Defender of Hearts

by Tanya Bird

  ‘You tell him Cooper Brooke is in shackles. Tell him there’s no way in or out now. Then you tell him that if he doesn’t take his men and go home, our men are going to come down from that wall and collect all your heads. Did you get that?’

  A dazed nod had been the soldier’s only reply before Astin shoved him through the door.

  Astin had then fought on the ground alongside Harlan, the other defenders, and hundreds of merchants while defenders atop the wall struck down the English soldiers left and right with their sharp aim and sharper arrows.

  When the borough was secured, prisoners were taken to a holding in the nobility borough, because the tower in the royal borough was no longer an option. They were queued down the road, forced to watch their dead comrades being burned while they waited to be locked up.

  The English soldiers did not get a burial. Nor would Cooper Brooke.

  It was dark by the time Astin returned to the farmhouse, tentatively stepping inside. He half expected Cooper to burst in the room at any moment armed with a log. Instead, he found Presley seated in a chair by the fireplace with Rose asleep on top of her.

  Presley teared up at the sight of him. ‘You’re alive.’

  He nodded. ‘Sorry. There was a lot to do.’ He looked around for their mother’s corpse. He had carried her inside before they had fled earlier that day, but she was not there.

  ‘She came here looking for you,’ Presley said, resting a hand on her daughter’s back.

  ‘Lyndal?’

  A nod. ‘She took care of Mother, got her ready for burial.’

  Of course Lyndal had come looking for him, and of course she had helped when finding two people in need of it. ‘How did she seem?’

  ‘Bossy.’

  Astin smiled at the ground. ‘Sounds about right.’

  ‘You didn’t happen to pass our bull on your way here?’

  He shook his head. ‘He’ll show up. There’s no way he’d fit through that door.’

  Presley exhaled, eyes shiny with tears. ‘Rose is mine now. No matter what happens, I get to keep her.’

  He nodded, knowing what that meant to his sister. ‘She’s all yours.’ His eyes fell to a sleeping Rose, far too big and heavy to be lap napping yet somehow fitting perfectly. ‘Let’s get her into bed.’ Stepping forwards, he carefully picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He was surprised to find only one bed in there.

  ‘She sleeps with me,’ Presley said, stepping past him and pulling back the blankets.

  Of course she did. What better way to keep her safe?

  After settling her, Presley heated some food up for him. Astin could tell Lyndal had prepared it. He had eaten enough of her food over the past year to recognise her cooking.

  Making himself comfortable in front of the fire, he assured his sister he would be fine on the floor. He lay awake listening to her cry in the next room, but that was not the only reason he struggled to sleep. The house was filled with memories he could not sleep through. Some bad, others pure magic.

  Giving up on sleep, Astin wandered outside, surprised to find stars. Change was coming. He could feel it. Exhaling long and deep, he sank down onto the chair on the veranda, knowing without a doubt that Lyndal was watching the sky with him.

  Finally, he slept.

  The following morning Astin hitched the wagon and placed his mother’s body in the back. When Presley hesitated to climb in, he asked her what was wrong.

  ‘I think we should bury her here.’

  Nodding, Astin removed her from the wagon.

  They found a place on high ground, a spot that would get a lot of sun when it finally returned. All three of them dug the grave, with Astin doing the bulk of the work. When they were finished, they stood in silence for a long time before Rose finally said, ‘I’m glad he’s not going to hurt her anymore.’

  Presley looked away.

  ‘You heard from Chadwick?’ Astin asked as they wandered back towards the house. ‘I thought he would be here.’

  Her eyes were on the ground. ‘He has his own farm to worry about.’

  Astin glanced sideways at her. ‘You know, Cooper’s not coming back.’

  She nodded. ‘I know.’

  ‘So if you want out—’

  ‘I can’t run this place alone. You know that.’

  ‘You won’t have to. I’ll be here to help you.’

  She looked up, wary eyes on him. ‘You’re going to move back to the farm? You’re going to be a farmer? You, the defender?’

