Leicester, 2015
It was October and unseasonably warm. The tea in the paper cup refused to cool, and every small sip scalded my tongue.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXH3sQdk0Bq
The Cathedral was dark; the doors locked. I was early.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cmhvxQ9Hr
I settled myself on a nearby bench and pulled out my notes. Scrawled across the pages were various names and dates, but none of them seemed to make much sense.
After some time, the bishop arrived with a set of keys. He nodded to me in brief acknowledgement.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1PSiocCiv
“I was surprised when I received your email. Not many want to be here so early.” He said with a kind smile.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6muqMe5AE
“I want to miss the crowds.” I said with a shrug. He nodded, and opened the heavy wooden door. A flick of a switch bid the overhead lights come to life, and picking up a matchbox he set about lighting the candles.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcYVEHBtdJ
“Do you need me to show you where it is?” He asked. I shook my head.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cGKbQMs6v
“I know where he is.” I replied. He smiled, and turned left where I turned right.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5IkSmePHh
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cgxm82HMC
I had never seen it so peaceful. On my previous visits to the tomb, I had always been struck by the peace, even surrounded by a handful of tourists only there to snap a picture and leave, taking nothing away except souvenirs. But in the early hours of the morning, with the sun only just rising and rays of soft light already beginning to fill the open space, it was even more serene.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1UcdIFfoZ
Gently, I laid a hand on the stone.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnerUtaQ1px
“May I ask what your research entails?”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkU130bjQvi
The bishop's voice broke through the silence. I looked up in surprise, and beheld him standing in the doorway holding a lit candle.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLRrL4atPw
“The life of Richard III.” I said simply. He smiled.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGYKaK5M8p
“But that’s not all, is it?” He asked, walking through the arched entryway and circling the stone that lay in the middle.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYYIyEj8MV
“The Princes, too.” I said softly. He raised an eyebrow.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXmeH7wEtG
“Controversial.” He replied. “It is a shame we shall never know who killed those boys.” His gaze shifted to the resting place of the medieval king.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5WGGt2Uk6
“It wasn’t Richard.” I said fiercely. The bishop merely smiled. It was a strange smile; not quite as friendly as before, but not exactly menacing either.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvXnz9wTY5
“If only there was a way to know for sure.” He said with a strange intensity. He cocked his head at an angle and looked both at myself and the tomb that separated us.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYj27WGktD
“If only.” I said gently. The bishop smiled again, and then retreated back to lighting his candles. With one last, lingering glance at the name and motto engraved on the stone, I bid farewell to the King and left the cathedral swiftly, never pausing to say my goodbyes to the bishop.
October 1470
“Brother, this cannot be your sole plan!” Richard said angrily. Edward shrugged.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUpkYQPdpL
“King Henry is back on the throne in England. We must wait. That is my sole plan.” Edward said lightly. His brother’s anger did not faze him. But then, nothing ever did.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXAitN5M7E
Richard was furious. Here he was, living in exile in Burgundy when he should be in England fighting for his brother’s crown and here was Edward, the brother whose head the crown belonged to, sitting by the fire with a glass of wine informing him that their only plan was one of waiting.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAo4ePWlfY
“You’ve always been too passionate Dickon. Why march into battle now when we have few troops and almost no money? Invading England shan’t be cheap, lad.” Edward said, settling into his chair. “We shall just have to hope that our sister’s husband takes alliances seriously and decides to give us his aid.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6Vko9kFUi
Richard raised an eyebrow. Edward sighed heavily.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcuBOJMQXA
“Don’t look at me in such a way Dickon. Why don’t you go out? Get yourself a decent bottle of wine and finish the whole bloody thing. You deserve it.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZMlaHCUCQ
“With what coin, brother?” Richard asked bitterly. Edward rolled his eyes and reached for a leather purse sitting on the table. He pulled out three coins and tossed them to his brother.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUseZATMHnq
“Our host shall provide your entertainment for the evening.” Edward said simply. Edward, unlike his brother, had no qualms asking for loans from the man who had so generously offered them bed and board. Richard did not enjoy taking the money, but took it nonetheless.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8uqy4DAHh
“And Richard?” Edward asked as Richard placed a hand on the doorknob. “Take Anthony with you, would you?”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXXDla3rnT
Richard grimaced, but nodded. Edward smiled.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThMoyqG7uc
“Thank you, brother.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtkaRA7f3E
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOu083RHXue
❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrHmujrEVC
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMVTIBxLs4
I woke suddenly, with a sharp pain behind my eyes. It was cold, and the light was fading.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9R92DeUouH
Upon opening my eyes, I saw that I was inside and in bed. The room was panelled with wood and the bed had four posts and thin sheets. There was a fire in the hearth and thin panes of glass in the windows. It was not a place I had ever seen before, but something about it seemed familiar. It was almost identical to every bedroom I had ever seen on every TV historical drama. The rooms of the lower nobility on The Tudors, the rooms of the Woodville house on The White Queen…856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXiRAHnnmNy
