Chapter 3
Exhausted, Gawyn entered Castle Acquitaine, heading for his chambers. He had ridden all night and planned to sleep after he told Damien the farm girl was no threat. He had been unable to stop thinking about the young woman for the entire ride home. She was an enigma for a farm girl. Where had she learned to defend herself like that? Of course, he would never tell Damien that she had managed to land him on his back.
He skirted servants rushing down the corridor, hurrying to prepare for the day. He took the spiral stairway two at a time. He was not surprised to see Aurora and Damien at the top of the stairs. Aurora rose early, like the sun; Damien accompanied her.
“Good morn, Gawyn,” Aurora greeted cheerfully. She scowled, her gaze perusing his face. “You have not been to bed, have you?”
Gawyn glanced at Damien and then back to Aurora. “Not yet. I had a pressing matter to attend to.”
“Is it taken care of?” Damien asked.
“There is nothing to take care of. There is no threat.”
Damien nodded. “Thank you, brother.” He put a hand on Aurora’s back to steer her toward the stairs.
Gawyn stepped before them. “There is no immediate threat, but I was informed that an Auch farm had been raided by the Hungars.”
Aurora turned to him in surprise. “Why were we not notified of this?”
Damien stepped toward him, a scowl marring his brow. “When?”
Gawyn looked at Aurora. “It takes a day’s walk to get to Acquitaine from Auch. Many of the farmers don’t have steeds to ride. A day’s trip deprives them of priceless time away from their crops and animals.”
Aurora’s brow furrowed in concern.
“Don’t we have sentries or men there to protect them?” Damien demanded.
“They were attacked recently. The other day, I believe,” Gawyn answered. “Auch needs reinforcements.”
“Take a squadron and set up a perimeter,” Damien said. “I don’t want the Hungars on Acquitaine lands.”
Aurora nodded in agreement. As Gawyn moved to pass them, she lay a gentle hand on his arm. She advised, “But first, get some rest.”
Justina awoke and was out of bed at dawn. She still didn’t like the idea of some man lurking in the forest, especially if he was the captain of the guard. All she needed was him to be killed by bandits on the way home and a storm of Acquitaine guards would swarm down on the farm. Maybe his presence should have been reassuring to her, as protection from the Hungars. But he was only one man. A man whom she had seen speaking with a monster.
She winced. She never should have agreed to take Adam into town. How did the captain of the guard know that monster?
She took a bowl from the table and filled it with porridge from the brewing pot in the hearth. Then she sat at the table.
Adam strolled into the room, yawning, and stretching. He picked up a bowl, filled it with porridge, and sat across from Justina. He took two sips before commenting, “You were up late.”
Prickles raced along her spine. She tried not to show her alarm. “I was checking on the pigs.”
“No, you weren’t. You didn’t go to the sty. You circled around the other way.”
She looked at him. “How do you know that?”
“I followed you.”
She froze in dread. With the captain of the guard hiding in the brush, he could have been hurt! Damn. She took a sip from the porridge, trying to remain calm. “You shouldn’t be out so late.”
“Who was that man?”
Adam had seen him! She clenched her teeth and wiped her mouth with her sleeve to hide her uncertainty. She could lie to him, but she wasn’t certain if he had heard their conversation. She sighed. “No one of import.”
“He said he was the captain of the guard.”
Justina put the bowl down. “Why did you ask if you already knew the answer?”
Adam sipped his porridge. He ran a sleeve across his mouth. “What did he want? Did he come to take you to the dungeon?”
“No, no, nothing like that.”
“Then what did he want? Why was he out there in the middle of the night? Why didn’t he just come and talk to Uncle Bruce?”
Justina took a deep breath. “It’s nothing for you to worry about. He won’t be back.” She sipped some porridge from her bowl.
“He’s the captain of the guard! Are you in trouble for bumping into Lady Aurora? Are you going to be arrested?”
Justina shook her head. “Everything will be fine, Adam. Don’t worry. Where is Uncle Bruce?”
“He is out with the geese and pigs.” Adam sat back in his chair, his meal forgotten as his mind raced with horrible possibilities. “He found out where you live. They’re going to come back and arrest you. You were right! We have to –”
“He’s not going to arrest me.”
“What else could it…?” He lifted his gaze to hers. His brown eyes were wide and alarmed. “You’ll be thrown in the dungeon and then what shall I do?”
“Adam! I will not be thrown in the dungeon.”
