Noble Thief

by M. Lynn

  All of it had been in her family for generations.

  And they’d failed the people who relied on them.

  Amalie rode beside Tyson as they descended the hill leading into the village that had seen better days. Empty storefronts greeted them with shattered windows. People and animals alike sat on street corners, hoping someone more fortunate than them also had a heart.

  Amalie was too stunned to approach any of them. She only wanted to get behind the high walls of her estate house. There, she’d find warm fires and a hot meal.

  They’d been traveling for days, and it had been so carefree. She’d never been as happy as the last weeks. Tyson made her feel as if she could do anything.

  The gates to the estate were closed when they arrived. A man in her family’s emerald green colors stepped through a small door. She didn’t recognize him, but she’d never made a habit of getting to know her father’s men.

  “I’m afraid the estate is closed to commoners.” The guard widened his stance and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.

  Amalie raised a brow and scanned her eyes over her and Ty’s clothing. They looked like commoners in their simple wool pants and tunics. They’d left Bela after the battle with La Dame. It had been a brutal fight in which they almost lost everything. Before reclaiming the duties they couldn’t avoid forever, they wanted to just live, to be happy together. The friar and inn keepers they’d stayed with on the border had given them these clothes when he realized they traveled with nothing.

  Amalie sat straighter in her saddle. “This estate is never closed to me.” She slid down and Tyson followed her. “I own it.”

  Tyson only chuckled as she pushed past the guard and led her horse through the door at the base of the large gates.

  “I need to start saying that,” Tyson joked. “Nothing in Gaule or Bela is closed to me because I own them both.”

  She threw a look over her shoulder. “You don’t own two kingdoms, Ty.” She shook her head with a laugh. “You’re a prince of both who will never be king of either.”

  He shrugged.

  It wasn’t until they were farther into the courtyard they realized something was wrong. Guards stood at each entrance to the house and stables, but they weren’t all wearing uniforms of the Leroy men.

  They were queen’s men. Royal guards.

  “Tyson,” Amalie hissed. “What are your mother’s men doing here?”

  Someone spotted them and yelled. The guards closed in, trying to cut off any means of escape.

  “Who goes there?” One called.

  Amalie released the reins of her horse. It would be fine in the enclosed courtyard. “I should ask you that question. This is my house.”

  A guard, larger than the rest, stepped forward and removed his helmet. “By order of the crown, this estate now belongs to the kingdom. A traitor’s lands are forfeit.”

  Amalie whipped her head around to stare at Tyson. “Did you know this?”

  Betrayal stabbed through her. His mother stole what was rightfully hers. She’d seen Catrine as a mother when she’d had none.

  The guard went on. “You are trespassing on royal property. We can’t allow you to leave until you’re questioned.”

  “What?” Amalie sputtered. “First you take my home and now… am I under arrest?”

  Tyson stepped forward to intercede, but the guard put up a hand. “I’m sorry, your Highness.” Of course, they recognized him. “This estate house is under close guard.”

  Amalie met the eyes of the man in Leroy colors who’d allowed her to enter. Had he known what would happen to her?

  She didn’t have time to consider it before two guards gripped her arms.

  Tyson was slow to react as he swung a stunned gaze from the guards to Amalie. Fight for me, she wanted to yell at him.

  But she knew it was futile. Tyson wouldn’t use his water magic or his sword on his mother’s men. She’d seen the torn loyalty in his eyes.

  “My mother will hear about this.”

  Amalie sighed. All Tyson had left were his words. They’d been enough for her, to make her happy and keep her smiling. But they weren’t enough to keep her safe. Not if his loyalty didn’t completely rest with her.

  All he did as they hauled her away was watch, his mouth arguing for her, but his body remaining in place.

  They took her to the cells her father built to keep the village in line. He’d confined many thieves behind these bars.

  Each cell was meant to house many people, but only one man sat in the corner. The guard opened the door, and Amalie stepped in, no longer fighting it. The guards at least didn’t treat her roughly.

  As the iron clanged shut behind her, the man on the ground tilted his face up to hers. An unkempt beard coated his cheeks, but his laughing blue eyes hadn’t changed.

  “John.”

  One side of his mouth curved up into a smile. “Hey, Ames.”

  A piece of her heart she hadn’t known was missing fit back into place as she let her eyes linger on his face. John Little had been her best friend and brother since the first time she escaped into the village when she was young.

  She hadn’t seen him in years, but meeting him in that cell was the beginning of the greatest adventure of their lives.

  And she hadn’t known it at the time, but it was the beginning of the end for her and Tyson.

  Chapter Nine

  Present

  “He’s waking up!” Tuck’s call cut through the evening air as Amalie fastened the tie of her pants. She’d walked off for some privacy to relieve herself, thinking it would be okay to leave John for just a moment.

  When she reached the wagon, Tuck knelt in the back, his face so close to John’s it looked as if he was kissing him.

  Amalie pulled herself up and pushed Tuck aside. John’s eyelids shifted, and his lips parted as he gasped for air.

  “Hey,” she cooed, touching his cheek. “You’re okay.”

  His breath calmed at her touch, but a groan rumbled in his throat. He didn’t open his eyes before he spoke. “Ames?”

  A tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it away. She didn’t have an emotional friendship with John. Theirs was based on strength and courage.

  “I’m here,” she whispered.

  “Why do I feel like I’ve had an arrow rip through me? Again.” He opened his eyes and pinned her with a dark stare.

  Tuck laughed and Amalie sent him a scowl before turning back to John. “You’ve been through a lot. Tuck has your wound wrapped, but you should try not to move too much. Your head might be a little foggy from the herb we gave you.”

  “Amalie Leroy,” he rasped. “Why do I have another wound? And apparently, I’ve been drugged?”

  Amalie bit back a smile. He was in pain. She shouldn’t be laughing at him, but the way he stared at her in accusation, after she’d saved his life… she couldn’t help it.

  “You should be dead.” The reality of the situation crashed over her, and her muffled laughs turned to swallowed sobs. She wouldn’t break down in front of him.

  His expression softened. “You save me, Ames?”

  He knew very well she had, but she nodded anyway. “I will always save you. You are my family.”

  He tried to sit up but Amalie put a hand on his chest. “We’re only a few hours from the village.”

  He stopped fighting her, his entire body relaxing under the weight of her words. They all knew what it meant that she’d said village instead of her estate. As soon as the guards realized John’s body was missing, he’d be a wanted man. He couldn’t be seen associating with Lady Leroy. But the people in the village would protect him. They may not know the identity of the Hood, but they knew everything she did for them. They were the Hood’s people as much as Lady Leroy’s.

  “We need to get moving.” Tuck placed a hand on Amalie’s arm.

  She nodded, giving Tuck a brief look before he climbed onto the driver’s seat, and the cart lurched forward.

  Exhaustion and
confusion kept John quiet as Amalie held his hand. With each bump in the road, his face creased in quiet grimace. Her fault. The pain. Everything was her fault. They’d captured him because of one of her missions and almost hanged for his association with her. She should have protected him.

  Blood seeped through the bandage on his shoulder, but she had no means to change it. Hold on John, she thought. We’re almost there. But even her thoughts betrayed her because she knew it wasn’t as easy as returning home. John had to get out of Gaule or risk being an outlaw like so many of her men who lived in the woods. It wasn’t the life she wanted for him.

  And then there was Tyson, on his way to the last place the Hood was seen. The same village they neared now.

  Darkness still shrouded the world as they approached the mass of huddled buildings. They stopped right outside the village near the Leroy estate and Tuck turned to her.

  “You can’t be seen with him.” He jerked his head to John who’d fallen asleep.

  “What about you?”

  “I have to risk it.”

  She saw the wisdom behind his words, but leaving John didn’t feel right. Finally, she breathed a sigh and heaved herself up, jumping from the wagon bed. “I’ll fetch Maiya.”

  She trudged through the streets, John heavy on her mind. Wanted posters lined alleyways. Her face and the faces of some of her men held so much more depth than they showed. They couldn’t be reduced down to a single crime. They weren’t only worth what others thought they did wrong. She released a sigh, resisting the urge to tear the posters down as she kept walking.

  Cameron stood guard at the gate. He recognized her immediately and rushed forward.

  “You’re alive,” he said, stating the obvious with a grunt as he looked her over.

  “Cam, we don’t have time. I need Maiya.”

  Cam nodded and ushered them through the small door. The larger gates had remained closed since the day she forced the royal guards from the grounds. Amalie ran up the steps and into the hall, winding her way through the long corridors until she reached Maiya’s room. Three short knocks brought the heavy-lidded girl to her door.

  One look at Amalie’s face wiped the sleep from Maiya’s expression. “John?” she asked.

  “In the village. He needs you.” She nodded, pausing only to change from her sleeping gown into loose fitting linen pants and silk shirt.

  Amalie didn’t need to say where in the village Tuck had taken John. The town blacksmith had a room behind his shop he reserved for the Hood’s business. Many of her men couldn’t show their faces in the middle of the city, but they were injured frequently, and Maiya healed them there.

  John was now just another one of her hidden people. Another man condemned by the crown for crimes he had no choice but to commit.

  “How have things been in my absence?” Amalie lifted her tired eyes to Cam’s. One of her most trusted guards, he was always honest with her in a way few others were. “Have the men behaved themselves?”

  “For the most part.” His jaw clenched and Amalie waited for him to say the words she could see behind his troubled eyes. “We had a visitor while you were away.”

  She sighed. Nothing good ever came from visitors. They only brought with them pain and suspicion. “Which of the queen’s men did she send?”

  That could be the only explanation for the troubled expression on Cam’s face. They all knew the queen would do everything in her power to find Simon. Until then, Amalie had been too consumed with her journey and the need to save John to consider what came next. Simon knew who she was, and she didn’t know what to do with him yet.

  Darkness clouded Cam’s eyes as he spit out a name. “Anders.”

  Surprise surged through Amalie. Edmund’s father was one of the queen’s most loyal captains. If she sent him, it was only a matter of time before they discovered the truth. Anders had never taken a liking to Amalie because of her closeness with the princes. He loved the queen, but not her sons. Or his own son for that matter. Like many Gauleans, Anders continued to see magic as a scourge, rather than the blessing that erased La Dame from their lives.

  Amalie rubbed the stiffness from her neck. Riding did torture on her body. “What does Anders suspect of us?”

  Cam glanced from right to left, making sure they wouldn’t be overheard. “He didn’t connect you to the hood, but Simon disappeared from your lands. There were accusations in his words. He doesn’t suspect you of wearing the disguise yourself, but he thinks this estate harbors the man.”

  Amalie’s heart pounded inside her chest. He was too close. If she knew Anders at all, she knew he wouldn’t give up. She took a step back. “Why would he think such a thing?” Had she made some mistake? Revealed her true feelings about the Hood’s mission?

  Cam pinned her with a stare. “You’ve never hidden your feelings about the nobility. It isn’t a far stretch to think the Leroy estate took some pleasure in food meant for the rich going to the poor instead.”

  Amalie’s shoulders relaxed. Cam was right. All Anders had on her was her willingness to help the poor and the fact that the Hood operated on her lands. She’d made sure to also steal shipments on the lands of her neighboring nobles, but it wasn’t enough.

  “Will he be back?” she asked, already knowing the answer. Anders would insist on speaking with her.

  Cam nodded. “He said he’d return after a journey to the young Duke Caron’s estate.”

  “Duke Caron?” She didn’t know the duke, but she’d known his father when he was a constant presence at the palace. That wasn’t what concerned her in that moment though. A village on the edge of the Caron lands, at the northern edge of the Gaulean border, held the biggest secret of her life. Tucked away in a suffering village was the biggest sacrifice she’d made as the Hood. If Anders discovered everything she’d given up, her entire life as the Hood would come crashing down around her.

  No one could know what existed in that town. Not only would the Hood be finished, but a life would be in danger.

  Amalie hardened her jaw. She wouldn’t let this break her, make her feel. Emotions were a weakness she couldn’t afford.

  “You can return to your post, Cameron. Tuck and Maiya should return soon so watch for them. I’m going to see our guest before retiring for the night.”

  He nodded once and left.

  Amalie walked to the room she’d given Simon while she was gone. Four guards stood outside his door. Simon was a magic man. His power was an added strength, but he still had limitations and wasn’t strong enough to best four other men at once.

  He was still human after all. She’d counted on his acknowledging that fact and not attempting escape.

  “Report,” she said as she stepped up beside one of the guards.

  He didn’t hesitate. “The prisoner has eaten everything we’ve brought.”

  “How has his demeanor been?”

  “We’ve barely heard anything from him.”

  That wasn’t a surprise. She knew Simon. He wasn’t one to treat people poorly even while they held him captive.

  Amalie glanced to the guard once more. “Don’t call him a prisoner.” She took an offered key and unlocked the door, pushing it open before closing it behind her.

  Despite the late hour, he sat in front of the dwindling fire, a glow dancing across his chiseled face.

  “Amalie.” He lifted a cup of tea to his lips, not turning to her. “Welcome back.”

  She eyed the tray of china cups with a pot of tea in the center, relief striking her. Her people treated him well. That was something at least.

  Practically collapsing into an oversized chair, she sighed. Like Catrine, Simon had always been kind to her. But she’d never forgive the crown for trying to take her home or forsaking the people of the kingdom.

  Simon studied her over the rim of his cup. “I overheard the guards speak of Captain Anders’ visit.”

  She’d already pushed the captain from her mind. He was a problem for a new day. Finally, the words
she’d wanted to say tumbled out of her. “Tyson’s coming here.”

  Simon raised an eyebrow. He was one of the few people who knew everything she’d been through with Ty. Well, not everything. But Simon was the only person they’d told of their impulsive decision all those years ago. Still, he waited for her to explain.

  “He’s been sent to find you.”

  Simon nodded as if he’d expected that all along. “Tell me, Amalie, does your husband know of your secret identity?”

  No, she thought. But he didn’t deserve her secrets. Not anymore.

  Chapter Ten

  Three years ago

  Tyson froze. When it was time to fight for the woman he loved, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t go against his mother.

  Tyson had seen it in her eyes. The knowledge that some part of him might never be hers.

  He’d seen things in Dracon he’d never imagined. So much death. He’d almost lost everyone he loved. At the end of the fight, his sword was bathed in blood and his soul was forever tarnished. He’d almost given his life to protect everyone he loved. His mother. Etta. Alex. Edmund. How could he give every bit of his loyalty to only one person after everything they’d all been through?

  He had to figure out a way. Amalie deserved every part of him.

  The guards who’d taken Amalie away offered him a suite of rooms once belonging to Amalie’s father.

  Because he was the prince, and she was the daughter of a traitor. He’d sent word to his mother and then spent days sitting idly by as they’d questioned Amalie. What more could he do? The guards wouldn’t allow him to see her.

  Soon, they’d realized she was no threat and released her. But what of her estate? Until recently, she’d refused to return, stating she didn’t want lands that were so tainted. But then word had come from the village. A friend of hers had disappeared.

  Tyson didn’t know the friend, but he knew he’d do anything to wipe the worry from her eyes. To make her smile, as carefree as she’d been only a week ago when they’d decided their futures and tied themselves together.