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pdIXMiwjD
The door was pushed open by a small girl dressed in simple cloth.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUELIj7KrA
“Comment allez-vous?” She asked. I looked at her blankly, trying to remember desperately my GCSE French. The girl raised a finger and left quickly. She returned soon after with an older woman in tow. She was clearly a wealthy woman, wearing a dress of fine cloth and a necklace studded with gems around her neck. She spoke in French to the young girl, who shot me a comforting smile and then left the room. The older woman smiled.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGbCSY6syA
“English?” She said with a heavy French accent. I nodded. I had no idea how I had come to be in France, but all of the novels I had read were telling me that I was no longer in the twenty-first century.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCgocYNiWv
She came over to the bed, and looked inquisitively at my neck. I followed her gaze and saw her focus to be on the tiny white rose necklace I wore.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFVvZF7KxA
“York?” She asked. “You are for York?”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEP20W7Fcr
I nodded.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6xjlibKsg
“How am I here?” I asked. Then, rather hastily, I added: “Your grace?”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyQkhDzLoZ
“You were found by the roadside. My husband found you after visiting the King.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZXgNZDHe3
“The King?” I asked tentatively.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6xJylHSSb
“King Edward.” She said with a curious look in her eye.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDsvInTDnC
“Madame, I apologise, but what date is it?” I asked. If she noticed that my English was somewhat different to the one she had learnt, she did not let it show.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Sww8wus7P
“It is October.” She said simply, pouring me a cup of what looked like wine.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9UrbOmXIg
“And the year?” I asked.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rdp04xciH
“1470.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEI7qgoa6y
My head began to spin, the pain behind my eyes intensified.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkgGzg1ujK
"The bishop... the bloody bishop..." I began. The woman put a hand on my shoulder and guided me back to the pillows.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyahL2AGss4
“Sleep. When you awake I shall order a hot bath for you and a change of clothes.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpwsrZkce7
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrk9M92hoXL
❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃
“Richard, you do not have to stay here.” Anthony said. Richard looked into his wine and shrugged.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7l6HfDgjK
“Edward wants us to get along.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2YSync7Lu
Anthony laughed. He was already drunk.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuQMylESjf
“I have nothing against you Richard. You are my brother-in-law. I would defend you as I would defend Edward.” He said, slurring his words only a little. “It is you whom I fear dislikes me.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaB9hjLToZk
“I do not dislike you Anthony. I am merely looking out for my brother’s best interests.” Richard said, leaning back on the wooden bench in the tavern. The table before them wobbled on its unequal legs, and the bottle between them shook and almost fell over. Richard, with his fast reflexes, reached out and steadied the bottle.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZKPIfJJ2G
“You do not like my sister, despite Edward’s love for her.” Antony said almost soberly. Richard nodded.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnshN51xTfc
“It worries me that she has such control over Edward.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CNeFNi8v6
Anthony shook his head. He glanced over to the bar, where the barmaid looked at Anthony and shot him a sultry smile. Richard laughed.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2lIeNXJMq
“Go.” He said. “I shan’t keep you from your conquests.” He said with a grin.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu0UJRaqpke
Anthony laughed and rose from the table. He downed the rest of his wine in one, clapped Richard on the shoulder and then somewhat stumbled towards the barmaid. Richard laughed into his wine, and finished his own glass.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIbhMVoGy9
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBm4uwz8lC
❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNGRbLf10J
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UwvlkyfRw
I woke, and true to her word, the lady of the house had a bath waiting for me. It was a metal tub placed by the fire, and the water was still warm. A dress had been laid out on a chair, made of a cloth that was by no means cheap. Once I had gotten out of the water and put on the white underdress, a knock was heard at the door. The young girl from earlier tentatively stuck her head around it, and smiled. She came over immediately to help with the dress and tied the strings and laces at the back. She then pulled me down into the chair and began to brush out my hair. It was a strange sensation, being waited on.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCR84y8mpSG
After a while, the lady of the house entered once again.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37qXYfvcWP
“Ah, I see you are recovering!” She said with a smile. I smiled and offered her my thanks.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfKVbp9dSg
“Now that you are better I shall introduce myself. My name is Louise de Gruuthuse. My husband is Louis de Gruuthuse. He is offering aid to the King of England and once he saw the pendant around your neck, he was adamant that we house you here until you are ready to return back to England. Are you with the party of King Edward and his brother?” She asked. I shook my head.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45LJeQrbpH
