glaring at the army across from hers; the black iron of her armour gleamed in the sun. Her hands curled into firsts; nails digging painfully into her palms while a breeze stirred her golden cloak and her hair streamed out behind her like a river of fire beneath her crown.

"These men! These traitors have killed your kin and slaughtered your King, your King Richard, my Lord and husband, in cold blood. And I know some of you may think this leaves you leaderless with no way to fight on but it does not for I will lead you. I will grind this mongrel army into the mud. I will ride alongside you, fight alongside you. I will not sit behind these walls in skirts of silk and send you to your deaths as if your lives were worth nothing. I am not naive nor stupid and will not deny that there will be death this day. If this is to be your day then so be it! For mine shall be tomorrow or the next day or the next. But if this is to be your day, if this is to be mine, then let us die with a fight in our hearts and a fierceness in our swords that cannot be matched even by God himself! These words of mine are not hollow but filled with the fire that fuels the fight within me! I will fight and we will win! We will defend England against the Tudor bastard and secure the throne once more! Will you fight with me? Will you fight beside your Queen? Will you fight for England?"

Nothing could've prepared her for the roar that filled the air as she took her first breath after her speech. It filled her entire being and the air around her, almost deafening her as the soldiers began to bang their pikes and shields upon the ground so fiercely it was almost as if a mounted charge was storming the land.

Across the field, the flags of the enemy fluttered and the staffs trembled dangerously but had their opponents been closer they would've seen it was nothing to do with the wind for it was the men that trembled, shaking within the confines of their armour as their opponents roared their determination.

"Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen!" They chanted, a call begun by one then taken up by all of the fifteen thousand men that had rallied to her cause, rich and poor, high and low. They were ready, she was ready, ready to fight for her life and for her kingdom.

For Richard.

And the others she had lost on Bosworth's blood soaked fields.

Looking across the sea of faces that stared up at her on the walls of Middleham, Eleanor's eyes settled on one soldier near the front. His armour was fine, polished and shining yet he was not mounted as knights usually were, as nobles were, he stood among the common soldiers with his visor lifted and locks of golden hair falling over his forehead.

She felt her heart swell within her chest for the first time since her grief had begun. Perhaps it was not stone after all?

For it was Edward. Young Edward who had sworn to fight for her and her cause and had stuck to his word; now stood ready to fight in armour of his own, a white rose on his pauldron. He smiled as he saw her look at him and raised a hand to salute.

"Long live the Queen!" He cried at the top of his voice and Eleanor nodded in his direction before jumping down from the battlements with a thud. Striding determinedly along the ramparts she marched down the steps to where her destrier and the firm figure of Thomas Howard (already on his steed) awaiting her.

John was beside him, Georgie too, and as the Queen swung into her saddle (after removing her cloak) they all watched her with clear awe written upon their face. They had all heard her words, they had all heard the unmatchable cries sent back to her from her army and they all knew they would be prepared to follow her to hell and back should she wish it.

'Have courage' she reminded herself a final time, taking up her reins while her anger raged within her body, setting her very blood aflame. She would win, she would fight and she would win, she would kill anyone who stood in her way.

Slice their throats, strike their head's from their bodies, drive her dagger through their cowardly hearts and watch as the life drained from their eyes. She would do it all, she thought as she gathered her hair and tied it swiftly into a tight braid that she tied with the strip of leather.

"No quarter is to be given to the enemy" she announced cooly and the Duke of Norfolk frowned slightly. Nobles were usually given mercy upon the battlefield due to their blood, their families place in the land but not today. None that stood against the Queen that day would live to see the last rays of daylight dip beneath the hills.

"To any?" He asked, locking eyes with her and she shook her head.

"No. Any who stand with Tudor today are to have their lives brought to an end on this field. Peasant or noble they will die, my Lord. Any who survive the battle will be rounded up and slaughtered" A slight pause interrupted her as a sudden thought struck her. Her craving for revenge flared "apart from Lord Stanley" she ordered "he, Lady Margaret Beaufort, Henry Tudor and his Uncle Jasper. Kill Percy on the feild, I will not give him the benefit of a clean execution. Not when he stood by and watched my Richard as he was hacked to death with Tudor blades"

"Very good" Georgie called and Johnny nodded his agreement. Their passion for revenge was almost as violent as hers! "Let them die as they deserve" she gave a second nod and nudged her horse into motion.

"Let us win this" she muttered as Howard joined her and the other two fell in behind, riding confidently towards the gates of Middleham where their destiny's awaited them "the country is for us yet Tudor still has two thousand more men!"
"Numbers do not win a battle" he told her and she sighed.

"No" she conceded, after all, Richard had had five thousand more when he faced his enemy and still suffered a fatal defeat "but I bet they help"

Royal trumpets blared as she rode onto the field, announcing her arrival and sending a surge of confidence through her that made her kick her horse into a quicker pace and wave the men behind her into position. Back straight and head held high, Eleanor rode to the front of her army, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits of glistening emerald as she glared at the army across the field.

What she would give that she could draw her dagger, ride out and drive the blade into the throat of Henry Tudor who sat almost proudly atop his chestnut war horse. 'I will kill you' she thought and looked at the two men beside him 'I will see you all dead before this day has ended'

"Leena?" Her eyes snapped to the side to see John beside her, a polished helmet of black iron with a golden crown fastened atop it in his hands "here" Eleanor nodded at him, reaching up and removing her crown, passing it to him before she replaced it with her helmet that slid easily over her head. Taking a breath of air, she reached up and snapped the visor shut.

"Have courage, lad" she told John who nodded and reached out to give her hand a quick squeeze before her rode away again and trumpets called out once more. Hand curling around the metal hilt, Eleanor drew her sword and held it high up into the air, the metal glistening in the sun "For God, for York and for King Richard!" She yelled at the top of her lungs and her destrier reared upward with her sharp nudge before charging forward, his hooves pounding against the earth.

Once again the roar of her men filled the air but now it was joined by the answering cries of the enemy as Tudor too drew his blade and the opposing armies sprang forward towards the centre of the field where they would collide.

An almost deafening rush filled Eleanor's ears, her heart beating within her chest so fiercely she was sure it was about to break through into the air before her eyes. But as she heard the yells of her knights and men behind her she gave a shout of her own and spurred her steed forward to the fast approaching enemy.

The battle of Middleham had begun.