Adam scowled and stared at his porridge quietly for a moment, thinking. Then, his eyebrows shot up. He leaned forward in his chair. “Maybe Uncle Bruce can’t pay the tithe. Maybe they won’t come for you, but for him!”
“Adam!” At Uncle Bruce’s name, panic flared inside her. She reached across the table to grab Adam’s arm. “You can’t tell Uncle Bruce about this.”
Adam’s brow furrowed. “Why not?”
“I don’t want Uncle Bruce to be alarmed. He has enough on his mind. He doesn’t need to know about this.”
“If the captain of the guard came to arrest him --”
Justina knew Adam would keep asking about the captain of the guard, like a gnat festering a wound, until he received an answer. She had no choice. “He didn’t come to arrest anyone!”
“Maybe Uncle Bruce is in trouble. Maybe --”
She had to tell him. She sighed heavily. “He asked us to dine at the castle.”
Silence. It was almost worse than the constant questions. Adam’s eyes widened. Bigger. Brighter. Filled with excitement. “We’re going to dine at the castle?”
“No.”
“No?”
“I told him no.”
His shoulders slouched in disappointment. “Why? Why would you do that?”
“Adam,” Justina said quietly, with as much patience as she could muster. “We were gone for two days. We can’t do that to Uncle Bruce again. It’s too much work for him. He’s getting old. He needs us.” She sipped the porridge from her bowl again. “We had our time to visit the city and to see your princess. It was kind of Uncle Bruce to allow us to go. But it is our responsibility to help him on the farm.”
“You didn’t even ask him if it was okay.”
“Adam, I said no. I don’t want to leave Uncle Bruce alone. Not with the raids on the farms so close. I’m worried about the Hungars coming to harm him.”
Adam sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. His lower lip pouted.
“I’m sorry, Adam. It’s just not a good idea.” She would never tell him the real reason she didn’t want to go. Their father’s killer was a friend of the captain of the guard. She never wanted to see that monster again. And she never wanted Adam to be near him. Never.
Later that day, as the sun was coming down in the sky, Justina was working in the garden, picking the fresh peas, and placing the pods in the basket.
A thundering noise started low from down the road and grew louder. Justina looked up. Over the trees a large cloud of dust rose. For a moment, she thought it was fire, but couldn’t understand what the loud rumble was. She glanced back at the field where Adam was feeding the ox. He had stopped working and was turned in the direction of the road.
Uncle Bruce emerged from the house, a stalwart man, wearing a cotton brown tunic and breeches. His wheat hat waved in the breeze and he had to hold it on as he gazed down the road. He straightened and shouted, “Inside!” He raced back toward the cruck.
Justina dropped the basket and ran toward the house. Hungars. Chills peppered the nape of her neck as she raced toward the cruck. Could it be the Hungars raiding their farm? She met Adam halfway to the house and they exchanged concerned glances while running. Uncle Bruce raced toward them until he caught up. He took up a protective pace behind them, urging them forward with quick waves of his hands.
A large group of horses emerged on the road, thundering toward them. The lead one held a banner and on it was a white dove. The heraldry for Acquitaine.
They slowed their run and when they realized there was no threat they turned in unison toward the group of mounted men. As the men closed the distance, Justina saw they wore tunics with the Acquitaine heraldry on them. Soldiers.
Uncle Bruce stepped before Justina and Adam to greet the men.
As they reined up before them, Justina’s eyebrows rose in shock as she recognized the leader. The captain of the guard. What was his name? Gawyn.
He was an imposing figure atop the horse. Black boots were in the stirrups. He wore a chest plate of armor, but no other armor. His thick, shoulder-length brown hair waved in the breeze. He grinned at her, his brown eyes twinkling, before turning his resolute gaze to Uncle Bruce.
A strange quickening fluttered deep in Justina’s chest in response to his perfect smile.
“We’ve received word that the Hungars have been raiding farms along the Acquitaine border.” He glanced at Justina and then back at Bruce. “Has your farm been attacked?”
“No, Sir,” Bruce stuttered. “But the farm east of us has had problems.”
Gawyn signaled a man with a wave of his hand. The man rode up to him. Gawyn looked at Bruce. “The farmer’s name?”
“Montague,” Bruce answered.
“Take half the men and secure the Montague farm.”
“Aye, Captain.” The man signaled some men and they rode off down the road.
Gawyn swung his leg over the horse and dismounted. He stopped before Justina and nodded to her. “Good to see you again, Justina.”
Shocked, Justina’s mouth dropped open, too stunned to reply. How did he know her name?
