~Yours and Mine~

Arm in arm, Eleanor and Elizabeth walked along the corridors of Westminster, heads held high as they smiled at one another. Behind them, Anthony and Jacquetta walked merrily with the little Princesses, the widowed Countess, holding her little Grandson proudly in her arms.

"We are safe!" Eleanor exclaimed with glee, momentarily leaning her head against her elder sister's shoulder "you are safe, Lizzie!"
"We are!" Elizabeth laughed, kissing the younger woman's forehead affectionately as she smiled. "with a great deal of thanks being owed to you!"

"You're my sister and my Queen" Eleanor replied warmly "I would do anything for you and you know it!" The Queen nodded and gently squeezed her arm.
"I know that I can always count on you" she murmured before chuckling as Lizzie and Mary threw up the train of her golden gown, shrieks of laughter escaping them while Cecily giggled and stamped her little feet upon the marble floor.

"Girls! Girls!" Jacquetta called, motioning for them to clap as the three sons of York headed towards them, each dressed in cloth of gold with chains of office around their necks.

Eleanor dipped down into a curtsey as they passed but kept her head slightly raised, smiling at her husband and the King before her eyes moved to George. He nodded kindly to her as he came by but the moment his gaze came to settle on Elizabeth, his eyes narrowed, as did hers, and the Queen took her son into her arms, protectively kissing his forehead.

As the Duchess rose, she looked at Isabel Neville, who was also rising from a curtsy and frowned at her smug expression. Isabel looked as if she had won something, as if she was coveting some secret victory of her own and Eleanor did not like it, ignoring her (as the Queen did) as they passed.

The joyous smiles returned to their faces, however, as they entered the great hall to the applause and commendation of the members of the York court, nearly all now fully returned to London.

"Up please, Aunt Lyanna!" Lizzie demanded, reaching upwards as her Aunt grinned at her, swiftly lifting her up from the floor and into her arms.
"Is that better, Princess?" She asked and the little girl nodded, beaming around at all of the courtiers, trying to nod gratefully to each and every one of them!

Stepping up onto the dais that held the thrones, Edward nodded to Eleanor with a grin, one she returned, before Richard held out a hand to her and brought her to his side.

"Liz" he greeted as his young neice beamed adoringly up at him.
"Uncle Dickon" she replied merrily, almost bouncing in her Aunt's arms before she wiggled from them and ran to her little brother, taking his hand.

"I think you have an admirer" Eleanor teased, kissing Richard on the cheek as the court continued to clap enthusiastically. He nodded slightly, though his eyes did not move from his wife and he brushed his lips against her hand.

"Come" he said softly, leading her out of the hall through a side door "I have something for you"

Standing behind her, he placed his hands over her eyes and Eleanor giggled, wondering what on earth he had planned before she heard the sharp bark of her little Talbot dog and grinned.

"Fortuna!" She exclaimed, hearing the tip-tap of her dogs little nails against the marble floor as she dashed to her, jumping up at her silver skirts. But Richard did not remove his hands, keeping her in the dark "what are you doing?" She asked, hearing a door at the end of the corridor they were standing in open and two pairs of feet head towards her.

"See for yourself!" Richard murmured as he lifted his hands away from her eyes and chuckled as she gasped, a relived and joyous laugh escaping her.

For standing before her were Anais and Marie, unharmed with smiles of their faces.
"Your grace" Marie began, slowly curtsying only to almost be knocked to the floor as Eleanor pulled her into a fierce hug, almost crying in her happiness.

"You're safe!" She exclaimed, drawing Anais into the embrace "Marie! Anais! you're both safe! Oh thank the Lord!"

Marie blushed as she was released, clearly not used to such open and candid affection as was shown to her now. She never had been. While Anais on the other hand, threw her arms around Eleanor's neck, hugging her tightly.

"Ve are!" She giggled, pushing a few flaxen curls away from her face before bending down to pet Fortuna who was tapping excitedly at all who were around her "safe and reunited with you, your grace!"

"And happier than ever to serve you" Marie added, glancing at the younger woman with a look that told her to calm down, though she was smiling all the same.

"Thank you, Marie" Eleanor replied, laying a hand on her Lady's arm and nodding "I hope that you know you have both been sorely missed by me!"

꧁꧂

"Anais and Marie are to attend me tomorrow again" Eleanor said as she removed her earrings, placing the delicate Pearl drops that each hung onto a diamond onto her dressing table.

