~Nightmares~

September, 1470....

Eleanor and Marie jumped from the bed as Anais all but threw herself onto the covers, shaking the two awake.
"What in God's name are you doing, Anna?" Eleanor asked groggily, letting her ladies raise her from the bed and wrap her bed robe around her "it's only just turned dawn, if I am correct"

"You are correct" Marie groaned, holding a hand up to shield herself from the sunlight that flooded through the slight cracks in the shutters of the chamber "and I for one demand to know what Anais is doing dragging us out of bed"

"The King has sent for you" Anais replied, slipping shoes onto Eleanor's feet before she pushed her from the chamber and all but dragged her to the Queen's rooms where Elizabeth, Edward and Richard were waiting. The three women curtsied before the Duchess shooed Anais and Marie away and stumbled forward to where her sister enveloped her in a tight hug.

"What is it?" She asked "why have I been sent for at this hour?"
"There is another rebellion in the North" The King answered and in an instant Eleanor was fully awake, looking to Richard.
"Is this true?" She asked, alarmed as he nodded.

"Aye, it is....the seemed to have risen in Lincolnshire and yet again the leader has no name" he said and Elizabeth sighed.
"All the other times it has been Warwick" she muttered, clearly frustrated "but he is still in France to our knowledge! Who could it be?!"

Edward nodded, beginning to pace around the table they were all gathered at.
"Dickon has ordered his army to meet mine on the road tomorrow and it is to be lead by John Howard"
"Tomorrow?" Eleanor cried but the King held up a hand for silence.
"Then John Neville's army will meet us soon after that and together we shall crush the rebellion!"

"But why must you go?!" Elizabeth exclaimed "with Warwick and George threatening to invade any day now I think that you should stay here and defend the capital! Let one of your other trusted men lead the armies! Say, Hastings? Or Richard?"

"No, my love" Edward replied softly, placing his hand atop hers as his pacing finally came to an end "it is my crown and so I must defend it. And besides, George has written to me....it seems that he was visited by a certain Lady Sutcliffe" Eleanor and Elizabeth exchanged knowing glances "and he swears that as soon as we face Warwick in battle, he shall fight for York"

Eleanor sighed, shaking her head as she pulled out a chair and sat down, leaning a cheek on her hand.
"And you trust him?" She asked "you trust the word of a traitor?"
"I want to" Edward replied heavily before smiling a little. "trust you, ma petite boule de feu, to always be the voice of reason in times such as these....but I have no other option but to trust him....he is still my brother, n'est-ce pas, Dickon?"

Richard looked up and shrugged a little, clearly as unconvinced as his wife was at George's pledge of allegiance but Edward frowned at him, prompting him for an answer.
"I think that we should not place our faith in him" he explained before pointing to the map on the table which he and Edward had weighed down with leather bound books "I think that we meet with Jack and with John, and focus on crushing this rebellion while remaining alert and aware of the threat that Warwick and Lancaster poses" he raised his eyebrows as his small speech came to an end and clasped his hands behind his back.

Edward merely nodded before leaning his forehead against Elizabeth's and leaning into her soft embrace as she wrapped her arms around him as best she could with her growing belly.

"Go to the tower" He murmured as she peered up at him "take the girls and Eleanor....go to the tower and prepare for the baby there....I will come to you as soon as I can"

"And when will that be?" Eleanor asked, rising from her chair.
"When I have won" Edward replied.

꧁꧂

Eleanor tossed and turned, pulling the covers of the bed tightly around her in an attempt to shield herself from the images that flashed through her mind....

A woman screamed, blood pouring down her legs, her face contorted with pain as she clutched at her belly and a wave of water crashed down onto the ship, seeping through the cracks in the cabin ceiling....

Eleanor watched from the corner, her arms chained to the walls of the cabin as she stared at the woman before her in terror....it was Isabel, her dark hair a mess around her face and her pale skin almost translucent with fear as the many layers of her sage green gown became soaked with thick, red blood. She screamed once more....

She turned onto her side again, mumbled words escaping her lips while a sweat began to break out on her brow as her breathing quickened....

Isabel screamed once more, crying out for help but no one came....not her mother....not her sister....she was all alone....Eleanor ran forward only to be sharply jerked back by the iron chains that bound her, the metal cutting into her wrists. Tears escaped her eyes as Isabel's gaze locked with hers and she cried out. "Help me!" She pleaded "help me!"

But Eleanor could not reply, could not speak, could only scream in terror as more water flooded into the cabin and a woman slowly rose from the waters, her golden hair hanging in dripping wet ringlets down her back and her gown made of the finest blue silk that stuck to her figure as water seeped into it....Melusina

Slowly the Goddess held up a knife with a shining point, holding it high above Isabel as the young woman screamed, pleaded, begged for mercy but was paid no heed as Melusina brought her blade down and drove it deep into her belly.

