Westminster Palace

[Oznerol]

"So, you were diligent in your duties as warden of the ports"

Said the king, closing the illuminated book.

"That's the least you could do"

He looked at Beaufort, sideways. It was an insignificant sum, considering the volume of royal finances, however.

"If you keep serving is dilligently, we might be prone to reconsider our previous stance"

[Lucius Malfoy]

Henry bows his head to the King as Richard turns his gaze to Beaufort.

Such dues are not unheard of, yet I felt that it was necessary to collect them. Otherwise it would set a bad example to others who may follow.

Beuafort turns to the servant, nodding as the male steps back, leaving the box for the King.

​I shall return to my post then, Your Majesty. Only by your leave.

[Oznerol]

"Of course, of course"

He wavered his hand a bit comically. Once he left, the king stared at the small coffer and sighed. He resumed the lecture.

[Gandalfus]

A letter arrives, with Lancaster's seal:

Majesty,

It is truly a tragedy that my dear sister and her husband's son has passed. I write to you humbly requesting that you bless a match between mine own son, Thomas, and Lord Salisbury's dear daughter. If, God wills not, the aged Lord Montacute passes away, she shall be bereft of protection and guidance that I could provide as her father by law.

Your cousin and faithful vassal,

Henry, Duke of Lancaster etc.

[Barry Goldwater]

After many years' absence, Geoffrey Chaucer returns to Westminster and requests an audience with the King. He brings him manuscripts...many, many manuscripts. It would seem he's been busy in his absence, for the Canterbury Tales have ballooned in size indeed.

[Oznerol]

The king, as always, eagerly welcomed Chaucer into his innermost chambers. He offered the poet a seat, with a gesture of his head.

"My dearest Chaucer, take a seat. No need of pleasantries. What do you bring us, today?"

[General Brewster]

Richard of Coninsburgh, Earl of Cambridge came to speak the king. He had his armor half on, the realm was in open rebellion and Richard had declared for his King. The King gave him many gifts the recent years, even attending his own wedding, which the King had even facilitated. Now he would fight for his King rather then against him, even though he told his wife he'd join his own, and her brother.

[General Brewster]

After not being heard, Richard orders his knight to gather his 320 men, secure the palace.

Secret, ONLY OPEN IF REBEL

The orders are that Richard secures the king, so he can hand him over to York and Lancaster.

For the King/supporters

Richard says to be protecting the king. Does everything to pretend as such.

[Oznerol]

Lancaster entered the palace with all his associates. Soon ago, the new hammerbeam roof, started years before, shortly after the Appellants were defeated, had been finished. The splendid structure was something to behold: carved, painted and gilded. The keys of the vault, numbering dozens, were decorated with white harts badges, but every single hart carved was different. The walls were lined with richly-woven tapestries, including biblical, historical and mythological scenes. At the end, like an apse in a church, there was a dais, covered in french lillies and running leopards. The golden throne had a single occupant, Richard. He wore the full regalia, including the great crown of estate, the sceptre and the globe. The long mantle was embroidered with leopards. A jewelled, gem-incrusted badge pending from an equally jewelled collar covers the king's chest. The hair combed and the beard trimmed he awaited in full-majesty. Courtiers and yeomen lined the walls, and the duke of Ireland stood by the throne's side. Many faces were absent, the duke of Exeter among them. The Duke of Surrey, however, was present, wearing full suit of armor, the bascinet resting on his hip, sword and dagger pending from his golden belt; he looked sorely angry, arms crossed over his chest. He was acompanied by his equally armed brother, Lord Rotherham and the youngest son of the late Kent, Edmund Holland, unarmored and with a bowl haircut. William le Scrope, Earl of Wiltshire, also had the guts to be present, like Baron Willoughby; some other favorites were completely absent. The king exchanged a brief and nervous look with Ireland before Henry entered, and he allowed himself to mutter some words. Words only Ireland could hear:

"We will be rejoined in a place were sorrow doesn't exist, Robert. Removed from all this. God be merciful"

His eyes rested on Ireland's for a moment, meaningful. Then, he coughed to clear his voice and waited, resplendent in his golden, shimmering regalia, as the herald announced everyone.

[Gandalfus]

Bolingbroke stepped forward, bowing with a flourish. Lancaster was at the peak of physical condition, a man prepared for war; short and stocky, but also broad-shouldered and imposing in a suit of armour. A sword hung at his waist, helmet in the hands of squire.

"Majesty, I hath come to Westminster." Greeted Bolingbroke, with a deft flourish. They all stood here, gathered, the sycophants and lapdogs. Surrey, Le Scrope, Ireland... "We have come, all of us." He then gestured to those that stood with him, the plethora of peers that had taken up arms against the King for his perceived wrongdoings.

[Oznerol]

"We have been gracious enough to welcome thee, cousin Lancaster"

Said Richard.

"Despite we are afraid you come with ill intent, we are willing to hear what thou hast to say"

The king was shimmering, sitting on the golden throne, under the golden embroidered lillies and leopards. Surrey looked ill-humored and Wiltshire looked, simply, constipated. The courtier's faces covered up all range of emotions, from some stern calm to others visible nervousness.

[Gandalfus]

"Our offer was refused outright, and then an army raised to destroy us." Said Lancaster simply, recounting the events of the previous year.

"Which was unlawful. An action not befitting England's king." He paused, and breathed deeply, as if hesitant.

"We have not come with ill intent, but we have come to request you resign." Lancaster's brow furrowed, and he felt the need to clarify his words. "To resign the crown." ​He repeated, with more sternness in his tone, this time.

