The Wars of the Roses

[HistoryDude]

Ned is dead. Yeah, that might lead to a split between Somerset and the Queen. Who would Somerset side with then, though? He hates Warwick too much to join the Yorkists... unless Warwick was no longer an issue...

Neither side really likes the outcome of this battle.

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

Well, Ned is gone, and so the Woodvilles, I hope.

 

[Historywhiz]

Now that I have partially recovered from my shock, I can put thoughts to page. This changes everything. The whole of British history is now upended utterly. That battle was supposed to be the battle that made Edward into King Edward IV, ancestor of literally every last monarch of England and Scotland from Henry VIII and Mary, Queen of Scots onwards (and by extension ancestor of the bulk of the British upper class). There’s no Anglicanism now, no Elizabethan Era or Union of the Crowns. No Civil War, no Glorious Revolution, no constitutional monarchy or union with Hanover. Many of these things may still happen in an altered form, but there’s now absolutely no guarantee, save only that the world will be a very different place…

 

[coz1]

Fb-fb:

Mm. Now England really is buggered. Richard as King but a broken (ish) man, a second son who no one knows much in the way of battle or leadership, and Warwick now a lot more secure in the background (and probably therefore to stay loyal to the cause).

Meanwhile Lancaster is screwed. Another huge loss, this time quite possibly leading to Somerset having a full put with the Queen and her saying stupid things like she effed his dad and bore his bustard brother.

What a way to end the war. And it isn't even over yet!

Obviously I cannot say one way or the other, but the title does suggest the plural...Wars.

Ned is dead. Yeah, that might lead to a split between Somerset and the Queen. Who would Somerset side with then, though? He hates Warwick too much to join the Yorkists... unless Warwick was no longer an issue...

Neither side really likes the outcome of this battle.

Your final point is quite true. And I'd think that as long as Warwick is with York, Somerset will not be.

Well, Ned is gone, and so the Woodvilles, I hope.

I dunno. She's available as she was IRL.

Now that I have partially recovered from my shock, I can put thoughts to page. This changes everything. The whole of British history is now upended utterly. That battle was supposed to be the battle that made Edward into King Edward IV, ancestor of literally every last monarch of England and Scotland from Henry VIII and Mary, Queen of Scots onwards (and by extension ancestor of the bulk of the British upper class). There’s no Anglicanism now, no Elizabethan Era or Union of the Crowns. No Civil War, no Glorious Revolution, no constitutional monarchy or union with Hanover. Many of these things may still happen in an altered form, but there’s now absolutely no guarantee, save only that the world will be a very different place…

Quite. More below, but no doubt this changes many things that may have been either assumed or expected. And of course, any future monarch may still say that they are ancestors of Edward III (which of course our real life counterparts can as well.)


To all - I did say that when things change that you would know it. It only took me about 2 years and 8 months in the writing of 320,093 words taking up 869 pages in my document to get to this idea I had...oh...about 16 years ago. But I got there. I think it is too simplistic to say that the conceit was merely "what would happen if Richard of York really became King" because it is much more than that, however that was what started it. Of course I wanted to explore these individuals that lived so very long ago and try to get into their minds such that I was able and determine their motivations, like, dislikes and all else. But I also wanted to write it believably. In atmosphere, historicity and emotionally.

To do that, I had to spend all of this time setting up this moment. I don't want to spoil what comes next (because anything might at this point) but it is not out of the realm of possibility that Richard does become King. That he still lives...that Henry is now absent...and that Lancaster with York's antagonists have been swept from the field (for now.) It all sets him up for the moment but for one thing. When considering it, Edward could not live. From a practical standpoint in that many would surely prefer Edward to Richard as King if one was required. And also from a storytelling and/or motivational standpoint for Richard and perhaps many others. Both of these may well effect what happens next.

That we've reached this moment now perhaps explains why I spent so much time building up the relationship between Ned and Harry. Also the back and forth between York and Edward as they argued and their last words together. I've been planning this moment since the very beginning so I surely do hope all of these threads now make sense even in the face of many "when are we going to get to the alt-history?"

