I don't own White Queen.
Chapter 3
May 4th, 1471
Tower of London, London City
Oighrig is walking while carrying her youngest Jacquetta since she was smaller than her older twin sister, Elizabeth.
You could say she was more attached to her youngest, but that doesn't mean she was loveless to her Bess.
She loved both her daughters equally.
Behind her are her ladies-in-waiting, Brittany and Margaret (P.S. Brittany is holding Elizabeth.); behind them are three more ladies that Richard had picked for her.
Bridget Stafford's cousin to Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham. She is pretty blonde hair, pale skin and always wears blue dresses.
Anna Howard from the Howard family.
Finally, Katherine Grey is a humble knight's daughter and cousin to Elizabeth Woodville's first husband's family member.
"Ah," A voice seemed to make whimpers from her daughters. "You must be Richard's new wife."
There was someone she had never met before.
A charming man walked and behind him was a beautiful girl with auburn hair.
A Guard is protecting her tensed and placed his hand on the handle of his sword. "That's far enough." The guard ordered as he blocked his lady and the child from view.
The Scottish princess tensed up and went sideways to shield her child. The ladies tensed but were willing to lay down their lives for her ladyship.
"I only wished to greet my new sister and two nieces."
'Sister? Nieces?' Oighrig's mind repeated the stranger's words. Wait a minute!
George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence.
This is her brother-in-law, who betrayed the King and married Warwick's daughter with his consent for the union.
"Peace, John." The same guard protected her when they entered the city and lived. She told her husband and John, who survived and rewarded the honor of being her protector and guard.
"After all, we are family." She said as Sir John moved to the side to allow her to meet the treacherous brother.
She looked back at Brittany to bring her daughter Bess forward with her.
Margaret introduced her mistress, "You had the pleasure of greeting Lady Oighrig, Duchess of Gloucester and princess of Scotland."
George looked like he had lost his face but recovered quickly. "I see. I am George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence. And this is my lady wife, Isabel Neville, Duchess of Clarence."
Isabel curtsy and looked at the princess of Scotland.
The Scottish princess dressed in such finery and wealth. Richard must have loved his wife enough to pay for such luxury.
George was about to say more.
"George, I see that you met my wife and our daughters." Richard came through the halls to see his wife and daughters.
However, he wasn't expecting his wife to meet George, and he knew that his wife despised him since she had heard what a coward he was.
"Oh, Richard! Just the brother I wished to see. Tell me, brother, how did you manage to convince Edward to snatch a chance to marry a Scottish princess from Scotland, a known enemy of England?"
How dare George say that!
It is well-known that Scotland and England have their bloody history.
"I would say that I wished it would convey the same opinion as yours. You married Warwick's daughter, knowing they are the King's enemy and without his consent. However, unlike you, my husband had done his duty and service to obey the King's will."
Richard cough to avoid his laughter as the other ladies snicker with their mouths covered by their hand.
Quite a bite his wife had.
George was about to retort until King Edward appeared and ordered the family to go to the towers to be safe.
Edward and his men traveled to Tewkesbury, where he was expected to face Margaret of Anjou and her forces.
KA-BOOM!
Meanwhile, the Tower shook from cannon fire as the children cried, Anthony, warning them to stay away from the walls and windows because the Lancastrians had warships on the River Thames.
Oighrig tries to ease her daughters of their fears when the noise of cannon is fired.
"How are you doing? Are the babies all right?" Anthony inquired as Jacquetta, Elizabeth, and her baby, Lizzie.
"Are you okay now that it's stopped?" Elizabeth inquired, seeing him clad in armor, to which he replied, " "My ears are ringing, but we've survived everything they've thrown at us. They've moored their boats and set up camp not far away. We'll be besieged at dawn."
Oighrig ladies like Katherine Grey keep watch from the window and report what she sees out there.
"My queen, can the men resist them?" Katherine Grey questioned her widowed kin.
"The apprentice boys have been flocking in all night. They'll help contain them." Anthony answered.
