To Capture Her Heart

by Hartman, Ginny

  “By the executioner's block.”

  Taking off in the opposite direction than where he had previously been headed, Gavin began making his way back to where he had just come from. It was easy to spot Terric, though he was surrounded by an inordinate amount of people. He was taller than most, but it wasn't just his height that caused him to stand out. There was an air of authority about him that seemed to draw people like moths to the flame.

  Gavin marched right up to where he was standing and tapped him on the shoulder. Terric turned, his face breaking out into a smile. “Ah, 'tis just the person I wished to see.”

  “What is it you need of me?” Gavin asked, trying his hardest to control his irritation at having his time to himself interrupted.

  “I have an assignment for you, a very important one.”

  Gavin highly doubted that. Ever since he had come back to Herfordshire Castle, the work he had been required to do had been anything but important. Minus the execution of Asher, his duties had always been menial and tedious, the leftover chores that no other defender wanted to bother with. The only reason he had been assigned to perform something as important as the execution was because it was a dangerous and risky position to be in. Criminals rarely worked alone. There were often a number of close friends and allies who were fortunate enough not to have been caught, and it was common enough for them to seek revenge on the executioner who had beheaded their comrade. His task of executing Asher in no way made him a hero, only a target for potential harm.

  “Let's speak in private,” Terric said, as he gestured for Gavin to follow him away from the stage and the subsequent throngs of people. As soon as they were out of hearing distance from most, Terric spoke. “I have a younger sister who is very impetuous.”

  Gavin paused and gave Terric a strange look, his eyes squinting in confusion. “This is what you wished to speak to me concerning?”

  “Aye. I have too many duties to oversee at the present moment, and I need somebody to look after her.”

  Gavin snorted. “You are asking me to tend her? Isn't there a nursemaid who can perform the task?”

  “She's not a child, exactly, but she's not ready to be out on her own. She recently took off towards the castle by herself and I worry for her safety. I need you to go fetch her and bring her back to me where I can keep an eye on her.”

  “'Tis a new low,” Gavin thought.

  Only he hadn't realized he had spoken out loud until Terric put a firm hand on his shoulder and said, “I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't trust you. To me this is a matter of great importance. If anything happens to her...” he left the threat unspoken.

  Gavin had no choice to agree to the preposterous idea if he wanted to keep his job. “Very well. Which direction did she go?”

  “She took off running that way,” he gestured just over Gavin's shoulder. “Though why she was in such a hurry is beyond me. Something tells me that she went to Brantonwall Castle's gardens. You can start by looking for her there. She is about this tall,” he said, indicating a spot about two thirds the way up his chest. “Her hair is as black as a moonless sky, and her name is Gwendolyn.”

  Chapter 3

  Scolded

  Gavin had the sinking suspicion that he had already encountered Terric's sister. After bidding him a brief farewell, he turned and began jogging towards Brantonwall Castle, the same direction the girl-child he had so offended earlier had gone. Ignoring the celebratory sounds all around him, he tried hard to tamper down his irritation at his new assignment. He wanted nothing more than to disappear into a pub and drink a frothy, cold mug of ale in solitude where he could drown out his vexing predicament. His pace quickened, as he realized that the sooner he gave the girl a scolding and sent her back to her brother, the sooner he could realize his simple dream. He really didn't ask for much out of life, not anymore.

  Brantonwall Castle looked even larger up close, with its imposing stone walls that stretched high into the sky. Gavin took but a brief moment to admire the stately fortress before turning and making his way to the garden entrance. He entered the meticulous garden, his pace brisk as he looked around for a glimpse of the girl. Wandering through carefully cared-for foliage, he debated whether he should call out for the girl or not.

  Gwendolyn. That's what Terric had said she was called, but to him, it didn't suit her. It was much too big of a name for such a small imp. At the moment, the only things he could think to call her were not proper at all. Just as he reached the far end of the garden, a box maze opened abruptly to his view. He threw a glance over his shoulder to inspect the gardens one last time for the girl before he surreptitiously entered the maze.

