Unarmed (Unarmed Trilogy)

by Nina Monroe

  “There are more of me than there are of you,” the soldier said as he eyed Tamzin and licked his lips.

  “One of me is worth ten fold of you. The only reason you live is because I let you live. Her husband,” Red nodded to Tamzin, “will not be as generous. Prince William takes personal pleasure in executing diddlers and rapists. It’s our worst crime here and the worst penalties.”

  “Prince William isn’t here and King Duke is. You should worry more about his laws. Southern law was implemented,” the soldier said as he reached forward and grabbed Tamzin. He pulled her roughly from Red’s arms and as the Thurston soldiers moved forward to retrieve her, the soldier put his hand on his sword. “The pretty Princess won’t be so pretty if you take another step.” The soldier mocked before he shoved Tamzin out into the freezing cold. What she saw brought her instant horror.

  Men, women, and children everywhere were freezing. Their houses were gone and Tamzin watched as mothers gave the last of their food to their children. The only place of residency that was still standing was the brothel, which was taking in people from the cold. What she saw was a line of people waiting to go in, but they still perished in the snow anyways.

  Tamzin felt the soldier hit her shoulder to move forward. She stumbled, but a man caught her fall. She recognized the man as the butcher, a portly man who gave small meat medallions to the small children of the prostitutes. His shop was still open and she stood right next to it, where other people took refuge.

  “Bless you, Princess. We pray for King Gregory and Prince William’s victories and we pray for you,” the butcher said before the Johansson soldier standing near her punched him. “You can punch me, you sack of shit, but I look forward to hearing tomorrow about how Prince William killed more of your comrades.”

  “Does it make you nervous?” Tamzin asked. “To know my husband is so lethal and your hand is missing? My husband will know instantly why you’re missing a hand.” Tamzin watched as the soldier’s face faltered for a brief second before he grabbed her with his hand and shoved her forward.

  The castle was alit with candles in all the windows as the doors opened for her. The Royal Court was dressed in their finest clothes but Tamzin could see the fear on their faces as they bowed for her. She heard her title ‘The Queen’ be yelled by someone in the crowd but Tamzin looked ahead. She may lack a crown, jewels, or pretty dresses, but she didn’t need any of those things to make herself a Queen. She had the loyalty of the people and the Royal Court. If anything, the false king Duke only solidified their loyalty.

  Lucy wore one of Tamzin’s tiaras and a brand new dress made of silk and of the southern fashions, but Tamzin watched as she shivered in the cold. Duke wore Will’s future crown that he would wear as King. She had heard from the girls who brought her meals that Lucy and Duke had taken residency in her and Will’s marriage bed. The thought made her sick, but Tamzin kept her head high. She would retain that bed and her castle and kingdom.

  Next to Lucy was Junior the Bastard. Junior glared at the soldier that held onto Tamzin before he suddenly rushed forward and pulled the soldier from her side. He threw the soldier to Duke’s feet.

  “Princess,” Duke began as his eyes narrowed to look at her. “If a man loses a hand, it means that he touched someone against their will, yes?”

  “A loss of a hand is the first punishment. If he or she does it again, they lose their head,” Tamzin turned to look at the soldier at Duke’s feet. “If the person is a rapist, they first lose their appendage and then their head.”

  “And the Northerners say that the Southerners are animals,” Duke laughed but no one joined in, not even Lucy. “I bet you were shaken up after that man slid his fingers into you. Tell me, where they thicker than my nephew’s?”

  “You’re vile,” Tamzin said through grated teeth. “What you’ve done, it can’t be forgiven. You’ve taken a man’s kingdom when he’s not here to defend it. You’ve cursed yourself.”

  “So dramatic, isn’t she?” Duke turned to look at Lucy, her blonde hair pushed up into an intricate weave.

  “And you,” Tamzin turned to Lucy. “I was your friend. I defended you when I knew you were guilty. I couldn’t believe that you would betray me; I thought that highly of you,” Tamzin glowered before she put her shoulders back and stood regally.

  “It should have been me,” Lucy whispered angrily. “My father tossed me aside, but if he hadn’t, I would be married to Will Thurston, the most powerful heir on this planet.”

  “But he didn’t,” Tamzin narrowed her eyes. “He married me and I am married to the most powerful heir on this planet. You can kill me, but you both will always be the usurpers. No one will ever believe your claim to this throne,” Tamzin warned as she looked to her Royal Court. “You’re nothing but a bastard. Your father could have legitimized you, but he didn’t.”

  “I called you down here for a reason, dear Princess. There is a new letter from your beloved. I must say, he does not have a knack for writing love letters,” Duke mocked as he pulled the letter from his pocket.

  “No, Will’s talents lie with killing Johansson soldiers so I can forgive him for his poetry skills,” Tamzin said sardonically before she watched Junior walk forward with the familiar weapon in his hand. He stood behind her, but did not strike her legs like he did before.