Queen Elizabeth retorted and said, "So we wait until our enemies recover, and then they storm us? Strike back! Stop them from coming any closer to our family! Let's attack them when they least expect it! Most men would prefer to die in their sleep, would they not?"
Anthony said to his sister in a pleased tone. "Spoken like a true Yorkist, we attack before dawn!"
Oighrig sighs and focuses her attention on her daughters.
She prays that this battle will end soon and Richard will be home soon. She wanted to give it another try for a son.
Hearing the men screams, yelling, shouting and many died by the sword. The Princess of Scotland came forward and grabbed hold of the Queen by her hands.
"Listen to me! As royalty as a queen, you must remember the sound of men dying in battle. You must do whatever means necessary to protect your family, your children, and your husband must have you to help support his reign!" Queen Elizabeth shakily nodded.
She should have known better than the Scottish princess was raised privileged and knew what royalties had to do for their country.
Elizabeth Woodville must become full York now.
She is the White Queen of York!
And she will do her duty as wife and Queen to Edward IV.
Anthony came back after a long raging battle going on forever.
"It's over. We had won."
Oighrig sighs and lets out tears in relief. Kissing her daughters' heads and holding them together on her lap.
His wife and children greeted Edward.
Richard's page escorted the Scottish princess and her daughters to the new chambers to get ready to attend this celebration.
Oighrig was ordered to dress in the most beautiful red gown and pulled her hair in a bun with pearls around it and the rest of her hair down.
She stood next to Queen Elizabeth and the children while holding Bess as Margaret held Jackie.
Everyone is clapping for the York brothers who brought victory and returned home. The princess noticed how George glared at Queen Elizabeth, and Isabel looked fearful at the Queen.
She wonders what this Queen did to them.
Other than that, King Edward had married Elizabeth Woodville, who was a little older than her husband and widow with two sons from her previous marriage.
Though, in her opinion, anyone in that position would be disturbed that the Queen would make her siblings eligible to marry other nobler drops of blood. Since her mother's musing, Bess gave a bumbling noise to grab her mother's attention. Her daughter Bess looks more like Richard coloring, but she has her mother's cheeks similar to Margaret of Denmark. Looking at her other daughter Jackie looks content and calm like Richard, but her appearance had been commented that she has a fire in her based on that red hair.
She combed her daughter's lovely redhead. Oighrig loves that color of her hair. Compared to her hair, it's like a cheap copper coin that is pretty to look at but useless in every material for coins being made from it.
Richard greeted his wife and daughters during the celebrations.
"Hello, love." Richard kissed his wife and looked at his daughter Bess in her arms. Bess is always happy and laughs aloud when it comes to faces she sees or meets for the first time.
"Richard, I wished to question this."
Richard rebuked her and questioned, "Not now. Give the politics a rest, for today it is a celebration."
"Of course." She will allow it, but she wants her answers once they are alone.
Everyone waited for the princess of Wales, Anne Neville.
Richard told her that she had saved her from men who would rape her despite being the daughter of the King's maker.
'So, this is Anne Neville. Yes, she has wealth, not much beauty like her sister.' Oighrig mused herself.
Anne came forward to plead mercy to King Edward.
Anne spoke, "Your graces."
"Arise." Edward command. Anne Neville arises and begins her tale, "I humbly beg for your pardon. It was not my will to betray you. Like a good daughter, I was commanded to follow my father. And as any daughter, where Warwick went, my family and I had to follow. My father ordered my marriage to the son of Margaret of Anjou, and she commanded that I go with them."
King Edward replies, "You know that Margaret of Anjou is defeated and will never ride out against me again and that her cause had no merit?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Well, that is good enough for me," Edward says. "I pardon you. Also, you will be placed under guardianship with George and Isabel until your mourning days have ended and remarry again."
He commanded his decree.
'Typical.' She thought.
Yet again, it sounded like another mistake. Anne should not be with her treacherous family. There is a chance that George would aim to be King again even without Warwick's help.
Anne went to greet Isabel though the princess did not see that Anne looked in Richard's direction and hers once the Scottish princess turned her back to mingle with the Queen's family.
