Leicester, 2015
It was October and unseasonably warm. The tea in the paper cup refused to cool, and every small sip scalded my tongue.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYMegkbptS
The Cathedral was dark; the doors locked. I was early.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagJ25PXWP9
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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRha3fqw4yc
“I was surprised when I received your email. Not many want to be here so early.” He said with a kind smile.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNwKQC3T0u
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbaSJrx6Ke
“Do you need me to show you where it is?” He asked. I shook my head.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxbVaTTrWU
“I know where he is.” I replied. He smiled, and turned left where I turned right.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcgNP8OxzH
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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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjQVi99y7Y
Gently, I laid a hand on the stone.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejAIsdiYio
“May I ask what your research entails?”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmAAJbNaTsO
The bishop's voice broke through the silence. I looked up in surprise, and beheld him standing in the doorway holding a lit candle.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCHGnq9bWb
“The life of Richard III.” I said simply. He smiled.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhWAiiBlnO
“But that’s not all, is it?” He asked, walking through the arched entryway and circling the stone that lay in the middle.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJQbBg1yxG
“The Princes, too.” I said softly. He raised an eyebrow.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90SDxByNtF
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCSBHGqk0i
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwq1kplNhPz
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ282KC2zJq0
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTqn66TJ7u
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAcwh0bGus
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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5UHMsW4Cq
“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.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauvHbXbp0d
Richard raised an eyebrow. Edward sighed heavily.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkP5Mb0c87F
“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.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHA7UjrHEY
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mM6x0gNSA
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGltUJ1Xa2b
“And Richard?” Edward asked as Richard placed a hand on the doorknob. “Take Anthony with you, would you?”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApKuU4F8rS
Richard grimaced, but nodded. Edward smiled.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBPggqSSQG
“Thank you, brother.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlicVrWKXl
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I woke suddenly, with a sharp pain behind my eyes. It was cold, and the light was fading.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVXkirexWZ
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…992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfsHHuSXb4
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The door was pushed open by a small girl dressed in simple cloth.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWHMTTCMfy
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakz3IVWBb3
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVrA8pTMeoK
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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWt2wSFO0I
“York?” She asked. “You are for York?”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRU1Nq9uzO
I nodded.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzr7a01IuzN
“How am I here?” I asked. Then, rather hastily, I added: “Your grace?”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJu09agr4H
“You were found by the roadside. My husband found you after visiting the King.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfeF49lKH3
“The King?” I asked tentatively.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa64pF0i5gr
“King Edward.” She said with a curious look in her eye.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrYwHmv6ge
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuHDIPy9UP
“It is October.” She said simply, pouring me a cup of what looked like wine.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJkVQjrvfu
“And the year?” I asked.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaoLKzI4taK
“1470.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ0uuQkTbns
My head began to spin, the pain behind my eyes intensified.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28aJBf0a5S
"The bishop... the bloody bishop..." I began. The woman put a hand on my shoulder and guided me back to the pillows.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuP6zC9wQeS
“Sleep. When you awake I shall order a hot bath for you and a change of clothes.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzanQ7F9PPM
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“Richard, you do not have to stay here.” Anthony said. Richard looked into his wine and shrugged.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecqYGBUxz9
“Edward wants us to get along.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHbSU1yZ1f
Anthony laughed. He was already drunk.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7LTJanfZf
“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.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2maT8BLOi
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlakzwaIDpe
“You do not like my sister, despite Edward’s love for her.” Antony said almost soberly. Richard nodded.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHa8nhe7gZO
“It worries me that she has such control over Edward.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Hsh8PhNQp
Anthony shook his head. He glanced over to the bar, where the barmaid looked at Anthony and shot him a sultry smile. Richard laughed.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFesxmoEsTN
“Go.” He said. “I shan’t keep you from your conquests.” He said with a grin.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjn38eVm5M
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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cSMWcSFPL
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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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SU0JQRWrn
After a while, the lady of the house entered once again.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBFMnkNKLF
“Ah, I see you are recovering!” She said with a smile. I smiled and offered her my thanks.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWq6DWHy6l
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjC4o2adiL
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9oq1cJWbK
“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.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyj6F6m4Dd
I smiled gratefully.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKorYTVVlr
“Thank you, madame. I cannot thank you enough.” I said, and she waved my thanks away.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjFmOdlkUT
“It is nothing, cherie. Nothing.” She said kindly. I smiled and rose, bidding her farewell.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrIkFzITCZ
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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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusg49LBDEf
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8W3HaZ6tZK
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpQzaVHz7G
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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aepHsre2k
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“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb114p5fsyU
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“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LDodqdHhg
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“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzMlcbkL3M
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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4G5cZt7rt
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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTOWC5op27
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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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoN2CB9vHA
“That necklace, where came you by it?” He asked. My fingers moved automatically to it, and tugged on the silver chain.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzgI3F4ng0
“York, your grace.” I replied.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZWCuFD9ym
“You are from York?”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYb1SKgodnk
“Not far.” I said with a shrug. Anthony nodded slowly.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEhudDE3dK
“And how did you come to be here?”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthZdCc6IxV
I shrugged.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgZ54pCmj0
“Honestly, sire, I do not know. I woke up here with a headache and no memory of my journey.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimuOzG1F0q
Anthony’s eyebrows furrowed, but he soon shrugged it off.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGr4dcaaMhU
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzkTrTcL4C
“Please, call me Richard.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcC1bM33ghV
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“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡro4pxxCaAk
“I simply do not know how I shall get home.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgRZ3oZJg4
Richard leaned back against the bench.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDfNxyR22L
“I share your worry. I, too, know not when I shall return back to England.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpGYRqg8TZ
I gave him a small smile, and he glanced down at his wine.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vXpNTkAES
“You shall be happy one day, Richard.” I said softly. He looked at me curiously but did not question my statement.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh98vrikvJ9
“You seem wise.” He said simply. I laughed a little and shrugged.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVOpsfsUKB
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVK24iwBPHR
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56BXZA8QTP
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmH9NqmUWMM
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVpOHQ1OoJ
“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.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSAOYrhNtv
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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIaQ1VDFNK
And then, he gave me a purse full of coins.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63V99tvrZg
“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.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnXFvL6I62
I looked at the future king and he smiled in earnest.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapFxepXd3m
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlPW614vZz
“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.”992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9uqqrj6nW
He took my hand and kissed the back of it once more.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZxaqfeeZQ
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdQMjtx4cg
“Do me but one small favour, Richard.” I said, and he nodded.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbNsioCasj
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqlmgM0H3A
“Don’t trust the Stanleys.” I whispered. His forehead creased in confusion, but I was gone ere he could question me further.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNKYyoamma
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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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XHrfbInlL
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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxELqzW9WUN
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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORGWrVwada
“Your accent, it’s right peculiar.” He said. I laughed a little.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09mTTpFcCc
“I spent a while in France.” I said simply. The man shrugged it off and continued on his own journey.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIoKYhL6Bc
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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0m7RkWFcI
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw04Mv9ZB0l
“I do.” I said, not knowing where to begin.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYunnpyvJO
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkp7FwnHGYA
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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJSM9k3Db9
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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20bzSUNupp
Before I knew what I was planning to do next, the cathedral went dark, as though all the candles had been snuffed at once.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6AdmzS4Wd
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❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6UpEsZclZ
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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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6cOl6kAsgO
“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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmmMfkf4xd
And then something caught my eye.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl21fpDBdKw
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!992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSNAS2wGzN
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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdumbcZv87
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.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbojZ162Fcr
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!992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyWBGa5K6H
Title from the poem Richard, by Carol Ann Duffy.992Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNVXnCdjDH
