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Post by shonz on Jan 13, 2011 20:47:44 GMT -5
“Ahh…a bar, at last!” Gwaine breathed out his thanks as he spotted The Ram’s Head from afar. He was on his way home from Caerleon, from a much needed revisiting of his past, when he passed by. It was a few days ride and, while Gwaine had wanted to go straight to Camelot, to his warm bed and warm fire, his body just couldn’t take the harsh beating. He needed to rest for a while. He had ridden hard and fast from Gwent, and now his horse, too, was protesting the cruelty of the journey. Of course, Gwaine couldn’t punish the horse anymore than he could punish himself so down onto the bar they went for some quick R&R.
He tied his trusted horse in front of the inn, and stroked her on the neck. “I’ll be back with some food for you, my pretty lady,” he told the brown and strong mare. He adored his horse. It was a gift from Arthur, who had given his new knights a horse each after they had taken Camelot back from Morgana, Morgause and their immortal army. Gwaine acclimated to his own animal real fast. He had named her Leonie after his mother.
He walked into the bar, which was already a tad bit noisy from the crowd of customers. He couldn't help the exasperated groan that escaped him. Gwaine was too tired to wait. He needed food now, so he walked up to the counter and tapped it hard with the palm of his hand. “Some food for me and for my horse, please! And a tankard of ale, too.” he yelled over the voices and raucous all around him hoping the barmaid would hear him and serve him first.
Tagged: Romily de Braose Location: The Ram's Head, Anywhere Else in Albion Title credit goes to Arthur Pendragon/Am on Gwaine's banner =)
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Post by Romily de Braose on Jan 14, 2011 12:51:01 GMT -5
The inn was a little more crowded than usual this evening, and Eldon had once again left Romily to 'hold the fort' while he was upstairs preparing rooms and whatnot. She was sure he was taking another sneaky nap. His daughter, however, was already cooking food for the locals, who were all taking about their days and who had the worst one. Romily couldnt blame them for escaping there. It seemed to be the retreat from the rest of the world these days.
At the moment she had her back to everyone, trying to fill their already empty tankards and bring out their food. She could also hear someone putting in an order for himself and his horse? Never before had she had to provide food for a horse. The stablehands usually did that.
She finally turned around to face who was asking. He was looking tired, and as if he didn't want much of a fuss. She was thankful that he didn't appear to look like a trouble maker. "Of course sir - take a seat and i'll be over when i can". She smiled and gestured to an empty table that no one had aquired yet. If anyone needed a rest, then it was this man.
What food could she possibly give a horse? There were some apples and a few carrots that would be ideal, so she headed out to where the stables were, leaving Eldon's daughter and a newly emerged Eldon to tend to the every growing amount of customers. The only horse in the stables was a brown mare so it was obviously his. It was a very fine horse indeed. "Here you go girl" she smiled and fed the horse an apple before handing the food to the stable boy. "There's a few more carrots and apples in the back room - just take those if it wants more" she told him and he nodded.
Back inside the tavern Eldon's daughter handed her a plate of food. "Check out the night life" she smirked and looked in the direction of the man who had asked for food for his horse. Romily gave her a look. "Don't even consider it, he looks as though he's had a long journey". Before Eldon's daughter could say anything else Romily took the food over to him and placed it down on the table. "I've fed your horse, and here's something to keep you going - you look like you need it" she told him, "Anything else?"
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Post by shonz on Jan 15, 2011 7:42:37 GMT -5
For a literally tired man like him, the smile of a barmaid never fails to ease his burdens and makes the weariness seem to go away. He smiled back at the golden haired maid who had turned and replied to him, and proceeded to the table she offered. He had expected her to ask him more about his horse, but she seemed to have disappeared out back. Gwaine frowned wondering for a bit what it was that he did that made her walk away, but then again he was too tired even to think so he finally just shrugged it off.
Barely a few minutes later, while entertaining himself with listening to some silly drunken talk about the stars and moon on the table nearest him, the barmaid had returned and was serving him his food. He looked at the plate before him, and he immediately felt his stomach grumble at the sumptuous spread. He looked up at her wondering if she heard it, and laughed. “Thank you. Yes, obviously, I am very famished,” he remarked with a shameless and flirty little smirk.
“Just my tankard of ale, please,” he replied at her question.
Part of him was glad that she had forgotten to bring him his drink. It would give him an excuse to talk to her again. He was glad to know that she had fed his horse. So that’s where she went off to when she disappeared on me. He needed to thank her for that. It was a good excuse for some conversation. While he didn’t want to take her away from her bar duties in a crowded night like this, Gwaine could never resist the lure of a pretty barmaid. Oh, she was most definitely pretty with that hair of gold, skin so fair, and smile so refreshing.
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Post by Romily de Braose on Jan 15, 2011 8:08:45 GMT -5
A smile and a flirty response. She knew this was going to be a long evening. Hopefully though, this one wasn’t a troublemaker. If he was, he looked too tired to even start or involve himself in any tavern brawls for this evening. There was something about him though, that she found very intriguing – she didn’t exactly know what. He was still smirking at her and answered her previous question.
