Hearts Alligned

Chapter 21

Andrew's POV

Andrew and Anne were the only ones at the table for dinner. He and Anne talked about their plan. Even though the kiss was still on his mind, neither one of them talked about it. He was too afraid of embarrassing her, or causing her not to ever want to kiss him again. 

After dinner, Andrew called a guard over so he could have some questions answered. 

"How many guards did Lord James leave here?"

"Most of the guards went with Lord James. He only left twelve guards. Will you need us to accompany you and the lady to Dawnridge?"

"No. Our enemy is Arthur Martin, mayor of Pinecrest. He might come here to look for us, and he will have a lot of his guards with him. You need every guard to help defend the castle."

"I understand, but maybe you should take at least one guard with you."

"Okay. We'll bring one guard with us."

"Good. Our lord would want us to protect his brother and his lady."

Andrew looked at Anne. She kept her gaze on her food. Was she about to tell the man that she was not his lady? He imagined her doing it, but she remained silent.

"We both need a new horse tomorrow morning."

"Of course."

Soon, he and Anne were heading upstairs. They would need as much sleep as they could possibly get before the morning. 

He walked her to her door. She was so quiet and avoided holding his hand on the way back to their room. Did she regret kissing him?

"Good night," she said as she pushed open her door, not meeting his eyes.

"Good night my Anne."

She met his eye for a second before she disappeared in her room and closed the door. 

Anne's POV

Anne was dressed and ready to go before the sunrise. A knock came at her door and she opened it to see Andrew standing there.

They walked side by side, so close their arms were touching, so she slipped her hand in his. He smiled down at her.

"Did you apply the ointment?"

"I did. The doctor came early to wrap the bandages."

"That was very nice of her."

When they reached the stables, Anne let go of Andrew's hand. The stable men were saddling their horses. Anne and Andrew mounted the horses. Soon, they were riding away from Blossomville Castle with a guard.

It was a long day. The guard barely spoke, and his presence kept Andrew from talking too. But Anne caught Andrew staring at her several times with a smile on his face. Sometimes it made her blush because she got reminded of their kiss. It also made her wonder what the future held. Which made her think, 'This won't end well. It just can't. 

They arrived in Dawnridge before sunset. All three of them were tired, hungry, and thirsty.

They rode their horses through the town gate. The castle was very tall. 

This is where Andrew grew up. 

Was he nervous about seeing his family for the first time in over a year? But then... she would also be meeting his family. The Duke. The duchess. 

Andrew's POV

Andrew rode towards his home with Annie and the guard. Would Father and Mother be angry with him for waiting so long to come home? 

Father's guards stared at him, and he recognized most of them. Then one broke into a smile as they approached. "Andrew? Is that you?"

"Yes, and thus is Anne Evans. We need to speak to Father immediately."

One guard hurried inside the castle while another called for someone to take the horses to the stable.

Andrew and Anne both dismounted their horses and he escorted her inside. 

They were walking to his father's office when he suddenly appeared.

A lump formed in Andrew's throat as Father started walking towards them.

"Andrew." They hugged each other in a tight embrace.

"Father," he said as a wave of shame crashed over him, of all the bad things he had done, they way he left a year ago. But this hug... The hug made him realize his father had forgiven him, even though he didn't deserve it.

He cleared his throat. "Father?"

The Duke stepped back and looked at Andrew's face. "It's good to see you soon. We missed you."

"It's good to see you too." He coughed. "Father, thus is Anne Evans, the stepdaughter of mayor Arthur Martin of Pincrest."

Father gave Anne a smile. "I'm pleased to meet you Anne. I hope everything is well in Pinecrest."

"I'm sorry to say this Duke Ben, but it's not. We need your help."

Anne looked serious... and beautiful.

"Follow me to my office so we can talk."

They went to his father's office and sat down in chairs.

"What's the matter?" Father looked back and forth between Andrew and Anne.

Anne began the story while Andrew's mind went from Anne to the rest of his family. Soon, he would be able to see his mother again. 

Anne's POV

When they entered the castle, Anne tried to walk professionally, but she knew nothing about being professional. So she decided to remember that she had killed The Beast and rescued fifty-two children. That helped her hold her head up high.

Duke Ben was tall and looked a lot like Andrew.

She felt tears prick her eyes as she watched the two men hug. This was how good fathers treated their sons. 

Then the Duke led them into his office, a room full of books on shelves, chairs and a desk. Then he asked them to tell him why they were there. Anne explained the whole story.

"He kidnapped fifty-two children? When did this happen?"

"Over the last year."

"Why haven't I heard about this?" Anger appeared on Duke Ben's face.

"Arthur didn't want you to  hear about it. He warned people not to tell anyone about it, and the people who did hear about it thought it was a make-believe story. He made everyone believe that it was The Beast that took the children and killed them. But actually, him and his men had been stealing children off the streets of Pinecrest and put them to work in the mine. Andrew and I were kidnapped by Arthur's men and placed in the mine, but we escaped with the children."

"Where are the children?"

"We left the children at Greendale with some women who took them in and promised to keep them safe."

"What do you think Arthur will do if he finds the children?"

Anne turned to Andrew and let him answer.

"He will kill them."

Duke Ben said, "We have to leave in the morning to Greendale and then to Pinecrest. I have to tell my men to get prepared for the journey."

Anne let out a sigh. She was eager to get the children together with their families. But Arthur would not back down without a fight. For him, everything was at stake.

A/N: Shorter chapter and multiple point of views. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Please write down your thoughts in the comments!