~Past Times~

Eleanor smiled at Mary and Bella as she took a seat between them in the great hall of Westminster, looking forward to the feast that was to come.

Glancing behind her, she saw the rest of her family (including her mother and cousins, new in from Burgundy) flock down the opposite end of the hall, laughing and joking with one another as they took their seats.

Soon enough the royal court followed and Eleanor spotted the royal dukes heading towards them and smiled politely at George as he sat opposite Mary before glancing at Richard who sat next to Bella.

"You all look the same you Rivers girls!" George commented with a grin "all like beautiful fish!"
Eleanor scoffed while Bella merely rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"I'd rather be a beautiful fish than a handsome dog" she muttered and a mischievous grin lit up George's face, seeming to take no offence at all to the girls words; even tempting her to return his smile.

"I'm not sure I should like to be a fish!" Isabel Neville remarked as she approached with her sister in tow.
"Hello!" Mary greeted, earning a sharp elbow in the ribs from Eleanor before Isabel continued.

"George does try to be so charming sometimes, but he doesn't always get it right!" Turning her haughty gaze to Richard, her smile grew and she sat, smoothing out the line green skirt of her gown "last time we saw you, Richard, you fell off your horse at our father's castle! Do you remember?"

The look on Richard's face showed that he remembered all too well, his complexion turning a deep shade of red, while Isabel smirked to herself. Eleanor folded her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowing a little as she tried her very hardest not to glare at the older girl sitting opposite her.

Trumpets announcing the Queen filled the room and for one moment Eleanor had to forget her anger as she rose to her feet, turning to the side, her eyes widening as she saw her sister place her hand on top of Lord Warwick's.

"My Lords and Ladies of the court" he announced, his tone jovial, though his face was anything but, wore a scowl that Eleanor thought could tear into any soul "I give you Queen Elizabeth of England"

The pair began to walk forward and Eleanor sunk into a deep curtsy as her sister passed, grinning as Elizabeth smiled at her, sending a small nod her way. Rising to her feet again, she watched as the Queen took her place beside Edward and beamed at the court before turning back around to sit down.

"Eleanor!" Her head spun around as George called to her, a smile on his face "care for a dance, oh most beautiful fish?"
A small gasp escaped Eleanor's lips before she began to laugh, tossing back her head and grinning as she nodded and waited while George walked around the table and extended his hand to her.

Placing her hand in George's Eleanor cast a glance over her shoulder as he lead her towards the other couples that had begun to form only to find Isabel's jealous eyes boaring into her back. Smirking triumphantly in response, she made sure to blatantly gaze up into George's eyes so that the eldest Neville girl would notice and giggled childishly as the music started and the pair began to dance with the other courtiers.

"So, my Lord, was the North to your liking, I confess I have never travelled there myself?" Eleanor asked as she stepped to the side and spun gracefully around her partner who grinned.
"Well" he said "I must admit I prefer being at court, it is so much more extravagant here! And besides, in the wilds of the North there is no one to speak to but clodhoppers!"

"Clodhoppers?" Eleanor exclaimed with a laugh "do you know many, my lord?"
"Aye I do!" George replied before jerking his head towards his younger brother "Dickon is fast becoming one of them! Mores the pity, though a visit to court may bring him to his senses! And please, Eleanor, if we are to be friends, you must call me by my given name as I do you!"

"Friends, George?" She questioned and he nodded, arching an eyebrow "well, I suppose I already call your brother, Edward!"
George grinned and wrapped an arm around her waist as he lead her in the next steps of the dance, moving gracefully from side to side.
"Most call him Ned" he told her "but now, you must tell me of your family! Which of your sisters are with you?"

Looking back to the table, Eleanor saw Bella watching her and grinned.
"The one watching is Isabella" she explained and George nodded in her sister's direction. Bella gave a small wave in return before turning back around to her food "and the other is Mary!" She continued as she watched Mary try in vain to make conversation with Isabel.

As if she were lighter than air, George suddenly lifted her and Eleanor gasped in surprise before she felt herself be gently lowered to the ground once more while the music came to an end.

"Well done, Leena!" Elizabeth called as she stood and applauded, causing her little sister's cheeks to blush a shade of bright coral pink as the eyes of the court fell upon her.

"Friends?" George murmured and Eleanor nodded, smiling at him.
"Friends" she agreed, squeezing his hand.

