𝐸𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒 || 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝑊𝐻𝐼𝑇𝐸 𝑄𝑈𝐸𝐸𝑁

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝐶𝐼𝐼

~Goodbye my friend~

Arm in arm, Georgie and Lizzie walked though the gardens of the palace, shy smiles crossing their faces as they glanced at one another.
"You look well today, my lady" he said after a moment of silence and Lizzie blushed as he adjusted her silk shawl around her shoulders.

"Thank you, your grace" She replied, looking at her shoes when he chuckled, stepping slightly closer to her.
"I've told you time and time again to call me Georgie! Or George!"
"And I've told you time and time again to call me Lizzie!"

They smiled at one another again and continued to walk.
"Is Aunt Leena well?" He asked and Lizzie sighed shaking her head a little. Eleanor wasn't well, not at all. Since Christmas Anne had improved a little, enough to walk around the ground with someone's arm to hold onto but that week she had had a cold.

A mild one, at first, but with her frailty it had soon taken hold and now she lay in her bedroom with Eleanor by her side, constantly weeping and refusing to leave. As a result Lizzie had taken over some of Eleanor's duties as Queen, sitting next to Richard at dinner and such (something which some of the court seemed to disapprove of) but she did not care, it thrilled her even if the reasons for it were sad.

"Anne is going to die" she said softly and Georgie gave a short nod "soon, we think....very soon"
"I'm sorry for that" he remarked "Aunt Anne has always been kind to me, she was a favourite of my Father too, I will miss her"

"I was brought up not to like her, my Mother was, well is, so against the Nevilles, no offence, Georgie" he laughed lightly and shook his head again, the exact image of his Father with his eyes twinkling.
"Your Mother hates everyone that doesn't bare the name Woodville!" He returned and Lizzie shrugged a little "even some who do"

"If you mean Aunt Lyanna, my Mother doesn't hate her!"
"Doesn't she?"
She shook her head.
"No. But they will never be close again, that is for sure. Aunt Lyanna is a Plantagenet now. A York to the core, I don't think anyone could deny that"
"And the Queen of England" Georgie reminded her "the consort of a King who took the place of her son"

Lizzie stopped walking then and turned away, tears pricking at her eyes while Georgie's face paled and he instantly realised his mistake "Oh God I'm sorry, Lizzie" he said with a sigh, reprimanding himself in his mind for his glibness. "I forgot for a moment....I....I know that you miss your brothers"

"Every day" she whispered, looking down at the river below. She had prayed to God, prayed to Melusina, to every saint she could think of but none of her prayers had been answered "I just hope to God that they are safe somewhere" she dipped into a small curtsy and turned to walk away "excuse me, your grace"

"Please, wait...." he began in earnest but both of them suddenly looked to the sky as all around them suddenly became dark. Looking up, they watched, mouths agape, as the moon came over the sun, blocking out almost all light.