~ The Oak Tree ~

March 1464, Grafton Manor...

Staring aimlessly at the wooden beams that held fast above her head, Eleanor waited with baited breath as she felt her elder sister, Elizabeth, move beside her.

For hours now she had been tossing and turning, occasionally covering her little sister's face in a mass of blonde curls that were a stark contrast to the fiery copper locks that flowed from the younger girl's head. Loath to disturb her favourite sister or bare the brunt of her tired wrath, Eleanor had stayed silent, curious about what disturbed Elizabeth's rest. She was about to find out.

As silent as a mouse, for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Elizabeth drew back the bed covers and reached for the lilac gown that lay at the end of her bed, gathering it swiftly into her arms before she sighed and tiptoed away, causing her sister to shut her eyes as she glanced over.

Once she was safely gone, Eleanor finally found the courage to open her eyes once more and slowly slid from the warm covers of her bed, shivering in the March air that had filled the unheated chamber that she shared with her seven sisters: Elizabeth, Anne, Margaret, Mary, Isabella, Martha and little Catherine.

As she gazed upon the sleeping forms of her golden haired kin, Eleanor frowned slightly and curled a fist around her own red locks, huffing a little as she once more wished for their beauty.

"Being vain?" A voice called softly from the side of her and Eleanor sucked in a breath as she saw Isabella leaning against the wall next to the bed she shared with Catherine, her white nightgown fluttering around her ankles "I warn you, Leena, you do not want to wake Cat! Lord knows I shall not be the one putting her to sleep again!" The two glanced at the six year old who was sleeping peacefully before grins spread across their faces.

"Don't worry, Bella" Eleanor whispered as she took the older girl's hand and led her back to her own bed, pressing a finger to her lips "I'm going to find out where Lizzie has gone!"

Bella raised an eyebrow.
"Lizzie?" She questioned before looking to the empty sheets and sighing, a look of dismay clouding her calm expression "she went to him then"

'Him?' Eleanor thought as she peered up into the fourteen year olds face, searching for the truth. Who could this man be? One of her brothers perhaps? But why would Elizabeth feel compelled to sneak around for them? They all lived under the same roof!

"Who is he?" She murmured at last and Bella looked down at her, a strand of dark blonde hair falling over her face.
"The usurper....Edward of York"

In a second Eleanor found her sister clamping a hand over her mouth, amused irritation flashing in her eyes, for she had immediately cried out, her mind fearing for the fate of her sister.
"Now I must go to her!" She whispered helplessly as she pushed Bella away only to find herself pulled into a hug.

"You can't" Bella replied gently "it's too dangerous for you! I won't let you wander into harms way, Leena"
"And still I am going!" Eleanor responded curtly, pushing her sister away again and reaching for the simple linen gown, dyed blue, that lay crumpled at the end of her bed "I cannot let Lizzie face him alone! I must protect her! Come with me if you must!"

Bella sighed and folded her arms across her chest.
"No" she answered simply "I may have not been able to stop Lizzie as she is a full twelve years older than me but I don't want you to go! I for one am staying here where we are safe! As should you"
"Well I'm not!" Eleanor retorted, rather confused by her usually adventurous sister's change in nature but her words were simply met with a grin.
"You're eleven"
"And yet I am braver than you it seems!"

Pulling her gown over her head, Eleanor managed to tie he intricate laces and pull a comb through the tangles of her hair, pushing the waist length curls behind her shoulders and puffing out her chest a little.

The quiet sound of shoes upon gravel made her turn to the window and as she looked down from the top floor of Grafton manor she watched with a worried heart as Elizabeth hurriedly walked away, her two young sons of eight and six trailing behind her in their blue doublets.

"What on earth is she thinking?" Bella whispered hurriedly as she peered over her sister's shoulder in shock before she shook her head "are you truly determined to follow her? Even you must be able to see this is foolishness!"
"Well why is she going to the York in the first place?" Eleanor asked, slipping on her shoes and walking to the steps that led up to the room only to be quickly joined by Bella.

"To ask for her marriage lands back of course!" She answered, clearly proud of her knowledge as she headed down the steps and along the corridors of their home "Lizzie needs them so that Thomas can inherit them when he comes of age! If she fails, he will have nothing!"

Eleanor stoped in her tracks.
"So what our sister is doing is not foolishness?" She reasoned "she is fighting for Tom and Rickon's inheritance! I don't think that foolish!"
"Approaching a usurper and his full army on the road?" Bella scoffed as they slipped through the kitchens and out onto the small bridge that secured safe passage across Grafton's moat "if that is not foolish then I do not know what is!"

Looking out into the fields that lay ahead, Eleanor turned to Bella as she tried not to shiver only to find the older girl was.
"Go back inside" she ordered "if you will not come at least do not tell Mother?"

Bella leant against the stone of the manor and sighed a little, a mixture of emotions playing about her features. Eleanor could not help but smile. She had always thought (as everyone else did) that Elizabeth was the most beautiful of the Woodville sisters but, in her mind, Bella was certainly a close second with her golden hair that shone in the winter sun and soft brown eyes that never failed to betray her thoughts to the world.

"Fine" Bella said at last "I shall not tell on you. But you must promise me that you will be back before noon or I will come and look for you myself, Leena!"
"I promise!" Eleanor giggled as she turned and sped down the pathway that led to the edge of the Woodville lands.
"And stay out of sight!" Her sister all but yelled after her.

Walking though the fields scattered with bushes and long grass freshly grown, Eleanor tried her best to stay hidden from sight as she watched her sister and nephews walk a few hundred feet in front of her, each of them looking warily around from time to time as if they were expecting an ambush.

