Disclaimer:	I do not own William Thatcher, Kate, Wat, Geoffrey Chaucer, or King Edward, but all of the other characters in this fan fiction are my creation.
Author's Note:	This story begins about a week after William dies. Jocelyn died when her twin children were very young. Kate and Wat helped Will raise children after their mother died. Christiana and Roland had married and moved to a small farm on the outskirts of London to raise a family. Chaucer has returned to London to teach and pursue his writing career.

```````````````````````````````````````````````

A Daughter's Tale

Chapter One – All For Honor

```````````````````````````````````````````````

Lady Josephine Thatcher looked down at the granite headstone; tears streaked her ivory face. She knelt beside the grave and laid a single rose on the damp soil. "You'll finally be together again Father. I pray that I can be all you raised me to be. I know that it must have been hard for you raising me without Mother, especially after Joseph left and this may be a bit late but I think you did a great job. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do without you. I mean I know that I still have Kate and Wat, but it will never be the same." Her tears were falling faster now and she was finding it hard to hold it together. She jumped slightly at the unexpected touch of a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on Josie, it is getting late and I can't have you getting sick." Kate said softly. The Irish brunette had always been a sort of surrogate mother to Josephine.

The young blonde turned her watery brown eyes up to her friend, "What will I ever do without him Kate?"

"You'll manage my Josie, the same way your father did when your mother died." The older woman replied as she helped the distraught teenager up from the cold ground. "I know this is hard on you, but I know that you'll manage things here at the manor."

Josephine wiped her tears from her deep brown eyes and looked up at the large stone house in the distance. Her father had been born the son of a peasant thatcher in Cheapside, London, but he had made a small fortune competing in tournaments. He had been knighted by King Edward himself years ago when the King was still just the Black Prince of Whales. William had raised his children as best he could, after his dear wife Jocelyn had died succumbed to illness when her children were only two years old. Not quite sure what to do with a girl he decided to raise her in the same manner he planned on raising his son. Both children were trained in combat, and practiced for tournament competitions, although neither of them ever competed. Joseph had left home sometime ago to fight for the king's army; no one had heard from him since and presumed him to be dead.

When the two women reached the large manor house, they found Wat sitting on the stone hearth in front of a roaring fire clutching a parchment scroll with both hands. He looked up at the women with a sullen expression; "I'll be going to London to tell King Edward of Will's death. I'm sure he will wonder why his champion will not be competing in Paris next month."

Josephine shook her head; "You will do no such thing Wat. I have decided to compete in my father's place." Josephine stated with confidence.

Kate stepped forward, standing between the wiry redhead and the determined sixteen year old, "Oh no! That is impossible, women do not compete."

"Women are not blacksmiths either Kate and that never stopped you. I have trained for this my whole life, I know it is what my father would have wanted."

Wat stood up shaking his head and gripping the scroll tighter in his hand, "Will would have never allowed you to do such a thing. Besides how do you expect to hid the fact that you're a woman." He held up the scroll and pointed at Josephine's bosom, "Incase you've forgotten, you've got breasts!"

Josephine snatched the scroll from the man's grasp and closed the gap between them, staring at him defiantly; "Armor will cover that, and as for this," she said holding up the scroll before tossing it into the fire, "I will write my own letter to the king." She turned on the two elders with a proud gleam in her eyes; "If my father taught me one thing it was the importance of honor, I can not let my families die with."

"You can never pass for your father Josie." Kate replied gently trying to be the voice of reason.

"I have no intention of passing for my father, I will compete as his son."

Wat's face was beginning to change to the color of his hair as his anger with the teenager grew, "But you are not his son!"

Josephine raised an eyebrow as she snapped her head in his direction, "And you, Wat, are not my father. For all any of us know Joseph is dead, no one has heard from him in four years. You once risked your life to help my father change his stars Wat, now it is time to help change mine." Her expression softened as she sighed, "We all know that it was it was the money Father made at tournament that kept this household running all these years. How do you expect me to keep it up on my own? All we have is what my father left us, which can only go so far."

"Once you marry none of that will matter, you will take on your husbands wealth." Kate replied sensibly.

"And what if I never marry? I can not count on a union that may never happen Kate. There is no other way; I have to do this. I do not expect either of you to understand my decision, but I have to ask you to stand by it. I plan to send for Geoff as well. I will have a letter for you to deliver to his home on your way to London in the morning." With that last statement she turned her lean frame toward the stared and climbed them to her bedchamber leaving her companions alone.

Kate found it hard not to smile at the young girls determination, "She is every bit her father's daughter." She stated proudly as she watched Josephine cross the catwalk to her room.

Wat huffed and glared at Kate, "She'll get her self killed out there. She is not ready for a real competition. The other knights in the lists will slaughter her."

"It is our job to insure that doesn't happen Wat. She is every bit as strong and capable as her father she just needs guidance." She turned her eyes to the ground as she thought; "Do you think you could find your way to Roland's house?"

The redhead shook his head, "I think I can find it, why what have you got up your sleeve woman?"

Kate smiled at Wat, "I want you to go get him and tell him of her plans. If anyone can help guide her though this it would be Roland. I have heard that he and Christiana have a daughter nearly Josie's age, is it true?"

"Yeah, Lenior. Last time I saw her she was just a baby."

"I think that having someone her age around will help our Josie, it has been hard for her not knowing where her brother is, they were always so close." Kate sighed, "I think that it is time that we should be going on to bed, you will have a full day ahead of you tomorrow and I have a new suit of armor to forge." Kate walked out of the room leaving Wat alone to put out the fire. He knew that the scheme Josephine hatched could get them all killed if they were found out. It was the same risk he had taken once for her father, and he would take it again for the young girl. He knew that she shared his foul short temper.

With a defeated sigh Wat put out the fire and trudged down the hall to his room. He knew in the morning Josephine would have her letters ready and he would be sure to deliver them regardless of the consequences they may bring.