  Gavin had never been in a maze before and, in other circumstances, might have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge it presented, but not today. Coming to the a fork in the path, he debated turning around and leaving when he heard a delicate sneeze not far from where he was situated. Stilling his breath, he tuned his ears to the sounds around him. He heard a bird chirping merrily above, and in the faint distant he could still hear the crowds celebrating the day of justice. A faint rustling, akin to the sound of material brushing up against the shrubbery, gave the girl's position away. He turned and took the path on his right, wending along until he caught sight of a flash of blue disappearing around the bend.

  Breaking into a slow jog, he made to catch up to the girl. Just as her full body came into view, she turned her head to see who was following her. Her large gem-like eyes widened, and the imp took off in a sprint. Gavin had to increase his pace to its maximum as he attempted to catch up to her. She was indeed much too fast for her own good, or for his own good rather, but luckily, what Gavin lacked in speed, he made up for in endurance. He could follow her all day long through the maze if he had to. Surely she'd be the one to expire her efforts first. He used that thought as a balm to his somewhat wounded pride.

  When he was several paces behind her, she made the mistake of looking back to gauge his position in relation to her. She nearly stumbled into the hedge that dead-ended right before her. He smiled wickedly as he realized he had her trapped. He used her slight falter to catch up to her and clasp her roughly into his arms. She smelled delightfully of daffodils, or maybe that was his imagination. Either way, he wasn't about to let something so trivial distract him from his purpose.

  “Unhand me you brute!” she screamed, as her pointed elbows came into painful contact with his ribs. Unamused by her assault, his grip on her tightened painfully around her arms as he forced them to her sides. To her credit, the girl didn't complain, but neither did she still. One tiny foot slipped beneath her skirt and made quick contact with his shin. Caught off guard, he nearly released her arms. Realizing his near mistake, he quickly tackled her to the ground, holding her small body captive beneath his own. Her eyes were wide with shock as her chest rose furiously beneath him. He ignored the way his blood heated at the feel of her beneath him, cursing his body's betrayal. Why should he feel anything for this vexing girl?

  Before he had time to think any further, she was speaking in short, clipped tones that did nothing to hide her anger. “If you harm me further, my brother will see that you are killed. What is the meaning of this? Do you know who my brother is?”

  Gavin gave a humorless laugh. “'Tis he that sent me to retrieve you.”

  “You lie,” she stated firmly, as if his words held no credit.

  “Afraid not. He insisted I track you down and return you to your family at once. So, the sooner you get back to where you belong, the sooner I can get to where I belong and be rid of you.”

  She grunted angrily, which caused her entire body to shake beneath him, causing another unnerving wave of something akin to desire to course through him. “Stop moving,” he commanded sternly.

  “Or what? You'll behead me?” she asked belligerently.

  “Don't tempt me,” he growled.

  “If, by some small chance, what you say is true and my brother did indeed send you after me, I am enti
rely positive that he didn't command you to assault me in the process.”

  Thinking of his bruised shin he said, “'Tis I who have been assaulted, I should think.”

  “Ha!” she scoffed. “You are the one on top of me, rendering me helpless. 'Tis a poor way to treat a lady.”

  “I hadn't noticed you were one,” he quipped back. He hadn't meant to be such a cad; the insult had sprung forth from his lips automatically. He regretted it as he watched her face fall and felt the fight leave her body.

  “Regardless of what you may or may not have observed, I am a woman and insist on being treated as such,” she said bravely, though her voice betrayed her by quivering ever so slightly. “Please let me go,” she pleaded before clamping her lips tightly together.

  Gavin had thought his heart had completely hardened towards all women, but when he saw her chin quiver as she tried to tamper her emotions, he knew he had hurt her with his careless words. He rolled off of her, quickly springing to his feet. He reached forth a hand to assist her, but she ignored it completely and rose gracefully on her own, her head held high despite the put down he had delivered.

