Medieval England - Year 1450: Eleanor was a poor shopkeeper's daughter whose only hope for a better life for herself and her family was to marry well. When she caught the eye of Thomas Fletcher, a royal courtier of noble blood, her family thought he...
Henry gripped onto Eleanor's hand as they hurried across the courtyard and around the side entrance of the castle where they could slip out more easily without drawing too much attention. They made it out past the castle grounds to the cathedral across the busy road that was full of pedestrians walking, merchants peddling their goods and carriages and carts being pulled by horses.
Father Lawrence ushered them inside the chapel, locking the door behind them with a gold skeleton key and then lowering a large block of wood down into a metal slot across the door. It seemed like he was expecting people to try to ram their way through it.
"Your family has already arrived Eleanor and as for you your highness, Richard and Joan were the only two I asked to come because I know they support your union."
"Do they all know why they're here?" Eleanor asked.
He shook his head. "No, they all think they're here for a special prayer service and they were asked to keep it a secret. Now we must make haste, just in case Henry's mother has spoken to the council members and found out about what happened. We want the ceremony completed before she has a chance to stop it."
"I just need to change really quickly. It'll take thirty seconds. I promise," Eleanor told him, grabbing her bag and rushing into a side room before he could say no. She pulled out a beautiful ivory gown that Astrid had made for her to wear around the castle. Even though it wasn't a traditional color for weddings, she had decided she wanted to get married in that instead of the red dress that she had picked out for the wedding to Thomas.
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When she came back out, Henry was wearing his crown and his royal robes and chest plate. Joan must have brought them for him. He was looking so handsome that it made her eyes start to water again.
When Henry saw her his eyes lit up and he smiled, saying, "You look so beautiful."
Father Lawrence told them, "I hate to rush you, but we really must get started. I'll go down the aisle first and when you hear the organ music start to play, walk through the doors and down the aisle together." He rushed off without waiting for an answer.
Eleanor's heart was racing and she felt nervous. Seeing him in his crown and robe made it start to sink in that she was really about to marry a King, not just Henry, the man that she was in love with. He was in charge of an entire country and soon she would be too. It still didn't seem real and it was almost an out of body experience, as if she was watching all of this happen to someone else.
Perhaps this was all just a dream and she was still at home in her bed sleeping and tomorrow she would wake up and find out she was really about to marry Thomas Fletcher. That thought turned her stomach.
Then she heard the organ music start playing and Henry held out his elbow to her and she slipped her arm into it. They walked through the double doors and in front of them was a long aisle and Eleanor saw the guests spread out, seated on both sides of the cathedral. Her mother, father and two sisters were there on one side along with someone else that she couldn't see clearly and Joan, Richard and Astrid were on the other side.