Richard smiled at her reflection in the mirror, walking over and unclasping her necklace, laying it to one side.
"Are you glad?" He asked "to have them back by your side?"
"Of course!" She said, turning around on her stool to face him "and you retuning them to me gave me a greater joy than you could know!"

"A greater joy than kissing the King of England?" He teased, earning a sharp tap on the arm as his wife grinned and removed her rings, placing them onto the blue velvet cushion she had laid out.

"I had much rather kiss you!" She retorted playfully, rising from her seat and walking to the foot of their bed while Richard's eyes followed her every move "and you full well know it!"

He leant against the wall, playing with the pendant that was usually on his cap.
"Well, I certainly bring you more pleasure than he ever will, sweetheart" he murmured, smirking as a coral blush stained her cheeks "that I full well know! I could bring you pleasure now if you wished it"

"Really?" Eleanor asked, letting the silk robe that covered her nightgown slide from her shoulders, down her body until it gathered at her feet. She felt her skin warm as Richard's eyes wandered over her and he nodded, tossing his pendant onto a nearby chair.

"Lift your gown for me" he murmured, stepping forward a little and grinning at the slight surprise and curiosity that registered on his wife's face. Gathering some of the soft material into her hands, she lifted her nightgown from the floor to just above her ankles. Richard smirked, folding his arms as he tilted his head "higher sweetheart" he said and Eleanor felt her breath get caught in her throat as she obeyed, easing her nightgown to her knees.

"Enough, my Lord?" She asked, beginning to understand what his next command would be as he shook his head, a smile playing about his lips.

"Higher, Leena" he cooed softly, making shivers run down her spine. She had never imagined that the use of her nickname could spark desire but now it did, the soft intimacy and richness of his voice making her ache for him.

Slowly she raised her nightgown to her thighs and watched as Richard approached her, standing at the bottom of the steps that led up to their bed. Flicking his hand upward a little in a silent command, Eleanor kept her eyes upon him as she raised her gown again, the material gathering at her waist.

Stepping up to her, Richard gently placed his lips against her own, kissing her as his hands roamed her bare waist. Pausing for breath, he drew back, gazing at her slightly parted lips with a smirk before he sank to his knees.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper as he gently ran his hands up the outside of her legs, along the soft skin of her thighs while he guided her backward to perch on the edge of the bed.

"Preparing to pleasure you, sweetheart" he replied, his voice soft and inviting as he parted her legs, his dark eyes fixed lustily on the space between them. Eleanor could feel herself beginning to tremble at his touch, her stomach and toes curling deliciously as she felt Richard's lips graze against the inside of her thighs, almost as soft and delicate as a butterflies' wing.

Spreading her legs further, he gently nipped at her skin with his teeth, making her jump slightly before he leant forward and tasted her with his tongue.

Immediately Eleanor's hips jerked upwards as a moan tumbled from her lips, her closed eyes flying open as heat rushed through her body. A small whimper escaped her as Richard's tongue began to trace delicate circles around her clit, teasing her as her hands slid into his hair, fingers curling, keeping him in place.

He chuckled against her, eliciting a soft moan that sounded more like a plea, one he didn't respond to as his tongue moved downwards, slowly dipping into her opening and almost causing her to scream from pleasure.

Eleanor lay back onto the bed, her thighs falling open wider as she began to move her hips up and down, mumbled and moaned words softly escaping her as her husband remained on his knees, pleasuring her as he had never done before.

A rough gasp tore from her throat as he slid a finger inside of her, followed by a second and she was sure she could see stars behind her eyes, her grip tightening on his hair, pulling at the black curls.

She whined in protest as his mouth left her centre, her clit twitching from his delicate touches that had left her on the brink of release. Slowly moving his fingers in and out of her, Richard moved up her body, kissing her waist and breasts through the flimsy fabric of her nightgown. Eleanor pushed her hips forward, moaning for him to move faster before he suddenly kissed her and she found herself running her tongue along his warm lips, tasting herself.

Richard grinned at her, watching as her eyes near rolled into the back of her head when she finally found her release, waves of ecstasy crashing over her as she moaned his name again and again.

Slowly removing his fingers, Richard brought them up to his mouth, coating his lips with her wetness before he licked them clean, smirking at the way his wife watched him with an excited curiosity.

"Did you like that, sweetheart?" He asked, taking to playing with the ties at the front of her nightgown, undoing them one by one as she nodded, left speechless by his ministrations. She began to close her trembling legs, pleasure still between them but Richard stopped her, his hand gently resting against her thigh.

