Defender of Hearts by Tanya Bird

Chapter 9

‘How am I supposed to sleep after witnessing such… such grotesque violence?’ Kendra asked Lyndal as she stared up at the roof. ‘Every time I close my eyes, it is all I can see.’

Lyndal sat on the edge of the bed, having tucked her cousin in like one does a child. ‘You won’t be alone. I shall sleep at the end of your bed like a loyal dog.’

Kendra reached out and took hold of her hand. ‘Thank you. What would I do without you here?’

‘I’m certain someone else would have eventually dragged you under that table.’

Kendra pressed her eyes shut. ‘I simply froze. My legs would not work.’

‘That’s a common response to fear.’

‘Surely you must have been afraid also.’

Lyndal tucked Kendra’s hand beneath the blanket and brushed hair back from her face. ‘I’m a merchant. It’s rarely an advantage, but living with fear is what we do best.’

A loud knock at the door made Lyndal jump and Kendra shoot up in bed.

‘What if it is another intruder?’ Kendra asked, voice cracking. ‘What if they did not catch them all?’

‘I doubt very much that they would knock before entering.’ Lyndal rose from the bed and wandered over to the door. ‘Who is it?’ she called, hand on the door.

‘It’s Fletcher.’

Relief filled Lyndal. She had not seen him since he left the hall, and her mind had imagined all kinds of terrible outcomes. Glancing over her shoulder, she said, ‘Go to sleep. I’ll be back in a moment.’

She stepped out into the dimly lit corridor and pulled the door closed behind her, hugging herself against the cold. ‘What are you doing pounding the door down in the middle of the night? I’m trying to calm Kendra down so she sleeps.’

Astin ran a hand down his blood-spattered face. ‘I knocked on your door, but you didn’t answer, despite clear instructions not to leave your bedchamber.’

Lyndal scowled up at him. Then, registering the exhaustion on his face, her expression softened. ‘Well, I’m quite safe, as you can see. What about you? Are you hurt?’

His head dipped slightly. ‘No.’

‘How many intruders were there in the end?’

‘Four.’

‘All merchants?’

He nodded, went to speak, then stopped at the sound of footsteps. He had his sword drawn and his tall frame parked in front of her before the figure even came into view. Lyndal peered around him and saw the warden, Shapur Wright, come to a stop. Astin immediately sheathed his weapon and stepped aside.

‘Apologies, sir.’

‘At least you did not throw your weapon at me.’ His eyes went to Lyndal. ‘Queen Fayre wants to speak with you.’

‘Now?’ Astin asked before Lyndal could reply.

Shapur nodded.

‘Kendra is all but asleep,’ Lyndal said, stepping out from behind Astin.

‘Leave her. She only asked for you.’

Lyndal looked down at her creased dress and tucked the loose pieces of hair behind her ears. ‘Very well.’

‘Fletcher will escort you.’ His gaze shifted to Astin. ‘Queen Fayre wants a word with you also.’

The bodyguard shifted. ‘Yes, sir.’

They watched the warden turn and walk off before looking at each other.

‘You heard him,’ Astin said. ‘Let’s go.’

Lyndal opened the door to check on Kendra, then quietly closed it again. She noticed Astin was glued to her side on the walk there, eyes moving over every shadow and nook they passed.

‘You’re rather on edge given the castle has been secured,’ she said quietly.

‘I know better than to be complacent, especially given we don’t know how the intruders got into the borough.’

Lyndal looked up at him as they walked. ‘Have you checked for tunnels?’

He sighed. ‘I’m not really in the mood for your jokes.’

‘Who’s joking?’

They arrived at the queen’s quarters, located in the east wing. The guard posted at her door disappeared inside to announce their arrival. He reappeared a moment later, nodding at Astin. The pair entered and found the queen seated on the lounge wrapped in a robe. A book lay open beside her.

After a formal greeting, Astin asked, ‘Would you like me to wait outside?’

Fayre rose from the lounge chair. ‘No, you should stay.’

Astin nodded.

The queen mother clasped her hands in front of her as she looked to Lyndal. ‘You may have heard that all our guests will be leaving in the morning. The warden has deemed the castle unsafe at this time.’

Relief pulsed through Lyndal. In the morning, she would be going home. ‘Well, the warden does know best.’ She tried to keep the unbridled joy out of her voice.

Fayre watched her a moment. ‘You know, I watched you closely this evening, in the hall. You did not panic. You did not make a fuss. You calmly followed Fletcher’s orders and assisted others.’

Lyndal wondered where the conversation was going. ‘I prefer to be useful in a crisis, though that’s not to say I wasn’t falling apart on the inside.’

‘A woman’s strength is measured by her ability to internalise that fear, because one slip and we are labelled as hysterical.’

Lyndal was not sure how to respond to that, so she waited for the queen to continue.

‘I like to surround myself with strong women. I truly believe our kind draw strength from one another. And I wonder, would you be open to staying under the circumstances?’

Lyndal saw Astin’s weight shift in her peripheral vision. ‘Did you not just say that guests would be leaving in the morning?’

‘I did. But since you both only arrived a day ago, I am hoping to keep you for a while longer. I am certain Lord Thomas will agree as long as we take extra precautions with your safety.’

‘Have you discussed the matter with the warden?’ Astin asked.

Her eyes went to him. ‘Yes. And with the king. In fact, His Majesty even offered you as the ladies’ guard for the duration of their stay. The warden agreed.’

