Flanders, late May 1484
Henry Tudor was impatiently waiting for the ship to dock at the harbor, something who had caused his uncle and worse also Oxford to mock saying who he was waiting impatiently his bride... that was hardly true, specially as both the possible brides who his mother and uncle had asked for him to Archduke Maximilian were still young, Margaret of Clarence not yet 12 years old and Anne St. Leger only 8 years old, well excluding the fact who if finally luck was on their side, both girls would be on that ship, together with Margaret’s brother Edward of Warwick and Dorset with his wife and children...
If everything had done well, unlike the failed plot to free the King Edward V and his brother from the Tower... well that had been unfortunate but at least the boys’ eldest sister Elizabeth, now heiress of the Yorkist claim, had married a man of indisputable Lancastrian ascendency, uniting their claims and giving a strong leader to follow to all the enemies of Richard III and the hope to a victorious return at home to the exiled Lancastrians...
If everything had gone in the right way, then that was the first step to going back at home and being able to see again his beloved mother... and that was the true reason of his impatience and the reason for which he accepted to play the part who the Archduke, soon to be King of England, had given to him: he was not interested in the Crown of England or marrying princess Cecily, but he wanted return at home with his uncle, recover his father title and a semi-royal Yorkist wife (hopefully either of the girls on that ship, at the worst one of their Suffolk cousins) was only a well valued extra...
The Archduchess Elisabeth herself, stepmother to the ruling Duke of Burgundy was there and also looked impatient and worried and more stunning than ever (well he was not interested at all in her sister but maybe in another world in which Elizabeth of York had not married Archduke Maximilian he would have gladly married her and ruled England together with her...)...
Leaving that fantasies, Henry noted who the ship had finally docked and the passengers were disembarking and the Archduchess was embracing a smiling man, likely her brother Dorset, who was not worried at all. Was possible who this time everything had gone as planned and now Archduke MaximilIan’s invasion for freeing England from the tyranny of the false King Richard would start in the best way possible?
Yes, things looked like that... well looked like his uncle was saying something to Dorset and the Archduchess and he had a suspicion to know about what they were talking and who he would not like that at all, at least judging from the Archduchess‘ laughter and now Oxford and the Archduke, who also had arrived for receive his guests, together with Dowager Duchess Margaret were calling him... Resigning himself to his fate he reached the group and was introduced to the newcomers... well at least both Margaret aNd Anne were pretty enough and the first looked to be a smart and determined young girl and likely his bride to be... Well he would gladly marry her, if that was his destiny he had no complain... unless he was mistaken Margaret of Clarence would make a great Countess of Richmond...
Now hopefully the last provisions would go fine and they would seal soon for England and destroy the Usurper...
