- 𝐸𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒, 𝐸𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙 -
It's the year 1485 and King Richard III has been slain at the battle of Bosworth along with his beloved wife and Queen, Marian of Lancaster. Their eldest daughter, Lisbet, is given little time to...
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October 1485, Westminster, Lisbet is 11...
Lisbet's eleventh birthday went virtually unnoticed by all around, including herself. They had been so caught up in the aftermath of the battle, in creating different plots and venting their hatred for the Tudor that it was only late at night when Lizzie had bent down to kiss her goodnight and whispered 'happy birthday' to Lisbet that the girl realised it was her birthday at all!
After that she had tossed and turned all night, wondering what on earth the world was coming to...remembering her previous birthdays and how happy they had been, skipping through the halls of Middleham castle, dancing and feasting until late in the night with her siblings, her parents and friends...remembering the last night she had seen her mother, how she had blown her a kiss and then watched her ride away into the night...not knowing that she wouldn't be coming back again...
Despite her efforts, she could not banish the memories from her mind and found herself sobbing silently on her pallet bed. That night it was not Mary who went to her, it was she who went to Mary, gathering her sleeping sister into her arms and cradling her while she wept.
Now Lisbet's birthday was long gone and she stared out of the bedchamber window, watching as the Tudor court swept out of the palace in their finest gowns and doublets to attend the usurper's coronation.
"I think I shall go mad" she remarked, looking across at Lizzie who was watching the courtyard with her "I'm tired of being cooped up in here!" "As am I" Lizzie replied "As we all are! I have asked Tudor to move us all from these rooms into more comfortable ones and let us play in the gardens as we did at first...but he has refused"
"He fears we may scheme against him if we are allowed any freedom at all?" Lizzie nodded "well then he is wrong" Lisbet continued "we shall scheme and plot even if we have not an ounce of freedom! He shall not beat us! We are Yorks!"
Cecily climbed up behind them, peering over their shoulders and letting out an irritated huff. "I still think we should have been invited to the coronation! I know we do not support him but we could have at least stirred up some cheers for York! That would have taken Tudor down a peg or two!"
Both Lizzie and Lisbet laughed "Indeed it would have!" The youngest agreed "but he knows we hate him and so is only having the Turncoats there. Look there's Aunt Eliza!" She pointed to a tall, nervous looking redhead in purple and the other's gaze followed.
The woman was being led to a horse by her husband and then helped up, stopping when she saw she would have to ride astride. Cecily scoffed.
"Marian taught me to ride astride when we were at Middleham...tis not so bad...I can't see why Aunt Eliza is making such a fuss, although I suppose I did at first" "My mother taught you?" Lisbet asked, tearing her gaze away from the window and glancing behind her. Cecily nodded; a sad smile on her face. "Yes...yes she did...during one of our moorland rides...God I miss those..." she jumped down from her perch, going to join her mother, sisters and her other cousins.
