Lara
Lara woke slowly to a dim lighthovering over her.She focused her eyes on the square of lightshining down through the open cellar door and sat up, her headpounding as she drained the pitcher of water on the stool next toher pile of blankets, her chest aching with a hole as big and emptyas her stomach’s.She had a foggy memory of Talon bringing thepitcher down and voices and movement in the house above, yet shehad no recollection of time passing as she’d paced and wept andslept.She only knew it was night again from the low glow ofcandlelight above.
She used the chamber pot that had alsobeen brought down at some point, then climbed the ladder and pokedher head up out of the cellar.Talon slept on the floor next to thedoor, Wolf curled up beside him.She reached out to touch Talon’scheek, but reason and a grief so sharp it took the breath from herstayed her hand.
“No,” she whispered toherself.“Don’t.”
Talon opened his eyes, his gaze levelwith hers.“Don’t what?”
“Love you,” she said,telling him what she’d foresworn not to.“Only to loseyou.”
Maybe it was true what the priestssaid: confession was good for the soul.Letting Talon see what wasin her heart, seeing what she felt reflected in his eyes of honedsteel, almost made the hurting worth it.
“I’m sorry,” she meant tosay, but only managed to mouth.
“Don’t be.”His voice wasa low rumble.He ran his hand through her unruly hair, cupped theback of her head, then pressed his forehead to hers.“I understand.Better than most.”
“I know you do.”It was asSophie had said: Lara was a healer, and this valley and its peoplewere her home, her family, and they’d be needing her even more nowthat Sophie was gone.He was a warrior whose family of horsesoldiers was as nomadic as he, whose home was whatever camp,battlefield, or garrison the king ordered them to, and who would beleaving the garrison of Crossroads Keep come winter, if notsooner.
After taking a deep breath in andblowing it out, she climbed up out of the cellar, squared hershoulders, and offered Talon her hand as he stood.“You are welcomein my home anytime, Captain Talon Guiscard.You have been a goodand true friend to me and Sophie, and I-I would miss your company.I have missed it.”
“Yes.”He took her hand inhis and held it.“Sorry about that.I thought staying away would beeasier, but, well…” He dropped her hand and rubbed the stubble ofhis chin with a shrug and a sheepish grin.
“Yes,” Lara echoed,suddenly shy of him too.“Well.”Her stomach growled so loud Wolfpricked his ears and cocked his head.Lara laughed, then she burstinto tears before swiping them from her cheek to eye the tableladen with food.A basket of fresh eggs and a loaf of sourdoughbread caught her eye.“I’m starving.How do eggs scrambled withcheese and chives, plus bread fried in Sophie’s prized bottle ofolive oil all the way from Lombardi sound forbreakfast?”
Talon grinned.“Like I’m going toweigh five hundred stone if this is how you feed yourfriends.”
He not only stayed for breakfast buthe stayed all day and night, never letting her out of his sight.Helistened when she talked about something Sophie had said or done,and laughed softly with her over Sophie’s witticisms.He held herwhen her grief washed over her with such force that her legs gaveout and her whole body shook, and he’d whispered words of comfortas she sobbed into his shoulder.He was her protector, growling offanyone who tried to disturb her other than Berta and Patience, whosat with her while Talon settled Denys in the barn, where he wasapparently taking up residence to work as her helper.After theyleft to prepare supper for the garrison, he sat with her until shemust have fallen asleep in Sophie’s rocker.
When she woke crying out Sophie’s namein the pitch of night, he was there, pulling her from Sophie’srocker into his embrace and soothing her.
“Do you want to go up toyour bed?”he asked when she stopped shaking andsniffing.
Lara rolled her head into hisshoulder.“No.I can’t sleep up there yet.”
Lara sat back down on the rocker whileTalon climbed the ladder to the bed loft and came back down with anarmful of blankets, which he spread out on the floor.He took herby the hand and lay down beside her on the blankets, cocooning herwith his big, warm body.Lara slept, dreamless for the first timein months.
***
The next morning, Patience showed upwith Wyatt and Wilric, and Talon returned to the keep, leaving Larato her friend’s care.He rode back in the late afternoon and he andLara enjoyed a light supper with Denys.After supper, Denys madehis way to his new antechamber in the barn and Talon poured himselfand Lara a cup of wine, which they sat sipping in peaceful silence,watching the sun set over the mountain’s western peak.
“Will you stay with meagain tonight?”she asked as they took their empty cups into thehouse.
“Of course.”
He followed her up to the bed loft andspread out on a pile of blankets on the floor beside her bed,leaving Sophie’s bed empty.Lara fell asleep to the sound of hissteady breathing and woke up calling out his name.
“Tell me,” Talon whisperedas he cradled her in her bed.“Tell me what makes you cry out myname.”
Lara burrowed her nose deeper into hisneck.She’d told him her dream of the slaughter at Roncesvalles,and it had come to pass, just as she’d told Sophie she’d dreamed ofpulling her death shroud over her face.She was afraid if she spokealoud of seeing Talon fall in her dreams, it too would come topass.
When she woke late the next morning,her bed linens still holding his scent, she stripped them andSophie’s and carried them down to the river to wash them, passingby Talon brushing Honey in the corral as Denys spread freshhay.
Determined to keep herself so busy shewouldn’t have time to mope and grieve over Sophie, Lara fed themall a breakfast of eggs, ham, and apples, and then she sent Talonoff to take care of his own business, assuring him she’d be fine.She had Denys and Wolf and her animals and gardens, and she neededto restock her supplies of drying herbs and medicines.
Yet everywhere she looked, she sawSophie.Every plant she touched, she felt Sophie’s hands guidinghers, showing her how to pull weeds without disturbing a seedling’sdelicate roots, how to pick only the ripe berries, how to tie thesprigs of herbs up without bruising their tender leaves.Every gustof wind and soughing of leaves sounded like Sophie’s voice in herear, telling her she would get through this, that she was braverand stronger than she knew, that much depended on her.
She stood and straightened, squaringher shoulders as she surveyed the property where Sophie had raisedher.Her home.