꧁꧂

As the sun rose the next day, Eleanor slipped out of her bed and quietly dressed at the opposite of the room so she would not wake her sister, pulling on a yellow gown, adorned with pearls around the neckline.

At first she had been worried about her choice of colour, had kept wondering if the yellow would clash with her hair but now she could see that the soft buttercup hue complemented her eyes, making them stand out.

Brushing out her curls, she pulled her hair back into a simple braid, frowning as she found she could still not master anything more intricate. So she tied a length of green silk at the end, pulling the ribbon into a neat bow and nodding at her own reflection, pushing back her shoulders.

Tiptoeing back to the bed, Eleanor gently moved the mass of flaxen curls away from Bella's face and kissed her cheek, chuckling to herself as her sister turned over with a groan, hugging her pillow to her body.

As she opened the chamber door and stepped out into the sunlit corridors, Eleanor stumbled back a little, blinking profusely as her vision adjusted to the sudden light.

"Are you well?" A voice asked and Eleanor spun around to see her mother smiling at her before she took her hand and together they walked to the Queen's chambers, dipping down into small curtsies as they came into Elizabeth's presence, though she told them not to.

It seemed to Eleanor that her elder sister was clearing out her rooms and she found herself wandering over to three portraits, one of a woman, unsmiling and in crimson robes, the other of a man (who in the 12 year old's opinion looked rather helpless) and the last, a small child holding a red rose in his chubby hands.

"Who are they?" She asked as Elizabeth joined her and picked up the first portrait.
"This" she answered as she carried the painting over to a chair and set it down before her mother "is Margaret of Anjou! The former Queen of this land....but what shall I do with it? It's not as if she shall be returning!"

"You could always burn it?" Eleanor suggested with a small shrug "erase her memory from the palace forever?"
"If only it were that easy" Jacquetta murmured and both her daughters turned to her.
"Mother?"

"I never thought it would be me doing this" she replied with a small sigh, a hint of sadness in her wistful tone as she stared at the statuesque woman in the portrait "I was her closest friend when I was her Lady at court....but these are different times....you are the Queen now, Elizabeth and you will never make the same mistakes she did"

Elizabeth smiled and folded her arms as her little sister had done, arching an eyebrow at the painting.
"Although the offer is tempting, I cannot burn it or they'll strangle us for witches!"

Jacquetta 'tsk'd and playfully nudged Elizabeth as she giggled and walked to the door a grin on her face. After helping her mother with the rest of the portraits, Eleanor quickly followed her, placing a hand on her mother's arm before she left and skipped down the hallways to catch up with her sister, loving the sound of silk sliding elegantly along marble.

Rounding a corner, she smiled as she spotted Elizabeth wandering into one of the chambers and made to catch up with her, slipping through the door and grinning when she saw Anthony was there. But it was a grin her elder brother did not return, in fact his expression was rather angry, his brows furrowed as if he were in deep thought.

"Ah, ma petite boule de feu!" Edward greeted as Eleanor curtsied to him but his greeting held none of his usuals joy and Elizabeth seemed to have noticed as well for she did not speak a word until now.

"Edward?" She asked and the King turned his gaze upon her, leaning upon the table he stood behind.

"Your father and brothers have just told me that Warwick has a secret deal with the King of France" he sighed, trying to appear calm but pain and betrayal showed through in his expression. "Louis has promised him territory in exchange for my alliance with the French....this was once dependent on me marrying the Princess Bona but now it rides on this so called peace treaty...."

"So Warwick is plotting against you?" Eleanor asked and her sister nodded but Edward shook his head with a sigh.
"Not so much against me as for himself" he returned, making Anthony roll his eyes in annoyance "but he should not have kept it from me, so I shall treaty with the side I think is most useful"

Sighing, he moved to walk out, patting Eleanor's shoulder as he past before disappearing into the hall.

"Does he not see Warwick's danger!" She asked "I'm twelve and I do!"
"He's clouded by how much he loves him" Elizabeth replied and Anthony leant upon the table, tilting his head.
"Then you must do the thinking for him!" He demanded sternly "Warwick is now against the King and wants power for himself. Now if edward doesn't stop him then you must!"

"Or Warwick will be King making again" Eleanor whispered, a look of worry overcoming her face as she looked up at her older sister "and this time it won't be Edward's head that wears the crown"