Chapter twenty

There was nothing more than absolute darkness around Fredrika and she desperately hoped that she would soon wake up from her bed but it didn't happen. The hellish nightmare continued on and on and even the air around her seemed to push her down with all its force.

Suddenly she saw a pale light far in the distance. Maybe it was Richard, she dared to hope. The light came closer and closer and she saw a dark figure under it.

She was just about to call Richard's name in delight but the figure wasn't Richard. It was Henry Tudor.

Fredrika swallowed her cry of joy bitterly when Henry's demonic eyes looked at her.

- Sorry I kept you waiting my lady; he nagged and sat down to the floor.

Fredrika gathered all her courage and tried to look fearless although she screamed in her heart.

- What you do want, she snapped injecting as much poison to her words as possible.

Henry smiled passively and waved his legs above the bottomless emptiness.

- I guess you have wondered why I have done this to you?

- It had occurred in my mind.

- You stepped on the forbidden territory.

Fredrika thought very carefully about her next words. Henry wanted to torture her; there was no question about it. She needed to be more cunning and made Henry nervous instead of secure, she had to crack him.

What would be his braking point? Fredrika remembered Henry's reign and she got an idea.

- What Your Grace, are you jealous?

- Don't flatter yourself bitch.

- I didn't mean myself, I meant King Richard. Are you jealous of him?

A dark shadow passed through Henry's egoistic face. She had hit on the right spot.

- Yes you are full of jealous because you never reached as high in the hearts of your people as Richard did. They all hated you and no-one mourned your death.

Your healing skill made England even sicker and it had to crawl on four legs like a beast. And Vox populi, vox Dei remember Henry Percy your dear tax collector who secured your cursed place on the throne. I'm sure the people loved to stab him to death because he served the rat faced king from Wales.

- Shut up! Henry cried and stood up.

- Or what Henry? My soul is as much immortal as yours so I have nothing to fear.

- You are making a mistake in that matter.

What did he mean? Was there something which she didn't know about?

That same egoistic look returned on Henry's face when he saw her confusion.

- There is one thing which the living usually don't see or even know about. And that thing my dear is the cruel fact that as much as I can harm your physical body I can destroy your soul. There is no afterlife after that; you'll not exist anymore, not in any level.

Henry's words made Fredrika's blood to cold, that was the worst fate anyone could have and it might be hers if Henry wanted so.

But bravely she swallowed her fear and said:

- Then you'll be lucky if Richard spares you from that.

Henry started to laugh and he laughed so loudly that Fredrika had to cover her ears.

- Well it's now Richard's turn to be afraid of me because as soon as he sets his foot on my grounds he shall vanish for all time with his men again.

And the best part of it is that he doesn't know it, so he is walking willingly towards his own downfall. After he is gone I have succeeded in my plan which I have been building for five centuries and you shall be just a random bonus.

A paralysing terror stab though Fredrika's heart. She needed to warn Richard but there was no way out from her prison.

Henry enjoyed greatly seeing his helpless prisoner to suffer and he was about to leave.

- You Yorkists just don't understand do you? What ever you try to achieve you'll be wiped out because you were too drunk from your own glory to see the truth.

- And I suppose you are the one who knows the truth then?

Henry turned back to look at her and he replied with a venomous voice:

- The truth is that we Lancastrians will always have the last word.

And then he left.