Ok so I re-edited my story to try and make sure the timeline was correct for Kathrine's child's birth. I hope I did this right this time!

Chapter Eight~

November 1470, Middleham Castle, North Yorkshire

Not but a week after my wedding to Richard I had stopped bleeding only I told no one until a month had gone by, then two, and by the third month I was sure I was pregnant. The news was met with cheers and a feast for Richard and my first son to be. Edward granted us the residence of Middleham Castle 'for our family to grow' and Richard spoiled me endlessly. He was ever attentive and loving as I could have ever hoped for. Even so, he was loyal to his brother and kept himself ever at the ready for when needed against Warwick and George. Then on in the year of our Lord August 16th I gave birth to my first child, a girl who I named Kathrine or Kate for short. Of course the child was the joy of Richard's heart though I knew he secretly had wished for a son. Elizabeth and Mother were beyond delighted to see the little girl and loved to spoil her rotten. Even Edward sent presents and often asked if we needed anything for her. Our happiness was short lived as one November morning I awoke to chaos among my new residence and went to find my husband.

"Richard what is going on?" I asked him seeing men in armor and him preparing himself for battle.

"Warwick has sailed for England and Edward believes he will land in the North. It could only be a matter of days and Edward wants me and my army to meet me outside of London immediately." Shaking my head at his words, I watched him command his men in the courtyard ever the warrior I knew he could be as he added,

"Margaret of Anjou plans to follow Warwick and plans to land in the South. If that is the case my brother and I must act quickly. We must crush Warwick in the North then return to London to defend it."

"And what of George?" I ask him making him laugh and say,

"Apparently George is to land with Warwick's invading army but once the three of us face each other in battle he will abandon Warwick and join our side."

"Does Edward trust him?" I ask holding Kate tightly to my chest only Richard shakes his head telling me,

"I have no idea what Edward thinks my love." Then taking my shoulders in his hands, he looks me square in the eyes and says,

"I have told some of my most loyal men to see you to the Tower in London so that you may meet your sister there. I need to know you are safe alongside our son." Then he kissed Kate's head and kissed my head holding me for but a moment longer. Giving him a smile, I felt tears in my eyes as I kissed him before I hear a horse behind me and a man call out to me. Turning around to see four men on horseback, I am helped onto a horse and am able to wrap Kate in a cloth around my chest as Richard takes my hand and holds tightly before we five rode off. Because I was holding but a babe, we could not ride fast yet I told them we must make haste anyway. Once we entered the walls of London it was nightfall and we could see men with torches storming the streets of London. One of Richards men handed me a cloak to wear as rode around the walls to a side entrance. Only we were stopped by a guard on horseback who once he noticed the coat of arms of Richard looked around before telling us harshly,

"The York Queen has gone to seek sanctuary at Westminster. Go before anyone sees you, go!" Letting us by, we quickly rode off yet halfway down the road we heard men calling out to us. One of Richard's men called John told me to keep going yet when I would not move he kicked my horse sending it flying down the street leaving me fleeing and Richard's four men to block whoever was chasing after me. Cloaked in the darkness, I dismounted my horse when I could and set it running down the streets to walk the rest of the way to Westminster. Hiding every time I heard footsteps, at last I made it to the walls of the Abbey and began banging on the first door I could find. A face appeared behind an opening and I called out,

"I seek sanctuary in the name of King Edward of England and my sister Queen Elizabeth!" I watched the man look both ways before he let me in, the man actually a priest, before he shut the door quickly behind me and crossing himself before seeing I was holding a now sleeping baby in my arms said to me,

"Bless both you and your child."

"Where would she have gone into hiding?" I asked him taking his hands into mine, needing human contact to ground myself as he told me,

"The catacombs, I shall show you the way my Lady." And so I followed the priest quickly through the many hallways until he stopped taking ahold of a torch and handing it to me said,

"God be with you both." Thanking him, I went down the winding stone staircase afraid of what, or who, I would find at the bottom of the stairs and in the passages below. I followed past graves and tombs until I saw a light ahead and called out,

"Lizzy?"

"Who goes there!?" A man's voice called and seeing two young men appear with swords aimed at me gasped,

"Thomas? Richard?"

"Kate!" I heard a cry and from the dark appeared Elizabeth pregnant with her child as she embraced me tightly and pulling back in shock asked me,

"How did you get here?"

