- 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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~The King is Dead~
April 1483, Middleham....
The sun swept gracefully over the valleys and hills of the North, shining down on the group of friends settled on an array of woollen blankets and playing children that were happily darting out of the bushes and trees that lay to the side of them.
A selection of food and drink was laid out (rather clumsily) on the grass and blankets, free for all to help themselves. The day before, Harry had suggested a picnic without the servants and the rest of the group had enthused the idea with grins of youthful mischief and claps of delight and approval.
That glorious morning they had ridden out from Middleham Castle along with all of the children (apart from the youngest) trotting alongside on their ponies and horses, excited smiles on their faces.
While most of the adults had chosen to recline on the blankets, drinking and laughing with one another without the usual regality they held when the servants were around, Harry and Georgie were playing with the little ones!
So far they had devised mock battles, dividing the children into two separate armies before they all charged at each other and rolling around in the grass as they collided, delighted shrieks filling the air as they fought; wooden swords flying.
"Give it to me, you silly goose!" Eleanor laughed as Richard teasingly held a strawberry a few inches above her lips, leaning over her. He looked younger that day, she noticed as he lowered the strawberry only to jerk it back as she was about to eat it, much to her annoyance.
A calmness and relaxation resided in his eyes, so rarely seen by any since he had returned from the Scottish wars that it made Eleanor's heart jump. Putting a hand to his cheek she smiled "you don't look so old today" she murmured and Richard's grin widened.
"I hesitate to remind you that are the older of the two of us, my Lady" he returned, earning a small punch to the front of his doublet. "By seven days!" Eleanor exclaimed "now give me that strawberry before I pour your wine over your head!"
"Fine fine! You win, Sweetheart!" He lowered the strawberry once more and she parted her lips, ready to take a bite of her favourite fruit before exclaiming as Richard pulled it away and kissed her soundly on the mouth. Reaching up, she slid a hand into his hair, running it through his curls and smiling into the kiss "there" he said softly as he broke away, rubbing his nose affectionately against hers "now I have a victory too!"
"Je t'aime, Richard of York" Eleanor murmured, smiling up at him "and you have my heart" "And you mine, Eleanor Plantagenet"