From Wakefield to Towton...this was the change. What comes next can be guessed but it will not be the world as we know it. Similar perhaps, but most certainly changed. Thank you all for sticking with me for all of this time as we got to this moment. It is emotional for me for many reasons (not least of which is that the scene above was written after my friend died earlier this year.) It is also immensely gratifying. There were times that I wondered if I would ever get here.

And...we are far from done! I hope all continue to read and enjoy and I cannot thank you all enough for the support over these past two plus years. It began after one friend died and this past summer really pushed me after the other one did. They were my very best friends. I wish they were around to see it. But as I often suggested to them when alive - there is only one real path. The road ahead. So I am going to get up every day ready for the world as best as I am able. Go to work to pay for the life I desire. And keep writing this until I reach the end that remains in my mind.

And hopefully continue to read your brilliant comments.

 

[coz1]

Chapter 22: Long Live the King

* * *

Westminster, March 1461​

He stood in the swaying fields outside his keep at Rouen and watched the boy play. Already taken up with a wooden sword, the boy would not cease pestering his little brother. They could not have been more than four or five. As the older one ran to the top of the hill, he raised his weapon high and shouted, “It’s mine now! You can’t take it from me!!”

Suddenly the younger one crested from the other side and they knocked their wooden swords together as if seasoned knights. Back and forth they went but the older one was just better at it. He pressed and pressed and finally the younger was forced to yield and dropped to a knee, “I serve you, my liege. I beg your forgiveness.”

“I could be mean,” the older answered, “Yet I shall not. For I grant your leave and shall have you rule with me, brave sir knight.”

The younger started to stand but then held out his sword again, “Haha...I lied.”

“Have at you!” the older was not shocked and they laughed as they played.

The man could feel a soft tear fall from his eye and then the strong hand that grasped his own as the field changed and he was no longer in Rouen but to Westminster Hall standing next to his wife the Duchess Cecily and watched the procession slowly make its way down the center of the great chamber. The cortege was lead by knights as they pulled a caisson behind them. On it lay the dead body of Edward, the Earl of March and eldest son of Richard Duke of York.

The barber surgeons had done fine work at making his face presentable after his horrible death, yet it still showed the cuts and bruising and no one to the hall could deny it. As it entered, there was a great hush and it stayed that way as the sound of the wooden wheels tracked across the stone floor. All eyes watched this body as it made its way to the head of the Hall and then they looked to Duke Richard.

He did not see them. He could only look on the face of his son...his boy. The face was almost peaceful, as if at rest. Yet when was Edward ever not restless? Cecily held tighter as she wept but the Duke did everything he could to hold his emotions to himself and stared straight ahead. Finally, the young Earl was brought to a halt in front of everyone and the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had lost a nephew at Wakefield, offered up prayers for Edward’s soul.

When he crossed himself at the end of his prayer, he looked solemnly to Duke Richard and gave nod of his head. The Archbishop backed away and Richard of York walked to the head of them all. He turned his back and stood over his son, grasping his hand and remaining silent for a time in his own prayer. When he finished, he bent down and offered a gentle kiss to his son’s lips before turning to look at them all.

Many of the great and minor Lords of the realm were present, though not all of them. Two generations of Earls of Northumberland had been killed in the last five years, Henry Percy both father and son. So too two generations of Cliffords. Lords Welles and Dacre had died in battle and the Earls of Devon and Wiltshire had been executed at Towton. Of course, the Duke of Buckingham was not there for the current one was but five. And the Dukes of Somerset and Exeter had fled just as the Earl of Pembroke had done after Mortimer’s Cross.

Richard watched the rest of them with a plain face, sorrowful yet not animated. Though never tall, the Duke of York stood to his full height and spoke in a low voice that some struggled to hear, “There are few words that I could say at this great gathering that would be cheered for no man or woman could approve of such an awesome loss as this. Yet I have ever placed my life down before this realm of England and given it everything that I hold. As you see here before you...everything!”

His voice grew louder as he continued, “There be no way to alter the course of history, my Lords. It is done and will be written. We here have lived it and know. And I am now lacking of a son who is precious to me and to his mother. Our child that we have now given to England...and to God!”

Very few answered him but tears could be heard throughout the hall as Richard followed trying not to break himself, “When I did come to you and offer solution to the ailment of this realm...the want of a sovereign right and true that would return what has been stolen and lost, and reform that which has grown as a weed and covers every house...I was told nay. And I accepted it. Yet where is your sovereign now? I ask you...where is your King?!”