The tankard. Great, trust her to forget his drink! She looked embarrassed. “Sorry, I’ll get it right away for you” she replied and scurried back to behind the bar where Eldon’s daughter was smirking.
“Did you forget his drink on purpose? Very tactful Millie”
Romily rolled her eyes, trust Eldon’s daughter to pick at something like that. Now she’d have to face the man again and probably be teased about it. Romily was forever hearing barmaid jokes. Some that she could relate to and others that she found irritating, though she kept her thoughts to herself and just nodded politely whenever someone told her one. “No I did not – now if you’ll excuse me I have a customer to serve.”
She walked back to his table and placed the tankard down. “There you are sir – im sorry about that, there’s too many people to deal with this evening”. She was sure she could feel Eldon’s eyes burning into her back, or even his daughters or both. She wouldn’t be surprised if they should be keeping an eye on her every move this evening. “Now, if you’ll excuse me I should really get back to work – if you need anything else, I’ll be at the bar”.
OOC - Sorry it's so short! Romily's a little lost for words at the moment
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Post by shonz on Jan 16, 2011 3:33:06 GMT -5
“Sorry, I’ll get it right away for you.”
“No harm done, my pretty lass,” Gwaine remarked as the barmaid turned her back on him and rushed to the bar to get his drink. He wasn’t sure if she heard him or not, he just started eating the sumptuous meal she had brought him. He was hungry, all right. He had ridden hard for more than half a day. He was much too bent on going back to Camelot to think about anything including food.
He was demolishing a huge piece of the chicken on his plate when the golden-haired barmaid returned with his ale. With a grateful smile, he took the tankard, and took one long and well-savored swig from it. He relished the feel of the drink burning quite deliciously as it traveled down his throat. “Ahh…now that’s good ale.”
“Now, if you’ll excuse me I should really get back to work – if you need anything else, I’ll be at the bar”
“Apologies, I didn’t mean to take too much of your time,” Gwaine said reaching out to grab her hand as if preventing her from leaving so soon. He gave her hand a lingering look before his eyes traveled up her dainty arm, to her slender shoulders, and finally to her lovely face, gloriously framed by golden locks that cascaded down the curve of her back.
“I just wanted to properly thank you for taking care of my horse. Not a lot of barmaids go out of their way to do that...and on a busy night like tonight. Thank you,” Gwaine said as he looked up to meet her eyes. Then he moved her hand slowly closer to his lips, and he leaned his head down to plant a swift but gentle kiss there. Gwaine didn’t know if it was the food or the ale or the mere sight of her lovely smile that suddenly seemed to lift all his weariness away. He didn’t care. He had food. He had ale. And he had a beautiful barmaid serving him. Everything was perfect.
[[ooc: Pfft it’s more than enough. As long as you reply, I’m all good. Hehe! ]]
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Post by Romily de Braose on Jan 16, 2011 9:03:47 GMT -5
He took a swig of ale and apologised about taking up her time. She’d much rather have her time taken up by him than Eldon’s daughter making eyes at him from behind the bar all evening. She would have to warn him about her, otherwise he’d be another notch in her bedpost. “It’s not a problem, now – should really get back to work”.
It was then she felt him grab her hand. She looked down at it, then at him and frowned. He thanked her looking after his horse. Well – she wasn’t expecting that, but nodded all the same. “That’s alright, I’m not most barmaids” she replied before trying to leave again. This was prevented as he kissed her hand. She looked away at the floor, If Eldon’s daughter had seen that then she wouldn’t be happy. “I should go” She told him quietly and took her hand away slowly, turning away and walking back to the bar without a second glance.
She could have asked for his name at least – oh well, he’d most likely leave soon and never come back, so there would be no point. It was almost quiet now that everyone had their drinks and food. Eldon’s daughter had actually retreated to bed early as had Eldon himself, except he was currently in one of the back rooms asleep in a chair.
Romily looked over to where the man was still sitting. She knew for a fact that he’d been making eyes at her for most of the evening too. She’d never experienced taking such an interest in her, well – apart from Frederick but he was a different story. She’d run a mile from the man earlier after he’d thanked her and whatnot. She wasn’t used to this kind of attention and felt a little bad about giving off a wrong impression. She decided to take another tankard over to him as a peace offering. Not that any peace was involved, but she didn’t want him to feel that he’d done something to scare her.
“I brought you some more ale – I expect the other tankard is empty by now” she smiled and placed it down in front of him. “I’m Romily by the way, but most people around here call me Millie or Rommy – I guess I should have introduced myself earlier.”
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Post by shonz on Jan 16, 2011 9:41:37 GMT -5
Yet again it seems his charms have failed on this particular barmaid, Gwaine thought with much disappointment as she took her hand away and walked back to the bar without as much as a backward glance. Has being a knight diminished his allure with women? Gwaine asked himself as he took another long swig from his tankard. It seems women like it when their men are all rugged and handsome at the same time, with that hint of danger about them. Very much like what he once was. He paused to give himself a look, and decided he was rugged enough after that long journey from Caerleon. His outfit now, however, was no longer like the clothes of a wanderer. They may look dirty from the travel, but they still look a tad bit expensive. They should. These clothes had been specially sewn for the Knights of Camelot.