  “Dearest Wife, how sweet,” Duke nearly cackled before his face fell into a frown. “Will writes of a third victory and the near extinction of the Johansson army. He sends his love though and cannot wait to bed you again. He nearly always writes about bedding you,” Duke deflected as he watched his soldiers become fidgety. “You must have the sweetest cunt in all of the North and the South. Was it worth losing your hand over?” Duke asked as he looked to the handless soldier on the ground.

  “If you weren’t the lowest form of scum, even you would be disgusted by your comments,” Jacque said as he entered the Throne Room as he carried his case full of medical supplies. “Not that you care, but I saved a number of townspeople from frostbite and they have all taken refuge from the cold.”

  “You’re right, I don’t care and I’m the King. I will say whatever I want,” Duke said to Jacque as he came to stand next to Tamzin. “You’re her doctor, Jacque. Is the Princess fertile for seed?”

  Tamzin resisted the urge to touch her stomach; she was more than fertile.

  “Yes, she is fertile but only for true heirs from her husband,” Jacque said as he stared Duke in the face. “If you rape her or allow any of your men to rape her, she will conceive and any child she bears will not be an heir as it was out of wedlock. When Will Thurston returns, which he will, he will not take well to another man’s child put unwillingly in his wife’s belly. Look at what he did to Johansson men he didn’t know. Just imagine what he will do to you.”

  “Soon enough, Prince William will be a thing of the past. He may not be able to be killed on the battlefield, but that doesn’t mean I can’t strip his crown and bride away from him. He says in his letter that he and his men will most likely be visiting your father before they return home. I ought to send some men to meet him on the road,” Duke smirked as he dangled the parchment in his hand.

  “You’re not that dumb, are you?” Tamzin cried out before she ran her fingers through her tangled hair. “A surprise attack of less than a hundred men on an army of tens of thousands? You only hold this kingdom hostage because you attacked in the middle of the night and after you knew Will had left. You haven’t won some great battle. And you,” Tamzin pointed her finger at Lucy. “You will never be Queen. How can you be Queen when he needs to marry me so my father won’t attack?”

  “We don’t need your father’s soldiers,” Lucy quipped but her blue eyes were set ablaze. “Thurston soldiers…”

  “Thurston soldiers will massacre both of you before the words are even written to be sent to my father. I assure you that if my people were armed, you wouldn’t have made it through the gate,” Tamzin yelled before she took a step forward, her
cloak wrapped tightly around her body. “You exile Will Thurston, his soldiers follow and that is the best outcome you can hope for.”

  “The legend of this man precedes him,” Duke warned before he reached for his goblet of wine. He only drank when he became nervous and his confidence waned. “He is eighteen years old. He thinks with his cock and nothing else.”

  “He thinks well enough to put nearly all the Johansson soldiers in the ground,” Tamzin returned as she turned to look at Junior, who had stayed silent. “He’s looking for you.”

  “He’s looking in very wrong places, isn’t he, Princess? Not very smart, indeed,” Junior the Bastard said without emotion. He slammed the weapon against her calves and Tamzin fell to the ground. Arms took her by her armpits and lifted her to her feet.

  “I’m taking the Princess back to her tower,” Red growled as he looked to the Johansson soldiers, who couldn’t bear his stare. “I dare any of you to stop me.” Red scooped Tamzin into his arms and for a brief moment, Tamzin felt like she was home. Red held her like her father would when she was sick, the gentle embrace and a brush of a kiss across the crown of her hair. Tamzin knew he felt the hardness of her mother’s stomach brush against his own and his arms became gentler.

  She closed her eyes as they walked into the courtyard and the brisk air caressed her face. The gentle wind wasn’t as harsh as it normally would be this time of year, something she had learned from Will the last time he opened their window in their chambers. She clung to that memory now; the memory of Will’s warm arms wrapped around her body as they watched the townspeople late one night. The once unforgiving weather had been different once she arrived, slightly warmer and enough so to grow more crops. Tamzin had brought a bit of the south with her and it saved is people more and more.

  She wished she felt braver now. She wished she was brave like Will and could draw the dagger under her pillow in her chambers on Duke and Lucy. Tamzin wasn’t sure how she would feel if she took a life, no matter how many lives she would be saving from that act.

  Tamzin felt the coolness of the floor on her back as Red laid her down gently. Kendall sat down next to Tamzin on the floor as she pulled out her sewing. She had made Garrett three new shirts and a pair of breeches since their capture and imprisonment. Tamzin watched as Jacque opened his case and fiddled with his equipment while the soldiers began to spar with each other, always keeping in tiptop shape.

  She had nearly fallen asleep when the door creaked open and Lord Henry Covington walked in, a quill and parchment in hand. Tamzin sat up and cradled her stomach. He didn’t say a word as he sat down with Red and soon after that, the cook joined them, followed by a girl from the brothel. They all bowed to her but soon, the hushed whispers filled the air and Henry wrote furiously.