  He chuckled softly. ‘I’ve lived this life before. I can do it again—at least until you find a man you actually want to marry.’

  She watched him as she walked. ‘I thought I might go into the village, pick up some supplies. I’ll need to make new linen for the other bed if you plan on staying. Perhaps you know a place?’

  He smiled down at his feet. ‘I know a place.’

  The merchant borough was slow moving but alive with the smell of simmering meat. Whether that meat had been bought, donated, or stolen was irrelevant given the state of the kingdom. Every person had earned their meal. Noblewomen wandered between the shopfronts carrying baskets of food and medical supplies. There were horses tied up in the street—an act of faith. For once, it seemed like the kingdom was working together and taking care of each other.

  Lyndal had stayed the night at their old house in the merchant borough with her sisters and mother. They had opened the shop to anyone who needed it, and now they had a number of children whose parents were either missing or dead. They were nothing but skin and bone and broken hearts, so Lyndal fed them to bursting, cleaned them up, played with them, and prayed people would come looking for them when everything settled.

  She was sitting on the veranda with a young girl on her lap while Blake and Eda played gameball with the other children when her mother wandered out and handed the girl a small doll she had sewn that morning.

  ‘What are you going to name her?’ Candace asked, sitting down beside Lyndal.

  The girl ran her fingers over the doll’s face. ‘Fayre.’

  Lyndal smiled. ‘Perfect for a doll with so much queen potential.’ Her gaze drifted down the street before returning to the game.

  ‘Harlan said Astin is alive and well,’ Candace said, watching her daughter. ‘He just lost his mother and has his sisters to care for.’

  Lyndal focused hard on the ball. ‘I know that.’

  Her mother tucked a piece of hair behind Lyndal’s ear. ‘Have I mentioned how proud I am of you?’

  ‘You have.’ Lyndal looked at her. ‘And yet I feel sick about the whole thing. The merchants stormed that castle yesterday because I told them to. People died because of a fight I started.’

  Candace angled her head. ‘You cannot take credit for civil war.’

  Lyndal heard men shouting down the street. She rose to her feet, placing the girl on the ground next to her. People were darting in every direction, and her eyes widened when she saw why.

  ‘Everyone off the street,’ she called, stepping down and ushering the children off the road.

  Blake narrowed her eyes. ‘Is that a… bull?’

  Eda picked up the last boy and carried him to the veranda.

  ‘There is something you do not see every day in the merchant borough,’ Candace said.

  Food? Eda signed.

  Blake laughed, and Candace tutted.

  Lyndal watched as the bull trotted past the shop, her eyes widening with recognition. ‘Oh my goodness. That’s him.’

  Blake looked at Lyndal. ‘Him?’

  ‘That’s the Fletchers’ bull. He went missing from the farm.’ She stepped down onto the street. ‘Get me something to catch him with.’

  ‘To catch a bull?’ Blake called to her back.

  Lyndal ran after it. The animal did not slow until it reached the end of the street, leaving confused merchants running for cover.

  ‘Wait,’ Lyndal called, out of breath. ‘Remember me? From the swamp? I can take you h
ome. I know where you live.’

  The bull turned with a snort, pawing at the ground. Blake and Eda arrived a moment later with a length of rope.

  What exactly is your plan? Eda signed.

  ‘Obviously she’s going to use her expert bull-catching skills to secure this enormous charging animal with a single piece of rope,’ Blake replied.

  Lyndal bit her lip. ‘He was quite tame last time we met.’ She frowned. ‘Though he was stuck in mud at the time.’

  Blake folded her arms. ‘Well, he seems less tame today.’

  Lyndal took the rope from Eda and drew a long breath. She moved slowly towards the woolly bull, careful not to startle it. She was pleasantly surprised when it did not immediately take off or impale her on one of its horns. She approached from the side to be safe, carefully slipping the rope around its neck and tying it in a knot. With a relieved sigh, she turned to her sisters with a triumphant smile.

  ‘Well done,’ Blake called. ‘Now what? You going to ride it back to the farm?’

