160Chapter One
Will Thurston had experienced many things in his life, but not once had he comforted an enemy combatant on the field as he died. It was also the first time he helped murder a fourteen-year-old boy on the field.
Will cursed his father as he sliced through the boy as he tried, in vain, to stab Will in the neck. His Northmen had taken part in another landslide victory against the ill-trained Johansson men, but it was no victory. More often than not, Gregory Thurston had sent boys and even children to fight the revered Northmen and each time, Will sent children back to their mothers on carts for the dead.
More than once, Will attempted to stop the boys from attacking him and the Northmen, but it had been drilled in their minds that it was better to die than to live a good life where you didn't stand up to the usurper Will Thurston.
"It won't hurt any longer," Will whispered to the whimpering boy and Will felt his eyes water with fresh tears. His skin was covered in grime and mud, along with the blood of his enemy. The Northmen and the Roth archers walked amongst the dead and pulled off what supplies they needed. Some took new swords, fresh boots, or impressive armor. Gregory Thurston sent boys to fight, but he gave them the best gear for the job.
"You're nothing but an usurper and you will burn in hell," the boy said as he spat in Will's face. Undeterred, Will continued to hold onto the boy's hand as he died, when the final drop of blood dripped out of the wound in the corner of his neck. Will released his hand and stood and wiped the boy's spit off his face. It was not the first or last time this would happen.
"I don't know why you bother?" Will heard Garrett say behind him. Will turned to see his friend...brother, and sighed. It had been two years since the last major battle with their father, and no one had seen or heard from Gregory in those years. There were the minor battles, like today, to defend the outskirts of Will's collective territory, but nothing to end the war, or even make a dent in the standings.
"I cannot imagine what it is like to die, but I know that I wouldn't want to be alone when it happens," Will said as he adjusted the sword at his hip. Death was not a conversation Will and Garrett discussed often, especially after what had happened. Garrett understood death more than most people.
First Kendall had died, and Garrett's next serious love: Seraphina and his child perished in the birthing chambers. From what Jacque told him, Will deduced that Seraphina's birth of her child was startling similar to Tamzin and Liam's, but the Gods blessed Will by allowing both his wife and child to live. Tamzin was silent when Will relayed the news to her as she nursed their child. Liam was four months old when Seraphina and her child passed.
"It is something I wouldn't know about," Garrett said as he looked down at the dead boy. "They are younger and younger each time."
"What kind of man sends boys to do his dirty work?" Will asked with mild disgust and revulsion in his voice.
"A man who is interested in winning," Garrett said with a sneer as the two men began to walk together back to their encampment. "There is a never-ending line of young idiots wanting to fight for their country and way of life."
"That's not a stupid notion," Will said as he took pride in fighting for his Queen and child. There was no higher honor for him in his life.
"For Kings like you, no, it isn't stupid. But the Johanssons are so in love with their mad King that they'll do anything he says. An intelligent Northerner likes their way of life? There is nothing better than that, is there?" Garrett asked as the encampment came closer and closer. "They're not even good practice."
"We don't need good practice. All of the best fighters are on the same side now," Will said as he watched his Northmen bring in their loot from the battle. The bidding would begin shortly. "I hate it when they steal from them."
"Not like a dead boy will need a sword in the afterlife," Garrett said as he plopped down on the ground and took a leather wine skin from the ground. He took the cork off with his teeth and spat it out, before he downed the wine into his parched mouth and throat. "Your greatest weakness is your empathy for the enemy. That girl of yours..."
"Tamzin is my Queen and has been every second I have been King. If you have respect for me, then you have respect for her," Will said as he tensed his shoulders angrily. He tried to avoid allowing his anger to get the best of him when Garrett talked about Tamzin without the respect she deserved. Will knew how bitter Garrett was that Tamzin and Liam had survived when his own family hadn't. He was convinced it was punishment for his treatment of Kendall. Will never disputed that fact, but never confirmed his suspicions about it, either.
"She may want to save all the innocent Johansson people, but those kind of ideals are useless in war," Garrett continued as he handed Will the skin. "Innocent people are killed during war and every other moment in life. Not everyone can be saved."
Including women and their babies, but Will didn't open his mouth. They continued to share their skin of wine as the sun began to set and the stench of death permeated the air. After a hearty dinner, Will returned to his tent. He stared up at the ceiling of the tent as his eyes became heavy. Over the course of the two years, his last thoughts were always on Tamzin and their son, who he knew were tucked safely in their beds back in Bradford.
