Violent Delights (Violent Delights Book 1)

Chaptre 13: "Desolation does begin to make a better life."

The new year dawns auspiciously. Lancaster's forces are all but defeated, so they aren't a problem. Edward's royal uncles, namely Kent, aren't comfortable siding against his nephew with Lancaster or Mortimer, so he generally stays neutral. And Mortimer's forces have been vastly overrun warring with Lancaster. Edward still hasn't asserted himself at court or Parliament, but his enemies are weakened. He's not fully satisfied but we have to count that as a win.
Apparently Edward brings up my coronation to his mother again, because right after Epiphany's day, she corners me with the following message:
"You're no queen yet, girl. Stop seeking a crown," she snarls.
"I'm not, I'm kind of busy—? What, did Edward bring up my coronation again?" I ask.
"Because you told him to. Don't play stupid, it doesn't become you," Isabela says.
"I did not ask him that. Odd as this is your son is capable of an original thought, that isn't about jousting. Yes, I was surprised as well."
That goes down just about as well as I expected it to and I extricate myself from the conversation.
The next item of business, well, royal business, is France. Specifically war with it. Edward wants war with France. That's sort of a blanket statement though. If it were suggested we go to war with God, Edward would immediately say yes. He wouldn't even need a reason. That man has not heard or read of a nation he didn't want to go to war with.
But that's beside the point. He is in all technicality the closest male heir. So despite his youth and the fact that he has the crown of England it is his. He doesn't need it. But it's still his inheritance. 
Unfortunately nobody else wants a nearly pointless, likely to consume the rest of our lives, very dangerous, unlikely to succeed, war with France.
"They want me to pay homage to Philip! That pretender!" Edward cries, near tears he's so upset about not getting invade a very hard to invade land mass.
"All right I'm with you, but we don't currently have the funds, the ships, or the army, to invade France," Monty says.
"We can get those," Edward says, folding his arms.
"Really? How?" Monty asks.
"By—raising them. Because I am king," Edward says, haughtily.
"More specifically," Monty says, also folding his arms.
"Philippa can explain it to you. Pippa, my beloved—,"
"It would take two years minimum assuming no influence from your mother and Mortimer and Lancaster's blind compliance, and good crops, and Parliament complying with taxation schemes to raise money namely the wool export," I say.
"See?" Edward points at me like that was at all positive.
"That wasn't proving your point," Monty says, very nicely.
"She said it could be done!"
"Yeah not right now, if you refuse to pay homage, we are at war, tomorrow. Philippa please tell your husband we don't have arrows and ships for war tomorrow," Aimee says, so tiredly.
"We don't, Edward if they invade we're done for. Lancaster and Mortimer are scrapping like dogs and nearly winning neither of them can face France not apart not united," I say, shaking my head.
"What about my men I can raise—,"
"No," we all three say.
"I'm telling you we cannot raise, tomorrow, enough to stop a French invasion," I say, "Our time will come. But it is not today. We're not even out from under Mortimer's heel yet one battle at a time."
Edward sighs, well aware we're right.
"I know you've been in between a rock and a hard place since your coronation but just—," Monty sighs, "Look we're not going to win this one mate. Respectfully we didn't even win Scotland because the nobles wouldn't comply. If we're invading France you need an army you can trust, who will listen to you. We don't have that."
"If I pay homage to him now, then I can't invade him later," Edward says.
"Of course you can," I say.
"What? No, it would break my word," Edward says.
"Not if he does something even mildly offensive which he's human he will. Then you can claim he's not being a just leader and that revokes your homage, meaning you can invade. It is a grey area," I say.
"No, it's not," Monty says.
"It's really not," Aimee says.
"You're right," Edward says, happily, "Why couldn't you two think of that?"
"It's a dick move?" Monty is choking.
"It's fine, Monty, stop crying, if and when Philip does something, like encroach on your territories in France, something of that kind, then you can use that for basis, go and claim your crown, once we have ships," I say.
"I'll quit paying my dues and when he retaliates invade him, good idea," Edward says.
"Poor idea," Monty and Aimee say, we're ignoring them.
"For now, if you go along with the trip to pay him homage this spring, it means France is less likely to attack and they are our ally. I'm not planning on us needing their army to defeat Mortimer but I'd like a back up," I say.
"What army are you planning to use to defeat Mortimer?" Edward asks.
"I was toying with Wales?" I shrug.
"Oh."
"Why what were you thinking?" I ask.
"Me, Monty, maybe a few other people, and a couple of large swords," Edward grins.
"I don't think it'll be that easy," I say.
"Watch me," Edward purrs, "I just need cause enough to do it."
"I can get you just cause. The trap is nearly set. And he'll be much more likely to tread into it if you go along with this, pay homage, pretend you're all getting along," I say, "We'll get you to France one day."
"And Scotland," Edward says.
"And Scotland," I smile.
The trip for homage isn't until spring, but it fortuitously gets Edward onto the continent, if only for a few days. And finally, our spies have word for us. One of the merchants we started bribing, finally has cause to send us a message.
"Our friend on the continent lives," Edward says, grimly staring at the letter.
"Really?" John asks, sitting up. We aren't about to speak his father's name or that his father lives.
"According to this, which may not be true, he sought shelter in a monastery in Ghent, after fleeing England last spring. We were right."
"Go to him," I say.
Edward looks at me.
"You're not going to know otherwise," I say.
"We need to know what he's planning as he lives and everyone thinks him dead," Monty says.
"This is from the monk. If it's true...," Edward shrugs a bit, "Then he's not got an army. Nothing personally, merely that this man has been given leave to tell me that."
"What do you want to do?" Monty asks, shrugging a little.
"See him," Edward says, quietly.
"Will he?" I ask.
"Doesn't say. We return the message, I offer to meet. Monty, you and I, in disguise," Edward says.
"I want to come," John says, frowning.
"It's too obvious there's no reason for you to even come to the continent," Edward says, gently, "If he's well, we'll see."
John nods a little.
Edward exchanges a glance with me. He's not sure if this will be a civil meeting or not. It's well known he gets his temper from his father, and both men are prone to be cruel in a rage. Not generally at family, more when politics doesn't go their way. I've heard Edward argue with his mother but that's about all, and honestly that is about politics. That said his father is not likely to be in a good mood given his current living situation.
"I'll offer to come to a church," Edward says, shrugging.
"Do you want me to come?" I ask.
"The fewer of us out of the country at once, the better, love. Yourself and John may not wield a lot of power but damn if you can't order people about and raise a little rebellion. I'm not saying I fully believe Mortimer would try to take my crown while I was gone but he's once usurped a king and I completely believe he might again," Edward says, "At the very least you two can put up resistance. Which is why you should be crowned before I go."
"It's too obvious a move, I'm your consort that is enough to raise an army," I point out.
Edward nods, staring down at the letter, "Aimee, you'll look after my wife will you not?"
"Of course," she says.
"Look, it's only three weeks, right? That's not a lot of time, and you'll have the backing of France if you need to come back with an army, Mortimer and your mother know that," I say.
"Oh I'm not going for three weeks," Edward says, dismissively, "I'm not going without kissing you that long, absolutely not."
I think he's joking but in the end, no, he is not.