The frown on his face deepened, and Gwaine finished the rest of this ale with resignation. He let out a small burp before attacking whatever was left of his meal. Best get this over and done with and continue to ride to Camelot. He chanced a glance at the barmaid’s way once more, and saw her looking back at him. He diverted his attention back to his plate and fed himself more of the vegetables. She is probably happily married to one lucky bloke, he consoled himself.
“I’m Romily by the way, but most people around here call me Millie or Rommy – I guess I should have introduced myself earlier.”
Another tankard of ale and the pleasure of knowing her name was far from his thoughts, but Gwaine couldn’t believe his glee when the barmaid came and gave him both. The earlier disappointment immediately evaporated and Gwaine stood up this time as he, too, introduced himself. “I’m Gwaine. It’s a great pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Romily,” he said as he offered his hand out for a shake.
Before Romily could take his hand though, someone wildly crash against Gwaine from behind. He had been too pre-occupied with introducing himself to Romily that he was caught unaware at the sudden impact. He lost his balance and collapse straight onto the pretty barmaid. His hands found her waist as he tried to steady them both and keep them from falling, but the impact was too great and both Gwaine and Romily went crashing down onto the floor. Quick thinking made Gwaine just decide to wrap his arms around Romily, protecting the back of her head, knowing the fall would hurt her more than it would hurt him.
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Post by Romily de Braose on Jan 16, 2011 10:08:09 GMT -5
Gwaine. So that was his name. He was no longer just ‘the man’. A stranger from the outside, now he was Gwaine, the stranger that was now on top of her on the floor! They’d both been so caught up with introductions, that Romily had failed to notice the two men in the corner that were arguing with one another. One of them was pushed into Gwaine who subsequently managed to fall into her and sent them both to the floor!
She looked up at him; her heart was beating fast from the sudden shock. She knew that she had to defend herself now. “Well, that was a surprise” she caught her breath before realising that she was still staring at him. “I suppose this is quite a common occurrence for you Gwaine. Falling on pretty barmaids when you have a chance. Are you sure you didn’t pay these two to make it happen?” she smirked and got up “If you’ll excuse me Gwaine, I have an inn to defend” and with that retreated behind the bar from where she pulled a sword out.
The two men, locals that she knew were still fighting. They were usually the argumentative type and had only fought once in here, but now this fight was bigger than the last. She stepped between the two of them and put her fingers to her lips, sending out a high whistle to grab their attention. They stopped suddenly and looked at her. “HEY! IF YOU WANT TO KNOCK ONE ANOTHER OUT, THEN DO IT OUTSIDE WHERE YOU CAN’T DESTORY MY INN – NOW GET OUT BEFORE I DECIDE TO RUN YOU BOTH THROUGH. I’M SURE IT WILL SOLVE EVERYTHING!” she yelled angrily.
Romily never became angry with anyone but this was the last straw. There was no way that there would be death in her bar this evening. And if there was she would be the murderer. She pointed the sword to both the men who now looked surprisingly scared. “Now get out” she hissed and dragged them to the door where she threw them both out.
As she turned around everyone was silent and staring at her. Romily had never lost her cool before. Now they all had a reason to be wary. “If anyone so much as thinks of starting something like that again then you’ll answer to me ok?”.
Silence.
“Well? What are you all staring at? Carry on” she headed back to the bar and put the sword behind it. She couldn’t use it very well and hopefully would never have to use it on anyone. She headed back to where Gwaine was and sighed. “Im sorry about that, are you alright? I believe we were shaking hands when those two interrupted?”
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Post by shonz on Jan 16, 2011 10:30:29 GMT -5
Gwaine found himself staring into her eyes as she too stared back at him. Shock written all over her face. And yet, despite that crash and their current predicament of Gwaine lying on top of her right in the middle of a crowded bar, Romily still managed to joke about it. Before he could blurt out a witty retort to her teasing, Romily had already extricated herself from under him, and had rushed towards the back of the bar. He wondered what she was up to, but when he saw her brandishing a sword, Gwaine couldn’t help the laugh that escaped from his lips.
He stood up from where he was sitting and watched with sheer amusement as she literally shooed the two men out of the bar. Gwaine shook his head and couldn’t help but be impressed at Romily’s feistiness, and glad that he wasn’t on the other end of that sword. Any man would be a fool to try and fight an angry barmaid like that. Well, maybe he would indulge her with a quick swordfight or two if it were him, just to see how good she was at handling her weapons. A barmaid with a pretty face and a golden hair was definitely one who can take his weariness away. Now a barmaid who wasn't afraid of swords—that was something.
“Im sorry about that, are you alright? I believe we were shaking hands when those two interrupted?”
Shouldn’t he be the one who should be asking that? Shouldn’t he be the one to ask her if her head wasn’t in pain or whatever? Once again, she had beaten him to the punch. He had, of course, all the intention of calling out those two arguing thugs, but then Romily came all protective and territorial of her bar. And then now, she had reverted back to being the kind and caring hostess. Gwaine didn’t know if he should be scared or not of the quick shift in her personality. Either way, he was very much amused.
