Maybe this is how the two meet. If Edward travels through Gascony on his way to Castile, maybe that's how Gaveston attaches himself to the young Prince's household...
A Green And Pleasant Land
- Thread starter VVD0D95
- Start date
Yeah, come to think of it, his mother coming down wouldn't be a bad idea at all. And where Eleanor goes, Edward probably has his childhood buddy Otho de Grandison accompany her and young Edward. Nobody was ever more loyal to her or the king than Otho was. Edward and Eleanor were usually attached at the hip their entire lives, but Eleanor is probably the best suited to come down and lend gravitas.
This will be a good learning experience for young Edward. His formidable mother will keep him on task too. Expect Edward to keep at his studies too.
This will be a good learning experience for young Edward. His formidable mother will keep him on task too. Expect Edward to keep at his studies too.
VVD0D95
Banned
Definitely, though Edward might star getting some ideas of his own, should things go badly for Alphonso
Will Edward have married Alice de Lacy by this point? It would be funny if Edward and Alice were as inseparable from each other as his parents were, especially at their young age. With an exasperated Eleanor also having to be chaperone to an extent.
VVD0D95
Banned
Not yet, a marriage will be coming soon though. Might do something for Edward's preferences aha
I honestly think Edward was at most bisexual, he may have fathered a bastard or two in OTL and had several children with Isabella. However, I am convinced that his true love was always Gaveston in OTL. Here though, depending on whether he gets to meet Gaveston, they may not have the time or opportunity to really befriend each other, as circumstances would be much different. Wouldn't be as much pressure on him this time around.
Remember, Piers was brought into Edward's household by his own father, not to dissimilar to how the elder Edward had some of his oldest buddies brought into his own, such as Otho de Grandison. Now, he may very well have been brought into the household already by this point, that I do acknowledge.
Also, remember that in OTL, Gaveston was married and actually had issue, so I think he too was at most bisexual, but his heart was devoted to Edward in my opinion.
Perhaps the chemistry will always be there.
VVD0D95
Banned
Indeed though it's one thing being friends with the heir apparent, another to be friends with the second son of the King. Just did some digging, turns out Gaveston didn't enter Edward's household until 1300
Chapter 65: Eleanor Rigby
VVD0D95
Banned
Chapter 65: Eleanor Rigby
September, 1298
September, 1298
“Are you sure sending Alphonso by himself to Ireland is a smart decision?” Eleanor asked of her husband. He’d told her himself what had been decided at the council meeting and at first she’d been happy, but then she realised how long her son would be without them, or his wife and children and she’d wondered.
“Alphonso was the one who suggested it. And I agree with his thinking. He is the heir to the throne. Ireland has often caused trouble for us. If the heir is there actively listening and participating in government, the Irish will have little cause for complaint.” Edward said.
“And if Connaught decides that he wants to wage war instead of talk?” Eleanor asked. She knew the Irish by reputation, she knew what they were.
“Then Alphonso knows what he has to do.” Edward replied simply.
“And what exactly is that?” Eleanor asked though she had an idea of what it was.
“Fight.” Edward said simply. “He is the Prince of Wales and future King. If Connaught is daft enough to think he can stand against the might of England, then he must be shown that he cannot.”
“Are you sure that is a wise decision?” Eleanor asked. “Alphonso did well in Wales, but that was when he was accompanied by the Earl of Warwick. Here he would be going by himself, into a land that is far from home.”
“He’d have Richard with him.” Edward countered. “Richard knows the land better than anyone else.”
“He’s the one causing all this trouble to begin with!” Eleanor replied outraged. “If he wasn’t being so expansionist, the Irish would never have thought to go ahead and dig deep into this.”
“And yet he is still the best commander in Ireland now. Alphonso is not a boy anymore, Eleanor. I understand your concerns, but he must be allowed to grow.” Edward responded.
“Why not send him to Castile? Where he can hone his ability as a diplomat.” Eleanor asked.
“Because I intend for you and Edward to go there, and besides Alphonso suggested he go to Ireland, I have agreed, I will not change my mind on that.” Edward said.
Eleanor knew then that pushing the Ireland matter was pointless. Instead, she focused on Castile. “You wish for me to go to Castile to meet with my great nephew and recognise him as King?”
“Yes. And to make sure that our daughter hasn’t agreed to marry her daughter off to someone whose father murdered his own kin.” Edward said.
Eleanor thought on that and then said. “You don’t truly think he would do you?”
“I do not know.” Edward responded. “But either way, I wish for you to go to know what is happening there.”
“Very well.” Eleanor responded. Perhaps her husband was right and this would be the best way to ensure that Castile did not become a Portuguese or a Aragonese puppet.
“And of course Edward shall go with you.” Her husband said.
“Edward? Why?” Eleanor asked. Their second son was fourteen now, had displayed some traits of being smart, better with books than Alphonso had been at the same age, but he’d also displayed a worrying closeness with some of the young men in his household.
