The Good Crown

Chapter 70

The sun was just starting to rise over the farm, casting a soft golden hue across the fields. I had gotten used to the quietness of these mornings, tending to the animals and keeping myself busy. The chickens clucked as I scattered feed across the ground, and the cows in the distance were lazily grazing, waiting for their turn to be let out into the pasture.

I had been spending more time alone lately. It was easier this way, easier than being around everyone's questions or their well-meaning attempts to "cheer me up." Life had moved on since the rebellion, but there was still this part of me stuck in the past, trapped in memories I couldn't seem to shake.

Wiping my hands on my apron, I moved to open the gate for the cows, watching them slowly make their way out into the field. The wind stirred through the grass, and I felt a brief moment of peace. Out here, I didn't have to think about anything but the simple rhythm of the farm. No thoughts of Noah, no lingering regrets. Just quiet.

But that peace was short-lived.

A sudden thump echoed from the direction of the barn, followed by the panicked fluttering of wings and the sound of chickens squawking as they scattered in all directions. I turned, startled, as a few of the hens darted past me, clearly fleeing from something inside the barn. My heart jumped in my chest, and I rushed toward it, my mind racing with possibilities.

Maybe it's Joseph again, I thought. He had been stopping by recently, unannounced and trying to be helpful, though his help usually caused more problems than anything else.

I threw the barn doors open and froze in place.

It wasn't Joseph.

Noah was sitting on the ground, his back against a pile of hay, his clothes rumpled and stained with dirt. A few chickens had gathered around him, pecking curiously at his pants and sleeves. He looked completely out of place, like a royal in the wrong world, and yet... here he was.

My heart raced. "Noah?" I blurted out, my voice cracking slightly as I stared at him in disbelief.

For a moment, he didn't say anything, just sat there, staring back at me. The chickens continued to peck at him, and finally, snapping out of my shock, I rushed forward, shooing them away. "Get off him!" I scolded the birds as I knelt beside him, grabbing his arm and helping him up from the ground.

"What—what are you doing here? How did you even get here?" My questions tumbled out one after the other, my mind struggling to catch up with the reality of him being here, on my farm, after everything.

Noah's eyes met mine, and for a split second, I saw something—something raw and unguarded. But then it was gone, replaced by the guarded expression he'd worn that last night we spoke in the cell.

"I walked," he muttered, brushing the dirt from his sleeves. He winced slightly as he moved, and I noticed how tired he looked—his eyes dark and weary, like he hadn't slept in days.

"You walked?" I repeated, still trying to make sense of the situation. "From the castle? All the way here?"

He nodded, his lips pressed into a tight line as he avoided my gaze.

I felt a wave of confusion, worry, and a hundred other emotions crashing over me. Noah wasn't supposed to be here. We weren't supposed to see each other again. After everything that had happened—the rebellion, the betrayal, the heartbreak—how could he just show up like this?

I stepped back, my heart racing. "What did I warn you about wandering through the woods and ending up in these parts? You could have been robbed again," I scolded, though my voice trembled with confusion and concern.