He smiled at her. “Lady Aurora and Lord Damien send their regards.” He leaned in close to her. “Sometimes it’s worth it to take the two-day trip into the city.”
Justina watched, startled, as he moved passed her to her uncle. He had listened to her!
“A word about your borders and your livestock,” Gawyn said. Uncle Bruce nodded and led the way into the cruck, but not before he locked gazes with Justina. There was relief and happiness in his eyes.
For a long moment, Justina stood in shock. The captain of the guard, Gawyn, had brought soldiers to defend them. He had listened to what she said the night before! Warmth blossomed in her chest. She wasn’t exactly sure what to make of him, whether to thank him or be distrustful of him.
Adam tugged on her arm. “Did you see his sword?”
She had seen his sword. But that wasn’t what was intriguing her. It was his eyes, the merry way they gleamed at her. There was just something about him. She nodded. “I saw it.”
Gawyn emerged from the cruck, Bruce following. Bruce was a hard-working farmer who was trying to look out for his family, his animals, and his crops. He had given his word to report back to the city. But Gawyn had other plans. He would not leave the farm unprotected. Not with the Hungars so close.
Gawyn’s gaze swept the lands. An ox ate grass not far from the cruck, pigs roamed nearby, and the quacking of geese sounded in the distance. Healthy fields encircled the cruck. Most of them had been harvested. There were still peas left. His gaze halted on the field of peas where he noticed Justina working at harvesting them. She was bent over in a simple cotton dress; her dark hair fell toward the ground like a waterfall. She paused to brush a strand from her cheek before she continued. No one would ever know she was a force to be reckoned with. He wondered if Bruce knew.
Gawyn had been given specific orders to get her back to the city and to find out how she knew Damien. A mission he intended to accomplish. Shouldn’t be hard. He moved toward her when a little whirlwind of a child stepped before him. The boy’s blonde hair was unkempt with a leaf sticking out of it near his ear. Gawyn swore he saw the rest of the branch buried in his wild head of hair.
“Is it true?” the boy asked. “Are you the captain of the guard?”
“Aye,” Gawyn answered.
The boy circled him, inspecting every aspect of person. “That’s a big sword. Is your chest plate heavy?” Gawyn opened his mouth to answer, but the boy stepped before him again, looking up at him with wonder-filled eyes. “I would have liked to eat at the castle, but Justina said we couldn’t make the trip.”
“Your sister works hard.”
The boy nodded. “So does Uncle Bruce. We all work from dawn til sunset. My favorite part is tending the ox. He’s so big. Do you think he’s bigger than your horse?”
Gawyn raised his eyebrow. He didn’t need to answer the boy. The boy would just continue to ask questions. He was a curious child. In time, he would learn that to become wise, he needed answers.
“I once saw a horse that was twice the size of yours.”
“Adam,” Justina called as she approached. “Leave Captain Gawyn alone. He has enough work to do without you bothering him.”
Gawyn looked at the boy and made a mental note of his name. Adam. “It was probably a war horse. When you come to Castle Acquitaine, I’ll show you my war horse.”
“You have a war horse?” Adam gasped.
Gawyn nodded.
“Adam, I thought I saw a cat near the geese. Go chase it away,” Justina ordered.
The boy’s joyful expression faded, and anger danced in his eyes. He whirled, racing away toward the field, mumbling something about troublesome cats.
Justina watched him leave before turning back to Gawyn. “You shouldn’t tell him things like that. We won’t be going to Acquitaine anytime soon. I told you the trip was too long. I can’t be away from my chores.”
Gawyn smiled. “I think you’ll be there sooner than you believe. Remember? Lord Damien requested your presence at dinner.”
Justina scowled. “Is that why you brought all these soldiers?”
“I brought all these soldiers under Lady Aurora’s orders. She is particularly protective of her people. She will see to it that your uncle is safe.”
“You told her about us?”
“I told her about the Hungars raiding a farm. She was concerned about the people living on the borders. She really was hurt you could not travel to Acquitaine and inform her of the danger. So...” He turned back toward the group of soldiers who had dismounted and were awaiting orders. He scanned the men until his gaze fell upon a white and brown horse near the front of the line. He pointed to it. “See that horse? The one with the brown markings?”
Justina nodded.
“Lady Aurora is giving her to you so that your trip will not take so long.”
Justina gasped. She opened her mouth and then closed it, staring at the animal. Finally, she looked at Gawyn. “I... I... I don’t know what to say.”
Gawyn smiled, enjoying her speechlessness. “You can come to dinner and thank her.”