Kingmaker

North #1

"If they even so much as touch the hilts of their swords. I will take them down myself" started Ava, now riding alongside Neville and Plantagenet; dropping her reins for a moment to crack her back and neck slightly. When she finally gripped the reins once more, Neville drew his eyes to her for a moment before looking back ahead of him. He knew that cracking your back and neck was one way of easing pain; but sometimes the cause of it. But it wasn't that which he had gazed at her for.  It was the mild threat she had made that had caught his attention. "Stafford and Howard will no doubt hold their swords should they see us, Ava. And they will draw them. Do not draw your blade though unless there is an immediate threat to your life"
"At which point do we say that the House of York must fall? I will speak of this once, and only once. They had plans to force King Henry to abdicate the throne in favour of their King Edward. Be it through slaying our King, or by giving him no choice but to give up the throne. I have no intention of letting our King Henry fall to these York folk. Not if I have anything to do with it. Henry of Lancaster will remain as the rightful King of England. And the throne will be his for many years to come" Ava raised her head slightly as she spoke, keeping her head high as she spoke of King Henry.  Plantagenet nodded at her words, not wanting to try and shoot her down for what she was saying. In fact, he liked the attitude she carried with her. It was confident, had a certain air of power to it; yet still, there was a hint of innocence. Neville meanwhile, drew his horse near to hers. "The House of York. Will not get the throne. If they do. We. All of us. Will be hung. We will die stripped of our titles, and our King will either be slain, or left to rot in the dungeons of Warwick Castle. Whilst we live in the castle now. All of that can change if the throne changes hands. Those Yorkshire bastards will not get their hands on you. Nor will they get their hands on King Henry. They will treat you both the same. You may receive harsher treatment as you will be tried as a traitor. But they will not get that chance. Keep feeding this information to us. It will keep you, and us. Safe" He had to tell her now that the information she had was the backbone of a lot of things right now. She had an insight into the House of York that no one else had. Once he had finished speaking, Neville noticed Ava's expression grow into one of pure hatred. Her eyes held the fire he had once seen in his brother all those years ago before he was slain by a Yorkist soldier. He blamed the anger. Clouding the mans judgement. Only then did he snap to his own senses, and look to Ava. His gaze softening, but his words still ringing truthfully and clearly. "Ava. I want you to calm down. Do not let your anger control you right now. Do not become a victim of your own temper" His words were spoken softly, yet Ava would know he was being serious.
When he noticed her relax a little more, he gave a gentle sigh. At this point, they had been riding for a further 6 hours none stop through the heat of the day. It would take a further 5 days and nights of riding to reach their destination. There was no other way to get there other than by boat. But even then, it would still require them to ride for another half day to reach Preston from where they would begin their mission properly. Neville debated whether now would be a good time to set up camp for the night. He glanced to the soldiers behind him. Their horses with their heads low and bobbing gently with the movement. Some soldiers remained perky and looked ready to go on for much longer. But others looked tired, and ready to fall from their mount at any second. At this point, they had just passed a small city, Neville didn't care to remember the name of the place. All he knew was that the people there had been kind and generous enough to fill the satchels of several soldiers with food and drink for the army. It wasn't a lot, but it would get them through until the next town, city or village.
After a further several miles, Neville pulled up his horse near a large field. The field covered in lush green grass for the horses, and plenty of shade for the soldiers to rest and set up tents for the night. It wasn't wise to ride through the night, really. Though they would have to at some point. Maybe the next night they would push on through the darkness, but tonight they would rest and allow their horses to eat and rest themselves. "Gentlemen! We will make camp here for the night. Some of you look dead in the saddle! Rest, men. We leave at sunrise!" His words were welcomed rather quickly, as the men dismounted and led their horses into the field. Tying them nearby where they would pitch tents. Once the last soldier had entered the field, Plantagenet, Neville and Ava entered themselves. The two knights jumping from the saddle with ease, whilst Ava had a slightly less graceful dismount. Her stallion trying to walk away as she was getting out of the saddle, dropping her onto the grass as he now munched on the plant.
Ava stared at her stallion, her eyebrows raised in mild shock. "I've had similar dismounts" chuckled Neville softly as he helped her to her feet. "He was more interested in food than allowing me to dismount. Though there are far more things that I am interested in to care about such a dismount" chuckled Ava in return. Hinting ever so slightly that she was far more interested in Neville than her dismount. And the knight surprisingly understood, offering a chuckle and a smirk. "Now, now. Ava. We have an army to command" He laughed softly at her reaction of pouting, watching her turn away in a teasing manner. He couldn't help but smile at her now. Even through all that had been said and done, she still held a sense of humour. "Come, we need to pitch a tent for the night; then we must sleep. We ride early in the morning"
With that, the pair set about pitching a tent for themselves. Plantagenet had opted for a tent of his own with a chuckle, not wanting to share with Neville and Ava. As the night drew in, Neville and Ava turned in to their tent. They knew they had to sleep with their swords tonight. It wasn't wise to sleep unarmed. Even if they were both skilled fighters. As Ava cralwed onto the thin fabrics set out for sleep, she sighed softly. Gazing up at the top of the tent. "We are riding North, Neville. Not South. It seems the King's messenger made a mistake. The House of York, if I am correct, will be forming an army in Preston. We left Warwick Castle, and we are headed for Preston itself. If the House of York plans to attack the Prince of Wales. Preston would be the best place to form their army. Then they will ride to Southport before taking a ship into Wales. We need to reach them before they have a chance at moving to the docks"
Neville listened to every word as he lay beside her. "We should have let you plan this march" he chuckled softly, turning on his side to face her. "But I agree. We will ride for as long as the horses and men are able tomorrow. And we will make it known that we must arrive quickly. But for now. Rest. We need the sleep if we are to beat the House of York at whatever it is they are planning" With a slight nod, Ava rested her head down on the thin fabrics. Sir Neville hugged her close, closing his eyes to try and drift into sleep. Ava merely buried her head against his chest. Far happier in his arms than she would have ever been in anyone elses.

[Authors Note: An early update! Because Peaky Blinders is on in 2 hours, and I need to get this sorted. So here's an early update! More tonight if I can!]