“I do not know how I came to be here madame. I simply woke up here with a terrible headache, not knowing how it was that I arrived here.” I said and she smiled in pity.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgKlTSQmct
“I am sure it will come to you soon.” She said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Perhaps you should take some fresh air. Go for a walk, Kitty here will accompany you, although her English is not that good.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2HxqUnnkk
I smiled gratefully.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ntRMZH5S2
“Thank you, madame. I cannot thank you enough.” I said, and she waved my thanks away.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegtw1kfCUb
“It is nothing, cherie. Nothing.” She said kindly. I smiled and rose, bidding her farewell.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9j9lhPZRte
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOwujzE3bn
❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVJ9S42Z4C
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Vp7paiHkE
The streets of Flanders were bright and busy. Kitty attempted some conversation in English but after a brief conversation about the weather, she gave up trying and simply led me to her favourite shops.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwa7XNBZcr
“Drink?” She said. She pointed at a tavern and I nodded with a smile. She was pleased that I had understood her and she lead me inside. She spoke rapid French with the barmaid and giggled. The barmaid motioned to a table and brought over two glasses of wine. She sat on the bench opposite, waving at the owner of the tavern.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm22qA41MYH
“I have been working since the early hours of this morning. I deserve a break.” She said in English, with a thick French accent. She smiled and poured herself a drink.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8eVuvNFzI
The tavern itself was dimly lit and dull, despite it being the early afternoon. Candles burned in low stumps and the few windows the place had were small and edged with dust and wax. The tables were round and wooden, but chipped and scratched. There were booths with wooden panels on either side for those that wanted more privacy, but these were hardly more comfortable.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEfpfpso3nx
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4FvSOVozA
“You English have taken over the place.” The barmaid said, her eyes wandering over to a group of Englishmen at the bar. They looked like soldiers, young and tired. Overhearing their conversation, it was clear that they were already beginning to worry about when they would see their home shores again. I felt an affinity with them for that. We were in the same boat, these English soldiers and I. Both taken to a foreign land and with no way of knowing how or when they would return home.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWgsXfiP0o
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmFZhxbidp
“Your King Edward has managed to get lodgings for them based on promises and loans, but it shall not last long. They worry.” The barmaid explained. I nodded in understanding. For years, I had studied the Wars of the Roses. I knew the period inside and out. It didn’t take long for me to work out where I was in the timeline. The Readeption of Henry VI had just taken place; Edward and his brothers were in exile in Burgundy, and somehow I had ended up in Flanders alongside them.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRv8x3pzMcS
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedBpX5x0mZ
“Ah, here comes his brother-in-law!” She said, watching the doorway closely as Anthony Woodville entered. He shot her a knowing smile and headed to a table near the back. She smiled from under her eyelashes at him and he gave her a wink. Soon after Anthony had sat down, the door opened again.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUFrQh2cqg
The man who entered this time was no older than myself. 20 years old at the most, but most likely younger. His hands were gloved with leather, his doublet made of red velvet. He removed the gloves and revealed glittering rubies on his hands. He scanned the room and, seeing Anthony, he smiled in relief. Anthony rose and allowed the other man to sit down before retaking his own seat.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡieNhTwOn8O
I knew the man instantly. His likeness to twenty-first century facial reconstructions and his portraits struck me. All at once, I felt the weight of the situation come crashing down upon my shoulders. The very subject of my research was sitting only feet away from me, and the tragic ending to his story had probably never crossed his mind. The events that were to occur in the next fifteen years would change his entire world, and here he sat so simply, drinking his wine and conversing with his brother-in-law. He had no idea.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5y1xxU0G3
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkLyUug8ak
The thought pained me. It felt like ice through my heart. That he should be living and breathing here, right here, and yet never live to thirty-five years old was overwhelming. I barely had time to take a breath, though, before Anthony Woodville was walking towards us. The barmaid and Kitty spoke quickly in their native tongue, but when Anthony arrived, the barmaid flashed him a dazzling smile and turned her back on both Kitty and I. Anthony held a strand of her hair lightly and twirled it around his finger, but his gaze moved past her and settled on my neck. He looked at me curiously.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNbdNjL5pT
“That necklace, where came you by it?” He asked. My fingers moved automatically to it, and tugged on the silver chain.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OIvJlfGa0
“York, your grace.” I replied.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXU2U4FI65
“You are from York?”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4880C7yzMR
“Not far.” I said with a shrug. Anthony nodded slowly.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkaUqsCNiAe
“And how did you come to be here?”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8omXLuVeaN
I shrugged.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KlPRc6FAy
“Honestly, sire, I do not know. I woke up here with a headache and no memory of my journey.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcQP9DAjQN
Anthony’s eyebrows furrowed, but he soon shrugged it off.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRCzf67JYI