  She brushed the grass from her skirt as he tried to apologize for his rudeness. “I didn't mean what I said—“

  “Yes you did,” she cut him off. “Don't make the damage worse by layering a lie on top of it. Your duty is complete. I will return to my family.”

  Holding her head high, she shouldered past him, and he couldn't resist reaching for her. “I'm sorry,” he mumbled.

  She shrugged his hand off of her, “Don't apologize for doing your duty.”

  “Insulting you was not my duty.”

  “Just your intent?” she asked pointedly, and her question cut to his core. If truth be told, mayhap it had been his intent. Ever since his own heart had been betrayed by the fairer sex, his had been a mission of revenge. He felt propelled by a constant, insatiable desire to hurt others the way he had been hurt, hoping that somehow he might someday feel avenged. But knowing he hurt Gwendolyn didn't give him any sense of victory or satisfaction, it only made him feel like the worst sort of cad, a feeling he didn't like one bit.

  “Look,” he said, unsure of how to make it up to her, so deciding to ignore his error completely. “My assignment is to see you safely back to your family, and that's what I intend to do. Let's be on our way.” He brushed past her swiftly, anxious and eager to part ways with her and the unsettling feeling of guilt she produced within him.

  ***

  Gwendolyn purposely picked up her pace so that she walked a few feet ahead of the man who had offended and insulted her more times in a single day than she had been in the past month, possibly longer. She tried to ignore his presence, instead turning her anger from him and directing it at her brother. She knew that Terric was overprotective and that he would be keeping a close hold on her during the day’s festivities, but she never imagined that he'd actually assign someone the task of seeking her out and bringing her back, as if she were some wayward child that needed to be supervised.

  She had only seen him a handful of days out of the year since he left home to become a defender. Why all of a sudden did he feel the need to keep her under his thumb? She purposely picked out each of his flaws, going way back to their childhood when she ran out of things to stew about. Truth was, she adored Terric, and it was hard for her to stay mad at him, but it was better than thinking about the man who was walking behind her.

  In no time at all they reached the square. It didn't take them long to spot Terric and Rosalind. They were rooted in much the same spot they had been when Gwendolyn had left them earlier. Only this time they were surrounded by much merry making as people were pressing close in an attempt to celebrate with them. Gwendolyn ignored a group of drunken men who were singing loudly and terribly off tune, as she pushed her way towards her brother.

  Terric's eyes lit up when he saw her, but she didn't return his excitement. “My captor has delivered me just like you instructed.” Her body dipped into a graceful, if mocking, bow.

  Ignoring her bitterness, he looked over her shoulder and said, “Thank you, Gavin.” When only silence followed, Gwendolyn was tempted to look at the man her brother called Gavin and see how he had taken her brother's gratitude, but she willed herself not to.

  Terric, seemingly oblivious to the tension around him, grabbed Rosalind's arm and linked it through his, laying one hand on top of her own. “We will be going back to the castle where a feast has been prepared. I think it best that Rosalind get away from the crowd for a bit and rest before the festivities begin anew.”

  Behind her, she heard Gavin's deep voice respond, “Very well, I will be on my way.” She turned then to watch as he put his back to the group and began walking away.

  The surly man had barely disappeared into the crowd when Terric began gently scolding her. “Gwen, you know that neither I nor mother wanted you out of our sight this of all days. There are too many drunken people celebrating like fools for us to feel safe with your absence.”

  “You knew I wanted to get a better look at the stage,” she defended herself weakly.

  “Aye, 'tis true, but I was still able to keep my eye on you during the execution. It wasn't until you ran off towards the castle that I became concerned.”

  “If you were truly so concerned for my welfare, why didn't you have Rosalind come find me? She could have transported to where I was and asked me to come back much quicker and much more pleasantly than that churl you sent.”

  Rosalind giggled, “That man you speak of is not a churl. He's one of Herfordshire's defenders.”

