Chapter Five

G aliena's heart skipped a beat as a light rapping sounded on the back door. Red was at the door before Anora could get there, dagger in one hand as he carefully slid the small peep panel to the side with his other hand, just enough to peer out.

When he slid the bolt and opened the door, little Tommy the cutpurse was shoved through the back door, followed by Hunter, who quickly closed the door behind him and bolted it again.

"I found him lurking around the churchyard," Hunter said.

"I dinnit do nothin'," Tommy said with a scowl, crossing his arms protectively across his scrawny chest.

Galiena wanted to wrap the grungy little boy, with his mop of filthy brown hair, in her arms and tell him everything would be all right. But Tommy didn't think of himself as "little" and would push her away. Every time she saw him, she wanted to mother him, but she didn't know if it was for his sake or her own.

"You're not in trouble, Tommy," she said in a voice as gentle as she could make it. "We just want to talk to you about the man you took the pouch from today."

Tommy eyed her suspiciously. "Which one?"

Galiena put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "The man who had the pouch you hid in the wall behind the tavern."

Tommy shrugged her hand away. "It weren't me." He crossed his arms tighter and pressed his lips together in determined defiance.

"Quit your whinging. We know it was you," Anora said, with no consideration for the tender age of the child whom Galiena guessed to be no more than eight years old. Appalled at her friend's lack of sympathy for the scared boy, Galiena shot her a pointed look, but Anora just responded with a small shake of her head and continued on. "We're not going to punish you, but we think you robbed the wrong person."

"Who be the right person?" Tommy asked with a cocksure grin.

Frode let out a hoot of laugher. "The boy has a point."

Anora continued to glare at Tommy, but the corners of her lips quirked up with amused admiration. "Some people are more wrong than others."

Tommy wrinkled his nose. "That don' make no sense."

"Tommy," Galiena interrupted. "Did you get a good look at the man who was chasing you this afternoon?"

The boy narrowed his eyes at her. "Maybe. Which one do ya' mean?"

"The one you thieved a pouch from and stashed behind the tavern." Galiena arched an eyebrow at him to let him know she was well aware he was being obtuse. She had to admit the boy was bold, which was probably a good thing considering he was an orphan who, despite the charity of the townspeople, had to scrape to survive.

"I remember him," Tommy said scratching his chin as though it was ages ago. "'E was braggin' in the pub 'bout 'is lord and how 'portent he was, and that 'e was the only one 'is lord trusted for a 'portant delivery. I figured he 'ad somethin' good, so I waited, and I took it."

Galiena shook her head at the cunning little scoundrel. "How did you manage that?"

"I followed 'im outta the pub and waited for him to get distracted. He met up wit' a man in the alley, but they went different ways when they came back out. Didn't take long 'fore a pretty girl walked by and grabbed 'is attention." He shrugged as he spoke, as though he was talking about something as common as how he caught fish in the river.

Galiena's heart throbbed, looking at this skinny boy so wizened beyond his years, forced to learn the habits of men in pubs and the ways of thieving to survive. The thought of any child having to exist on their own as Tommy did made her want to cry. But she couldn't dwell on that now. "Did you hear what the men in the alley were talking about?" Galiena asked, a lump of fear in her throat that Tommy might know more than he should without realizing the danger.

Tommy shook his head. "Didn't follow 'em in there. I waited for 'em to come out. Then I nicked it." He suddenly looked suspiciously at Galiena. "How did ya' know about the pouch?"

"I was in the alley when you tucked it into the wall," she admitted. "I have it now."

Tommy's eyes widened. "Why did you take it? It's mine."

"Some might say that it belonged to him." She gave him a pointed look. But then she continued, before he decided it was best not to talk anymore, "It caught my eye. I decided to find out what it was about." In truth, had she not heard the men talking about the queen's baby and a plot to kill him, she wouldn't have even considered taking Tommy's hidden treasure.

"What was in it?" Tommy asked. "I could tell by the way the man kept feelin' for it in 'is pocket after 'e left the alley it was somethin' good."

Galiena shook her head, about to respond that it was best he not know what it was about—they didn't yet know themselves, but it was obviously important—when Anora said, "Nothing of value, just a letter to his sweetheart."

The boy's shoulders drooped. "I planned to get a bit of gold from 'im to give it back, but that's not worth nothin'." Then the cunning little boy brightened, showing a gap-toothed grin, "I know there were coins in the pouch, I could feel it. Those are mine."

"If you stay out of sight for a while, the coins are yours," Galiena said. "But you must stay hidden until the men leave town."

"That ain't no letter to a girl," Tommy scoffed, looking from Anora to Galiena, "not if you are wantin' to pay me to stay outta sight."

Red let out a snort of laughter. "Clever boy!"

Galiena couldn't deny that the boy was intelligent and also cunning. She hoped he found more to do with this life than just thieving, but as an orphan with no other family, his future was bleak.