“No, sadly, I’m not alright. You just bruised my ego there a bit by scaring out those men when it should have been my duty to do so,” Gwaine teased back, his hand resting on his chest as he replied to her, and an impish smirk on his lips. Truth be told though, he didn't mind it one bit. “Though I think we need to work more on your sword skills. You’re waving it all wrong,” Gwaine whispered teasingly as he leaned closer to her, his lips an inch away from her ear. When he did, he caught the sweet smell of her perfume or her shampoo, Gwaine wasn't sure, and instantly he felt assaulted, but in a good and unforgettable way.
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Post by Romily de Braose on Jan 16, 2011 10:49:50 GMT -5
A bruised ego? Well that she felt good about. It had shown just who ran this place around here. “It’s not always a man’s job to become to the protective one. My inn, my customers – and that includes you that is under my protection. The landlord doesn’t want his business to fail now does he? And I don’t want to be out of the job” she smirked. “Besides, why shouldn’t a woman stand up for herself? Or are you one of those men who believes that a woman’s place is in the kitchen?”
He then proceeded to tease her about her sword skills, or lack of them at least. It wasn’t her fault. She’d never had to use it before. She didn’t like violence; she was always the peacemaker. Well apart from tonight when she’d become so annoyed. Lady Romily would have most likely stepped between the two men, and would have spoken to them about patching up their differences. The new Romily was suddenly stronger and no longer the ‘meek’ daughter she’d been branded as by her father. She was no going about waving swords and bantering on about the rights that a woman should have!
His lips were so close to her ear; she could feel his cool breath on her neck slightly. She looked up at him and smirked. “You tease me Gwaine” she ran a finger down his cheek and with that, sat down at a table. “I’ve never had to use that sword before, nor do I wish to use it again.” She looked at the tabletop and cursed under her breath to herself. She should have kept her cool and not got angry. Eldon would soon hear of this in the morning. Surprisingly the brawl hadn’t woke him up.
“Well? What’s a nobleman like you doing in a place this?” she smirked, “and before you ask, no wandering stranger wears clothes as fine as that. I can tell a nobleman from a mile off”
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Post by shonz on Jan 16, 2011 11:11:18 GMT -5
“Besides, why shouldn’t a woman stand up for herself? Or are you one of those men who believes that a woman’s place is in the kitchen?”
“Oh I most certainly do not.” Gwaine replied truthfully. In all his years wandering Albion and meeting all kinds of people, he had learned so much about women than just relegating them to the kitchens. There was the bedroom for one, and of course, he wouldn’t tell Romily that that was the first answer that came into his head. “I have very high respect for women. Moreso with women who can defend themselves and who don’t need men to fight for them. Although that makes me feel a tad bit useless when I’m with her, it feels good to know she will not die when I’m not there to defend her.”
As Gwaine spoke, he was looking intently at her, as if each and every word he was uttering was meant for her and no one else. Romily was indeed getting all his undivided attention tonight, and he was glad she was giving him hers, too. What made Gwaine thoroughly interested though other than his fascination with her golden hair, she doesn’t seem to be like every other barmaid out there. For one, she doesn’t giggle a lot. And for another, she has a sword for crying out loud!
He felt shivers of electricity when she ran a finger down his cheek, and Gwaine was much too tempted to turn his head and kiss that lovely hand of hers again. Maybe more. He sat back on his chair when she did, and then leaned across the table towards her. “If I offer to teach you, would you want to pick up that sword again?” he asked, a look of excited anticipation on his face. “Free of charge.”
“Well? What’s a nobleman like you doing in a place this?”
Inwardly, Gwaine frowned that Romily had picked up on his clothes, but he easily managed to maneuver himself out of it. Somehow, he didn't want her to know who he was. Not yet, at least.“I trust you can keep a secret?” he whispered yet again, his eyes darting back and forth around them as if making sure no one was listening. “I stole these clothes as well as the horse. I’m a bandit, my pretty miss,” Gwaine replied with all seriousness. He even managed to put in a hint of menace in his stare.
He reached out and held her hand as if preventing her from leaving their table. “Now, don’t try anything funny as shouting or revealing who I am. I’ve got my sword all pointed at you under the table.” He wondered for how long he can hold that charade, and how Romily would react. "Now, how about you take me to the back of the bar and get me a couple more tankards of ale?" Gwaine said as he released her hand. Was he overdoing it? He thought with amusement.
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Post by Romily de Braose on Jan 16, 2011 12:45:07 GMT -5
“I have very high respect for women. Moreso with women who can defend themselves and who don’t need men to fight for them. Although that makes me feel a tad bit useless when I’m with her, it feels good to know she will not die when I’m not there to defend her.”
Strong words indeed. Romily couldn’t help but feel as though Gwaine had meant them for her. No, he couldn’t have – they’d only just met and she was sure that lots of women had heard it all before. Plus, she wasn’t about to become big headed. He kept looking at her though, well, her hair mainly – it was as though he almost knew who she really was. “I take it you have a liking to my hair” she laughed, “I inherited it from my mother”. Romily winced slightly. It had been a while since she’d thought of her mother, or even mentioned her so casually like that. She felt a little ashamed; it was as though she’d turned her back on her memory.