"Issy, who is that?" Anne questioned when Richard held one child into his arms, and lady Margaret followed behind him to greet his wife, whom he kissed and looked own another babe in her arms.
"That is the Scottish princess, Oighrig, and Richard's wife." Isabel looked disdainful as King Edward did a smart thing to get a royal match.
"Richard? Married?" Anne questioned her sister. The princess is thought to be more regal and pretty enough for Richard to marry.
"During our exile, King Edward quickly sent word to King James to propose a marriage with the princess with a fine dowry that she brought with her. No doubt it was English gold since they raided on us over the years."
Anne felt disappointed. She had wanted to marry Richard since childhood, and now someone of royal blood beat her to it.
They celebrated as she ordered the rest of her ladies to drink wine and mingle with guests. Lady Jacquette wished to hold her namesake child into her arms.
It must have had been painful for Lady Rivers.
Lost both her husband and son to Warwick's men.
"How are you feeling, Lady rivers?" Oighrig viewed her now as a friend and savior.
"Well, as I can be." Jacquetta smiled sadly but looked down at such a beautiful girl from the duchess.
"I almost forgot to say my condolence for the loss of your husband and your son. I am sure that they are at peace and with God to know that King Edward is back on the throne."
What she said was confirmed from the bottom of her heart.
She cannot imagine the pain of losing her father and brothers.
"I thank you, your grace."
Jacquetta is becoming fussy as Bess since she felt something from her twin did the same.
It seems that they need to be changed and fed. Excusing herself for the night.
The duchess went to Richard's chambers to unpack her trunks now that she was officially the Duchess of Gloucester and would be a companion to Queen Elizabeth. His chambers were much larger in court, with a separate sitting room and two fireplaces, one in the sitting room and one in the bedroom.
Oighrig changed her daughters clean, then fed them herself. She doesn't believe in wet nurses as her mother did the same with all her children.
Placing both daughters in their baskets as she waited for her husband to return.
KA-CLINK!
The door opened, and she turned to see Richard walk in, exhausted and weary. Quickly, frowning, she went over to him and asked him, "What is it, my love?"
Richard is looking more exhausted or rather low-spirited for some reason.
"Richard, say something." She kneels before him as Richard takes his wife's hand to his.
"I never told you before what Edward had asked me to do." Richard looked her in the eye. "He ordered me to hunt down Margaret of Anjou as our prisoner. I did not expect Anne would be there. Of course, she was married to that wretched beast of a Prince Edward of Westminster." Richard grabs hold of her hand, but she does not wince, for ladies' hands are soft and gentle while hers are coarse and rough. However, it does not bother Richard at all.
"I know her feelings for me, but when I saw…." Oighrig tensed in fear that her husband loved another.
"I thought of you." Her mind stops when he says that.
She looked at him with wide eyes. "What...?"
"I cannot imagine myself with Anne Neville. I love, my Scottish princess." Richard confessed to his wife. Oighrig Kissed her husband passionately, and Richard held her in a fiery embrace.
Quickly stood and took off their clothes. And they made love together that night.
They do not be disturbed and continue sleeping peacefully in the same bed. The peace will only last at least in the princess's mind. Perhaps she can use the Neville girl since she had the title and wealth from her lands. Already, scheming to defuse the rebellion fire from George duke of Clarence to claim the throne.
She needs to grab claim with Anne Neville out of his clenches.
She must undermine the rebel traitors and the royal couple to do that.
She will have to invite someone from Scotland court to come for a little visit in England.
Now it is up to grabs for Anne Neville's future.
Reviews are welcome.
Princess Oighrig planned to defeat George and push him down so he could rise again. That is to rid of his power by grabbing Anne Neville.
She will do that as a good "friend" to Anne Neville.
Next Chapter, Oighrig sends letters to Scotland to call someone back from Rome to woo Anne Neville. Anne Neville found unlikely friendship with the Duchess of Gloucester.
An odd coincidence for Anne Neville to meet a handsome suiter from Rome.
Queen Elizabeth failed to notice something of the Scottish first scheme but is distracted from Edward's murder of Henry the sixth death and his mistress.
