- 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑟𝑒𝑖𝑔𝑛 -
It's the year 1464 and Eleanor Woodville lives at Grafton Manor as one of the younger daughters of Jacquetta and Sir Richard Woodville. At 11 years old, her worries are little and her joys great but her o...
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~Countess of Rutland~
July 1465, Westminster....
Whistles filled the air as nobles attempted to call their birds back to them. The whole court had arranged a hawking party and a grand feast lay inside the tent made of cloth of gold where all the King and Queen, along with the others, sat and ate while they watched the entertainment.
Richard, Duke of Gloucester and John Woodville stood a few feet apart, the eyes trained on the clear blue skies as they tried to call their birds back to them.
With a knowing grin on his face John blew the Ivory whistle he held and watched as his hawk began to fly towards him while Richard's bird circled around the royal standards, causing him to sigh in frustration while he called his white falcon to him.
"Hup!" John yelled, turning to the side and tapping his arm, laughing as the hawk landed on his leather gauntlet, turning towards the grand table in the tent and bowing.
"Well done, John!" Eleanor cried as she stood with the rest to applaud "well done!"
At last Richard's falcon returned to him and he raised his eyebrows at his elder brother, shrugging a little before he handed his bird to a squire and walked into the tent.
Smoothing out the skirts of her emerald gown, Eleanor sat back down next to her mother, brushing a finger across one of the golden roses and smiling. She would have to have her favourite gown altered soon, she decided, glancing at the sleeves that had moved somewhat up her wrist as she had grown.
"John may have won this time!" Edward said as George walked out of the tent to collect the giant Eagle he kept "but he will have a fight on his hands against brother George for he has none of Richard's chivalry and doesn't like to lose!"
"That I don't!" George remarked as he walked back over, his usual smirk on his face "and neither does Eleanor I'll bet!" Eleanor turned around in her chair to face him, taking a sip of wine from her goblet as she did so. "And what do you mean by that?" She asked "I don't think anyone likes to lose!"
"Well, come one then!" Grabbing her arm, he brought her to her feet and marched her to the field, letting his Eagle fly onto his gauntlet while Eleanor gave a small shriek at how big the creature staring down at her with beady yellow eyes was "this is Hades" he explained, taking her hand and gently placing it against the eagle's soft feathers "he won't hurt you unless I let him!" "Unless you let him?" She exclaimed before John came to stand beside her and grinned.
"Best of luck, Eleanor" he murmured before walking over to his hawk and taking position. "I don't even know what I'm doing here, John!" She called, following George "what am I actually doing here?"
