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Richard slipped silently through the dark panelled hallways, pausing only to avoid the floorboards that he knew would creak loudly. He was seeking his brother, George. He had been present at breakfast, but after exchanging curious looks with their cousin Warwick, he had been oddly quiet and had managed to slip away. Richard was overcome with curiosity and vowed to discover what it was his brother and his cousin had to say to each other in such secrecy.
It was nearing noon, and whilst most of the younger inhabitants of the castle were outside enjoying the sunshine, Richard was sneaking through the castle and listening at the cracks between doors. It took a while before he happened upon the right door.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYwFZ7aW7Y
He stood outside of Warwick’s study. A place he had only visited once or twice, the Earl’s study was a room which one was only summoned to for either the most glowing praise or the harshest chastisement. Richard knew not which one George was receiving.
He pressed his ear to the door, and was able to hear the voices inside.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Y0JnnIDJX
“I should have you marry Isabel.” Warwick said simply. “Isabel is likely to be my sole heir, unless her mother gives me a son, which I am beginning to doubt. You would inherit half of my lands, my money, my power.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOzsSvsB3G
“And the other half?” George asked. George was eighteen, and though young, already he had his mind set on power and wealth.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMAUaLljXu
“The other half would go to Anne. Or, rather, Anne’s husband.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbhCgQQz5p
“And who shall Anne marry?”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTbPK9bLtD
“She is merely thirteen George. I have not paid much thought to it. Although, I have considered your brother. Who is, incidentally, standing outside the door, I suspect.” He paused. “Why don’t you grace us with your presence, Richard?” Warwick called. Richard’s heart almost stopped.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUs3n65igj2
He pushed the mahogany door and entered the room cautiously, but found to his surprise, his cousin was not angry. He motioned to a chair opposite one that his brother habited.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrfuYVqChC
“Should you like to marry Anne, Richard?” Warwick asked lightly. Richard looked at his cousin curiously. George fixed his eyes on his brother.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJK9T1nNL7W
“Yes.” Richard said slowly. His tone implied a question. Warwick laughed.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScmoC2sl2K
“It is settled then. George shall marry Isabel and Richard shall marry Anne. Your brother shall be king of England but you two… you two shall inherit the North.”
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Winter, 1467666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5Qh5TJgf8
Richard was fifteen. Fifteen year old boys can know little of marriage, and yet Richard believed that should his marriage to the lady Anne go ahead, he should be quite content. George was happy with his share in the bargain, and Richard noticed the small smile he gave Isabel across the table at dinner and thought that George should grow to be quite content too.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUv3A9bHdF5
That was until Edward found out. He brought the entire wrath of the crown of England down upon his two brothers, summoning them to London as soon as he discovered their intentions.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltLjfkNU4m
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They stood before Edward like children stand before their mother to be scolded. Richard looked down at his feet, but George’s eyes burned and brimmed with contempt and his chin jutted out stubbornly. Edward ranted and raved, forbidding any matrimonial union with either of the Neville girls.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1URq7JeHVn
“Guards!” Edward called. “Arrest them. I want them placed under guard until they learn how to behave in such a way that befits the status of a King’s brother.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zGAEqrzHi
Richard’s jaw dropped. George began to stutter.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5vN61AdD7
“You can’t arrest us! I’m your brother Edward!” George seethed.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6aiWIpRZf
“I am the KING.” Edward roared. Richard had never seen his brother so angry. Quite why Edward was so angry, Richard could not at all guess. It did not seem to be too bad a proposal in Richard’s eyes, nor in George’s.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAefl0huugG
The pair were pulled away gently. Guards may have been sent to arrest them, but they remained the brother’s of the king. They were treated almost kindly. The guards did not bind their hands, merely placed a hand on their shoulders and led them to a ‘cell’. Cell didn’t quite describe their accommodations either. Despite there being a guard outside their door, the windows were not barred nor locked; it was more likely to be the office of the captain of the guard rather than a common prisoners cell.
