~Exile and Sanctuary~

"You look rather pleased with yourself, Eleanor?" Elizabeth remarked as the two rode at the head of the procession to the Tower of London, the Princesses riding in the carriage behind with Fortuna.

The Duchess had ordered for Marie and Anais to go to Grafton Manor, despite their fervent protests, but now she wished she had brought them with her for she missed them already!

Still, they were under the protection of the Queen's mother and so Eleanor knew they would be safe and was resolved to be satisfied with that until her husband returned from the rebellion.

"Eleanor?" Her sister asked again, snapping Eleanor from her thoughts and making her blush which caused the Queen to laugh "is this to do with Richard by any chance?"
"It may be" the Duchess replied, turning to face the gentle breeze in order to cool her burning cheeks "and it may not!"

"It is" Elizabeth murmured to herself, smirking, while Eleanor merely glared at her.

꧁꧂

October 1470, the Tower of London....

Eleanor squealed as the three Princesses tackled her onto the covers of the bed and began to tickle her while she yelled that she yielded. Elizabeth watched on from the window with a smile before once more reading the letter Edward had sent her a week prior and smiled at her husband's words of love and assurance.

Eleanor eventually got the little girls off her and grabbed the wooden sword, belonging to Lizzie, pointing it at them.
"Haha!" She cried "now you shall all have to yield!"
"Never, Lyanna!" Lizzie and Mary retorted while Cecily merely screamed her protest, waving her small arms in the air before she lay down and rolled under the large bed the Queen and the Duchess shared, quickly joined by her sisters.

Placing the sword down with a grin, Eleanor sighed and crossed over to Elizabeth, taking a seat opposite her and watching as her sister folded her letter; tucked it neatly into her sleeve.
"You have not heard from Richard?" She asked and the Duchess shook her head.
"No" she replied with a small smile "but I am sure that he shall come home soon and...."

"Do you care for him?"
Eleanor looked up at the question only to find Elizabeth's eyes staring into hers, digging intently for answers.

"I-I suppose so" She stammered, beginning to wring her hands in her lap "I think that he....may have begun to care for me a little?"
"Is that so?" The Queen replied, raising an eyebrow before she shot from her seat as the door flew open to reveal her two sons.

"Tom! Rickon!" She cried, running forward and embracing them while Eleanor shut the door and hugged them one after the other "what news do you bring? For if you are home then my husband cannot be far behind!"

"He's safe, mother" Thomas replied, almost panting as he poured himself a goblet of wine and swallowed it in one large gulp.

"Something's wrong" Eleanor murmured as she followed her sister, taking in the desolate expressions of her young nephews "tell us.... Thomas? Richard? What is wrong?"

The two brothers exchanged uneasy looks, frowning before Rickon spoke, hanging his head a little.
"The King has been betrayed...." he muttered "John Neville was supposed to go to the King's side....but Warwick landed earlier than we thought and....and at Doncaster the Marquess of Montague moved his army against us...."

"No!" Eleanor cried, putting a hand to her mouth in disbelief as Tom rushed to her side to steady her "no....John would not do that....he is loyal to York....always loyal...."

"Well he was not" Rickon cried "Edward was taken completely by surprise in the middle of the night! We were forced to flee! The King, Richard, Anthony and a few others sailed for France on the second of October"
"Richard's eighteenth birthday" his aunt whispered, shaking her head in disbelief "and what of George?! Has he fled with the King?"

"We still do not know where his loyalties lie" Tom admitted "but after this, tis almost certain he will stand with Warwick...."
"I....is Edward still King?"

The boys shook their heads before all looked to Elizabeth who had paled as white as a sheet and Eleanor laid a hand on her arm to comfort her.
"Then I am no longer....Q-Queen...." she murmured, placing a hand on her belly before looking to her daughters who were playing happily by the fire, unaware how the news spoken had changed their lives "we will not be protected any more....w-what are we to do?"

"We are in great danger" Eleanor said with a small nod "I shall send for mother at once! Anais and Marie too!" She made for the door but Tom caught her arm, gently pulling her back.

"Warwick has ordered our lady grandmother's arrest" he muttered and his Aunt covered her mouth with her hand, shaking her head once more "your Ladies too....they are all being held by Lancaster....Warwick's men came to Grafton.... and took them away...."

"No!" Elizabeth yelled, close to tears "arrested? And on what charge was my mother arrested?!"
Again the boys exchanged wary looks before Rickon answered.
"Witchcraft"

The door banged open once more and it was with a gasp that Eleanor (and the rest) recognised John Neville as he strode into the room.
"We do not have much time" he began only to find Eleanor had drawn Tom's dagger from its sheath and was now pointing it at his chest.

"Take another step and I swear I will gut you right here" she hissed and John took a step back, though still kept his eyes trained on her.
"I don't have time to explain...."
"Explain what?!" She screamed "that you betrayed Edward for Warwick? That you are now fighting to put the very lunatic you helped to topple less than fifteen years ago back on the throne?! You're a traitor John! What are you doing here?!"

