~A Boy King~

"We must catch up to him and we must take him into our custody" Richard said firmly two days later, looking around the faces that belonged to the people gathered around the table in his study.

Eleanor, Francis, Rob, Harry, Jack and Robert Brackenbury. The people he trusted most. The last man had arrived only hours ago and his hair was still damp from the April showers that had cursed his journey. Thankfully he was closest to the fire.

"What are we all to do, your grace?" He asked and Richard looked to him.
"I have sent out call to arms for a thousand men...."
"Only a thousand?" Francis questioned and Eleanor nodded.

"The King shall be travelling with my brother Earl Rivers and my nephew Lord Grey" she said calmly "If they know I travel with you they will not put up a fight. We do not need an army Francis" Francis raised his eyebrows but did not speak again. Richard nodded to his wife.

"Exactly" he said "now, I have arranged to meet with Anthony Woodville at Stony Stratford. Once we are there we shall all dine together and then I shall take custody of the young King. With any luck, Rivers will hand the boy over and go back to Ludlow as will Grey"
"Although we must be careful" Eleanor added "my nephew Thomas is rather a hothead"

"Quite like you then?" Rob teased and she shook her head playfully.
"All I'm saying is that you must be careful not to rouse his anger or the whole plan will blow up. Oh and when he drinks he can be rather.... obtuse, shall we say so do not let him rile you and yes that is directed at you Harry"

Harry held up his hands in mock surrender, a grin on his face.
"I wont! I promise!" He replied and Richard nodded.
"We are all agreed then?" He asked and the six others retuned his nod "good. We set out at dawn tomorrow, keep your swords concealed beneath your cloaks, we do not want to give the impression we are about to wage a war!"

꧁꧂

Blood, warm and fresh trickled down the bloodied execution block, soaking the dirty wood of the scaffold below and staining two silver crosses....

Two crosses....

Two crosses....

A broken crown, torn in half, its golden points twisted and broken, jewels roughly torn from their place and strewn upon the dark earth, lay in a tangle of thorns by a river....

A broken crown....

A broken crown....

Opening her eyes, Eleanor found herself in a dark hallway, only lit by torchlight.

Something cold touched her feet and she gasped as she looked down and saw blood covering the floor, soaking the hem of her shift, her nose wrinkling as the metallic scent assailed it.

Her heart began to pound as her feet moved forward of their own volition and she found she could not look up, was forced to look upon the blood as she was pulled forward, further and further down the hallway.

And then.

She was stopped.

She frowned as she suddenly felt hot tears sliding down her face, wetting her cheeks.

She was crying.

But why?

A pained cry escaped her as her head was suddenly forced upwards, her teeth clinching as her hair was yanked backwards by an invisible force.

She screamed....

A man, with dark hair, a wicked grin on his face and dressed in deep green sat on a wooden throne before her, his hands stained with blood.

On either side of him lay pikes....

Each one possessing a severed head atop it belonging to someone Eleanor loved....

Richard, his hair matted with mud and gore, his nose broken, a stream of dried blood flowing from it to his cut and bruised lips....

Her son George, his eyes wide open with fear and terror with cuts marring his soft skin....

Katheryn....

"No more!" Eleanor screamed as she fell to her knees, the blood on the floor covering her hands, soaking her shift "no more!"

The man on the throne gave a harsh laugh, his blue eyes shining with malice.

"It is your fault" he hissed "their blood is on your hands too, just look" she looked down at her hands, submerged in the warm blood that filled the dark hallway "you were meant to protect them" he whispered, pointing an accusing finger at her while she sobbed "you were meant to save them. And you failed....you failed them all!"

She gasped as her eyes snapped open, beads of sweat on her forehead as her chest heaved; lungs burning and grasping for air. She sat up throwing off her blankets and jumping from the bed, holding up her hands.

No blood.

She looked down at her feet and shift.

No blood.

She put her hands to her face.

Ice cold despite the heat that flooded her body.

She shivered.

A seeing?

