~The Bad Queen~

2 days later....

Elizabeth rushed out into the courtyard, woollen shawl pulled tightly around her shoulders as she made towards her younger sister and gently caught her arm.

"Leena" she greeted, trying to catch her breath, while Eleanor giggled at her lack of composure.
"Your grace" she greeted with a small curtsy, watching as Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise and then pride as she saw the armour the Duchess was wearing.

Beneath her velvet cloak, she wore a metal breastplate that had a sapphire in the shape of a diamond set in the middle, glistening in the sunlight. Her sleeves had the heavy metal covering them too and over her gloves she wore gauntlets that held intricate patterns on the iron. Her gown flared out from her waist, a deep blue with a murrey kirtle that showed as she moved from side to side.

"Where did you get that?" Elizabeth asked in wonder, an amazed laugh escaping her as she gestured for her sister to twirl for her.

"Edward" Eleanor replied with a grin, adjusting the coronet on her head "it seems he had plans for me to accompany him far before I was told!" She arched an eyebrow, raising her chin a little "did you know?"

"No" the Queen said, glancing at the King who was speaking to Richard and George, a large smile on his face "though I may have mentioned he owes his victory at Barnet partly to you!"
"You never!" Her sister cried, swatting at her arm playfully until Elizabeth's face suddenly turned serious and she took the Duchess's hands, kissing them both.

"Remember" she told her sternly "George is the enemy, Eleanor"
"Lizzie...." Eleanor began only to be immediately shushed.
"He is the enemy" Elizabeth repeated, firmer than before "Warwick is dead so now it is George whom we must focus our vengeance upon, do I make myself clear?"

Bowing her head a little, the Duchess nodded meekly before she felt her chin raised by Elizabeth's hand and a weak smile crossed her lips.

"I shall do as you bid, sister" she murmured "as I always do"
"Good" Elizabeth replied with a small nod before a grin lit her face and she pulled Eleanor into a tight hug "now, you must go, Leena, and when you return tell me stories of the battlefield, though promise me you shall not venture directly onto it"

"Now when have I ever been able to obey commands like that?" Eleanor laughed, turning to the page that held out a hand, helping her to mount the new jet black destrier Richard had presented her with that morning. She noticed the reins were embroidered with golden thread and a small gasp escaped her as she saw the letters of R and E were intertwined.

"I see you have noticed my idea?" Richard's voice said from beside her, smooth and light as he leant in to kiss her cheek.
"My lord!" She giggled, pushing him away with a weak hand "you will cause a scandal!"

"A scandal!" George exclaimed as he rode over, pulling his steed to a halt "what could my little brother possibly be doing to cause a scandal?"
"Never you mind!" She retorted, glancing over her shoulder to where Elizabeth's piercing gaze was boring into her very soul.

'Take care with your actions' her expression seemed to say when she nodded before disappearing inside the palace and a small frown settled onto the Duchess's face as Edward called her and his brothers to him, signalling them to leave the palace.

"Smile, Eleanor" George chided with a grin "or the Londoners will think we are kidnapping you!"
"The Londoners?" She replied, arching an eyebrow and Richard nodded.
"You did not think that the people would miss a chance for a royal procession, did you, sweetheart?" He said, nodding towards the gates as the King adjusted his crown and the Duchess suddenly heard the roar of the city citizens, a knot of excitement and nerves suddenly tying tightly in the pit of her stomach.

꧁꧂

"That bitch has crossed us again!" Edward fumed as he banged his fists down onto the wooden table in his tent. Eleanor sighed, shifting slightly in her chair as she removed her gauntlets. They had been riding across the country for a week now, hardly ever resting as the King drove his men to their very limits.

Twice now, Margaret of Anjou had changed the course of her army, tricking the Yorks and angering them beyond knowledge, especially Edward who had spent the last two hours yelling into the air, at Richard, at George, even at her a little, to which his two brothers had instantly retaliated.

"She is at Berkeley castle last I heard!" Richard offered as his older brother paced with a thunderous expression George found rather comical, causing Eleanor to nudge him sharply in the ribs.

"Stop it" she chided quietly "your smirks aren't helping" George merely shrugged and turned to her a little, leaning in.
"That may be so" he conceded "but you must admit he does look rather like a disgruntled fish!"

A shout of laughter erupted from her throat before she could clamp a hand over her mouth and George grinned, settling back in his chair again, clearly satisfied with his handiwork, as Edward turned his gaze upon the Duchess.

"Does something amuse you, Eleanor?" He asked, eyes narrowing a little, and she shook her head mutely, biting the inside of her cheek as she tried to erase the image George had put into her thoughts from her mind.

"Of course not, Edward" she replied with as much control as she could summon in that moment "I....I simply had an idea, that's all!"
"An idea!" He repeated with a sarcastic smile, flopping down into the throne opposite her and crossing his legs on the table "well, then let us hear it!"

