Chapter Eighteen~

September 1483, Palace of Westminster, City of Westminster

With our son Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales and daughter Princess Kathrine York to remove myself from the name Woodville or Rivers we thought we would be safe. However one night I entered Richard's rooms after putting our children to bed to find Lord Stanley talking to him.

"What is wrong my love?" I ask with him replying,

"I thought once the boys were disinherited that we would be safe. But Henry Tudor is betrothed to Princess Elizabeth, your niece." Shocked, I took a few steps back asking,

"How do you know?"

"Lord Stanley told me." Turning to the man in question, I could not help but raise my eyebrows at the man, whose wife's son was now marrying my niece.

"I fear I must reprimand my wife. I thought she would respond to my authority but."

"I shall have a talk with her myself as well but, the Tudors and my sister are in alliance?" At the mention of me talking to his wife the Lord did not seem too pleased only his next words shook me to the core.

"They are planning a rebellion." Feeling my blood run cold as ice, I hardly hear Richard as he speaks of the Duke of Brittany handing over Henry Tudor. I watch Lord Stanley leave the room before I march over to Richards's desk saying,

"Richard, Lord Stanley would let you lock up his own wife! How do you know you can trust him? I certainly can't!" Richard frowns deeply pinching his nose telling me honestly,

"He says he is loyal to me, that's the thing with Stanley. No-one ever really knows what side he is on." Shaking my head and crossing my arms, I move back saying,

"I will talk with Lady Margaret, I have considered her a friend until now but if she is planning a rebellion with her own son and my sister I won't stand for it. If I have to dress in rags to see myself to strangle the truth out of my sister even I shall do it!" I hear Richard stand as he comes over to take my shoulders saying,

"To go to see your sister is a fool's errand. You are better off talking to Lady Margaret and finding the truth out of her. Force a confession from her in Church if you have to. You know what a God fearing woman she is." Taking his hands into my own and putting them to my chest, I smile softly saying,

"Using God against her?"

"No, using God to protect England." Shaking my head, I ask him,

"What if Brittany does not hand Tudor over?" Richard interlocks my fingers into his and looking deeply into my eyes says honestly,

"He will invade. And I must prepare for war." Later that day I make it my job to try and find Lady Margaret but she has made herself scares. She and her husband are nowhere to be found so I am left but no choice. Taking up an armful of servants clothes, I change in the rooms Kate's ladies use and with a heavy cloak over my head make for where my sister has made sanctuary. By the time I make for the gate I am exhausted but resolved in figuring out this mess. Knocking at the gate, I spy of all people my niece Lizzie.

"Lizzie! Lizzie it's me!" I call watching her turn to see me and by her face realize she isn't expecting to see me. Coming towards the gate, she looks around and asks me,

"What are you doing here?"

"I know that your mother is working for Lady Margaret in a rebellion against my husband." I tell her so that we both hear from behind her,

"That is true." And there stands my sister, looking pale and gaunt but ever still commanding as the day she first stepped in the palace. For a long moment we stare at each other before she opens the gate and lets me inside and then leads me into where she and her family have been living.

"You are plotting a rebellion against my husband. With Lady Margaret and her husband? How many others are there in your plan to overthrow Richard?" I ask as she stands not even flinching at my words. When she stays silent I scoff and tell her,

"And have you told Lizzie of your plot to sell her off to the Tudor boy as your back up plan?"

"Where are my sons?" Elizabeth asks me so that I laugh and tell her,

"Oh you mean the fake son you put in place of Richard? Yes, I know you put a false boy in place of Richard along with Edward. I was there when he was brought in. Did you really think I would not recognize my own kin?" Elizabeth visibly flinches when I mention the fact I could tell the fake boy for her son.

"I need only tell Richard that one of your boys is out there alive and well Lizzy. That one York prince is still alive. Think of what that would do for you, for your grand plan. I know how you think, after all, you are my sister. Where is he making his army then?" Suddenly she is grabbing my arm and hissing,

"You will tell no one!"

"Or what! As it is Anne Neville went to see your boys claiming they were a liability to Richard as long as they were alive! She's been away ever since with her son at Warwick Castle! If you truly think that by rebelling against my husband then you clearly have forgotten that I even exist! That that man is the father of your nephew, your niece!" Shaking her off of me, I ask her,

"Do you truly hate me so damn much as to want Richard dead?"

"I think you should go." Elizabeth says making me look to see Lizzie and shaking my head before turning and leaving yet before I exit the gate Lizzie stops me. Looking back to see if her mother has followed me, she whispers,

"There is a man who comes, he works for Lady Margaret. He has been going back and forth with letters between Mother and her. However ever since the attempted attack on the Tower, Mother has grown ever more insistent that Richard must be taken out."

