I'd like to give a quick update as to why I haven't posted recently. As I had stated before my grandma's health had been declining. Well she passed away but then shortly after that we learned a family member had gotten cancer. A week later I got Covid and ended up in the hospital for a few days. Depression set in and when I started to feel better this story was the last thing on my mind. Now however I am in the process of re-editing the chapters I have (I wrote up to fourteen) and will continue onwards from there. I'm gonna post two chapters as an apology, hope you enjoy!

Chapter Eleven~

December 1471, Palace of Westminster, City of Westminster

There was to be a hunt to happen which I discovered Anne Neville was to join along with her sister Isabel and George. Richard, I discovered, was talking with a man I had never seen before while Edward was still entertaining Jane Shore. Frowning, I walked over towards Elizabeth and Anthony who were discussing Edward still wanting to send Prince Edward to Ludlow Castle.

"What are you two talking about?" I ask them so that Anthony tells me,

"Elizabeth wishes me to be Prince Edward's guardian instead of one of Edward's brothers." Blinking, I turned to Elizabeth and say to her,

"Edward would never accept!"

"I do not care what they will accept! Will you do it Anthony?" Turning towards Anthony, he looks around the courtyard at everyone there before saying,

"I will guard him with my life."

"Oh, well, let us hope it does not come to that." Elizabeth says trying to cheer up the mood before the hunt starts and we all are led out into the forest, Edward and his main hunters at the lead with Anthony nearby. Anne is nearest to Isabel's ladies and as I walk along near Richard and watch as Richard who continuously fire arrows speaks with the stranger I never had seen. Finally I make myself known and make my way over when Richard is fixing his bow.

"Husband, how are you enjoying the hunt so far?" I ask him putting my hand on his shoulder before turning to the stranger and asking,

"Oh, I am sorry I did not get your name?" I watched the man's face pale before he bowed saying,

"Princess Kathrine."

"It is Duchess of Gloucester since my marriage as well." I tell him as Richard turns to me with a raised eyebrow as the man bows again and scurries off making me ask him,

"What was that about?"

"That, was a marriage proposal from Margaret Beaufort." He tells me causing my mouth to drop before saying harshly,

"She is ancient, and a Lancastrian!"

"And one of the wealthiest women in England. Too bad however that I am married to you." He says kissing me making me smirk and laugh as he pulls back a smile on both of our faces. When the hunt ends and we all return to the palace I find myself stumbling upon a conversation between Isabel and Anne only to watch them stop talking when they see me. When Isabel turns sharply to leave Anne is left calling out to her so that before she can try to run away from me I quickly catch up to her and take her elbow making her shake me off.

"Anne please just listen to me!"

"Why should I?" She snaps so that I look around and move us aside to a quieter area to explain to her,

"When Edward found out that you had married Margaret of Anjou's son he was beside himself with anger, bitterness! The man he called uncle had married off his daughter to his mortal enemy's son and he felt he had no allies anywhere, no one he could trust! Richard had already asked to marry me and Edward wanted him to court me before then. Yet with the war and Edward running out of faithful allies he agreed to the marriage. We never even knew if we would see you again let alone what would happen in battle!" When Anne began pulling away I took her arm and told her,

"I had no idea if Richard was to die or if King Henry was to win. I was terrified for my life and the life of my child. Do you think, for one moment, that I wanted any of this to happen? Because if you do I am so very sorry."

"George wants to send me to an abbey just like he did to my Mother! He wants to lock me away and keep ahold of my fortune and Izzy does not seem to care!" Anne shouted before whipping away tears and saying,

"I came back to England, married to a monster and hoping that if I returned I would find my Father and Mother. Yet I found my Father dead and Mother locked away, and now my sister is a stranger and the man I loved is married with a child!" Taking her shoulders, I held her at arm's length and told her,

"I told your sister the same thing I am telling you, I will never blame you for what has happened. You, like your sister, were pawns in your Father's game to win the crown and it failed. Now I will do everything I can to help you but you have to be willing to help yourself but not fighting against everyone!" When she opened her mouth to speak I jumped in to say,

"George will make very well on his word and send you away, and Isabel has to do her part and make sure that she is in good graces with her husband and Edward and my sister. And I will do everything, everything I can to help, but you have to trust me. Can you do that?" Looking at her face, the tears in her eyes and her façade that was so willing to crack, she nodded before I embraced her and she held me back though I knew she did not want to show how much pain she was in. Letting go, she nodded and I handed her a handkerchief to dry her eyes with. As she laughed despite herself, she said,

"Izzy told me that we should hate you as much as we hated your sister. And now it seems we are both getting help from you instead."

