Unbroken (Unarmed Trilogy #2)

by Nina Monroe

  "Does this mean I can never go out into the sunlight in Roth?" Will asked as he leaned his head against the rim of the tub.

  "No, it just means that you have to wear a tunic or let me put something on your skin beforehand to protect it from burning," Tamzin replied as she reached for the vial that rested on the table with the towels. She dabbed the lavender on her fingertips and ran them across the bridge of his nose. "While you sleep, I'm going to elevate your arms and wrap up your torso a bit after I break those blisters."

  "Will it hurt?" he asked as he kept his eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of her taking care of him.

  "No," Tamzin said as she continued to put the moisturizing serum on his face. "I will burn a sewing needle and just pop it. The sac will stay intact, but I don't want to risk infection from the small needle point," Tamzin explained. She got down on her knees and gently brushed his hair away. "This isn't the best beginning of your holiday."

  "I'm with you," Will said as his words started to slur from sleepiness. "Everyday feels like a holiday when I'm with you."

  "How can you be simultaneously fantastic and terrible with words?" Tamzin murmured as she brushed his sweaty hair off his forehead. "Are you ready for bed?"

  "Yes," Will said as he put his hand on the rim and struggled to stand. "My skin doesn't hurt as much," he said as Tamzin wrapped an arm around his shoulders gently.

  "It will feel better soon, but you need to relax for the next few days," Tamzin said as she held him against her and they waddled together back to her room. "You've ruined my sheets and now my dress," she teased.

  "Your brother helped burn me. I think we are even," Will responded as she slowly deposited him on the bed. Will sighed as the cool sheets touched his burns and he sank into the bed.

  "I will be right back. I need to go retrieve a needle and some bandages from Jacque," Tamzin said before she pressed a kiss to his forehead. "You best be asleep when I come back."

  "Yes, Your Highness," Will slurred as he turned his head and took a deep breath. "One day, I will stop saying stupid things and only tell you how much I love you."

  "Well, this keeps our relationship fresh. It's normal for people to fight, but what's important is that we realize our faults and come back together. You don't trust anyone and I trust too much. Our child should be perfectly in the middle," Tamzin smiled again before she began to walk away. As she walked out into the hallway, she came across her mother, who was leaving Thom's room.

  "I understand you're upset, but he is only a boy..." Gemma said as she pulled her crown off her head and held it uselessly at her side.

  "I'm a little over five years older and I'm about to become a mother. No one is calling me just a girl," Tamzin replied as she turned to go up the staircase at the end of the hallway.

  "It's different for girls," Gemma said as she came to walk alongside her daughter. "One day, he will be a King, so he should be a child now."

  "Spare me, will you?" Tamzin interrupted with anger laced in her tone. "The point is that Thom can do what he wants because he is a boy. What he did was a terrible thing, but it will somehow be manipulated to show how loyal he is to his country and was defending his sister. If I burned the girl Thom loved, I am a traitor and jealous and probably someone would spin that I would be an attempted usurper. The point is that you cut him slack because he is a boy."

  "I know you think I treat you differently because you are technically not my daughter," Gemma said as she touched Tamzin's arm to stop her from going up the stairs. "I begged your father not to send you to Thurston. I wanted you to stay here and marry a noble here. Maybe Rolf?"

  "I never would have been happy with Rolf, no matter how high he set me on a pedestal," Tamzin said before she pulled her arm away. "Will knows his mother is dead, but I constantly wonder if mine will ever be able to truly recognize me as her flesh and blood."

  "That's not fair!" Gemma exclaimed. "You and Thom are different people, which is why you are treated differently. When you were twelve, you were the perfect little lady and at nearly thirteen, Thom does have growing up to do."

  "So let him! All I asked he do is apologize to Will when he is feeling better. Let him at least do that. Don't let him get away with it," Tamzin yelled as she looked her mother in the eye. "Will has blisters all over his chest and some on his back. I need to break them and wrap him. If you will please excuse me..."

  Tamzin ended their conversation and walked up the flight of stairs as quickly as her belly allowed. Her child thumped in her womb and it took all Tamzin had not to giggle.

  "Don't worry, little one," she said as she touched her stomach as she walked up the final flight. "I won't let your father treat you differently if you're a girl. I think he will love you more if you're a girl." She said the words as she came to Jacque's study, where she knocked promptly.

  Jacque opened, where she saw he still appeared haggard from the events in Thurston. He was recovering, albeit slowly, and Tamzin hoped he would be healed enough when it came time to travel to Bradford. He was the only person she wanted to deliver her child.

  "Princess!" I wasn't expecting you back so soon! Is everything okay?" Jacque asked as he adjusted the glasses on his face. He only wore them when he was reading or inspecting something.

  "Will has sun blisters," Tamzin explained with a frown. "I need a sterile needle to pop them and wraps to cover them."

  "Are they severe? Would you like me to inspect them?" Jacque asked with concern in his oversized eyes. "If you're not careful, they can become infected."

