Crown of Blood | The White Princess

One True King

Two days later...

Staring anxiously out of her bedroom window, Lisbet clutched at the shutters in an attempt to stifle a sob while she watched Ned and Francis be lead into the courtyard, their hands tied behind their backs.

Both men held their heads high, but this did nothing to hide the plain despair on their faces and Lisbet found that she could not take it. Rushing to the door, she banged on the oak with her fists, pulling at the heavy handle with all her strength.
"Francis!" She yelled "Francis I'm here!"

"Lisbet!" The word sounded little more than a whisper but she was sure it was the Duke who had yelled it and slumped down beside the bed, clasping her hands together as she prayed for the safety of her husband and brother.

"Ah, perhaps you are not so godless after all!"
Lisbet's head jerked up to see Lady Margaret standing in the door way smirking. The Duchess merely scowled and rose from the floor, smoothing out the skirts of her gown to resist the urge to slap the other woman "come" Margaret continued "and greet your husband"

She stepped aside and Francis strode into the room, his eyes darting around in search of his wife.
"My love!" Lisbet cried and leapt into his arms, beginning to weep when he wrapped his arms around her and the door slammed shut, locking once more "Francis I've been so scared, so lost without you..."

"I know, little bird" he replied, gently sitting on the bed with her on his lap. He placed a hand to her stomach and gasped when he felt the bandages beneath her gown. She flinched "you are badly hurt? Did they do this to you?"
"No, it was from the battlefront and it hurts a little, but the pain is non existent with you here...now tell me, where is my brother? Where have they taken Ned?"
"To Bianca"

Lisbet let out a sigh of relief and rested her head at the base of Francis' neck, playing with the ties of his doublet.
"Do you know what they intend to do with us?" She asked quietly "The usurper told me that if I renounced my claim to the throne that we could keep our dukedom and stay at court...I refused"

"And you were right to do so" Francis agreed "I heard, in passing, that you and your brother are to be brought before the usurper and his wife today..." taking to playing with the sleeve of her gown, he grimaced "green, of course they make you wear green"
"What else?" The Duchess muttered "green is the Tudor colour...they wish to degrade us...me. But I won't let them...I swear I shall fight till I die"

༒༒༒

As Lisbet was once more lead through the halls of Westminster, she glanced at Ned who was walking proudly by her side.
"Stay strong sis" he had told her just moments ago. She had nodded fervently and squeezed his hand, but now, as the doors to the great hall approached, she felt the urge to run, wanting to be back in burgundy.

As the doors opened, she quickly brushed her quickly fashioned braid behind her shoulders and tried to look as confident as possible as one of the Tudor guards pushed her forward and all the eyes of the court turned to stare at the defeated York Prince and Princess.