  “Well whomever he is, I find him highly disagreeable and hope that you love me enough that you won't require me to be in his presence again.”

  Gwendolyn didn't miss the look that Rosalind and Terric shared, and much to her chagrin, it wasn't a look of concern but rather a look of amusement, as if they found her speech unwarranted yet highly entertaining.

  “Gwen, there's no need for you to be over-dramatic. I didn't send Rosalind after you because I didn't wish her to be out of my sight either. It's not safe for the future Queen of the Southwest to be about by herself, unattended amongst almost the entire Kingdom, especially today. I thought you would understand that her safety is my highest concern at the moment.”

  Feeling foolish for being so selfish, she turned compassionate eyes on Rosalind. “Oh Rosalind, do forgive me. Terric is right, you must be protected today and always. I didn't mean to cause any concern for either of you. I just felt the need to have some time alone.”

  “I understand,” Rosalind said kindly. “If it were up to me, I too would choose to be alone right now.”

  Terric looked down on Rosalind with a mock frown, appearing wounded as he held his hands over his heart. “Truly?”

  “Oh don't be silly, I didn't mean alone, alone. Of course I wish to be with you always, just not with the rest of Darth.”

  “Well let's be rid of this madness then,” Gwendolyn suggested hopefully. “Let's go to the pond behind the maze and see who can throw rocks the farthest across it.”

  “If only we could. But you've forgotten already, the feast. Remember?” Terric gently urged her to remember. He had always had an inordinate amount of patience for her antics.

  “Oh do we have to go?”

  “Aye, we do. Rosalind and her brother Colin are the guests of honor. Now let's get on with it before we are late.”

  Taking a step back from Terric, Gwendolyn said, “How about I meet you both there? I would just like to—“

  But before she could finish, Terric had grabbed her arm and linked it through the arm Rosalind was not holding onto and said, “Nay little sister, this time you will not be let out of my sight.”

  Gwendolyn had no choice but to follow him as she was forced to half run to keep up with his long strides as they made their way to the feast.

  Chapter 4

  A Most Glorious Occasion

  Gwendolyn could not stop smiling a
s she and her mother Millicent made their way out of the chapel located close to Herfordshire Castle. She had just witnessed both the wedding and the coronation of her brother Terric and her dear friend, Rosalind. She finally had a sister! And though she was worn out from the hasty journey back from Brantonwall Castle where the execution and subsequent festivities had been held, the excitement she felt overrode any of her weariness.

  The sun shone down, almost like an omen of good luck upon the blessed couple as the guests followed them outside. She briefly wondered if the late king and queen, Rosalind's parents, had anything to do with the uncommon appearance of the sun above.

  As soon as they were free from the chapel, Gwendolyn rushed towards the couple and flung her arms around Rosalind. “I'm so excited to finally have a sister.”

  “Aye, as am I. And a finer sister I could never have asked for.”

  Gwendolyn smiled proudly. Millicent stepped forth, embracing both Rosalind and Terric one at a time. “I couldn't be happier for you both. 'Tis a glorious day indeed.” Rosalind heartily agreed before Millicent grabbed Gwendolyn's arm and led her into the flow of traffic. The guests were making their way back to the Great Hall where a royal celebration was being held to celebrate the glorious occasion.

  Millicent had to remind Gwendolyn to slow down several times as they made their way to the castle. In her excitement, she couldn't help but walk faster than necessary, faster than her mother preferred. She was in such high spirits, she was sure nothing could tamper her good mood.

  Apparently that theory was to be tested as they approached the main entrance of the keep, where all the guests were being led. Standing stoically at the door was none other than the insolent and offensive Gavin. She had tried especially hard, and generally succeeded in avoiding him the past several days as their party traveled back to Herfordshire Castle. Though she had spotted him a handful of times, this was the first time she had the misfortune of seeing him up close. A scowl threatened to mar her face before she realized that not even he could discourage her merry mood that day.