The Bloody Crown

Chapter 2

Lady Isabella's POV

He wants to give me what?

"Father you must be mistaken, I cannot rule" I started to stutter before he raised his hand telling me to stop talking. "Yes you can and you will" he sounded so self-assured and so confident. 

"But father what of Edward and Anne, will they accept this?" My thoughts rushed to my siblings who would probably do a much better job then me. Edward was trained since birth to do this and anyone would fall in love with Anne but what chance did I have? "Edward will co-rule with you and you will rule the kingdom together after I die and Anne will be shipped off to France to marry the Dauphin, so when he ascends to the throne of France Anne will be Queen of France"

My father had it all planned out. "But why father why make me Queen?".

"I know of the rumours that your grandfather, the Duke of York wants you legitimised whereas the Earl of Warwick, my brother in law wants Edward to be king. Either way it stops a civil war and it keeps the peace within the kingdom. For now." I was overwhelmed, I can't be Queen. "Seriously you cannot think that there will be civil war, my grandfather and Warwick wouldn't do that to the kingdom."

My father just dismissed my concern "but they can child, because they did." I raked through my memory of my old history lessons but I couldn't remember a civil war "father what are you saying, the priests never told Edward, Anne and I about any war between York and Warwick, several arguments yes but never a war."

"That's because I ordered them not to, a term of the compromise was that the matter would never be spoken about again if I didn't execute them both." He handed me a scroll to read that I slowly opened. "This was the terms of the agreement" I said with almost a hint of wonder in my voice. I saw all the terms, one was the immediate cessation of all hostilities between the York and Neville forces. Another was about the terms of my status in the kingdom saying that I would be disqualified from the line of succession but I had to live in the palace and receive the same rights and treatment that Edward and Anne would until my father died.

"So it wasn't your decision to kick me out of the succession?" My father shook his head

"No it wasn't. There was a reason why it was called The Compromise because it was a mixture of everyone's demands, Warwick wanted York and your mother executed, you to be sent away and any children by Matilda to be the undisputed heirs. Whereas your grandfather wanted me to annul my marriage to Matilda and bastardise Edward and Anne. He also wanted me to publicly acknowledge that I married your mother before Matilda and you were the heir to the throne despite any sons that could have been born in the future. The kingdom was tearing itself apart Isabella, i couldn't agree with one party entirely so we needed to find a good way for everyone to get at least something out it, the Neville's got the influence they wanted and your mother escaped with her life."

I struggled to process what my father was telling me "wait so you WERE married to my mother"

"Is it really important if I did, either way someone would have complained as I was betrothed to Matilda and the Neville's would have taken it as a slight against their honour if I didn't go through with the marriage." My father intentionally didn't answer my question and for good reason, I agreed with him no matter what he did there would have been conflict.

"So father, how do you expect Edward and I to co-rule after you die, what if we have children and we die, what then?"

"That is something that unfortunately I can not control, but my children you're so much smarter then you think. I have faith that you can figure it out however it's time for you to leave me for a bit, Matilda will be getting suspicious and I don't want her to know."