Kingmaker

King Henry #2

It had been an hour since King Henry dismissed the trio of Sir George, Sir Neville and Ava. The two knights being given the task of 'equipping' Ava with Lancastrian knight clothing, a Lancastrian flag, and soon, a sword. Her horse would also need Lancastrian colours on his armour.
Ava now wore the colours of Lancaster. Her black jodphurs remained, as did her high boots. The tunic she now wore held the red Lancaster rose, the chest of the tunic a dark red. Almost like the colour of wine. The blue hints only shown delicately on the trim of the tunic. The Lancastrian flag she wore around her waist held the crest of the House. Colours of red, blue and gold forming the crest. The three golden lions proudly displayed. Silently, Ava admired herself in the long mirror as Neville and Plantagenet talked amongst themselves, the pair turning to Ava as she was overheard muttering. "The House of York will pay. Them, and all their followers. I will put a stop to their plans. And King Henry will remain on the throne of England" She may have muttered a little too loudly, but she was already speaking in defence of the House of Lancaster, and the rightful King of England.
"The House of York has plans, Ava? I thought they would. Come. Let us return to the King. He is waiting to see you, and we must not keep him waiting" commented Plantagenet as he cleared his throat to get her attention. Neville had to steady his gaze on her when she turned to them, making sure she kept the fire out of her gaze. He had to admit, the Lancastrian colours looked good on her. Even more so that the tunic hugged her figure. Not too tight, but just enough to show off her faint curves. She was a slender girl, really. A decent size bust, small hips, with well built muscles on her stomach, biceps, thighs and calves. She definitely took care of her body, that much was obvious.

Upon entering the great hall once more, the King stood to greet them. "What a fine Lancastrian lady you make, Ava!" he cheered joyfully as he walked over to her and the knights. He was rather welcoming of her, depsite where she had came from. But it had taken several days and several meetings to get to this point. Now he was glad that he had allowed her into the House of Lancaster, and was glad that she had gone through him to do it. Most just went ahead and allied themselves. But she got his permission, and his blessing, of sorts. "Ava Woodville, by order and permission of the Crown, and in the eyes of our Lord. I mark you. Ava Woodville of Lancaster" As he spoke, he handed her a sword; the golden hilt topped off by a very small decorative bauble that held the Lancastrian flag. The King now turned Ava to face the knights, resting his hands upon her shoulders. Due to his height towering over her slightly, this was an easy task. "Gentlemen. Ava is now a respective member of the House of Lancaster. As she is from a high ranking family, she will be treated with respect; and should anyone try and harm or reject her. Deal with them, please"
"Sire. If I may" inquired Ava, turning once more so that she could see both the knights and the King. Once King Henry had nodded for her to speak, she gave a kind smile and a bow before continuing. "Sire, I must thank you for allowing me into the House of Lancaster. I will make it known now that my allegiance will not falter here as it did with York. I saw enough at York to know that my heart and mind were not truly there. I believe in everything that Lancaster has said, and done over the years. Through every conflict, every jousting tournament. I always saw more in Lancaster than I did in York. You are the rightful King, Sire. And I will make sure the House of York knows that" She bowed once more, standing straight and resting her hand upon the hilt of her sword that was now attached to her waist. "One more thing Sire. I can defend myself. The knights of York made sure of that. Even if at times I was having to defend myself from them more than the rogues. But I will accept any help from the knights and guards. I acknowledge that their work is most respected, and they are strong men. The House of Lancaster will not see me fall, Sire. Even if it is not a womans role. I will fight till my last breath for you. And for Lancaster"
The Kings' lips formed a broad smile once more. The knights also gaining smiles. "Your loyalty is most appreciated, Ava. Please. Allow Sir Richard and Sir George to take you out on horseback for a ride of our castle grounds. Your horse has already been preapred with Lancastrian colours. The House of Lancaster will treat you well, Ava" he couldn't help but smile as the trio of knights left once more. He had only ever seen such loyalty once, and that was in Sir Richard when he was Ava's age. The mans' loyalty hadn't faltered. And he knew Ava's wouldn't either.
Sir Richard patted Ava's shoulder kindly, squeezing gently. "Your speech was most appreciated. And your loyalty to Lancaster is astonishing. We will teach you more on how to defend yourself, and how things are in Lancaster. But first. Allow myself and George to show you around the castle grounds, as the King said. There is much to see. From the stables, to the lake. To the King's own jousting field. Then we will have to discuss what we will do when York finds out about this. Though I am sure they will find out soon enough"

"For now. Let us ride, Sir Neville. Today should be happy, should it not?" inquired Ava with a smile, tilting her head to the knight at her side.
"Of course" chuckled Sir Neville with a smile, helping Ava into the saddle once they had reached the horses.

[Authors Note: Now that Ava is officially in the House of Lancaster, I have a LOT planned! Want to know what happens when the House of York finds out? Keep reading! More to come soon!]