[Oznerol]

"We are God's annointed representative"

Said Richard, with composure.

"We have to refuse this. Only we are suited to bear the crown and its weight"

The sceptre wavered a little, as doubts were circling his mind.

"We refuse to hear thy words, cousin Hereford, thine ill-intent is plain to see. Ours is the birthright"

With those words, Richard raised from the seat and left through a side door, leaving all the court in disarray and confussion.

[Gandalfus]

Without another word, Henry ascended the steps of the dais, slowly, ponderously, one foot after the other. He stood adjacent to the throne, back turned to the rest, staring at it. Then, he turned to face those assembled, visage appearing almost without expression. He'd not come this far to be refused, turned away by a prisoner within the jail. If Richard would not give in, then Bolingbroke would force the crown from off his temples.

Slowly, the sword was drawn from scabbard, gripped within his right hand. He held it aloft, before him, positioning himself in front of the King's throne. Then, he laid his left hand upon it, as if to occupy it, poised to take the seat.

"I am Harre of Lancaster, son of John, son of the King Edward, third of that name." He looked at those who'd supported him expectantly. York, Percy, Buckingham, Maltravers, Courtenay, Neville... Had they all waited for this moment?

[General Brewster]

"Hail the true King" York proclaimed to the other nobles.

"I Edward of Norwich, 2 Duke of York, serve no king but the true king who's name is Henry of Bollingbroke, The Duke of Lancaster, King of England!" he said to his new King.

[Lucius Malfoy]

Harry Percy spoke next, bowing his head immediately before speaking his proclamation.

Hail the true King! Long live Henry of Lancaster!

Buckingham shortly followed after him.

Hail Henry, the fourth of that name! Long may his reign be!

[Barry Goldwater]

The Duke of Ireland was present (as he had to be for the King to talk to him earlier), having agreed with him in uncharacteristic silence. Despite not being the sharpest knife in the drawer, even he knew that it was unlikely that Lancaster, as one of the original Appellants, would be particularly kind to him: losing his ducal title was the least of his worries. And why, Robert had wondered? He hadn't done any wrong to the people of England, at least as far as he was concerned. Indeed he'd been content to lounge around in the King's palaces or his own estates and have fun all day, not start wars or plot as the swine gathering around the crown's pearls were set to do - no, Robert de Vere was too lazy to be actively malicious. By what grounds did they dare to slander him as the monster in this tale, when they were the ones bringing calamitous instability to the kingdom and threatening to oust the recognized sovereign of the country?

And now here was Lancaster, calling himself a king to the true king's face. Likely minutes away from snatching that crown off of dear Richard's head and calling for his next, Ireland surmised.

"Harre, son of John, son of old King Edward..." The sole Duke with not a trace of Plantagenet blood quipped. "Strange. I know no king by that name, only a Duke of Lancaster. What has possessed him and his peers, that they should all call him England's sovereign? Has the Lord swooped down His hand and plucked the crown off King Richard's brow, to seat it on Harre's instead, when I wasn't looking?" He actually wasn't even looking at the assembly of rebellious peers before the throne, instead talking to the ceiling as if he were joking to himself.

[Gandalfus]

"You should never have returned from exile, Oxford." Henry retorted, now seated upon the throne, the tip of his blade resting upon the polished floor. Ireland had been declared a traitor and the subsequent Parliament after Radcot, and he was inclined to uphold that ruling.

"Now go, make yourself useful. Fetch your lord Richard." The Duke then smiled, adopting a tone not too dissimilar to one used when speaking to a small child, or a dog. ​"Go on, go and get him."

[Oznerol]

Surrey bursted forward, irate, clenched fists.

"God forbid! Worst in this royal presence may I speak, yet best beseeming me to speak the truth!"

He moves with clanking sounds, wearing his harness.

"What subject can give sentence on his king? And who sits here that is not Richard's subject?

Holland's blood was boiling.

"And shall the figure of God's majesty, his captain, steward, deputy-elect, anointed, crowned, planted many years, be judged by subject and inferior breath and he himself not present?! Oh, forfend it, God, that in a Christian climate souls refined, should show so heinous, black, obscene a deed!"

He looked back at Hereford, relentless.

"I speak to subjects, and a subject speaks, stirr'd up by God, thus boldly for his king: my Lord of Hereford here, whom you call king, is a foul traitor to proud Hereford's king!"

Surrey said, with aplomb.

"And if you crown him, let me prophesy: The blood of English shall manure the ground and future ages groan for this foul act; peace shall go sleep with Turks and infidels and in this seat of peace tumultuous wars, shall kin with kin and kind with kind confound; Disorder, horror, fear and mutiny"

A finger, clad in steel, pointing at Bolingbroke's face. His voice was irate, both hands over the pommel of his sword.

"Oh, if you raise this house against this house, it will the woefullest division prove that ever fell upon this cursed earth."

[Barry Goldwater]

"Why shouldn't I have returned? My presence may not have bettered the kingdom, but it scarcely worsened it either. I cannot say the same for your former friends among the Appellants, nor this new cabal of Appellants you seem to have gathered around yourself." Ireland retorted, crossing his arms and scowling at Lancaster's peers. "And you are further mistaken if you think I am king and have power over His Majesty, Lancaster. He comes if he wishes and will not move if he does not wish it. I've no authority over him - I'm a whimsical soul as you might well know, but I do not think myself God Incarnate, with the power to move and make or unmake sovereigns at a whim." He pointedly returned his gaze to Lancaster.