"Tom, Rickon, collect the children" Elizabeth murmured and the boys moved to obey, picking up the young Princesses from the floor and holding them protectively in their arms.

John looked around at them all and slowly held up his hands in surrender.
"My brother doesn't know I'm here" he said quietly while Eleanor began to drive the tip of her blade into his doublet "but he is coming for your family....he intends to kill them....even the children...."
"And me?" She replied, her voice shaking slightly. "what is to be done with me?"

"George has made a deal" he replied, even lower than before while Elizabeth began to dash around the chamber, finding bags and beginning to stuff their belongings into them "he told my brother that you were no threat to him since you don't have an heir....and that he intended to make you his mistress"

"He's married to Isabel! And besides, I would rather die...." Eleanor began but John quickly cut her off.
"He doesn't mean it" he said "he said it to save your life and it worked, Warwick has sworn not to harm you if you are captured and it seems that my brother will do anything to keep George on side...even sacrifice his own daughter's honour.... but now you and your family must flee to sanctuary in Westminster Abbey....before it is too late"

"Lady mother!" Rickon cried from the window "they are here! Warwick and George are here!" His mother looked up with panic in her eyes and began to pack even faster while Eleanor merely stared at John with empty eyes.

"Why did you do this? Why did you warn us" She asked, her voice breaking slightly.
"Because you are my friend" he replied "you are Dickon's wife....and regardless of what I have done I will not be responsible for the death of children and the death of an anointed Queen....I have made arrangements....paid the guards to let you out....now all you need do is run....trust me!"

"I can't trust you" Eleanor cried, though she dropped the blade to her side.
"Then just listen to me!" He pleaded and began to throw jewels into a small chest before slamming the lid shut and locking it.

"Fetch gowns, Leena!" Elizabeth ordered as she threw gold coins into a pouch and her sister obeyed, throwing open a coffer and gathering up as many gowns as she could carry before searching for stockings and shifts and loading them into her arms.

"I can carry Fortuna, Aunt Lyanna!" Lizzie said in a small voice from where she had come to stand beside Eleanor, holding the small, white dog close to her chest and trying to control her lower lip, which trembled with fear.

"You are very brave, Lizzie" her Aunt said, kissing her hair as she patted her hound and wrapped a cloak around the little girls shoulders.

Suddenly loud bangs and crashes could be heard from below and Elizabeth gave a small cry of fear, looking to Eleanor who was just as terrified.
"Follow me!" John ordered and pushed open the door to the back staircase, lighting a lantern as he did so.
"And why should we?" Elizabeth yelled "you may be leading us to our deaths!"

"Because no matter what my actions against your husband have been, my heart will always be for York, your grace....now come along!"
It only took Elizabeth a moment of hesitation before she obeyed and soon she and the rest were hurrying down the stairs after John, carrying all that they could and praying to God that they would not be caught.

It was clear that some soldiers had stayed loyal to York from the moment they stepped outside for the sound of metal clanging against metal filled the air and Tom had to gently hush Cecily to stop her from weeping out of pure fear. John was quick to herd them all along safely, keeping an eye out for any enemies in sight until they reached the tower gate to where a guard was waiting. He quickly pressed a purse of gold into the soldiers hand and nodded to him as he began to unlock the gate.

"You have betrayed my husband" Elizabeth whispered "and saved mine, my sister's and my children's lives....I feel I must curse you and thank you at the same time"
"The choice to abandon York was not my own, your grace....if things were different, I would have died for your husband and his kin....a part of me still would"

She looked at him rather curiously but had no time to reply as John ushered her and the rest through the Tower gate before slamming it shut and leaving them alone in the cold, black night.

Eleanor shivered as she ran through the streets of London with her family, picking up Lizzie along the way as she noticed her beginning to fall behind.
"All will be well, Liz" she soothed as the young girl began to cry into her neck "I promise you"

The whole run to the abbey, her heart was pounding in her chest, threatening to break through her gown as her eyes darted from side to side, willing to protect her family by any means if necessary. She was glad she still had Tom's dagger tucked into the belt of her gown and felt a little safer with it. Gladder still that Fortuna had decided not to chose that time for a barking spree and was sitting silently in Lizzie's arms.

As Elizabeth pushed open the abbey doors she immediately took to running down the cloisters to where a small door was set at the side of one of the walls and she shoved it open.
"We shall take sanctuary in the crypt" she gasped, letting her children and Eleanor run through first before she closed the ancient wooden door.

Eleanor placed Lizzie down when she came to the crypt and helped Rickon with forcing open the heavy gate (and then the door) that gave them entry to their new sanctuary. She felt tears flood to her eyes as she saw the cold, tomb like chamber which she entered and slowly advanced into, shivering against the cold and pulling her cloak tightly around her.

'How can this be?' She wondered as she leant against one of the stone pillars. Just two hours ago she had been playing with the Princesses and now her husband was in exile, Edward was no longer King and Elizabeth no longer Queen.... mad old Henry was on the throne again, George was still a traitor....John was too.

And now they were all trapped inside the crypt of Westminster Abbey with the threat of death hanging over their heads if they dared to venture out.