  "I know. I just want to return to him so I can make him feel better," Tamzin said as she entered Jacque's study and went to his desk and pulled out a sterilized needle and bandages. "If I need any help, I will be sure to ask, Jacque. Are you feeling well?"

  "I'm as healthy as a horse, Your Grace," Jacque smiled before he peered behind her. "With all due respect, Tamzin, but I have work to do. If you need help with William, please let me know."

  "Yes, of course! Thank you again, Jacque," Tamzin smiled as she shuffled her supplies in her hand and turned around to leave him alone. Jacque watched Tamzin go down the stairs before he shut his door.

  "She's gone," he said softly and watched as Seraphina came out from the shadows. "What you're doing is potentially treasonous and just plain stupid."

  "I don't have a choice!" Seraphina exclaimed as she touched her stomach. "Why can't you tell Tamzin? She would make Will understand!"

  Jacque looked to Seraphina.

  "If you betray them and harm comes to that girl, her child, or her husband, I will let your secret out. That I can promise."

  Chapter Eight

  Will knew Tamzin well enough to know when she was hiding her true feelings. He could see it when she first came to Thurston Territory and it became more obvious as she gradually opened herself up to him. In front of Court, her family, and her people, Tamzin seemed completely untouched by what had happened to her and what she had seen in Thurston. However, at night, when she thought Will was asleep, her shoulders would shake with quiet sobs and Will would wake to see her pillow stained with her tears.

  It had been a few days since Will was burned by the sun and Tamzin busied herself with healing him. Three times a day, she rubbed his skin down with the lavender extract, which soothed his skin. In the morning and evening, she placed him in a cool bath, and moved his limbs consistently so his healing skin would not be too tight. Will watched her intensely during these moments, and studied her face. Her skin glowed from the sunlight, though she had dark circles under her eyes. He didn't speak with her much during this time, as Tamzin was always fixated on healing him. After the third day, she removed the bandage from his torso and Will saw the dead skin from his blister.

  "You will start feeling better tomorrow," Tamzin smiled as she touched the dead skin. "I think it may still be too early to peel."

  "Peel?" Will asked with alarm as he sat up abruptly. The movement made him wince. "My skin is to peel off?"

  "It's
dead skin. There is healthy skin underneath. It's like a snake. Your skin was start to itch and that means the healthy skin underneath is healed enough. If you peel too early, it will hurt," Tamzin said as she held out her hand. "You haven't left this bed in a few days. Do you feel well enough to stand?"

  "Only if you tell me why you are so sad," Will asked as he touched her hand, but did not take it. "Your nightmares are still powerful?"

  "I thought they would dull, especially since I have returned home, but they haven't. Do your nightmares still feel so vivid?" Tamzin asked as she lied down in the space next to him.

  "Sometimes, it's like I'm still on the battlefield. I have been victorious in every battle I have led, but that does not mean I haven't felt the sting of loss. Every battle I have won is still a loss to me," Will said as he gently lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder. "But I remember what good these battles have brought. If I had not won these battles, men like Douglas Johansson would rule the majority of the land. Men, women, and children would be slaughtered at much higher rates. The world would be a worst place."

  "And what good is there with Thurston gone?" Tamzin asked as she felt Will touch her belly.

  "It is pushing me to something I know I have had to do since the minute I took part in my first battle," Will said cryptically as he lifted up her dress to touch her skin. "I would not be blessed with skill, a wife like you, and a strong child, boy or girl, if I wasn't meant to do something great. When our child is born, I will ride into battle and destroy our enemies."

  "You're eighteen years old, Will. You are not a King. You cannot move an army against Johansson without your father's permission," Tamzin said as she lifted her head and rested it on her hand. "You will be great one day, but that day is not today. They say greatness is born, but truth is that it is made."

  "You would not support me if I invaded on my own?" Will asked.

  "I would support you, but that wouldn't stop me from calling you an idiot. If you wait for the opportune moment, victory will be yours. Besides, who knows what you will be thinking by the time our child is born. We haven't made it to Bradford Territory yet," Tamzin said as she brushed her fingers through his curls. "I know what you want more than anything. You want to be greater than your father. It is quite something to surpass him."

  "Your confidence in me is astounding," Will replied sarcastically as he laid back into the pillows. "I do want to surpass my father, but that's not what I want most."

  "What do you want, then?" Tamzin asked as she felt his beard scratch against her forehead.

  "My men do respect me, but I have more to prove to them. I want them to have a belief that is infallible. I want to have to stand on my own two feet. For them to follow me because I am the best and not for whom my father is. Do you understand what I mean?" Will asked. "My words were a stream of consciousness," he laughed.

  "When they say your name, you want them to say 'William the First' or 'William, the Great', not William Thurston, son of Gregory Thurston," Tamzin said as she stared up at the ceiling.

  "Exactly," Will said as he kissed her forehead. "If I can survive a burning from the sun, I can survive anything," Will laughed again as he rolled, gingerly, to his side. "Do you want to be a wife to a 'William the Great?'"

