The novice couldn’t be more than ten years old and as Snaffles went down on his forepaws and barked at him, demanding he throw the stick, the lad shrank even farther back, his face pale and his eyes wide. He gripped the cross around his neck as if trying to ward off the Devil.
“Oh bloody hell,” Izzy muttered under her breath. She was just about to go to the aid of the terrified novice when someone appeared from the other side of the enclosure. It was Magnus.
“Snaffles! Here, boy!”
Snaffles swiveled around, gave another excited bark, and bounded over to Magnus, who knelt next to him and gave him an affectionate scratch behind the ears.
“What have ye been up to this time, eh? Chasing chickens?” Snaffles yipped and licked at his face, apologizing in his own slobbery way.
“It’s alright, lad,” Magnus called to the novice, who was still pressed against the henhouse wall, clutching his cross with trembling hands and gaping at Snaffles. “He willnae hurt ye. He isnae half as scary as he looks. Come here and I’ll introduce ye.”
Magnus’s voice was calm and soothing enough to lure the novice out of his terrified trance. With slow, hesitant steps, the lad shuffled towards Magnus. His robes were dusted with straw and his eyes still wide with fright. Snaffles wagged his tail eagerly, panting as he looked from Magnus to the novice.
Magnus held Snaffles’ collar as the novice hesitated before him, clearly uncertain. “This big lug is Snaffles,” Magnus said with a smile. “And that’s exactly what he does—snaffles every bit of food he can get his paws—or his jaws—on.”
The novice gave a nervous laugh and inched closer. Hesitantly, he stretched out a hand towards Snaffles. Snaffles sniffed the hand, then promptly lavished the boy’s fingers with kisses. The novice chuckled with delight.
“See? He’s mighty friendly once ye get to know him, not at all what he seems on the outside.”
Izzy’s stomach fluttered at those words. Not at all what he seems on the outside.Was he talking about the dog or himself? The words applied to both.
On the outside, Magnus was a huge, imposing warrior with the strength to snap a man’s neck. On the outside, he was a man who would threaten to blind a blacksmith to get what he wanted. But was that the man on the inside? Or was the man on the inside the man she had seen at the village? The one who’d not fought back as that irate villager took out his rage and frustration on him? The one who’d found her amidst the horror of Hodwell’s slaughter district and carried her to safety? The one who took the time to calm a frightened novice and show him that a seemingly scary beast was nothing to be afraid of?
Magnus looked up suddenly and saw her standing by the gate. He straightened slowly, holding Snaffles’ collar as the dog wagged his tail in delight. His eyes met hers and the fluttering in Izzy’s stomach only intensified.
The novice, on the other hand, blushed brightly, realizing that his fear and panic had been witnessed by a lady. Izzy cleared her throat and strode over to the three of them. “I’m really sorry about this,” she said to the novice. “I thought he was safely shut away. I should have known better. I’m Izzy. What’s your name?”
The novice stammered, his blush spreading from his freckled cheeks to the tips of his ears. “I...I...I’m Brother A-Aiden.” He stuttered out, his gaze flitting between Magnus and Izzy.
“Nice to meet you, Brother Aiden,” Izzy said gently, offering the young boy a warm smile. “And once again, I apologize for Snaffles’ behavior.”
She frowned at the dog who was looking at her expectantly. “And you! What am I going to do with you? You’ve caused quite enough trouble for one morning!” She looked around at the chicken coop which was a mess of feathers, spilled feed, overturned buckets, and very angry hens. “Well, I think the least I can do is help you clear up the mess he’s caused.”
“Aye,” Magnus said. “I’ll help.”
Izzy looked at him, surprised, but then nodded her thanks and took Snaffles over to the fence where she tied him up securely. The last thing they needed was him getting loose again and causing more chaos.
“Okay,” she said cheerfully, rolling up her sleeves. “Let’s do some chicken herding.”
The process was not as easy as she’d hoped. The chickens had scattered widely across the enclosure, and were not keen on being gathered up. The three of them—herself, Magnus and Aiden, clambered about, trying to coax chickens down from the branches of trees in the orchard next door, herd them from out of the rows of vegetables in the kitchen garden, and somehow get the recalcitrant birds back in the coop.
They must have looked a ridiculous sight. A woman, a novice, and a giant warrior all being outfoxed by a flock of fowl determined to keep their newly-found freedom.
Izzy found herself laughing as she watched Aiden chasing a chicken along a row of cabbages, his habit flappingabout his skinny legs, and laughed even harder when Magnus let forth a string of colorful curses as he pounced at a chicken that fluttered out of reach, leaving him grasping at nothing but air.
She felt all the tension leave her and for the first time since she’d arrived here, she forgot everything but the simple joy of the moment, and the hilarity of the three of them running around the chicken enclosure like idiots. Soon Aiden was laughing uproariously, and even Magnus was grinning.
Once, her fingers brushed against Magnus’s as they both reached for a particularly stubborn chicken who’d fled to the rafters of the henhouse. Magnus’s hand was warm, rough from years of wielding weapons, and she felt a thrill go through her at the touch. She quickly withdrew her hand and watched as he gently and deftly grasped the chicken and brought it back down. Each time she glanced at him, she noticed that he watched her with an intensity that made her heart race.
They hadn’t spoken since the incident yesterday, but as they worked together, Izzy felt some of the strain that had grown between them begin to lessen. It was hard to stay mad at someone when you were both running around chasing recalcitrant hens together.
The sun had risen considerably higher by the time they were done, casting shadows on the ground as they stood panting and sweaty in the middle of the now-orderly chicken coop. Brother Aiden beamed up at them, clutching a squawking chicken in his arms, triumph lighting up his face. Snaffles had given up barking and was now peacefully napping by the fence, the morning’s chaos having tired him out.
“Well,” Izzy said, dusting the straw from her skirts. “I think that’s the last of them.” She glanced at Magnus and Brother Aiden, their faces flushed with exertion and the thrill of victory. A part of her wanted to capture this moment forever—the laughter echoing through the coop, the sun highlighting Magnus’s usually stern features in a soft golden glow, and Brother Aiden’s boyish delight.
Magnus straightened, grinning as he wiped sweat off his brow with his sleeve. “That was not how I envisioned spending my morning.” His eyes gleamed with mirth as his gaze met Izzy’s.
She returned his smile, feeling an unexpected warmth spread through her chest. “What can I say? Never a dull moment with me and Snaffles around, eh?”