She was then shocked when Gwaine offered to teach her how to use a sword. She shook her head though. “Thank you for the offer, but after tonight I don’t think any of the locals will cross my path again after I yelled at them. They’ve never seen me like that before so I suppose they’ll be a little more wary from now on”
He sat himself across from her, and asked if she could keep a secret. “Some people confide in me – im not a gossip,” she told him in earnest. Gwaine then came out with how he’d stolen the clothes and was a bandit? No. That wasn’t right. Surely if he was a bandit he would have involved himself in the fight earlier. He was looking around to see if anyone was listening in, but everyone was keeping a low profile now after the earlier events of the day. She gasped slightly as he grabbed her hands and then told her he had a sword pointed to her under the table and that he’d like some more ale.
Romily took a deep breath and leant in, her lips almost touching his. “No bandit would offer to teach a mere barmaid how to use a sword” she smirked and rose from her chair. “I’ll get you your ale, then perhaps you would care to tell me why I should really believe that you are who you say you are.” She told him and went to get some more ale, looking back at him with a little mischievous smile. Gwaine obviously liked to impress a lady. Ok, she was no lady but in general it seemed that way. She returned to the table with the tankards and placed them in front of him.
“Now, are you going to run me through? Rob the tavern of its money? Take me hostage? Or does a certain ‘bandit’ have more interesting things to do with his time?” She took her seat across from him again, looking around and noticing that some of the locals were now leaving to make their way home. They still bid her a cheery farewell thankfully. Her eyes found Gwaine’s again, she knew that this was going to be a long evening.
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Post by shonz on Jan 17, 2011 21:16:49 GMT -5
“You have such beautiful hair. Your mother must be a very beautiful woman to have such an equally gorgeous daughter.” How I'd love to run my fingers through those soft strands. Gwaine’s flirting was full on, all right. While he wasn’t teasing, because all he was saying was true, a blind man could see that he was using all the wiles he could muster to charm this pretty lady who was sharing his table with him. The small wince that had slightly rocked her body was not lost on Gwaine, and felt that Romily, too, had her share of family issues. However, it wasn’t his place to pry, but he did note it down and placed it in the back of his mind for processing later.
Gwaine managed a pout when she refused his offer for some sword training. “You will never know when the skill will come in handy. I assure you I will not ask for your first born son or daughter in exchange for the sword lessons,” Gwaine teased using old tales about creepy strangers offering help in exchange for children. Somehow, he really wanted to teach her at least some basic sword fighting skills to match that feistiness in her personality. It would make her a formidable woman indeed. And of course, somehow he wanted a reason to see her again, and not just as a customer.
When she leaned in and moved her lips closer to his, Gwaine felt his breath hitch up his chest. She called on his bluff, and he wanted so much to kiss her for that. He had actually managed to close the distance between their lips, but just before his own could touch hers, she had risen from her seat and left him puckering his lips at nothing but air. He laughed at himself, and then leaned back in his seat when she returned with more of his drink.
“Now, are you going to run me through? Rob the tavern of its money? Take me hostage? Or does a certain ‘bandit’ have more interesting things to do with his time?”
Oh now, she was teasing him. He wondered what she would do if he would in fact do all of that. His thoughts ran amuck with vivid thoughts of taking her hostage and having his way with her – no. He would take her hostage, but he would treat her like a princess, pleasure her with all his might until she would breathe nothing but his name on her lips. The thought made Gwaine sit up, grab his tankard, and downed it in one long swig. He started to feel the buzzing in his head at the alcohol.
He leaned onto the table, and reached a hand out to take a tendril of her long locks and slowly twirled it around his finger. “I do have more interesting things to do with my time, and all of them involve a beautiful golden-haired barmaid. I will take her away on my strong brown horse, and together we will ride long to a majestic kingdom far away from here. My arms around her waist as she sat on my lap. There I will lavish her with treasures and fine things. Servants will be at her feet, answering her beck and call. And I…I will lavish her with all my attention and confess to her my undying love. I am no prince, but I will treat her like a princess. I am no king, but she will be the queen of my heart.”
Gwaine didn’t know where those words came from. Must be the ale, he thought amusingly at his cheesy tale. Geez…they sounded downright cheesy and corny indeed, and couldn’t remember using them on any other barmaids he had met before. Yes, he was drunk, all right.
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Post by Romily de Braose on Jan 19, 2011 14:24:40 GMT -5
“You have such beautiful hair. Your mother must be a very beautiful woman to have such an equally gorgeous daughter.”
Romily looked to the floor, “I wouldn’t know, she died when I was three so I can only remember her a little, and very little if im honest.” She wasn’t sure how her mother would have taken to all of this. Her daughter leaving her home and becoming a lowly barmaid in a place she barely knew the name of. “I raised myself, because I wasn’t a son my father never bothered with me after my mother passed. I think he was angry that he’d lost both his son and wife in one night and was just left with a daughter. Truth be told that Romily didn’t think this. She knew of it. She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter though, that’s all in the past”.
