𝐸𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒 || 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝑊𝐻𝐼𝑇𝐸 𝑄𝑈𝐸𝐸𝑁

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑋𝐿𝑉

~Children of the River's Song~

Glancing at her husband as he slept, taking comfort in the steady rise and fall of his chest, Eleanor slowly pulled back the covers of their bed and stepped out of their warmth.

She shivered slightly in the night air, searching in the dark for the bed robe that she had laid out just hours before. Pulling it around herself, she pulled out a pair of her shoes from under the bed and slipped them onto her feet, diligently tying the laces until she was sure she would be in no danger of tripping over them.

Tiptoeing over to the door, she opened it and sucked in a sharp breath, hoping that the ageing wood wouldn't give her away with a loud creak. When it did not, she found the courage to creep forth into the torchlit corridors and nodded to the guards that stood posted at a wall every so often.

She was sure none would follow her though found herself wary of their gaze all the same for she knew she was about to practice magic and feared they would be able to see her thoughts!

Softly padding down staircases and along hallways, Eleanor almost hid as a tall, cloaked figure came into view, standing almost ominously in a corner.

"Leena?" Jacquetta's calming voice called from the shadows and her daughter visibly relaxed, placing a hand to her chest as she advanced towards her mother. Taking the hand that was extended, Eleanor allowed herself to be pulled swiftly through the palace and into the gardens, barely registering the cold as the pair headed down to the edge of the river Thames.

Discarding her heavy woollen cloak to one side, Jacquetta placed her lantern onto the river bank and clasped her hands together, a look of seriousness on her face "You wish to protect your babe?" She asked sternly, all gentleness momentarily vanishing as her daughter nodded, placing a hand across where her child grew.

The Countess returned her nod in understanding, turning to the water as she raised her arms into the air, inhaling deeply before she glanced back at her daughter "To secure a life a life must be forfeit" she murmured "you do know that, do you not"

"I do" Eleanor replied steadily, adrenaline beginning to course through her veins as she joined her mother by the river "I do know that"
"Then let us proceed" Jacquetta said with a nod, raising her arms a little higher as the wind began to blow, the leaves rustling on the tree branches. "step into the water"

"The water?" Eleanor repeated, her eyes widening but her Mother did not reply, merely closed her eyes as if in deep thought and waited for her command to be obeyed. Removing her bed robe, the Duchess lay it beside her mother's cloak and tried not to shiver in the night air as she wrapped her arms around herself.