"Perhaps they are?" She pondered, remembering the venomous tone Bella had spoken in when speaking of the man Elizabeth was set to apprehend. A York.

Forcing her feet to move across the land, Eleanor darted behind a tree as she saw her sister stop, seemingly hesitate as her shoulders rose and fell unsteadily before she carried on and settled in front of a nearby oak tree, whose leaves were only just blooming once more.

Sucking in a sharp breath as she dared to wander further forward, Eleanor eventually made it to the great oak and clung into its bark for support as she warily peered around the trunk, wishing she could go to her sister then and there. But that would surely end in Elizabeth's rage and rage was most likely the last thing that was needed.

Watching Thomas and Richard Grey silently munch on plums, their blue eyes fixed on the road ahead, their kinswoman felt her stomach rumble as she put a hand to it, fearing that her sister may hear and chided herself for not being as prepared as they were.

A rumble of hooves suddenly sounded in the distance, moving closer and closer at an alarming rate until colourful standards of murrey and blue flashed before Eleanor's eyes, sending her back behind the tree as her heart began to pound.

Looking to the woods from which she had emerged just minutes ago, she found herself wishing Bella was with her. After all, Bella was her protector, her champion in the face of danger and unjust fights, she always had been.

But it was far too late for second thoughts by now, as fear shook her body, when Eleanor heard a low voice bellow for the onslaught of armoured horses to halt.

Looking up at the sky, she silently prayed for invisibility before she clutched at the bark of the oak tree once more and looked around at her sister and the seemingly fearsome men that approached her.

Eleanor's attention was immediately drawn to the front rider for his tall stature and shining armour were not to be ignored, especially by a (now curious) eleven year old but what her green eyes were fixated on was the crown this man wore on his helmet. It appeared to glow in the morning sunlight and was clearly meant to display the power and rank of its bearer.

This was Edward of York.

Eleanor's brows furrowed slightly as she watched the York approach Elizabeth and her sons, amusement curving his lips into a smirk, one that betrayed arrogance and made the young girl even more apprehensive than before. Yet this new fear would do nothing to her newfound interest in this giant that now took off his helmet, shaking free a tumble of golden waves.

Letting out a small chuckle, Edward looked around to a second man that scoffed a little as his dark eyes fell upon Elizabeth.
"Now?" He laughed, a knowing expression on his face "really?"

In an instant Elizabeth's gaze dropped to the ground and Eleanor found indignation rising in her. She did not like this dark haired man who looked upon her sister as if she were nothing but dirt and she certainly did not like this King of York that now dismounted from his warhorse. "Alright, rest a while!" The second man said and held up a hand with a roll of his eyes.

"Is he really the King?" Rickon asked as Edward stopped before his mother who proposed no answer to his question, simply swept a deep curtsy, keeping her eyes lowered while her sister watched.

"I'm Lady Elizabeth Grey, your grace" she murmured as a coral blush began to stain her pale cheeks.
"Rise up" Edward commanded softly, smiling as she did "you've come to see me?"

Elizabeth nodded a little and took Rickon's hand into her own, glancing at her two young sons before she returned her eyes to the King.
"I....I cannot obtain my son's inheritance" she said with a nervousness that Eleanor had never heard nor expected to pass her lips "my husband's lands which were taken from me when he died.... my boys and I have nothing to live on!"

"And the charming little redhead behind the tree?" Edward asked with a grin as Eleanor gasped, finding his gaze fall on her and her sister spin around in shock.
"Eleanor?!" She cried and Edward laughed, gesturing for the young girl to come forward.

Slowly, she made her way from behind the tree and inched forward, her hesitation plainly written on her face, until Edward finally grew tired of waiting and walked forward to meet her, taking her small hand in his own.
"Eleanor?" He questioned and she nodded, sinking down into a small, shaking curtsy. Though she never lowered her gaze to the floor; stared up into his handsome face.

"Eleanor Woodville....your grace" she murmured, making Edward chuckle as he lead her over to Elizabeth who appeared still in shock.

"Well, Eleanor Woodville, have you come to see me as Lady Elizabeth has?" Eleanor shook her head "well, I must say, sweetheart, you were not that difficult to spot among the trees" he turned back to Elizabeth and nodded her on, a signal for her to continue with her case.

"My husband" she said at last, drawing her little sister to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders as if to protect her "was Sir John Grey....he died in battle at...."
"He was the leader of the Lancastrian cavalry" the dark eyed man interrupted with a frown "they killed seven hundred of our men, he nearly ran you through, Edward!"

"He did his duty as he believed it to be, your grace" Eleanor blurted out, her chest rapidly rising and falling and the two men looked at her "h-he was loyal to the man he thought King...my nephews here are innocent of anything" she came to a stop and forgot how to breathe for a moment as Edward looked down upon her.

"Such a fervent speech from one so small...tell me, Eleanor, how old are you?"
"My sister is..." Elizabeth began.
"Eleven, your grace" Eleanor finished "though I am to be twelve in September"

Edward nodded before he looked to the two boys who were staring at him with a mixture of wonder and apprehension.
"And these are Sir John's sons?"
"My only fortune" their mother answered tentatively "this is Richard and Thomas Grey"

"Edward!" The man on his horse groaned "you don't have time for her!"
"Your home?" Edward said, ignoring the other Lord's words as he looked to Eleanor again "is it near here?"
The girl nodded, her curls bouncing slightly as she did so.
"It's over the fields! And very near!"
The arm around her shoulders tightened a little.

"Warwick. Lead the men on" Edward commanded before looking at Elizabeth again "it seems, my lady...that young Eleanor here may have just won your case"