Gwaine then went into the full fairytale mode of not asking for a firstborn in exchange for some lessons in handling a sword. She smiled weakly. “Handy or not I still do not want to take that route. I’ve changed too much for the worse this past year and I’ve only just realised it. I need to stick with my morals, but thank you all the same”.
She stiffened slightly as he curled a strand of her hair around his finger. He was incredibly drunk so she reckoned. She didn’t mind, as long as there wasn’t another brawl that would involve her kicking him out. Gwaine then proceeded to talk about something or other. He was talking about her and how he’d take her away!
“I am no prince, but I will treat her like a princess. I am no king, but she will be the queen of my heart.” She blushed at the last part and looked away, but then realised that she needed to get back to reality. She was a barmaid and Gwaine? Just another once in a lifetime stranger. Frederick had been just like that. Complimenting her and had sweet-talked his way around her. Then at the snap of a finger he was acting as though they were a pair of naughty teenagers being caught doing something they shouldn’t. What had hurt Romily the most was that he hadn’t denied anything that her father had accused them of. What if Gwaine was just like all the rest. She couldn’t bear to be hurt again. Frederick had only been the start of a slight indent of the wound, and if she carried on acting like she was now – Gwaine would be the deepest wound itself. She still looked away from him, she couldn’t feel any tears. She had sworn that she would never cry over any man.
She rose from her chair quietly. “I should really get back to work, it’s nearly closing time and I can’t lose my job. It’s all I have”
With that she went back to the bar and busied herself with the last of the customers and cleaning up.
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Post by shonz on Jan 22, 2011 8:42:37 GMT -5
Gwaine now couldn’t deny that he had obviously struck a chord within Romily somewhere. The sad look on her face when she spoke about her mother made Gwaine’s heart go out to her. He continued to listen as attentively as he could as Romily told him more about her story, about how her father practically abandoned her. He could understand how that feels. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring back sad memories.” He would have wanted to ask more about where his father was now, but then Romily seemed to already want to put an end to her storytelling. “I’m sure wherever you father is right now, he is missing you dearly.” She didn’t say anything about her father being dead, so he probably would still be alive. How and why Romily left him was a thought for later.
Gwaine frowned when Romily still refused his offer for swordfighting lessons. Then she mentioned about changing the past year, and Gwaine was once again itching to know more. Which was all kinds of weird actually. He was never this curious about a barmaid before. All he was after was a usually one night of fun and entertainment, so knowing about her life was out of the question. Knowing a person’s life attaches him to them. He didn’t want that. Surprisingly with Romily, the case was different. He just didn’t know why, or had realized fully that he was behaving in another way with her.
His words, unfortunately, didn’t achieve his desired effect. Instead of turning Romily into a blushing barmaid willing and able to cater to his every wish, it only seemed to drive her away. She had blushed alright, but there was something akin to sadness her in eyes once again. Was it an old love lost? Ahhh…those wounds are hard to heal, Gwaine thought. But if Romily would only give him a chance, he knew he could make her forget her troubles even just for tonight. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to continue flirting with her. There was something about her that told him she was unlike all the other barmaids he’d met. Even in his ale-addled mind, he knew Romily was something else, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
“I should really get back to work, it’s nearly closing time and I can’t lose my job. It’s all I have”
He drank his one other tankard, deciding, the night was best spent drowning his failed attempts at charming this barmaid in loads of ale. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he knew he was still supposed to go home to Camelot tonight. Maybe one more drink for the road? “Can you kindly get me one flagon of ale? Just one more before I head out and go home,” he asked as politely as he could, though he knew he couldn’t mask the look of disappointment on his face. Just when he needed something to get him rested, Romily got him into a disappointing rut. What a damper! “I know a lost case when I see one,” he added, his speech already slurred from drunkenness.
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May 31, 2012 7:08:21 GMT -5
Tag me @romily
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Post by Romily de Braose on Jan 23, 2011 9:45:46 GMT -5
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring back sad memories.” “It’s alright, women die in childbirth all the time” Romily shrugged it off. It was then Gwaine mentioned her father. Right now she was very tempted to slam her fist down on the table and rant about him, but instead she took a breath and looked at Gwaine with sincerity. “My father neither cares if I should be dead or alive right now, things would be different if I had been born a boy – for a start he would have loved me. I chose to leave him and he didn’t try to stop me, if anything he ensured that I went”. This was true. She remembered looking back at her father watching her from the window as walked away from Wolfhall and her old life. “Anyway” she shook her head, “im never going back to him – never”.
On her way back to the bar she then remembered what Gwaine had asked for her when she’d got up to make her hasty exit. Another flagon of ale. The man could drink for the whole of Avalon. He was also quite drunk now – she knew that he’d probably end up in one of the rooms upstairs, he wouldn’t be able to even get on his horse. Romily couldn’t not allow a paying customer their drink so she quickly filled up another flagon and headed back over to the table, trying her hardest not to look him in the eye, then turned and walked away again. Gwaine. Gwaine. Gwaine was on her mind yet again! What was it about this man? He even had the ability to possess her thoughts! It was terribly annoying and somewhat a distraction. She swallowed hard and made small conversation with some of the locals that were left.
“Not everyday you get a fella like that in ‘ere” One of them remarked to her, a woman actually – she was the wife of the carpenter and usually accompanied her husband to the tavern.
“Like what? A drunk?” Romily mused
“No, physically. A strapping young man like that will do you good Millie and from what I’ve seen, he seems to be quite keen on you”
Romily looked over to Gwaine and then back to the carpenters’ wife. “I can look after myself. I don’t need a man to tell me how pretty I am, or how I need to be looked after. It’s just me and it will always be ‘Just me’.”
“Mark my words, one day a man like that will come along and change your opinion for the better. You need to give them a chance – If you don’t, then what have you got left when everyone you know has gone?” Romily looked down at the ground, the carpenter’s wife could see she’d upset her. “Come now, I didn’t mean to make you feel like that” she patted her shoulder. Romily shook her head, “No – you’re right.” She looked back up, “I came her alone and have always been like that, just thinking that I would be able to get through my life by myself. I guess I’ve forgotten what it’s like to not be as independent as I used to be.”
“Go on – go over there and talk to him again, he looked quite disappointed when you left before”
Romily looked over at Gwaine and then made her way over to the table, setting herself down opposite him again. “There’s no way im letting you even think about trying to ride a horse tonight, you can have one of the rooms that are free upstairs”
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Post by shonz on Jan 23, 2011 11:37:56 GMT -5
She sounded very bitter when the conversation had turned towards her father. While he couldn’t quite believe that a father can easily dismiss his daughter like that, Gwaine didn’t press the subject any more. He could see that she was trying to put it all behind her. This talk about his father wanting a boy so bad made him think, however. Peasants or ordinary villagers couldn’t care less if they have a son or a daughter. Only those who possess so much wealth would care for a son, a rightful heir, to pass them on to, to carry the name. What does this mean for Romily then? Gwaine only eyed her curiously, his mind now too muddled with alcohol to think clearly.
“Thanks!” he muttered as Romily deposited a flagon of ale onto his table and then turned around without a word. He lifted the flagon and drank straight from it, not caring for a glass or a tankard to pour it into anymore. Since Gwaine was already losing some of that well regarded control, some ale had sloshed down his chin and down onto his chest. He cursed when he felt the cold liquid soak his shirt, but nevertheless continued to drink from the jar. Best drown his sorrows in ale.
A few more customers were leaving the tavern, and at the back of his mind, Gwaine knew that he should start packing up as well. Leonie should be able to take him straight home even if he was in no condition to guide her along. Maybe. The thought of letting his horse drag his drunk arse back to Camelot made him depressed. Still, he knew he had to get his act together, and get home as soon as he could. Or at least until after he’s finished his flagon of ale.
He was watching the exodus of customers out and was smiling at one particular woman who was giving him flying kisses as she exited the door. He was waving back, grinning like the drunk idiot that he was, when Romily appeared on the seat opposite him.
“There’s no way im letting you even think about trying to ride a horse tonight, you can have one of the rooms that are free upstairs.”
Can she read his mind? He chuckled and drank straight from the jar of ale again as she spoke. “Ahhh…if I don’t know any better, you don’t want to get rid of me just yet. But I’m sorry my beautiful lady, I have to go home…unless it is your room that is free upstairs,” he replied drunkenly, totally clueless now of what he was talking about. He took another swig of his ale, and then wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. He searched for his bag, and found it against his chair. He leaned down to fish out a small bag of coins which he then deposited in front of Romily. It contained a handful of gold coins, but he was obviously in no condition to count them for her.
Feeling like he was finally done here, Gwaine then stood up and drank the rest of his ale. But just as he was leaning down to grab his bag, he felt the wind get knocked out of him, like a horde of horses hitting him square in the chest. He staggered back while trying to hold onto something to break a would-be fall. “That’s not good,” he remarked as he tried to regain balance. Unfortunately, all the weariness of the day’s hard journey was taking its toll on Gwaine, and the alcohol only made it worse. He didn’t see the chair behind him and the utterly drunk knight stumbled hard against it, sending him unceremoniously crashing down onto the floor on his backside.
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May 31, 2012 7:08:21 GMT -5
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Post by Romily de Braose on Jan 23, 2011 14:46:25 GMT -5
He was drunk, very, very drunk and Romily could see that.
“Ahhh…if I don’t know any better, you don’t want to get rid of me just yet. But I’m sorry my beautiful lady, I have to go home…unless it is your room that is free upstairs,”
Now he was blabbering on about how he hoped it was her room that was free. The typical ramblings of a drunken man in her eyes. “You cannot go home in this state, you wouldn’t even make it to the door” she told him sternly. She couldn’t just let him go off into the night without any clue of where he was heading.
He handed her some money. He’d given her enough to buy a whole alehouse than just to pay for his meal. Either that or he was a very rich ‘bandit’. There was no way that he was a bandit. He was a nobleman – she knew that and so did he, especially as he’d just given her a small fortune in itself.
She looked on in amusement as he rose from the chair but ended up trying not to fall over. “Gwaine, you can’t even stand!” she rolled her eyes, as he muttered, “That’s not good,” to himself. Ok he certainly had to stay at the inn. He was now on the floor!
Romily slapped her palm against her forehead and couldn’t help but laugh. “Come on, get up. I’ll show you to your room and be quiet! If Eldon sees me im in for it! So no singing or loudness of any kind ok?” She helped him up and practically dragged him along and up the stairs, making sure that she pushed him up so as if he were to fall, then he’d land on her and not at the bottom. It was a good job Eldon wasn’t here to see this, he usually had some kind of rule about drunks staying for the evening – but seeing as he wasn’t around and was snoring away in the bedroom down the hallway, Romily couldn’t care less whether he came out and saw them.
She took her keys and unlocked one of the rooms, practically pushing Gwaine into the room, anyone who would have been watching this may have instantly got the wrong idea as Romily stuck her head out of the door, looked around to make sure no one had seen and then closed it behind her before Gwaine could make his escape. She turned to him, her back still against the door and blocking all means of exit – except for the window. Hopefully he wouldn’t decide to jump out of it.
She looked at him and rolled her eyes again “Now get some sleep – you’ll feel like you’ve died a thousand times over in the morning, but I suppose it’s better than waking up in a ditch with no horse and belongings to your name”.
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Post by shonz on Jan 25, 2011 0:54:20 GMT -5
His ale-fuzzy mind barely registered the feel of soft hands helping him stand up from where he was now sprawled on the floor. She was talking about no singing or loudness. She was talking about some Eldon. “I promise to be quiet, but you…you can shout your pleasure to the heavens, my dear…” he blabbed back, quite drunkenly like before. He thought she was telling him to keep quiet because she was sneaking him into her room for a night of heavy romping. Gwaine couldn’t help but feel excited. He was going to have his barmaid after all!
He winced when Romily dragged him towards the stairs, and he tried his best not to put all his weight on her. He however rested his head on her shoulders, and greedily breathed in the glorious sweet scent of her hair. “You smell so good,” he remarked as they walked up the stairs. “I will have to take a bath first so I'll smell just as good.” He was totally out of it, but part of his mind knew he needed to stay focus, as focused as a drunk man could get, to be able to give this maiden pleasure all throughout the night.
Gwaine stumbled into the room and sat on the bed, looking up to see Romily blocking the door and eyeing him intently like he was going to escape or something. “I’m not going anywhere, my love. I'm all yours,” he said as he took his vest off and threw it on the floor, totally ignoring what she was saying. His mind wasn’t making any sense from it anyway. All he was hearing was something about dying and horses, which totally sounded weird to a drunk man’s ears.
He went on to take his dirty shirt off, and threw it to the floor after the vest. His undressing revealed well toned chests and abs borne out of rigorous and daily training as a knight. He ran a hand through his hair as he gave Romily one come-hither look. “I need that bath now. I can’t possibly make sweet and passionate love to a heavenly maiden like you all dirty and sweaty. If you would just wait for me, I wouldn’t take a minute.”
Then he stood up, a little too abruptly, to find himself a bathroom. “Now where is the bathroom?” he asked as he took a step towards Romily. Instead of talking that step though, he found himself swaying where he was standing, about to fall. His legs wobbled, and fall he did. Towards Romily once again.
“Seems like I couldn’t stop falling for you…” he spoke, that same cheesy and drunken grin on his face.
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Post by Romily de Braose on Jan 31, 2011 14:35:46 GMT -5
“You smell so good,”
Ergh, Romily rolled her eyes and moved away. “Im sure many women would appreciate you sniffing their hair, but I don’t – so if you want to try anything freaky like that then I suggest you search for another woman who is into that thing” Now he was talking about taking a bath. Great, well if he requested that she should join him then he had another thing coming.
He practically started undressing in front of her. She had to admit he did have quite a nice body….NO! She shouldn’t even be looking let alone having thoughts like that! “I need that bath now. I can’t possibly make sweet and passionate love to a heavenly maiden like you all dirty and sweaty. If you would just wait for me, I wouldn’t take a minute.”
"Im not going to sleep with you!” she told him sternly, “you may think that any woman you meet will just melt into your arms and be seduced by everything you say to her. Really your words are like poison to a maidens soul, I suppose many have been left broken hearted?” she raised her brows at him, “Well I don’t think you need to answer that because im sure the answer is yes.”
She unlocked the door, “Yes I will get you some water for a bath but there is no way that I will be staying, im already going against Eldon’s wishes by letting you spend the night here, I don’t want to be thrown out of my job because I was found with one of our guests in their bed!”
Ouch. He’d moved towards her but had ended up stumbling and falling into her like earlier that evening. Great, just what she needed, him practically trying to seduce her like that. She wriggled out from under him and got to her feet, “Now do I have to practically lock you in here while I get some water, or are you able to hold yourself back from coming after me?” she asked and didn’t leave him time to reply. “Just as I thought.”
With that she headed downstairs to fill up some buckets. Never before had she encountered a man as infatuated with her as Gwaine. She was sure that when he left the inn (hopefully), he would be back – infact, she didn’t have to be sure.
She Knew.
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