The Tale of the Three Brothers of York

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AN : This is my first crossover ever and the first time I write a fanfiction so quickly, so I truly hope it will not be too bad ! This story kind of made its own way in my mind, and I confess I don't even know how. I've always been a huge Harry Potter fan and I recently found myself obsessed with The White Queen, so I assume the two just fused together. Some parts of the tale were obviously changed to fit the Sons of York story better, so some of the meaning / moral may have been altered but I tried to keep the idea of a reflexion on death and human behavior towards it. You'll judge if I managed it ; )

I also have to say that english is not my mother tongue, so I desperately seek forgiveness for all potential mistakes xD. Please feel free to review / PM me if you want to make corrections, they are always welcomed.

Disclaimer : Parts of this text are from the Tale of the Three Brothers, from JK Rowling's wonderful Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The original tale doesn't belong to me but as JKR has been kind enough to accept fanfiction based on her work, I allow myself to write this. I don't earn any money from posting it.

There were once three brothers of York who were traveling to the lonely and winding fields of Hertfordshire at twilight, to take back their crown from a rebel who had one day been their friend. In time, the brothers reached the battlefield at Barnet. It was a messy and bloody battle, but being learned in the art of combat, the three brothers simply swung their swords, won their fights and eventually survived the bloodshed. Before they could savor their victory, however, they found their path blocked by a hooded figure.

It was Death and he felt cheated.

Cheated because soldiers would normally die in battle, but Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers of York on their fighting skills and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him.

The oldest brother was a handsome king with fair hair and all good looks a man can wish to have. But he was impulsive, and lusted for women, power and fights. He asked for a sword more powerful than any in existence so Death fashioned him one from the gold of the first brother's belt buckle.

The second brother was a brown-haired, ambitious and arrogant man, who decided he wanted to humiliate Death even further. Therefore he asked for the power to recall loved ones from the grave so Death plucked a stone from the river and offered it to him.

Finally Death turned to the third brother.

A humble young man, with hair as dark as a December night, he asked for something that would allow him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. He wasn't self-confident like his brothers were and, this battle being his first, he didn't feel comfortable and wanted to leave the place as soon as he could, never to return. And so it was that Death reluctantly handed over his own cloak of invisibility.

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The first brother traveled to the distant town of Tewkesbury where he had to lead his final battle so he would reclaim his crown and rule without rivals. With the Golden Sword in hand, he killed all the barons who had rebelled against him. Drunk with the power that the Golden Sword had given him, he bragged of his invincibility at Court, boasting around ladies and seducing them with the story of his precious weapon won over Death himself.

And as he spoke loudly about his victories, in his own mind he began to picture himself as half a God. Having an unrivaled power, he still wanted more. Having the fairest queen and all the Court ladies at his feet, he still wanted more. But one night, a lady left his bed after giving more than he had ever wanted, for a seed of illness started to grow inside him after this moment. It took a while but after some years, the king's health deteriorated and finally flew away.

So the first brother of York understood that Death could come out of life at any moment and in any way, shape or form.

And Death took the first brother for his own.

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The second brother journeyed to his home where he forgot quickly about the pebble, for his wife had provided him with their first-born child. But his time of happiness was short, as she weakened pregnancy after pregnancy, ultimately dying after giving birth to a son whose days were numbered. So, drowned in despair, he took the stone and turned it thrice in hand. To his delight, his wife and lost children appeared before him. Yet soon they turned sad and cold for they did not belong in the mortal world.

Driven mad with hopeless longing, the second brother of York began to publicly accuse the fair queen of being a witch and the murderer of his beloved ones. His rudeness and rage killed him, for after these reckless words he was downed in something else than despair.

So the second brother of York understood that Death never gave back what he had take.

And Death took the second brother.

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As for the third brother, Death searched for may years but was never able to find him. Indeed the last brother found the Cloak of Invisibility of great use during the years that followed. Hidden from everyone's view, he managed to free his childhood friend and marry her as he had wished for a long time. As he happened to rise to power he used it to ensure both his safety and the realm's. Thanks to the magical artefact he was able to catch Anthony Rivers and Richard Grey on their road to London with young king Edward. Their execution was harsh, but at least avoided a civil war or a coup by someone who was no York. Then it was Buckingham's rebellion which was foiled because he could spy anyone and learn any plot when he slipped the cloak around him.

But just as the third brother had killed a son of the fair queen, the third brother lost his son. And just as the third brother had killed a much loved member of a noble family, the third brother lost his wife, the member of his family he loved the most.

While he rode to a decisive battlefield again, the third brother realized that he had killed a brave warrior and therefore will have to pay the price for it. And he knew who the bravest warrior of them all was.

So the youngest brother understood that it was not the fate of men to escape or dispense Death, and he shed the Cloak of Invisibility, letting it fall on the blood-stained ground of Bosworth Field. He then greeted Death as an old friend and went with him gladly, departing this life as equals.

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And in the end, the three brothers of York knew that their deadliest enemy had been themselves, and that Death was the only winner there could be at the game of Life

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So well, kind of a sad story but none of the Brothers of York truly had a happy ending, did they ?

After writing this I saw stuff on the Internet where George was "the one who died for power", Richard "the one who died from lost love" and Edward "the one who greeted Death as an old friend" and I have to admit it fitted well, only it wasn't in birth order and I doubt Edward to had been that peaceful about death. What do you think ? Was it a more appropriate choice ?

Your opinion and reviews matter so do not hesitate to write a comment ! It's always a nice reward and an interesting thing to read, and I usually reply to all of them.

Thanks for reading this 'till the end ! x