<b><a href= 'https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?340395-War%92s-End-The-Soldier-and-the-Farmhand-Part-1(F-M)'> Part 1 </a>
<a href= 'https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?340440-War-s-End-The-Soldier-and-the-Farmhand-Part-2-(F-M)'>Part 2</a>
Part of the War’s End universe. For more War’s End stories please look at:
<a href= 'https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?321987-War%92s-End-The-Princess-and-the-Rebel-Part-One-(F-M)'> The Princess and the Rebel (F/M) </a>
<a href='https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?323561-War%92s-End-The-General-and-the-Traitor-(F-M-crowd-M)'> The General and the Traitor (F/M, crowd/M)</a>
<a href='https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?326106-War%92s-End-The-King-of-Traitors-Part-1-(F-M)'> The King of Traitors (F/M) </a>
</b>
Casper stood on the farmhouse porch, tapping his tanned fingers nervously on the railing.
Tammi. Her name was Tammi. It didn’t fit her, or fit her too well; he had no idea. The soldier girl living in his barn had fascinated him for the better part of a week now, and his heart leapt into his throat every time he thought of her.
He delivered stew and beer every night and oatmeal every morning, but remained skittish, collecting the plates and rushing out as soon as she stood up in the hayloft.
The day before, he noticed she wasn’t wearing her armor. And he hadn’t seen her belt. Was she still wearing it? Did she still carry her sword on her? Did she still have the money on her? Surely she had forty gold in that pouch. Maybe the whole fifty he needed, even. Every night as he washed her plates, he found two gold coins inside the beer mug.
He had twenty gold now. Almost halfway. Would the soldier girl— Tammi— protect the pouch of gold? Was it even possible to steal it? Or would she strike him down before he got close enough to touch it?
“You’ve got a lot on your mind, son.”
“Hmm?” Casper turned around. His Pa opened the front door and limped to the rocking chair on the shaded porch, falling heavily into it. The old man stretched his bad leg with a sigh. His patched pants leg rode up, revealing the beginning of a scar that Casper had seen countless times. Pa was a veteran, and had helped put down a violent uprising that marred their small town’s history. He had been a hero, but at a massive cost. The old wound wrapped around Pa’s leg from ankle to mid-thigh, a long, thick gray mark that left his right leg hamstrung. Pa noticed him staring and yanked down the hem of his pants, instead straightening as best he could in the rocking chair.
“You’ve got a far-away look in your eyes,” Pa said. “Nervous?”
“A little,” Casper admitted.
“Don’t worry.” The old man smiled. “I was panicking when I first met your Ma.”
“She wasn’t my real Ma,” Casper muttered under his breath, running a hand through his messy black hair. He was forever grateful that Pa took him in; he’d have ended up in the Astaleze gladiator circuits if he hadn’t, and likely wouldn’t have survived. But their deal had its own problems. Pa offered him food and a bed, but Casper didn’t get new clothes until his old ones were worn through. The food was scraps of the harvest he had toiled to get. Pa didn’t spend a bronze piece he didn’t have to. Casper was as much a son as a slave.
“Now here they come,” Pa announced, getting to his feet with a groan.
Casper turned to the pasture. A wagon cut through it, pulled by a brown mare and leaving deep tracks in the grass. A round man held the reins and waved as he neared. “‘Lo, neighbor!”
“Howdy, Mason!” Pa staggered down the porch stairs and met the wagon halfway down the road. “How goes the harvest?”
“Fantastic, as always.” Mason’s face split into a grin. “Just happy the fighting didn’t hurt the crops.”
“‘Course,” Pa agreed. “We’re doin’ just fine too.”
Casper eyed the chunk of pasture ruined by the wagon. Yeah. Just fine.
“So where’s your boy?” Mason tied off the reins and jumped off the wagon. “Love ta meet ‘im.”
“Just on the porch o’er there. Hey Cas, c’mon!”
Casper swallowed, made his way to the wagon, and offered Mason a hand. The man stepped forward and took it in a crushing grip. Casper clenched his teeth, forcing a smile. “Hello, sir.”
“So this bastard can raise a half-decent orphan after all.” Mason chuckled to himself. “Y’really need some more meat on your bones though, boy.”
“I can hold my own.” Casper backed up.
“I’m sure.” Mason burst into laughter. “Now if you marry my daughter I’ll put you up to some real work.”
Casper had done real work. More work than the rotund man had done in a lifetime, probably. It just didn’t show.