Edward looked at her with a fixed gaze. “He needs to know how to do these things. When Alphonso is King, Edward will be his main advisor, like Edmund is to me on matters such as Gascony and war. He must go with you now to learn such things.”
Eleanor wanted to protest, but then she thought perhaps this might be a way to pull him away from some of the less savoury elements of his household. “Very well.” She said. “When do you want for us to leave?”
“A ship will be prepared to depart in a week’s time.” Edward said. Eleanor nodded.
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Absolutely. They had damn near everything in common with one another and apparently communicated really well. Considering how Eleanor of Provence often acted at odds to her husband Henry III and we all know about Isabella of France, Eleanor was 100% #TeamEdward
In order for their marriage to have been as successful as it was, it had to have been a very healthy, fulfilling relationship.
Chapter 66: Mamluk
VVD0D95
Banned
Chapter 66: Mamluk
December, 1298
December, 1298
Winter had made the ground soft. There was a risk that they might fall into traps and such. Indeed, Lachin had lost his brothers to traps set carefully around the battlefield on the approach. He did not know how the so called Lord of Upper Egypt had managed it, but he had. And so, here he was mounted on his trusted steed, preparing to ride out onto the field of battle, not entirely sure if it was going to go well.
How things had changed. The Copts had rebelled, and they’d encouraged half the people to come with them and rebel. He did not know how, but they had. As if pulling him out of his thoughts his cousin Nasir spoke. “They are amassing a sizeable force. There is word that their cavalry has ridden back to camp, after an argument between their leaders.”
Lachin looked at his cousin. “Do you believe it?” It seemed too convenient.
“I do not know. All I know is that we need all the luck we can get.” Nasir responded.
“How are the men doing?” Lachin asked.
His cousin spat something out onto the side of the ground and said. “They are willing to fight. But they know there are limits.”
“Limits?” Lachin asked. His father had never had to suffer limits, this was a completely knew phrase to him.
“Yes.” Nasir responded. When Lachin raised an eyebrow demanding further explanation, the man said. “They will not fight unless you are the one to lead the charge.”
Before Lachin replied, a horn sounded somewhere in the distance, followed by several more horns. “I suppose that is our answer then.” He spurred his horse forward, took out his sword, and bellowed something, what it was he did not know. He would not remember it later. He advanced forward, his cousin following him. His heart started thumping as they moved closer and closer to the enemy.
The initial bunch was a hail of arrows being launched at him, he saw Nasir fall relatively quickly. But soon pushed that image out of his mind. He saw others fall, and thanked Allah that the arrows missed him. whether by chance or a deliberate course of action, he found he did not much care. He just wanted to get moving. Soon enough, the arrow fire stopped, and the enemy came charging at him.
Spears mainly, they were talented spearmen that much he could acknowledge, but they were also nuisances. He swung his sword and cut down their wooden weapons, but some of them managed to break through his defences. They pierced his skin and turned the armour into dirt sometimes. It was a gravely frustrating thing. The backwards and forwards push of the elements meant that sometimes he felt as if he were winning and other times as if there was no hope whatsoever.
The spearmen soon melted away and then it was raw aggression coming from the enemy. Foot soldiers fought him and his men, they cut away at the horses, and at him. He managed to stay ahorse, but several of his generals fell and bled to the ground. He could not see the leader of this rabble, of this movement that was likely to try and consign him to the dirt. That infuriated him. He wanted and needed to be the one to kill the enemy, but it seemed he was going to be denied that right.
Suddenly a spear came and hit his horse, causing it to stumble. As the horse fell, Lachin threw his weapons aside, but struggled to break free from the saddle. Eventually he got free, but he fell over and just avoided being crushed by his mount by rolling to the other side. Around him the battle raged, he tried to get up but was knocked back down and his attempts to find a weapon proved futile. He panicked then.
As he tried to rise, he saw his army cut down around him. The enemy had brought their cavalry with them through some clever trickery, and now his men were being hacked to pieces. He tried to shout out to alert his men to where he was, but none of them knew or perhaps none of them cared. Either way, he was stuck, stranded and without a way to rise. For when he tried to do so, his legs would give out under him.
So, he decided to lie there. He hated doing so, but he knew that that was perhaps the only way to manage it. He lay there and waited for the end. He thought to himself that if this was how his dynasty ended then so be it. He had not the strength to continue fighting anymore, he needed to rest. He wanted to rest. Perhaps Allah would grant him that. He closed his eyes and allowed the heat to wash over him.
He did not know how much time had passed, but suddenly he was being shaken awake. He blinked and a figure was stood before him, and then he was being lifted up and dragged somewhere. He yelled in pain, his legs were broken clearly. The battlefield was littered with bodies and bones and broken animals. They carried him for miles, it felt like. His body groaned in protest the entire time.
Then they got to a tent and he was dumped on the floor, he cried out in pain, and a dagger was pressed against his flesh. “So, you are the Mamluk Sultan.” A voice said in Arabic.
“Who are you?” He demanded unable to turn around.
“I am Cyril, Lord of Egypt.” The voice replied.