Eleanor screamed, then choked as the cabin flooded and the Godess and Isabel faded from sight, water filling her lungs as she struggled against the chains that dragged her down from the ocean's surface.

"My son! My son!" A voice cried, she was sure it was George and struggled even more for breath as he appeared beside her, floating in the dark depths of the sea. His blue eyes were glazed over, his lips slightly parted as if he had just witnessed a surprise before the reddest wine began to gush from his mouth and he started to struggle, his body flailing helplessly around while Eleanor's vision darkened and....

"George!" She screamed as she jerked up from the covers, tears streaming down her face as she brought her knees up to her chest, her heart feeling as if it would tear from her body.

"Hush, your grace" Marie said as she woke with a start, instantly wrapping her arms around the Duchess and gently cradling the younger woman against her chest "it was just a bad dream....only a bad dream....I promise...."

The door to the bedchamber banged open and Marie reached for the dagger she kept concealed beneath the covers, only to see it was Richard who was standing at the threshold, seeming dressed hurriedly in his shirt and breeches, his chest heaving and his face streaked with tears, just as Eleanor's was.

She looked up, rather startled by the appearance of her husband, though she found her trembling stopped a little and found the strength to speak.
"Leave us, Marie" she whispered, nodding as her Lady gave her a questioning look before leaving, curtsying quickly to the Duke and Duchess before shutting the chamber door behind her.

Eleanor reached for the candle at the side of her bed and slowly slipped from the covers, shakily making her way over to the fireplace where she lit the wick with the dying embers, illuminating the room a little. She breathed a small sigh of relief as her own distress began to dissipate....the images of George and Isabel fading slightly....

Hearing soft footsteps behind her, she turned to see Richard looking down at her, his face ashen and desperate, displaying the fear of a child as his hands trembled.

"Come" Eleanor said softly and took one of his hands, leading him back to her bed and placing the candle onto the table beside it. They sat opposite each other and she slowly raised a hand, dabbing away her husband's tears with the sleeve of her nightgown.

"I....is all well?" Richard stammered, almost unable to speak and Eleanor hushed him, wiping away her own tears.
"It does not matter" she whispered "not now.... but what ails you?"

At once, the look of fear increased in the Duke's expression, his face draining of all colour and his pupils decreasing rapidly in size as he swallowed.

"It....it was....Ludlow...." he murmured "I was there....I was there again....just....just as I was when I was seven....I could hear the screams" he looked up, grabbing Eleanor's hand as tears began to escape his eyes again "they ring in my ears.... the screams of the dying men....of the women being raped....I can still hear them....I can see them all....their faces....their faces are burned into my eyes...." he took a shaky breath before shaking his head, regaining a fragment of the self control he so prided himself in maintaining and moved to rise from the bed "forgive me, my lady" he whispered "I should not have disturbed you so....I shall return to my chambers...."

"No" Eleanor returned gently reaching out to catch his hand again "stay"

He turned, clearly surprised at her words, but she only smiled kindly and drew him back to the covers. In truth, she meant what she said for during the past minute she had seen a different side to her serious husband....she had seen his fear. He had come to her first in his distress, had sought her out in the middle of the night, had willingly shown her how clearly the memories of his childhood pained him still, and it had touched her heart.

Had touched a part of her that she thought he would never reach....and had.

Pulling back the bedclothes, Eleanor arranged them around Richard's shaking body with the upmost care before she climbed in beside him. Surprising herself a little, she began to stroke his hair, running her fingers through the soft black curls until his breathing evened out a little and slight colour began to return to his cheeks.

Slowly turning onto his side, Richard opened his arms and was surprised when Eleanor shuffled forward into them, curling up a little as she buried her face into the crook of his neck.

He gently caught her chin with one of his hands and moved her slightly so that she was looking at him with her large green eyes that reflected care for him but also a pain of her own, something he suddenly became determined to fix if he could. Kissing her gently on the forehead, he moved a little closer, so that their bodies were pressed against one another, and, surprisingly, felt Eleanor relax, laying her head on his chest.

"You promise that you shall not let me go tonight?" She whispered suddenly, a sense of urgency in her voice that fuelled an unfamiliar sensation in him that he could only describe as protectiveness.

"I promise" he murmured in return and tightened his hold on her slightly as if to show her that she was safe with him....and would be forever after. "Not tonight.... nor ever again shall I let you go"

And in her heart, Eleanor knew that he meant it.

꧁꧂

The next morning, Eleanor awoke to the sound of birds chirping through an open window and turned her head to see Anais feeding a little bird the seeds from an apple she had eaten.

Letting out a small sigh, she could almost still feel Richard's arms around her, holding her tight as he had done all of last night....
"Richard!" She suddenly exclaimed, sitting up and jumping a little as Anais let out a yelp, banging her head on the window as she heard her lady's voice "where is my husband?" Eleanor asked and her friend hopped down to the floor, fetching a bed robe.