“Why should Edward be so angry?” Richard asked his brother.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVqiPigDor
George, who had begun pacing in their shared accommodation, laughed bitterly.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPneLVwtFbg
“It is so he can marry the Neville girls to one of the Queen’s brothers no doubt. He should not want the pair of us to inherit the Warwick earldoms - god forbid!” He said scornfully. George was perhaps even more angry than Edward had been, but whilst Edward showed his rage by arresting his brothers and screaming at the top of his lungs, George was quietly angry. He would sit in the corner, plotting to get what he wanted and when the time came, Richard doubted Edward would be able to stop George's machinations. “It is not enough that he has given her family all the lands that should by rights belong to me!”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLgj6XiUxh
“I should have liked to marry the lady Anne.” Richard said somewhat quietly. George could not help but smile at his brother’s naivety.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItE3U1FxtJ
“You are too good, brother.” He said. He had stopped pacing and had placed a hand on Richard’s shoulder. “Too good.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpSorhZSVB
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“Warwick has sauntered off to France to join the Lancastrians - our very enemy! The bastard plans to dethrone me!” Edward said angrily. His wife Elizabeth placed a hand on his forearm.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvl4aI6qDI6
Richard rolled his eyes. If not for her, Warwick should never have rebelled against Edward. If not for her, George should not have joined him and left for France too.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQSIC7TAEh
“He is marrying his daughter to the Lancastrian prince.” Edward said with a raised eyebrow.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZy80MVBrQb
Richard felt his heart stiffen.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYknR5JsiXB
“Anne?” He asked sharply.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZH1kvtBQmi
“The lady Anne, yes.” Edward said, making a point of addressing the lady by her proper title. Only those that knew her closely could be permitted to call her Anne. Richard was not afforded such a privilege. “You speak as if you know her, Dickon.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbaYVXJCSh
“I have known her since I was a child.” He replied cooly. He recovered himself, and waved his hand. “It simply shocks me is all. I should not have thought Warwick to go so far.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsLEOXFgKU
Edward laughed.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUidbBGgBXX
“Warwick married George to Isabel, despite my having forbidden it rather expressly.” He pointed out. “I am less angered by Anne’s marriage than Isabel’s! How I shall wring George’s neck when he sees the light and returns home. I’ve half a mind to try them both for treason!” He said, roaring with laughter. Some aspect of his brother’s betrayal seemed to be amusing to Edward. Perhaps it was the wine.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAScrpiNJQ
“Very funny Edward.” Richard said with a small smile. “The hour grows late; I shall retire to my chambers.” He said deftly, and after bowing to the king, he turned on his heel and left swiftly. Edward merely raised an eyebrow inquisitively before disregarding his brother’s behaviour and opening his arms to his wife and another glass of wine.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtYsxox9re
Once inside his chambers, Richard sank into a chair by the fire. Glancing into the flames, he could see her face. No matter what Edward had forbidden or said, Richard always believed that she would one day be his wife. As children, they had become quick friends. He would always rescue Anne first when he was pretending to be a knight and she a damsel in distress. Isabel would stamp her foot because as the eldest, she wanted to be rescued first. Richard was obsessed with chivalry. Anne always said he’d make a better knight than a noble.
But Edward had grown so angry all those years ago, when the mere suggestion had been brought up. Richard could never have betrayed his brother like George had. Richard had made the decision on that day, in that cell. Between Edward and Anne, he had chosen Edward. He had chosen the brother that had been placed on the throne of England by divine right. God wanted Edward to rule England and Richard decided that was more significant than any childhood want.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBslXz3yD2K
He stood by Edward’s side and watched as Anne came to court, even more beautiful than the last time he saw her. He watched as the men of the court eyed her and her sister, two of the most eligible ladies in the entire kingdom. He watched as she danced before him, her hair shining and jewels glittering at her throat. He watched as the younger of the two richest heiresses in the kingdom slipped away from his grasp, whilst Isabel fell right into George’s clutches.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOM5NtzCnDV
George, that wanted Isabel firstly for her money and only secondly for love, had his wish granted whilst Richard sat alone in his chambers and Anne married the prince of Lancaster.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrZPksYeKq
“Loyaulte me lie.” He whispered into the flames. It was his new motto, loyalty binds me, and as he spoke the words, he once again vowed that he should not desert his brother to marry the girl that he had once dreamed of in his youth.
