LOVE AND WAR
— 5. Guilty

That night, Nora arrived at the large tree to find Edward already waiting for her. The moment he heard her approaching, Edward turned to face her.

"And here I thought I was going to be early," She commented, earning a smile from Edward.

She suddenly froze, glancing around to see Edward had a blanket laid out on the grass, along with a bowl of fruits, two empty glasses, and a bottle of wine.

"I hope you like it," Edward spoke up, holding his hand out to her, "Come, sit."

Nora smiled softly, moving closer to Edward. He grabbed her hand, leading her over to the set up on the ground. They sat down together and Edward wasted no time pouring them both a glass of wine.

He handed the filled glass to her and Nora gave him a thankful look as she grabbed it. She took a sip, finding the taste to be wonderful. It wasn't just some ordinary wine, it was expensive for sure.

"Tell me about yourself," Edward encouraged Nora, a smile on her face, "Besides being a Lancaster...and the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on."

Nora playfully rolled her eyes at Edward, earning a satisfied look from the York king. "I am eighteen, of course. I was the apple of my father's eye growing up. He spoiled me constantly. My mother often grew jealous of the attention he gave to me instead of her. My mother was distant growing up. She loved me, but she practically only saw me as what most men view their daughters to be. Property to be sold like broodmares in order to make alliances. My father viewed me differently. I was his heir, after all. His only child."

"You idolized him," Edward realized, an unreadable expression on his face, "You must have been distraught when he was killed in battle."

Nora remained silent, smiling sadly as she nodded her head. "It was the reason I became a healer. I wanted to help people survive their wounds since my father wasn't able to. I've been doing it for nearly two years now and I plan to return when the next important battle occurs."

"Tomorrow," Edward stated, causing Nora's eyes to widen in shock, "Does that mean you will join us on our travels? I dare say I've never had a woman join us on the battlefield."

"I don't join you on the battlefield," Nora complained, playfully slapping him on the arm, "I arrive at the aftermath, to tend to the wounded."

"Perhaps you'll tend to me," Edward jokingly responded, earning an eye roll from Nora.

"Don't joke like that. Some of the men I come across are beyond saving," Nora admitted, a saddened look on her face.

"What do you do, then?" Edward found himself asking, a curious look on his face.

"I give them a certain elixir," She replied calmly, earning a puzzled look from Edward, "It allows them to die a quick and painless death."

"Are you saying you perform witchcraft?" Edward suddenly asked, beginning to feel uneasy.

"No, no, of course not!" Nora exclaimed, a look of disbelief on her face, "It's a mixture of herbs I find in the woods. I have poisons, too. But they are for those who don't deserve to live."

Edward nodded in understanding, beginning to understand everything a bit better. "So you have a mastery in poisons, then."

"I could poison a man and make it look as though he died of natural causes," Nora informed Edward, who instead of feeling worried, genuinely looked impressed.

"That could be quite useful to me," Edward played along, but apart of him was being serious, "You could be my very own apothecary, you know."

"Hmm," Nora hummed in response, taking another sip of her wine as she sat next to Edward.

Edward turned to glance at her, a smile on his face. He scooted closer to her, wrapping one arm around her before picking up a strawberry. "Taste it. They were just imported from Rome," He insisted and Nora smiled slightly, opening her mouth as Edward allowed her to take a bite of it.

Her eyes widened, enjoying the taste of the strawberry, which was a fruit she had never tried before.

Edward smiled, satisfied with her reaction as he took a bite of the same strawberry. "Delicious, aren't they? I've grown fond of this fruit as of late."

"They're exquisite," Nora admitted softly, a hint of astonishment at the taste of the fruit.

"Have more. There's an entire bowl of them here," Edward suggested, picking up the large clay bowl before holding it out to her.

Nora took another strawberry, wasting no time biting into it. Edward smiled as he watched her find pleasure in tasting the red fruit for the first time. He was glad he found something she seemed to enjoy.

"I shall order my men to make sure there is a tent set up for you at the battle camp, Lady Nora," Edward spoke up, causing Nora to turn to him with an amused look, "One that belongs to you and you alone."

"In close proximity of yours, I assume," She commented, earning a mischievous look from Edward.

"Did you expect anything less of me, Lady Nora?" He asked and Nora quietly giggled.

