The King's Inamorata (A Queen's Tale #1)

The Knight From Calais

Spring had finally begun.

Another year toiling and planting and pulling stubborn roots from the ground to make room for new seeds to plant. Since more than half of the winter crops had been destroyed she needed to plant three times as much this spring to make up for all she'd lost. She hoped the replenish the land and make up for the terrible winter that fall. But she needed to get started now.

Instead of helping to pull carrots out of the ground, Agna was too busy soaking up the sun in a chair she dragged from Vivia's house all the way out into the field. "Damn the bloody winter. Why can't it be like this all year long?"

Vivia's hands slipped as she struggled to pull the carrot's stem out of the ground. She fell back into the dirt with a thump. She glanced at her best friend and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. "I'm not sure."

Agna let out a heavy, satisfied sigh. "I missed the sun."

"Do me a favor would you," she said getting to her feet. "Check on Paolo, please? Make yourself useful."

"I am being useful. My lovely face is giving you the strength to pull those stubborn spring onions from the ground!" she said passionately.

"These are carrots."

"Same difference."

Vivia thought to say more but Agna was on her feet and dragging her chair back to the cottage. 

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By the time Vivia paused to give herself a break the sun was already low in the sky. The entire world looked drenched in gold. She couldn't imagine a place more beautiful in the entire world. She examined all the work she still had left. If she picked up the pace she might be able to finish an hour or two past sundown. She would just have to bring a lamp with her. She returned to her pulling and toiling but at one point she had to yank her gloves off. She couldn't quite grip the carrots' stems properly. 

She could only do so with her bare hands.

Her skin was getting rubbed raw and it would take all of next winter and Agna's special salve to replenish her skin. At one point, she even started bleeding a little bit. She lifted her hand to her forehead to wipe away sweat. There must've been dirt all over her face and little greens caught in her hair. 

It was then that she heard the sound of someone's horse approaching. She never paid much mind to the sounds that came beyond the trees. There was always people moving in the forest and taking it as a short cut to avoid the crowded roads.

But what caught her attention was the sound magnifying as if these people were coming closer. She looked up and in the distance, she saw the King's flag being waved high by two soldiers riding horses. There was about nine of them all on horseback and three carriages followed close behind.

The emergency fund. Paolo was right then. The King had sent help for Canta after all.

She returned her attention to the row of carrots that still had to be plucked from the ground. Just thinking about it made her body ache. Though, something strange was happening. Instead of taking the road between Vivia's land and the trees straight to Canta, the horsemen were coming straight for her. 

Panic seized her. Had something happened? Had she done something wrong? Then again, Tomas was the town banker, perhaps they needed to speak with him first. However, all questions vanished from her mind when the knight from Calais removed his helmet.

She saw Luc smiling in the distance.

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I wish Wattpad had emojis. I'd have posted a bunch of wiggly eyebrow emojis right here.

QOTC: What do you think is going to happen?

AOTC: IDK BUT I'M JUST HAPPY MY BABY IS BACK

XOXO Lilly