"Baby girl, is that you?"
Hearing the familiar nickname sends a current of nostalgia though my bones. I rush forward and embrace Wynonna, gripping her tightly. She stiffens in surprise for a moment before returning the hug with gusto. We just stand there for what feels like forever and not long enough before someone clears their throat behind us. We reluctantly separate and smile at each other.
"I missed you, sis." I tell Wynonna. She smiles at me ruefully. "Missed you too, kid."
A shout of "Jack, no!" draws my attention to the wagon. I watch in amusement as Jack wriggles free from Mercedes's arms and runs towards Wynonna and I. I bend down to pet him.
Wynonna observes our interaction with a small smile, before bending down and reaching out her gloved hand towards Jack. He eyes her curiously, then looks at me as if asking for approval. I nod at him. With my approval, he takes a few tentative steps towards Wynonna.
My sister removes her leather glove and reaches out towards the canine. It only takes a few sniffs before Jack decides that she is indeed a friend and starts licking her hand enthusiastically. She lets out a laugh and pets him on the head. "He is great. Is he yours?" She asks an innocent question, but the thought of his owner makes my heart flip.
"No, I am taking care of him for someone." I say vaguely. Wynonna just nods and then gets up.
"So, what brings you all the way to Purgatory?" She asks.
I release a sigh. "It's a long story. Is there perhaps somewhere we can talk?"
"Of course, Waves. It is almost lunchtime, we can head over to the Great Hall." Wynonna says to my delight.
She then turns to one of the guards. "Freddie, take their horse to the stables and make sure it gets fed and watered."
Then Wynonna nods towards the rest of my posse. "You can all follow me." She instructs before turning around and heading into the castle grounds.
Jeremy and the others exit the wagon and allow the guard to lead the horse to the stables.
We all fall into step behind Wynonna and enter the castle courtyard. She gives us a proud tour of the grounds as we walk. The tour starts at the stables where the Duke's prized horses are kept. The stable boy greets us warmly before continuing his task of brushing out the mane of a chestnut Arabian.
Next my sister takes us to meet Matt the Blacksmith. He is in the process of smelting a couple of steel bars when we approach. Just like the stable boy, he greets us warmly. Mercedes flirts shamelessly with him, causing him to blush furiously. Jeremy asks what he was busy making. He explains he is in the process of forging a new Great sword for the Duke.
"Is my sword ready yet?" Wynonna asks, to which the Blacksmith nods with a proud smile and heads into his workshop. He returns holding a beautifully crafted claymore with a blue and red stoned pommel in his hands.
"Made from Damascus steel with an ammolite pommel, just like you asked." He tells Wynonna. She smiles and nods gratefully at him before taking the blade from his hands. She looks at the sword appreciatively before gripping the leather-bound hilt and doing a couple of practice swings. The blade and pommel glints in the sunlight as she manoeuvres it around, making the weapon look ethereal.
I watch in amusement at the awe in Jeremy's eyes as he looks at the magnificent blade.
Wynonna makes a show of feeling the weight of the blade, looking up at Matt with great satisfaction. "It is perfectly balanced. You never disappoint, Matty. Thank you." She tells the blacksmith with a grateful smile. He just nods and smiles humbly in return.
"After Aphrodite, what will you name this one?" He asks her. Wynonna smiles at the blacksmith before training her eyes once more on her new weapon.
"My goal is to bring peace, and this sword will help me do that." She says. Then she lifts the sword proudly above her head and announces "This sword shall be called Peacemaker." We all smile and murmur our approval. "Very fitting!" Matt praises with a smile.
In that moment I really take in my sister, observing this new version of her. There is a maturity about her features and the way she carries herself. Her eyes gleam with a light that was not there before, like she has hope and faith that anything is possible.
If the armour and the beautiful weapon in her hands is anything to go by, it would seem that Wynonna had managed to become a noble's guard after all. My heart swells with pride at the thought.
Despite my obvious joy of seeing her this way, a small part of me feels saddened that she had to leave home, had to leave me, to finally find this life. I push down these thoughts and focus on enjoying the fact that I have finally found her and that she seems to be in a really good place.
Wynonna catches my gaze and smiles at me before handing Peacemaker back to Matt. "I truly love it, Matt. You are the best. Let me know once the scabbard is done." The blacksmith smiles at her warmly and assures her that it shouldn't take too long. Then he greets us and returns to his task of smelting the silver.
