《Into the Mists》DPGoddess

1、第 1 章 The b

　　Lying in the bed, she tossed and turned. Plagued by nightmares, she was trapped by terrors and fear. Faces flashed back and forth; then it was red. Red fluid dripped between her legs.

　　Blood.

　　Screaming.

　　The screaming was so piercing that it woke her. But reality was even worse than her nightmares.

　　She was on a ship, rocking back and forth. It gave her endless sicknesses, which only brought her more sorrow for it reminded her of her lost child.

　　She was four months pregnant; but he, very drunk, demanded her for bodily comfort. He grabbed her by her braids and forced himself on her despite her pleadings. After he was done with her, he threw her on the ground, calling her the Neville whore. Soon after, sharp pain took over her body. Blood started dripping between her legs. Before she knew it, her white shift became red.

　　She lost her baby, the Lancastrian heir.

　　But on the sweeter side, her husband treated her better afterwards.

　　And he promised her that once they regain their crown, he will have a joint coronation and make her Queen of York and Lancaster.

　　All those promises only brought her a little closure.

　　A heavy knock on the door pulled her out of her bitter thoughts and memories.

　　“We have arrived, my lady,” a female voice said behind the door, probably a lady-in-waiting of Queen Margaret.

　　Margaret, the Dark Queen of Lancaster. They said that she placed a spell on her husband King Henry of Lancaster to make him asleep so that she could grasp the reign of power herself. She was just as evil as Elizabeth, the White Queen, who used witchcraft on King Edward of York.

　　***

　　“You look pale,” Queen Margaret remarked, studying her face. “You are not with child again, are you”

　　“No,” she muttered.

　　Queen Margaret laughed out loud. “I never truly believed the words of that soothsayer! But those words certainly can be useful at my advantage. ‘Warwick’s daughter shall replace the Queen of York.’ King Edward took them too seriously. Summoned you and your sister to his court and questioned your father, ‘Which one should be the next Queen The older one Or the younger one’”

　　She stopped and looked at young lady standing before her, then continued, “With no son of his own, he had your sister married to his second younger brother, Prince George. But unexpectedly, after giving birth to four daughters, the Queen, that White Witch, gave the King a son. Humph! The King immediately took action to secure his lines. He ordered the arrest of your father and Prince George. Who could’ve thought With his tails between his legs,your father ran to me, married you to my son, and to restore my husband as the King of York. Soon, my Henry will be the King of York and Lancaster! And you, Lady Anne Neville, will be Queen of York and Lancaster after me. The soothsayer does see the future.”

　　Those words made Anne shudder.

　　Long before, she heard her father telling her the story of the White Queen—the White Witch, the daughter of Lady of Rivers. Her father told her that one night, King Edward was lost in the dark forest. Suddenly, the wind howled and the moon was covered by the dark clouds. Once the clouds parted, he saw a figure staring back at him. That was the Lady of Rivers, the most powerful sorceress of York Kingdom. He may be king, but he was only a mortal. He beseeched Lady of Rivers to provide him directions out of the forest. The Lady of Rivers agreed on the terms that he must marry her daughter, the White Witch. The King agreed; and he fell in love with the White Witch, whose beauty was legendary. He took her to the court; the White Witch became the White Queen. Before marrying the White Witch, King Edwards had sired seven bastards with his mistresses. Soon after the White Queen learned their existence, she cursed them and turned them into white swans.

　　They were never seen again.

　　The story was meant to frighten her; however, at times, it fascinated her.

　　What kind of powerful magic can make a mortal man fall in love with a woman

　　Anne never feared the White Queen, until that very day they were summoned to court.

　　Unknowingly, it was she who stirred the trouble.

　　One night, she heard a soothsayer telling her father that one of his daughters shall replace the White Queen as Queen of York. Fascinated, Anne threw a drapery over her shoulders as royal ermine cape. She pretended that she was the new queen and walked back and forth in the halls. Little did she know that King Edward had spies everywhere. They must have reported the incident to the King.

　　The marriage between her older sister Isabel and King’s second brother George only relieved the tension temporarily. Prince George was an ambitious man who hated the White Queen. Seeing that she bore only daughters, Prince George proposed that he marry Isabel, Warwick’s older daughter. And then, one night, the White Queen gave birth to a son, a male heir to the throne. Now, Warwick was a threat again.

　　One dark night, Anne was awaked by her nanny. Threw a wrap around her shoulders, Anne was escorted out of the castle. Blindly, she followed her father, mother, Prince George, and her very pregnant sister Isabel onto a ship that took them to the Kingdom of Lancaster.