"It seems you have to tell me about you now, Your Grace," Nora suggested, smiling happily at Edward, "What is there to know about King Edward IV that most do not know?"

Edward smiled softly, taking a moment before he began to rant to Nora about all there was to know about him. Nora listened to it all, taking in every detail. She learned things about Edward that she would have never expected from the king of England. In a way, he was just like her, a person who was forced to be something he never expected to be.

For hours, they sat there and somehow, after a long while, the duo fell asleep on the grass, not realizing people were probably looking for him, especially Edward. He was, after all, the king of England.

First light soon came around and yet, Edward and Nora were still asleep on the grass together, Edward's arm wrapped around Nora's peacefully sleeping figure. Feeling something sharp being poked into his side, Edward's eyes fluttered open.

He groaned, turning his head to see who it was. He immediately jolted awake when he saw that it was George, poking him with his sword. "Are you mad?" George exclaimed at his brother angrily, Richard soon walking over to stand next to him, "We're due to leave for battle in two hours. Everyone is looking for you and you're with this Lancastrian whore."

Edward lowly growled at George, beginning to glare at him. "Don't call her that," He warned his brother, who began to smirk in amusement.

"What shall I call her, then, dear brother?" George asked loudly, causing Edward to look uneasy since he feared that Nora would wake up and hear them talking about her, "She must be one if she involved herself with you. No sane and virtuous woman would involve herself with the man known as the whore of England, especially when she's a Lancaster and you're a York. Perhaps you two deserve each other."

"Shh," Edward shushed his brother, turning to glance at Nora's sleeping figure anxiously, "You'll wake her."

Edward turned to look at George and Richard. Both of his brothers gave him a weird look, wondering why Edward was so worried about waking Nora. What did it matter?

"Too late," She suddenly spoke up, causing Edward to look down at her in shock to see her eyes opening.

Edward remained silent, looking guilty as he watched her sit up. He opened his mouth to speak up, only to watch her stand up and smooth out her wrinkled dress. "If you're due to return to the war in a few hours time, it means I must prepare myself and ready the equipment I will need to treat the wounded," She quickly stated, fearing for whatever she was about to say.

She paused, turning to glance at George and Richard before she bowed. "Apologies for what you saw, my lords," She politely responded before walking off.

Edward sighed in defeat, hesitantly watching as she walked away. She was clearly feeling embarrassed, having been found by his brothers. She hoped it didn't upset her, though. They were only just getting to know each other. He didn't want to ruin it.

Edward turned, giving George an annoyed look. "Was that necessary?" He asked, practically growling at his younger brother.

George gradually began to smirk, astonished by what he had just realized. "This one you like, Edward. You like her very much." He remarked, earning a glare from Edward, "I can see that now. She'll be the death of you, you know."

Edward stood up, roughly pushing past George as he walked away from him and Richard. 

_____

    Nora walked into her chambers, immediately beginning to pack up her poisons and her antidotes, not even realizing there was someone else in the room with her.

Suddenly hearing the floor creak, Nora jumped in fright. She whipped herself around, finding her mother sitting in a chair at the far end of the room with her arms crossed over her chest. "What do you think you're doing?" Katherine asked her daughter, a suspicious look on her face.

"I'm preparing for battle," Nora answered calmly, earning an odd look from Katherine, "It's time I returned to tending to the wounded left on the battlefield."

"You will do no such thing," Katherine demanded, standing up from her seat. She walked closer to Nora, a stern look on her face, "I wasn't able to stop you the last time you wanted to be this reckless, but I am now. I am your mother. Your father is dead, which means I now have full control over what you do."

Nora scoffed, causing Katherine to give her a warning look. She sighed in defeat, looking down at the ground in order to avoid eye contact with Nora.

Katherine ignored this. She walked closer to Nora, roughly grabbing her daughter by the chin in order to force her to look her in the eye. Nora flinched, fearing for what her mother was about to do.

"You're gifted with beauty as I am, Nora. Golden blonde hair with beautiful green eyes. I will not let you waste such a gift by being the king's whore," She paused, noticing the questioning look Nora was giving her, "You claimed you were done being a healer after you returned, but now, you've changed your mind. I know it involves Edward going off to battle. You want to be with him. I will not allow it. You will stay here. You will help me plan on overthrowing the Yorks and we will restore the Lancasters to the throne. You will marry Edward of Lancaster and become the future queen of England. Understand?"