  Ignoring her, Lyndal gave the rope a gentle tug to get the bull to start walking. The animal dropped its head before taking off again. Lyndal foolishly tried to keep hold of the rope and was dragged several feet before falling forwards onto the muddy street. She got her hands out just in time to stop her face from colliding with the stone. Looking up, she watched her sisters leap out of the way and the bull run off.

  Instead of coming to help her, Blake and Eda doubled over with laughter while asking if she was all right.

  ‘What if I had broken something?’ Lyndal said, standing up and looking down at her mud-covered dress.

  ‘Then we would have scooped you up in our arms and laughed all the way to the physician’s house,’ Eda said, speaking instead of signing.

  Blake’s laughter died at the sound of her youngest sister’s voice. She pulled Eda to her. ‘I love hearing you speak.’

  ‘Yes,’ Lyndal said, joining them. ‘More of that, please.’

  She looked in the direction the bull had gone and stilled when she saw Astin standing in the middle of the road, watching her. A familiar energy filled her chest and a smile spread across her face.

  ‘I found your bull,’ she called to him.

  His expression did not change. ‘Yes, I saw it run by.’

  ‘Did you see the rope around its neck?’ Blake asked, biting back a grin. ‘That was all her.’

  Lyndal turned to glare at her sister.

  Blake cleared her throat and began pulling Eda down the street. ‘We’re going to head back to the shop.’

  ‘But we won’t be able to hear from there,’ Eda whispered.

  ‘That one was probably best said with your hands.’ Blake smiled at Astin as she passed him.

  Suddenly aware of the enormous distance between them, Lyndal moved closer, her hands fidgeting at her sides because she had no idea where they stood. He had told her he was done, but he had also told her he loved her. Mind you, he had been locked in a burning tower at the time. Now all the obstacles between them were gone, and yet he stood there not touching her.

  ‘I can’t believe you took on a fifteen-hundred-pound charging bull,’ he said.

  She shrugged. ‘Honestly, he seemed nicer the first time we met.’

  His mouth lifted.

  Why was she so unbelievably nervous? ‘I’m very sorry about your mother. Presley told me what happened.’

  He only nodded. A ball hit his foot, and he kicked it back to its eager owner. ‘Thank you for being there yesterday when I couldn’t.’

  ‘Of course.’

  They turned and began walking slowly up the busy street, their arms bumping occasionally.

  ‘Your shop seems busy,’ Astin said, ‘but not with people buying cloth.’

  ‘It’s been that way since yesterday.’

  His gaze flicked to her. ‘If only the borough had an almshouse.’

  She smiled at her feet. ‘If only.’ Up ahead, she saw Presley had caught the bull and was now securing him to the back of their wagon. ‘Seems he prefers your sister.’

  ‘Don’t take it personally. Even the bravest of bulls wouldn’t take on my sister right now.’

  Her eyes went to Rose, who was playing gameball with the other children on the street.

  ‘How is Rose doing?’ Lyndal asked. ‘So much for her little mind to grapple.’

  ‘Luckily we breed them tough in the farming borough.’ He stopped and turned to her. ‘I’m going to stay with them for a while, help with the farm.’

  Lyndal could hardly believe what she was hearing. ‘Surely the warden won’t discharge you for punching the king while those responsible for his death walk free.’

  ‘No. He was prepared to let that slide given the circumstances. It’s just that my family need me more right now.’ He glanced at Presley, who was pretending not to watch them.

  ‘That’s very admirable.’ So why did her stomach feel heavy all of a sudden?

  ‘I want to offer my services to you also.’

  ‘Your services?’

  ‘Yes. My time and labour for the building of one much-needed almshouse.’

  As if she needed more reasons to worship at his feet.

  Her eyes creased at the corners. ‘I thought I should wait awhile before hassling Queen Fayre about that. She’s had a bit of a week. But I’ll hold you to your offer.’

  His eyes went to the veranda, where Candace was watching them. ‘Nothing quite like an audience when you’re struggling to get words out.’