"Put those deft hands of yours to good use by helping an old man with repairing mail," Frode said to Tommy, tipping his head back toward the shop. His sight was nearly gone, but the old man had deft fingers and the skill to do goldsmithing and the fine work of repairing chain mail by touch. "Are you strong enough to pound a hammer?"

"Aye," Tommy said with confidence, turning to follow Anora's father, his golden-brown eyes bright with excitement. "I'm good at poundin' things."

"I'll be the judge of that," Frode said. "A good smith must pound with precision. Can you do that?" He put a fatherly hand on the boy's shoulder as they passed through the doorway into the front room. Frode's gentle manner was what Galiena loved about him most, that, and the kindness he showed to people like Tommy who didn't have families of their own. Just as he'd done for her when she and Anora had become friends.

"I can lift a coin from your pouch without you knowin' I'm there. I think I can pound where you want me to." The arrogance of the child was as amusing as it was heart-wrenching.

Tommy could be heard a moment later chattering away to Frode, asking him the next question before the older man had even finished answering the first. Galiena let out a huge sigh of relief that he was safe—at least for now. But the man he stole the pouch from and the man he met in the alley were still on the loose. And probably looking for both her and the boy.

She turned to see Red, Anora, and Hunter all staring intently at her.

"Will you make me ask again for an explanation of what happened?" Red sounded impatient, but Galiena wasn't quite ready to tell him everything. Not before getting answers to a few of her own questions.

"First, tell me, are you a knight of the realm?" She crossed her arms in front of her and pursed her lips, just as Tommy had done, but not in a show of defiance. No, her stance was to remind Red and Hunter that she was still the master of her decisions and what would happen next.

Red's response was to immediately square off with her, legs akimbo and arms crossed across his chest. He faced her squarely as he matched her stance and demeanor. "No, I am not a knight. I am a warrior and I serve Lord Grogan of Hawkspur, or ‘Hawk' as he's known."

Galiena had expected him to put up an argument when he moved to face her, that he would insist on asking the questions instead of answering them. She was mildly surprised and overwhelmingly pleased that he was answering her. "What is his relationship with the king?"

"He was the king's most favored knight for nigh on two decades. King Edward dubbed him ‘Hawk' for his speed and ferocity after saving his life when he was nearly impaled by a Welshman's blade on the battlefield. The king reveres him enough to have recently granted him a Marcher stronghold." Red pressed his lips closed then, but kept his gaze locked with hers as he waited for the next question.

"Is he no longer the king's most favored knight?" She'd heard tales of a knight named Hawk, but if he'd fallen from favor with the king, then he would have reason to commit treason.

"He is still favored," Red said resolutely, his jaw twitching.

She tipped her head to the side as she contemplated his reaction, the implication clear in his words. "But no longer his most favored. You said he ‘was.' Why?"

She heard Hunter huff out a deep breath, as though exasperated, as Red responded. "He defied the king for a woman. At least that is how King Edward judged the situation."

Galiena felt the gooseflesh rise unbidden on her skin. She didn't want to find the notion of someone defying the king exhilarating, but the devotion required to choose to anger the king for the love of a woman—it was an undeniable show of true love. "Who was the woman?"

Red's lips started to curve into that lopsided grin, as though he had just discovered a secret. "Lady Alyce of Hawkspur Castle, now his wife."

Her gaze flitted to Anora. They had heard the tales about the Lord and Lady of Hawkspur, and how the lord had been flogged for choosing his lady over his duty to the king, but she had assumed they had been exaggerated. When Anora had told her of the deed, it had reminded her of the romantic stories sung by bards she'd often heard while traveling with her father. It mattered not what part of Britain, Europe, or the Mediterranean they'd traveled through, every culture had rich tales of men being tested to prove their love.

She turned back to Red. "Did you agree with your lord's actions?"

"Aye," Red answered without hesitation.

"No," Hunter said, just as quickly.

Galiena ignored Hunter's response, but she felt more relief than she should that Red would have done the same for a woman. "How long have you served your lord?"

"Hawk has been my commander since I was a lad of twelve."

Galiena couldn't stop herself from lifting her brows in surprise. " Twelve ?" Not much older than Tommy, she realized. An unbidden image of the rumpled, mischievous, red-haired, and blue-eyed boy he must have been rose in her mind's eye, making her heart soften. No. She pushed the image away.

"Aye. And he will have my loyalty to my last breath, even if it is given to protect him. I am not afraid to die for my loyalty to those who are deserving."

Galiena's breath caught in her throat at the words, and her heart felt like it may have skipped a beat. She knew Red sensed the impact of his words on her because he dropped his arms to his sides and stepped closer to her, forcing her to either stare at his chest or lift her gaze to his face. When she looked up at him, his expression was no longer stern. It was softer and warmer, and his eyes were…smoldering?

"The list of people who have earned my loyalty is short: Hawk, Lady Alyce, Hunter, and a few other soldiers," he said in a near whisper "And my wife and children will have the same loyalty. To my last dying breath."