Will and his Northmen awoke early the next morning and the men packed their supplies as Will walked to his Uncle's tent. Paul was not much of a soldier, so he was used to try and break the Johansson survivors for any information about the state of Johansson. They had learned, quickly, that any Johansson soldiers taken hostage tried to kill themselves (and some successfully did so) by cutting out their own tongue. Will found it useless to try and question the men, but his men decided it was prudent to at least try.
Will had just pushed open the entrance to the tent, when he saw his uncle cleaning off the blood from his hand with a fresh, white towel. A Johansson soldier sat behind him, tied to the chair, but his tongue was still cut out.
"His only words was that he would never betray the Good King Thurston," Paul said as he tossed his soiled towel on the table. "Another useless one. I'm sorry, Will."
"You didn't kill him," Will responded emotionlessly as he ran his hand through his hair. His skin was slick with sweat from the warm weather and he wasn't sure what stunk more: the corpse or his own smell. "You shouldn't risk your life coming out with us."
"You're my nephew. I would always risk my life to help you. I'm your family," Paul said as he placed his hand on Will's shoulder and squeezed him. "I know that it's a concept you haven't been too familiar with, until fairly recently."
"It wasn't a concept I was aware existed until a few years ago," Will said as he tried to smile at his uncle, but found nothing. "I'm exhausted and I feel like we haven't made any type of progress."
Paul opened his mouth to agree, but the look on Will's face stopped him. His nephew was only twenty-one years old, and had more than the weight of the world on his shoulders. It was the nostalgia and the good natured belief that crowned Will and Tamzin Thurston King and Queen of the North and the Realm. It was impossible not to see Will buckling under the pressure of it all. He did need to recharge; it had been nearly a month since he had last seen his wife and son.
"I think we need to go home," Paul said as slung his arm over Will's shoulder. "We all need to see our families and loved ones."
"You can do all of that. As soon as I walk through the palace doors, I will be bombarded with things that need my attention. Tell me how Tamzin and Liam are, because it's as if I'm not even home when I have those responsibilities," Will said bitterly. "I never wanted this."
"No one does, not when they know what it really means. You always question the sanity of the man who wants power. There is nothing glamorous about it, but this is a test and believe it or not, you're passing," Paul replied.
"You're the only Northerner I would follow," a voice said as it entered the tent. Will and Paul turned to see Willem as he took a seat at the desk. "That, and you're my son, in some odd way."
"You don't want me as a son. Haven't you heard I can do nothing right?" Will asked with a small laugh, but it was more bitter than anything else.
"You do a good job producing handsome and smart little boys," Willem responded and Will rolled his eyes.
"It is all Tamzin, I assure you," Will said as he laughed at a memory of Liam. "There is nothing sullen or stupid about Liam."
"And there is nothing stupid about you. However, you are one of the most sullen people I know," Paul said as he laughed. Will joined in, but the exhaustion stopped him from truly feeling anything short of tiredness.
"I want to sleep in a real bed again," Will groaned as he sat down next to Willem.
"I think you would rather sleep next to your woman again," Paul offered as the Northmen entered the tent and began to pack what was left.
"We're going home, men," Will ordered the Northmen, who couldn't hide their smiles and cheers as they relayed the news to the others. It had been a month too long for Will to be home again. Will approached Angus, who was tied to a tree and untied the knot. "Going home means Bradford now. Will it ever mean the North again?"
Angus didn't answer, but he nuzzled his master and Will placed his hand on his nose. As the men finished packing, Will mounted Angus and pulled tightly on his reins to control the beast. His men mounted their horses after the wagons were packed and those without horses were situated on their seats on the wagons. It was nearly mid afternoon by then, and they would not arrive back in Bradford until well past dinnertime.
They rode hard and fast that night and Will could feel his heartbeat in his ears as he listened to Angus' hooves pound against the dirt roads, the travelers route to Bradford. It wasn't the most pleasant of rides, but Will felt a smile on his face grow bigger and bigger each mile they rode closer to home.
It was pitch black as the men rode out of the forest, with the lit perimeter of Bradford leading them. The lit torches was both a good idea and a dumb one. It helped the enemy find them faster in the dark, but also allowed Will to find his way back when he and his men returned on nights like these.
There was sweat across his brow and his skin felt thick with more perspiration and heat as he watched the Bradford gates open, and he and his men rode in. It wasn't quite the middle of the night, as the South liked to have long and leisurely dinners after a long day. Will was unsure why, but this was the place he lived. There were people coming out of the pubs, some drunken on the streets, as Will dismounted from Angus and handed the reins off to the stableboy.
"Where is my wife?" Will asked the young stableboy.