"No," Nora stated in a stern tone, earning a look of disbelief from her mother.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Katherine asked in a venomous tone, "You cannot and will not defy my orders, I am your mother—"

"And I am Duchess of Bedford," Nora argued in a confident tone, earning a glare from her mother, "I believe that title trumps that of the Dowager duchess and the daughter of some Neville no one cares about—"

Before Nora could react, the palm of her mother's hand had struck her cheek. A small gasp escaped her parted lips as she placed her hand over her aching cheek. She slowly lifted her head, staring at her mother in utter disbelief.

"You've gained this need of defiance ever since returning from the war and I will not have it. You are my daughter. You will do as I say," Katherine demanded in a stern tone and Nora continued to stare at her, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, "Understand?"

Nora remained silent, continuing to clutch her cheek as she nodded her head. Her mother glared at her briefly, just before storming out of the room.

Once she was gone, Nora began to cry, realizing she was trapped by her mother. Her mother still had power over her, whether she wanted her to or not. She controlled her marriages and where she'd be at all times, no one else.

Hours passed and soon enough, it was time for the men to head to battle. She looked out the window, finding Warwick prepping his horse with the help of a stable boy. She turned, noticing that Edward wasn't on his horse as he should have been.

Warwick seemed to notice the same thing and glanced around with a puzzled look. He turned to a few squires, presumably asking them of the whereabouts of their king.

As if on cue, there was a knock on Nora's door. Her eyes lit up hopefully and she rushed toward the door. She opened it, finding Edward to be standing before her. He wore his armor, including his helmet that included his crown.

"Your Grace?" She called out and slowly, Edward removed his helmet to reveal himself to be smiling mischievously at her.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked her, looking down to see her not wearing her cloak, which gave him the idea that she wasn't coming, "Are you not joining us?"

"My mother forbade it," She admitted softly, a disappointed look on her face, "I want to go, I do, but she is my guardian, I cannot disobey her—"

"You can if your king commands you to come," Edward suddenly answered, causing Nora's eyes to widen in shock.

Nora opened her mouth to answer, but then closed it. She knew it wasn't wise. Her mother would be furious. Beyond that, actually, if that were even possible. Her mother's temper was something to be feared by anyone who was there to witness it. Nora was one of the people who suffered the most from that temper her mother bared.

"Would you like me to command you to join me, Lady Nora?" Edward playfully asked her, a smile on his face.

Nora couldn't help but smile, noticing that Edward seemed unbothered by the obvious fact that her mother was trying to keep them apart, just as Warwick was attempting to do. "I'd like that very much, to be truthful with you," She confessed, earning a large smile from Edward.

Carelessly, Edward dropped his helmet onto the ground before stepping forward. He wrapped his arms around Nora, wasting no time kissing her. Their kiss lingered for several moments before Edward pulled away. He stared deeply into her eyes, his hand remaining on the side of her face. "Then it seems you'll have to pack, my lady," He whispered softly, a mischievous look on his face, "Hurry now. We don't have much time before Warwick comes barging through your chamber door."

Nora quietly laughed, turning away from Edward. She began to pack what she needed to tend to the wounded. Edward picked his helmet off the ground, holding it in his hand as he watched her pack. He smiled, noticing how happy and relieved she seemed to be about disobeying her mother.

At that moment, Edward's smile faded, a part of him feeling as though Katherine's reluctance for Nora involving herself with him was because she planned to give her away to someone else. But who could it be? Who could Nora marry that would benefit Katherine in some type of way?

Suddenly, Edward's eyes widened, knowing only one person it could be. The son of the woman who used to view Katherine as her closest friend and confidant. The son of the evilest woman he had ever met. The son of King Henry and Margaret of Anjou.

Edward of Lancaster.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

You gotta admit, as horrible as it sounds, Nora sleeping with Edward wouldn't be so bad.

It might ruin her reputation, I mean, if I were her, I would rather be king edward's mistress than be forced to marry Edward of Lancaster and become a puppet for the Lancasters

Also, you haven't noticed, I changed the face claim to Matilda Lutz.

I've never seen her used for historical fics, unlike Holliday so I decided to use her.😂