　　It was on this ship Isabel gave birth to a dead child. The scene was so frightening that Anne passed out.

　　Once they arrived Kingdom of Lancaster, Anne’s father, Lord Warwick, sought an audience with the Dark Queen Margaret, whom he overthrown years ago. With nowhere else to turn, Lord Warwick formed an alliance with the Dark Queen. To cement the alliance, Lord Warwick married Anne to the Dark Queen’s son, Prince Edward of Lancaster.

　　He was completely drunk on their wedding night. Without a word, he threw himself on top of her and penetrated her violently. The next morning, her body was covered with bruises and scratch marks. She thought the nightmare was over by then.

　　But she was wrong; the nightmare only had begun.

　　Sadistic and abusive, Anne was the only source where he lent out his frustrations. He forced himself upon her every night, followed by kicks and punches, calling her a whore, a useless creature. It continued until Anne’s miscarriage.

　　And now, here she was with Margaret, the Dark Queen. She no longer feared her, but Anne never liked her. She hated her for allowing her son to mistreat her.

　　“Mayyour father bring us victory,” Queen Margaret snickered.

　　***

　　The night had come.

　　While Queen Margaret’s ladies were all sleeping, Anne sauntered to the window and stared at the moon. They had stayed in this sanctuary for days, waiting for the news of victory. But Anne was not confident in that. Prince Edward of Lancaster was nothing but a boy whose real power was arrogance. He believed that God was on his side.

　　As for her father, Lord Warwick, he himself knew that the upcoming battle was all or nothing. Prince George of York reconciled with his brother King Edward and took Isabel with him and half of the army. Knowing the possibility of his loss, before he departed, he called Anne to his side in secret.

　　“Anne, prepare yourself. If I win the battle,you shall be Queen of York and Lancaster and I will watch as you are crowned. But if I lose, everything will be lost. I do not worry for Isabel, for she is the wife of Prince George. But you, what will you do”

　　Anne looked at her father. “I will seek sanctuary.”

　　“No,” Lord Warwick shook his head. “Once you seek sanctuary, they will find you and imprison you in the Tower until you die. The White Witch will not forgive you since you are to be Queen of York and Lancaster.”

　　“What shall I do then” Anne asked weakly.

　　“King Edward’s third brother, Prince Richard,” Lord Warwick lowered his voice. “Seek him.”

　　“No,” Anne backed away immediately. “No, he is a monster…born with hair reaching his shoulders…a hunchback…a bloody killer…everyone knows what he did in the battlefield…”

　　Lord Warwick grabbed her by the shoulders. “You will not think of that! If all is lost, seek Prince Richard. Do not trust George. Remember that.”

　　That was the last words he said to her.

　　Anne closed her eyes as those words came back to her.

　　When she opened her eyes, she saw the sunrise.

　　Little did she know, it would be the last time she saw the sun.

　　***

　　“My lady! My lady!” a messenger barged into the sanctuary. He was covered with blood.

　　He needed to say no more. By looking at him, the Dark Queen guessed the outcome.

　　They lost.

　　“Lord Warwick” she asked.

　　“Dead.”

　　Anne gasped.

　　“And my son” Queen Margaret’s voice shaken.

　　“He was killed.”

　　Queen Margaret froze. The messenger continued on, but neither Anne nor Margaret listened.

　　Suddenly, an arrow penetrated the messenger through the heart.

　　The York army arrived and surrounded the sanctuary.

　　There was nowhere to run.

　　“Bolt the door!” It was Anne’s voice, not Margaret’s. As Margaret’s ladies bolted the door shut, Anne went to the messenger’s dead body and took his dagger. She was preparing for the worst.

　　No, she was not going to be raped by those Yorkist soldiers.

　　If time comes, she would fight for her life.

　　Even if it meant death.

　　As Anne and the ladies ran upstairs, Margaret remained at the spot.

　　She did not move, even after an arrow penetrated her belly.

　　Then, looking at the tapestries on the wall—those depiction of saints and heaven—she started laughing hysterically. She grabbed a lit candle and set the tapestries on fire.

　　“See you in hell!”

　　Soon, the sanctuary was full of smoke. Coughing and choking, Anne and the ladies were forced to choose between die in fire or fall into the hands of the enemy.

　　The ladies chose to stay and die in the sanctuary.

　　But somehow Anne managed to get out of there.

　　Surrounded by dark smoke, Anne could see nothing.

　　She did not see the soldiers surrounding her.

　　She did not see the burning body of Margaret’s ladies fell out from Sanctuary’s windows.

　　She did not see the swords pointing at her.

　　She could only see the mists.

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