"In the Throne Room, Your Grace. They are still in the middle of dinner," the stableboy responded as he ran his hand over Angus' neck. Will rolled his eyes. He left Tamzin to handle the nobles, as he despised them. The Southern nobles were different from the North. Will had thought that people like Henry Covington were the bane of his existence until he met the nobles of the South. At least Henry Covington was interested in the state of affairs and the people. The nobles here were interested in each other and the gossip of their social class. Tamzin knew how to play along, and he loved her even more for it.
Will walked around the front of the palace and into the main doors, made of solid oak and with a 'B' carved in, and sealed with iron. Inside, the grandest of parties was being thrown. Will's stomach gurgled as he smelt the delectable food from the Throne Room, most likely a roasted pork with some leafy greens and some potatoes, if Tamzin had an inkling he was riding home. He could taste the fresh fruit on his tongue and it was enough to make him want to spend a few hours annoyed if it meant he could taste that food. He reeked, however, and was sure the Southerners would turn their nose up at him as he walked by.
The doors to the Throne Room were heavier on his aching muscles as he pushed them open and stepped inside. Music was being played by the six-person-band and the air was thick with the aroma of food and the sound of conversation and laughter. At the end of the aisle was the table for Will's family, and the table was filled. Tamzin sat at the center, laughing with his mother and sister when the music and conversation died down as he walked through the doors.
Tamzin looked away from his mother to see what had caused the commotion. She looked so beautiful with her brown hair left down and it curled from the humidity. Her red dress dipped down into her chest and he watched her stand from her seat. Her dress sparkled and it looked like she was decorated with a million stars to adorn her.
She squealed in delight at the sight of him and rushed to him, as her heels clicked on the wooden floor. He rushed to her and opened his arms to her. Will wrapped her tight in his embrace and lifted her off the ground. Though he still wore his armor, Will could feel the heat of her body against his skin and he pressed a kiss against her neck. She pulled away, but only slightly, and placed her hands on his face.
"You're back home," she nearly whimpered as he placed her back on the ground and his hands drifted down to rest on her hips. Will didn't care how many people watched them as he pressed his lips against hers. Her lips were soft and tasted like wine as his chapped ones folded into hers. After over three years of marriage, Will knew how to kiss her without a single mistake. Their noses didn't bump and their teeth didn't smash together. They moved, in sync, in every sense of the word.
"I'm sorry it took so long," Will whispered to her as he pulled away, her lips red and bruised from his kiss. "We have had a lot happen in the last month."
"Don't ever leave again for that period of time!" Tamzin ordered and Will smiled as he wrapped his arms around her again. "You smell awful."
"I have been amongst nothing but men and we have been traveling or fighting. It has been a bit difficult to find a privy or a tub to bathe in," Will said as he used his strength to bring her along as he walked to the side of the room, and away from the prying eyes of the nobles.
"Then I guess I will have to order you a bath," Tamzin said as his fingers pressed against her skin, through her dress. "You will have to wait until morning to see your son."
"He is asleep?" Will asked mournfully as he listened to the nobles began to talk again and his mother and sister approached him hesitantly. "Nicola, Katya," he regarded them with a bit of mild annoyance. He liked Katya well enough, mostly because she made Tamzin laugh in a way he hadn't heard since Kendall, but his relationship with his mother would never fully heal. He appreciated her relationship with Liam, but when he undressed and stared at the scars on his chest, he felt his mother was just as much to blame for his torment over his entire life. Will couldn't forget it.
"He has missed you over the last month, and it was a bit difficult to control him. He has cried quite a bit since you have been gone," Tamzin explained sadly as she ran her fingers through his hair and brushed his curls out of his eyes. "I will order you a bath and have some dinner brought up to you..."
"I want you," Will whispered in her ear, low enough for only her to hear. "You and a bath."
"Nicola, could you please have the servants bring up some warm water for Will and a cheese plate as well?" Tamzin asked as his fingers continued to press into her hip.
Nicola made a move to speak, but Katya nodded and pulled her mother away. It had seemed that something had happened in the month Will was gone.
"Have I missed something?" Will asked as Tamzin took his hand and together, they walked out of the side entrance of the Throne Room and to the stairs.
"Your brother may have made a mess of things," Tamzin said as they walked up each step together.
"Which brother?" Will sighed as he laced their fingers together. Both Ethan and Garrett had caused him trouble in the past, and he was in no mood to deal with anything more, especially when he had finally returned home to his wife and son.
"Ethan," Tamzin sighed as they walked up another flight of stairs, to their private floor. "He may have been following in your other brother's footsteps."
