“I do not do this for you, but for the House of York,” he told the king while watching the fighting with his garrison before they rode out onto the field. “As my fathers did before me, I will fight to keep it alive.”
Richard smiled genuinely for the first time in days. “You never failed Edward. You will never fail me.”
“Never,” Nicholas said, concealing his disgust. “For York!”
“For York!” Richard shouted and flicked his reins. Nicholas and Charlie flicked theirs as well. But the rest of the men held back. The king didn’t notice when they entered the fray.
The smell of blood enticed Nicholas’ senses and, for an instant, he wanted to fight the Reds and kill them all.
He saw a rider approaching. He wore gold armor including a helmet with its visor down. A yellow scarf waved like a pennant from his spear. Lizzie’s. It was Henry Tudor.
Nicholas turned his horse to the king. “You no longer have my support, Richard. I will not kill you, but I will not fight for you anymore. Fight to keep yourself alive.” He dismissed Charlie and his first in command retreated with the slightest of smiles.
“What?” Richard shouted, wide-eyed. “No! You betray me? You betray your fathers! I will live and find your wife, and see that every man who wants a turn—”
A thump resounded through the clash of swords around Nicholas. He stopped and turned to see Henry’s spear sticking out of Richard’s chest, the yellow scarf now red with the king’s blood.
He looked at the new king as sunlight splashed over his golden armor. Mayhap there would be peace.
*
Kes waited in the town hall where Henry Tudor sat the night before after going over the latest plans for the war.
Kes was a bit star-struck by him. This guy started the Tudor Dynasty, which included Henry VIII, Mary Tudor, also known as “Bloody Mary”, Queen Elizabeth I aka The Virgin Queen. Huge historical figures. She’d been happy to know, once she’d met him, that he was a nice enough guy, as far as kings went. He’d listened to her and Elia and when they’d told him what they knew, that Nicholas would not lift his sword on the battlefield unless it was to save his own life, he remarked how fortunate Nicholas was to have such beautiful confidants, Kes especially being odd in appearance with her hair worn loose around her shoulders and her eyes like oceans waiting to be explored. He’d spent an hour with them and appeared quite happy when Elizabeth had joined them. They seemed quite taken with each other and Kes had to pinch herself twice to believe she was watching history unfold.
He’d gone off to battle this morning vowing not to harm Nicholas. Kes prayed that her husband stayed his course.
Her husband. She’d never thought she’d have one. Never thought she wanted one. But here she was trying to save him from fighting against the wrong man.
She didn’t rest but paced the floor in the town hall like a pendulum, lulling her friends to sleep.
When she heard the sound of clinking armor and mail outside the window, she knew men had returned. But whose men were they?
“We return victorious!” Henry shouted from outside.
Kes hurried to the window. When she looked out, she saw Nicholas strung to four ropes tied to his four limbs.
“King Richard is dead!”
“Long live King Henry!” the crowd shouted back.
She hurried to the king’s table and told him who the man was. Henry recognized him and ordered that Nicholas be untied immediately.
His orders were carried out and Kes ran to him and leaped into his arms, home again.
“Did you do it? Did you ride away from him?” she asked, needing to know. She didn’t want angry, time traveling knights after her and Nicholas.
“Aye. I did it. He was making threats when Henry’s lance went through him.”
“And did Henry see you walk away?”
“He did.”
“And he hated it.”
They both spun around at the sound of Henry’s voice with his soft French tones. “I do not enjoy watching such a difficult decision being made and carried out. You stepped away from your king. Why?”
It was a fair question. Why would another king trust him?
“He did not value life,” Nicholas told them “He did what he wanted and took the counsel of fools.”
While he spoke, Henry nodded. “How will we mend the holes this place now represents?
“Show the people that you care for them, even the lowest born,” Nicholas told him. “They have had an untrustworthy king for almost two years. Give them something new. Earn their loyalty.”
They all had dinner together and Nicholas was surprised and grateful that Henry seemed to like him. He figured he had Lizzie to thank. “I told him everything about you,” she said at dinner, sitting close to him, “and how much my father and my family loved you.”
He pulled her in under one arm and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you, Lizzie. I am in your debt.”
“Nonsense, Brother. I just want you to be happy.”
“And I want the same for you.”
“I am. Henry is very kind and attentive. I’m happy to say that he has won my heart.”
He looked at her and quirked his mouth. “Who would have ever thought our hearts could be won?”
They smiled at each other and then laughed.
“We must come to Scarborough as Richard did and live with you and Kes for a month or two.”
“We would enjoy that.” He smiled and she squeezed his arm and gave his shoulder a quick kiss.
He looked at Kestrel sitting on the other side of him, speaking to Charlie. He smiled and she caught a glimpse of it. She stopped talking and turned to him. She looked as breathless at the sight of him as he was of her.
“Let’s leave here soon,” she purred, moving closer to him. “I want to be alone with you.”
He lifted his hand. “Sire?”
Henry Tudor looked his way.