No one dared say it, so Richard answered as his voice cracked slightly, “He has deserted you!!”

“Not you, my Lord!!” a voice called from the back of the hall and others seemed to agree.

The Duke wanted to look at Cecily but knew it would be too much so he held his eyes forward, “I would not leave my son anymore than I could leave my very soul for they are one and the same. And as a child requires a father, so too does this realm. So I say to you all...in great sorrow for it should not have been this...that I declare my right once and again to this great office and God’s only duty. By right of birth...”

Richard turned and pointed to his son, “...and by right of death!”

It started softly and mostly by the wealthy merchants and minor nobles to the back, but soon one after the other began to shout, “God Save King Richard!”

Not all of the Lords followed the chant, but the three at the front heard it and shouted it the loudest. The Duke of Norfolk, the still injured Earl of Warwick and the Earl of Worcester, John Tiptoft. It was only then that Richard could look to his wife and saw that not only she was saying it, but so too his six remaining children. Even young Richard who was not yet nine.

More and more it rang out and Richard of York turned back to the gathered many, “If it pleases Almighty God that I, as I am but a lowly man to be raised high in His great grace...I could not refuse such call. And I shall tell you all, that this day I do make promise. We have been through the horrors of hell, my Lords. To all good people, I say...it ends now. Wrongs will be righted in all good ways for I am not a vengeful Lord. Yet I will see that things are returned and this begins with all lands to Normandy. I would work tirelessly to such efforts for no more shall we bow down to a French King nor Queen when our right has been stolen and our honor sullied.”

Some cheers rang out at that and Richard allowed it before continuing, “From this day forward, my Lords and Ladies...all gentle folk...we shall hold honor!!”

More called out for it but Richard held up his hands to calm them, “Yet this day...all of God’s children come here to prove the grace that is inherent in His great comfort and wisdom. We are here to honor all that Almighty God does give and none are more perfect to me than this...boy.”

“God Bless Edward!!” Some called out and others knelt to pray for the young Earl’s soul.

Richard did not smile as he turned once more and looked to his son. He pressed a hand to Edward’s chest and spoke softly, “I shall forever love you. For you are mine that no one else may claim.”

The gathered members to the Hall tried as they continued to shout for both King Richard and young Edward while York turned and held his hand for Cecily to follow. She did and so did their children. Right down the same center aisle that had taken the dead Edward to this place. They were followed by Norfolk, Warwick and Worcester leaving the rest of the great Lords wondering what exactly had just happened.

It was simple. England once had a King. Now they had a new one.

 

[Bullfilter]

Another catch up - and to what a conclusion of this first great arc.

I did say that when things change that you would know it.

Yup!

in the face of many "when are we going to get to the alt-history?"

I never doubted you, sirrah!

They were my very best friends. I wish they were around to see it.

May they rest in God’s peace. I hope the writing has brought you some of the catharsis and comfort you have likely been seeking.

There be no way to alter the course of history, my Lords.

Haha, unless you are @coz1 !

So here we have it. And my mind returns to Edmund’s possible love interest - a useful dynastic match to shore up the Yorkist claim. And the nod to the young Richard … the spider is yet to be bottled! One wonders what the alt history and perhaps a more friendly playwright might make of him in future years.

 

[Bullfilter]

Another catch up - and to what a conclusion of this first great arc.

I did say that when things change that you would know it.

Yup!

in the face of many "when are we going to get to the alt-history?"

I never doubted you, sirrah!

They were my very best friends. I wish they were around to see it.

May they rest in God’s peace. I hope the writing has brought you some of the catharsis and comfort you have likely been seeking.

There be no way to alter the course of history, my Lords.

Haha, unless you are @coz1 !

So here we have it. And my mind returns to Edmund’s possible love interest - a useful dynastic match to shore up the Yorkist claim. And the nod to the young Richard … the spider is yet to be bottled! One wonders what the alt history and perhaps a more friendly playwright might make of him in future years.

 

[coz1]

Another catch up - and to what a conclusion of this first great arc.

Yup!

I never doubted you, sirrah!

May they rest in God’s peace. I hope the writing has brought you some of the catharsis and comfort you have likely been seeking.

