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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
~Return to Middleham~
It was their fourth week of travel, their fourth week trekking along the winding roads of of England. The two York boys rode at the front, sitting proud and regal upon their steeds but, that day there was another addition to their leading party.
Catherine rode in front of George, her golden hair loose and blowing gently in the summer breeze that filled the air. She had not exactly had much choice in the matter, that was for sure.
When she was dressed, George had come to collect her as usual, carrying her outside to where the soldiers waited but, instead of placing her in the carriage, he had placed her on his horse.
He had shushed her murmurs of protest with one look, watching his little brother grin beside her on his own horse.
"If you languish in darkness, it will only consume you" George had told her sternly before swinging up behind, slipping an arm around her waist. From there on they had rode, now truly in the North, where Middleham lay. The next day they would make it to the ominous stone fortress and the York brothers had decided between themselves that it would do no good to have Catherine arrive looking like a living skeleton!
Surprisingly, their plan had worked, and after half an hour Catherine had begun to emerge from her cell of desolate despair. A hint of rosy colour retuned to her cheeks and she tilted her head up, letting her pale skin bask in the summer sun.
The air smelt pleasant, she found, the honeysuckle and roses, surrounding the roads, creating a sweet aroma that set her mind and heart at peace. She began to relax into the saddle she was held in, leaning her head onto George's shoulder as a smile twitched at the corners of her lips.
"See" Dickon told her "Things are not so bad!" "And they won't be" His brother added quickly before Catherine could find a sharp-witted retort to bite back.
When they halted for a break, George lifted her down from his steed and onto the soft bed of grass below, encouraging her to walk across it on her own. She gathered her skirts around her, taking a slight joy in the meadow by the road and, while the soldiers rested, feasting upon apples and bread, she scoured the inviting ground for flowers to pick.
Dickon was soon by her side, offering her a bite of his apple which she found she accepted gratefully, relishing the sweet taste that spread across her tongue. It was the most delicious thing she had tasted in weeks and with another bite she was sure she could feel a new life spreading throughout her veins. It was strange, really, how quickly she had changed from a living corpse to a mere girl again, hunting for pretty blooms.
"What do you search for?" Dickon asked as she plucked a flower from the earth, smiling a little at the pale petals.
"Daisies, my Lord" She answered, holding up the perfect blossom for his inspection "I may not remember much of my young life....but I do remember that I used to make daisy chains with my brother" Her small smile widened at the memory, one of sunny days lying within the Alnwick gardens, Henry by her side.
