- 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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May, 1486...
Excited by the hustle and bustle of the servants and courtiers alike, Lisbet and Meg watched the courtyard from the balcony, eyes darting back and forth between faces.
"They look as if they are preparing for war" Lisbet remarked and truly she was right for all the men were dressed in full armour that reflected the bright rays of the warm sun, swords by their sides. Meg laughed uneasily, twirling a bright flower around in her hand. "Indeed it does" she replied.
"What is it?" Her sister asked, noticing her distant tone. The two linked arms and walked inside, settling in a secluded alcove to talk, their voices quiet.
"Well..." Meg began "something just does not feel right about this royal progress...Lizzie was set to go until last week and then Lady Margaret forbid it in case the child could somehow be harmed, which I suppose I can understand, but she has chosen Aunt Elizabeth to go in Lizzie's place!"
"And why should she not?" Lisbet asked, raising an eyebrow "Do you not find it in the least suspicious that she has been chosen? Lady Margaret knows that Elizabeth will do anything to see our house restored to its rightful place! This progress would be perfect for her to stir up a rebellion!" "Well I suppose she has already done that if we assume the letter she sent got to Uncle Francis safely!"
Meg leaned back against the wall and sighed, glancing out of the window. "It just feels wrong, Lisbet...I can't quite put my finger on it..." "Personally I don't think you should worry!" Her sister responded "we have a full eight weeks to do whatever we please!" She reached out and took Meg's hand "a whole two months without Lady Margaret and Tudor watching us like eagle eyed hawks!"
"Lady Elizabeth!" Lisbet looked up to see Margaret Beaufort standing at the end of the corridor, Elizabeth and her youngest daughters (Anne, Catherine and Bridget) close behind her. "Speak of the devil" she whispered and Meg grinned "I'd better go and see what the pious old bat wants!"
Standing, she walked over to Lady Margaret and smiled at her, taking the older woman by surprise. "Lady Margaret!" Lisbet greeted "you called" "My Lady the King's mother" Margaret corrected "Indeed" was the reply and Lisbet went to stand next to Elizabeth and her daughters "Aunt, my dears"
The small group walked along the hall and on the way they were joined by a small, dark eyed man by the name of Bishop Morton. Lisbet hated the sight of him. From 1483 he had claimed to be loyal to her father and mother but he had turned to Tudor quicker than the blink of an eye once news of Bosworth reached him. Loyalty was not something he possessed but it was something he frequently claimed to have, floating around the palace in his purple damask robes and spying for Lady Margaret.
As they reached a set of winding stone stairs, Lisbet and Elizabeth exchanged surprised looks. Why were they being escorted to one of the towers? Entering a cold bedchamber, Lisbet sprang back against the wall as her little cousins were suddenly grabbed and searched by servants who had been standing by. "Lady mother!" They whimpered "Lisbet! Make them stop!"
