[werewolf AU] A long night

[tiltingwithlips]

King Henry is ill, most likely dying, and the kingdom has known so for some time. For now, at least, the English are thinking more about succession than about rebellions, past or future.

The palace in London is still and quiet tonight. The air is heavy with tension, thick with the smell of worry.

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[tiltingwithlips]

The Duke of Lancaster rushes forward to help his brother bear their father's body to the floor.

Kate -- doesn't know what to feel.

[valiantrebel]

One answer becomes plain enough to Harry: worry. They must not be discovered. They must find a way out, and quick.

Men of the court swarm to the scene. Guards come rushing in and out. The main entrance is thoroughly out of the question. In the midst of all this, Hal turns and stares in their direction.

[tiltingwithlips]

Kate gives Hal an alarmed look.

Is this going to be how it ends, then? With Hal discovering them to the rest of the court?"

[valiantrebel]

Hal shakes his head, and turns to the rest of the throne room.

"We must bear his royal body hence, lords. Afore God, when we have brought him to a statelier rest, I must to the chapel for a time, alone."

Harry squeezes Kate's hand. He nods toward a small door hidden in the paneling at the back of the room.

[tiltingwithlips]

Kate lets out a breath, nods, and starts creeping that way.

[valiantrebel]

The door creaks, but at least the uproar covers it well enough. It opens into a narrow passageway, ill lit and drafty. At the very least, they're hidden, for now. If only Harry had the slightest idea where Westminster's chapel was.

[tiltingwithlips]

The moment the door is shut behind them, Kate grabs Harry for a quick, desperate kiss.

"Harry -- art well?"

[valiantrebel]

He cannot enjoy it -- he is too distracted.

"In body, well enough." He bows his head and exhales hotly. "We did not plan for this."

[tiltingwithlips]

"God above, Harry, what did we plan for?"

[valiantrebel]

He snorts. "I'll not dispute thee." He knits his brow. "We cannot trust him to come alone, Kate. Nor to let us leave."

[tiltingwithlips]

She closes her eyes. "I know. But to leave him alone with this--"

[valiantrebel]

"Did he not kill me? Is he not known for a scoundrel? And shall we suppose him so much less a creature than thee, little though I like to say so? He shall be king, they say, and a king must overcome plenty."

[tiltingwithlips]

"He did not kill thee," she points out in a mutter, "but only tried."

A sigh. "But there thou speakest truth, I'll warrant. Then we must needs be away?"

[valiantrebel]

"He all but succeeded, but for thee," he snaps, and pinches the bridge of his nose.

He stays like that, shoulders hunched, for what feels an interminable time. He hate to say this, or even to think it, but they've no more armies, no more rebellions, no more leverage over the crown -- save for this. Harry cares not a whit whether Hal must face his full moons alone and afraid.

And yet.

[tiltingwithlips]

Kate watches him for a moment, her expression unreadable, then touches his elbow.

"Then get thee gone from the castle. This coil is 'long of me."

[valiantrebel]

"Shall I leave thee here alone? Nay, nor shall he think I've fled him. What sort of man should that make me?"

[tiltingwithlips]

"A safe one -- and a living one!"

[valiantrebel]

"Enough!" He shakes his head and straightens. "We'll go ahead of him. That we are in his palace we cannot help, but we'll ensure that which we can. If thou wilt keep him where we might see, I'll to our security."

[tiltingwithlips]

"So be it, then." She turns, sniffing the air, and leads the way down the corridor.

[valiantrebel]

The hue and cry is making its way through the halls of the palace; lords and prelates and guards are all in a confusion. Harry is little good at sneaking, and must remind himself more forcefully than ever not to engage and not to invite the need for defense.

An old thread of incense seeps toward them from the left; thank God, the architects of Westminster knew how the king might need quick access to the Lord.

[tiltingwithlips]

Kate's nostrils flare, and she grabs Harry's sleeve to lead him down to the left. There are one or two near misses, as they pass intersecting hallways and a few rooms with people moving about, but at last they make it to the chapel unmolested.

Getting inside is not exactly a relief. Who knows who else might come seeking a quiet place for prayer before the prince can make his way here?

[valiantrebel]

Or how long they must needs wait.

Harry cannot help but prowl the space. The lay of it is exposed enough in the middle, but there are dark corners, tall columns, tables to throw in the path of pursuers. The quiet is unnerving after the bustle of the halls.

He peers through a door: open spaces only, no place for a party of soldiers to hide. "He'll not surprise us, if he means an ambush."

[tiltingwithlips]

Kate watches him move through the room, clasping her hands together.

"I do not think it, Harry. He smelled -- I know the smell of a man ready for a fight," she says, dry.

[valiantrebel]

He stops and glares at her.

"There is a smell for that? Marry, thou speakst false to vex me."

[tiltingwithlips]

"What sayest thou?" She glares back. "Think'st thou I do not know the smell of my own husband?"