Kingmaker

Silence of York #1

King Edward had sat in silence as Sir Henry Stafford and Sir John Howard bickered between themselves over the failure at Tewkesbury. It had been days, yet they still argued. Blaming one another. But after over half an hour of the immature bickering, King Edward slammed his fist down on the table. "Gentlemen! Stop this incessant bickering! Both of you are at fault for the loss at Tewkesbury. You were beaten by a soldier that defected from US! Heaven knows what she's told them! All of our plans could be spoken of whilst she is alive. She was laid out right infront of you Stafford. You did nothing but punch and kick her. For what? Do you want her alive?" Stafford had directed his gaze down as King Edward had spoken. "Do you want her alive!" roared King Edward, slamming his fist on the table once more. "Wouldn't you?! She's a traitor that needs to be punished! Death is too quick" snapped Stafford, directing his gaze to the King. Not caring to keep the fire from his eyes. "It's always about torturing her with you, isn't it Sir Henry?" started King Edward once more. Maybe he was trying to push Stafford; just to see how far the man would go. His temper had definitely gotten worse in the past year. "Then what do you propose we do with a traitor? Leave them to run free and continue to speak of us? Kill them outright? Or have them tortured for information from the 'other side'?" retorted Stafford, leaning back in his seat. Sir John Howard had snorted at Stafford's words, "You think she'll speak of Lancaster as she has of York? You're out of your mind, Stafford"
Hearing that, Stafford had once again glared at Howard. Only to be silenced once more as the man continued to speak. "She's married to Sir Richard Neville, Stafford. One of Lancaster's knights, and the 'Kingmaker'. She was knighted by King Henry, and swore an oath to him and Lancaster. She won't speak of them. Not if she values her life" "She clearly doesn't value it if she speaks of us!" snarled Stafford the second Howard had stopped speaking.
King Edward pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, listening to the bickering once again. "It's always about Ava with you, isn't it Sir Henry? We are aware that she is a traitor. And she will get what's coming to her in time. For now. Leave the girl in peace. She's 19 years old, Sir Henry. 19, and she's already led armies into battle. She's already killed hundreds, if not thousands of our men. Don't you think she deserves just a little peace? From what I have heard, she's not had a moments peace for quite a few years now. Leave her be. We are in no position to attack again anyway. Not for a while. It will take us months, maybe a year; two at the most to rebuild our army and get it back to strength. We may even need to train our men if and when we find them. Leave them alone, Sir Henry. Let them fall into a sense of false security. Think about it. 2 years of silence from us will have them tiring out their scouts to see what we're doing. It'll all work out for us in the end, Sir Henry. Which brings me to King Henry's coronation in a few weeks time. You are not to engage ANY Lancastrian forces in a fight of any sorts other than jousting. And you are not to make any advances on Ava Neville. I've seen her men, and how she fights. There's no doubt she can defend herself. Don't be stupid enough to think that you can get near her without being noticed by Sir Richard, Sir George or even her own soldiers. You are to focus on your jousting. And nothing more. Have I made myself clear?"
Sir Henry Stafford merely snorted, kicking his legs up on the table as he leaned back. Sir John Howard had sighed, looking to King Edward. "Are you sure we are to leave them in peace for such a long time? They too will surely regrow their army" King Edward merely chuckled softly. "John, my friend. There is method to all of this. And yes, I am sure. But think of it like this. They think they've beaten us. After a few months of silence, Ava and Sir Richard may try again for a child. If they are successful, at the 2 year mark. Their child will be walking, and forming words. Ava will be preoccupied with the child, and won't be able to lead her army. Thus weakening the Lancastrian forces. I heard Ava's army works differently than that of Sir Richard and Sir George. They won't go under anothers leadership. So. We leave them be. Remain in silence and in the shadows. We keep no more than 200 men in plain sight of any scouts sent by Lancaster. They will think we weren't able to regrow our army. It's all quite simple, my friend"
"And what if Ava brings that child to the battlefield?" snorted Stafford from the side. "You think she would?" replied King Edward, looking to the knight. "She's not going to risk her child's life for the sake of a battle. If she does, then I will be quite shocked. More so if the child survives" "You speak as though she is already pregnant, King Edward" commented Howard, looking to the King. "For all we know, she could be" muttered Stafford, finally calming down. His temper had gotten so much worse recently. His own army had begun to question whether he was even sane. He snapped so much, and often became angry over nothing.
King Edward shook his head slightly at the knight. "If she is, then she is. Nothing you, nor I can do about that. Did you really expect them not to try for a family? I hear that in the time their son was alive, Ava was the perfect mother to him. And Sir Richard was the perfect father" "They couldn't have been that perfect if their child died" muttered Stafford again, putting his words where they weren't wanted. King Edward looked to the knight now. "Killing a child is low, Sir Henry. Even if we are enemies. And I was speaking of before that day. What's gotten into you lately?"
"A traitor still lives. That's what" hissed Stafford once more before standing and leaving the room. He didn't like that they would be sitting in silence for over a year now. But he also wasn't going to be going against the word of King Edward.

[Authors Note: Purposely doing the silence thing. But it'll be a time skip, so don't worry! There won't be parts of zero conflict spanning over two years]