"His squire came to fetch him around an hour ago, my lady" she replied as Eleanor pulled on her silk slippers, standing from the bed and wrapping her robe around her.
"And is he gone? From the place, I mean?"
"No, my lady, they are in the courtyard!"

The Duchess crossed herself and thanked Anais as she set off at almost a run from her chamber. She had no idea what it was that filled the urgency that made her heart pound but she found that she had to see her husband before he went to war.

She pushed open the door to the courtyard and leant over the balcony, her eyes scanning the open space that was full to the brim with soldiers dressed in armour and banners that represented the different Yorkist houses that were to ride by the King's side. At last Eleanor's eyes fell on the blue and murrey one that sported a white boar and dashed down the steps towards it.

"Richard!" She called as she saw the Duke, about to put his foot in a stirrup to mount his horse, though his head whipped to the side at the sound of his wife's voice and he smiled, jumping to the floor once more "I was worried I would not catch you!"

"Have no fear" he said, pulling her into his arms and kissing the top of her head "I am here" he gazed down at her, wrapping a lock of her red hair around his finger before he bent his head a little "follow me" he whispered and walked away.

Eleanor stared after him, watching him disappear through a door before she followed, holding the hem of her nightgown above the ground to prevent it from being muddied.

No sooner had she walked through the door, is slammed shut and she found herself swept into Richard's arms once more, his blue eyes staring intently down at her.
"May I kiss you?" He asked breathlessly "for if I don't before I go then I don't know what I shall do"
"I-I don't know what has made this decision but I want to kiss you too....I think I must" she replied urgently, cupping his face with her hands and bringing her head down to his, pressing her lips against his.

As the kiss deepened, Eleanor felt herself moved backward until her back was pressed against the cold stone wall. Her lips slowly parted, allowing  soft moan to escape her which snapped her from the kiss, making her pull back a little, gasping for breath. Richard seemed as if he had had the air knocked from him as well as he leant his head on Eleanor's shoulder.

"I've never....I never thought that kissing could be like that" she murmured and Richard chuckled straightening up a little.
"It can" he replied with a grin "and much more"

"Dickon? Dickon where are you, damn it?" The pair looked to the door at the sound of Edward's commanding voice.
"I must go" Richard sighed before he raised his eyebrows and reached under the neck of his armour, drawing forth a metal crucifix that had a small diamond set in the middle. He raised Eleanor's hand and pressed the pendant into her palm "but I want you do have this....to remind you of me"

His wife smiled, placing the crucifix around her neck before she reached for his dagger and gently drew it from its sheath, handing it to him.
"It is customary for a wife to give her husband a lock of hair to take with him?" Richard nodded and gently took a small lock of hair between his fingers, cutting it off in one, caring motion.

"I shall treasure it" he said, tucking the small copper curl into his gauntlet while his wife touched the crucifix.
"As I shall treasure this" she said.

"Dickon?! Do I have to hunt for you?!" Edward yelled "I will leave you here with the women! I mean it Dickon!"

"It was given to my by my brother, Edmund, before he went to Ireland with my father" Richard murmured "but now....I must leave you, Eleanor" bending his head, he brushed his lips against hers again and smiled into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck, raising herself up onto her toes.

"Say it again" she whispered, making him raise his eyebrows as she continued to kiss him "my name....you've never said it before"
"Eleanor" her husband said slowly before pulling away "I will return to you as soon as I can"

"And then?" She asked, looking up at him "what shall we do once you return? Are we to sink back into our ways of arguing from dawn till dusk?"
"No" the Duke returned with a firm shake of his head, placing his hands on her waist "never shall we return to that....when I return....I would like us to start our life together....I want to take you to the North....present you to the men I view as brothers! I want us to know each other....is that....is that what you would want?"

"Very much" she replied softly before the door was yanked open and Edward strode in, frowning until he saw the young pair and he began to grin.
"Well, well well" he proclaimed loudly "this is a scene I thought I would never see! But there is no time! Kiss Eleanor goodbye, Dickon, and then let us leave! So that we can come back quicker!"

Richard turned back to the Duchess and she nodded as he kissed her once more, gently tracing her jawline with a hand before slowly pulling away and following Edward into the courtyard.

Wrapping her robe around her a little more tightly, Eleanor sighed contently, brushing her fingers across her lips where Richard's had laid just moments ago. Never in her marriage had she ever thought he would kiss her with such ardour, nor did she think that she would have responded as readily as she had.

Suddenly she wanted to have his company, she wanted him to kiss her again and again just as he had done, only she wished Edward wouldn't interrupt them. She wanted to go to the North with him, wanted to meet his friends where a month ago she would have refused to go any further up the country than Grafton.

One month. She reflected. It had been only one month since she was sure that she hated her husband, wanted to throw him from a window.... but now, now she wanted him in her arms, wanted his lips against hers and his hands beneath her robe, caressing her skin.