"THE COUNTRY IS MINE!"

"YOU LIE! I HAVE THE BLESSING OF THE POPE HIMSELF TO RULE ENGLAND!"

"YOU ARE WEAK! YOU ARE WEAK AND A LIAR! HOW DARE YOU!"

"GIVE UP LANCASHIRE! YOU HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE! I MAY AS WELL HAVE ALREADY WON. I HAVE EVERYTHING... Except..."

"DON'T YOU DARE HURT HER!"

"She's my daughter too... She loves me, why should I not take her?"

"Mummy... MUMMY LET GO OF ME!"

"YORKSHIRE, PLEASE... DON'T HURT HER..."

"I won't. Providing that she never sees her father again, she'll be perfectly safe with me."

"MUMMY NO! PLEASE, MUMMY!"

"...F-Fine. But I'll get her back. I'll beat you eventually, even if it costs me my life."

"Hah, good luck to you, imposter!"

-

No... It's not real... It was years ago... The Wars of the Roses are long-since over... Go back to sleep...

-

"YOU DARE BETRAY ME, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE? YOU ARE A FOOL! HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY YOUR KING! YOU AND YOUR CRETIN WILL PAY FOR THIS! YOU ARE A SINNER AND A TRAITOR AND NOTHING MORE-"

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOU NEVER CARED, MONARCHY! I'M ONLY DONG WHAT'S RIGHT FOR MY PE-"

"YOU DO NOT CALL ME BY MY NAME! I AM YOUR KING, YOU CALL ME 'YOUR MAJESTY'!"

"YOU ARE NO KING OF MINE!"

"IMAGINE WHAT YOUR PARENTS MUST THINK OF YOU! YOU DESERVE TO DIE, TO BE PUT ON DISPLAY FOR ALL TO SEE AS WHAT YOU TRULY ARE: AN AGENT OF THE DEVIL HIMSELF!"

"Y-YOU WOULDN'T DARE!"

"HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHO IS STOOD BEFORE YOU? I DO WHAT I PLEASE! BEGONE!"

"YOU CANNOT KILL SOMEONE SIMPLY FOR-"

"I SAID BEGONE!"

-

But it's ok... You're alive... Alive and safe... Ok, maybe not safe, but alive certainly... Go back to sleep...

-

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT I LOVED HER!"

"'NOT YOUR FAULT'? NOBODY MADE YOU FALL FOR ANOTHER WOMAN! NOBODY MADE YOU KISS HER!"

"IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE!"

"YOU DESERVED WHAT YOU GOT, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE; SOMETHING WHICH IS ONLY PROVEN BY THIS SO-CALLED REVOLT OF YOURS! In fact, what is to stop me getting rid of you here and now? I'm sure God would thank me for it..."

"You wouldn't dare..."

"There's nothing to stop me."

"Put the sword down. You don't have to do this, Buckinghamshire..."

"I do. And I won't get caught either. It's just me and you, you and me. Say goodbye while you still can..."

-

Shaking and shivering in the suffocating darkness, Northamptonshire gave in, crying and screaming uncontrollably. Crying for her childhood of battles and fear that her parents would kill each other at the next opportunity, crying for her people that had lost their lives fighting for justice, crying for the pain and anguish of Buckinghamshire's betrayal and attempt at murder, all the while mourning the happiness that she never truly had.

She wasn't going to survive this civil war; she probably didn't even deserve to anyway. She was a traitor, a witch, always an unwanted burden and never able to be loved by anyone without it ending in death or heartbreak. Why didn't she give up, why didn't she just leave? Why didn't she just face Judgement now, while she still had a chance to be pitied by the Lord? In fact, why not simply...

"What's wrong?!" called out a familiar, warm voice, as the candles of the room were illuminated enchantingly one by one and a pair of gentle arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders.

"C-Cambridge?"

"Why are you crying?" Cambridge whispered, staring at her, his face pale shadowed by concern and heartache.

"Just bad dreams..."

"About what, dear?"

"Yesterday," Northants sniffed, "And the Monarchy... And other things..."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Cambridge whispered softly, once again allowing her to cry into his shoulder while he stroked her silky hair.

"Well, you know about what Buckinghamshire did... And I assume you were told about when she... Um... Told Monarchy that I..."

"Was attracted to females?"

"Yes..."

"SHE DID THAT? T-THAT WAS HER?"

"It was," Northants nodded, "...And Monarchy's reaction to the Midlands Revolt is common knowledge these days..."

"I suppose it is," he nodded, "and I can only assume that makes it more painful... But I'll protect you from them, and so will York, and I daresay Nottingham will too." His tone became bitter and frosty as he said Nottingham's name, but it soon melted away again into soothing comfort as he added, "Would you prefer it if I stayed with you tonight?"

"Yes please..." Northants nodded, allowing him to curl up beside her and hold her hands gently between his.

"Ok... Now think about happy things, ok? Like... I don't know, how was your childhood?"

"Terrible."

"In what way, if you don't mind me asking? Maybe we can find something good within it?"

"My parents are Yorkshire and Lancashire. I think that's fairly self-explanatory, trauma-wise."

"BLOODY HELL..." Cambridge gasped, "Why did they have a child?!"

"No idea," Northants sighed, "I wish they didn't..."

"Well, I'm glad they did," Cambridge whispered, gazing into Northants's dampened eyes, "Because I have no idea what I would do without my perfect Rose of the Shires."

Smiling slightly and blushing at this nickname, Northamptonshire rested against Cambridge, focusing on his warmth and gentle, sweet accent and gorgeous smile, and quickly drifting off to sleep.

. . .

"OOOOOOOOOOH, LOVEBIRDS!" York practically squealed, ducking rather unceremoniously into Northants's room the next morning.

"SHHHHH!" Cambridge glared at him, pointing his middle finger very deliberately up at York, nodding at the sleeping Northamptonshire.

"Awh, I'll leave you two to cuddle in peace~"