From there Wynonna leads us passed the tiny chapel and the staff quarters before we finally reach a large square building. A set of stairs lead up to the huge set of wooden doors, which grant access to what I assume to be the Great Hall.
We head up the steps and through the door, following my sister's lead inside. Once inside I release a gasp of surprise, mirrored by my companions. The building is quite magnificent inside. It is laid out in a long rectangular shape. Large red tapestries hang on each of the four walls, depicting the Purgatory Crest proudly in golden thread. There are rows of tables with seating along the left and right sides of the hall, forming a U with a horizontal table at the farthest end of the hall.
The horizontal table sports two seats made from solid oakwood rather than the cheaper made benches at the other tables. I imagine this must be where the Duke and his family sits when taking their meal. Above the two chairs hangs another tapestry, depicting what I assume to be the profile of Duke Nedley.
"Pretty neat, huh?" Wynonna murmurs from beside me, amusement in her eyes. I shut my mouth which had been gaping shamelessly at my surroundings. "It really is quite magnificent." I breath out.
As we all stand there gaping like idiots, Jack runs ahead. He starts his task of sniffing every nook and cranny of the building to familiarize himself with his new surroundings. Wynonna calls one of the staff over, pointing at the canine. "Rosalind, please bring some water and meat scraps for Jack. Please also bring us some juniper ale." She instructs.
Rosalind nods. "Sure thing, Captain Earp." Then she heads off through an entrance at the back of the building, which presumably leads to the kitchen.
Wynonna looks back at me with a smile before ushering us towards one of the tables to the left. She takes a seat and we all fallow suit, with me sitting on the opposite side of my sister.
"Captain Earp, huh?" I ask, raising my eyebrow.
"Yes, Baby girl. You are looking at the Captain of the guard at Purgatory castle." She tells me with a happy smile. Once again, my heart swells with pride. My sister achieved exactly what she set out to do, despite every setback and person telling her she couldn't.
I reach over and take her hand. "You did it, Wyn. I am so very proud of you." I say squeezing her hand with a smile. Wynonna looks down almost shyly as she murmurs. "You know Waves, you really were the only one who didn't think my dreams were crazy. You always encouraged me." She looks back up and I am taken aback but the intensity in her piercing blue eyes. "Thank you." She says, her tone conveying genuine gratefulness.
"Always, Wyn." I tell her with a warm smile. The gratitude in Wynonna's blue eyes seem to increase exponentially at my words.
Our moment is interrupted when Rosalind returns, setting a jug of ale in front of us with six tankards. Rosita and Kate immediately help themselves to some of the ale. "Lunch will be ready within 20 minutes." Rosalind announces. We all nod at her gratefully.
Slowly but surely more and more people start trailing through the doors in anticipation of the midday meal. I watch as Jack happily munches away at some meat in the bowl that Rosalind had set down for him.
When we all have our tankards filled with the deliciously sweet juniper ale, I address Wynonna again as the others talk amongst themselves.
"So tell me, how did you end up here and how did you manage to become a noble guard?"
Wynonna sets down her tankard after taking a long draught of her ale, smacking her lips loudly.
"After I left home, I spent some time in Monument. It was great for a while. I made some friends. Got to drink a couple of people under the table." I roll my eyes at her. She smiles at me sheepishly before continuing.
"Eventually I plucked up the courage to ask the Countess if she would accept me as a guard." Wynonna pauses as if remembering a very specific moment. "She rejected me." A scowl replaces Wynonna's happy smile then, her eyes dulling at the memory of the disappointment. My heart aches for how that must have made her feel, to be rejected yet again. I remember my conversation with the dentist.
"I was in Monument too before coming here. I met a man called Doc Holliday there." At the mention of the dentist, Wynonna's shoulders stiffen.
"Oh… what did he… did he…" She stumbles over her words. She never stumbles. Perhaps the dentist's feelings were not one sided, I think with a small smile.
"He told me about how he saved you after you almost got beat up in the Pussy Willow for winning some men at a drinking game." She smiles at me sheepishly.
"He also told me how you and him got really close…" Wynonna stiffens again and her eyes carry a look of longing.
"We were." She murmurs softly.
"Then why are you not there with him?" I ask, frowning at her.
She takes a deep breath before speaking again.