Sitting up, Eleanor slid her arms from her nightgown, taking her husband's free hand and guiding it to one of her breasts, sighing as his fingers suddenly tensed with newfound knowledge.

"Take me" she murmured dreamily as he gently rubbed her hardened nipple with the pad of his thumb, a small smile playing about her lips, filling her green eyes with lust "hold me, Richard....hold me and love me"

꧁꧂

Richard smiled as he gently dabbed at Eleanor's brow with a damp cloth he had collected from by the bed. Her chest heaved as he cradled her against him, though she was still smiling all the same feeling as if a warm glow of pleasure was enveloping her.

"You have done so well, sweetheart" he praised, kissing her forehead as he began to pull up the soft sheets around their bodies, laying the cloth to one side. Eleanor looked up at him, blushing under his gaze as she stretched, lifting her arms above her head, groaning a little.

"Have I pleased you?" She asked, cuddling closer to him again and smiling when he nodded, tilting her chin up to kiss her.
"Immensely" he said "as you always do, my darling"

A soft knock sounded at the door and the Duke and Duchess looked up from the bed, she looking far more surprised than he was.
"My lord?" The young voice of a page called out and Richard sighed, pulling the covers back and reaching for his discarded breeches.

"What could anyone want with you at this time of night apart from what I have just had?" Eleanor asked sleepily, watching as he dressed, trying to keep her eyes open.
"It will just be Edward" he replied, noticeably more subdued then he had been just moments ago as he leant down and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth "I will be back with you soon...."

"Do you promise?" She replied as the page opened the door and handed a lantern to Richard before making himself scarce.
"I promise" he replied before stepping out of the bed chamber and closing the door quietly behind him, leaving Eleanor alone with only the glow of the fire as light.

Leaning back against the headboard, she pulled the coverlet up to her chest, lightly tracing the flowers that were embroidered onto the material. As her body and mind awoke, returning to reality, she succumbed to her curiosity of her husband's sudden departure. She was sure it was just as he had said, that Edward wanted something but it was what the King wanted that made her think.

As the minutes dragged by at a snails pace, the Duchess's patience began to quickly ebb, not liking the solitude that now surrounded her and so she at last slipped from the covers. Tiptoeing to the end of the bed, she picked up her nightgown and guided it over her head before pulling a soft primrose bed robe from her coffer and wrapping it around herself.

Glancing into her chamber mirror as she put on a pair of silk slippers, she grabbed an emerald ribbon and quickly braided her hair, finding her fingers trembled at such a simple task, though she did not know why.

Her head flew up as the door opened and she saw Elizabeth standing in the dim light of the torchlit corridor.
"Has Richard gone too?" She asked and Eleanor nodded, taking the hand her sister offered to her; allowing herself to be pulled from the safety of her bedchamber and into the icy coldness of the Tower halls.

Together, the Woodvilles stole along the stone corridors, glancing around corners as they tried to spy their husband's.
"It is possible that...."
"Hush!" Elizabeth ordered, jerking Eleanor backward a little and squeezing her hand "look" she said, her tone a little gentler as she pointed ahead of them just in time to see George, Richard and Edward disappearing into a cell.

"That's King Henry's" the Duchess whispered before an idea dawned on her and she shook her head, her feet moving forward before she had a chance to think "they wouldn't!" She exclaimed.

"Leena!" Elizabeth hissed, following her "get back here!" The two gathered at the door, glancing hesitantly at one another and the light that shone through the small window in the cell door.

Peering into the room with the upmost caution, Eleanor had to stifle a sharp cry as she saw Edward take up pillow and head towards the sleeping King, still she refused to believe her eyes. Henry lay under the covers, his chest peacefully rising and falling, unknowing to the fate that was about to befall him until his rival leapt forth, pressing the pillow over his ageing face.

At once, the old man's body began to jerk, his limbs desperately flailing about as he struggled, no match for the strength of Edward and then of Richard as the young Duke held him down, tearing away his last chance at life.

George watched on from the side, his expression grim as he held up a lantern to light their work, lighting the murder of an anointed King.

'He is an anointed King and how shall we be any better if we match him in his butchery?'

Edward's words from when the mad King had first been captured echoed like a banshee in Eleanor's ears as she watched Henry struggle, scratching desperately at his attacker's wrists until they fell to his sides and his chest fell for the final time. His last breaths gone.

'He has been matched' she thought as a look of sheer horror overcame her face 'matched and murdered'.