In which King Edward IV finds himself captivated by a woman he cannot have and no matter how many years pass or how hard he tries, he is unable to give up on their love. For she had a place in his heart no one else could have, a place not even his o...
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In the courtyard of Westminster, Nora stood off to the side, watching as Arthur, now eight years old, sparred with a man Edward had appointed to teach his firstborn son how to use a sword.
Nora watched closely. Her son was good, but it was obvious he still needed work. He looked nervous, as if he were afraid of hurting the man he was sparring with. It concerned Nora, knowing that same matter would not be good if he were actually fighting with someone.
"Stop, stop!" She exclaimed, causing her son and the man to stop. They lowered their swords, turning to face her as she walked over to them.
"You look nervous," Nora pointed out to her son as she extended her hand out to the other man.
He frowned, realizing she was telling him to hand over the sword.
"I'm not nervous," Arthur complained as he watched the instructor finally hand his mother the sword.
"You are," Nora argued, not even noticing how Edward had walked into the courtyard and watched the scene occur.
Nora began to walk around her son, pointing the sword at him. "If you are nervous, your opponent will soon realize it. He will take advantage. No matter what you feel inside, you must always show a brave face to the world. You must not show fear. Understand?" She asked and Arthur slowly nodded his head in understanding, "Now, defend yourself."
"W-what?" Arthur gasped, his eyes widening in shock since he knew his mother was telling him to spar with her.
"Defend yourself," She demanded in a stern tone.
Arthur slowly nodded, despite feeling uneasy about sparring with his own mother.
He took a deep breath, just before he began to swing at his mother. Nora was able to block his forms of attack but never did she attempt to counter one.
Edward walked down the stairs, smiling in amusement at the sight of Nora sparring with their son.
Arthur and Nora's soon deadlocked. Nora used only one hand to grasp the handle of her sword while Arthur used both. He grunted as he tried to overpower her and soon enough, he pushed so hard that Nora fell backward.
She fell flat on her ass with a thud, causing many people who were watching to feel concerned.
"Lady mother!" Arthur was on the verge of rushing toward his mother as his father did.
They both stopped, however, when Nora began to chuckle. "Good. Very good," She praised her son, groaning as she forced herself up off the ground, "Continue like that and you'll be a great warrior."
"What if I don't want to be a warrior?" Arthur suddenly asked, looking up at his mother with a disappointed look.
"All boys must fight in war sooner or later, my son," Edward suddenly spoke up and Arthur turned to look at his father, "And you're a boy born into the House of York. We have always been known as war heroes, as will you."