"Doc and I had something really good going. But after my rejection at Monument castle, I started being distant. I was planning on leaving to try my luck at another castle. Doc is a smart man, he knew me better than anyone besides you." She smiles at me ruefully. "He figured it out somehow and begged me to stay, even getting down on one knee and asking me to marry him." She says, smiling at me sadly.
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "Why didn't you stay then, Wyn? I spoke to him only briefly and it was very obvious that he is madly in love with you."
She looks down in shame, clenching her fists. "I was considering staying, Waves. I was actually considering taking up his offer and becoming his wife." She looks back up at me with her piercing blue gaze.
"I…I loved him too. I was willing to give up my dream and stay in Monument with him."
Hearing my stubborn sister say those words, that she of all people would be willing to leave her dream of becoming a noble's guard behind to become someone's wife, was almost unbelievable to my ears. It can only mean one thing. My sister was madly in love with Doc Holliday too.
"Then why…" I start asking, but Wynonna interrupts me.
"When you were in Monument, you must have heard of the fire that occurred at the Valdez home?" She asks. Confused as to why she would be asking this, I nod slowly at her with a frown.
"I was there that night." She states. A fear grips my heart at her words.
"Wynonna, did you…did you have something to do with it? There were rumours…"
A look of hurts washes over Wynonna's face. "Waves, how could you even think…I would NEVER do something like that." She says with so much conviction in her voice, that I immediately know it's the truth. I look down guiltily for even considering it.
"I'm sorry. I believe you, Wyn. You disappearing that night and Bobo wanting you dead just made it look real bad." I explain and notice Wynonna's jaw tighten along with her fists. "Bobo…" She growls. "That asshole is nothing but a murderer and a liar. The Countess's little lapdog."
I place my hand over hers gently. "I know, I have experienced it first-hand." Its the wrong thing to say, as Wynonna jumps up from her seat with a thunderous expression on her face.
"Did that bastard hurt you?! I am gonna kill him!" She makes a move towards the exit, but I stop her by grabbing her hand.
"Wyn, calm down. He did capture me in order to use as bait to lure you to him. But…then the Sparrow saved me." I say the last part shyly, remembering the moment Nicole appeared from that bush besides my cage. How irritated I had been at her. Now I cannot imagine my life without my redheaded archer.
"The Sparrow?" Wynonna says in surprise before smiling. "I heard about her when I was in Monument. Always wanted to meet the badass woman who kicked Bobos ass on a regular basis. Now I have even more reason to so I can thank her."
"Yeah, the Sparrow is really amazing." I say, blushing deeply at the thought of my sister meeting my…girlfriend. My girlfriend who is the Sparrow, but also the daughter of the Countess who rejected my sister. That was going to be a fun conversation. I shake off these thoughts and decide that there was time to drop that bomb on Wynonna later. I first needed to know why Bobo would want her dead.
"Okay so you didn't start the Valdez fire. So why does Bobo wish to have you dead then?" I ask Wynonna once she finally settled down again across from me.
"He wants me dead because I witnessed who started that fire. He wants me dead because I saw that it was him." Wynonna's words floor me.
"What?! Bobo started the fire?" Jeremy pipes up in extreme surprise beside me, causing the others to look our way too. I look at Wynonna with a questioning frown.
"I was out late that night. It was the day after Doc had proposed to me and I couldn't sleep with all the thoughts going on in my head. So I took a walk. It was around midnight and the whole town was fast asleep when I smelled the smoke coming from the Valdez home. I saw Bobo and his men standing in the shadows, holding the torches and I knew it had to be them. Bobo spotted me, knowing that I knew what he did. I knew my life was in danger so I turned to run. Before I could get too far, a girl stumbled from the burning house, coughing smoke…"
The sound of the lunchtime bell ringing interrupts Wynonna and causes us all to jump. We watch as the doors fly open and people bustle in. Soldiers, staff, stable boys, weaponsmiths and some of the townspeople pile in. Matt waves at us when he passes our table.
A young girl of about fourteen years with dark hair walks over and takes a seat next to Wynonna.
"Hey Cap, who are your friends?" She asks my sister casually. I watch as a warmth fills my sister's eyes as she looks at the younger girl.
"Hey, Kid." She greets and I am about to ask who the newcomer is when she turns her head and I spot a birthmark in the shape of a butterfly behind her ear. Can it be?
"Rachel Valdez!" Jeremy breaths out in surprise from beside me.