"Richard sent me right after he left to find Edward on the battlefield. He wanted me to join you in the Tower for safety yet by the time we got here the city was already being taken. A soldier still loyal allowed me and four of Richard's guards into the city yet—the four guards gave their lives for me so that I could find you. A priest let me inside and told me how I could find you. I suspect the only reason he let me in at all was he saw how heavy I was." Shaking her head she held me close and shows me to where they had made camp. She shows me the hanging sheets and furs on the ground with linens for beds for the children and herself. Sleep does not come easy for any of us yet my exhaustion from what has happened pulls me under. However when I wake next morning it is to someone shaking my shoulder and begging me to wake up. Opening my eyes, its little Lizzie and I see her pointing to Elizabeth who is panting and sweating badly. I shout for the boys who come running over and tell Thomas to take Kate away with the other girls and tell Edward to fetch a midwife. Going to Elizabeth's side, I begin undoing the back of her dress when a knock on the door comes and to my surprise appears Mother.

"Mother it is too soon!" Elizabeth sobs as Mother comes over to help us, shushing Elizabeth and when I asked her how she managed to escape she told us,

"Warwick feared that Margaret of Anjou would take his life if he took mine." Elizabeth wailed again I helped her, Mother bending down to catch the baby while I was there with cloth to clean him.

"Come on you can do this!" I tell her as Elizabeth cries hot tears. After another bone wracking push I hear a soft of a baby crying as Mother makes quick work of catching the baby and I went to clean them off.

"Oh Elizabeth, it's a boy! You have a son!" I tell her as Mother helps her to stand and easing her to lie down gently onto the bed of furs before I comes over to hand the small baby wrapped completely swaddled cloth to keep the chill of the catacombs away.

"Edward, my little Edward." Looking down at her precious little Prince, I tap Elizabeth's cheeks saying to her,

"No, no you must drink water now alright? Drink water so that you may feed your child." Handing Elizabeth a cup of water, I help her to drink as makes sure she drinks all of the water.

"Edward is going to be so pleased, a little boy for him." Mother tells her with a bright smile as we watch Elizabeth's children appear and I calls them over saying,

"Come see your new baby brother Edward." The girls coo and giggle seeing the baby while Thomas and Richard say to me,

"We will keep you, Mother and Lady Grandmother closely guarded, we promise."

"Thank you brave knights." I tell them then Mother explains that Warwick and George had helped put old King Henry back on the throne and that Lady Isabel, George's wife, had returned to court along with Lady Margaret Beauford and her son Henry. However no one had yet heard from Margaret of Anjou and Warwick was starting to worry.

"So she still has yet to make landfall?" I asked as Mother nods pacing while Richard and Thomas tried to occupy the girls time with games.

"When I was there last not a word had come from her. We need now but to wait both from her, and from Edward." She said sadly watching Elizabeth who held tightly onto her York Prince and looked around at my family. Closing my eyes, I felt a tear fall down my cheek silently praying for Edward and Richard's safe and victorious return. A hand on my shoulder caused me to open my eyes to see Mother looking at me. Turning me away from Elizabeth and her children, she said to me softly,

"We have to be careful now more than ever. Everyone knows we are here and if anyone, anyone at all finds out that Elizabeth have given birth to a son."

"We are in more danger than we could ever dare to imagine." I answered so that nodding, Mother took one of my hands into hers telling me,

"I spoke to Isabel before I could leave." Tilting my head at this as we walked Mother continued,

"She told me how Lady Sutcliffe had gone to France to visit her and her sister Anne. She gave them bot a message that George and Isabel were welcome back to Court under Edward should he wish."

"You think that he is biding his time beside Warwick to help Edward?" I asked making her shake her head and shrug before looking me in the eye and say honestly,

"I think he realizes that he can no longer be King by Warwick's side. He lost that opportunity and now the man who killed his Father and Brother is back on the throne and he has to play his loyalty to him. If given the chance to return back in favor of his brother the York King? He might take it if he is able." Looking out a window at the sunset bathing the city of London, I held my stomach and told her sadly,

"Then we must simply wait and see, and pray." Mother nodded next to me and giving my arm and squeeze, returned to Elizabeth's side as I looked up at the moon wondering where Edward and Richard where knowing that somewhere they were looking at the same moon as me. That and also somewhere George and Warwick were looking at the moon as well. Somewhere Margaret of Anjou with her son and his new wife Anne Neville could be sailing on the tides caused by the moon. Yet we weren't bound by the moon. It was the three suns, the three Sons of York that we were fated to. With two babies now in the catacombs of Westminster Abbey, we were all anxious to hear any word from Edward or Richard. With us all in sanctuary, Mother was the only one able to go outside cloaked and hidden. Both Elizabeth's child and my child were able, despite the difficult births, to gain healthy weights and grow strong. However on this night I awoke to the sound of Elizabeth calling out to someone to keep back and stay away. Only by the time I was moving to help with dagger in hand I found it was Edward of all people.

