Chapter Text
Middleham Castle
Cecily Neville walked hurriedly along the vibrant extension of land, her skirts brushing against the blades of grass and the wind gently tousling the veil of her headdress. Her urgency began when a frantic matron told her about Dickon's sudden disappearance. Her youngest son's escapades were almost becoming a custom, but Cecily knew how much her boy loved to run across the gardens of the castle as long as his tiny feet could carry him, which was why this was the first place that came into mind for her search.
She kept striding forward until she reached the small path that led into the pond, with her hands covering herself to prevent the dozens of stalks and branches in the way from hitting her. Her worries vanished as soon as she came out, for her small son kneeling was by the pond, which was currently in movement due to the commotion of the ducks at Richard’s presence. Cecily allows herself a small smile as she imagines the look of wonder that Richard must have in his face. Willing to surprise him, she lifts her skirts and tiptoes secretly towards the boy ans just when she’s close enough her arms fly and encase Richard small body, lifting him off the ground and onto dizzying spins around the air.
"Mama!" Her boy exclaims laughing delightedly.
"Now what’s a little boy doing out here when he should be napping?" She asks looking down at the pair of wide dark eyes that resembled her own.
"Dickon not sleepy, want to see ducks."
"Oh, so you wanted to see the ducks." Cecily says in amusement as she sits down near the pond with Richard on her lap.
"Dickon brought bread for the ducks because they hungry." Her son replies pointing his little finger at the pond where the ducks appeared to be having a squabble over a small piece of bread, with dozens of little rosy beaks pulling at it on different directions.
"Well you gave us a scare so don’t disappear like that again, the next time you want to come here you tell me and we can feed the ducks together, does that sound good?"
Her son nods excitedly, smiling at the idea of spending time with his mother in the pond, he had practically become his mother’s shadow ever since he learned how to walk. Cecily responds by affectionately ruffling his raven hair, a radical difference to his older brothers fair heads of golden curls.
"The gardener is a meanie, ducks hungry and he don’t feed them." Her son says shaking his head and frowning.
The Duchess arches her eyebrows at her son's comment, it was moments like these when she could be free from the stony and guarded stance that she displayed towards her peers. With her boy she was just his mother and she took pride in that as well as in many other things. But it was also moments like these when her heart would quench at her son’s innocence. She had already raised two of her sons from boys to men, and she had been a witness to their initial innocence as well as their loss of it. Even her son George with his age of seven was starting to act mild tempered towards those around him. With these bloody days at their disposition she could not help but fear the idea of the same thing happening to Richard. Her son’s childish voice pull her out her reverie.
"Mama you alright?" Richard asks tugging on her neckline, concern etched on his little face and Cecily kisses his forehead on impulse.
"I’m alright dear, now why don’t we feed the ducks together?"
Richard grins widely at her suggestion before moving from her lap to the place where he laid out a handkerchief with breadcrumbs on top of it.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in her son’s insatiable need to feed the ducks and watching as he rambled on about how he had named each one of the creatures, as well as how they would float better now that they had their bellies full. Cecily could not help but laugh at her son’s occurrences but her earlier worry still remained prominent. She was sure that her son would adapt to his violent surroundings soon enough. Still, she also dreaded the idea of her son becoming as ruthless and political minded as most did, even if at the same time she wanted him to survive. This messy compound of emotions made her blame herself for bringing such an innocent creature to a world like the one they lived in. The Duchess continued to help her son feed the ducks until sly nocturne shades crept up onto the pond making the ducks float away into a secluded corner. They had stayed by the pond for so long that it was nearing nighttime already.
" It’s time to leave Richard."
"But momma Dickon can’t!"
"What do you mean you can’t?, it's late already" Cecily snapped making Richard lower his head quickly.
"George told me scary story,'' he murmurs looking down until he raises his head again,''He told me there were monsters under bed, don’t want to sleep there!"
"Richard, monsters do not exist and what did I tell you about having trouble sleeping?" She questions him and Richard slumps his shoulders.
"That Dickon should not be scared because guardian angel with him."
"That’s right, every child has a guardian angel, and even if there are monsters under the bed the angels will fight them off."
"Does George have one too?" Richard asks with disbelief and Cecily couldn't help but want to laugh.
"Yes Dickon, even George has one." Cecily replies and Richard purses his lips for a while before staring up at her.