“Well then, pleasantries aside.” Mason turned. “Fiera? C’mere, darling.”
“Ugh, I hate this awful thing.” A girl stood up in the back of the wagon, picking pieces of hay out of her long red hair. “What is it now, daddy?” She hopped out, landed ankle deep in a mud puddle, and grimaced as gunk stuck to her shiny heels. “Ew!”
“This is my girl Fiera.” Mason smiled. “Now she ain’t built for farm work, see.”
Pa chuckled. “Of course. We understand.”
Fiera lifted the train of her dress and took cautious steps toward them. “Aw, daddy, this is so nasty.” She narrowed her eyes at Casper. “Is that the orphan?”
“I-I’m Casper.” He waved at her, but she sniffed and turned to Mason.
“You said he’d be cute.”
“I’m sure he’ll grow into himself, darling.” Mason nudged her. “Now why don’t you two get to know each other?”
Fiera rolled her eyes and started toward the porch, stumbling as her heels stuck in the mud.
Casper grimaced, then followed, offering her a hand up the porch stairs.
“Fuck off.” Fiera swatted him away. “I don’t need your dirty orphan hands on me.”
Casper drew back, at a loss. He was supposed to marry this?
“So what was your name again?” Fiera glared at him.
“C-Casper.”
“Casper. What an awful name,” she muttered.
“It’s not.” Casper scowled. “It’s for Cassius, god of strength—”
“You are far from a god of strength, orphan.” She laughed. “You’re little more than a slave.”
Casper’s blood ran cold and he clenched his fists.
“I can’t believe I have to marry you,” she continued. “Well, at least I’ll still be able to head into town and have any man I want. You won’t do a thing about it.”
He scowled and opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
“Thought so.” Fiera stood. “Daddy! I’m ready to go!”
“Alright, darling.” Mason stepped away from Pa. “I’m just finishing up here. You can go to the wagon.”
“Thank you, daddy.” She lifted the hem of her dress for the trek back, but turned to offer Casper one last devilish smirk.
Casper stood, but just watched her climb into the wagon. Pa clapped a hand on Mason’s shoulder, and Mason waved at Casper as he climbed back into the wagon. “See you soon, boy!”
Casper waved weakly after them as the man wheeled the cart back the way they came.
What a bitch! How dare they? And he didn’t have a choice in it? What the fuck!
Shaking with rage, he spun, grabbed the rocking chair, and threw it off the porch. The old wood smashed as it hit the ground.
“It went that well, eh?” Pa climbed back up the porch stairs, eyeing the ruined chair. “I’m takin’ that out of your down payment.”
“I don’t care.” Casper stomped down the stairs. “I’m not doing this!”
“You have ta, son.” Pa leaned over the railing to watch him stomp toward the barn. “Be back before sundown!”
Casper kept his head down, wiping his eyes dry. Fiera didn’t want to get her dress dirty. Fiera would never do a thing to help him. Fiera would leave him every night to get her lion’s share at the town pub. What an awful girl. How could anyone deal with her?
Maybe that’s why they were setting her up with him.
He was worth that much to them.
The long grass under Casper’s feet thinned, and he stopped in front of the barn doors once more. He tried to wipe his cheeks dry again, but his eyes were swelling up. Surely Tammi would notice.
Did he care?
No. Not really.
He pulled the door open, looking up at the hayloft where the soldier girl slept. There wasn’t the usual movement there. Had she left, and left him to this fate?
Fighting back more tears, he stepped into the barn, letting the doors drift back together behind him.
“Casper?”
Casper jerked. Tammi sat cross legged on the barn floor, a small pile of hay between her and the old warped planks. She had the bowl of stew from the night before in one hand, and had frozen with a spoonful of rice, squash, and chicken halfway to her mouth.
After a moment, Casper pointed. “That’s cold.”
“I-I know.” Tammi smiled at the bowl. “I’ve been living on nothing but corned beef and hard tack for six months.” She swallowed the mouthful and waved the spoon. “This is a feast fit for a king.”
“A king?” An orphan eating like a king every night. What a thought.
“Yeah, a king.” Tammi shoveled in another spoonful, then paused. “What’s wrong?”
“I met her.” Casper dropped to his knees, his voice cracking.
“The neighbor’s girl?” Tammi almost stood, then thought better of it and crawled to his side, abandoning the stew.
He nodded mutely. Another tear ran down his cheek.
“That bad?”
“She’s a complete <i>bitch,”</i> he said, then clapped his hands over his mouth. “I mean, she…”
“You don’t use that word often, huh?”
He nodded.
“So was I a special case, then?”
“I thought you were gonna kill me.” He took a breath. “You ran away and joined the army because you were going to be married off?”
“I did.”
“And you’re going back soon, right?” He grabbed her wrist and looked up at her. “Take me with you. Please.”
Tammi stared at him, tugging back her arm cautiously. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’re not built for it.”
“I am! I can use a knife, and follow orders, and I’m strong, too—”
“That’s not what I mean.” She leaned in and grabbed his chin, wiping his tears with her dusty thumb. “You’re soft.”
Casper blinked, jarred. “I am not! I—”
“Listen to me. That’s not a bad thing.” The soldier girl smiled. “You’re kind. Gentle, too. I’ll be the first to say the army needs more soldiers like you. The thing is, those soldiers don’t last long. I don’t want you to change.” She paused. “Or end up dead.”
He slumped again. “So I’m trapped?”
“Are you sure you don’t wanna marry her?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
“Okay. So let’s figure this out.” She plopped down next to him. “Why’s this been set up?”
“Pa’s getting old, so he’s trying to sell the farm, and the neighbor wants it, but Pa thinks the first thing that’s gonna happen is the neighbor kicking me out, so he wants me—”
“To marry the neighbor’s daughter,” Tammi finished, nodding. “Are there any other options you have?”
“No.” Casper risked a glance at the pouch of money on her belt. “None at all.”
“Gods.” Tammi slouched. “Y’know, I was in the same situation, but on the other side. My father picked a farmhand for me to marry. He was a grouchy, lazy mess. Ugly motherfucker, too. I couldn’t imagine being tied to him for the rest of my life.”
“So… what did you do?”
“I made myself the worst fiancé possible. Would go out in the fields and work right beside him. Tracked mud into the farmhouse. Cooked meals just for myself and left him ‘to starve.’” She rolled her eyes. “Thing is, he loved that. They moved <i>up</i> the wedding. That’s when I knew I had to run. From there I met up with an Astaleze army recruiter in town. Didn’t have to grow much tougher. And the sword isn’t much different from the broomsticks I used to play with as a kid.” She grinned. “So… what’s she like?”
“The neighbor’s girl?”
“Yeah.”
Casper frowned. “I don’t speak ill of women. I was taught better.”
“Aw, c’mon. You came in here crying, for gods’ sake.”
“Nope.” A tear leaked down his cheek, and he rushed to wipe it away.
“Don’t make me interrogate you.” Tammi pushed his chest, and, startled, he flopped back into a nearby pile of hay. “You’re gonna tell me one way or another. I know exactly how to put a smile on that cute face of yours.”
Casper sucked in a breath. He eyed the purse at her side as she stood over him. Now was the time to grab it. Still, his heart fluttered as he looked up at her. “Y-you think I’m cute?”
“Is that the only thing you heard?” She leaned in, pulling his chin up. “Yes, I think you’re cute. It’s why I care if you’re marrying that ‘bitch.’ So you’re gonna tell me about her so I can help you.” The soldier girl popped open a different pouch on her belt and unfurled the soft leather belts Casper had given her. “I knew it was a good idea to carry these around.”
Casper gulped, and offered up his shaking hands for her to bind them.
“Nope, not like that.” She folded him in half and pulled his arms behind him. As she tied the knots around his healing wrists, he couldn’t help but notice the change. The gruff soldier was a shell he had chipped at and broken through. Underneath he found a farm girl who had dared to make her own way.
If only he was that brave. He couldn’t bring himself to snatch the purse off her belt. As if he could now, tied with his hands behind him.
Tammi stepped back, rubbing her chin. “Now how do I get you to talk?”
Casper went sheet pale.
“Maybe I leave you tied up like that and laugh as you try to escape.”
Funny stuff. Only Casper didn’t want to escape.
“Or maybe I pull down those pants and see how much you really like this.”
Casper turned bright red just as quickly.
“Or maybe…” Tammi sat down at the foot of Casper’s hay bale, “maybe I finish tying you up and we go from there.”
Casper flinched half-heartedly when she grabbed his feet, but let her gather his shoes up under one arm and secure his ankles. Tammi flicked one dirty boot over her shoulder, then the other, until his calloused feet lay twitching in her lap.
She glanced back. “Am I that scary?”
Casper nodded frantically.
“Aw. I’m not that mean.” She touched his toes, and when Casper jumped, she continued, rubbing down the length of his sole. His fear slowly seeped out of him, and after a moment he slumped in the hay, staring at the barn’s warped wood roof.
“But I’m not that nice, either.” Tammi clamped his feet between her hands and began scratching from arch to instep. Casper squealed and lunged, only to remember that his hands were bound behind him at the last second. He struggled and felt the leather give just a hair, but not enough to let him escape.
“Oh… is someone stuck?” She kissed his sweaty forehead.
“You know I am,” Casper snapped, then hesitated. Tammi raised her eyebrows with a smile.
“Now, what about this neighbor girl has you so riled up?”
“Nothing! It’s just that… uh…”
“I don’t believe you. Do I need to ask you again?”
“No, because… because you’ll just get the same answer,” he argued, trying to see where his boots had landed. “There’s nothing wrong with her.”
“I see.” Tammi smiled. “So you’re crying because you’re soft. S-O-F-T. <i>Soft.”</i>
“I am not soft!”
“Prove it.” She toyed with his toes, wiggling then one by one and making him snicker. “My battalion holds prisoners underwater until they half-drown. They beat rebels within an inch of their lives. They hang deserters.” She smiled. “I’d bet a thousand gold coins you couldn’t take that cow to slaughter.”
Casper turned to the old brown cow lying against the barn’s far wall. “Annie? She’s been around for as long as I can remember. She’s family. She’s—” he reddened as he noticed Tammi’s smirk.
“My point exactly.”
“Shaddup! I don’t know how else to get out!”
Her glee faded. “Well, you could always run away.”
“And do what? I have no money. No booksmarts. No skills.”
“I’m sure someone is looking for another farmhand.”
“Yeah, until I get set up with the next brat of a farmer’s daughter and have to run again. I’ll never sleep in a safe bed.”
“In the army we sleep on bedrolls in the mud. We get bitten by insects all night, and there’s always the chance we get ambushed and murdered. I’d rather run than that.”
“Haven’t you run?” Casper cocked his head. “You’re living in our barn. Don’t you have a battalion to get back to?” Realization crashed into him. “Or are you a deserter? Your battalion is going to hang you, like you said.”
“I am not a deserter.” Her voice dropped to a low growl. “My troops were annihilated by a rebel attack. I’ve taken refuge here. That’s it.”
“You don’t sound too sure.”
“I am.” Tammi bristled, taking a look at the bare, twitching feet in her lap. “Watch yourself.”
“The brave soldier girl abandoned her troops,” he sang. “Deserter, desert- <i>eep!”</i>
“Keep going.” Tammi wiggled her fingers over his feet. “I dare you.”
He leaned forward, smirking. “Deserter.”
“Dammit, farmhand!” She shoved him back over, planting her foot on his chest to keep him there. Casper gasped, winded, then squealed, writhing under her as she dug into his calloused soles. Tammi glanced up and smiled, watching as hay got tangled up in his hair and made it stand on end.
“Y-you bully,” he gasped.
“I’m not,” she retorted. “You just have to tell me what went wrong with the neighbor girl.”
“She’s— she’s mean!” Real tears joined the tears of laughter slicking his cheeks, and he slumped forward into Tammi’s lap. Tammi reeled, but didn’t shove him off, instead clenching her jaw. “She said she’d make me work in the fields while she went to the tavern to meet with real men.”
“Oh, Casper.” Tammi’s expression grew grim. She pulled him up into a hug. “You don’t deserve that. No one deserves that.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is.” Tammi undid the knot holding his wrists together, and he wrapped his arms around her so tight he felt her gasp.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She pressed her lips to his forehead. “You are soft.” He tensed. “But that’s not a bad thing. It just means you get hurt easier. It also means you need to heal quickly so you can get back on your feet faster. Think you can do that?”
He nodded.
“Okay. I need to leave tomorrow. I have information the crown needs to know. If you want to come with me, I can take you.”
“Yes! Please!”
“So pack and meet me here in the morning.” The soldier girl stood and grabbed her rapier. “This deserter is going to earn back her rank.”
“Yessir.” Casper slid down the hay. “I’ll be back in the morning with food.”
Tammi nodded, and he slipped out of the barn. As he trod through the field toward the farmhouse, he pulled open the heavy coin pouch he’d plucked off her belt during the hug. Fifty gold, at least. He could buy the farm from Pa.
<a href= 'https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?340440-War-s-End-The-Soldier-and-the-Farmhand-Part-2-(F-M)'>Part 2</a>
Part of the War’s End universe. For more War’s End stories please look at:
<a href= 'https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?321987-War%92s-End-The-Princess-and-the-Rebel-Part-One-(F-M)'> The Princess and the Rebel (F/M) </a>
<a href='https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?323561-War%92s-End-The-General-and-the-Traitor-(F-M-crowd-M)'> The General and the Traitor (F/M, crowd/M)</a>
<a href='https://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?326106-War%92s-End-The-King-of-Traitors-Part-1-(F-M)'> The King of Traitors (F/M) </a>
</b>
Casper stood on the farmhouse porch, tapping his tanned fingers nervously on the railing.
Tammi. Her name was Tammi. It didn’t fit her, or fit her too well; he had no idea. The soldier girl living in his barn had fascinated him for the better part of a week now, and his heart leapt into his throat every time he thought of her.
He delivered stew and beer every night and oatmeal every morning, but remained skittish, collecting the plates and rushing out as soon as she stood up in the hayloft.
The day before, he noticed she wasn’t wearing her armor. And he hadn’t seen her belt. Was she still wearing it? Did she still carry her sword on her? Did she still have the money on her? Surely she had forty gold in that pouch. Maybe the whole fifty he needed, even. Every night as he washed her plates, he found two gold coins inside the beer mug.
He had twenty gold now. Almost halfway. Would the soldier girl— Tammi— protect the pouch of gold? Was it even possible to steal it? Or would she strike him down before he got close enough to touch it?
“You’ve got a lot on your mind, son.”
“Hmm?” Casper turned around. His Pa opened the front door and limped to the rocking chair on the shaded porch, falling heavily into it. The old man stretched his bad leg with a sigh. His patched pants leg rode up, revealing the beginning of a scar that Casper had seen countless times. Pa was a veteran, and had helped put down a violent uprising that marred their small town’s history. He had been a hero, but at a massive cost. The old wound wrapped around Pa’s leg from ankle to mid-thigh, a long, thick gray mark that left his right leg hamstrung. Pa noticed him staring and yanked down the hem of his pants, instead straightening as best he could in the rocking chair.
“You’ve got a far-away look in your eyes,” Pa said. “Nervous?”
“A little,” Casper admitted.
“Don’t worry.” The old man smiled. “I was panicking when I first met your Ma.”
“She wasn’t my real Ma,” Casper muttered under his breath, running a hand through his messy black hair. He was forever grateful that Pa took him in; he’d have ended up in the Astaleze gladiator circuits if he hadn’t, and likely wouldn’t have survived. But their deal had its own problems. Pa offered him food and a bed, but Casper didn’t get new clothes until his old ones were worn through. The food was scraps of the harvest he had toiled to get. Pa didn’t spend a bronze piece he didn’t have to. Casper was as much a son as a slave.
“Now here they come,” Pa announced, getting to his feet with a groan.
Casper turned to the pasture. A wagon cut through it, pulled by a brown mare and leaving deep tracks in the grass. A round man held the reins and waved as he neared. “‘Lo, neighbor!”
“Howdy, Mason!” Pa staggered down the porch stairs and met the wagon halfway down the road. “How goes the harvest?”
“Fantastic, as always.” Mason’s face split into a grin. “Just happy the fighting didn’t hurt the crops.”
“‘Course,” Pa agreed. “We’re doin’ just fine too.”
Casper eyed the chunk of pasture ruined by the wagon. Yeah. Just fine.
“So where’s your boy?” Mason tied off the reins and jumped off the wagon. “Love ta meet ‘im.”
“Just on the porch o’er there. Hey Cas, c’mon!”
Casper swallowed, made his way to the wagon, and offered Mason a hand. The man stepped forward and took it in a crushing grip. Casper clenched his teeth, forcing a smile. “Hello, sir.”
“So this bastard can raise a half-decent orphan after all.” Mason chuckled to himself. “Y’really need some more meat on your bones though, boy.”
“I can hold my own.” Casper backed up.
“I’m sure.” Mason burst into laughter. “Now if you marry my daughter I’ll put you up to some real work.”
Casper had done real work. More work than the rotund man had done in a lifetime, probably. It just didn’t show.
“Well then, pleasantries aside.” Mason turned. “Fiera? C’mere, darling.”
“Ugh, I hate this awful thing.” A girl stood up in the back of the wagon, picking pieces of hay out of her long red hair. “What is it now, daddy?” She hopped out, landed ankle deep in a mud puddle, and grimaced as gunk stuck to her shiny heels. “Ew!”
“This is my girl Fiera.” Mason smiled. “Now she ain’t built for farm work, see.”
Pa chuckled. “Of course. We understand.”
Fiera lifted the train of her dress and took cautious steps toward them. “Aw, daddy, this is so nasty.” She narrowed her eyes at Casper. “Is that the orphan?”
“I-I’m Casper.” He waved at her, but she sniffed and turned to Mason.
“You said he’d be cute.”
“I’m sure he’ll grow into himself, darling.” Mason nudged her. “Now why don’t you two get to know each other?”
Fiera rolled her eyes and started toward the porch, stumbling as her heels stuck in the mud.
Casper grimaced, then followed, offering her a hand up the porch stairs.
“Fuck off.” Fiera swatted him away. “I don’t need your dirty orphan hands on me.”
Casper drew back, at a loss. He was supposed to marry this?
“So what was your name again?” Fiera glared at him.
“C-Casper.”
“Casper. What an awful name,” she muttered.
“It’s not.” Casper scowled. “It’s for Cassius, god of strength—”
“You are far from a god of strength, orphan.” She laughed. “You’re little more than a slave.”
Casper’s blood ran cold and he clenched his fists.
“I can’t believe I have to marry you,” she continued. “Well, at least I’ll still be able to head into town and have any man I want. You won’t do a thing about it.”
He scowled and opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
“Thought so.” Fiera stood. “Daddy! I’m ready to go!”
“Alright, darling.” Mason stepped away from Pa. “I’m just finishing up here. You can go to the wagon.”
“Thank you, daddy.” She lifted the hem of her dress for the trek back, but turned to offer Casper one last devilish smirk.
Casper stood, but just watched her climb into the wagon. Pa clapped a hand on Mason’s shoulder, and Mason waved at Casper as he climbed back into the wagon. “See you soon, boy!”
Casper waved weakly after them as the man wheeled the cart back the way they came.
What a bitch! How dare they? And he didn’t have a choice in it? What the fuck!
Shaking with rage, he spun, grabbed the rocking chair, and threw it off the porch. The old wood smashed as it hit the ground.
“It went that well, eh?” Pa climbed back up the porch stairs, eyeing the ruined chair. “I’m takin’ that out of your down payment.”
“I don’t care.” Casper stomped down the stairs. “I’m not doing this!”
“You have ta, son.” Pa leaned over the railing to watch him stomp toward the barn. “Be back before sundown!”
Casper kept his head down, wiping his eyes dry. Fiera didn’t want to get her dress dirty. Fiera would never do a thing to help him. Fiera would leave him every night to get her lion’s share at the town pub. What an awful girl. How could anyone deal with her?
Maybe that’s why they were setting her up with him.
He was worth that much to them.
The long grass under Casper’s feet thinned, and he stopped in front of the barn doors once more. He tried to wipe his cheeks dry again, but his eyes were swelling up. Surely Tammi would notice.
Did he care?
No. Not really.
He pulled the door open, looking up at the hayloft where the soldier girl slept. There wasn’t the usual movement there. Had she left, and left him to this fate?
Fighting back more tears, he stepped into the barn, letting the doors drift back together behind him.
“Casper?”
Casper jerked. Tammi sat cross legged on the barn floor, a small pile of hay between her and the old warped planks. She had the bowl of stew from the night before in one hand, and had frozen with a spoonful of rice, squash, and chicken halfway to her mouth.
After a moment, Casper pointed. “That’s cold.”
“I-I know.” Tammi smiled at the bowl. “I’ve been living on nothing but corned beef and hard tack for six months.” She swallowed the mouthful and waved the spoon. “This is a feast fit for a king.”
“A king?” An orphan eating like a king every night. What a thought.
“Yeah, a king.” Tammi shoveled in another spoonful, then paused. “What’s wrong?”
“I met her.” Casper dropped to his knees, his voice cracking.
“The neighbor’s girl?” Tammi almost stood, then thought better of it and crawled to his side, abandoning the stew.
He nodded mutely. Another tear ran down his cheek.
“That bad?”
“She’s a complete <i>bitch,”</i> he said, then clapped his hands over his mouth. “I mean, she…”
“You don’t use that word often, huh?”
He nodded.
“So was I a special case, then?”
“I thought you were gonna kill me.” He took a breath. “You ran away and joined the army because you were going to be married off?”
“I did.”
“And you’re going back soon, right?” He grabbed her wrist and looked up at her. “Take me with you. Please.”
Tammi stared at him, tugging back her arm cautiously. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’re not built for it.”
“I am! I can use a knife, and follow orders, and I’m strong, too—”
“That’s not what I mean.” She leaned in and grabbed his chin, wiping his tears with her dusty thumb. “You’re soft.”
Casper blinked, jarred. “I am not! I—”
“Listen to me. That’s not a bad thing.” The soldier girl smiled. “You’re kind. Gentle, too. I’ll be the first to say the army needs more soldiers like you. The thing is, those soldiers don’t last long. I don’t want you to change.” She paused. “Or end up dead.”
He slumped again. “So I’m trapped?”
“Are you sure you don’t wanna marry her?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
“Okay. So let’s figure this out.” She plopped down next to him. “Why’s this been set up?”
“Pa’s getting old, so he’s trying to sell the farm, and the neighbor wants it, but Pa thinks the first thing that’s gonna happen is the neighbor kicking me out, so he wants me—”
“To marry the neighbor’s daughter,” Tammi finished, nodding. “Are there any other options you have?”
“No.” Casper risked a glance at the pouch of money on her belt. “None at all.”
“Gods.” Tammi slouched. “Y’know, I was in the same situation, but on the other side. My father picked a farmhand for me to marry. He was a grouchy, lazy mess. Ugly motherfucker, too. I couldn’t imagine being tied to him for the rest of my life.”
“So… what did you do?”
“I made myself the worst fiancé possible. Would go out in the fields and work right beside him. Tracked mud into the farmhouse. Cooked meals just for myself and left him ‘to starve.’” She rolled her eyes. “Thing is, he loved that. They moved <i>up</i> the wedding. That’s when I knew I had to run. From there I met up with an Astaleze army recruiter in town. Didn’t have to grow much tougher. And the sword isn’t much different from the broomsticks I used to play with as a kid.” She grinned. “So… what’s she like?”
“The neighbor’s girl?”
“Yeah.”
Casper frowned. “I don’t speak ill of women. I was taught better.”
“Aw, c’mon. You came in here crying, for gods’ sake.”
“Nope.” A tear leaked down his cheek, and he rushed to wipe it away.
“Don’t make me interrogate you.” Tammi pushed his chest, and, startled, he flopped back into a nearby pile of hay. “You’re gonna tell me one way or another. I know exactly how to put a smile on that cute face of yours.”
Casper sucked in a breath. He eyed the purse at her side as she stood over him. Now was the time to grab it. Still, his heart fluttered as he looked up at her. “Y-you think I’m cute?”
“Is that the only thing you heard?” She leaned in, pulling his chin up. “Yes, I think you’re cute. It’s why I care if you’re marrying that ‘bitch.’ So you’re gonna tell me about her so I can help you.” The soldier girl popped open a different pouch on her belt and unfurled the soft leather belts Casper had given her. “I knew it was a good idea to carry these around.”
Casper gulped, and offered up his shaking hands for her to bind them.
“Nope, not like that.” She folded him in half and pulled his arms behind him. As she tied the knots around his healing wrists, he couldn’t help but notice the change. The gruff soldier was a shell he had chipped at and broken through. Underneath he found a farm girl who had dared to make her own way.
If only he was that brave. He couldn’t bring himself to snatch the purse off her belt. As if he could now, tied with his hands behind him.
Tammi stepped back, rubbing her chin. “Now how do I get you to talk?”
Casper went sheet pale.
“Maybe I leave you tied up like that and laugh as you try to escape.”
Funny stuff. Only Casper didn’t want to escape.
“Or maybe I pull down those pants and see how much you really like this.”
Casper turned bright red just as quickly.
“Or maybe…” Tammi sat down at the foot of Casper’s hay bale, “maybe I finish tying you up and we go from there.”
Casper flinched half-heartedly when she grabbed his feet, but let her gather his shoes up under one arm and secure his ankles. Tammi flicked one dirty boot over her shoulder, then the other, until his calloused feet lay twitching in her lap.
She glanced back. “Am I that scary?”
Casper nodded frantically.
“Aw. I’m not that mean.” She touched his toes, and when Casper jumped, she continued, rubbing down the length of his sole. His fear slowly seeped out of him, and after a moment he slumped in the hay, staring at the barn’s warped wood roof.
“But I’m not that nice, either.” Tammi clamped his feet between her hands and began scratching from arch to instep. Casper squealed and lunged, only to remember that his hands were bound behind him at the last second. He struggled and felt the leather give just a hair, but not enough to let him escape.
“Oh… is someone stuck?” She kissed his sweaty forehead.
“You know I am,” Casper snapped, then hesitated. Tammi raised her eyebrows with a smile.
“Now, what about this neighbor girl has you so riled up?”
“Nothing! It’s just that… uh…”
“I don’t believe you. Do I need to ask you again?”
“No, because… because you’ll just get the same answer,” he argued, trying to see where his boots had landed. “There’s nothing wrong with her.”
“I see.” Tammi smiled. “So you’re crying because you’re soft. S-O-F-T. <i>Soft.”</i>
“I am not soft!”
“Prove it.” She toyed with his toes, wiggling then one by one and making him snicker. “My battalion holds prisoners underwater until they half-drown. They beat rebels within an inch of their lives. They hang deserters.” She smiled. “I’d bet a thousand gold coins you couldn’t take that cow to slaughter.”
Casper turned to the old brown cow lying against the barn’s far wall. “Annie? She’s been around for as long as I can remember. She’s family. She’s—” he reddened as he noticed Tammi’s smirk.
“My point exactly.”
“Shaddup! I don’t know how else to get out!”
Her glee faded. “Well, you could always run away.”
“And do what? I have no money. No booksmarts. No skills.”
“I’m sure someone is looking for another farmhand.”
“Yeah, until I get set up with the next brat of a farmer’s daughter and have to run again. I’ll never sleep in a safe bed.”
“In the army we sleep on bedrolls in the mud. We get bitten by insects all night, and there’s always the chance we get ambushed and murdered. I’d rather run than that.”
“Haven’t you run?” Casper cocked his head. “You’re living in our barn. Don’t you have a battalion to get back to?” Realization crashed into him. “Or are you a deserter? Your battalion is going to hang you, like you said.”
“I am not a deserter.” Her voice dropped to a low growl. “My troops were annihilated by a rebel attack. I’ve taken refuge here. That’s it.”
“You don’t sound too sure.”
“I am.” Tammi bristled, taking a look at the bare, twitching feet in her lap. “Watch yourself.”
“The brave soldier girl abandoned her troops,” he sang. “Deserter, desert- <i>eep!”</i>
“Keep going.” Tammi wiggled her fingers over his feet. “I dare you.”
He leaned forward, smirking. “Deserter.”
“Dammit, farmhand!” She shoved him back over, planting her foot on his chest to keep him there. Casper gasped, winded, then squealed, writhing under her as she dug into his calloused soles. Tammi glanced up and smiled, watching as hay got tangled up in his hair and made it stand on end.
“Y-you bully,” he gasped.
“I’m not,” she retorted. “You just have to tell me what went wrong with the neighbor girl.”
“She’s— she’s mean!” Real tears joined the tears of laughter slicking his cheeks, and he slumped forward into Tammi’s lap. Tammi reeled, but didn’t shove him off, instead clenching her jaw. “She said she’d make me work in the fields while she went to the tavern to meet with real men.”
“Oh, Casper.” Tammi’s expression grew grim. She pulled him up into a hug. “You don’t deserve that. No one deserves that.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is.” Tammi undid the knot holding his wrists together, and he wrapped his arms around her so tight he felt her gasp.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She pressed her lips to his forehead. “You are soft.” He tensed. “But that’s not a bad thing. It just means you get hurt easier. It also means you need to heal quickly so you can get back on your feet faster. Think you can do that?”
He nodded.
“Okay. I need to leave tomorrow. I have information the crown needs to know. If you want to come with me, I can take you.”
“Yes! Please!”
“So pack and meet me here in the morning.” The soldier girl stood and grabbed her rapier. “This deserter is going to earn back her rank.”
“Yessir.” Casper slid down the hay. “I’ll be back in the morning with food.”
Tammi nodded, and he slipped out of the barn. As he trod through the field toward the farmhouse, he pulled open the heavy coin pouch he’d plucked off her belt during the hug. Fifty gold, at least. He could buy the farm from Pa.