"Edward!" I cried trying to keep my voice low as to not wake the children. Edward embraced me tightly as he had Elizabeth before turning to us both to say,

"Warwick is gathering men for the battle. George has been good to his word, the sons of York have united." At this both Elizabeth and I exchanged worried looks as Edward continued,

"We must face the Lancastrian army in the coming days. I cannot stay, I had to see my son." I stepped aside taking back my daughter to allow Edward and Elizabeth their moment with their son, their York Prince and stood holding onto my own little girl. The morning after Edward's return, he had to depart with the two men who brought him, Elizabeth weeping openly as he kissed his son on the forehead before leaving just in time to make sure none of the other children knew he was even here. Both Elizabeth and I knew it was better that way. A couple days later Mother returned from being able to sneak out and once safely back inside told us both,

"Edward and Richard will face our enemy at Barnet north of London. There is talk that Warwick has three times the troops and still awaits reinforcements."

"So Margaret of Anjou has landed?" I asked only Mother told us no one knows where she is or if she has landed.

"Soon she will have to set sail, as soon as there was a break in the weather. She could even be marching to join forces."

"Surely Edward would fall back? Take the Tower and set a siege?" I asked taking hold of one of Elizabeth's shoulders but Mother tells us gravely,

"The King prepares to fight. Edward must defeat Warwick to keep the crown. But if the Thames mist were to rise as high as Barnet, who'd even know the army was there?" Mother added with a simply shrug of her shoulders smirking. So looking over at Elizabeth, the three of us looked at one another and nodded knowing what we would have to do. That night, the three of us opened a window each with Elizabeth taking Lizzies shoulders before we all exchange a glances. Slowly we began blowing out, a gentle easy breath into the night sky being picked up by the wind and carried off into the night. I felt a flow of energy as I did this, the breath carrying out into the night taking with it the energy from not just myself, but from Mother, Elizabeth and her eldest daughter Lizzie. It is not until the moon has sunken from the sky that we stop, Lizzie asking if she can finally sleep. However I cannot find sleep easily as in my dream I watch the black wolf be stabbed repeatedly and by morning when I first find Mother tell her,

"Warwick is dead, the black wolf is dead." She says nothing but nods and we wait for news for two more days until finally on the 16th of April guards wearing the white rose of York come to Westminster tell us they had come from the court of King Edward, that the Battle of Barnet had seen King Edward the victor. Laughing and embracing one another, we gather the children who are excited to see their Father again. Once outside we find more guards all wearing the white rose of York to escort us to the palace. Elizabeth and I get horses with Mother along with Richard and Thomas take the carriage with the girls. Mother holds our children for us with Elizabeth's sons saying that they would guard them. Upon reaching the Palace of Westminster we see Edward and Richard waiting for us. Elizabeth is the first one off her horse to embrace her husband, kissing him deeply before I swing off my horse to embrace Richard tight.

"I believe there are a few people happy to see you." I hear Mother call as little feet come running behind us and Edwards's children all but attack him. As Edward laughs and picks up his girls, I step back as Richard sees my flat stomach and frowns, putting his hands on my sides.

"My Lord," Mother says handing my child to me so that Richard could see his daughter for the first time since the battle.

"She has grown so much." He says as his looks down at the baby he holds, the once small bundle now grown in size since he had last seen her. I could only imagine how wonderful it must feel to see his first child again after the battlefield. To know she is safe despite the incredible odds against her.

"I am so glad to come home to you both." He says kissing me as he hold little Kate close to his chest as she squirms to try and get comfortable. Laughing, the two of us break apart as I tell him,

"I missed you, so much." Cupping his cheek in my hand, I felt tears in my eyes as I looked down at my daughter and realized how lucky I was to have my husband home.