Title: The Five Swans
Author: Ree
Theme: AU - snow day
Genre: general
Version: AU - 1483 England War of the Roses
Rating: G

Takeuchi Naoko created them. I'm just following a different branch on their universal tree.

The Five Swans

AN: Williamina - Venus(Mina) , Aylyetta - Jupiter (Lita), Amycia - Mercury (Amy), Eularia - Mars (Rei)
A surcot is an overdress, worn over a robe (the dress), that is worn over an underdress (like a slip, but is intended to be seen around the neck, sleeves, and other edges.). It is typically trimmed with fur around the top, did not have sleeves, but came up to the neck in front as well as in back.

'Snow.' Serena lifted the hood of her cloak over her head as her eyes drifted across the inner ward of the castle. 'The snow has started again.' Stepping out into the new, softly falling snow, she felt her feet sink into the inch that had fallen overnight. She was grateful for the half boots she was wearing. Off in the distance she could here the sounds of children laughing, and the screams that accompanied a snowball fight.

As she crossed the inner ward, the fifteen year old remembered happy snow days spent with her cousins. They had built snowmen, had snow ball fights, sledded, and raced about until they were freezing and needed to warm up. 'I should have know that playtimes were also learning times.' She mounted the stairs that led to the top of the inner curtain. 'Our governess never did like letting us get away without class. So, building snowmen had became a lesson on where to find wood on snowy days, sledding and racing were all about finding escape routes if the castle were attacked, and snowball fights were on how to defend from those attacks if we couldn't escape.' Standing at the top of the wall, she surveyed the inner ward, peopling it with the four most important people in her life, her four cousins. 'But we wouldn't be playing today. We would be practicing fighting techniques because Willaimina and Eularia would insist that we needed to know how to fight in the snow. Amycia would agree that we need to know how to retain our footing, and Aylyetta would show us all up by doing it right the first time.' She could see the tall willowy brunette spinning about with her sword, dancing to get out of the clumsy blonde's way. The clumsy blonde being herself.

Spinning about sharply, she searched for the road in the ever thickening snow. Spotting it, she shuddered. 'It is getting worse. The road is practically invisible. They need to hurry.' Leaning against the parapet, she scanned the distant horizon, searching for the four standards that would proclaimed their return. 'I wish they didn't have to travel. But, family duty is important, so they have to. Family...' The snow collected on the fur trim of her surcot as her thoughts drifted further into the past.

The deaths of her parents had been a shock to the five year old. They died in one of the many feuding squabbles that took place during the short time Henry VI was on the throne. The castle and all the lands with it came to her. Within the next three weeks, her cousins had been moved to the castle. Each of them was an heiress to a great fortune, each of them had lost her parents, but she was the only one with land. All of them were now the wards of their Uncle. Sometimes, she felt slightly jealous of the other girls because they still had other living relatives. 'Of course that means they have to make annual visits, and I can just stay home. Uncle rarely comes out here. But he will soon. Just as soon as the spring comes.' She knew that for certain, and he wouldn't come alone. His nieces, his pawns, had officially become women instead of girls.

A flutter off in the distance caught Serena's wandering attention. A dark green standard came into view. It was followed by a pale blue one, then a rich golden orange. The last to come over the horizon was black. On each was embroidered a white swan in flight. It matched the swan on the pearl gray standard that flew at her castle gate. With her heart swelling with joy, Serena watched as the other Swans of Lancaster returned home.