Chapter Sixteen~

April 1483, Tower of London, City of London

I have been sitting with Edward in the Tower, telling him of my children and of how they will be so happy to meet him. He has been asking me questions of what has been happening while he has been away and I have been filling him in leaving no detail out, except perhaps anything too heavy. Then the door opens and my husband enters the room with a boy with a cloth around his face. As my nephew stands, I frown upon seeing the boy and try to figure out exactly who this child is.

"There, your brother has come to see you crowned." At this I stare in shock at the boy before trying to hide it as my husband talks of how his brother would often share stories of battles and great warriors.

"But he would be ashamed of you if he saw how you were treating his sons." Edward says and as my husband's face falls I tell my nephew,

"Edward, it is for your safety. Outside these walls so many people are wanting you nothing but harm. Surly you can understand that." He just looks away before asking his brother how he is with him saying,

"Very well you're Grace."

"I am not yet King brother, call me Edward." He replies with a small smile as Richard tells the two,

"You will be crowned in the morning." Then as he makes to leave I ask him,

"I shall be just a moment," He nods and as he walks away and down the hall I turn to the boy and tell him,

"I know you are not his brother, so do not try to fool me." Then looking directly at Edward for a long moment go to follow Richard intending to try and find a way to get to my sister and ask her what in Heavens name is she thinking. However I am given no opportunity that entire day so that that night I find myself in the middle of a bitter conversation where Duchess Cecily is saying,

"How can you crown a boy who would grow up to become your enemy?"

"What would you have me do Mother? Not make him King? Take the throne for myself?" Looking to me when he says this, Richard sighs heavily and shakes his head before continuing,

"I have to get the coronation over with, swear the boy in so that I am Lord Protector and no other."

"As King he shall always be looking to Anthony Rivers, the man who raised him. And his Mother. Crown him and you shall be signing your own death warrant, putting us at risk too. Including your wife and children." The Duchess says leaning in over the table and waving a hand at me as a frown and reply,

"Anthony is my brother, he will never go against Richard as he never went against Edward when he was alive. Yes, my sister wanted Anthony as Lord Protector but Richard is and I shall see to it that it stays so. But why is it that Anthony cannot be a part of Edward's life too?"

"Because Anthony will want Elizabeth there, and Elizabeth will want all the powers of Lord Protector instead of your husband. Richard and Elizabeth cannot rule at the same time can they? And what are you going to do? Fight your own sister and brother for your nephew's sake?" Anne asked me making all eyes turn to me so that taking a deep breath I nod and say,

"Once Edward is King then yes. Edward is my blood and will be my King even if he is too young. And Elizabeth will just have to live with it." The silence that comes over the room is heavy as Anne says simply,

"Name yourself King, it is the safest option."

"Finally! Someone who is not afraid of saying what we are all thinking!" Duchess Cecily replies raising her goblet but Anne's husband Francis tells her and everyone else,

"I worried how that might look, my Lord."

"I cannot be seen to be stealing the throne the people will not allow it." Richard said crossing his arms over the table but Lord Stanley says surprisingly,

"The people only want peace. They know how risky it is to have a young king."

"And what, having it look like you took something from somehow who rightfully inherited it is not peaceful my Lord? Stealing something from someone's rightful owner does not seem peaceful to me. Risky or not, the people know Edward is their rightful King. I believe Richard will be a just Lord Protector, the people need only time to see that." I say making the man bow his head yet the darken expression on his face makes me narrow my eyes a little.

"You would not be stealing anything." Duchess Cecily snaps but Richard shoots her down as she continues,

"Edward was wed before. His marriage to Elizabeth was never legitimate. No matter how much your darling sister would love to tell you." Shocked, I turn to Richard as he stands and paces so that when I turn to him wanting an explanation he exhales deeply and says sadly,

"I know of at least one ceremony preformed in secret so he could bed a woman."

"Richard! You cannot be serious!" I shout as his Mother says something happily about bastards as someone tells him to name himself King since those boys are not entitled to the throne.

"Neither am would I, and I not be King in the eyes of God." Richard shouts yet Anne tells him back simply,

"God knows you would only be doing it to stop a commoner from being crowned, a witch from reigning. You would be totally justified and sanctified." Turning to Anne I shake my head and say,

"I know you hate my sister, and Duchess Cecily I know you do too, but this is and insane plot between you both and I will not stand for it." Standing sharply from my seat making it nearly tip over onto the ground, I go over to stand next to Richard and tell him with a hand on his arm,

"Your family was divided in thirds over the throne. Do not break it further now. Please, I beg of you for the sake of our children, our son." Then kissing his cheek I leave the room without looking at anyone and know now that I have to find Elizabeth without question. One morning I wake to discover Richard already awake from sleep and go softly to hold him in my arms, him holding tightly onto me as if his life depended on it. When Richard lets go of me finally he holds me at arm's length and looks deeply into my face as if seeing me for the first time. Brushing hair from my face and behind my ear, he tells me sadly,

"Lord Stanly had Parliament called about the accusations against Edward and your sister. The arguments went on into the wee hours of the night until they came up with a final decision." Feeling my heart drop into my chest I took a step back and began shaking my head as he told me taking my hands so that I could not pull away,

"Your sisters marriage to my brother has been found illegitimate and there for his sons bastards. I am to be King and you my Queen."