"How do angels look like mama?" He asks looking at her directly and she thinks for a moment before replying.
"They are the most beautiful beings you can imagine ever seeing,'' she says, ''As soon as they’re by your side you feel as though nothing can harm you."
Richard only mumbled in reply.
"Come on let us forget about that, you need to sleep." She says picking him up and heading towards the castle.
As she walked along the hallways the servants noticed that the Duchess had finally found her son and forgot about the whole matter. She stopped when she passed by the second nursery in the west wing of the castle, where she made out the slender figure of Countess Anne sitting in a chair with a baby girl on her lap.
"Countess Anne." Cecily says from the door making the Countess turn her head towards her.
"Duchess Cecily!" The Countess exclaims standing up with the little girl and immediately blushing when she noticed that Richard was sound asleep on Cecily’s shoulder.
"Forgive me I did not know he was asleep." The Countess apologizes putting her daughter down.
" Worry not, I see that little Annie is wide awake here." Cecily says smiling at the toddler hiding behind the Countess long skirts.
"Yes she is, Anne go greet your great aunt Cecily." The Countess says looking down at Anne. The little girl stares up at her mother with wide eyes, clearly disconcerted. That is until the Countess gives her a light push and the girl finally starts toddling forward very carefully, trying to balance herself on her chubby legs while looking back at her mother to see if she’s doing it right, to which the Countess nods approvingly.
She continues toddling forward, until she suddenly grabs Cecily’s skirts with an alarmed shriek to keep herself from falling, leading her to pause and stare up at the Duchess with a sheepish smile bearing no sign of teeth . The Duchess catches her breath at how lovely her nephews daughter really is, she wished the Countess would appreciate this little girl more for while to others it meant nothing, to her it was clear that the Countess held some resentment for the girl that she once expected with all her heart to be a boy.
"She’s a beauty Countess Anne , you must be proud of her. " The Duchess directs pointedly towards the Countess.
" I am proud of my daughter." The Countess replies just as pointedly and the Duchess stares back at her.
"Who he?" The little girl asks suddenly, referring to the boy sleeping on Cecily's arms and the older woman smiles gently at her.
"This is your cousin Richard."
"Richar!" The toddler repeats, making the Duchess and the Countess laugh.
"Why he so quiet?"
"That’s because he fell asleep." Cecily responds.
"Oh…" The little girl says disappointed.
"I’ll tell you what, why don’t I bring him here tomorrow so you two can play?" The Duchess says and Anne smiles, nodding repeatedly.
"She’ll certainly enjoy having somebody to play with" The Countess says coming towards Anne to pick her up.
"I’ll see what I can do, I only came to bid you both good night, if God wills it I shall see you both tomorrow."
"And so we shall, good night Duchess Cecily."
"Godnai Dochess Cesli!" little Anne repeats loudly.
"Goodnight, I’ll see you again tomorrow" she replies nudging Anne’s nose, making her giggle.
The Duchess turns around to leave, completely unaware that Anne’s exclamation woke Richard up, making the boy blink his eyes slowly on her shoulder. His sleepy eyes take in the little girl, who looks back at him uncertainly. As his mother leaves the room, making the shape of the girl smaller and smaller Richard beams and faintly waves at her.
The girl widens her eyes in surprise, but after a moment her shocked expression is quickly replaced by a toothless smile and she raises her chubby hand to happily wave back at the boy, who also waves back just as happily until he disappears from view.
As soon as the Duchess made her way back to the nursery she carefully laid Richard on the bed, surprised when she saw that he was awake.
"Richard I thought you were sleeping!"
"Will you stay with me mama?"
"Of course, but just until you fall asleep , I don’t fit in this bed." She says noticing that her son was drifting off so it wouldn’t be long until he fell asleep.
"Who was little girl?" Richard asks faintly, and Cecily tries to guess what her son means until she realizes who he was talking about.
"That was your cousin Anne , right now she may seem little but soon enough you’ll start calling her lady Anne." Cecily replies smiling at her son who shakes his head as he turns to his side as his mother accommodates the blankets around his small body.
She thinks he has fallen asleep already and continues to tidy the blankets until she stops when she hears her son mumble something incoherently before sleep claims him.
"Silly mom that’s no lady, that's an angel."