“Aye, well I hope it comes to you soon!” He said. “Ah!” He said suddenly. “I must introduce you ladies to my kinsman, the duke of Gloucester!” He extended an arm and directed our gaze to Richard, who, with a bottle of wine in tow, had joined his brother-in-law at our table. He had just turned eighteen. I knew his birthday and knew that he reached this milestone during the crossing from England to France. He was but a year younger than myself, and yet he carried himself as though he were years older. His hair was dark and had a slight wave; his eyes were a deep, honest blue. He sat down and filled up all of the glasses on the table from his own bottle.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEBv9QUjWW
“Please, call me Richard.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmhsstAlug
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkXEDupgZT
❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYa5qTenz3
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKVMDjvI9m
“You seem sad, my dear.” Richard said softly. He sat beside me, his glass once more full to the brim with wine. I shook my head.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDZc3OuJ7b
“I simply do not know how I shall get home.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOv9n5xFNTe
Richard leaned back against the bench.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtM9xt6aYq8
“I share your worry. I, too, know not when I shall return back to England.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJEvjDaWQS
I gave him a small smile, and he glanced down at his wine.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SBClLgN6x
“You shall be happy one day, Richard.” I said softly. He looked at me curiously but did not question my statement.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDot2qoDCJ4
“You seem wise.” He said simply. I laughed a little and shrugged.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjk3A4EpD0e
“Perhaps.” I replied. Richard smiled, and finished the last of his wine. He reached out and took the small white rose of my necklace between his fingers. He admired it for a moment before beginning to examine it in detail.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfwXZScVA3
“It is exquisite. The craftsmanship… I have never seen anything on parr with this. From York you say?” He asked. I nodded. It was a cheap, £20 thing from a small shop near York Minster, but to a medieval mind, I imagine the sterling silver and delicate detailing would seem marvellous.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8GqwS1vWd
“I frequented York much in my youth. It is one of my favourite cities in all of England.” He said and I smiled. I thought of young Richard, and his mother Cecily and his brothers and sisters. But then I thought of his father, and of his older brother Edmund and their heads on spikes adorning York’s Micklegate bar. Richard’s smile fell.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9gTwi9PiC
“You are remembering my father.” He stated. I did not reply, but allowed him to carry on. “His death is a black mark on my childhood. I hardly remember him. Or Edmund, for that matter.” He said sadly. I placed a hand comfortingly on top of his and he smiled sadly. Suddenly, he looked at one of his fine ruby rings.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xb6USgPPQ
“Take this.” He said, removing it from his finger. He placed it into my palm and closed my fingers around it. Protests rose to my lips but he shook his head. “Take it. Take it and barter it for passage to England. You should be able to return home, even though I cannot.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRxekRaDra
I shook my head, and attempted to give the ring back but he refused to take it. Finding it hard to disagree with him, I placed the ring on my finger, only for it to slip off. It was miles too big. He tied the ring to a piece of string and fastened it around my wrist.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpJHRLkSk4
And then, he gave me a purse full of coins.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGBfwwtYZP
“I want you to get on a ship and find your way home. The ring and the coins should buy you passage. There is no reason for England to deny entry to her shores to you. You do not deserve this exile.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmOAGrllH1
I looked at the future king and he smiled in earnest.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdU2OHo9wr
“Please.” He said softly. I nodded rather numbly, but agreed to do as he asked. It was, after all, perhaps my only chance of returning home.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIG2fSzqpG
“You are a remarkable man, Richard Plantagenet.” I said. He laughed and rose from the table as I stood. “Someday you will have the opportunity to prove your bravery, your loyalty and your chivalry.”856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQOifaEDgj
He took my hand and kissed the back of it once more.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvkXvPFPEU
“Farewell, my young Yorkist rose!” He said. I threw my arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a hug. He was momentarily shocked, but nevertheless returned the embrace.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvcs4zWA3dV
“Do me but one small favour, Richard.” I said, and he nodded.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXiQNaYrZP
“Anything. What is it?” He asked. I remained silent for a mere moment, knowing that what I was about to say could change the course of history.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrCV8NvnSF
“Don’t trust the Stanleys.” I whispered. His forehead creased in confusion, but I was gone ere he could question me further.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqGpEfxi2e
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuETeJ1U4UM
❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5EtIAlNiO
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4T5UL3sQd
I boarded a ship bound for England with few questions asked. The gold coins were enough for my safe passage, and the journey, though long and uncomfortable, went smoothly. The ship was a merchant vessel, mainly full of wine and cloth, but there were some other passengers who, like me, had their sights set on England.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡayRUq1Oihd
The ship docked in Dover, and whilst the men of the ship set about unloading their cargo, I set about finding myself a horse. A black mare took up two of my remaining five gold coins, and with no real sense of direction, I began heading in what I hoped would be North.
