- 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑟𝑒𝑖𝑔𝑛 -
It's the year 1464 and Eleanor Woodville lives at Grafton Manor as one of the younger daughters of Jacquetta and Sir Richard Woodville. At 11 years old, her worries are little and her joys great but her o...
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~To Return a Traitor~
July 1470....
Eleanor tilted her head from side to side as she watched, from a window, John walk to his horse in the courtyard but there was no usual spring in his gait nor the usual nod he gave the page handling the reins.
Instead his steps were heavy, his posture stooped as if he now held the weight of the entire world on his shoulders and he simply took his reins and mounted his steed. The Duchess stared after him as he left the palace, until he disappeared from sight and questions began to run through her mind.
"What is wrong with John?" She asked, turning away from the window and to the Queen. Elizabeth merely arched an eyebrow from where she stood behind her sister and folded her arms. "I do not know why you ask after him" she remarked rather cooly, her expression blank "he is a Neville, a traitor"
"He is not a traitor!" Eleanor protested, frowning and leaning back against the wall of the corridor "he has always been true to York and always will be! If he were not why would Edward let him hold the title, Earl of Northumberland?"
"Why does Edward let Warwick still hold the title Earl of Warwick?" Elizabeth countered "but still, your friend John must have done something to displease the King for the earldom has been taken from him and given back to the Percys! He is now the Marquess of Montague!"
"But that is an elevation is it not?" Eleanor asked, picking up her skirts as her sister began to walk, rather quickly, away "and why give the title back to the Percys? They are Lancastrians! They would never be loyal to Edward?"
Elizabeth suddenly stopped, a malicious smile curving the corners of her lips. The same one she always used whenever an enemy was about to be eradicated from her path. "An elevation...." she said slowly "in rank....yes... but the title Marquess of Montague holds hardly any income and does not come with many manors or estates at all"
"You have made him and his family destitute?!" The Duchess's cried in disbelief but her sister merely shrugged and shook her head.
"Not destitute" she replied "but they are certainly not as rich nor as powerful as they were! So you see, that is one Neville brother out of the way!" She began to walk away again, her steps clearly displaying satisfaction as she puffed out her chest as little and pushed back her shoulders, leaving her little sister to catch up.
"Do you not realise that you have just given him an incentive to move against us?" Eleanor whispered, still not believing her ears. Her mid turned to John....the six young children he had.... how was he going to manage?