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1471
Edward of Lancaster was dead. Anne was a widow at just sixteen. Not only was her husband dead, but her father too.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjwiXczBLx
King Edward had mourned, only for a moment, the death of the Earl of Warwick. After all, his cousin had aided him greatly. If not for him, Edward should not sit on the throne. And yet he had deserved his death and still died honourably, and so Edward did not spend too much grief on him.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJ5NRAnJxZ
Richard grieved more so. His heart felt heavier. The man who had been a father to him had not only turned his back on Richard and his brother, but he had died fighting against them. It stung more than a little, but Richard soon learned to mask his pain.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATnsXQ4Xol
Besides, as a reward for fighting well in battle, Edward granted Richard the office of Great Chamberlain of England. He was also made steward of Lancaster. Both offices that Warwick had held previously. Richard was stepping into dead men’s shoes - or rather, positions - and whilst he thanked his brother for the honour, it sent a small chill running up his spine.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdB0c02VsKA
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Richard had thought nothing of Anne since he heard of her marriage. He tried hard most of the time to keep her far from his mind, and so was more than a little surprised when he saw her enter the great hall.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhgcst9Aki
Edward sat on his throne with Elizabeth by his side. Richard stood next to Edward’s throne, with George, back in Edward’s good graces, standing next to him with his wife Isabel. Edward straightened up when Anne entered.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjPAfpkBH9
She stood before him and pledged her loyalty, swearing that her marriage to Edward of Lancaster was never consummated and indeed, it never progressed further than betrothal. Richard was happier at this news than he ought to have been. A sharp, sidelong glance from George told him that his happiness must have been showing on his face.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8UVXMwrAh
Edward grinned once Anne had sworn that she was only ever loyal to the house of York. He stood and received her with open arms.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCLwH904d1
“All is forgiven then, cousin!” He said grandly. “You are no longer my prisoner. You shall live under your sister and my brother George as their ward.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhWfqUF2HX
Anne smiled.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTPHl7AY7x
“I thank your grace for his generosity.” She said with a bow. Edward smiled and dismissed her. She left quickly, followed by her sister Isabel. George grinned like a cheshire cat.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPplpUKSxy
With one of the heiresses as his wife and the other as his ward, George had access to the entire fortune. As long as Anne remained unmarried, her money was his.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekrLK6Al1P
Richard forced a smile to play on his lips. He knew George. He knew George’s lust for money. Anne would never marry again in her life.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtK0HQoNlF3
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“Tell me you don’t still want to marry her? Surely Richard! You are a fool.” George laughed. It was a patronising laugh that seemed to resonate in George’s very stomach. He found the whole ordeal quite hilarious.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnhyyIVrxUF
“We are quite well matched.” Richard said simply. He vowed to tell his brother that he wanted her hand purely for financial gain. Not because he had desired her since his teens.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxjBaXhHAB
George only laughed harder.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYYp0mISlj
“Oh brother,” he said as his laughter died. “Edward would have my head.” He said. His tone was grave and his eyes dark. Richard felt the hint of a threat.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyj8dWpJQyE
“Edward would have yours, or you mine?” He replied with a raised eyebrow.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tVtjrgeKN
George laughed again, raising his head to the ceiling.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzKiwSzKZi
“Ah, I miss being a young and fiery teenager. Tell me, why don’t you go and ask Edward for the one of the younger Portuguese princesses? I am sure he would grant you one, he’s already given you more land and power than I could wish for.” He said scathingly. He was drunk, and whilst Richard had thought this may have made him more likely to entertain Richard’s wishes, it only made him bitter and angry at the lands Richard had.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb20LoKZJGg
“Keep Anne and you will have the entire North at your fingertips. You already have half. Stop acting as though you have nothing brother. It is growing tiresome.” Richard said coldly.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXphglj4pMh
“Jesus, Richard. One would almost think you love the girl.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgQwC42TzS
Richard did not reply, merely left the room and slammed the door behind him. The sound of George’s laughter from behind the door only served to make his blood boil.
Richard found himself glaring once more into the flames dancing in his fireplace.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWheCSVtHZ
First he was forbidden to marry her by his brother Edward. Second, he was unable to marry her because of her marriage to Edward of Lancaster. And now, thought Richard, now my other brother conspires to stop me from marrying this girl. He sighed, and considered George’s words. Perhaps it would be better to marry a princess from Portugal and have done with it. Yet he thought of Edward and Elizabeth, and the children that littered the floor of the royal nursery. He thought of the look Edward had in his eyes every time Elizabeth entered a room and despite how infuriating it was to see Edward bend to her every will, in his current mood, Richard found it somewhat sweet. His brother, the king of England, was willing to risk civil war to marry the woman he wished. Then he thought of George who, despite not marrying for love, had found it nonetheless. He cared deeply for Isabel and when she was with child, would have gone to the moon and back if she should have asked for him to. Richard chewed on his bottom lip. He could marry a princess from Portugal and have lands and money and status, but not the woman he loved. Should he marry Anne, it would take the permission that George was never going to grant and incur the wrath of Edward, but Richard had never been more sure that she was worth it.