‘Oh,’ Lyndal said, her mind playing catch-up. ‘But what about the king’s safety? Surely that’s a priority.’

‘The king has an entire army at his disposal. The fact that the two of you are already acquainted will make the arrangement more comfortable for everyone.’

Astin was oddly silent, no doubt thinking up clever ways to tell the queen no, absolutely not. In the meantime, it fell on Lyndal to speak up and save them both.

‘Kendra and I couldn’t possibly take the king’s best guard. Surely it’s easier to send us on our way and allow Astin—I mean, Fletcher—to do his job.’

She thought her logic was sound, but Queen Fayre stared back at her as though she were speaking in tongues.

‘While I appreciate your thoughts on what is best for my son, I have some opinions about that myself. I would like to see him married—and soon. Lady Kendra seems like a bright young woman, but I cannot wait months for confirmation.’

Lyndal looked up at Astin, willing him to object. How he looked so calm she had no idea.

‘Are the orders effective immediately?’ he asked.

Queen Fayre nodded, and Lyndal tried very hard not to click her fingers in front of Astin’s face and ask if he had heard properly. She knew defenders were supposed to follow orders without question, but this was ridiculous.

‘Of course, your guests will need to cooperate if the arrangement is to work,’ Astin said, finally meeting Lyndal’s eyes. ‘I can only do my job if they’re prepared to listen.’

That sounded much more like the Astin she knew.

‘As long as your demands are reasonable, defender, then I can’t foresee there being any listening issues.’

Queen Fayre looked between them. ‘Good. Then it is settled. You and Lady Kendra will remain at Eldon Castle for the rest of spring, and Fletcher will be in charge of your safety for the duration of your visit. Now, I suggest you get some sleep. There has been quite a bit of sickness in the merchant borough of late, as I am sure you are aware. Fearing further spread, yesterday the king had those displaying symptoms removed. They are currently isolating in the lazaretto borough. I thought we might pay them a visit in the morning.’

The lazaretto borough was where the sick went after they died, not before.

‘I’ve not heard of any contagious outbreaks,’ Lyndal said. ‘Scurvy is the biggest problem facing the borough right now.’

Fayre nodded. ‘The symptoms reported are consistent with scurvy.’

‘Then why remove people from their home for a disease that isn’t contagious?’ Lyndal asked, confused.

The queen mother blinked those sharp eyes at her. ‘Why indeed? Good night, Lyndal.’

It took Lyndal a moment to register the dismissal. Lowering into her curtsy, she said, ‘Good night, Your Majesty.’

Astin walked to the door, holding it open. Lyndal met his cool gaze as she passed him, marching straight off down the corridor. A second later Astin fell into step with her.

‘Go on,’ she said the moment they were out of earshot of the other defender. ‘Say it all now so we can be done with it.’

He glanced sideways at her. ‘Say what?’

‘Tell me how my presence here has ruined your life, how the king will likely die because you’re being forced to guard two women.’

He looked amused by the words spilling from her mouth. ‘It’s a temporary arrangement. We’ll all survive it if you do as you’re told.’

‘You can just focus on Kendra. No one wants me dead.’

He sighed. ‘I’ll be following orders.’

‘Merchants aren’t breaking in to kill other merchants.’

‘Don’t be naive. Anyone can get caught in the crossfire of this strange war we’re stuck in.’

They were silent a moment.

‘This is what comes of you showing up and playing the hero at last night’s feast,’ Lyndal said, unable to let the subject go. ‘Perhaps if you hadn’t been there she might have chosen someone else for the job.’

‘By “playing the hero”, do you mean not letting the king die? You do understand keeping him alive is my job, right?’ When she did not reply, he added, ‘It won’t be me all the time. I do sleep occasionally.’

They rounded the corner of the corridor. Clearing her throat, she said, ‘We should probably lay down some ground rules.’

When they reached her bedchamber door, he turned to her. ‘You’re going to lay down some ground rules?’

She faced him, making herself as tall as possible. ‘Yes.’

‘Such as?’

She gestured between them. ‘Such as giving me personal space when we’re together.’

Exhaling, he took a small step back. ‘I need to know where you are at all times. If you need to use the garderobe, you tell me or the defender on duty first.’

She crossed her arms in front of her. ‘I really hope you’re joking.’

‘I never joke about garderobes.’

‘I recall at least three jokes you’ve told over the previous year involving a garderobe.’

His lips turned up. ‘Really? You remember all three?’

‘Yes, vulgar punchlines forever burned into my mind.’

‘Well, I never joke about my work. I won’t tolerate sneaking off. Like it or not—’

‘Not.’

He tilted his head. ‘Like it or not, you’re stuck with me now. Let’s just get through the next six weeks in a civil manner. I’ll respect your privacy so long as you don’t give me cause not to.’

She searched his eyes. ‘Sounds reasonable.’

Astin reached past her and pushed the door open. ‘In you go.’

Arms still crossed, she replied, ‘I’ll be sleeping in Kendra’s bedchamber tonight. I only stopped here because you did.’

Grunting his annoyance, he reached past her again, tugging the door closed. They walked side by side past the solar door that connected the bedchambers and stopped in front of Kendra’s room. He let her open the door herself this time.

‘There will be a guard patrolling the corridor,’ he said. ‘If either of you need to step foot outside this room overnight, you speak with him first. I’ll be here in the morning.’

‘Six weeks,’ she said as she walked through the door.

‘Six weeks.’