Chapter Text
11 Aug 1265
It was nighttime, and Eleanor was wide awake in her bed. The poppy they had given her for her grief and rage has subsided.
"Why would she want his head?! What did my husband ever do to Maude de Braose?!" She screamed at the time, then sobbed for a long time.
One week has passed since her husband and her eldest son died at Evesham. The royalists were so sadist that they hacked off their heads and let their dogs gnaw at Simon's body. Instead of thinking about that, she cried at the sight of Simon and Henry's pet dogs because she remembered how affectionate Simon and Henry were to them.
Guy's fate was unknown, because he was seriously wounded and taken prisoner to Windsor Castle, and she has not heard from the younger Simon.
"I know I can't go on like this Simon," she said. "I wish you could tell me how you faced death so bravely, so I can face my grief."
She lit a fire in the fireplace then used it to light candles to write a letter.
King Henry,
I will no longer address you as 'dear brother.' This is my last letter to you, and I do not think of you as 'brother' in my thoughts.
My grief is unimaginable to you. It is a grief shared by many of the people of England, who have also lost fathers and sons. And with that grief there is love, a love by the people that will always be unknown to both you and Edward. The people love Simon so much that they ignored excommunication and buried him at the High Alter and his soul was taken to heaven by their prayers.
I think it is Edward who shall inherit the legacy of Henry II, the legacy of being haunted by the man he wanted dead. It is a haunting known only by a king, because it is his subjects keeping the memory alive with their love. They love Simon because he gave them a reason to have hope.
I will stay in Dover Castle, I will never beg for your mercy.
--Eleanor de Montfort, widow of Simon de Montfort and mother of Henry de Montfort, they were heroes and greater men than you and Edward will ever be.
In the morning, she will give the letter to the Prior to send to Henry.