Haha, unless you are @coz1 !

So here we have it. And my mind returns to Edmund’s possible love interest - a useful dynastic match to shore up the Yorkist claim. And the nod to the young Richard … the spider is yet to be bottled! One wonders what the alt history and perhaps a more friendly playwright might make of him in future years.

Thank you...and thank you. Double post, sir.

I'm really happy it landed and thank you for not doubting (as well as keeping up as best you can with my pace.) I also appreciate your words regarding my friends. It has been some catharsis if not solace. They will never be replaced, nor should they be. They cannot be because one does not recreate that special bond you find with another built over thirty plus years. They were my brothers. I miss them greatly every day.

As to Edmund and a match - I have some ideas. And young Richard? Will he be a bottled spider or something else? Stay tuned.

 

[HistoryDude]

Huh. That was... manipulative, but the scene was very well written. There was definitely a sense of sorrow.

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

Finally Richard has done it. Just in time.

 

[coz1]

Fb-fb:

Huh. That was... manipulative, but the scene was very well written. There was definitely a sense of sorrow.

I cannot disagree. See below for more. And I'm glad that sense of sorrow comes across. It is a sad moment even with what comes with it.

Finally Richard has done it. Just in time.

It was a long road covered in death and blood.


To all - This scene was most definitely a manipulation by York. We might call it now the "never waste a crises" moment. For me, it was the only way that Richard was going to take the throne. IRL, Edward was able to easily claim the throne. He was everything that Henry wasn't and won it by conquest. As we've seen, Richard does not hold that charisma or charm. He is not as natural as a King and has already been denied. Yet the death of his son earned him some "sympathy votes", as it were. Who could argue with him in that moment? Especially as so many of his detractors are either dead or missing.

There is no doubt that York is crushed by the death of his son and of course he's not the only one. We'll get to them in time. The death of Edward really swings the narrative and even though he is gone, his memory will reverberate throughout everything that comes after. In many ways, I find it more interesting than the historical path. And...we have a much different Richard III. I won't deny that this was my goal.

 

[coz1]

Bamburgh, March 1461​

Henry Beaufort sat to the barn and huddled under his cloak. It remained cold and there was no amount of heat that could warm him. His heart was cold. As if a fire had burned away and left only embers that smoked with what once was. Should have been to the flower of his youth at naught but twenty and four. The Duke did not go without his wants, yet...it seemed to him that everything had changed. What he most wanted was both there and now gone. Warwick lived. Ned...did not.

For days they had traveled. Somerset found Queen Margaret to York and led her from there immediately with both Prince and the King. Few had followed him from the battlefield. Few had ever left it. Northumberland...Wiltshire...Devon. Damned Trollope! Even his own brother Lord Ros had fled at the thunder when it struck. The Duke of Somerset was truly alone even though he made swift progress with this royal family and some few guards. Yet he was...utterly alone.

“Would you speak?” a voice questioned.

Henry stood and pulled his sword, “Who is there?!”

“A mangy mongrel having found shelter in a barn,” the voice answered and stood into the candle light.

Somerset sheathed his sword and sat once more to the empty barrel, “Your want is not desired...sir.”

“That is what I keep hearing,” Henry Holland pulled a stool close and sat as well, “From King to King. Should I move to France?”

“Sir...” Somerset looked to him with his square jaw, “...the Queen is to the manor house with the King. I think neither would like to see you at the now...for what you bring them.”

Exeter peered hard, “What have I brought, Beaufort? Tell me?”

“You are an agent of chaos, my Lord,” he replied and stood to place another log to the fire, “It seems that ill would follow you in your every step.”

“I was not there!” Holland shouted.

Beaufort quickly answered, “How well I know! You might have stood for your King and spoke to your father in law but you have done all manner of other things. None to that advance! Only your own.”

“So you hate me as all else?” Exeter questioned with self pity.

The Duke of Somerset turned to him with a pain filled eyes, “Sir...a man better than you died naught but a week prior. He was...I loved him.”

“I knew him well...Edward of York...” Holland pulled a flask of ale from his side and took a pull, “...a hard sort. A little tyke, really. He was a monster when I married his sister. Yet...with him it was all good fun.”

Henry Beaufort offered a stern face, “I should ask you not to speak on him, sir. I quoth my loss. I did not ask for counsel.”

The Duke of Exeter offered the ale to him with a plea to his eyes, “I should...like to ask of yours.”

“What have you lost that I could give to you, Holland?” Somerset gestured to the barn, “Do you see my state? And why should I wish to do so?”

“As you love...” Exeter replied, “...so do I.”

Somerset surprised himself when he laughed and answered quickly, “Then go to her and leave me alone, sir! I have not the time for you and wish you not here.”

“I cannot square it, my Lord,” the elder Duke answered, “...for though I be a scoundrel, I do yet wish to serve both my wife and my King.”

“And you have done neither!” Somerset replied.

Exeter held up his hands, “I know. Yet I do think of how to serve both, and...I may gain closeness again with my wife. And her father is likely declared King at the now. I did come to Her Grace and give offer yet she would have none of it...”

“She has little of anything, sir!” Somerset stood taller.

Holland showed plea again, “I beg of you, my Lord. If you have ever needed a friend, I shall be one. And these are...very rough times.”

“You are like a weasel, sir!” Beaufort towered over him, “Cross up the garden in every way, and yet come up for your meal at any rate. Gather what you may.”

“I did not wish to come here...sir,” Henry Holland stood just as tall and dropped any facade, “I came to rate you. Very poor indeed. Though I am unloved by either court, I shall find one. And this...is not that. Yet you do possess the King. I should think a very highly prized thing indeed.”

Somerset offered a hard face, “Then I was not wrong!”

“No...you were entirely correct,” the Duke of Exeter answered, “I am entirely all of the things that you believe and more. And want all the things as well. Yet I did not tell to you a lie. I am of good and great stock, sir. And so is my wife. We shall be part of the future of this realm. I merely come to offer a service and see how you were. Not well...to my eye.”

The younger Duke showed sorrow, “I believe you a devil or more, Henry Holland. As I have said to you before, I have known a good man. His name was Edward. You, sir...”

“Are not he,” Exeter cut him off, “I am very well aware. Yet I am one that may bring to you a suitor.”

“You know not Scots!” Beaufort answered.

Exeter allowed a grin, “Some few. Yet I do mean the Earl of Oxford, my Lord. Though he loves me no more than any other, I know his sympathies well. You shall forget Norfolk...for him I know also. Yet Oxford, my Lord...he is small but mighty.”

“You play at a game, sir!” Somerset held firm.

“And you are a foolish, foolish man!” Holland answered just as strongly, “For the love that you may have held for Ned, look to yourself Beaufort! He is dead and for all reasons...that we all know! Yet we are here...to stone floors and thatched ceilings and the wind and the weather and all the things that might bring us down! You know as much as I...this is a family affair. Always has been! Find your family, my Lord of Somerset and then let us have some peace!”

Henry Beaufort stepped away with clarity, “I shall not forsake Edward, sir. No more than mine own father. For I know my family. And it is one of good and honest grace.”

“You tease me, sir,” Exeter allowed a grin, “For I know you as no such thing. You hold a bastard already even though you remain unmarried. I speak no judgment, for I also have a bastard child. Yet then I am married. Yet you do have a quest, do you not? Is it all about the Queen?”

Somerset turned with a clear eye, “I shall not answer to you, Henry Holland. If you may find other as part of our train, you may offer them your advice. We move fast and into Scotland, my Lord. I know not my future...yet I do know that it is not with you and you have wasted your time. Now please...bon nuit, as the Queen may say.”

The Duke of Exeter gave nod with sadness, “I had come here for an ally, my Lord. Instead I find a fugitive.”

As he left, Henry Beaufort shifted to sit again by the fire. As he sighed, she spoke over his shoulder, “How much of that do you believe?”

“I thought you knew him so well,” Somerset answered to her, “He came to you first, did he not? Why did you tell to him no? His offer is no better than what York claims as his fight!”

“He claims it as his right,” Margaret shifted to his back and held tightly, “He and York both. Yet he is a Duke, my Lord. Of the blood royal. I may have been...”

He stood and rounded to her. Pulling Margaret close he did not smile, “You may have been wrong?”

“I am devastated, monsieur!” she feigned horror, “All that I hold is gone!”

Henry Beaufort looked to her with weak eyes, “All that you hold? Or all that I hold?”