"What can I say, I just want peace." With a nod, she kept the handkerchief and straightened her shoulders to continue on her way leaving me feeling confident that I could indeed help her. Now all I had to do was talk to George on her behalf. Yet first I had the pain of helping Elizabeth and Anthony with Mother who grew weaker by the day. I stood in Mother's chambers as Elizabeth lay holding Mother in her arms, Mother saying she just needed rest and that Anthony should stay so that Elizabeth could have a few more moments with Edward before her confinement for her next child. The pain in the room between Elizabeth, Anthony and I could be cut with a knife as the three of us shared looks of heartache. I hated having to leave Mother's side and often could not bring myself to. Only I had a child to look after and was torn between leaving Mother's side and being with my little Kate. Sometimes I would bring Kate to see Mother which would cheer her up. Kate a year old now could sense the quiet in the room and so would lay beside her Grandmother playing with her hair. I would lie on the bed leaning against the post watching the two of them silently in a dream like state simply holding Mothers hand sometimes talking to Mother other times silent. It was in one of these moments that I had the same vision as before that Mother was holding Elizabeth's child only now Elizabeth was screaming. Snapped from my vision, I took up Kate and ran to find Elizabeth as fast as I could. When I entered her chambers she was already screaming with two midwives there.

"Oh dear God." I said as a midwife turn to me saying,

"The baby is coming too early and Lord help her she might not make it!" Shaking my head, I handed Kate to her saying,

"Take my child back to my chambers and keep her there, I shall find the King." Then I ran to find Edward as fast as I could, not caring for who I ran into. When I finally reached his study I found George and Richard both inside with George snapping at me,

"Not now!"

"Be quiet George! The baby is coming early and the midwife says she might not make it!" I told Edward watching him fighting to stand from his seat and run past me before I turned to follow, taking off down the hall after him. As the two of us ran back to Elizabeth, we could hear her screams getting closer and closer. Upon entering the chamber, Elizabeth was sweating profusely and panting hard as I knelt next to her to pull back her drenched hair and whip away her sweat.

"Come on Lizzy, one more push you can do it." I told her as the midwife knelt between her legs and when I saw the baby come out they rushed him to the water trying as hard as they could to get him to breathe. Only I knew in my heart that the poor baby would die. It was not until they had cleaned both Elizabeth and the child that Elizabeth, Edward and I brought the baby to our Mother who stood just before St. Peter's Gates. I watched with tears falling down my face as Elizabeth placed her son next to our Mother before she gave out her last breath. The moment Elizabeth collapsed by the bed Edward went to her side and I found my legs collapsed beneath me. I felt completely numb as I held onto the floor only to feel hands on my shoulders. Looking up, I saw it was Richard and letting out a sob fell into his chest and I buried my face into his chest. I do not remember returning to my chambers, or Richard helping me to change for the night. Yet I do remember him holding me tightly before I find myself falling to sleep with tears on my face. Uneasy days go by after Mother's death and though the heartache remains Elizabeth and Edward have healed the rift between them caused by Jane Shore. Even Anne and Isabel seem to have healed the rift between them, though George keeps a wary eye on the two of them. It is not until I stand beside Elizabeth who is with Anthony and her Prince that I watch Margaret Beaufort appear from a carriage. I feel a rush of protectiveness wash over me and so move to stand just before my sister as the woman comes over and so angling myself to stand just a bit before Elizabeth, Margaret curtsy's low saying softly,

"You're Grace." And as Elizabeth gives her a short smile, I for not an instant trust her. Whatever she is here for, I know instantly I cannot trust her.