  "Please," Tamzin rolled her eyes. "I will be known as 'Tamzin the Great', as well. Behind every great man is a woman."

  Will smiled before he pressed his lips against hers. Her lips against his were the greatest comfort that he had never known. He felt more like a King with a loyal wife by his side.

  "When I kill the Johanssons, the nightmares will stop," Will whispered against her lips. "Both of our nightmares."

  "I'm afraid the fighting will never stop. You have said it before. You dismantle one enemy, for another to rise..."

  "That won't happen. When I take Johansson, I am purging the household. There won't be a house left," Will as he tightened his grip on her.

  "You're making a mistake with that thought," Tamzin responded as she rested her hand on his stomach. "Douglas Johansson is hated by his family. You kill him, but if you spare his family, especially his long battered wife and mistresses, they will be loyal to you. Assure them that you will spare them if they don't allow their children to rise and lay claim to the Throne. If you do that, you earn the loyalty of the people and leave behind trust soldiers, you will rule without having to rule."

  "You can't save everyone."

  "That is true, but the more you do save, the better. All I am telling you is that you need to remember who the real enemy is. Douglas Johansson's wife and mistresses are not your enemy. They have no power in their territory; they didn't sign the decree to burn your home to the ground or kill your people. They haven’t declared that I am carrying a Johansson child so they can have a reason to go to war. They are as much victims as the dead Thurston people," Tamzin said as she kissed a scar on his arm.

  "I respect your opinion, wife, but you do not know everything," Will said as he sat up from their bed as Tamzin slid off him. "You can't speak to me how you did in front of my men. In our chambers or in private, you may speak however you want, but my men do not respect a woman interfering with business of soldiers."

  "Well, then why didn't you put me in my place?" Tamzin challenged as she sat up, her hand supporting her belly.

  "You are in your place, which is by my side," Will said as he walked to the balcony, where he watched the men on the sea. "I literally had to grovel to your father to let my men stay and be fed. As of right now, I look like a beggar Prince. I have to let my men think I still have some control and not that I'm ruled so completely by my woman," Will said as he crossed his arms over his chest. He still felt some pain from his burn but he wasn't about to wince in front of Tamzin after what he just said.

  "Why is it bad for you to be open about taking advice from me? I understand that I don't have tactical experience, but I know people. I am just as useful as they are," Tamzin said, in reference to his men. "I respect them, so they should respect me."

  "In a perfect world, they would respect me no matter what you said. They would see your value as clearly as I do. But after what happened with Lucy, they are wary of you. All I ask is that you stay out of war business. In these chambers, I will pick your mind for ideas, but out there, I am the leader. Can you understand that?"

  "Do you know why they don't hold the highest respect for you? Because you care what they think. When you move, you move with worry about what they think. When you act like a King, you will be treated like a King. You know how war works, you know how battles work, so use that knowledge and don't worry. I watch you when you strategize. You put together brilliant plans, but shove the pieces off because they aren't traditional moves. Sometimes, it is better to be untraditional," Tamzin said as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "You win the battles and I keep the kingdoms together."

  Will turned to look at Tamzin, where he took her face in his hands.

  "Do not believe that I do not value you. You are the single most important person to me, and I cherish you above all else. I need you to realize that I am the man and I will be King," Will said before he kissed her to silence her.

  "I may be silent on war matters, but I will be as loud as I want when it comes to defending myself and you," Tamzin said as she kissed his cheek. "I need to order you a cool bath."

  "Stop," Will said as he held her arm to stop her movements. "I am fine. I just want to spend time with you, now that I'm not in a terrible amount of pain."

  "Now that you are mostly well again, you should find Garrett and your men. You probably can't spar yet, but you should bond more. Especially after my womanly guiles have made them question you so," Tamzin teased. "Find them, and tonight, we will spend time together."

  "Are you sure? We can begin your teachings on bows and arrows?" Will said as he watched Tamzin turn to look out at the sea.

  "I am tired, my love. Go with your men. You will never fear for my loyalty, but go show them why
you are a King," Tamzin encouraged before she ushered him towards the door. "Wait!" She called as she went to the bed and grabbed the old tunic. "Don't take this off again!" She laughed, her smile lighting up her face. That smile gently reminded Will why he wanted to be a King. Tamzin was meant to be a Queen, and he would be beneath her until he became a King and conquered lands in her name and honor. He wanted to conquer the world for their child and future children. Will would prove to himself, his father, Turner Roth, and every Southern territory that he would be a King in his own right. No one would define him.

  "Tonight, I will dine with you in Court," Will said as he leaned in and kissed her gently. "Enjoy your rest, my love."

  Tamzin smiled again as she let go of him and watched him walk out the door. She walked to the nearby column and leaned against it, where she watched the men from the corner of the courtyard. She couldn't see them, as she was at an angle, but she could see enough. The Roth and Thurston men needed to bond and learn each other's battle styles. It was the only way they could join together, when the time came.