Defender of Hearts by Tanya Bird

Chapter 13

The merchants’ expressions ranged from curious to pure hatred. Not only did they not forgive the king standing on the edge of the newly built garden bed, a shovel loaded with manure in hand, but many wished him dead.

‘Let Prince Becket step up and have a go at leading us,’ Astin had overheard men say at the taverns. ‘He can’t do any worse than the arse currently sitting on the throne.’

Becket might have been a viable option if he had shown any interest in the role at all. The fact that he fled Chadora the day after the coronation showed he wanted no part in any of it.

‘I hope to see flourishing garden beds next time I visit,’ the king continued, trying not to draw breath.

It was oddly satisfying seeing him press his nose to his shoulder every few moments to manage the smell.

He coughed. ‘Cabbages the size of heads.’

The problem with that visual was that a decapitated head currently sat on a pike in the square. The merchant man had been caught atop the farming wall and had managed to kill two defenders before being caught.

Astin noticed Lyndal look down at her feet, no doubt thinking the same thing he was. He found himself doing that a lot. Someone would say or do something, and he would look to her for a reaction. Sometimes she met his gaze, sharing her private thoughts without speaking a word.

To King Borin’s credit, he did actually place the manure into the garden and turn the soil over it—sort of. He then wandered between the new garden beds, feigning interest and deflecting questions about when more meat would be coming.

Queen Fayre wandered also, stopping to have the conversations her son was fleeing from. Her gaze always drifted though. To the wasting faces watching her. To her oblivious son. To Kendra, who stood balanced on a stepping stone, trying to keep her shoes clean. And to Lyndal, who walked through the mud without a second thought to her shoes or the hem of her dress. She was completely at home digging and planting alongside the other merchants. At one point she even handed out cups of water to the men doing the labour. Then she called the children over to help with the planting, telling them they were all responsible for keeping the garden alive.

‘You can’t pick vegetables until they’re ready to be eaten, no matter how hungry you are,’ she said as she pushed seeds into the dirt with her bare finger. ‘And do you remember what you do after you pick them?’

‘Replace what you take so more can grow,’ said one of the girls.

Lyndal leaned down, touching her nose to the girl’s. ‘Clever girl.’ She straightened and looked around. ‘Now, I need some muscle for this next part.’

A boy stepped forwards, around five years of age judging by his height. ‘I’m strong.’

‘Excellent,’ Lyndal said, handing him a pail. ‘I need some more water from the well.’

All the while, the queen mother watched on, her expression stoic and unreadable.

When it was time for the flag parade, the king mounted his horse, looking like he was about to ride off to war. The merchants moved to the main street in preparation.

‘Would you mind if I stayed here and finished the planting?’ Lyndal asked Queen Fayre. ‘It won’t take long.’

Fayre glanced over her shoulder at her son, then turned to Astin. ‘Take Lady Lyndal back to the castle as soon as she is done. Lady Kendra will accompany me.’

Lady Lyndal?Every merchant within hearing range looked in their direction, no doubt as surprised by the formal address as he was.

‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ Astin said.

‘When Queen Fayre was out of earshot, Lyndal leaned in and whispered, ‘Lady Lyndal? I’m glad the nobility weren’t present for that blasphemous address. They might have thrown rocks at me.’

Astin took a step back from her. ‘They’d have likely had their servants do it for them.’

‘What was that?’ she asked, angling her head.

‘What?’

She pointed to his feet. ‘That. Stepping back from me like I’m a leper.’

‘You’re covered in dirt and shit,’ he said.

She let out a noisy breath. ‘You’ve been in a foul mood all day.’

‘Are you gardening or chatting? You’ll have to return to the castle at some point, you know.’

The hurt in those jungle green eyes of hers made him want to take a fist to his own face. Bending, he picked up the small shovel and handed it to her. ‘Sorry.’

‘And I’m sorry you’re stuck here with me.’

‘It’s not that. I’m just tired.’

Her eyes moved over him. ‘Well, I won’t be long. Then you can go take a long nap.’

‘A nap, you think?’ He shook his head and went back to standing guard while she dug away in his peripheral vision. After a few minutes, she began to hum to herself, and his eyes were drawn to her once more. She was always a pretty thing to watch, but happy was hard to look away from.

Straightening, Lyndal went to move to another part of the garden, but her heel slipped off the stepping stone. Astin could not get there in time. Down she went, her arm collecting the edge of the garden bed as she fell.

He was pulling her to her feet a moment later, eyes moving over her. ‘You hurt?’

She began laughing. Laughing.

‘Oh my goodness.’ She wiped at her eye. ‘My sisters are going to be so disappointed they missed that.’

He noticed a tear in the sleeve of her dress and took hold of her elbow. ‘You’re bleeding.’

‘I am?’ She was still laughing as she inspected it. ‘It’s only a scratch.’

Unbuttoning her sleeve, he slid it up her arm to see for himself. ‘It’s not a scratch.’ He pressed a hand over it to stop the bleeding. ‘Stop laughing.’

That only made her laugh harder. ‘Stop. You’ll dirty your uniform.’

He held tightly to her. ‘Blood goes with the job.’

She took a few calming breaths. ‘That’s actually really sad.’ Then she burst out laughing again. ‘I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.’

He sat her on the edge of the garden bed, waiting a good five minutes for her to finish laughing. ‘You done?’ he asked when she finally fell silent.

She let out an enormous breath and looked down at the bloodied hand covering her arm. ‘I think so.’ Her expression turned serious. ‘I think I really miss them.’

He did not have to ask who she was talking about. He had witnessed the close relationship with her sisters first-hand.

Reaching inside his cloak, he pulled out a ball of fabric.

‘You carry that around just in case?’ she asked.

He began wrapping her arm. ‘You’d be surprised how often we need medical supplies.’

‘Would I though?’

A smile flickered on his face. When he was done bandaging the arm, he said, ‘A few more weeks, and then you’ll be home with your sisters. They can laugh at you then.’

Her expression softened. ‘Honestly, I thought you would be first to laugh.’

‘Not when it’s my job to return you to the castle in one piece.’ He pulled her to her feet by her good arm, keeping hold of her until he was sure she was steady.

‘In the meantime, I have Kendra to lecture me and you to boss me around.’

His eyes moved between hers, and then he let go of her arm. ‘Time to go.’

‘But I’m not fin—’

‘You’re finished.’

She opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again. ‘Can we at least go by the shop and see if anyone is there?’

‘No.’

‘Why not?

He looked heavenwards. ‘Because my orders are to escort you back to Eldon Castle when you’re done.’

‘But Queen Fayre doesn’t know I’m done.’

He gestured for her to start walking. ‘There’s a flag parade going straight past the shop. Someone will see you.’

‘So?’ She did not move.

‘So the woman has a firm grasp on your future, and she’s expecting you to play by her rules.’

‘Would it kill you to speak kindly to me? You’re the closest thing I have to a friend right now.’

His lungs stilled. ‘I know it might not seem like it, but this is me looking out for you. You need to keep Queen Fayre onside. She’s the only friend who matters right now. Trust me.’

She stared at him for the longest time. ‘All right. I trust you.’