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LOVE AND WAR
— 3. Defiance

    That same day, Nora was in her chambers, preparing to meet with her mother when a page boy arrived, telling her that the king was requesting to meet with her in his chancery

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That same day, Nora was in her chambers, preparing to meet with her mother when a page boy arrived, telling her that the king was requesting to meet with her in his chancery.

The page boy escorted her there and once she walked in, Edward stood up from his seat. The page boy bowed to his king and then to Nora, just before leaving.

"Would you like some wine?" He suddenly asked her and Nora gave him a weird look, knowing it was off for a king to be asking such a thing.

Nora remained silent and simply nodded her head. She watched him closely, thinking he'd call for a servant to pour him some wine.

Instead, he poured himself and Nora a glass on his own. He turned to her, only to notice the odd look she was giving him. "What, not used to kings doing matters like pouring themselves wine on their own?" He asked and Nora shook her head, "Well, if you haven't noticed, I'm nothing like the old king. I am King Edward of York. I intend to rule differently than my predecessor."

    Edward walked over to Nora, handing her the glass of wine. "Come. Sit," He encouraged her and Nora obeyed him, both of them sitting down at his desk together.

     Edward stared at her closely and Nora found herself staring back. She gradually began to smile but after long moment, she looked away, trying not to blush.

"You said you planned to rule differently than Henry, Your Grace," Nora spoke up in a calm tone, "How do you plan to do that?"

"Henry's court was poison. His taxes were unpayable. He and Margaret of Anjou murdered men he had formerly smiled on and pardoned," He explained to Nora in a calm tone, "Too many have suffered during these wars. But if I can keep my throne, I plan to see the law of England run justly from one coast to the other. We will all be English again."

   Nora remained silent, beginning to smile at the thought of all that he planned to do.

Peace.

That was all the people of England wanted to have in their homelands, but they had been denied it for years now.

    King Henry barely ruled. He was obviously unfit to do so, no matter how many people refused to admit it out loud. His wife practically did it for him and no one was happy about that. The men at court enjoyed calling her a power-hungry foreigner and in a way, they were right.

"There's something else I'd like to speak to you about," Edward suddenly said, snapping Nora out of her thoughts.

    He walked closer to where she sat and wasted no time bending down to meet her at eye view. "May I sent a pageboy to bring you to me tonight?" He asked in a hushed tone, causing Nora's eyes to widen slightly as he cupped her face in his hands, "I have a longing for you, Lady Nora. More than I have ever felt for any woman."

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