"No, Richard no, no!" Shaking my head franticly I pulled away from him and found myself falling to the ground so that this time he caught me as I began to cry so that as he held me he told me softly,

"I had no proof of the marriage between the other woman, only what had been told to me. Yet other members of the Court had also heard of the same service between the same women. Enough so that Parliament agreed."

"Who, who was it?" I shouted shaking his arms as he told me softly,

"A woman by the name of Lady Eleanor Talbot. Though I never knew of her name apparently enough men did and knew of the supposed marriage. Kathrine, I am so terribly sorry." Heartbroken, I continued to sob into his chest and held on for dear life realizing that my sister's boys would never be King and now my worst fear was coming to light. That my husband and I were to be King and Queen, that I was to be weighed down by a crown and trapped on a throne. That my sons and daughters fate were now forever tied to the throne of England. For the rest of the day I was clinging to a sort of limbo until when smoke wafting across a mirror gave me the image of my brother and Thomas Grey being beheaded. Running through the halls, I stopped everyone I could asking where my husband was only no one seemed to know. It too late when I discovered where he was at the Tower of London and I waited for his return outside. When I saw his horse returning I shouted at him in tears,

"What did you do? What did you do?!"

"I did what must be done." He said simply only I shook my head as he dismounted his horse and went to walk past me yet I followed demanding,

"What was Anthony's crime Richard?"

"Treason." He said simply yet I scoffed and said,

"Treason for what? Being the man my nephew looked up to?"

"For plotting against me, against us!" He shouted then realizing we were not alone, he took me into a smaller chamber and shutting the door told me straight out,

"If your nephew had been King he would have used that against me just like your sister. I tried to be reasonable with her the entire time and she sent a fleet of ships against us. You and me, my wife! How could I truly trust that once I crowned Edward that she would not try to take power from myself and wield it through her son or through Anthony?"

"Because I would have stopped her! Or do you not trust your own wife? And now what? We are to be King and Queen, is that what you truly want? Richard, there are so many people around you I still do not trust and yet it seems you are blind to it." I tell him as he glares at me and says,

"Who should I not trust then?"

"Lord Stanley, he seems far too happy about the matters of chaos going around. Whenever he seems no one is looking at him, he has an almost cheeriness to him. And Buckingham too seems in far happier spirits as of late. We should be more cautious than ever yet they are whistling like nothing is wrong!" Richard exhales deeply and runs both hands through his hair before telling me honestly,

"I am sorry about your brother's death, but not about what I had to do." Then he left the room leaving me with tears stinging in my eyes. After that I found myself in the chapel the day of our Lord June 25th the day my brother Anthony Rivers died. I was not expecting the chapel door to open, nor for it to be Lady Margaret of all people. When she turned to go I said to her,

"You can stay, if you wish." Nodding, she came to kneel beside me and made the motion of the Cross. After a moment of silence I asked her,

"Do you believe that God punishes people for the sins of others?" She seems startled at this and takes a moment before saying,

"God punishes those who deserve it, yet God can be merciful to those who deserve it also."

"What if someone does something wicked, and someone is punished simply by existing?" I say turning to see her and with a weak smile add,

"You did nothing wrong by giving birth to your son, yet you were punished. I have fought to sustained peace within my family, to help others and yet here I am watching everything crumble around me. I never wanted to be Queen yet here I am anyway."

"God will give me my son back, I know it." Lady Margaret says with some truth that I cannot comprehend so that turning to look away from her and up at the Cross I ask,

"Then what could I ever get in return for what I have tried to do?" She is silent for a long, long moment before saying,

"For all I have ever seen of you, you have done the best you can. It is everyone else around you that has failed you. It is not your fault for trying to fix other people's sins. Only God can try and fix other's sins. Perhaps what you can get in return for what you have tried to do, is the knowledge that people can be forgiven because of your help. And that your children will find peace in the knowledge you have tried to help so many." Her statement shocked me deeply since these were the kindest words she has ever said to me since I had met her. With tears falling down my face, I take both of her hands in mine and holding them tightly can only hope we might have finally found an understanding after all this time. We both close our eyes and as I silently pray I feel myself falling backwards until it feels as if I am lying on a bed. I can faintly hear footsteps in the distance and the sound of a door opening before I open my eyes and I can no longer breathe. In the distance I hear the name 'Edward' and realize he will die.