That was all it could be.

Crossing herself, she tried to steady her breathing and reached for her bed robe, wrapping it around herself. A roar of laughter echoed from the room below. 'They are still at it' she thought.

That morning the Gloucester retinue had arrived in Stony Stratford to the greetings of Anthony Woodville and Thomas Grey who had welcomed Eleanor with open arms and fond kisses on the cheek.

Richard ordered their men to go and make camp in the nearby fields and together he and Eleanor had followed Anthony and Tom into the nicest inn in the village; then to a chamber where the new King was.

While Edward sent his Aunt a smile as she entered, recognising her from their meeting two years prior, he still seemed uneasy around she and his Uncle. He didn't speak a word as they sank to their knees and swore fealty to him as their Lord and King, only nodded then smiled as Anthony lay a hand on his shoulder; gesturing for his kin to rise.

That night, Eleanor, Richard, their friends, Anthony and Tom had all dined together, the conversation flowing and easy and going on late into the night despite the undercurrent of tension no one could deny but did not acknowledge. To do so would jeopardise both parties.

Eleanor had gone to bed at around midnight and she was sure that was at least three hours ago yet from the laughter it sounded as if the men had not yet tired.

Had Richard demanded the guardianship of the King? She doubted their would be laughter if he had. Or perhaps her brother or nephew were simply laughing away at his request, too in their cups to actually take note of what was being said.

Her mind returned to her seeing. To the man on the throne dressed in green. His eyes haunted her and she knew they would for many months to come, she shivered again at the mere memory of them. So cold and piercing the could have torn through flesh with one icy look.

He had told her she was responsible for the deaths of her loved ones! But that could not be true! She would never do anything to harm Richard or George or Katheryn or any of the others that had had their bloody heads set on those monstrous pikes!

No more she had pleaded no more. But he had simply laughter at her and Eleanor wrapped her arms around herself as if her arms could provide a shield between her and the man on the throne.

She needed Richard. Needed his arms around her. Needed his comfort.

And so she left her chamber, nodding to the servants along the small gallery before she headed down the stairs, tying the sash of her robe as she went. As she approached the door the men were behind the laughter became louder and along with it, clapping. God only knew what they were doing in there.

Opening the door her eyes widened as she was met with the sight of Harry dancing a jig on top of the long table they had had dinner on, a towel on his head and clearly in his cups as he spun around and hopped from foot to foot. Rob and Francis cheered him on, banging on the table and on the floor as they clamoured for more, draining their goblets and refilling them with wine.

Eleanor could not help but grin a little at them, though they did not notice her as she entered, simply carried on while she looked to the corner of the room where Richard, Robert and Jack were huddled together; faces serious and voices low.

As if sensing her presence, Richard looked up from the group, holding up a hand for silence. 'What's wrong, sweetheart?' He mouthed to her and she shook her head 'I need you' was all she mouthed back before backing out of the room.

Richard did not need any more prompting, he had pushed back his chair and was out of the room in mere seconds, his face a picture of concern as Eleanor threw herself into his arms; burying her face in his chest.

"My love what's wrong" he asked quietly, stroking her hair and wrapping locks of it around his fingers "tell me"
"I had a nightmare" she said as he tilted chin up with a finger "about you, about our family....it was so real, Dickon"

"It is not real" he said softly "nothing can harm you while I'm here, mon amour, I promise" she nodded and hid her face in his shirt once more, taking comfort in the steady beat of his heart "come" he then said, smiling a little before he lifted her into his arms "let us get you back to bed"

"Will you stay with me?" Eleanor asked as he carried her up the stairs and to their room. Richard nodded, kissing her brow and gently lay her on the mattress.

"Of course" he replied, quickly undressing before he lay bedside her, wrapping his arms around her as she snuggled into him "remember, nothing can harm you" he told her "it was only a nightmare, nothing more, come day it shall be gone and you never have to think of it again, my love"

'Won't I?' She thought.

She knew the truth was the opposite.

