NOT ABOUT ANGELS | THE WHITE QUEEN

Chapter II

"Annie, hold still," Charlotte admonished as she hooked the needle through her sister's sleeve. "I'll end up pinching you if you continue shaking."

"I'm sorry!" Anne squeaked. "It's just...it's so exciting! We're at court and Edward's king now!"

"You will look beautiful when your mother comes to court, but you really need to be still. If not, the dress will be a mess and her anger will rightfully come raining down on me."

"I know," Anne drawled, standing on her toes, as if she were trying to look out the window. "I'm sorry!"

Huffing, she unhooked the thread and took a step backwards. "That's it! I give up." She sat down next to Isabel near the window and looked outside, not being moved by Anne's torrent of apologies. She only turned her head back to the room when the doors to her chambers opened.

"Lady Charlotte? The King is requesting your presence."

She simply nodded in dismissal, saying she knew how to get to his study. With a kiss to each of her sister's cheeks, she left the room.

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With a polished curtsey, she sat down at the cushioned seat in front of him.

"You called for me?"

He smirked. "Would you like anything? Some water? Some wine?"

She nodded and he stood up, pouring wine into two goblets and handing her one. "There's something I would like to speak with you about. But first, how are you coping? I know..."

He trailed off, looking up at her from his wine and her breath hitched in her throat. "I'm doing as well as can be expected. I didn't want to believe it at first, but war is war and there are casualties of war. He knew it when he marched alongside you and our fathers and I knew it when I watched you all go before seeking safety behind my father's walls."

"He died bravely, you know? I needed to know and I made sure they told me without embellishing anything. He avenged my father and after killing other men, they seized him," Edward drew in a sharp breath and she wiped away the tears that had fallen down her cheeks, looking away as he approached her. "You know what? Change of plans. Forget about what I said, let's go riding. You still ride like an Amazon from the myths, do you not?"

A laugh escaping her lips, she nodded and took his hands, noticing how his fingers lingered on hers a moment longer than considered proper.

"Meet me in an hour at the stables, I'll be readying the horses."

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Charlotte had to admit to herself that despite her age, Isabel did know a lot about fashion. She had trusted her sister to help her ready herself when she returned to her rooms and had not been disappointed.

The dress Isabel had chosen did not leave much to the imagination when the bodice was pulled tight and its skirts had a slight flare to them, but it wasn't enough to stop her from riding comfortably. Despite its relatively low bodice, it was modest enough not to be considered inappropriate and at least, it was one of the various black dresses she'd been donning the past months. Her dark tresses were still in the loose curls she had styled them in the morning, so she had only had to brush and clip them away from her face, so they fell just over the revealed line of her breasts. The dress had had to be cinched up at the waist with a tight silk string, since she'd lost some weight in the past few months, but otherwise it had been easy for her to get dressed.

Edward turned around, when she arrived at the stables, and she saw a smile on his face.

"My lady," Edward greeted, with a slightly mocking bow as she curtsied.

"We should get on to it," the king went on, pulling off her and gesturing to a large white mare that was pawing the grass and whinnying just outside the stable door. "We're going to ride Luna."

"''We', your grace?" Charlotte asked tentatively as Luna whinnied loudly and reared up, and Edward laughed. Despite the warm afternoon, Charlotte shivered, looking at the willfulness of the mare. Yes, she was a good rider, but her horses were calm beasts, as irrational as that may sound. She did her best to spend time bonding with them before taking them outside the boundaries of her father's — or her own — lands, in order to avoid any accidents.

"Yes, I'd like you to ride with me," Edward said. "Why shouldn't we share a horse?" He put his boot in the stirrups, and swung up onto Luna.

Nervously, she approached the mare and placed a hand on her neck, stroking its mane softly, feeling the rapid heartbeat of the horse. "I can at least get halfway up, but you may need to help me so I don't fall."

Edward nodded. As she slipped her boot through the stirrups, she raised up her hand and Edward caught it in his own, gripping her strongly. He hoisted her onto Luna and she settled behind him, trying to arrange her dress in a more comfortable manner, before placing one hand on Edward's waist and the other one gripping the saddle.

"Here we go!" Edward shouted and, without a second's thought, he brought the riding crop down. Luna panicked, rearing up slightly and then pounding the ground, taking off into a gallop.

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"That was fun. I'm sorry for distrusting you," she admitted, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear as they ate in the dining table of his rooms, she having accepted his invitation to sup with him that evening.

"There is one thing I would like to talk to you about, however," Edward said as he rose and walked closer to her. He knelt down so their eyes were leveled. "May I send a pageboy to bring you to my chambers tomorrow night?" Her eyes widened as he cupped her cheek, "I have a longing for you, Charlotte. More than I have ever felt for any woman."

"Your grace," she removed his hand from her cheek, an apologetic look on her face. "You flatter me, but I believe you say such things to every woman who you come across. I cannot be your mistress. My maidenhead belongs to my lord husband and only he shall have it."

Edward cupped her cheek again, leaning forward, his breath mingling with hers. "Are you saying you feel nothing for me? Nothing at all?" She tensed as his finger traced her skin, before shaking her head, despite knowing she was lying. "Can you honestly say you don't want me? Not at all?"

She shook her head again, "My maidenhead belongs to my husband, Your Grace."

"Dear God, I have to have you," Edward sighed out and she tensed again, trying to remain strong.

"I will not dishonor myself, Your Grace. I hope you understand," she explained, her heart beating furiously against her chest. "It is not a matter of what I want, rather of what is right."

His eyes widened as she leaned back, causing his hand to cease touching her. "But you do want me?" He asked, a grin on his face that revealed his age. After all, despite fighting for his throne, he was barely 19, only a few years older than herself.

"As I said, it is not a matter of what I want, Your Grace. It is a matter of what is right and we are already pushing the boundaries by being alone in your rooms," Charlotte explained.

"One kiss then," Edward proposed, looking at her wide-eyed still. It occurred to her then that she recognized the look on his eyes. It wasn't love, nor was it passion. It was pure infatuation and while love and passion could grow from there, it only made things all the more dangerous for herself. "One kiss and I shall cease with this."

"You are Edward of York. You and I both know one kiss will never be enough," she smiled, amused, when his shoulders deflated. "I should leave. If the wrong person were to walk in...I would be ruined. I hope you can understand."

She stood up when he nodded and left with a curtsey, trying to keep her tears at bay.