"Ned, is this really...."
"No" Eleanor interrupted as Richard began to protest, rising from her seat and calling for a servant to bring her a map. Once she had it, she returned to her seat and rolled it out onto the table, using the candle bases to weigh down the corners "if his grace, wishes for an idea then I shall give him one"

Edward nodded, raising his eyebrows as the Duchess's eyes roamed the map before her.
"Margaret means to cross the border to Wales, to stir up the Lancastrian support there" she stated and the King nodded in confirmation "which means that she and the Lancastrian army will be wanting to cross the river Severn.The nearest crossing point there is to her is the Gloucester, is it not? If we send word to Gloucester now then they will bar the gates to her, leaving her army exposed in the open with no choice but to hurry to the next crossing at Tewksbury! By that time her forces will be exhausted. If you push the army as hard as you have been doing then you can secure them in battle and crush them!"

She sat back down, folding her arms and holding an expectant look on her face while Edward's melted into one seemingly made of awe.
"You did ask for a plan, Ned" George quipped, smirking at his brother and then his sister in law.

"That I did" The King answered slowly "and it seems I have greatly underestimated you, Eleanor" his smile grew "I assure you I will not again. I will send a message on to Gloucester now!"

The Duchess let out a gasp of surprise as Edward strode from the tent, a wide grin on his face.
"He was not mocking me?" She asked uncertainly, glancing between her husband and her friend. Richard laughed and shook his head, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

"Not at all!" George exclaimed as his brother stood, and Eleanor with him "that is the most impressed I have see him since he watched Dickon create the plans for the Vanguard.
"Which I am to lead in this coming battle!" Richard proclaimed proudly, causing his wife to brush a chaste kiss to his lips, which only left him wanting more.

"I think that we should retire" Eleanor said as she caught Richard's gaze, a look she was coming to recognise as desire for her, that made a hot flush creep onto her cheeks and George smirk.
"Yes" he remarked smoothly, making his younger brother glare at him "I think you should before I see anything I wish to erase from my memory!"

"Shut up George" Eleanor ordered before she pulled Richard from the tent with her and they headed to their own, ordering that they were not to be disturbed.

꧁꧂

Heavy breaths filled the tent as Eleanor ground her hips against Richard's, gripping onto his shoulders, the material of his shirt held tight in her fists. He held onto her waist as she rocked back and forth, her chest rising and falling, biting the inside of her cheek when her husband moved beneath her, trying not to moan.

Pushing the sleeve of her shift aside, Richard kissed her shoulder, his lips inching closer and closer to her chest as he pulled at her chemise.
"I want you" Eleanor gasped as she tugged on his hair.
"As I want you" Richard murmured, gently turning her so that she was beneath him, his hands caressing the curves of her body "but do you wish for the whole camp to hear us? These tents are not a friend of love making...."

"That doesn't stop Edward!" Eleanor countered, starting to hitch up her shift to her thighs "and I do think I could persuade you"
"Really?" Richard murmured against her lips and she nodded, slightly pushing herself up on her elbows before she gently kissed her husband again as her hand slid between his legs and he sucked in a sharp breath, eyes flying open.

After a moment she gently cupped him with her hand as best she could, gazing into Richard's eyes. A low moan escaped his throat as her fingers began to brush across his hardness, almost teasing him as he moved onto his side, Eleanor following as she wondered weather to carry on with her actions.

She was nervous, unsure, worried she would hurt him in her efforts to please him even though he was now grasping desperately at her shift, tearing open the front. Eleanor gasped as the cold air hit her skin before Richard's warm lips were on her breasts, his tongue darting around her nipple, sucking gently until it hardened and he moved onto the other.

Her hand slowly slid upwards, causing Richard to huff a little, momentarily glancing up at her with almost pleading eyes before she began to tug at the laces on his breeches, shuffling down the bed a little so that she could lean her forehead against the Duke's, laboured breaths escaping them both.

Seeing her hesitate slightly as her fingers finally pulled the last knot of his breeches free, Richard reached down and gently grasped her wrist, waiting for her to give him a small nod before he guided her hand to his hardness, moaning as she began stroke him.

Her movement was slow, her touch almost featherlight, yet this only seemed to arouse him more and he began to push his hips forward, Eleanor watching his expression contort with pleasure as she gained confidence.

"Am I pleasing you, my lord?" She whispered, her voice low and sensual and Richard nodded at a loss for words as his eyes seemed to roll back into his head until she gently nipped his neck with her teeth. Suddenly she was beneath him, her wrists being pinned above her head and the Duke's blue eyes, glazed over with desire as he spread her legs and entered her in one thrust, filling her entirely.

He climaxed almost immediately with a moan that he tried to smother, though as Eleanor moved her hips a little under him he could not stop and a cry of pleasure escaped him before he fell onto his side, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

Turning his head to the side, he reached out and pulled his wife towards him, removing the remnants of her torn shift while he gently kissed her, slipping his tongue into her mouth and eliciting a soft moan from her.

She shuddered against him as his hands roamed her body, only pulling back a little as they paused for breath, near delirious with desire.
"A-are you not tired?" She asked and Richard shook his head, a mischievous grin playing about his lips.

"You forget" he said delicately, a finger beginning to trace the curve of one of her breasts before he followed the trail with his mouth, warming her to the bone "you have not yet been pleasured"