"You do know that Richard was sent a message about the attack on the Tower right?" I tell her making Lizzie frown and I continue,

"He was sent a message that the tower was attacked by your Mother. But he had already had it guarded."

"But what if that letter what planned? Someone meant to send him the letter to look innocent?" Lizzie told me making me realize that this rebellion was much deeper than I could even imagine. Taking both her hands into mine, I look her deep in the eyes and say,

"Your Mother will use her Magick to curse anyone she thinks has doomed her. Whatever you do, promise me you do not recite her words." When she does not agree, I try to get her to promise when I hear Elizabeth call out for her.

"Promise me Lizzie!" Clearly torn and afraid, when the door opens and Elizabeth appears I am forced to flee and run all the way back to the palace. It is later that day while I am with two of my ladies Richard comes storming in with a letter crying out,

"It is Buckingham! My own true friend who is behind the rebellion of Margaret Stanley's! I've intercepted her letters!" Instantly I make my ladies leave the room as Richard continues on about how the man had the best cause to be true with everything he ever had asked for.

"Buckingham is false, Lady Margaret is too and Elizabeth but all of them together," I say disbelieving as Richard says disbelieving,

"Now I must postpone my Parliament. Just when I had called for it and prepared. I just want to show England what a King I can be, and how I planned to serve them."

"You can still show them you will defeat this uprising." I tell him making him scoff and shake his head before telling me as he stares off into the fire.

"And that is not even the worst of it. Buckingham is spreading a rumor that that Princes in the Tower are dead, by my hand. It is all over the city."

"What? But why would he say that when it is not true?" I say taking his shoulders into my hands, sliding them up to his face feeling just how cold his skin is and how badly the stress is getting to him.

"Because Buckingham wants to slander me to win men to his cause." Nodding, I put my forehead to his telling him,

"I know they are not dead, they are not. But I shall go see them for myself and if I have to speak publicly to denounce these rumors I will."

"They will say you are lying to honor me."

"Then I will have Buckingham arrested for treason. Throw him in the Tower and see how much he likes it." I tell him making Richard laugh softly before for a moment we are silent but our tiny minute of happiness cannot last forever as he tells me,

"I have to prepare for war." That night I awaken to someone shaking my bed and find it's one of Kate's ladies. Not even bothering with a dressing gown, I make for Kate's room entering to see her sobbing and crying curled in bed with her face red from crying so badly.

"Fetch me warm water with honey and mint! Now!" I tell a lady and as she rushes off I help Kate into my lap and hush her, brushing her hair back until she calms down so she can talk.

"Tell me what you saw." I say gently so that with a hiccup she says,

"Two boys in bed, they couldn't breathe with them men holding their faces." Realization slams into my chest like a brick wall as the lady comes back in with the honey mint tea that I have Kate drink slowly. Still holding her, I ask her if she could see anything else.

"I knew the men, but the more I try to see their faces they fade. And the room, it was made of stone but really cold."

"Did you know the boys?" I ask her only she shakes her head but tells me,

"One was wearing a crown." So that it is not until she's fallen asleep again that I realize she has had a vision that in fact my nephews were killed in the Tower. I would have to go see Elizabeth. However the more pressing issue was that of seeing Richard off to war. Seeing him dressed in armor was one thing, but knowing there was a rebellion against him and my own sister was plotting it made my heart break. After giving him a wives blessing and watching him leave the Palace with my children I had Francis, who I had entrusted other than my children's governess, to look after them. As if the Lord knew of the troubles in England, it was a stormy as I went to see Elizabeth so that I had to cover myself which meant it was easier to hide my face from being seen. Upon entering the church I watched a man I did not know all but flee as Elizabeth and Lizzie appeared before me.

"Who was that?" I asked making them turn to see me.

"Is it true? That my boys are dead?" Elizabeth asked me making me pause only to say,

"Buckingham had a rumor started all over the city that they are dead. I meant to go check on them before I found out you had planned a rebellion and my husband had to make for war."

"Then it is true?" Lizzie asked me only I threw my hands up telling them both,

"What I do know is that it was Buckingham that started the rumor and he is working with Lady Margaret who is working with you."

"That man, he works for Lady Margaret and has been since our confinement here. He says the boys were killed in their beds. How would he know such a thing if he wasn't privy to that information?" Elizabeth asked me making me frown and stepping closer to me had me tell her,

"I told you Richard would never harm your sons. We were in the North when the attack happened and it was one of his men's sons who alerted him to the attack. One of those men in now implemented in the rebellion and Buckingham is, was, one of his most trusted. Besides, even if Edward is dead, Heaven help him, Richard is alive isn't he?" Elizabeth the whole while was pacing but after a moment she nodded making my suspicions confirmed, she had managed to save Richard. A few days later I feel a charge of Magick in the air and see rain against the windows. Elizabeth is up to something.