The roads were bitter, and the November chill had taken its hold firmly in the midlands of the country. When darkness fell, each night I would seek refuge in a nearby inn. They were cheap, and so I never expected much. The beds were simple, if a little stiff, and the covers, though threadbare, were enough to get through the night. Weeks passed, and soon I came upon Leicester.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBX62KJEeJj
The city gates were open when I arrived, for it was still morning.
“Sir, can you tell me where the Cathedral is?” I asked a passing stranger. He looked at me strangely, before pointing me in the direction of the building I sought.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdxio8qQIZ
“Your accent, it’s right peculiar.” He said. I laughed a little.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5B3YlvHDWw
“I spent a while in France.” I said simply. The man shrugged it off and continued on his own journey.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkqy0enidq
I found the cathedral easily. I had once been told that all medieval roads lead to a church, and here it rang true. It was smaller, and there was no spire adorning the top. The stone was different, but the windows were brighter and more colourful. The doorway was different and it was smaller to the one I had visited before, but as I walked inside, I saw the interior was almost the same.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxE8d41E9K
“You need help, child?” The bishop asked. He was a short, old man, but in his eyes he beheld a kindliness that the bishop I had met before did not seem to possess.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLesZI84sWZ
“I do.” I said, not knowing where to begin.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjZe8Clzg2
“You will find the aid you desire here.” He said lightly, before turning away. I wanted him to stop, I longed to ask him all the questions that brimmed on my tongue, but my conscience warned patience.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrefhvNskof
I remembered the way to Richard III’s tomb from the current cathedral, and considered that my best chance would be to go to the exact place where he would once be laid to rest.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3XuGOnveA
It was empty, of course, except from a few pews and candles, but a strange feeling overcame me. Only time, and not space, separated myself from the present, and that was a rather comforting thought.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnGAyHsePL
Before I knew what I was planning to do next, the cathedral went dark, as though all the candles had been snuffed at once.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxg3C7uzfY
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8aQToTAxn1
❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvZnqiFRcR
856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWloxKFq9Hy
I woke in my own bed, in my own home. I was no longer in Leicester, and I was certainly no longer in 1471. The date and time on my watch told me that I was away only a few hours, and the comforting noise of my TV and traffic outside told me that I was no longer in the middle ages.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKl3GH9fKcP
“Some dream.” I whispered to myself. My cat lay curled on the bottom of the bed, noticing that nothing was amiss. I shrugged, putting the ordeal down to some cheese I had eaten the night before.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvnZcirWMf
And then something caught my eye.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgcJPRtSmW
A tarnished ruby ring too big for my finger.
A/N - Okay, so this is miles and miles out of my comfort zone. As a general rule, I never write in first person, so that was a challenge for me. And secondly, I have never written anything remotely similar to a time-travel story, and this is all completely new to me but I thought I'd give it a shot, so if you think it's terrible... well, it probably is!856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ075EHxZlH6
Anyway! Louise de Gruuthuse is totally made up. Her 'husband' Louis is not, but I could find no record of a wife or marriage for him so I improvised.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErnM5UVmX2
Also, the 'don't trust the Stanley's' line is an allusion to the fact that it was the Stanleys that betrayed Richard III at Bosworth. Had they not, it is more than likely that Henry Tudor would never have won the throne. There would have been no Henry VII, no Henry VIII, no Mary I, no Elizabeth I... etc etc.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWy0LmGU6SG
I would really appreciate feedback on this, since it's something so different to what I'm used to writing and any input would be greatly appreciated!856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICCbLpVP7B
Title from the poem Richard, by Carol Ann Duffy.856Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYM6K6K5Vs
