𝑂𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙....
In a world of bloody war and misgivings that lead to treason, there is only one thing Catherine Percy can be sure of and that is danger.
Her life had not always been thus, f...
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~Taken~
15th of January 1459, Alnwick Castle....
"There, you see, Cate? One single blow and an animal can be brought to his knees"
The Earl brushed away the leaves that had fallen across the dead stag's face, pointing to the arrow buried in his eye that had shot from his bow just moments ago. Catherine watched in silent wonder, not disgusted by the blood that oozed from the animal's wound, but fascinated. She had never been squeamish of such things, that trait belonged to her brother, one her Father had worked hard to train from him.
Her small hands reached out, fingers brushing the little stumps where she expected antlers to be. They were covered with fuzzy fur and made Catherine smile.
"Where are his antlers, Father?" She asked and the Earl smiled, ruffling her golden plait until she giggled. "Stags shed their antlers each year, Cate, and grow them again for mating season later"
"Mating season?" She repeated, unfamiliar with this new term that she frowned curiously. Her Father simply chuckled, swinging her up into his arms and carrying her back to where their horses waited with guards dressed in the Percy livery.
It was strange thing to be carried in her Father's arms after a day's hunt, in fact, it was a strange thing to Catherine to be in her Father's arms at all but he took it all within his stride! Ever since her success at court with the Queen, she had suddenly found herself basking in an ocean of her Father's attention.
Never before had he taken her hunting but, that morning, while her brother was at training, he had announced they would shoot in the surrounding woodland! Truly, it had shocked the girl but she had had her servants put on her boots and wrap her cloak around her shoulders with the speed of an arrow fleeing from a bow!
She had ordered padded skirts and a fur lined hood made of heavy blue velvet, a jewelled girdle around her waist that would shine in the winter son.
And the day had far from disappointed.
When the Earl lifted Catherine onto her horse she could see the hoard they had collected, at least three deer, a boar and too many rabbits to count (most of which were her kill), more than a good day's works she thought and saw her Father agreed! She breathed in the damp smell of the forest, relishing the fresh rush of air that flooded her throat.
Arranging her heavy skirts and cloak around her, she nudged her horse into a trot beside her Father's, grinning at her white palfrey while the orange rays of setting sun filtered through the trees.
Around them sticks and branches cracked making Catherine look to the side with a wariness in her eyes. She was sure that she saw a flash of red, heard the clink of metal but the Earl just chuckled again. "The spared creatures of the forest!" He told her and his men gave a cheer making her smile once more. The clinking of the armour was theirs!