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Winter 1472666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡol2UjiDfjB
Richard had left the North and returned south. For weeks he had been travelling, visiting his various estates and landholdings in the North, but he had received word that George had moved Anne Neville from his own household into somewhere in London. Richard had seen his opportunity. With George still believing Richard was in the North, Richard had rode hard and arrived in London sooner than he had expected.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9v8RvTA3C
He arrived at one of George’s properties in London. It was a large home on the outskirts of the city, far away from the poor streets of the city. George was not home, and neither was Isabel. They had remained at court with the King, and so Richard found only the servants. They allowed him in and told him that they would fix up some soup to warm him up.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKclEhyS7eL
“Remember what the Duke said. We are not to let his brother near the kitchen.” Hissed one of the maids to another. The girl, young as she was, nodded gravely. The other maid hurried off to the kitchen, casting only a backwards glance at Richard and his suspicious smile.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1X0MWLNDsZ
“It would be of great assistance to me if you could fetch for me my things from my horse. I wish to write a letter to my brother.” He said with a dazzling smile.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRxVQnzW9B
“I am only a kitchen girl, sir. I.. I do not know my way with horses.” She said nervously. She did not wish to leave him alone for fear that he would venture near the kitchen.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9hYPa2I1H
“Oh, never mind that!” He said with a scoff. “My horse is as soft as butter. And you could ask the stable boy to unsaddle her whilst you are at it. I simply shall not be able to eat until I am safe in the knowledge that my horse is cared for!” He said with a soft smile. The girl bit her lip and considered his words before bowing, nodding her head and hurrying away. Richard could not help but laugh.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97MRnThAH1
Once she was gone, he got up quickly and moved for the kitchen.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqQ6Uwg8Mr
He opened the door grandly and as soon as he saw the expression on the cook’s face, he saw his suspicions confirmed. The cook merely glanced over to her for a split second, but Richard noticed.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8rRUv3sUG
There she was. Sitting at the wooden table the servants usually ate off, dressed as a cook-maid and plaiting her hair. Richard allowed the door to close behind him.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Og0j0ve3d
“Out. All of you.” He said sternly. Although he was not their master, the sword at his hip and the stormy expression on his face encouraged the kitchen to empty quickly.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9A69oO6mU2
Anne rose at once, and bowed her head. Richard caught her chin with a finely bejewelled hand.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirXXG2waNi
“Anne,” He said softly. “You do not have to stay here.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvD9eYTQqBN
“George is my ward, and Isabel my sister.” She said softly.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLrmPWknVn
“A widow has a right to chose her husband. You are bound by no legality to George, merely by principle.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlY13uIRWuf
“The King would be angry.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtTKbhm1Sr
“I shall take Edward’s wrath for the both of us.” He said simply, waving away her fears. Still she was apprehensive.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwDa0kKxZT
“Anne,” He repeated. “I must ask you something, but I want you to feel free to refuse.” He looked deeply into her eyes until she nodded in response. “Would you marry me Anne?”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8X26rZjQOB
Anne smiled and nodded.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshFDpXEhi4
“Yes, Richard. I have dreamed of it ever since we were children. When you were Arthur and Isabel was Guinevere but you rescued me first and gave me a handful of daisies.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwt6B3eLu8
“Daisies? I do not recall any daisies.” He said with a laugh. Anne smiled.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhQHUu8j5d
“Yes Richard, there were daisies. Even as a child you were quite the romantic.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaC5lxdlVo
Richard laughed, and then glanced towards the door.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPE0quJIx8
“If you wish to leave with me, it must be tonight. It must be now.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvA7Zx7ErPt
“Where shall we go? George will find you at any one of your estates.” She said nervously.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tynR1lyC9
“We shall take sanctuary. George would never dare to pull you from a church. We shall wait there until we are married.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYrcw2z2IU
“We shall need to apply to the Pope for that.” She pointed out. Richard sighed. It was just another obstacle, another step that prevented him from taking her as his wife.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4nmFFn4Cz
“I suggest we marry first and then apply for the dispensation. The pope is likely to grant it. I doubt he would refuse.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCNpotr2fl
Anne hesitated for another moment, before throwing off the apron that she had been disguised in and taking Richard’s hands.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ893SJDfv9x
“Get me out of here.” Was all she said. Richard grinned.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftItuoxSeC
“As you wish, my lady.”
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AN - King Edward lost the throne briefly after Warwick and George went to France. Anne’s marriage to the Lancastrian prince came a little later, but I decided to sweep over the complicated political situation as it doesn’t really add much that is relevant. 666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkcoKxlFW5
Also, the account of Richard rescuing Anne from a kitchen comes from one source only (The Croyland Chronicle) but some historians believe that whilst it may be exaggerated, it is plausible that George concealed Anne and Richard found her. The romantic in me hopes so at least! I have neglected to continue on after the marriage of Anne and Richard because this would have become a lot longer than it already is. All I will say is that I don't think another king in the history of England has loved his queen quite so much as I believe Richard III loved Anne Neville.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7eQ0K6N9d
I have tried to leave out most of the politics and complicated events that occurred during the period and so if any of this is confusing to anybody, I will be more than happy to fill in any blanks. Or simply google the Wars of the Roses and see what Wiki has to offer.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTz0KMOnxLb
Title is French for "I have longed for it so much". It was written in Richard's own hand in his copy of Impomedon, the story of the 'best knight in the world'.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJDeXAKNhk
