A/N: I like to thanks those who have reviewed. Lady Eleanor Boleyn, Sassygirl193, TrivialQueen, BolyenGirl13 and a anymonous reviewer. Thank you so much for reviewing this story. It really gave me the courage to continue on with the story about Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Once again, thank you.
I don't own The Tudors at all.
The Red and White Rose
11th of February, 1466
It was a cold day in England, but it was a bit warmer here in Westminster Place where the royal family of England was residing. The Queen of England, Elizabeth Woodville, was heavily pregnant with England's heir. She gently rubbed her very-much round stomach as she waited for the time to come for England's future king to be born.
As Elizabeth continued on rubbing her stomach, she thought about how a commoner with great beauty, like her, became Queen of England.
She was the daughter of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg, who had previously been married to John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford. Through her mother, Elizabeth was a distant descendant of King John of England. She was a maid of honour to Margaret of Anjou, Queen of Henry VI in 1445 when she was only about eight years of age. In about 1452, she married Sir John Grey of Groby, who was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans in 1461, fighting for the Lancastrian cause, which would become a source of irony as Edward IV was the Yorkist claimant to the throne. Elizabeth had two sons from the marriage, Thomas (later Marquess of Dorset) and Richard.
After her husband's death, Elizabeth had no control of her late husband's lands or money, thanks to her mother-in-law, so Elizabeth decided to see Edward IV, the newly crowned King of England.
While Edward and his men were riding through the forest, Elizabeth pop out and introducing herself with the King. The king was notorious as a womanizer and having many mistresses, including Jane Shore. They started talking and before Elizabeth knew it, she was married to the king of England on the first of May 1464.
Elizabeth was crowned Queen on Ascension Day, 26 May 1465. There was an infamous incident at her coronation which was not attended by Edward IV (kings traditionally did not attend their consorts' coronations) in which her mother's Luxembourg kinsmen landed in a ship at Ship's Green and arrived at Westminster Abbey carrying shields painted with the figure of Melusine, a "water-witch" (actually a medieval version of the old pagan goddess) described variously as a mermaid or possibly as a female figure depicted as a snake from the waist down, but with the face clearly that of the young Queen. This immediately caused whispers of witchcraft to circulate throughout the Abbey, as it was indeed the intention of the Luxembourgers to suggest an accusation of witchcraft thereby. Elizabeth's brother Anthony came to her rescue, driving the Luxembourg kinsmen forth from the Abbey all the way to Ship's Green where he would not allow them to embark and depart until he had answered this charge of witchcraft in single combat with every one of them and scratched every Melusine shield.
But now, she was queen and was with England's future king. Suddenly, Elizabeth starting feeling pain. She gasped really hard as her ladies-in-waiting rush to her side.
"Your majesty, what is it? What's wrong?" said one of the ladies.
"It's time. It's time of the baby to come." Said the queen as her ladies hurried to the bed.
His Majesty, King Edward IV of England, was waiting patiently for his beautiful queen to deliver his son and heir. It was amazing how things went with him when he was growing up and how he became king of England.
Born as Edward of York in Rouen in France, the second son of Richard, 3rd Duke of York (who had a strong genealogical claim to the throne of England[1]) and Cecily Neville. He was the eldest of the four sons who survived to adulthood. The Duke of York's assertion of his claim to the crown in 1460 was the key escalation of the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses. When his father was killed at the Battle of Wakefield, Edward inherited his claim.
With the support of his cousin, Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick ("The Kingmaker"), Edward defeated the Lancastrians in a succession of battles. And whilst Henry VI and his militaristic queen, Margaret of Anjou, were campaigning in the north of England, Warwick gained control of the capital and had Edward declared king in London in 1461. Edward strengthened his claim with a decisive victory at the Battle of Towton in the same year, in the course of which the Lancastrian army was virtually wiped out. Even at the age of nineteen, he had remarkable military acumen and a notable physique. His height is estimated at 6'4", making him the tallest British monarch to date
The door opened where the queen was lying in. The head lady came out.
"Well, what is it?" asked Edward.
"A girl, your highness. A beautiful, healthy baby princess."
A girl, Edward thought. Not a son.
Edward walks right past the maid and into the room.
Queen Elizabeth Woodville held her new baby daughter in her arm. The baby princess was already sleeping. She had failed in getting the king a son.
She heard footsteps in the room as people bowed down to their king. Elizabeth looks up to see her husband walking towards her.
"Edward, please forgive me. I wanted to give you a son so much." Elizabeth said frantically.
"It's all right my darling Elizabeth. We are still young. We will have a son." Edward said, reassuring his wife.
Edward looks at his newborn daughter as he stretches out his hand to hold her. "We should name her Elizabeth after her beautiful mother, the queen."
Queen Elizabeth smiled at her husband's remark. "Yes, Elizabeth is a suitable name for a beautiful princess."
And so, on the eleventh day of February, the Year of our Lord 1466, Elizabeth Plantagenet, Princess of York, Princess of England, daughter of their Graceful Majesty King Edward IV and his queen consort, Elizabeth Woodville was born.