  ‘What words are you struggling to get out?’ There was an embarrassing amount of hope in her voice.

  His hands went to rest on his hips. ‘I meant what I said in the tower. I love you.’ He swallowed, then cleared his throat. ‘In a perilous sort of way.’

  ‘The kind of way that makes sensible bodyguards punch the kings they’re duty bound to protect in the face?’

  His lips curled up. ‘Yes.’ He paused. ‘Now that your plans with the king are dashed, I wonder if we might keep seeing one another—once life returns to some semblance of normal.’

  She chewed her lip and watched the game for a few moments. ‘It probably doesn’t mean much now, but I lied to you the day you asked me why I changed my mind.’

  A nod. ‘I thought about that a lot. I couldn’t figure out what she would have said that would have you lying to my face. It wasn’t until I was locked in that tower that I realised what she threatened you with—me.’

  Her eyes met his.

  ‘The crazy things we do to protect the people we love,’ he said. ‘All I could think about while watching those flames grow higher was that I should have built you that damn almshouse a year ago and asked you to marry me before you went to Eldon Castle.’

  She reminded herself to breathe. ‘I probably would have said no.’

  ‘A smart man would keep asking.’

  They stood in complete silence for a full minute, watching one another. Lyndal’s heart was drumming in her throat.

  ‘I used to believe you don’t get security and love,’ she said. ‘You have to choose. My mother chose love, and it almost killed her—several times. So at some point while growing up in this place, I chose security.’ She flicked a piece of mud off her dress. ‘I’ve since realised that the two aren’t separate. With love comes security. There’s no security without it. So when you’re ready to ask, when the time is right, I’ll be here waiting to tell you yes.’ She swallowed. ‘I’ve loved you for longer than I care to admit. I’m already yours. I can wait for the formal part.’

  Astin wet his lips, glimpses of sun breaking through those stormy eyes of his. ‘I’m not sure I can walk away after hearing that, so if it’s all the same to you, I’ll just ask you now.’

  She could feel warm light rising inside her, heat filling her cheeks.

  ‘Marry me,’ he said. Two words. Nothing more.

  A smile spread across her face, and she flung herself at him. He caught her with a laugh.

  ‘Can I br
ing Pig and the babies to live with us?’ she asked him.

  ‘Yes.’ He kissed her deeply, seemingly inhaling her.

  Lyndal’s sisters and mother came rushing over, faces lit with excitement, having clearly eavesdropped on the conversation. Astin lowered Lyndal to the ground, and her family descended on her. Presley wandered over also.

  ‘I’m going to have to teach you how to tie a proper knot,’ Presley said.

  Lyndal pulled her in for a hug.

  ‘Oh. Is this going to be a regular thing?’ Presley asked, awkwardly patting Lyndal’s back.

  ‘Yes,’ all the Suttone women said at once.

  Astin grabbed Lyndal around the waist and tugged her back to him, kissing her again. Apparently he did not care about the audience standing a few feet away.

  ‘What’s all this?’ Harlan called to them. He was shaking his head as he approached.

  ‘Guess who’s finally joining the family?’ Blake said.

  Harlan kissed Blake’s head and hooked an arm around her, looking at Astin. ‘Really? You might want to hold on to your armour, farmer.’

  Blake threw an elbow into his ribs, and he chuckled.

  ‘I think he knows what he’s getting himself into by now,’ Lyndal said.

  The shop door opened again, and Birtle came wandering out. He looked between Astin and Lyndal. ‘I’ve got a bottle of wine I’ve been saving for when we finally got some good news.’ He waved everyone over to the veranda.

  Candace, Blake, and Eda were already walking in that direction.

  Astin turned to his sister. ‘We don’t have to stay.’

  ‘I think we could all do with a bit of wine right now. Besides, Lyndal wore the bull out, so he’ll need to rest for a while.’ Presley signalled for Rose to join them, then looked at Astin. ‘I know it probably doesn’t mean much to you, but Mother would have loved all of this—especially seeing you happy.’ She gave him a tight smile before walking off ahead.