Did she want that from Red? Part of her screamed yes , but then reason prevailed, and she remembered she was not deserving of such loyalty. Her husband and child had died despite her efforts, and she had not been able to give her last dying breath for them no matter how much she tried to keep them alive. God above knew she would have if it had been possible. She lived every day questioning why she hadn't been able to give her life for theirs despite her best efforts.

*

Red noticed the way her breath hitched when he spoke of loyalty. He'd also noticed the way her skin heated with a blush when he said his wife and children would have the same until his death. It felt like a battle won, even if a small one, now that he was breaking through her resistance.

But then her face had hardened, and her eyes had become distant and filled with…sadness? Regret? He sensed the cause went far beyond what ever happened that day. He would be patient, but he would find out what brought her so much pain and how to ease her suffering.

Galiena peered into the other room where they could still hear Tommy asking Frode a thousand questions as the older man tried to instruct him on the proper way to repair chain mail. Tommy was sure he knew better ways to do everything and was not one to just take the goldsmith's word on how it was to be done. Seemingly satisfied the boy was in good hands, she turned back to Red.

"I will tell you what happened," she conceded. She held up a hand to stop the smug smile spreading across his face. " But, if you insist on being part of it, then you must promise to help me get to the king and queen before anything can happen to their son."

"The king and queen are on a procession through Wales now that the rebellions have been quelled." Red knew this because the king's plans were common knowledge. He wanted to see the land he'd conquered as well as be seen. "They started in Flint in the north of Wales in September and Edward is meeting with his vassals and touring the castles he ordered constructed along the way. They are traveling down the Welsh coast and are expected to be in the south of Wales by the end of December. It will not be difficult to determine where they can be intercepted."

"That is good news," Galiena said, elated. But her excitement was short-lived. "That also means the men who want to kill the queen's son can easily catch up to them, as well. We must be expedient if we are to succeed."

Her request wasn't practical or expedient. Hunter and Red could travel with greater urgency if left to their own devices, but having to escort another person, unused to hard riding or life on the road would slow their journey to the king. But he could tell by her expression she wouldn't accept his nay to her request. She might even follow along behind or even try to attempt to reach the king without his aid, and that would leave her unprotected. Every part of his body clenched at the idea of his she-wolf alone and on the road, with no one to keep her safe. Because of that, more than anything else, he had no choice but to agree. Red nodded agreement solemnly. "You have my word."

"Good." Her entire demeanor relaxed as she sighed her relief.

"Now, everything, from the beginning," he prompted her. He would wait until he had heard the entire story to judge if she was telling him the truth or holding back from him still.

"Yes," she said, "everything."

Anora cleared the tools and scraps from the far end of the worktable, then motioned everyone toward the benches. Red sat directly across from Galiena. He reached for the plate of candles placed at the center of the table and pulled them closer to where they sat so he could see every expression, every emotion, every flinch, every dart of her eyes.

It didn't take her very long to relay the events of the day, starting from when she decided to take a rest from her work in the narrow alley behind the inn to the present moment. When she repeated the conversation between the men in the alley, Red balled his fists on the table in front of him. The men were damn fools for not ensuring the alley was empty before talking about committing treason. And his little raven-haired vixen was damn lucky they didn't find her hiding in the shadows. Had they found her, letting her live wouldn't have been an option.

His she-wolf would have been dead and gone before he'd found her. That made him clench his fists even more tightly.

The biggest concern was that at least one of the men knew for certain she had the pouch with the missive, and likely assumed she had also overheard every word said. Red knew without a doubt that anyone planning treason who thought there was even the smallest suspicion someone had overheard them would never let that person escape alive.

But they'd have to get through him to get to her, and he would never allow that to happen. He'd tear anyone limb from limb who tried to harm even one hair on her beautiful head.

Now he just had to get her to quit resisting the fate that had brought him to her.

Red's hands were beginning to ache. His need to protect her was making him feel feral. He wanted to rip apart the entire village with his own hands searching for the men who were now a threat to her, and he would not stop until he found them and buried their lifeless bodies deep in the ground.

He forced himself to relax his fists as he watched Galiena touch the parchment with the tip of her finger to roll it over once. There was nothing on the outside of the little scroll. No seal. No markings. Nothing to indicate it was anything important. Her hand shook as it hovered above the missive, and she hesitated to open it. He reached and cupped his hand over hers to steady it. Her gaze flew to his as their hands touched but she did not pull away from him.

"It may be nothing," he said, trying to reassure her. "But if it is what you think it is, then everything changes."

She held his gaze as she considered his words, then nodded her head toward the scroll. "Open it."

Red did not let go of her hand as he picked up the parchment in the other and worked it open with his fingers. He stared at it for a long moment, feeling only slightly guilty for the relief that sent a thrill through his body as he took in the contents.

"Well?" Galiena asked. He could hear the nervous impatience in her voice. When he lifted his gaze to hers, he had to work to keep his face from revealing the excitement that had his blood pumping in anticipation.

"Tell me, Red!"

He met her gaze and held it, confirming what he had expected. "Everything changes."