𝐸𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒 || 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝑊𝐻𝐼𝑇𝐸 𝑄𝑈𝐸𝐸𝑁

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑋𝐿𝐼𝐼

~Murder~

Her hands clasped together as if in prayer, Eleanor stared out of the window of her bedchamber, her eyes wandering aimlessly into the darkness of the night. She had been stood there for around half an hour now, and though her heart had long since calmed its incessant beating her mind still raced, unable to process the grisly images put there by murder's hand.

She tore her gaze away from the glass panes as she heard the door open and close behind her. Turning to face her husband, she found tears in her eyes that were reflected in Richard's.

"You murdered him" she murmured, though her voice was barely audible, sounded almost strangled as she tried to gather her thoughts and words together "you and....and Edward....I saw you"

"You did?" He whispered, his hopes of concealment dashed in a moment, though he tried to go to her all the same.

"No!" She ordered, holding out a hand to prevent him from coming any closer "no...." her voice wavered slightly as they looked at each other, all the warmth that had encased them earlier vanishing into an cold confrontation. It was suddenly as if they had been hurled back to the early months of their marriage, their grief plan, overshadowed by a brewing anger.

"I had no choice" Richard began in earnest, his tone almost pleading, though it fell on deaf ears.
"No choice?" Eleanor cried, shaking her head as she swept past him to the fireplace "I watched as you helped murder an old man while he slept! Held him down as he struggled for breath and you have the nerve to tell me that you had no choice?!"

"Edward ordered...."
"Just because Edward ordered it does not mean you have to do it! Really! Sometimes one would think you do not have your own free will when it comes to your beloved brother Edward!"

"I could say the same for you when it comes to Elizabeth!" Richard retorted, a stored up resentment in his voice as he spoke of the Queen, stepping towards his wife once again. "There is hardly a command of hers that I have seen you disobey! What about John! What great protest did you utter when your sister tore him down from his position?"

Eleanor whirled around, rage filling her eyes.
"I tried to save John!" She yelled "I crossed a battlefield for him Richard! And what did you do? Sit in your tent as Edward most likely told you to do! And besides, I did not murder John! You murdered Henry in cold blood!"

"Just as he murdered my father! And my brother? What say you to that?!" Richard cried, stepping forward again so that they were face to face, staring angrily into one another's eyes.

"That it was Margaret of Anjou!" She replied, trying to even out her voice as her fists clenched at her sides "not that witless old man that you just put to death! Without trial, without charge and without warning! His only crime was living!"
Richard looked away, sighing as he shook his head.