the heir's secret

the tower

Suddenly my body falls to the floor. My soft skin hits the hard ground with a thump and my mind goes blank. I see the man's mouth moving and I watch as Elizabeth replies But I hear nothing. The world seems to swirl around me like I had been spinning for ages in a frantic circle. The tower. The place of torture and hell, the demons haven. I have heared so many stories. Men having their fingernails ripped out by pliers and limbs hacked off. And the rack. The devils machine that tears limbs from its sockets like a nut from its shell. So many people I have known have been walked out of there with black eyes and amputated limbs. It is as if the flames surround the stone walls, rising with each piercing scream.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and then a sudden tug that rises me to my feet. I look up and see the man looking straight at me.

"Katherine Woodville?" I feel my feet sink into the earth beneath me. Please God. Please don't. "You are to accompany your mistress to the tower and stay with her there." Oh God. My hands begin shaking at my side's and my breathing becomes uncontrollable. Suddenly I feel a brush of smooth skin as a hand clutches my own in a comforting grip. Elizabeth looks at me with confidence but I see the terrifying fear in her eyes. The man clears his throat and carries on talking. "You have twenty minutes to pack everything you need, a few dresses, shoes but no jewels or valuables. You will not need them."

"Thank you." Elizabeth replies with a feigned confidence that is almost believable. Still holding my hand in hers she walks me back towards Hatfield with guards at either side of us, their swords clanking with each step. Every sound seems maximised in my head, a whole jumble of loud noises clouding my mind. When Elizabeth lets go of my hand I look up to see that we are in her chamber, the guards standing at the door. I watch as her shaking hands try folding her dresses and fitting them into boxes.

"Elizabeth." I cry. She looks up, her eyes red and raw with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"For God's sake." She replies, her voice quivering with each breath. "Help me pack." I walk towards her wardrobe, taking out any dress I see, my fumbling hands folding them precariously leaving creases in the expensive cloth. Not a word is spoken until two soldiers take us by the arms and lead us out of Hatfield.

"Please, please I am innocent!" I scream to anyone who can hear as I am pushed into a carriage. As the door shuts with a loud bang I tug rapidly on the handle like a mad woman on a cage.

"Stop it." Elizabeth begs through her cries and sobs.

"I don't want to go, not there!" Suddenly Elizabeth puts her arms around my shoulders holding me close to her. I hear Robert Dudleys distant shout from outside as the carriage pulls out of the gate. Elizabeth flinches but she does not move from our hug.

We stay in this embrace until my back begins to ache from the bent over position I am forcing it into. Elizabeth realises my discomfort and she releases me. We look at each other for a while as the carriage rocks our bodies from side to side, the wheels creating a squelching sound while going through the mud of the country paths. My vision becomes blurry as I feel tears coming back again. I turn away from Elizabeth instead looking outside the window at the trees and woodland. Soon a blanket of darkness is put on top of England and the scene begins to change as we reach London. The normal quietness of the cobbled streets of London is forgotten tonight I realise as I hear distant screams. My palms begin sweating as I wonder whether we have reached the tower already.

"Help me!" I hear and turn my head to see complete mayhem. People running everywhere as guards on horses stampede anyone they see.

"What is happening?" I ask Elizabeth, my fear obvious in the stammer of my voice.

"They are protestants." She replies as she reaches for my hand. They clasp together in a fearful grip. We watch from our carriage as houses are ramsacked and people run screaming. A woman sees our carriage and begins running towards us, desperation on her face but she is picked up by a soldier and she is taken out of our view. Finally our carriage moves past the mayhem and the only noise is the sound of our fear stricken breathing, rapid and quivering. I listen as the sound of a gate opening is heared in front of my carriage and we are lead inside. Suddenly the carriage stops. Our door is opened slowly revealing the courtyard of tower green. I hear myself beginning to whimper as Elizabeth rises in front of me and steps out of the carriage. Unreluctantly I follow her lead. I look in front of me to see another man with several guards.

"Lady Elizabeth. You are to be held here until you are found guilty or innocent. You will be questioned, but you need not worry, there is to be no torture involved in your questioning by orders of the queen. I shall take you to your room." Suddenly he turns around and guards appear behind us giving us no choice but to follow. One foot in front of another, that's it. One foot and then the other. My foot suddenly hits a step and I fall on my hands, grazing my skin. I whimper at the sudden pain. Elizabeth lifts me back up and we carry on walking. One foot in front of the other, one foot in front of the other. Suddenly the sound of a door creaking open distracts me from my focus. I look up to see a room opened before us. No one moves until I hear Elizabeth clear her throat.

"Am I to stay in a cell, sir?"

"No, lady." He replies with a fake kindness. "It has a bed and a writing desk. It is much bigger than a cell too." Elizabeth nods her head and bravely she walks inside. I begin to cry and try to walk back until I feel a push on my back that forces me into the room. The door shuts behind me before I can even react. My God. I'm here. I'm a prisoner, like my mother was, my God.

"She is kind." I hear Elizabeth say and I look up to see her looking out the one window that the small room has. "I truly thought I would have had to sleep on hay. She is merciful."

"Merciful?!" I scream but my voice cracks and I end up bursting into tears. Elizabeth runs towards me and wraps her arms around my shoulders, we fall to the floor together, crying into each others arms.

"We are going to get through this Kate." She stammers through her sobs.

"Do you really think she will spare us?" I ask, my cries becoming stronger with each breath. "Like those Protestants or like Jane maybe? She is not merciful."

"She didn't know Jane." Elizabeth replies, her anger now brought to light on the mention of her cousin. "We were close once. She feels something towards me I know she does. She will spare me." Elizabeth wipes her eyes and stands up, leaving me on the floor in a heap.
"She will spare me." She repeats, but she doesn't sound adamant. I wipe my eyes making my fingers wet, I almost imagine to look at my fingers and see blood instead of tears. Death is all that I can see now. Oh God, please save us.