  “Henry has documented the various atrocities committed by the Johansson men and Duke himself. He has violent tastes with the prostitutes,” Jacque whispered as he handed the green vial to Tamzin, filled with the potion that made her baby stronger. “The woman has volunteered to bring the message to Will, now that we know where he will be shortly. If the message is only received by your father, he will come himself.”

  “I can’t ask them to do this for me,” Tamzin said as she ran a finger over her bump. “It’s my fault all those people are dead. I haven’t been strong enough…”

  “The townspeople deaths are Duke’s fault; they are Douglas Johansson’s fault. Unless you ushered in those people to burning houses, then you are not at fault.”

  “Do they hate me?” Tamzin asked as she strained her neck to see out of the window to the night sky. It was a quiet night. No cries or screams filled the air like a thick smoke.

  “They love you,” Jacque whispered as he pulled the stopper out of the vial and watched Tamzin swallow the liquid. “You are the Queen of Fire. They swear they see fire when you speak.”

  “I’ve done nothing. I am undeserving of their love,” Tamzin responded bitterly as she brushed away a stray tear angrily.

  “You haven’t faltered, and your conversation with the usurper has certainly gotten the blood pumping of this kingdom. Men will tell their daughters of the fearless Queen that kept an evil man from taking the kingdom of her beloved husband. You have the makings of a heroine in the songs,” Jacque smiled before he began to touch her stomach softly with his skilled hands. “Did you know you were born the same night as an eclipse? People think an eclipse is a bad omen and the death of your mother certainly didn’t help the cause, but territories with Northern ideals don’t believe in superstitious things. But the southerners do, and they believe very much in omens,” Jacque continued before he smiled at her stomach. “I assure you that you have a very happy baby in your womb, dear girl.”

  “What do they say?” Tamzin ignored his comment, though she continued to cradle her belly.

  “They love to tell stories, really,” Jacque’s eyes glittered as he sat down comfortably next to her. “Sort of like how they say Will can’t be killed. The truth is that any man can be killed, but there’s always a little something about his story that makes him reach his God like stature. There are small stories that a girl will be the backbone to a new empire, behind a man who can survive anything. Ironically, Douglas Johansson is the one who started that one, about himself naturally. They say Will can’t be killed and do you know what they say about you?”

  “What?” Tamzin asked.

  “You’re the Queen that can’t be conquered. Quite a frightening combination for your enemies, isn’t it? The King who can’t be killed and the Queen who can’t be conquered. The Fire Queen with flames in her eyes and can breathe fire. A true combination of being loved and feared,” Jacque smiled again before he smoothed her cloak over her. “Sleep, fire breather. The coming days will be hard.”

  Tamzin closed her eyes with a slight smile on her face. She could be fearless, a non-contradictory Princess who could be brave. No, she was a Queen now: a brave Queen who could not be conquered by any man for any land. With a hand on her belly, Tamzin smiled and swore she would pass down these memories to her babe. Suddenly, the future didn’t seem quite so uncertain.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Tamzin opened her eyes on the first day of their second month of captivity and felt the sun shining on her face. If her body hadn’t ached from sleeping on a stony floor or if her mind didn’t pound from the memories of what had transpired over the last few months, it would have been a beautiful morning. Straining, she put her hands on the floor and pushed herself up, her belly becoming more apparent by the day. At nearly five months pregnant, it was becoming more difficult for Kendall to fluff out her cloak just right to hide her bump and while Duke had returned some of her more modest styles of dresses to her, the dresses barely fit Tamzin at all.

  Tamzin sat up and leaned against the wall where she rested her hands on her swollen belly. Her back ached from fresh bruises; a new letter had been sent from Will, which stated that they had killed the last members sent of the Johansson Army and would return home soon. Since the letter was read, the remaining members of the Johansson Army that stood ground in Thurston Territory attempted to flee. Tamzin watched, in horror, as Junior killed some men, severely injured others, and threw the remaining living soldiers in the bowels of the castle, where the dungeons were. Though she wasn’t in the castle and Tamzin felt she was closer to the sky than the ground in this tower, she swore she could hear the groans of the men.

  Her one bit of happiness came from what grew in her belly. What she initially thought were butterflies from nervousness, Tamzin discovered was the beginning of her baby moving. It took all she had not to smile during her berates from Duke when she felt the familiar fluttering. Jacque had told her it would only be a matter of time before the flutters turned into distinctive movements, like a kick or shift to become more comfortable. The new development was both terrifying and amazing and for the few brief moments when Tamzin was truly safe, she enjoyed the movements of her child beneath her skin.

  R
ed and his men sharpened (who she discovered were named Louis and Jacob) and cleaned their swords in the corner of the room, while Kendall continued to sew Garrett a new shirt for when he returned. This was how they spent their days when they were not forced to endure Duke’s Royal Court at night for dinner. Since Duke cut off the hand of the disgusting soldier that touched Tamzin, the men left them alone and cowered a bit when they spotted Red escorting the Queen towards the Throne Room.