꧁꧂

Eleanor smiled as she straightened the sleeves of her gown, chuckling at the little huff Richard gave as he struggled with the laces of her gown. Without Anais and Marie he had taken it upon himself to dress his Duchess and while he was usually rather good at his task that morning seemed to be proving a challenge.

"Really, sweetheart" he murmured as the silken strands once again slipped from his fingers, much to his irritation "it's much easier to take you out of these damn things then put you in them! And much more pleasurable"

"Mm" she mused, holding her hair in place over her shoulder to try and help a little "I agree....but I must ask, how did negotiations go once I returned? Did Anthony and Tom agree to your guardianship of young Edward?"

"They did!" Richard replied, a note of triumph in his voice "though your nephew was rather skittish about it. He made sure that there was at least one string attached"
"Oh? And what might that be?"
"That you be the one to escort our young King to the Tower and they come to London too!"

Eleanor spun around at that and Richard raised his eyebrows, silently thankful that he had managed to finish lacing her gown just in time.

"The tower?" She exclaimed "not Westminster?"
"It's customary for the Kings and Queens of England to reside at the Tower before their coronations" Richard said with a small shrug. "just like your sister did! Edward's coronation will not be far away, only a few days once we enter London I should think....but he made sure it was you to take our nephew because he doesn't trust me!"

"Well, I suppose I do know Edward slightly better than you?" Eleanor suggested as she slipped on her shoes. Richard shrugged again. "and I can vouch to him for you. He will know that he can trust in you! Where is Anthony and Tom now?"

"On the way to Westminster, as we should be"

꧁꧂

May 1483, The Tower of London....

Edward's eyes were curious as he looked around the royal apartments at the Tower, his Aunt behind him. He peered into each room, into each carved chest, marvelling at the crossbows and spears that were on the walls.

His ears still rung from the unrelenting cheers that had seen him through the streets of London that morning. He had waved and smiled, just as his Uncle Richard had told him to and tossed coins to the crowds.

But he hadn't liked it.

He wanted to be back at Ludlow! With his Uncle Anthony and half brother Tom! At Ludlow everything had been simple and easy and now he had an entire country looking to him! Walking to the window he held up a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sun, the rays making his bright blonde hair gleam.

He was a Woodville. Of that there could be no doubt, Eleanor thought as she followed him to the window. Though he possessed none of the Woodville ambition or the York ambition for that matter! It was true he was only still a child but England needed a strong York King upon the throne and the shy boy she had come to know, who liked to read and play his lute in a morning was anything but strong.

Edward looked up as she lay a hand on his shoulder and smiled his Mother's smile with his Father's warmth. He had come to like Eleanor over the two weeks they had travelled together. He had liked her when they first met, had found her funny and his Uncle Anthony had always sworn he would gladly put his life in her hands.

So Edward had decided he could too.

He was still unsure of Eleanor's husband, even though he had come to like him a little. He found his Uncle Richard rather a serious figure in amongst all the chaos that had surrounded him over the past weeks, always brooding over one piece of paper or another. Although, he had to admit, Richard had been kind to him on the journey to London, showing him the battlefield where Barnet was fought and also showing him how to sign his name as King!

It seemed to Edward that it was only his wife or he who seemed to make his Uncle smile! Or the Duke of Buckingham whom Edward had come to like immensely. Harry reminded him of Tom and he took comfort in that.

"Is there anything you need, Edward?" Eleanor asked as he beamed up at her and shook his head in reply.
"No thank you" he said "I have everything I need, though must you go immediately?" She grinned at his earnest expression "I was rather hoping to trap you in a game of chess!"

"Trap me in a game of chess?" She exclaimed with a laugh "well well nephew I accept your challenge, though I must confess I am a ruthless player! You shall be shown no mercy King or not!"

"And nor shall you! Aunt or not!" He returned, running over to one of the chests where he was sure his eyes had caught a chess board.
"Then I would say we are evenly matched, your grace!" Eleanor teased.