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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~My Sweet Summer Fool~
August 1473, Bamburgh Castle....
The great hall of Bamburgh castle was truly something to behold, bigger than Haddon and certainly bigger than Fotheringhay. A great fire was stoked in the hearth along the back wall, sending springing flames to lick the carved mantle above and tapestries woven from bright silks depicting tales of old lined the walls.
Great, arched, windows, set with fine glass, sat above them, bathing the hall in Northern light that lit the strands of multicoloured silk, making them glimmer with life. It was not as grand as Westminster but was still occupied by two who watched all from the head, the root of power, and while Edward and Elizabeth observed from their thrones, Catherine and Richard ruled from theirs.
They sat upon the great oak chairs side by side, raised on a dais that put them above mere men, both dressed in rich velvet. Richard in blue, Catherine in deep red. Her hair was hidden under a coronet topped caul, the white veil attached surrounding her like silken mist, and one bejewelled hand rested on her swelled belly.
The sacred place where her third child grew.
Below stood two figures, garbed in Percy red and yellow, one a lithe woman who held a small smile on her lips, the other a grim faced man who stared at his surroundings with a degree of displeasure and an abundance of suspicion.
Catherine hadn't seen her brother for near three years and while she could read him like a book, she had no need to because it was clear as day he did not understand the sight before him: her swelled belly, the way her free hand rested in Richard's, her happiness. It was enough to almost make her laugh.
Glancing to the side, she smiled at her husband and (with a squeeze of his hand to hers) he rose from his throne.
"My Lord of Northumberland" He greeted, walking to the edge of the dais. Hal inclined his head. "My Lord of Gloucester" His voice was cold, like ice and one hand toyed with the hilt of his sword "As you can see I have answered your call" "I'm most glad that you did"
He raised his eyebrows. "I wasn't aware that I had a choice, your grace" Eleanor's piercing eyes flicked to him and one hand quickly rested on his arm, both comforting and warning at the same time.
"Now, Henry" She chided, as if he were still a child "we did not come here to fight, we came to talk, with your sister and her husband, your kin" Hal scoffed, looking at Richard with distaste. "He is certainly not my kin, Mother"
"No, my Lord" Richard replied, holding out a hand to the side and smiling when Catherine joined him, eager to seek peace between the two families "But Cate is. She is your sister and it is for her sake that I wish for us to unite as well as for the good of the North, I make no secret of that. Our families are already bound by marriage and now we must be joined in friendship" The Earl stared at him, eyes flicking between him and his sister.