“Mon précieux...” Margaret held his head to her bosom as he cried, “...mon doux homme. There is like never to supplant the love you hold, yet you must keep fast. He cannot be replaced. Yet I am here to this wilderness and find naught with me but a husband that speaks of nothing and a son that requires his kingdom. I am certain now that it is held by Richard named of York. A man that conspired to kill your father and in his actions, caused the death of his own son. A bright child. Handsome...and gone. Doux précieux Edward.”

“He was...” Somerset continued to weep, “...everything!”

Margaret patted to his head with care, “And now I have my own everything. Mine own Edward. And more to you...I could not hold.”

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

Margaret as manipulative as usual. And Somerset as fool as usual, too.

 

[HistoryDude]

Somerset really needs to learn when to cut his losses.

Exeter's annoying me. I have no sympathy for him - stop trying to play both sides!

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

In the end, those who play with fire end up burning his balls.

Or something like that.

 

[coz1]

Fb-fb:

Margaret as manipulative as usual. And Somerset as fool as usual, too.

Just about.

Somerset really needs to learn when to cut his losses.

Exeter's annoying me. I have no sympathy for him - stop trying to play both sides!

In some ways, they are both in the same boat. The Queen won't help them and York doesn't want them.

In the end, those who play with fire end up burning his balls.

Or something like that.

Especially if you constantly stand over the fire.

 

[coz1]

Baynard’s Castle, April 1461​

Edmund of York stood to the courtyard with bow to his arm and let fly. The arrow fit snugly to the target and he reached to his quiver for another. Notching it, he peered with one eye and found the target again. He quickly found another...and another...and another. His grief knew no bounds yet he was the quiet one. The child that did not cause pain. His own he held in and the target was its foe.

“Your shoulder is recovered, my Lord,” Leighson suggested as he stepped into the yard.

Edmund let another fly, “And what of your knee...Sir?”

“Your Lord father has been most generous,” Leighson answered, “I did never think to be a Knight of the Garter. I fear that it is undeserved.”

“Nonsense,” Edmund notched one more arrow and sighted his target, “My father is now King. He owes it to you as much as any.”

The new knight watched with pain as the young Earl let loose his frustrations, “It’s not a thing owed, my Lord. It is a privilege.”

“Tell that to my uncles,” he replied as he struck once again, “One is named for Kent and the other to Essex. Bravery, I suppose. Fauconberg was a leader and mayhap deserves his Earldom.”

Leighson suggested, “And the new Earl of Essex did lose a son at Wakefield protecting your father.”

“It is all spoils of war,” Edmund suggested as he finally looked to his man, “Yet what did Ned gain?”

Sir Allen looked kindly, “Sir, you know me. I’ve told you my story. I have not survived...I should not now even be alive...yet I would not be here if I looked back. It is the unluckiest man that does so. For he will ever be charged with regret.”

“Sound words, sir,” Edmund notched another arrow, “Sadly...I feel them not.”

“My Lord...please,” Leighson stepped to him and stopped the Earl before he could shoot another, “You must not think of yourself at this time. There are others...your brothers...that require you.”

Edmund showed his pain, “And what am I to say to them? I myself am at grief. Nor may I explain it. My father is now King. His right...yet...where is Ned when he brought so much of this to happen? Is there joy in victory, sir? I think not.”

“That’s your heart talkin’ to ya, lad,” Leighson held close to his shoulder, “It doesn’t know how to think. It just feels. Yet broken it may be...it cannot change. There be no way to bring him back. He’s gone, Ed. And we are here.”

“That is no answer,” Edmund pulled away and buried another arrow to his target.

Leighson tried to smile, “It is the only answer. You’re now a Prince, my Lord. And the heir to His Grace the King.”

“Yet I shouldn’t be!!” Edmund dropped his bow and held to Leighson’s coat, “It was never to be me! I’m the spare! The second son! Ned was always jealous that papa loved me more...yet it wasn’t so! He was always the important one! He was the one to lead!!”

Sir Allen held his face aside and allowed the young man to purge his pain as Edmund continued, “What hath God wrought when I am here and it should have been him?! I should have died...we should have died to Wakefield! My father the King should have died and yet it is Ned that does not live?!!”

