This is a fascinating piece--all of the iterations of longing and wanting and lack, the constructions of the sovereign as at once unattainable and desirable (and at once idol and martyr). I also love the tense shifts, Richard in present and Henry in past; it works very well for them. I'm not sure this is something you'd consider a compliment--but this feels like something I would've written. As such, it's just the sort of thing I liked to read. <3