Hanna and Ethan's marriage had not survived, and the two were divorced nearly a year after Liam was born. Hanna remarried quickly, and she was enjoying life as a Lady of a household. Ethan had been exploring his options, meaning he had spent most of his time sleeping around. It was a concept Will didn't understand, but he didn't press his brother on it. He only told him to be careful.
Apparently, he hadn't been.
"He married a local girl a few weeks ago. He didn't tell anyone and the next day, he announced it while I was having tea with your mother and sister. I know that I had to approve of the marriage, since he is a noble and you were away, but what could I do?" Tamzin asked as she pushed the door open to their chambers. "You know me, my King. I am such a hopeless romantic."
"That I can't deny," Will said as he shut the door behind him and took in the sight. Seeing Tamzin in their chambers again was like something out of a dream. As soon as the door shut, Tamzin's fingers were pulling at his armor. Her nails scraped against the iron and Will shivered as the cool air touched his skin through the tunic he wore underneath. Tamzin's nose scrunched.
"I love you, Will, but Gods, you stink!" She exclaimed with a giggle as Will rolled his eyes again. He pulled the tunic off his body and smirked as Tamzin admired his physique. In many ways, they were opposites. She was soft against the hard planes of his body and warm where he was cold. Seeing her again, and like this, overwhelmed him and Will placed his hands on her arms and pulled her close. "I have missed you so much," he said as he breathed in the scent of her hair.
"I have missed you just as much, my love," Tamzin grinned as she kissed him again. "Liam will be just as happy as I am to have you home." She wanted to continue, but the doors opened and a few servant girls entered with steaming hot water. They paid the couple little attention as they poured the water into the tub in the corner of the room. After Will and Tamzin made this their personal chambers, Will made the room more Northern like. He kept the tub in the chambers and placed curtains around their bed. The curtains were hardly ever used, but they were a comfort to wake up to.
It wasn't nearly as much of a comfort to wake up to, in comparison, to seeing Tamzin. Will still didn't sleep much at night, but he could at least relax with Tamzin in his arms.
With the steaming water in the tub and the servant girls gone, Tamzin stripped Will out of his armor and clothes. He took his time stepping into the tub and his muscles ached as he was enveloped in the warm water. Will watched as Tamzin sat on the ledge of the tub, with the oils in her hand.
Will dipped his hair into the water, and soon her nails were scratching his scalp. Her fingers cleansed his hair of oil and lulled him into blissful relaxation as he felt the gentle tingling on his scalp. When she finished with his hair, her fingertips cleaned the grime and sweat off his skin. The clear water turned a dirty brown color and the steam dissipated, but Will had never felt cleaner or more refreshed. Despite his exhaustion, he stared at Tamzin with a hunger in his eyes.
She helped him out of the tub and dried his hair with a fresh towel. His skin dripped with water and it pattered down onto the floor; the sound of it was soothing enough to make Will close his eyes in appreciation. The feeling of the towel pulling slightly on the roots of his hair and the feel of Tamzin's hot breath on his chest lulled Will into a strange sense of relaxation.
"Take off your dress," Will asked as Tamzin dropped the towel from his hair and it hit the floor lightly. Though his eyes were closed, he felt her body move about as she pulled her dress down. As Will opened his eyes, they darkened with desire. His beautiful wife, so loving and devoted, smart and sassy, stood naked in front of him and every moment she allowed him to have her, he was grateful. There was no way he was deserving of this angel in front of him; the woman who loved him and was his confidante and friend when he had no one.
She led him towards the bed and the back of her knees hit the bed. She slid back against the sheets and opened her legs for him. Naked and still wet, Will crawled between her legs and laid between the cradle. His hands slid down the smooth skin of her ribs and hips and under her back, where he arched her closer to him. Their lips barely touched and Will smiled.
"It's so good to have you home again," Tamzin repeated with a tone he didn't hear from many people. It was an unconditional love he received from her, something he hadn't had with his own mother. But he felt it with Tamzin, and felt it in how he loved Liam.
"I love you," Will said as his lips vibrated against hers.
AN: As you can tell, this is a massive rewrite. I took the opportunity to use a new plot, clean out the roster of characters, and still say what I wanted to say from the original Unconditionally. Tamzin and Will will be separated and grow as characters on their own, but I promise there will be no cheating, love scandals, or new characters to tempt either Will or Tamzin. You guys spoke loud and clear that you wanted conflict, but to keep their relationship intact. As of right now, I have seven chapters written, so I will post every day that I have a chapter. I start school tomorrow (after taking an entire summer of classes as well), so I will try to keep up with the writing and posting.