“And yet your father is King,” Leighson turned back to him and spoke plainly, “And you are here. And I am here. And your mother is here. And your brothers...your sisters. And someday...my Lord...your kingdom.”

Edmund started to laugh as he found a bench, “My kingdom?”

“Aye,” Leighson stood over him and gave nod, “Best get used to it, lad. It is not the men that have gone to set your way...it is to find your way and trod that path. As I told your father sometime back...I don’t know much of God. Yet He did not spare you for no reason.”

The young Earl looked up with sad eyes, “My brother must die so that I may live?”

“I cannot say, my Lord,” Sir Allen replied, “Yet I do know that you live. I see you before me now. And sadly...your brother is gone. That must be God’s will.”

“Then He is a cruel God!” Edmund looked with anger to the target.

Leighson shrugged, “He is God, my Lord. I cannot say if He be cruel or otherwise. I only know what stands before me. And that, sir...is you.”

“I could never rule!” Edmund allowed with anguish, “I know none of these men, old or new!”

His man answered just as swiftly, “Then you shall have to get to know them. As your brother did before you. He was your guide, was he not?”

Edmund looked out with clear emotion, “No...I think not. I always seemed to do the opposite. Yet I could never blame him.”

“Then do not now,” Leighson replied, “You may only honor, sir. Find your grief as you may, but do not lose sight. You’ll fell a poor arrow that way. As I see it, you only have two choices. You either get with your life as you see it and make of it what you will...or you prepare for death.”

The young Earl showed sorrow, “I did not wish it.”

“Aye,” Leighson answered, “Yet God did wish it upon you.”

 

[HistoryDude]

Making connections in court is definitely a good idea.

 

[El Pip]

As is typical Coz has raced through many things. A very unexpected shock in killing Edward off, I freely admit I did not see that coming. It is going to be interesting to see what Richard does now he actually has the throne after all that it has cost him, though I am reassured that he is statesman like enough to realise that War with France is always a good move. I am also hopeful that Edmund isn't going to be too permanently scarred by all this, Leighson is a good man and his advice is sound, of course Edmund can never forget or 'get over' this, but it does not have to dominate his life. Fingers crossed for him on that last one I admit.

As we are now looking back at things, or at least our author has done, I think I will grapple with this point.

I surely do hope all of these threads now make sense even in the face of many "when are we going to get to the alt-history?"

I maintain those were excellent questions, because as a matter of pacing 320,000 words is two good length novels, that's a lot reading before you get to the change that was promised. Of course there are excellent works that pretty much follow history, Wolf Hall springs to mind as being a similar sort of period and hitting all the major historical beats while still being an entertaining read, so this is not a problem with historical fiction but one of a very extended setup.

I also suspect that the forum setting did not help. An audience that probably mostly knows the main beats of history and is used to a commenting culture where speculation and discussion about a work are encouraged is not exactly calculated to be a patient one. Equally the episodic nature as opposed to a single complete book makes for a different experience, though word wise this has been perhaps the equivalent of reading The Fellowship and The Two Towers and at the very end of the second book someone mentioning The Ring for the first time.

That said you know your own work best, so the long build up to the change was clearly required. And just to be clear on the spirit behind this comment I do want to repeat that I have enjoyed reading and commenting on this work and I'm look forward to seeing how King Richard and the others fare as we wait for the Wars to flare up again.

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

It'll be interesting to see what happens next, because one of several 'benefits' of the wars of the Roses going on for so long was that it killed the idea of conquering France and unifying the realms. Everyone with a solid claim was dead and France had in the meantime just about managed to sort itself out.

Meant the English had to instead pivot to becoming the british, which is not something they ever really tried before (the other nations being distractions or occasional targets of assault).

If the Yorks win soonish, and they sort of have to for this to be alt history (if this all just ends with Henry and Richard and Edmund dead regardless then what was the point?) then the big focus will stay on making France their...ahem...Wench.

Both because they pick up right where Henry V left off and partially out of vengeance against rhe Queen. Plus it'll bring the realm together again, and move all surviving armies onto the continent.

Then again, some OTL factors remain. Wales and Ireland are proven weak points for English defence that require plugging, and Scotland just invaded England and pillaged rhe North. Some kind of reckoning or recommence will be required there.