Everyone seemed to know my destiny before I did. I am their Hope, I am His Hope. Hope is what I was names and Hope is what I shall bring. To my father, to my family, to my King.
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-Hope-
I stood with my Uncle Anthony In his home, I needed to be away from home right now, just for a moment. It was not the first time, the craziness of life had got to me that I sought Sanctuary with my favourite Uncle.
"Everything will be alright, dearest niece." he handed me a goblet of wine and I took a sip in earnest.
"How do you know?"
"Because I too have lost my father and i am still here, alive and well." he told me kissing my cheek. Before he could say anything else here was a knock at the door. I lifted my hood up
"Quick out of the back." he ushered my away and I ran off into the night. I made my way back home, Lizzie was waiting for me when I returned .
"You were with Uncle Anthony?" she asked
"I was, apart from you and father he is the only one who I can really talk to." I replied removing my cloak.
"Hope what did father say to you? When he asked you to go in first." she wondered as I poured myself another drink.
"He told me something he couldn't possibly have known." I answered "The answer to everything." I gulped the drink down
"What was that?" I never answer her but readied myself for bed.
-------
Uncle Anthony was not far behind me, though. He came to talk to Mother to tell her that Edward had been taken to the Tower by Uncle Richard.
"How dare he terroize my sons." Mother seethed as Lizzie and I stood listening to the conversation
"He claims he keeping Prince Edward safe, keeping his promise." Anthony replied. Apparently when my brother was called back here, my brother Richard was sent to bring him back and straight to mother, they were intercepted by Uncle Richards men, They had taken both of my brothers to the tower in the name of protection.
"You believe that?" Thomas asked
"I do. i knew I should have gone to get him myself." Anthony sighed in guilt
"Then you'd be in the tower too." Mother replied
"I've petitioned the privy council to demand their release." I shared a concerned look with my twin sister. I knew this would happen.
"Anthony this is an act of war. We must raise an army now." Thomas urged her
"And risk your brothers safety. Your upset rightly but have faith..." Anthony was cut off by our mother
"He put Edward in the tower to keep him from me. And he arrested Richard Grey. Take everything off alike? and wake your brother and sisters. We're going into sanctuary."
"Sister."
"Hope, Lizzie." Mother ordered
"Mother talk to Uncle Richard, get Anthony too." lizzie walked forward "Ask him to let our brothers go as a show of consideration."
"Only fools wait to see if their enemies might be friends. Richard's got Edward, what's to stop him snatching my other son. Do as I say."
"Yes, Mother." i curtsied and did as she asked without question. Lizzie followed behind me as I headed to wake up my siblings.
"How can you be so calm, sister?" Lizzie questioned falling in step with me
"Father always told me to do as such when faced with adversity. I told you we had to be careful." I replied
"Uncle Richard is family. Our uncle." I stopped and turned to her
"He took our brother claiming protection. From who? Our mother? She loves him and would never hurt him. They are scared of her, of us and what the perceive to what we can do. Fear is not logical and neither are they right now. We must wake up our siblings. Come." I pulled her along.
We took sanctuary at Westminster and i paced back and forth, thinking. Years upon years of lessons taught to me yet I was at a loss to what to do now.
"You seem anxious, Hope." Lizzie stooped me
"Father taught me everything he knew for a reason, yet when I need something, i can think of nothing. Both sides are fearful protecting themselves against the other. They are not thinking with their...." I was cut off by stomping. I looked out of the window to see solider, so many soldiers. We ran to tell mother.
"Soldiers. Everywhere, the gates, cloisters." Lizzie told her
"Then this is war."
"No, No mother, we can't fight Richard,the York army from this dungeon." Lizzie retorted
"Do you think that's what you father thought when he faced the Lancastrians four times more at Barnet?" Mother replied.
"No." Richard denied "He won the greatest victory in England's history."
"He was also smart he never rushed into anything without thinking through it first though" I added stepping forward
"He is in every one of you. His is the voice charging you to be valiant and brave." Mother told all of us but stopped in front of me "Some more than others." she touched the locket he had given me
"We may be boxed in here. But we have him watching over us"
